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nationalparksuk

Discover the family of 15 UK National Parks.
#LoveYourNationalParks incredible landscapes, wildlife, culture and adventures.
Find yourself. #BeMore

A big shout-out to everyone who used the walking-f A big shout-out to everyone who used the walking-for-charity app trundl to raise money for the UK's National Parks in September. 🍃

Thanks to you, £300 has been raised to help our 15 National Parks continue their incredible work - simply by walking. 🥾

Don’t miss the next community trundl - grab the free walking app and get involved! 📲
National Parks are hiring! 🙌 🌿 🦅 There National Parks are hiring! 🙌 🌿 🦅 

There are about a dozen job vacancies at the moment across the UK's 15 National Parks right now, ranging from a Chief Executive Officer role in Northumberland to a youth internship supporting nature in the New Forest. 

There is also an exciting national job opportunity for an ambitious communications virtuoso! National Parks Partnerships are seeking a Director of Communications and Brand tasked with championing the collective voice of the UK National Parks. 

See the full range of roles at the link in the bio! 👆 Please share to help us reach as wide a range of candidates as we can.
Want to have a job helping to protect and nurture Want to have a job helping to protect and nurture the future of the UK's most beautiful places? 🌿

Job opportunities across the UK's 15 National Parks right now stretch from Loch Lomond to Dartmoor and include:

📍 Chief Executive - Dartmoor National Park
📍 Waterways and Recreation Officer - Broads National Park 
📍 Project Management Advisers - Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park
📍 Delivery Manager (Moors for the Future Partnership) - Peak District National Park 

Check out all the current opportunities at the link in the bio!
We have our winners! 📸 Two breathtaking and ve We have our winners! 📸

Two breathtaking and very different photographs from the Cairngorms and the Lake District have been crowned winners of the 2025 UK National Parks Photography Competition, supported by @sykescottages. 

Chosen from over 500 entries, this year’s competition has once again showcased the outstanding creativity and passion that the UK’s 15 National Parks inspire. We want to thank everyone who entered for their many wonderful images. 

Gill Williams’s (@gillwilliamsphotographyandart) photograph - on the first slide - was chosen by the public as the overall winning image. A retired police officer, Gill is a self-taught photographer who is inspired by the ‘wildlife paradise’ of her home in the Cairngorms National Park. Her winning image shows pine forests dissolving into morning mist beneath golden light on Tulloch Moor.

An area of heathland, Tulloch Moor is part of the RSPB reserve at Loch Garten, which is part of the wider Cairngorms Connect project – an ambitious vision to enhance habitats, species and ecological processes, including ancient Caledonian Forest, across a vast area within the Cairngorms National Park. The Cairngorms National Park Authority is a supporting partner in this bold project. 

Mark Hetherington’s (@markshetherington) image (second slide) was selected as the Sykes Holiday Cottages employees winner. A retired Quantity Surveyor from Penrith, Mark’s passion for photography and the Lake District National Park shines through his winning entry. 

Taken at Warnscale Head Bothy above Buttermere, it took Mark four years to capture the perfect sunset. His image conveys a powerful sense of scale and a deep connection between people and landscape. 

Both winners will each receive a £250 Sykes Holiday Cottages voucher and a complete set of Collins National Park Pocket Map and Favourite Ranger Walks books, worth £115, thanks to National Parks partner, @collins_ref. 

Find out more about the winning images and the stories behind them at the link in the bio!
A huge thanks to everyone who has voted in our ann A huge thanks to everyone who has voted in our annual photography competition so far! 

This shot capturing the geological marvel of limestone pavement in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, captured by @peopleofthepeak, is the final shortlisted image. 

As with all the other entries, if you like it, like it! The photo with the most likes will win the public vote and be one of two overall winners in the competition. Voting closes at the end of Monday so get our likes in now! Just scroll back through the timeline over the last 10 days to see the other entries. 

Thanks to @sykescottages and @collins_ref for their fantastic support of this competition, which has been bigger than ever this year. 

#NPUKPics25
The penultimate shortlisted entry in our annual ph The penultimate shortlisted entry in our annual photography competition comes from @vinco_camm.photos, an atmospheric capture of the stunning landscape of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. 

You know how it works by now - show your support by simply liking to vote!

#NPUKPics25
Next up in our 2025 photography competition shortl Next up in our 2025 photography competition shortlist: a squirrel having a bit of a yoga stretch on one of the many footpath signs that grace the Yorkshire Dales National Park, as captured by @muddybootees. 

To vote for this image as your favourite, just like this post - the shot with the most likes when voting closes will win our public vote. 

#NPUKPics25
The next shortlisted entry in our photography comp The next shortlisted entry in our photography competition is this shot of a Buck Moon over the beautiful Broads National Park, as captured by @mattwillimottphotography. 

You know the drill by now - like to vote for it as your favourite! The pic with the most likes at the end of the competition wins the public vote.

Thanks to @sykescottages and @collins_ref for their fantastic support of the competition. 

#NPUKPics25
This sunset shot from the Lake District National P This sunset shot from the Lake District National Park is next up on our photography competition shortlist 📸 Captured by @markshetherington, it shows the Warnscale Head bothy above Buttermere. 

Show your support by simply liking to vote! The image with the most likes will win the public vote. 

Thank you to @sykescottages and @collins_ref for their support and all of you for your engagement so far. 

#NPUKpics25

#NPUKpics25
This shot of sunrise over reefs of purple heathlan This shot of sunrise over reefs of purple heathland in the New Forest National Park was captured by @hang_ross76 and is the next shortlisted entry in our 2025 photography competition! 

Cast your vote simply by liking this image if you like it! The photo with the most likes will win our public vote. 

#npukpics25
Next up in our 2025 photography competition shortl Next up in our 2025 photography competition shortlist is this snowy shot of Dartmoor ponies in the - you guessed it! - Dartmoor National Park, captured by @tomdauben.

To vote for this image as your favourite, just like this post - the shot with the most likes when voting closes will win our public vote. 

#NPUKPics25
The next shortlisted image in our 2025 photography The next shortlisted image in our 2025 photography competition comes from @jonny.gios, showing the beautiful Blean Tarn in the Lake District National Park.

If you like it, like it! We’ll be posting the remaining 7 shortlisted images over the following days - the image with the most likes will win our public vote.

#npukpics25
Our next shortlisted entry for our annual photogra Our next shortlisted entry for our annual photography competition comes from @houk_weareone, captured in the stunning landscape of Exmoor National Park, an International Dark Sky Reserve!

Show your support by simply liking to vote!
 
Thank you to @sykescottages and @collins_ref for their support.
 
#NPUKpics25
A huge thank you again to everyone who entered thi A huge thank you again to everyone who entered this year's photography competition in partnership with @sykescottages and @collins_ref! We were blown away by the standard of entries, but we've whittled it down to a shortlist and will be posting each of them here over the next 10 days. 

To vote, simply like your favourite photos!

Here’s the first shortlisted entry by @gillwilliamsphotographyandart, captured in the magnificent Cairngorms National Park. #NPUKpics25
⚡️ 2025 PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION SHORTLIST ANNO ⚡️ 2025 PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED! ⚡️

We’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible talent of photographers across the UK as we’ve seen the entries come in for the 2025 National Parks Photography Competition, proudly supported by @sykescottages and @collins_ref. 

Now in its fourth year, this year’s competition saw an outstanding response, with entries up by around 150% on last year – highlighting the growing enthusiasm for capturing the beauty and importance of our National Parks through photography. We want to extend a huge thanks to everyone who entered.

Now we are proud to reveal the shortlisted 10 images. From shimmering lakes to thriving wildlife and star-studded dark skies, these images shine a spotlight on the diversity and wonder of the UK National Parks.

These landscapes are living systems – places where habitats are restored, species are protected, and the conditions for a healthier future for people and nature are created. 

Watch the reel to preview the shortlisted images. Congratulations to all these photographers (in alphabetical order):

1. @gillwilliamsphotographyandart – Cairngorms National Park

2. @hang_ross76 – New Forest National Park

3. @houk_weareone – Exmoor National Park

4. @jonny.gios – Lake District National Park

5. @markshetherington – Lake District National Park

6. @mattwillimottphotography – Broads National Park

7. @muddybootees – Yorkshire Dales National Park

8. @peopleofthepeaks – Yorkshire Dales National Park

9. @tomdauben – Dartmoor National Park

10. @vinco_camm.photos – Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

What happens next? One winner chosen through a public vote and a second winner selected by the staff at Sykes Holiday Cottages.

To take part in the public vote, keep an eye on this feed – we will be posting the shortlisted images every day between now and October 10. To show your support, just like your favourite image/s – the one with the most likes will win. 

A huge thank you again to everyone who voted!

📸 🍃 ⛰️
The weather was a bit rubbish last weekend, but pe The weather was a bit rubbish last weekend, but people who love our national parks still managed to pitch in for our annual Big Volunteering Weekend - giving up their time to make our most precious landscapes even better. 

In the Yorkshire Dales National Park, youth groups braved the weather to help rangers to resurface part of the Pennine Way National Trail at Malham Cove.

Well done everyone! 👏👏 👏

To find out more about volunteering opportunities in your local national park, just follow the link in the bio or google 'National park volunteering' - then follow the link to the volunteering page on the National Parks UK website.
LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES! 📢 At the end of today, LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES! 📢 

At the end of today, this year's National Parks Photography Competition comes to a close.

This is your last chance to enter a snap that could win you a fantastic prize prize bundle - a £250 voucher for a UK getaway with @sykescottages, plus a stack of @collins_ref books worth £115.

Anyone can enter and any subject is welcome - wildlife, mountains, coastal landscapes or rural life, anything that reflects the beauty and diversity of our National Parks.

To take part, just share your chosen photo from one of the UK's 15 National Parks here on Instagram, tag us at @nationalparksuk, and include the hashtag #NPUKPics25 in the caption.

Full terms and conditions are at the link in the bio. Good luck! 📸
All New Forest ponies are born darker colours like All New Forest ponies are born darker colours like bay or chestnut, but some lose their pigmentation as they age, turning 'white'. 

Now and then you’ll come across one standing quietly on the heath, the light spilling over it like something out of Arthurian legend - as in this beautifully autumnal image by Amanda Norfolk (@acornsandscapes).

The New Forest ponies are the 'architects' of this national park, helping to maintain its distinctive patchwork of habitats. 

Under a grazing arrangement dating back 1,000 years to the Norman conquest, they wander freely through the sprawling woods and open heathlands. They roam through the winding roads of villages, munching at grass verges, while queues of drivers wait for them to move on. It's clear who 'rules' this landscape. 

*

If you've taken wonderful photographs within our national parks, don't forget to enter our annual photography competition - the deadline is just two days away! 

Winners get a £250 voucher for a UK getaway with @sykescottages, plus a stack of @collins_ref books worth £115.

Anyone can enter and any subject is welcome. 

To take part, just share your chosen photo from one of the UK's 15 National Parks here on Instagram, tag us at @nationalparksuk, and include the hashtag #NPUKPics25 in the caption.

Get your entries in before the end of this Thursday - September 25. Full terms and conditions are at the link in the bio. Good luck! 📸
The tide of summer is ebbing away - but another is The tide of summer is ebbing away - but another is rolling in. 🍂

Autumn officially begins at 7.19pm tonight - the autumn equinox, the pivot point in the Earth’s annual cycle. 

For many, autumn signals a retreat - when the year heads towards darkness and dormancy. But there is also a powerful pulse of renewal at work in autumn. 

Across many of our national parks, salmon will soon be surging upstream to spawn, a testament to persistence and new beginnings. Fieldfares flock in from Scandinavia. Pink-footed geese return to our estuaries from Iceland, filling the skies with their calls. Even eels begin their long migration from the Sargasso Sea.

The woods are ablaze with colour - but the season isn’t simply about falling foliage. It’s a reminder that nothing is ever still in nature. Even as the days darken, life moves forward. 

#autumnequinox #nationalparksuk #nature #autumn
Happy Friday! 🎉 Are you feeling the pull of the Happy Friday! 🎉 Are you feeling the pull of the outdoors? 

The weekend is almost here - and it's the last one before this year's National Parks Photography Competition comes to a close. 

If you haven't already entered and you're planning to be out and about in our National Parks, keep your eyes peeled for a snap that could win you a fantastic prize prize bundle - a £250 voucher for a UK getaway with @sykescottages, plus a stack of @collins_ref books worth £115.

Anyone can enter and any subject is welcome - wildlife, mountains, coastal landscapes or rural life, anything that reflects the beauty and diversity of our National Parks. 

To take part, just share your chosen photo from one of the UK's 15 National Parks here on Instagram, tag us at @nationalparksuk, and include the hashtag #NPUKPics25 in the caption.

Get your entries in before September 25. Full terms and conditions are at the link in the bio. Good luck! 📸
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