h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I live by Derby and didn't know this all existed. Mind you the weather can be a bit of a deterent for getting outside *grin*

I must seek out and explore more with my family :O)

You will also note that actually the MOST visited National Park in the World is actually Old Town in San Diego, (and I thought it was Yosemite!)I heard this on a quiz on a radio station :O)

Shame on you! Go out and explore at once
Honest it's not difficult to find, just head out on the A6 and you're sure to find tourist attractions and lovely countryside before long.

Thanks for the tip on the 'most visited' National Park. I don't really remember where the quote in the article came from - either the editor or me thought it sounded good at the time. We stand apologetic before you if we were in error. Maybe 'busiest' referred to footfall per acre or something....?

I think it's the busiest in the UK (manchester and sheffield on either side, easy to get to from further afield as well).

Thats otay!!! I will def. have to go out on some road trips with the family.

As for the busiest National Park, I was suprised to know that Old Town in San Diego, CA was the busiest!

I used to Live in Poway, a suburb of San Diego and didn't realise that Old Town, being highly populated, was designated a National Park.

There are many visitors that travel to San Diego each year and they of course visit the fantastic restaurants and shops there. That's probably how its gotten to be the MOST VISITED *grin*

I was looking in my AAA Britain travel guide and it states that because of the small size of the national park ( being squashed in between the ever expanding cities of Derby, Sheffield and Manchester) it suffers from overcrowding more than any other National Park in the UK.

I also agree with Phil, that the location and easy access from those three large cities makes it a popular place to visit so hence it being one of the *busiest* in England!

The popularity is due to the fact it has many terrains for all types of hiking and walking and can offer the most easy walks for a family with young children to a more strenuous workout for the more pysical adept.

In 1932 it was made one of the first national parks in Britain and actually officially designated as one in 1951.

And now it's mostly owned by the National Trust and farmers...we did a huge project on this for my GCSE Geography, we spent hours measuring meanders at Burbage Brook and noting footpath erosion at Castleton.

Now I get to start working there soon, much excitement, I can't wait

Oh yeah and you can't forget the place with the greatest name ever, 'Hope'. It's so cool call me juvenile but no matter how many times I walk through it my friends and I still make the jokes about being 'beyond Hope', 'walking in Hope', 'living in Hope', 'playing in Hope', 'camping in Hope' etc, still makes me chuckle. We camped their the other week and every time we went to the shop we had to go through all the jokes again and every time they still make me laugh...I wonder if I'll ever cease to find them funny