Let’s pop over the border to our friends in beautiful Wales, to discover three more National Parks (we in England have 10, plus the Suffolk and Norfolk Broads). If you live nearby (Bristol? Liverpool?) or are planning a holiday, what you can find in each?
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep dogs and livestock safe. Also read how to keep dogs safe by the seaside.
The Brecon Beacons is a whopping 520 square miles, with the Black Mountains and many waterfalls and temperate rainforest. It’s also home to Ben Y Fan, an 889 mountain along with many other high peaks. Known for its dark skies, here is territory for endangered water voles and great-crested newts, along with lapwings and mountain ponies.
Snowdonia is of course home to Wales’ highest mountain and largest lake. One of the wettest parts of Britain, most people here speak Welsh (the Welsh name for Swowdonia is Eryri (Eh-ruh-ree), which means ‘eagle’.
The Pembrokeshire Coast is a national park, in its own right (National Geographic Traveler magazine ranked it amid the two top best seaside destinations on earth). A blend of beaches, coves, rock pools and cliffs, it’s full of craggy walks and hikes.
The town of Tenby sits within the park. Just off the coast is Caldey Island. Just like our Holy Island (Lindisfarne in Northumberland), this has a history of hermit monks living there. The monks still live and pray there, though you can’t visit the island on Sundays (they’re monks!)
