Jenny Lowthrop
My Story
10 weeks, 10 national parks, and 1,000 miles of walking.
I'm Jen, the Chair of the Peak District National Park Foundation, and I'm undertaking a mad but exciting challenge to hike across every national park in England with my rescue dog Cookie. All whilst aiming to raise £10,000 for the Peak District National Park Foundation.
About Me
I'm 38 and I've lived in or on the edge of the Peak District most of my life. I went to school in Bakewell and after a few years abroad and in London, it was the park that brought me back. I am so privileged and lucky to live only minutes from the Peak District and that I get to experience the joy of walking in a national park every week. It consistantly helps my own mental and physical health, and I want everyone to be able to experience the benefits our natural world brings.
About the hike
Each week, I will visit a different national park and hike from one border to the near enough opposite border. It could be north to south or east to west or a wiggly route through the middle.
I will also be meeting people along the way to learn more about our national parks and why we need to look after them so they can be enjoyed by everyone, forever.
I am passionate about the importance of our national parks. From carbon sequestration to improving our mental health and wellbeing, they bring benefits to communities across the UK, and our wider natural world.
Starting on August 19th, I will be walking (and canoeing) across the following national parks:
- Northumberland
- North York Moors
- Yorkshire Dales
- Lake District
- Broads
- South Downs
- New Forest
- Exmoor
- Dartmoor
- Peak District
Each park will see me walk 80 - 100 miles over 5-7 days with a rest day before my next park.
I have a full Q and A page on my blog and will keep adding to this as other questions come in :)
Follow the adventure
I will be sharing my stories on my blog and social media.
A Walk in the Parks Blog
Instagram
Facebook
Want to get involved?
I'd love you to get involved. There are lots of different ways to support the hike – here are a few:
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Donate - I'm aiming to raise £10,000 for the Peak District National Park Foundation to support projects around accessibility, mental health and climate change within the park.
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A bed for the night - I am self-funding this trip and would welcome any support for me and Cookie. If you live in or near one of the national parks and fancy putting us up for the night, please do get in touch. We are great guests and can repay you in walking tales.
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Share your story with me - I am looking for people to interview in each park to share stories of what makes each park special, and why we need to look after them. Maybe you've lived in a national park all your life and want to share what makes it special to you. Or you run a volunteer project or charity within a park. Get in touch with your unique story, and join me for a walk and talk.
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Walk with me - want to join the hike? There will be a few days where I will encourage others to join me so we can hike together. Find out more on my social media and website.
Thanks so much for making it this far and for any support, you are all amazing!
Keep up to date with the adventure on my website. A Walk in the Parks
