Let's Enjoy National Park Week

In the Yorkshire Dales National Park on Tuesday 24 July, join Secret Squirrel from 14:00 to 16:30. National Park Wildlife Conservation Officer Ian Court will show you how to find red squirrels and other wildlife on this gentle 1½ mile (2.4km) stroll through the tranquil woods. It’s £5 for adults, and £2 for under 16s. Meet at Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes, DL8 3NT
Heading east, to the North York Moors National Park on Thursday 26 July, join the Cleveland Way National Trail, the National Trust and the National Park from 10.30 to 16.00 on a Geocaching Treasure Hunt. Search for hidden treasure using GPS units, searching for clues and goodies in hidden boxes along the way. It’s £5 per family, plus £20 deposit for the GPS unit. Meet at the Moors National Park Centre, Danby, YO21 2NB
For joggers, racers and dawdlers alike, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park is playing host to the Balloch Run ‘n’ Park on Saturday 28 July, 09:30 at Balloch Castle Country Park. There’s a 2k and 5k run, starting just inside the main gates. There is no registration, no fee and no official recording of times, just turn up for a Run in the Park! It’s suitable for all ages.
If you’re keen to lend a helping hand this National Parks Week, discover your inner volunteer with the Roborough Rock Volunteers in Dartmoor National Park. Join the National Park Rangers on Saturday 28 July 2018 between 10:00 - 15:00 and help to revive and conserve the fascinating Roborough Down area. Meet at Roborough Rock, grid ref SX515 672.
The South Downs National Park Rangers are on tour for National Parks Week this summer. Kicking off on Sunday 22 July with a brand new Free Family Fun Day ‘Wild Chalk’ in Brighton the rangers will then be on tour from 25 to 28 July bringing family fun and a little bit of the National Park into towns around Sussex and Hampshire, visiting Crawly Town Centre on Wednesday 25, Southsea Seafront on Thursday 26 and Worthing Shopping Centre on Friday 27. Learn how to make a ‘Forest Friend’, help us colour in a giant wildlife mural, and get crafty making wildlife sashes. Rangers will be on hand throughout to answer questions and invite you to free follow-up events taking place in the National Park the following week.
Round off National Parks Week with Picnic in the Park 2018 in the Broads National Park on 29 July. From 11.00 to 16.00, Whitlingham Country Park plays host to a family event with great music, food, family activities, displays, crafts, trails, boat trips, canoeing, and more! Bring a picnic and enjoy a day with the family in the idyllic park, known as the “Gateway to the Broads”. It’s free! Meet at Whitlingham Country Park, Whitlingham Lane, Trowse, Norwich, NR14 8TR.

About National Parks:
There are 15 National Parks in the UK, spanning the length and breadth of the country. 10 in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland. National Parks protect almost 10 percent of England, 20 percent of Wales and 8 percent of Scotland. 
The oldest National Park is the Peak District, founded in 1951 because of its impressive gritstone edges, steep limestone dales, moorland, farmland (which covers about 90% of the park) and caverns famed for rare Blue John stone. 
The South Downs is the newest National Park, established in 2010 for its hundreds of square kilometres of woodland, bustling market towns, rolling chalk uplands and river valleys. 
The Lake District National Park, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and is part of a special family of iconic places across the planet, such as the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Easter Island and the Great Barrier Reef.
The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is the only National Park to be designated primarily for its coastline, the whole of which can be walked via the 299-kilometre Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
The Broads is the smallest National Park at around 305 square kilometres, with almost 200 kilometres of navigable, tendril-like waterways to explore. 
The largest National Park in the UK is the Cairngorms. At 4,528 square kilometres, it’s bigger than the whole of Luxembourg.