The country of England has long been divided up into smaller areas or regions for several purposes.  In the first millennium AD, there were separate kingdoms, Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and the like, which were unified by King Athelstan in 927.  We have had counties for centuries, at one time divided into Hundreds, enough land to sustain approximately one hundred households.  In a two tier system, we now have counties and districts with administrative responsibilities and, more recently, unitary authorities.

            But these are all administrative areas, the boundaries of which have little relation to geology or landscape.  We have fifteen National Parks, ten in England that cover 10% of land area and reflect the environment with some administrative functions, planning for example.  The aim is to ‘conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage and to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public’.  There are also 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 34 in England, that have the same objective except for the latter public enjoyment part.  They cover 18% of the countryside but have little direct administrative function.