Discover National Parks Fortnight
Discover National Parks Fortnight, held each Spring, is an annual celebration of the UK’s National Parks. We will soon be sharing more information and inspiration as we build up to National Parks Fortnight 2023.
National Parks are a really great place to make your first visit to wilder countryside. That can seem a bit daunting – so we’ve got lots of activities and events for you to ease your way into it. See some of them below. And if you want to do something truly new, why not sign up to take part in one of our Green Space Dark Skies events here? If you are a more seasoned visitor the websites of the National Parks have lots of suggestions and tools to find new places to visit that are away from the crowds. And if you feel the urge to get more involved protecting and enhancing these special places, you might explore the many volunteering options available.
Whether you are a newbie or an old hand, we can all share the love for National Parks. We’re encouraging everyone to share the story of their visits this year using #GreenSpaceStories. Spread the word about how to have a safe, enjoyable visit in a way that helps us all look after these precious places together.
Find events in National Parks
Use the links here to find events happening in all 15 National Parks.
Highlights
North York Moors 70th Celebrations
To celebrate the platinum anniversary of the North York Moors National Park there is a whole programme of special events, family activities, walks and exhibitions to enjoy.
Go Swim Loch Lomond
Take a dip whilst taking in spectacular scenery with Go Swim Loch Lomond. This popular event offers swims for a wide range of abilities, including a 250m family friendly option and the 10,000m 'marathon'.
Lake District: Explore and Restore
At Brockhole in Windermere visitors and young people will be inspired to protect and connect with nature through fun activities and a programme of educational engagement for schools and young people.
70 Years of Dartmoor National Park
2021 was the 70th anniversary of the designation of Dartmoor as one of UK's first National Parks, on 30 October 1951 and saw the launch of a year long programme of special activities and events for people of all ages, interests and backgrounds to get involved in the celebrations.
Green Space Dark Skies
From April to September thousands of people will take part in 'secret' Green Space Dark Skies events to celebrate our precious landscapes, our rights to access them and our responsibilities to protect them. Find out more and book your place to take part: click the picture.
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. Volunteering is a great way to discover more about National Parks and the work we do. You can learn new skills, get out in nature and meet and work with people from all walks of life who share your love of these special places. There are volunteering opportunities for all abilities and in varying roles.
Discover new ways
As part of Discover National Parks Fortnight we are encouraging visitors to discover new ways to travel as sustainably as possible.
When travelling in and around National Parks, by choosing travel options such as rail, bus, cycling and walking you can reduce your carbon footprint and the strain on local infrastructure. Many National Parks have journey planners and apps with live updates like the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks journey planner. You can check out our National Parks pages to find direct links to National Park websites and plan your journey.
Train travel is an increasingly versatile option and most of the National Parks have good network links with new services for visitors appearing all the time: for instance the Dartmoor Line has re-opened after 50 years.
Share your Story
We want you to join in and use #DiscoverNew and #GreenSpaceStories to share your stories and discoveries, where you have visited and the new things you have done. At the end of Discover National Parks Fortnight we will be launching a new platform that is specifically designed to capture stories about visiting green and blue spaces in a way that can influence decision making about how people explore and access the UK countryside for generations to come. Use the hashtag and tag us on social media to be featured.
