Stunning Cairngorms and Lake District images win 2025 Photography Competition
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Date posted: 15/10/2025
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Time to read: 4 mins
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.
It’s not every day you get to see one of our National Parks in biscuit form on @britishbakeoff!
Last night, The Great British Bake Off contestant @itsdoctoryan created a beautiful biscuit mosaic inspired by the Broads National Park, perfectly capturing the view at St Benet’s Mill, Thurne.
And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes as the mosaic was made using treacle and ginger, honey and lemon, cocoa and malted milk, and pistachio biscuits.
Two great things combined: a beautiful National Park view and delicious biscuits. What could be better than that? 💚
Photo: Channel 4
#GBBO #BakeOff #NorfolkBroads @broadsnationalpark
You’ve likely heard of one - but what does it actually do?
Our 15 Parks wouldn’t be able to function without the authorities working behind the scenes to keep them running.
And each authority relies on people. People within the community, volunteers, staff and members. People that run businesses, or partner as organisations. People that are skilled and knowledgeable in a variety of areas from wildlife to accessibility.
Our National Parks are full of people and action, and it’s the Authorities that bring them all together.
💚
#NationalParksUK #NationalParkAuthorities
The Yorkshire Dales has one of the highest concentrations of caves and caverns of any of our 15 National Parks - a whole landscape hiding beneath the ground.
Our National Parks don’t just protect and preserve the landscapes we see every day. They also help care for historic and unique places discovered by our ancestors, like Ingleborough Cave and Gaping Gill, both of which were shrouded in myth and legend until they were explored by Victorians in the 1800s.
There’s so much more to our National Parks than meets the eye and sometimes, quite literally beneath the surface 👀
#YorkshireDales #GapingGill #Ingleborough
A week on from National Parks UK’s Big Volunteer Weekend, we’re still celebrating the people who make a difference across our National Parks.
Last weekend, hundreds of people came together across all 15 National Parks to give their time, share their skills and support our landscapes.
But volunteering in our National Parks doesn’t happen just one weekend a year. All year round, volunteers play an incredible variety of roles – from leading guided walks and supporting education, to conservation, planting and caring for our landscapes.
Every volunteer makes a valuable contribution to protecting our natural and cultural heritage. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you. 💚
So, to all our volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and everything you bring to our National Parks.
If you know someone who volunteers in a National Park, help us spread the thanks by sharing this post. 🌿
#Volunteers #NationalParks #NationalParksUK
Mae’r Bele yn un o famaliaid prinnaf Cymru, ond mae eu niferoedd yn tyfu yn raddol. Mae hynny’n newyddion da i’n coetiroedd ac i’r Parciau Cenedlaethol, sy’n darparu rhai o’r cynefinoedd pwysicaf ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt ledled Cymru a Phrydain.
Ym Mannau Brycheiniog, mae’r prosiect adfer wedi gosod blychau nythu yn y coed, ac mae gwaith monitro wedi nodi presenoldeb y Bele, gan gynnwys grwpiau teuluol. Mae’r ffilm arbennig hon yn dangos un ohonynt ar waith. 🐾
Mae’n atgof hyfryd o’r hyn sy’n bosibl pan ddaw coetiroedd iach a gwaith cadwraeth arbenigol at ei gilydd i roi’r gofod sydd ei angen ar rywogaethau prin i wella.
Pine Martens are one of Wales’ rarest mammals, but they’re slowly making a comeback. That’s good news for our woodlands, and for National Parks, which provide some of the most important habitats for wildlife across Wales and Britain.
In Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), the recovery project has installed treetop den boxes, with monitoring identifying pine martens, including family groups. This special footage shows one in action. 🐾
It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when healthy woodlands and specialist conservation work come together to give rare species the space they need to recover.
#BreconBeacons #BannauBrycheiniog #PineMartins #Wales
It’s the Autumn Equinox 🍂
Our National Parks are always changing in time with the rhythm of nature, but this becomes particularly noticeable when autumn arrives.
Deer begin to rut, spiders’ cobwebs glisten in the fresh light, fungi become more prominent, and leaves begin to change colour.
What changes have you noticed so far? 🧡
#Autumn #AutumnEquinox #NationalParks
“You look after the National Park not for yourself, but for people who are coming, the ones who are following you.”
These are the words of Ron Wood, who has been volunteering for the Lake District National Park for over 60 years. His story reflects the vital role volunteering plays across our National Parks: keeping them thriving, communities invested, and people connected to and caring for our landscapes.
Over the decades, Ron’s incredible journey has seen him remain steadfast in his commitment through droughts, hand, foot and mouth disease, and the ever-changing rhythms of nature. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: his dedication to looking after the environment for those who come after him.
You can read Ron`s full story by clicking the link in our bio or learn more about volunteering at nationalparks.uk/volunteering 🔗
📸Photos by @lakedistrictnpa
#LakeDistrict #Volunteering #NationalParks
A quiet autumn transformation is beginning to take place. 🍁
Bracken gradually fades to burnt oranges. Mist sweeps across the horizon. Grasses brown and trees begin their annual shaking of leaves.
Our National Parks are never still. They are constantly changing and transforming with the seasons - a living rhythm of growth, decay, colour and renewal.
These four photographs perfectly capture our Parks on the cusp of autumn 📸
1. Dartmoor @ryanbrowningphotography
2. Lake District @jonny.gios
3. New Forest @acornsandscapes
4. Northumberland @calbrownphoto
#Autumn #NationalParksUK
