Protected Landscapes

Protected landscapes refer to National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) which were created by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. Together, they comprise some of the finest countryside in England and Wales. These landscapes are national assets containing a wide variety of attractive landscapes including wolds, downlands, woodlands, moorlands and heaths, rivers and streams, estuaries and marshes, and coast. Both National Parks and AONBs are living and working landscapes that have been, and continue to be, shaped by nature and human activity.

The East Midlands has two nationally designated landscapes:

Peak District National Park

Britain's first national park, established in 1951, is visited by people from all over the world. The Peak District, covering parts of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire, has some of England's finest climbing, caving, walking and cycling. The National Park is also home to 38,000 people.

Visit Friends of the Peak District, CPRE local branch campaigning to protect the Peak District. They have a number of campaigns and projects to protect the landscape of the Peak District such as a project to place overhead wires underground. Click here for details.

The Peak District National Park Authority is the official management agency for the Peak District.  

Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Lincolnshire Wolds lie in the north-eastern quarter of the county of Lincolnshire, mid-way between Lincoln and the coast, surrounded by the relatively flat fens, coastal marsh and the Lincoln Clay Vale. The Lincolnshire Wolds have been inhabited since prehistoric times and the appearance of the countryside today has been greatly influenced by past and present agricultural practices. Click here for more information.