THE national park movement is 50 years old this month - the first, the Peak District, came into being on April 17, 1951 - and the Countryside Agency is issuing a free, full colour pamphlet to mark the jubilee.

The pamphlet maps all of Britain's national parks plus areas of outstanding natural beauty like the Forest of Bowland on the North Yorks/Lancashire border and heritage coastal sites, including Flamborough Head, North Yorkshire around Whitby, and Cleveland.

The poster-sized leaflet, called Our Finest Countryside, is available free from tourist information centres or from Countryside Agency Publications, PO Box 125, Wetherby LS23 7EP.

The agency has also set up a website giving the latest information on the foot and mouth crisis: www.countryside.gov.uk