By: Blonde Two
Monday sees the start of National Parks Week. Blonde One and I will be celebrating in true Blonde style with the second of this summer’s series of ‘Navigation for Beginners’ workshops.
I do like a National Park, there are fifteen in the UK (we Blondes challenge you to name them all). In fact I like National Parks so much that in one recent week, I visited (and wild swam in) three different ones. Not only that, one of these was the most southerly and one the most northerly, not bad going!
The Cairngorms, Dartmoor and Exmoor definitely all live up to the slogan, ‘Britain’s Breathing Spaces’. All have both wide, open and secluded, hidden places, in which we can explore, forget our cares and worries and get away from the hustle and bustle of our crowded world; but yet (and rather marvellously), they are very different to each other. I could wax lyrically about each for a long time, but to save the word count, here are some Blonde numbers:
Highest Hills (unbelievably still two to conquer):
Cairngorms (Ben McDui 1309m)
Dartmoor (High Willhays 621m)
Exmoor (Dunkery Beacon 519m)
Numbers of Insects (utters rude word and rubs bites)
Cairngorms (really a lot, mostly midges)
Dartmoor (not too many, watch out for the forests)
Exmoor (everything that flies or crawls will bite you!)
Rainfall (let’s face it, there will be lots):
Cairngorms (2250 mm on summits)
Dartmoor (1974 mm average
Exmoor (2000 mm on the Chains)
Critters (just the highlights):
Cairngorms (must surely win with reindeer)
Dartmoor (lynx – might be more impressive than reindeer)
Exmoor (everything that flies or crawls will bite you!)
Ambience (all perfect in their own way):
Cairngorms (you can truly walk into the middle of nowhere)
Dartmoor (a wild and eerie, but traversable landscape)
Exmoor (more accessible by road but some steep, dark valleys)
Blonde Places (so many to choose from):
Cairngorms (Glen Derry Lodge as the sun sets/doesn’t set)
Dartmoor (the East Dart Waterfall on a wild January day)
Exmoor (Dunkery Beacon as the sea mist dissipates to reveal the Welsh coast)
We Blondes would do well, perhaps, to remember how lucky we are living so near to one of our National Parks. If you don’t, or if you haven’t visited one in a while, take your pick and go for it. You won’t regret it, we all need a breathing space!
As for us, well we are off on our own Blonde Gold expedition soon; to another of the Fab Fifteen. Can you guess which one?
…nice…I would however disagree slightly with the Insect section. After my recent outing to Red Lake I was left literally streaming with blood from a number of horse fly bites. ..big sods they were too!. First time I’ve been gnawed on on Dartmoor. ( ..though nothing compares with Scottish midgies)
May I recommend ‘Smidge’ available from Cotswold Outdoor shops and did a great job up in Scotland. Unfortunately I left it at my Dad’s and couldn’t take it to Exmoor. Blog post coming soon!
Hmmm. I’ve visited the Brecon Beacons – red kites. Lake District – Golden Eagle and Red Squirrels. New Forest – ponies and smooth snakes. Galloway Forest Park – long-haired goats. Snowdonia – sand lizards and polecats (not seen either of those.) Dartmoor – ponies and bog hoverflies. Exmoor – red deer & ponies. Cairngorms – black grouse and reindeer. North York Moors – can’t remember what is special there. Yorkshire Dales – not an animal, but Lady’s Slipper Orchids (hunted, but not found). Norfolk Broads – swallowtail butterfly & I still haven’t seen one of those. Peak District – Wallabies & The Greater Gryke worm. South Downs – not sure what is special there, either. Northumberland – Otters. Pembroke – choughs.
I think that’s 15 – but is it the right 15?
That is an impressive visit list! Here are the fifteen (I have visited the first 11) Brecon Beacons (never say ‘Brecons’), Dartmoor, Cairngorms, Exmoor, Lake District (your favourite?), Snowdonia, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District, New Forest, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, Broads, Northumberland, Pembrokeshire Coast, South Downs.
Ah! Galloway Forest Park may not be a National Park, then. I’ve been to Loch Lomond several times – there are goats there, too. But you are right – the Lakes are definitely my favourite. I’d like to go back to the Cairngorms, though, and explore some more of the lower areas – not sure I’d get to the top any more, worse luck, and I definitely won’t ever do Lairig Ghru now. (Still green with envy!)