Dartmoor (a national park since 1951)

One of two such areas in Devon, Dartmoor became a national park in the same year as the Peak District. At 368 square miles, it is the largest and wildest area of open country in southern England, public access to which consists of a variety of open, heather-covered moorland, forest and woodland. Ruined castles and abbeys, ancient monuments and, at Postbridge, one of the oldest stone bridges on the planet contribute to its architectural and cultural diversity.

Exmoor (1954)

Exmoor in north Devon also has large tracts of heathery moorland, as well as an astonishing array of wildlife. Besides the famous Exmoor ponies, there are red deer, nearly 250 different species of birds and about 1,000 types of moth! About 12% of the park is woodland, including a sizeable proportion of land given over to reconstituted oakwood. Hill farming accounts for much of Exmoor’s economy.

Yorkshire Dales (1954)

The Dales is comprised of a rich variety of different topographical features, from the hay meadows of the farming country to moorland areas where wading birds live among the rush pastures, from wild moorland and bogland to the “pavements” of limestone that are home to many rare wild ferns. The proliferation of natural caves means that the Dales are prime potholing country.

North York Moors (1952)

Despite its name, the North York Moors isn’t all moorland, sumptuous though the moors themselves are when they turn purple with heather in the summer. It is the most heavily wooded of all England’s national parks, with nearly a quarter of the landscape under trees – chiefly oak, ash, birch and rowan. Dramatic cliffs rise up on the east coast, and several nature reserves harbour a variety of wildlife, including Britain’s only venomous snake, the adder.

Northumberland (1956)

Spanning a time range from Hadrian’s Wall to the contemporary Alnwick Gardens, Northumberland lies in the far north-east of England. Wooded valleys, the heather-clad Cheviot hills and broad, desolate beaches form the landscape of a region where ancient frontiers were drawn and local monarchs built imposing castles. The rivers are home to otters, while the fast-disappearing English red squirrel is still at large in the forests.

The Broads (1989)

While not strictly a national park, the authority that oversees the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, established in 1989, is counted a member of the family. They form Britain’s most extensive wetland region and its third largest inland waterway, with tidal rivers and the massive land reclamation project that is the Fens at its heart.

New Forest (2005)

One of the two new kids on the block, the New Forest in Hampshire was created a national park in 2005. Like Exmoor, it has its own wild ponies, and the landscape is a mixture of ancient and ornamental woodland, open heath, pine plantations and saltmarsh coastline. Sand lizards and Dartford warblers are among the wildlife, while plant life includes the wild gladiolus. The New Forest has been recognised as special ever since William the Conqueror designated it as prime hunting ground 900 years ago.

South Downs (awaiting confirmation)

The long expanse of chalk downland that stretches across Sussex and Hampshire should be England’s next official national park by 2007. From Winchester in the west to Eastbourne at the eastern end, the region encompasses bluebell-carpeted woods, sheer white chalk cliffs and dramatic rolling countryside. Teeming with rare birds and wild flowers, and agricultural enterprise that stretches from watercress to wine grapes, the South Downs is long overdue national park status.