National Parks and People

Published: 7 November 2024

Originally published in our Viewpoint magazine (Issue 85 Autumn/Winter 2024) as part of our New Perspectives project.

When I think of National Parks, I think of people. Nature is beautiful and awe-inspiring, but most of all it brings us together. National Parks are the best examples of this. 

I grew up in an interracial family. This came with clashing cultures, chaos and occasional miscommunication. It was a colourful and loud way to live. But as a family, it never felt like we quite fit into our surroundings. However, every year my dad would drive us out of London, into the countryside. One of our most memorable trips was to the Lake District National Park. Out there, on the wild, windswept hills, we were closer than ever. We didn’t need to fit in, we didn’t need to understand all the conventions. We could just walk, admiring the lakes, playing near them, getting our feet wet. The further from home we were, the more harmonious we became. When I think back to this trip, it feels like finding my roots. 

My relationship with my first long-term boyfriend was full of misunderstandings, despite our best efforts. But when I look back, what I remember is happiness, looking for temperate rainforests with him in Dartmoor National Park. We were cold, drenched and elated. I had never felt so understood as then. My worries washed away like the falling leaves in the river below us. Life, its struggle and triumph, surrounded us, bringing the chaos of our relationship to the fore despite us never having felt so united. We broke up soon after, but these memories contributed to us remaining friends. 

National Parks should be protected for so many reasons, but the one that stands out the most to me is their power to inspire beautiful memories, reinforcing our relationships with our loved ones.