Written by Adrian Thornton.
England and Wales enjoy a family of 12 National Parks; the Broads, Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia and Yorkshire Dales. It began in 1951 with the Peak District and Lake District. The 21st century saw the birth too of a Scottish family, with two National Parks so far Loch Lomond 8 the Trossachs, and the Cairngorms.
There are likenesses between the family members. But their diversity is just as striking.
In East Anglia, Broadland is so flat that the only way to see a wide panorama is from the air. Teeming with wildlife, it needs to be experienced and explored quietly, ideally by boat. The Broads themselves are artificial, despite appearances: they originated as huge holes created by peat-digging, mainly in Norman times. This got forgotten later, and was sensational news when rediscovered by careful research In the 1950s.
Pembrokeshire is far from fiat; with its coves and cliffs each view you meet on the easy coast path is a new and rich experience. The tiny City of St David's has a splendid cathedral and major music festival. The inland tidal creeks of the Cleddau Estuary (also best seen by boat) are different again, as are the Preseli Hills, where the bluestones of Stonehenge came from and which have their own prehistoric remains.
The beauty of the Lake District is so famous that parts of Rare too popular for their own good, but it has many uncrowded valleys and hills that are just as enjoyable We too can help (and get better views.) by travelling by bus or lake steamer where we can, leaving the car at base. Even better, strike out on foot.
Lake District grandeur may suggest an untouched natural landscape, unvisited by industry. Yet on Pike O’Stickle’s slopes is a ‘rectory’ where prehistoric man guarded volcanic tuff and roughed out stone axes to be exported all over England. The eastern mountains’ summit is surprisingly called High Street, after the Roman road along its ridge. Majestic Thirlmere and Hawes Water were once small lakes, now much enlarged by dams built in 1890 and 1930 to build reservoirs for Manchester. The Lake District’s history is rich, varied and fascinating.
There have always been divergent opinions as to how National Parks should be ‘developed’, and whether development is consistent with conservation. There’s no doubt that conservation is essential, as if we let them get spoilt or eaten away, our children and grandchildren won't be able to get them back. The National Trust does a fine job of conserving the areas it owns (making them accessible too), but most National Park land is privately owned and much is extremely vulnerable to commercial exploitation.
National Park Authorities, their planning bodies, walk a tightrope but mostly hold the balance well. Yet mistakes are easily made and can cause great harm. There is a charity, the Council for National Parks, which aims to ensure that the best balance is in fact kept. Backed by many environmental and recreational groups (like the Wildlife Trusts, the Youth Hostels Association, and the individual Parks’ support societies), it benefits too from the support of the Friends of National Parks, individuals in all our cities and counties who value the National Park family, and feel ifs a civic duty to support National Park values and 'put something back’ in return.
If you'd like to know more about the Friends or about the National Park family, or belong to a local organisation that would enjoy having a talk on it by a local speaker, please contact enquiries at Thatcham Historical Society by visiting our contacts page.
© Adrian Thornton, 2005