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• Organisational Change
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• What is a National Park?
• Where are the National Parks?
• Example visits to National Parks by community groups
• Accommodation in National Parks
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Example visits to National Parks by community groups

Asian elders group visiting... Lake District National Park

Activities: Brockhole Visitors Centre, silk painting, walking, cruise on Lake Windermere, steam train, aquarium visit

We were very interested in the presentation by the National Park Authority. The room was full of smiling people pointing at the different scenes in the beautiful slides. We shared out the Indian food that we had brought with the hostel staff. This was a great way to start interacting with them - who can say 'no' to some authentic Indian food! We brought our own chef with us. We ended up sharing recipes and skills with the hostel staff so now they will be well prepared for other visiting Asian groups.

On the first evening, a few of us went for a walk. It was a balmy evening. The narrow road winding up the Troutbeck Valley provided a good walking surface. The views were wonderful! One lady saw some clouds nestling on top of the hills on the other side of the valley and said, "I want to touch the sky!" We came across a local farmer who was re-shoeing his horse. It was very interesting to stop for a few minutes and watch him working. We walked as far as Troutbeck Post Office where some wild jasmine was growing. Everyone was really excited by the lovely smell.

That night one of the ladies came to talk to me about how much she enjoyed the visit and the different experiences she had. She talked about how the youth hostel staff were so good to us and that they were really spoiling us. One of the leaders laughed and said: "I am surprised that there had not been any complaints as our group is always complaining about something."

Ish Patel - Centre Manager
Bolton Asian Elders

Asylum seekers and refugee young men visiting... Peak District National Park

Activities: Mountain biking, kayaking, sailing, walking

This group had never visited a National Park before and were fascinated to be introduced to the scenery of this country. Asylum seekers and refugees from arid countries often say that the amazingly green countryside with features such as waterfalls is how Paradise is described. As the Rangers leading the walk started to ascend the steep hills, the group realised that this was not going to be as easy as they thought. Walking just for pleasure is a new idea. There was a lot of moaning about how it was really too difficult for them to get to the end of the walk, but it did not seem to dent their excitement about doing mountain biking the following day at the same place!

Next day, they were all in high spirits for the bike ride. We took just over 2 hours to complete the 12 miles round trip!!! All of them loved the idea of just going off into this endless space. It was a novelty to see sheep wandering around the reservoirs and at one point they almost ran them over. I could imagine a "when animals attack" incident, so they were...

Maz Altaf - Leader
Ardic, Birmingham

Father and child group visiting... North York Moors National Park

Activities: archery, abseiling, football, historical hunt at Robin Hood's Bay

This was the first time this group of dads had come out to the National Park with their children. Each father was allowed to take only one child on this visit so it was also an experience for them to spend so much time with the lucky chosen one. We did various activities.

On the first day, we drove to Robin Hood's Bay and did some rockpooling. It was great trying to find the crabs. The children and the dads both loved 'popping' seaweed. Everyone then went on to do a historical hunt. Each father and child was given clues of where to find certain historical things as they did a walk around the village on their own. This gave each of the dads an opportunity to bond with his child without the group leaders being there.

The following day, we did various activities including archery and rock climbing. Everyone threw themselves into trying out archery. When it came to the rock climbing they were all a bit reluctant. After a bit of persuasion most of the dads took part. With some activities the fun only comes with a bit of...

Anthony Howell - Project Manager
Sure Start Active Dads, Bradford

Chinese elders visiting... Yorkshire Dales National Park

Activities: Settle Market, Hoffman Kiln and Craven Lime works, Stainforth Waterfall, Tai Chi workshop

After an hour's drive with a short break we arrived at Stainforth Youth Hostel. None of the Chinese elders had ever stayed in one before and they had been a bit worried about what it may be like and whether it would be nice. They were really happy that the rooms had en-suite bathrooms. By the end of the visit they were very impressed with the staff.

The first walk they did was around Hoffman Kiln/ Craven Lime works. The group found the outing very enjoyable, but had to take a lot of care as the kiln was very dark and the ground a bit uneven. Stainforth Waterfall was a short drive from the hostel. They were looking forward to seeing this. Once they arrived, everyone happily relaxed around the waterfall. The elders were really excited about getting to the market in Settle as they had glimpsed it as we drove through. Staying at the waterfall had made us run out of time. In the end, we just managed to do a bit of quick shopping as the stalls were closing down.

We invited along a Tai Chi teacher to run a workshop. None of this group had ever done it before although it is part of their tradition. They found the moves extremely amusing!

That evening the group played the traditional game Mah Jong which went on into the early hours of the morning. They enjoyed the opportunity to play it in such nice surroundings.

Eddie Low - Leader
Wai Yin Chinese elders, Manchester

Girls' group visiting... Northumberland National Park

Activities: boat trip on Kielder Water, visit to Country Farmers Fair in Bellingham, walk to Hareshaw Linn Waterfall, barbecue beside the water, singing and dancing workshop

"It was great!" We didn't know what to expect but really enjoyed staying in a youth hostel. It was a pity we were not allowed to play music in the hostel though. The Ranger's workshop really made up for that. "I loved the workshop when we were learning different kinds of singing and dancing." We were a large group. There were 24 of us. The minibuses took us around the different places in the Park. On one of the days, we visited Bellingham Country Fair. We split up and went around looking at all the local farm and craft stalls. Some of us bought souvenirs.

Afterwards, back at the hostel, we cooked Indian food to share with everyone staying there.

We went to Hareshaw Linn to see the waterfall. "I thought the best thing was the walk to the waterfall - I could have sat there all day. It was so beautiful. I liked being beside the rushing water." We did not expect to see so many spiders. Some of us were fascinated but others did not really like it at all. We finished the day with a barbecue by the water's edge.

Girls' Group
The Angelou Centre, Newcastle

Afro-Caribbean family group visiting... The Broads Authority

Activities: beach combing, walking, canoeing, nature trails, seal watching

Some of our group did canoeing at Wayford Bridge. They really enjoyed being out on the water. Some of us did not want to do canoeing but the Rangers took us out on a boat to follow the canoes. We all had buoyancy jackets on. The Rangers allowed us to have a go at navigating the boat. It was so exciting. Those of us who were not interested in the water activities were taken by other Rangers on a walk to Barton Broad. Some of us thought that the things we found when we did ponddipping were weird, and we hated it when there were mosquitoes everywhere. The National Park Ranger Team was so enthusiastic they made the whole visit a great success.

The activities which we organised for ourselves were ones which the whole group could do together, from the babies to the grand parents. It felt safe for everybody. We stayed at the hostel at Sheringham really close to the beach so we were able to do some beach combing. "The walk to the beach through the green countryside with everyone was fantastic." We visited the Education Centre, which was a lovely Edwardian thatched cottage, and learned about how they are going to maintain the Broads using traditional methods. We went to Blakeney Point to see the seals. It was an inspirational visit.

El - Shaddai Outreach Ministries
Mitcham, London

Mental health support group visiting... Brecon Beacons National Park

Activities: badge making, wildlife trail, trip on a barge, canalside walk

Even though the Brecon Beacons National Park is so close to the cities, hardly any one of us realised that this National Park even existed. Our opportunities to get out and experience new places are limited by lack of funding so it is great when our group can go somewhere so beautiful nearby and benefit from quiet enjoyment. A lot of the time, most of our group just wanted to sit and enjoy the scenery and experience the peacefulness away from the city. It helped them to feel calmer and more relaxed.

We did a whole range of activities. We went on a trip on a barge. It was exciting to get out and see how the lock had to be flooded to bring us onto the next level. It took nearly twenty minutes. "I loved being on the barge. It is lovely to be on the water." "The churned up water is just like the liquid chocolate in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The Rangers took some of us on a short wildlife trail through areas with a lot of bracken. There is so much to learn. It is amazing how knowing interesting facts and details of features like standing stones make us see our surroundings and nature in a completely new way. The badge making at the Visitor Centre was a lot of fun. It also gave each of us a little souvenir. Everyone is enthusiastic about visiting again.

AWETU
Swansea and Cardiff

Mixed group of young people visiting... Exmoor National Park

Activities: rock pooling, Lynmouth boat trip to see seals, bodyboarding at Woolacombe Beach, visit to Dunkery Beacon, cliff top railway, Lynton town

We spent four days in this National Park. Coming in minibuses all the way to this Park was already an adventure. After letting us get settled into the youth hostel, the Rangers organised games for us in the extensive grounds.

One day, we went on an energetic walk across the moorland to the Beacon. We enjoyed the challenge! We could see for miles. The barbecue in the evening was so good that some of us think this is the sort of food everyone should have all the time. We were told that we were breaking hostel rules by not going to sleep at a set time. Normally this would not have been allowed as it would have disturbed everyone else. . . but we had the hostel all to ourselves.

We spent an entire day at Woolacombe Beach. All of us took part in bodyboarding. It was a real experience to put on wet suits and learn how to do it. We want to go back and do this again. We were not very keen when the Rangers first told that we were going to do some rockpooling. We thought it would be really boring messing about in little pools of water. It was surprising to find out how interesting it was, and how much we can learn about these creepy crawly things. On another day, we went on a boat trip to see seals. "The Rangers were great - they helped us to do things we had never done before and made them fun and interesting."

Teenage group
Imayla, Bristol

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