Discover National Parks Fortnight; ‘Do Something New & Share your Story’
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Date posted: 01/04/2022
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Time to read: 10 minutes
‘Do Something New & Share your Story’: Discover National Parks Fortnight, 2-18 April
Press Release:
Discover National Parks Fortnight returns between 2-18 April, after a two-year COVID enforced hiatus. During that time the value of visiting green and blue spaces has been highlighted by unprecedented numbers of people heading into the UK wilderness for the first time. This year, National Parks across the UK are encouraging people to embrace and expand that spirit, to ‘Do something new and share your story’. Over the course of the two weeks the National Parks will make suggestions for five ways to do something new and in the final Easter weekend of the fortnight will launch a brand-new way to share your story.
Tom Hind, CEO of North York Moors National Park and lead CEO for visitor management said: “We’ve learned an awful lot over the past two years about the different ways that people want to connect with nature and how we help them look after the special qualities of the places they are visiting. This year we are inviting people to give some extra thought to how they visit and perhaps try something new. We also know that the best way to get that message out is through them sharing the experience with friends, family, and followers, so we’re also asking people to share their stories using #DiscoverNew and #GreenSpaceStories so we all champion the best, most enjoyable, most sustainable ways to enjoy our National Parks and care for them at the same time.”
The five ways to do something new:
- Discover together: #JoinInJoinUp
If you are inexperienced or new to exploring the countryside, it can seem a little daunting. National Parks are some of the best places to make that first step. Through National Parks people can Join in or Join up with one of the many activities and local groups designed to introduce you to these special places – during the fortnight or throughout the year. There is something for everyone, whether visiting alone or with friends or family, and they are free to visit.
Tom Hind continues: “This year we’ve partnered with outdoor arts event experts, Walk the Plank, to create a really special series of events in National Parks and AONBs that anyone can join in with: Green Space Dark Skies. We’re looking for 20,000 participants for a once in a lifetime experience as one of our Lumenators. Events are taking place between April and September and you can find one near you and join up today.”
Visit here for more information.
- Discover volunteering
For many people who visit National Parks, that experience will have been made better or easier through the efforts of over 5,000 volunteers. It’s one vital way that you can give something back and there are lots of different ways to volunteer, no matter what their age, experience or how much time they have. The full range of volunteering opportunities in each National Park can be found here.
- Discover a new future
The middle weekend of Discover National Parks Fortnight (9-10 April) is dedicated to the Young Leaders in National Parks. Through various programmes, young people passionate about our landscapes and the environment are experiencing what it’s like to take the initiative and become actively involved. This can lead to careers in the green economy, but also gives them a real leadership voice in the National Parks movement today. New opportunities for young people will be highlighted and National Parks’ social media channels will be sharing messages from participants at the recent Youth Voice event in the Peak District about their hopes for the future and how they are beginning to realise them today through their work in National Parks.
- Discover new places
To help visitors avoid hitting overcrowded roads, car parks and attractions, each of the National Parks has created resources to make it easier for visitors to discover the less well-known – but equally amazing – places within the Parks.
Tom Hind suggests: “Whether you’re planning to visit this Discover National Parks Fortnight, or at any time this year, head to the websites of the National Parks to discover somewhere new to go. It’s not difficult to beat the crowds with a bit of preparation.” Find out more here.
- Discover new ways
A simple way to avoid the stress of driving on crowded lanes and finding a parking spot is to use more sustainable travel options, including trains, buses and bicycles. The journey becomes part of the experience and it can often be more sustainable option. National Parks are adding sustainable travel options and information to websites all the time and the latest can be found here.
Share Your Story
Over the course of the fortnight, National Parks will be using social media to encourage people to use #DiscoverNew and #GreenSpaceStories to share where they have visited and new things they have done. At the end of Discover National Parks Fortnight a unique new platform will be launched that is designed specifically to share their stories about visiting green and blue spaces, in a way that can influence how people explore and access the UK countryside for generations to come.
Tom Hind says: “By sharing stories of something new, our visitors can influence their friends, families and followers to discover all that’s great about National Parks in a way that suits them and helps us to look after them forever.”
– Ends –
About UK National Parks
There are 15 National Parks in the UK, covering 10% of Great Britain. National Parks are visited over 100 million times each year. 2021 saw the 70th Anniversary of the confirmation of the first four National Parks – Peak District, Dartmoor, Lake District and Snowdonia. 2022 will see the 70th Anniversary of two more – North York Moors and Pembrokeshire Coast. For more information www.nationalparks.uk
The UK’s National Parks are managed by autonomous National Park Authorities.
For more information, interviews and high-resolution images, contact:
Kate Measures: 07966 487733 kate.measures@nationalparks.uk
15 National Parks. One shared challenge. Our climate is changing, and with it comes an increased risk of wildfire across our landscapes.
That’s why we’ve committed to taking action through our new Wildfire Management Position Statement. Together, the National Parks will work to support nature recovery to help manage wildfire risk, plan for and strengthen wildfire response and coordination, improve risk management and preparedness, and share clear, consistent public messaging.
But we can’t do it alone.
Communities, organisations, land managers and visitors all have a role to play in reducing wildfire risk. By working together, we can help protect our National Parks and prepare for a future where hotter, drier weather may increase the risk of wildfire.
Read the full statement by clicking on the link in our bio 🔗
Photos:
Slide 1 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Ed Smith. Slide 2 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith. Slide 3 - View across Loch Morlich during Glenmore wildfire, July 2026, © Brenna Jessie. Slide 4 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith. Slide 5 - View from the cab of a tractor aiding in fighting the wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park, CPNA. Slide 5 - Firefighting vehicles at the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith.
#Wildfires #NationalParksUK
It’s not every day you get to see one of our National Parks in biscuit form on @britishbakeoff!
Last night, The Great British Bake Off contestant @itsdoctoryan created a beautiful biscuit mosaic inspired by the Broads National Park, perfectly capturing the view at St Benet’s Mill, Thurne.
And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes as the mosaic was made using treacle and ginger, honey and lemon, cocoa and malted milk, and pistachio biscuits.
Two great things combined: a beautiful National Park view and delicious biscuits. What could be better than that? 💚
Photo: Channel 4
#GBBO #BakeOff #NorfolkBroads @broadsnationalpark
You’ve likely heard of one - but what does it actually do?
Our 15 Parks wouldn’t be able to function without the authorities working behind the scenes to keep them running.
And each authority relies on people. People within the community, volunteers, staff and members. People that run businesses, or partner as organisations. People that are skilled and knowledgeable in a variety of areas from wildlife to accessibility.
Our National Parks are full of people and action, and it’s the Authorities that bring them all together.
💚
#NationalParksUK #NationalParkAuthorities
The Yorkshire Dales has one of the highest concentrations of caves and caverns of any of our 15 National Parks - a whole landscape hiding beneath the ground.
Our National Parks don’t just protect and preserve the landscapes we see every day. They also help care for historic and unique places discovered by our ancestors, like Ingleborough Cave and Gaping Gill, both of which were shrouded in myth and legend until they were explored by Victorians in the 1800s.
There’s so much more to our National Parks than meets the eye and sometimes, quite literally beneath the surface 👀
#YorkshireDales #GapingGill #Ingleborough
A week on from National Parks UK’s Big Volunteer Weekend, we’re still celebrating the people who make a difference across our National Parks.
Last weekend, hundreds of people came together across all 15 National Parks to give their time, share their skills and support our landscapes.
But volunteering in our National Parks doesn’t happen just one weekend a year. All year round, volunteers play an incredible variety of roles – from leading guided walks and supporting education, to conservation, planting and caring for our landscapes.
Every volunteer makes a valuable contribution to protecting our natural and cultural heritage. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you. 💚
So, to all our volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and everything you bring to our National Parks.
If you know someone who volunteers in a National Park, help us spread the thanks by sharing this post. 🌿
#Volunteers #NationalParks #NationalParksUK
Mae’r Bele yn un o famaliaid prinnaf Cymru, ond mae eu niferoedd yn tyfu yn raddol. Mae hynny’n newyddion da i’n coetiroedd ac i’r Parciau Cenedlaethol, sy’n darparu rhai o’r cynefinoedd pwysicaf ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt ledled Cymru a Phrydain.
Ym Mannau Brycheiniog, mae’r prosiect adfer wedi gosod blychau nythu yn y coed, ac mae gwaith monitro wedi nodi presenoldeb y Bele, gan gynnwys grwpiau teuluol. Mae’r ffilm arbennig hon yn dangos un ohonynt ar waith. 🐾
Mae’n atgof hyfryd o’r hyn sy’n bosibl pan ddaw coetiroedd iach a gwaith cadwraeth arbenigol at ei gilydd i roi’r gofod sydd ei angen ar rywogaethau prin i wella.
Pine Martens are one of Wales’ rarest mammals, but they’re slowly making a comeback. That’s good news for our woodlands, and for National Parks, which provide some of the most important habitats for wildlife across Wales and Britain.
In Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), the recovery project has installed treetop den boxes, with monitoring identifying pine martens, including family groups. This special footage shows one in action. 🐾
It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when healthy woodlands and specialist conservation work come together to give rare species the space they need to recover.
#BreconBeacons #BannauBrycheiniog #PineMartins #Wales
It’s the Autumn Equinox 🍂
Our National Parks are always changing in time with the rhythm of nature, but this becomes particularly noticeable when autumn arrives.
Deer begin to rut, spiders’ cobwebs glisten in the fresh light, fungi become more prominent, and leaves begin to change colour.
What changes have you noticed so far? 🧡
#Autumn #AutumnEquinox #NationalParks
“You look after the National Park not for yourself, but for people who are coming, the ones who are following you.”
These are the words of Ron Wood, who has been volunteering for the Lake District National Park for over 60 years. His story reflects the vital role volunteering plays across our National Parks: keeping them thriving, communities invested, and people connected to and caring for our landscapes.
Over the decades, Ron’s incredible journey has seen him remain steadfast in his commitment through droughts, hand, foot and mouth disease, and the ever-changing rhythms of nature. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: his dedication to looking after the environment for those who come after him.
You can read Ron`s full story by clicking the link in our bio or learn more about volunteering at nationalparks.uk/volunteering 🔗
📸Photos by @lakedistrictnpa
#LakeDistrict #Volunteering #NationalParks
