Considering how small and densely populated the UK is, we are blessed with some amazing natural beauty.

There are 15 national parks in total: 10 in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland. Each national park has its own distinct beauty and character, drawing visitors from around the globe. 

From the Cairngorms’ rugged mountains to the quaint South Downs, Britain’s parks differ enormously in terms of scenery, climate and culture. 

The country’s most visited national park is the Lake District, which sees 16.5 million visitors a year. However, others see far fewer. Here are some of the least visited:

Exmoor

Despite being located in the more populous South of England, Exmoor is actually Britain’s least visited national park. It receives just 1.4 million visitors a year.

Nestled on the border between Somerset and Devon, visitors can take in a spectacular mixture of dramatic coastal landscapes, rolling hills and lush woodland.

Sparsely populated, Exmoor is home to some of the darkest skies in the country and is a designated International Dark Sky Reserve. On a clear night, the Exmoor skies are simply stunning. Many astronomical wonders can be seen with the naked eye alone. 

Northumberland National Park

This diverse national park is the most northerly in England and the least populated in the UK. Covering an area of 1,048 kilometres, this park encompasses Kielder Forest and the Cheviot Hills and receives just 1.5 million visitors a year.

The park is an excellent place to see Hadrian’s Wall, a colossal triumph of Roman engineering and a designated World Heritage Site. You can also still find red squirrels hiding in the park’s woodlands, a rare sight in England these days because of invasive grey squirrels which have nearly wiped out their red cousins due to a fatal virus they transmit.

Pembrokeshire Coast

The Pembrokeshire Coast is Britain’s only coastal national park, and its beauty hasn’t gone unnoticed. The American National Geographic Traveler magazine recently rated the Pembrokeshire Coast one of the top two coastal destinations in the world.

This section of the welsh coast is notable for its rugged cliffs, dazzling beaches and hidden coves. A mecca for adventure sports, walkers, surfers, kayakers and sailors are in their element.

The national park also features some amazing wildlife. Visitors can find puffins and Manx shearwaters on the islands of Caldey, Grassholm, Skokholm, Skomer and Ramsey. On a sunny day, you might even see a seal snoozing in the sun.

Cairngorms

Located in North East Scotland, the Cairngorms is by far the country’s largest national park, stretching for 4,528 square kilometres. Despite its large size, the park sees just 1.5 million visitors each year. 

If it’s remoteness you’re after, this is the place to come. The park is home to some of the UK’s most spectacular scenery and the country’s second highest mountain, Ben Macdui. 

You can also find Scotland’s best established ski areas. Cairngorm Mountain near Aviemore can provide some excellent skiing or snowboarding if you get the conditions right. And if you’re blessed with a crisp, clear day, the views across the Cairngorms are truly a sight to behold.

There’s a chance that many workplaces may never return to office. Several prominent tech firms have already said that their staff can continue to work from home even after the pandemic and the evidence suggests that a large number of other employers are thinking the same thing.

Essentially, the pandemic accelerated an already established shift in the way we work, so that a few years worth of changes happened overnight.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development recently conducted a survey and found that the proportion of people working regularly from home has risen to 37%, more than double the number from before the pandemic.

What’s more, employers think that the proportion of staff who work permanently from home full time will rise to 22% post-pandemic. In those pre-pandemic, halcyon days, this figure was 9%.

This shift will have financial implications for those home-working. And, as usual, the good comes with the bad. Here are some things you should consider:

It might affect your insurance costs

Back in March, the sudden change to home working will have been unexpected and you might have overlooked the impact it could have on your insurance. However, now the dust is settling, you should mention it to your home insurer. 

Chances are your home will have an extra printer, laptop and tablet, valuables that should be covered by your home insurance policy. Remember that if this kit belongs to your employer, their insurance should protect it. It’s worth double checking before you add anything to your policy.

Lastly, if you’re working from home permanently and no longer using your car to commute, tell your insurer. You may be able to pay less on your premiums.

You can claim tax relief on expenses

On 6 April, Rishi Sunak raised the claim allowance to £6 a week to cover extra household bills caused by working at home. 

When there is a home working arrangement in place, an employer can pay a weekly amount to its employees tax free. If you think that your costs exceed this amount, you should check with your employer to see if they will make higher contributions.

This benefit will only be available if your employer specifically asked you to work from home. If you’re working from home voluntarily, you cannot claim this tax relief on your bills.

It might be harder to secure a pay rise

By now, it’s widely established that working from home needn’t have an adverse effect on the quality of your work. However, there’s still quite a lot of uncertainty around the effects of homeworking on employees’ ability to secure promotions and pay increases.

When working remotely, it can be hard to keep relationships with people in your firm. There’s also a chance that employees who work from home permanently in a company where some staff still work from the office could get sidelined when promotions come up.

Showing the value of your efforts can be more difficult. It seems like good communication is important to avoid being overlooked. Try to communicate any new skills you have learnt and consistently show how your personal development is supporting you to do your job effectively at home.

If you’d like to know more about how your career choices affect your financial future, please get in touch. We’d be more than happy to help.

The government has confirmed that the minimum age for drawing a personal pension is to rise to 57 in 2028.

Savers who pay into a personal pension either directly or through their workplace can currently access their money at 55. However, the government plans to raise the age as a result of increased life expectancy.

The change hasn’t yet been brought into law, but Treasury Minister John Glen has confirmed there are plans for legislation. 

In parliament, he said: “In 2014 the government announced it would increase the minimum pension age to 57 from 2028, reflecting trends in longevity and encouraging individuals to remain in work, while also helping to ensure pension savings provide for later life.”

The change will affect workers currently aged 47 and under, and was first announced by then chancellor George Osborne.

As chancellor, George Osborne significantly changed the way we can access our pensions.

He brought in rules that allowed retirees more access to their personal pensions, removing both the limit on cash withdrawals and the requirement to buy an annuity to ensure a secure retirement income.

Opponents to the rise in pensions age claim that the changes restrict workers’ freedom to retire. The changes will make it more difficult for some to retire sooner.

One investment analyst has described the change as a “kick in the teeth at a time when many people are reassessing their work/life balance after a terrible year socially, emotionally and economically.”

However, others believe that the changes are a positive step because they give people two years more to pay into their pension funds. They argue that this will increase the chances that retirees will have enough saved in their pension pots to provide an adequate level of income for the remainder of their lives.

Those who were planning to access their pensions at 55 but can no longer do so could look at other options. These could include saving into an Isa to fund the two year period before turning 57. 

Most savers will agree that the government is right to give so much advance warning, unlike with the increase in state pension age for women from 60 to 65, which caused some animosity. These changes do not affect when you can claim your state pension.

If you have any further questions around your pension pots, please get in touch.