Six rural regeneration and landscape conservation schemes across the UK are in line for a major funding boost after receiving first round passes worth £7.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The funding will be made available through the HLF's Landscape Partnership initiative, which has been in operation for five years and has seen a total of £55m invested in 35 British landscapes, including Dorset's Jurassic Coast and the Orkney archipelago in Scotland.

Among the six latest areas to benefit from HLF support is the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, North Wales, which has been awarded a first round pass of £753,200 to preserve its cultural and linguistic heritage.

A scheme to restore 250sq km (97sq miles) of the Lake District National Park at Windemere, Cumbria, has been awarded nearly £1m, while the extension and upgrade of the 'Archaeological Way' in the East Midlands has received a first round pass worth nearly £2m.

Elsewhere, £2m has been awarded to the restoration of limestone landscapes in County Durham, £904,500 is earmarked for the conservation of Lincolnshire's Coastal Grazing Marshes, and £1.26m has been set aside for the restoration of habitats and the landscape of Faughan Valley in Northern Ireland.

HLF chair Dame Jenny Abramsky said: "One of the exciting things about the UK's landscapes is their variety as illustrated by these six projects – from Lake Windemere to the foothills of the Sperrins and the flat coastal plains of Lincolnshire.

"This investment of nearly £8m is helping forge lasting partnerships, which will not only protect these cherished natural environments, but also help people have a greater understanding and enjoyment of them."

Image: Llŷn Peninsula, North Wales