TripAdvisor’s top 10 European national parks have been revealed
It's often been argued that Britain some of the very best natural countryside, scenery and green space in the world - a claim that has now been backed up by latest TripAdvisor Awards.
Travel became something of an abstract concept in 2020.
With borders closed, trains cancelled, planes grounded, and invisible lines drawn up between regions throughout the year, the prospect of ‘escape’ was limited to our local surroundings – prompting many of us to set out on foot and nosey around for any hidden gems lying on our doorsteps.
As it turns out, there was plenty to enjoy.
By summer, 39% of people said they were walking more than they had before the pandemic, discovering the joys of local landscapes in the process.
Avid hikers are often reiterating the claim that Britain is home to some of the best countrysides and green space in the world.
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It appears they might be right, if the latest TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Awards are considered a worthy yardstick.
The world’s largest online travel platform has collated visitor ratings and officially ranked the top national parks all around Europe – and three are right here in Britain.
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2020 was dubbed the ‘year of the walker’, and so far, 2021 is following in its footsteps. So, when restrictions ease a little – hopefully in time for summer – we can take note of these recommendation and bring our newfound love for strolling into highly-rated territory.
Here are the UK parks that made the list.
Yorkshire Dales National Park
Yorkshire Dales / FreeIMG
The Yorkshire Dales didn’t just rank highest of all the British green spaces on TripAdviser’s list.
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It actually made the very top spot: The best national park in Europe.
Considered to be the creme-de-la-creme of countryside, the Yorkshire Dales came above Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland (the biggest national park in the continent) and Plitvice Lakes National Park – which contains 50 stunning acres of forest and lake in Croatia – to rank number one.
It’s a big honour, but anyone who’s visited the Dales will understand why it managed to score so highly.
Boasting a rugged natural beauty filled with rolling green hills and towering woodlands soaked in a dozen different shades of autumn hues, the Yorkshire Dales is mighty and magnificent – managing somehow to be both radiant and haunting all at once.
What’s more, it’s full of things to do.
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According to TripAdviser, there are as many as 147 sights and/or activities to tick off on a trip to Yorkshire’s untamed countryside.
Definitely one to tick off in the future if you haven’t already.
Peak District National Park
Peak District / Image: SnappyGoat
The fourth best national park in Europe will be music to the ears of many Mancunians.
It’s the beautiful, bewitching 555 square miles of the Peak District National Park.
Crossing multiple counties (including Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester), the Peak District is one of the most popular staycation destinations in England – usually attracting around 10 million visitors a year.
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According to Trip Advisor, there’s over 181 things to do here – including rock climbing, windsurfing and paragliding.
Naturally, it’s mostly limited to walking trails right now. But these alone guarantee some amazing outdoor experiences.
New Forest National Park
New Forest National Park / Image: Wikimedia Commons
At the opposite end of the country, straddling the south coast, is the final UK member on TripAdvisor’s prestigious list.
The New Forest National Park.
Covering 219 square miles, this wonderful sprawling woodland is the pride of Hampshire – scattered with soaring trees, bright blue lakes and wide, winding pathways.
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It’s the third best national park in the UK according to TripAdvisor – and the fifth best in Europe overall.
No mean feat.
Elsewhere on TripAdvisor’s top 10 were parks from Spain (with three entries), Italy and Turkey. But it may be some time before we can visit those…
Government to ban overseas recruitment for the UK care sector
Emily Sergeant
The Government has announced its intentions to end overseas recruitment into the care sector across the UK.
It’s just one of the measures outlined in the Government’s Immigration White Paper, which was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Parliament today, and is aiming to ‘take action’ to bring down historically high levels of net migration.
According to the Home Office, care workers from overseas have made a ‘huge contribution’ to social care in the UK for several decades, but too many have been subject to shameful levels of abuse and exploitation.
Overseas workers in the sector arrived in the country to find themselves saddled with debt, treated unfairly, or in extreme cases, even discover the jobs they were promised did not exist.
Immigration has played a key role in the success of the UK and our services.
But we cannot ignore the facts.
The system does not work.
Care workers have been widely exploited through the immigration system which is why we are closing new applications from abroad.
More than 470 care providers had their licence to sponsor international staff suspended since 2022, the Home Office revealed this month – which is why the Government ultimately wants to ‘put an end’ to any more overseas recruitment.
The crackdown on ‘rogue care providers’, as the Government called them, has seen around 40,000 workers displaced, many of whom are ready to rejoin the workforce, and under the plans outlined today, it’s said that they will be given the opportunity to ‘do the jobs they were promised’, while long-term plans are drawn up to train homegrown talent into the care sector.
International workers who are already sponsored to work legally in the sector, however, will still be able to continue to extend their stay, change sponsors, and apply to settle.
The Government is banning overseas recruitment for the UK care sector / Credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street (via Flickr)
“Together, these measures will move the UK away from a dependence on overseas workers to fulfil our care needs,” the Government said in a statement.
Despite the plans announced today being received well by some, they have been met with some criticism from industry figures – with Care England describing it as a ‘crushing blow to an already fragile sector’.
“The Government is kicking us while we’re already down,” explained Professor Martin Green OBE, who is the Chief Executive of Care England.
“For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies. International recruitment wasn’t a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline, and taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just short-sighted, it’s cruel.”
Featured Image – Kampus Production
News
Social media unite in search for ‘crazed’ fan who stole drum from AO Arena gig last night
Thomas Melia
This past weekend, people online began pulling together to try and find a fan after they stole a drum from a major music artist’s concert at the AO Arena on Sunday night.
When you say the words, “I’ll never forget that gig”, it usually means you had a really great night and, for this fan in particular, we think it’s fair to say that they be forgetting this night anytime soon – you know, many because they took a piece of the set home with them.
That’s right, following Twenty One Pilots’ massive Manc gig at AO Arena as part of their ongoing world tour, some fans were practically frothing at the mouth as the alternative duo did what they do best.
In fact, one individual clearly loved the concert so much that they just had to claim a keepsake, to such an extent that they want as far as steal band member Josh Dun’s drum directly from the stage.
As far as merch and memorabilia go, that might just be the biggest souvenir we’ve ever seen someone swipe from a rock show.
In terms of the night itself, the highly anticipated return to Manchester was a huge success, with the band playing out to flurries of red, orange, yellow and black, thanks to fans sporting the same colours as Twenty One Pilots‘ latest album cover, Clancy.
In the video, the drum – which features the band’s logo on a red-splattered drumhead in the Clancy aesthetic – can be seen being carried out of the venue by a fan from the general standing floor area.
As a result, not only did people on social media quickly begin sleuthing and trying to find the drum thief, but they’re also questioning why fans near the culprit weren’t doing more to get it back to the band.
One user wrote, “Ok but like I would have stopped her?” while another commented, “So I was scared to even take too much confetti with me and she casually STOLE THE DRUM??”
The fan who originally uploaded the video online aid in a subsequent post, “Guys, please, don’t put us to blame for not stopping her, we did all we could but literally no one around us cared about it.” They went on to add: “You’re not putting the blame of her stealing the drum on us, I’m sorry but I’m not having it.”
As you can see, the instrument was eventually located, with Twenty One Pilots’ videographer Sax uploaded a picture to his Instagram profile along with the caption, “We have the drum”, thanking fans for all their efforts in helping track down its whereabouts.
The Manc -
4th February 2021 
