A celebration of the nation's most beautiful places, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the creation of the national parks.
The United Kingdom is home to no fewer than 15 national parks. These astonishingly diverse locations range from the sub-arctic mountains of the Cairngorms in Scotland to the ancient woodlands and vineyards of England's South Downs; from the dramatic Pembrokeshire coast in Wales to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Lake District.
Home to some of our most precious wildlife, the national parks of the UK were created to protect our cultural heritage and strengthen our connection with nature. This inspirational journey through the parks captures the spirit of the British landscape and contains almost 200 stunning photographs.
Carey Davies is a writer and journalist specialising in landscape, the environment and natural history. He has edited hiking magazine The Great Outdoors, contributed to The Guardian's long-running country diary column, and helped repair erosion-damaged paths in national parks by spearheading the crowdfunding campaign 'Mend Our Mountains' in his role as hillwalking officer for the British Mountaineering Council. He has lived – among other places – in London, Glasgow and Cardiff, hiking extensively across the UK in the process, but has ended up back in his native Yorkshire. This is his first book.
"A splendid book – lively, affectionately observed, capturing the extraordinary range and variety of the Parks and all that is inspiring about our landscape"
– Rory Stewart
"A beautiful book"
– Tristan Gooley, author of The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues & Signs
"Inspirational [...] will have any keen walker or nature lover wanting to visit all 15 parks, all of which should fill us with pride and wonder"
– The Independent