National Parks of England - Motorhome trip through Peaks, Dales & LakesMotorhome trip through Peaks, Dales & Lakes

In Manchester, you'll discover a vibrant mix of Neo-Gothic splendor and industrial heritage. You can admire the John Rylands Library with its rare books and the fifteenth-century Manchester Cathedral. The Science and Industry Museum tells the industrial history at the oldest passenger station from 1830. Sports enthusiasts can visit the famous Old Trafford football stadium. The city is buzzing with energy, with lively neighborhoods where you can stroll past transformed warehouses and canals.

Peak District National Park surprises with a contrast between rugged gritstone plateaus and the rolling limestone valleys of the Derwent Valley. Those who climb the 636-metre-high Kinder Scout look out over moorlands and rugged rocks. Lower in the valley stands the sixteenth-century Chatsworth House with its stately gardens. Hikers follow the Monsal Trail over high viaducts that span deep limestone gorges. At the top of Mam Tor, a lively atmosphere prevails as you look out over the Hope Valley.

York showcases a layered English history in a labyrinth of medieval streets. The Gothic York Minster, with its stained-glass windows, towers high above the rooftops. In The Shambles, fourteenth-century half-timbered houses lean so far over that their gables almost touch. Those who walk along the thirteenth-century city walls look down upon the green gardens of the city centre. In the evenings, a mysterious atmosphere hangs in the alleys when groups participate in a ghost walk.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park in Northern England consists of limestone plateaus, deep valleys, and a network of dry-stone walls. The eighty-meter-high limestone formation Malham Cove and the 694-meter-high peak Pen-y-ghent define the landscape. You can walk at Bolton Abbey along twelfth-century ruins by the River Wharfe or follow paths along the Ingleton waterfalls through wooded gorges.

The purple moorlands of North York Moors National Park stretch across a vast plateau that ends at the North Sea cliffs. Those who climb the 320-meter high hill Roseberry Topping look out over the green valleys of Yorkshire. At Goathland Station, historic steam trains stop along the platforms. Visitor center Danby Lodge highlights the nature of the area. In this Dark Sky Reserve, you can see the starry sky above the quiet paths of the moor.

The eleventh-century Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle tower high above the River Wear on a rock. Walking across Palace Green, you can see how these UNESCO monuments define the skyline. Narrow streets lead past Durham Market Hall, where traders offer their goods under stone arches. On the riverbank, you overlook Framwellgate Bridge. The atmosphere here is stately when the evening sun casts a warm glow on the sandstone walls of the cathedral.

Hadrian’s Wall marks the northern border of the Roman Empire with a robust ribbon of stone. At Housesteads Fort, the foundations of second-century barracks and granaries lie among the hills. The Vindolanda Museum displays wooden writing tablets that shed light on the lives of Roman soldiers. Those who walk over the hill ridges of Northumberland follow the wall remnants along steep rock edges. From the elevated viewpoints, the green fields stretch out to the horizon.

The Lake District is the most visited national park in England, and you'll notice that around Windermere; a valley further on, you'll be alone. Scafell Pike, at 978 meters, is the highest mountain in the country, but the most beautiful walks are lower down, around Buttermere and Ullswater. Old steamboats still sail on Windermere between the jetties. The villages are built of dark slate, which gives them a heavy and closed appearance even in the sun.

Lancaster is a city with Roman origins where the 11th-century Lancaster Castle dominates the skyline. This castle was the site of the Pendle Witch Trials in 1612. In Williamson Park, you'll find the 45-meter-high Ashton Memorial, built in 1909, offering views over Morecambe Bay. Along the quays of the River Lune and the Lancaster Canal, you can see traces of its maritime past and the narrowboats.

The musical legacy of The Beatles and a raw maritime past define Liverpool's character. On the waterfront stand the stately Three Graces, including the Royal Liver Building with its clock towers. In the nineteenth-century warehouses of the Royal Albert Dock, you can follow the band's history at The Beatles Story. Those who venture into the outskirts will find the famous Anfield Stadium. The wind from the River Mersey gives the quays an atmospheric dynamism as the ferries sail past.

In Manchester, you'll discover a vibrant mix of Neo-Gothic splendor and industrial heritage. You can admire the John Rylands Library with its rare books and the fifteenth-century Manchester Cathedral. The Science and Industry Museum tells the industrial history at the oldest passenger station from 1830. Sports enthusiasts can visit the famous Old Trafford football stadium. The city is buzzing with energy, with lively neighborhoods where you can stroll past transformed warehouses and canals.