Photo Contest of UK's Best National Park

Britain's countryside might slowly be falling into the hands of developers but there is still much to celebrate in our green and pleasant land.

And this stunning picture of a barren landscape in Snowdonia has just been announced as the winner of a photo competition to find the UK's top national parks landscape.
 

Entries flooded in from all over the country featuring panoramic vistas of waterfalls, lakes and mountains.

The winning photo, by amateur photographer Michal Tekel, shows Cwm Idwal in the Glyderau range of mountains in Wales and was snapped using a digital Nikon D700.
 

Head judge Ben Fogle, the TV presenter and adventurer, said: 'This stunning photograph from Snowdonia, for me, sums up the eclectic diversity and variety of our National Parks.

'It is a beautiful photograph in its composition of green rolling hills, rugged rock, soaring mountains, reflective lakes and thousands of acres of sky.'
 

Fellow judge Emily Carr said: 'It's great to see the creativity and inspiration Britain's fantastic outdoor spaces provide for visitors.'

Among the other fantastic images submitted which made the shortlist of 12 were sweeping views of the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland, the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, Exmoor and Dartmoor.
 

Building on the theme of Olympic year, the National Parks authority hopes the images will inspire 'mountaineers, sailors, cyclists, runners and Olympic athletes to aim higher and train harder'.
 

The authority represents 15 national parks across Britain: Brecon Beacons, Broads, Cairngorms, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, South Downs and Yorkshire Dales.