Stunning Cairngorms and Lake District images win 2025 Photography Competition

Two breathtaking photographs from the Cairngorms and the Lake District have been crowned winners of the 2025 UK National Parks Photography Competition, supported by Sykes Holiday Cottages.

Chosen from over 500 entries, this year’s competition has once again showcased the outstanding creativity and passion that the UK’s 15 National Parks inspire. 

Gill Williams’s (@gillwilliamsphotographyandart) photograph was chosen by the public as the overall winning image. A retired police officer, Gill is a self-taught photographer who is inspired by the ‘wildlife paradise’ of her home in the Cairngorms National Park.

The ethereal beauty of the National Park’s landscape is perfectly captured in her winning entry, where the rolling pine forests dissolve into morning mist beneath golden light on Tulloch Moor. The image captures the stillness, scale and wonder of the UK’s largest National Park. 

Gill Williams said: “The Cairngorms has always had a hold on me, whether in the mountains, on a forest track or an early morning at Tulloch Moor. It is an incredible place.”

An area of heathland, Tulloch Moor is part of the RSPB reserve at Loch Garten, which is part of the wider Cairngorms Connect project – an ambitious vision to enhance habitats, species and ecological processes, including ancient Caledonian Forest, across a vast area within the Cairngorms National Park. The Cairngorms National Park Authority is a supporting partner in this bold project. 

Mark Hetherington’s (@markshetherington) image was selected as the Skyes Holiday Cottages employees winner. A retired Quantity Surveyor from Penrith, Mark’s passion for photography and the Lake District National Park shines through his winning entry. Taken at Warnscale Head Bothy above Buttermere, it took Mark four years to capture the perfect sunset. His image conveys a powerful sense of scale and a deep connection between people and landscape. 

Mark Hetherington commented: “I have been walking, climbing and running in the Lake District for many years, which has given me a deep connection and appreciation of the landscape. For me, the view from Warnscale Bothy to Buttermere and Crummock Water is one of the finest in the Lake District. The sun only sets in the ideal position during the month of June which limits the window of opportunity. When I finally captured this image I was very happy.”

Now in its fourth year, the competition invites photographers of all abilities to share their personal perspective of life within the UK’s fifteen National Parks. This year’s response was extraordinary – with a 150% increase on 2024 entries – reflecting the growing connection people feel with these landscapes. 

From shimmering lakes to thriving wildlife and star-filled skies, this year’s ten shortlisted images were shared on the @NationalParksUK Instagram channel, where the overall winner was chosen by public vote, and a second chosen by employees of Sykes Holiday Cottages. Both winners will each receive a £250 Sykes Holiday Cottages voucher and a complete set of Collins National Park Pocket Map and Favourite Ranger Walks books, worth £115, thanks to National Parks partner, Harper Collins.  

The competition, launched in 2021, highlights not only the beauty of the National Parks but also their vital role in tackling the climate and nature crises. Across the country, National Parks are leading efforts to restore landscapes, protect biodiversity and build resilience to climate change through landscape-scale nature-based solutions that benefit people, nature and climate. 

The National Parks Photography Competition is proudly supported by Sykes Holiday Cottages, a long-term partner of the UK National Parks. Since 2018, Sykes has backed projects from tree planting in Eryri National Park to pollinator habitat restoration in Northumberland National Park, helping to safeguard these landscapes for future generations.

Together, this partnership champions regenerative travel, supports local economies, and creates real connection between people and the natural world.