Shortly after posting about Britain’s Instagrammable beaches and bays, another survey landed in the British Food and Travel mailbox. This time, Digital PR conducted a survey of the most popular national parks according to hashtags shared on Instagram.
As well as searching for the standard #nationalpark hashtag, the survey also looked for specific park names and #visit…. What is particularly interesting about the results is that the most shared on Instagram does not necessarily correlate with the most visited parks. Read on to learn more and what we can learn from the results.
The UK’s National Parks
There are fifteen national parks within the UK, including two in Scotland, three in Wales, and ten in England. Accurate visitor numbers can be difficult to find, especially for the two newest parks, the New Forest and the South Downs. Visitor statistics range between 90 million to 110 million visitors per year but how does that break down to each individual park?
The Lake District frequently tops the lists as the most popular park with approximately 18 million visitors per year. However, as mentioned above, the New Forest and South Downs are relatively recent additions to the park list. They are also among the most populated areas, so obtaining accurate visitor numbers can be difficult. I would expect both of them to be among the most visited national parks in the country.
Figures from VisitBritain for 2019 indicate that the South Downs topped the chart, followed by the Lake District and the Peak District. The New Forest is not included in the listing but according to their website, the park receives more visitors per square kilometer than any other park.
The Yorkshire Dales and the Broads rank next in popularity, followed by the three Welsh parks (Eryri, Bannau Brycheiniog, and the Pembrokeshire Coast).
The two Scottish parks, (Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and the Cairngorms) receive fewer visitors because of their remote locations. Dartmoor, Exmoor, and Northumberland are also at the lower end.
Instagram Numbers
So now let’s look at the frequency of postings on Instagram.
| National Park | Instagram Posts |
| Lake District | 5,723,618 |
| Peak District | 3,257,231 |
| Northumberland | 2,188,869 |
| Eryri (Snowdonia) | 1,913,829 |
| New Forest | 1,261,342 |
| Dartmoor | 1,232,523 |
| Yorkshire Dales | 1,021,222 |
| Loch Lomond & The Trossachs | 809,070 |
| Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) | 719,217 |
| South Downs | 597,989 |
| Cairngorms | 566,651 |
| Exmoor | 438,999 |
| North York Moors | 336,177 |
| Pembrokeshire Coast | 292,750 |
| Broads | 253,271 |
The popularity of the Lake District and Peak District is not a surprise.
The Lake District, the UK’s largest national park, covers a total of 2,362 square kilometres. It is home to Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, which is well known for being part of the UK’s “Three Peaks Challenge”. The Lake District is also the location of Wastwater, England’s deepest lake.
The Peak District National Park places second with 3,257,231 posts. Established in 1951 as the UK’s first national park, it is well known for its extensive cave system and scenic walks.
In third place is Northumberland National Park, with 2,188,869 Instagram posts. Despite having one of the smallest resident populations among UK national parks with just 2,200 people, it attracts plenty of visitors, most notably to Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO Heritage site that is rich in Roman history.
Eryri ranked fourth with 1,913,829 posts, making it Wales’ most Instagrammable national park. Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest peak in Wales, is also a part of the Three Peaks Challenge and attracts tourists and hikers looking to capture its dramatic mountain scenery.
The New Forest rounds out the top five with 1,261,342 posts. The New Forest National Park boasts over 40 miles of coastline and a clear view of the beautiful Isle of Wight. Dartmoor narrowly places sixth with 1,232,523 tagged posts.
At the other end of the charts, the Broads, the South Downs, and the two Yorkshire parks rank surprisingly lower compared to their visitor numbers.
So What Does This Tell Us?
Can these figures tell us anything about the way we interact with our national landscapes? Rob Phelps, Director of Digital PR, believes so. He says:
“The research highlights how social media has changed the way people interact with natural spaces. The parks with the most dramatic landscapes and recognizable features tend to perform best on visual platforms like Instagram.
“This social media ranking creates an interesting contrast with actual visitor numbers. According to research from the National Parks UK, the Lake District attracts approximately 16.4 million visitors annually, generating £1.146 billion in visitor spending. However, some parks that rank lower on Instagram still attract significant visitor numbers. The Broads, for example, welcomes around eight million visitors yearly despite having the fewest Instagram posts.”
He goes on to suggest that some parks may be missing out on the opportunity to boost their social media profile and the benefits that come with that boosted profile, including increased visitor spending and greater awareness about conservation issues.
Whichever national park(s) you happen to visit this year, sharing photos and tagging them on Instagram isn’t just a vanity project. It can play an important role in protecting these vital areas.
