成人快手

What is a National Park?

A range of mountains with a valley of trees at the base.

A National Park is an area of the UK countryside protected by law.

A range of mountains with a valley of trees at the base.

Watch: Explore the UK's National Parks

Learn about how the first National Park was created.

Back to top

Why do we have National Parks?

An illustration of a tree.
  • National Parks are areas of the UK countryside, including some towns and villages, that are protected by law.

  • These areas are special, because of their wildlife, nature and .

  • People who live there can help decide how to look after them.

The purpose of National Parks in the UK is to:

  • Look after the features and characteristics of the area.

  • Make changes to improve the area.

  • Help people understand why the area is special, so that they can enjoy it and appreciate it more.

An illustration of a tree.
Back to top

UK National Parks

The UK has 15 National Parks. There are:

  • 10 in England
  • 3 in Wales
  • 2 in Scotland
  • None in Northern Ireland

The first one was the Peak District in 1951; the most recent National Park is the South Downs, which was designated in 2010.

A map of the UK showing the locations of its National Parks

Some different examples of the UK's national parks are:

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, The Broads National Park., The Broads - England The Broads are a system of waterways and small lakes in Norfolk. Some are used for boating and sailing. This wetland is home to a variety of rare plants, birds and insects.
Back to top

Case Studies

Both the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks are located in England. They offer a wide variety of landscapes, and both are known for different qualities.

The Peak District

An image of the Peak District landscape.
  • It is the UK's first National Park.
  • As well as providing walking routes on the hills, people can cycle and walk on a trail along the old railways which lead through tunnels.
  • Derwent Dam can be found here. This was built to provide water to people who live around the area.
An image of the Peak District landscape.

The Yorkshire Dales

An image of the Yorkshire Dales and its hills.
  • The Yorkshire Dales has 8000 km of dry-stone walls in the area. The walls are built by farmers to show what land belongs to them, or to stop animals such as cows and sheep moving to other fields.
  • There are a few waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales, such as Aysgarth Falls.
  • It is also home to the longest system of caves in the UK.
An image of the Yorkshire Dales and its hills.
Back to top

Activities

Quiz: National parks

Tap and find: National parks of the UK

Back to top
Back to top

Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
Back to top

More on Geography of the UK

Find out more by working through a topic