Before we enter the clouds on snow-capped Helvellyn, I glance back down at Ullswater. The early morning sun is bursting around the dark corners of High Dodd and Sleet Fell, sending a flush of light across the\u00a0golden bracken and on to the hammered silver of the lake.<\/p>\n
The Guardian\u2019s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.\u00a0Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further away to the south, ragged patches of snow cling to the high gullies. The nearest village, Glenridding, can\u00a0barely be seen behind the leafless trees and all I can hear is the gurgle of\u00a0the stream. It is the quintessential Lakeland scene: the\u00a0steep slopes above\u00a0the water, the\u00a0soft colours and\u00a0hard rock, all\u00a0combining into something inimitable.\u00a0And judging by\u00a0the photographic and artistic record, it is\u00a0one that has hardly\u00a0changed since the Cumbrian wind first ruffled a Romantic poet\u2019s curls.<\/p>\n Our best loved national parks<\/a> \u2013 the Lake District, Peak District, Eryri (Snowdonia) and Dartmoor \u2013 all officially opened 75 years ago, in\u00a01951. It\u00a0was the result of a long campaign, arguably begun by one\u00a0of\u00a0those Romantics, William Wordsworth, a\u00a0poet whose particular love for the Lakes led him to observe that the area should be \u201ca sort of national property, in which every man has a right and an interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy\u201d. The resident of Dove Cottage<\/a> at Grasmere fought, successfully, against railway building, noting the stupidity of destroying something precious in the pretence of\u00a0increasing its influence.<\/p>\n double quotation markAs a child, I instantly grasped the magic of swimming under waterfalls, scrambling along ridges and sitting on\u00a0mountain tops<\/p>\n That niggling dilemma has dogged the national parks ever since, but if Wordsworth were here now, I think he\u00a0might approve, at least at first glance. The fate of some Alpine beauty spots has been avoided: no high-rise buildings break through the trees, no\u00a0sports infrastructure litters the summits, and engineers have not blasted tunnels for bigger, faster, road\u00a0and rail connections.<\/p>\n The planning process is tortuous, and woe betide anyone who likes a\u00a0colour not in\u00a0the Farrow & Ball catalogue, but our\u00a0national parks survive, without sacrificing too much\u00a0of their original charm.<\/p>\n Back in the 1970s my dad began taking me on his hiking trips. In those days, I\u00a0didn\u2019t share his excitement at \u201cthe views\u201d, but I instantly grasped the magic of swimming under waterfalls, scrambling along ridges and sitting on\u00a0mountain tops to eat hard-boiled eggs dipped in salt. He took us to all\u00a0the national parks, and introduced us to their highlights. It\u00a0was the start of a lifetime of exploration.<\/p>\n DartmoorHiking through mossy Lydford Gorge on Dartmoor, in Devon. Photograph: Jack Jango\/Alamy<\/p>\n The only area in England and Wales that has legal wild camping, Dartmoor is also the most threatened. A recent report detailed the sorry decline in biodiversity<\/a> on its sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), but the truth is\u00a0it remains in a better state than many\u00a0other places. What makes Dartmoor special is the sheer extent of\u00a0heathland: over 11,000 hectares of\u00a0heather, gorse, bilberry and moor grasses, inhabited by birds, lizards, snakes and some rare butterflies. The top bird here is the red grouse, recently recognised as a distinct species, making it only the second reliably identifiable endemic British bird species.<\/p>\n Dartmoor\u2019s reputation for other, more controversial species, is firmly established. On my first visit as a boy,\u00a0I\u00a0was reading The Hound of the Baskervilles and also glued to reports of escaped large cats. When we hiked past the infamous prison, and dad told\u00a0us about \u201cthe Mad Axeman<\/a>\u201d inside, Dartmoor was firmly established in my head as the single most exciting area of Britain. I\u2019ve never had reason to change that view.<\/p>\n Arguably the most evocative place is Wistman\u2019s Wood, which is accessed from Two Bridges hotel, but popularity tends to destroy mystery and this is now an Instagrammed honeypot. Other excellent woodlands can be found down the Lydford Gorge near Tavistock or the Bovey Valley near Lustleigh, a village of thatched roofs where a cream tea is the acme of snackery. Try the Primrose Tearooms.<\/p>\n Nearby is Haytor Rocks, a magnet for climbers, and everyone else. It\u2019s beautiful but popular. For tranquillity, try the military firing ranges: there\u2019s nothing like an M115 Howitzer to deter most hikers, or perhaps it\u2019s simply the need to check live firing times. It does seem to put visitors off, and there are wonderful viewpoints to be found, such as Yes Tor and High Willhays.<\/p>\n EryriScrambling above Cwm Idwal in Eryri, where the renowned \u2018staircase\u2019 begins. Photograph: Andy Teasdale\/Alamy<\/p>\n In Eryri, the hunt for peace and tranquillity has one rule: avoid Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Any other peak will be quiet in comparison. If you must go up Wales\u2019s highest mountain, I suggest taking a less-frequented path, like the Watkin or Rhyd Ddu and go early \u2013 and I mean headtorch early. Another good option is the Ranger Path (Cwellyn), where the wind blew me off my feet as a nine-year-old. You might escape the crowds, but you can\u2019t escape the weather.<\/p>\n Yr Wyddfa\u2019s Crib Goch, one of Britain\u2019s greatest ridge scrambles, can be a bit of a trial when oversubscribed, but there are many fine alternatives. Try Crib Lem on Carnedd Dafydd, accessible from Bethesda, or the Idwal Staircase, a tougher challenge that some might prefer to do roped up. Steve Ashton\u2019s book Scrambles in Snowdonia<\/a> is the essential guide.<\/p>\n One feature I love about Eryri is the way its industrial heritage has been repurposed to contemporary needs: the various slate mine attractions<\/a> and the steam railways go from strength to\u00a0strength. Bala Lake Railway<\/a> has started work on extending its line into Bala town, a significant addition.<\/p>\n Lake DistrictThe Lake District village of Grasmere, home of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth. Photograph: Andrew Roland\/Alamy<\/p>\n The opening of the first parks triggered a wave of interest in hiking and a demand for route information. Like many others, my dad discovered Alfred Wainwright<\/a>, whose hand-drawn pictorial guides are still a good way to\u00a0find routes. Wainwright\u2019s own favourite was Haystacks Fell, with an ascent from Buttermere via Scarth Gap. My own initiation into the joys of scrambling started with Wainwright routes up Lord\u2019s Rake on Scafell Pike and Jack\u2019s Rake on Pavey Ark, both serious undertakings.<\/p>\n Scrambling and its sister sports, fell-running and scree-racing, have a\u00a0proud history in Lakeland. Over in Wasdale, sheep farmer Joss Naylor<\/a> was\u00a0an inspiration. As a teenager, I\u00a0witnessed his hell-for-leather approach to scree slopes, transforming them from places to be avoided into a\u00a0new challenge.<\/p>\n Wasdale, with its historic inn<\/a>, remains a favourite. If the trail to Scafell Pike is often busy, look out for classic treks like the Mosedale Horseshoe, taking in Pillar, a stiff challenge when torn shreds of cloud are whistling around your ears. For the sure-footed, the climbers\u2019 trail passing beneath Napes Needle is another gem. The Needle is a satisfying climb with historic importance. Photos of early pioneers the Abraham brothers, standing on top in their 1890s hobnail\u00a0boots, fuelled interest in the\u00a0new sport of rock climbing.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe best advice is to find a fell with an unfamiliar name, get the OS map and devise a route. Asking a local also usually pays off<\/p>\n Across to the east, the 17\u00bd-mile trek from Pooley Bridge to Troutbeck over High Street is an absolute gem, with sustained panoramas on a clear day. Another classic is theKentmere Round, which normally starts at St Cuthbert\u2019s church, near Staveley. For\u00a0sheer delight in Cumbrian topographical names, the Kentmere Round is a must: Yoke Fell is followed by Wander Scar, Toadhowe Well and Shipman Knotts, among others. The best advice is to find a fell with an unfamiliar name, get the OS map and devise a route. Asking a local also usually pays off.<\/p>\n After an epic day of snow and ice on Helvellyn, I take my own advice. I am staying at Another Place hotel<\/a> along the Ullswater north shore. The lakeside panorama tells the tale of changing times: there are paddleboards and kayaks on the water; groups heading off on wild swims; and a mobile sauna<\/a> by the shore. Hotel director and local man David Vaughan tips me off about a favourite walk, on nearby Gowbarrow Fell.<\/p>\n The path starts at Aira Force waterfall<\/a>, a well-known attraction, and the car park is busy. Beyond the falls, however, things are quieter. At 481 metres, the Gowbarrow summit is not high, but the panorama is superb. Further on comes the real climax: a\u00a0balcony walk around the contours and above the lake.<\/p>\n A kestrel swoops past, close enough to see the wind ruffle its chestnut feathers. At the end, the path drops down to\u00a0the woods and there\u2019s a young woman, hesitating. Her kit looks fresh from the packet.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there any scrambling up there?\u201d she asks nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d I say, noticing her immaculate nails. \u201cBut there\u2019s lots of\u00a0mud.\u201d<\/p>\n She takes a deep breath and grins. \u201cOK.\u201d Then sets off. Joss Naylor, my dad and the Romantic poets would all be proud. Our parks are still doing their best for us.<\/p>\n Accommodation was provided by Another Place, The Lake, in Ullswater<\/a>, which has double rooms from \u00a3125 B&B. Further information, visit nationalparks.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before we enter the clouds on snow-capped Helvellyn, I glance back down at Ullswater. 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