Landscape Values Mapping for Tranquillity in North York Moors National Park and Howardian Hills AONB

A key motivation for visiting protected landscapes, concerns expectations for tranquil experiences through which visitors’ overall sense of wellness is commonly reported as being enhanced. Yet planning for this expectation is challenging: tranquility is a nebulous and highly subjective concept, resulting in multiple, often unique interpretations. Adapting research first conducted in Dorset, south England, this study reports on how visitors to two protected areas in Yorkshire, north England, perceive tranquillity. Two hundred and forty research participants were engaged at six survey sites over several weeks. Distinctions amongst the views are determined by age and gender. Sketch map data was combined in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce detailed maps of tranquillity across North York Moors National Park and Howardian Hills AONB. Survey location and key interests appear to influence visitor perspectives on both tranquillity and non-tranquillity. The outcome of this work provides empirical data to inform future GIS modelling efforts aimed at identifying tranquil areas for their continued protection, for their use in tourism marketing and ultimately for the wellbeing opportunities they are considered to provide to the public as a key component of therapeutic landscapes.