Where To Go Hill Walking: National Parks & Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)

Hill walking gives you the freedom to choose a route to suit yourself, whether you want to tick off some of the popular landmarks on your bucket list or seek solitude in wild and remote areas. There are 15 designated National Parks across the UK, which offer a huge variety of landscapes that everyone can explore and enjoy.

With moorland plateaus and gritstone edges, the Peak District was the UK’s first national park and its central location means it’s one of the most accessible. If mountains are your thing, you might want to head to the Lake District, Eryri (Snowdonia) in Wales or the Cairngorms in Scotland. Exmoor, Pembroke and the North York Moors offer a spectacular combination of moorland and coast, while the rolling Yorkshire Dales is hill walking heaven. For flatter, but equally beautiful routes, try the woodland of the New Forest or the wetlands of the Norfolk Broads.

There are also 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which means the landscape is protected to conserve and enhance its natural beauty. They’re located across the UK, so wherever you live, some of the best countryside for walking is likely to be within travelling distance. AONBs are as diverse and far-flung as Cornwall, the Wye Valley, the Cotswolds, Chilterns, the Norfolk Coast and the North Pennines.