First pick
Terryland Forest Park
Park or garden · 130 m outside town
31 ha4.8 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.8 km of path
1.3 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Noelcarroll · CC BY-SA 4.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Newcastle · parks, paths & countryside
Newcastle has more park space per resident than nearly 9 in 10 Irish towns
Parks and playing fields in Newcastle add up to 14.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1. The sea makes up 29% of the area within 5 km. 51 km of footpaths run through the neighbourhood and the kilometre around it, 5.4 for every square kilometre.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
14.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
51 km
5.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
15%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Lough Corrib SAC
Woodland
1.7%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
The sea
29%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors neighbourhood is Newcastle?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam14.4 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 89% of Irish towns.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Hills with a view6 mapped viewpoints, about 41× as many per resident as the typical Irish town.On the coast29% of the area within 5 km is sea.
Newcastle’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by parks close to every home.
Against other towns
How Newcastle compares with Irish towns
Each figure against Ireland’s 321 towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (city hubs left out): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Ireland has no Outdoors Grade yet: the figures are described, each against other Irish towns, and none of them counts towards the overall grade.
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
83out of 100
Public green space14.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
90out of 100
Footpaths5.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
77out of 100
Protected for nature15%of the land within 5 km
96out of 100
Woodland1.7%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
30out of 100
The sea29%of the area within 5 km
88out of 100
Parks, paths and woods: OpenStreetMap; residents: CSO Census 2022 Small Areas; protected sites: NPWS; sea: CSO and ONS land outlines. A 0 means nothing is mapped.
Towns its size
Newcastle has the 8th most footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (3,482 to 4,621 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Gurranebraher (7.4 km per km²) to Charleville (0 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Newcastle5.4
Towns its size1.7
Co. Galway towns2.1
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Newcastle14.4
Towns its size4.6
Co. Galway towns5.5
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Newcastle100%
Towns its size82%
Co. Galway towns80%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Newcastle stands out most for path per km²: only 7 of the other 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gurranebraher Cork | 7.4 | 1.6% | 0.5% | – |
| 2 | Shandon Cork | 7.3 | 1.9% | 0.9% | – |
| 3 | Ballyfermot Dublin | 6.8 | 8.7% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Cork City Centre Cork | 6.7 | 1.5% | 1.8% | – |
| 5 | St Luke's Cork | 6 | 3.5% | 2.8% | – |
| 6 | Farranree Cork | 6 | 3% | 0.5% | – |
| 7 | Montenotte Cork | 5.5 | 5.6% | 3.5% | – |
| 8 | Newcastle Galway | 5.4 | 1.7% | 15% | 29% |
| 9 | Shanakiel Cork | 5.3 | 5.7% | 0.1% | – |
| 10 | Saggart Dublin | 4.6 | 2% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Dangan Galway | 4.3 | 3.9% | 18% | 21% |
| 12 | Mervue Galway | 4.3 | 3.6% | 11% | 25% |
| 13 | Bohernabreena Dublin | 4.3 | 2.9% | 5% | – |
| 14 | Tivoli Cork | 4 | 7% | 4.8% | – |
| 15 | Prospect and Newtown Pery Limerick | 3.6 | 1.5% | 9.9% | – |
| 16 | Rahoon Galway | 2.3 | 2.3% | 27% | 20% |
| 17 | Castlegar Galway | 1.8 | 1.4% | 16% | 16% |
| 18 | Rathbane Limerick | 1.8 | 1.1% | 6% | – |
| 19 | Ballinacurra Limerick | 1.8 | 1.4% | 11% | – |
| 20 | Glanmire Cork | 1.7 | 13% | 6.6% | – |
| 21 | Westbury Clare | 1.7 | 3.3% | 9.6% | – |
| 22 | Kilcoole Wicklow | 1.5 | 4.3% | 5.8% | 37% |
| 23 | Rathnew Wicklow | 1.2 | 1.3% | 3.9% | 17% |
| 24 | Athenry Galway | 1.2 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 25 | Lehenagh Cork | 1.2 | 2.5% | 0.3% | – |
| 26 | Newcastle Dublin | 1.1 | 0.9% | 0% | – |
| 27 | Enfield Meath | 1.1 | 3.9% | 0% | – |
| 28 | Grange Waterford | 1 | 0.8% | 5% | – |
| 29 | Cahir Tipperary | 1 | 7.5% | 3.4% | – |
| 30 | Castleblayney Monaghan | 1 | 3.8% | 0% | – |
| 31 | Riverstown Cork | 0.8 | 14% | 2.9% | – |
| 32 | Kilcullen Kildare | 0.8 | 5.3% | 0% | – |
| 33 | Kill Kildare | 0.8 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 34 | Newtownmountkennedy Wicklow | 0.6 | 12% | 4.9% | 6.2% |
| 35 | Courtown Wexford | 0.6 | 8.6% | 0% | 37% |
| 36 | Claremorris Mayo | 0.4 | 7.1% | 0% | – |
| 37 | Macroom Cork | 0.4 | 4.9% | 3.9% | – |
| 38 | Mitchelstown Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 0% | – |
| 39 | Stamullen Meath | 0.3 | 1.7% | 0.5% | 12% |
| 40 | Charleville Cork | 0 | 0.3% | 0.2% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Newcastle’s neighbourhood.
Green: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces and woods, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · NPWS · Sport Ireland · CSO
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Newcastle
The biggest is Terryland Forest Park, 31 ha (76 acres).
All 9 named parks and woods by size: 51 ha (126 acres) and 9 km of path
Parks & gardens 51 ha
The two biggest, Terryland Forest Park and Westside Park, are 75% of the named green space and carry 6 km of path between them. 4 of the 9 are under 2 ha.
Westside Park
Park or garden
7.2 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
0.7 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Corrib Park
Park or garden
4.4 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
Centralin the middle of Newcastle
Directionsto a point inside
Shantalla Park
Park or garden
2.1 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Newcastle
Directionsto a point inside
Sliding Rock
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.4 km of path
0.6 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Millennium Children's Park
Park or garden · 180 m outside town
0.6 ha0.3 km of path
0.8 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
College Park
Park or garden · 150 m outside town
1.1 ha
0.7 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks and green spaces
Terryland Forest ParkPark or garden · 31 ha · 4.8 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsWestside ParkPark or garden · 7.2 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsCorrib ParkPark or garden · 4.4 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsShantalla ParkPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsLaurel ParkPark or garden · 3.2 ha
DirectionsSliding RockPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsMillennium Children's ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsCollege ParkPark or garden · 1.1 ha · just outside town
DirectionsFisheries FieldPark or garden · 0.8 ha · just outside town
DirectionsNamed parks, gardens, commons and woods in the town or within 400 m of it, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); pieces of one name that touch are one place. Sizes are the whole site; directions go to a point inside.
Close to home
Everyone in Newcastle lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (CSO Census 2022 Small Areas against OpenStreetMap).
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
Newcastle100%
Co. Galway towns80%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
15% of the land around Newcastle is protected for nature
Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, within 5 km of the town’s edge.
Inside Newcastle2%
Within 5 km15%
Co. Galway towns14%
Typical Irish town1.8%
5 protected sites lie within 5 km of Newcastle. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 8.9% of the land within 5 km as well; many have been proposed since 1995 and aren’t counted here. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
Lough Corrib SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 257 km² · reaches Newcastle
NPWS pageGalway Bay Complex SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 147 km² · 0.5 km from the edge
NPWS pageInner Galway Bay SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 135 km² · 1.0 km from the edge
NPWS pageMoycullen Bogs NHANatural Heritage Area · 36 km² · 1.7 km from the edge
NPWS pageLough Corrib SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 176 km² · 1.9 km from the edge
NPWS pageProtected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service designated site boundaries (CC BY 4.0), 2026; land within 5 km from CSO Small Areas and, over the border, ONS. Overlapping sites are counted once.
National Parks
Burren National Park is 20 km away
Ireland’s National Parks within 100 km, and the nearest always, by direction and distance from the town’s edge; circle size shows each park’s area.
National ParkThe 5 km around the town
National Park
Burren National Park
20 km south21 km²
National Park
Connemara National Park
56 km north-west21 km²
National Park
Wild Nephin National Park
83 km north171 km²
3 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Newcastle.
National Park boundaries: National Parks and Wildlife Service, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0, © Government of Ireland), 2022. Distances from the town’s outline (CSO Small Areas).
Footpaths and woods
51 km of footpaths cross Newcastle
Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and mapped woods and forest, in the town and 1 km around it, each beside the county’s and Ireland’s typical town of 2,500+.
Footpaths
51 km
over 9.4 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
1.7%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
NewcastleCo. Galway townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths5.4
03.57 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
NewcastleCo. Galway townsTypical Irish town
Woodland1.7%
0%50%100%
Newcastle has more footpath per km² than 77% of Irish towns and less woodland than 70% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Newcastle
51 km of footpaths are mapped in Newcastle and the kilometre around it, 5.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
Local
Slí na Sláinte4.0 km
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). More waymarked walks: OpenStreetMap route relations (ODbL) within 2 km, those already on the register left out. Coillte’s own forest trails and recreation sites aren’t included: Coillte’s terms limit its data to research or private study. Its trails on the National Trails Register are listed.
When to get out
The best walking months in Newcastle: May to September
Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages for the town’s 1 km square and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 128 | 105 | 97 | 74 | 78 | 84 | 97 | 113 | 104 | 125 | 140 | 147 |
April is the driest month (74 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 147 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Newcastle →
The coast
Newcastle is a coastal town
29% of the area within 5 km of Newcastle is sea. 4 bathing waters are within 5 km, each with its latest class.
Grattan Road BeachSufficient (2025) · 1.5 km from town
beaches.ieSalthill BeachExcellent (2025) · 2.3 km from town
beaches.ieBallyloughane BeachGood (2025) · 3.0 km from town
beaches.ieSilverstrand BeachExcellent (2025) · 4.1 km from town
beaches.ie2 of the 4 are rated excellent, Salthill Beach among them.
Bathing water classes: EPA, latest season (CC BY 4.0). Sea: the area outside CSO and ONS land outlines. Check today’s water quality on beaches.ie
Things to do
6 viewpoints and 24 playgrounds
Mapped on OpenStreetMap in the town and 2 km around it; each count per resident beside Irish towns’ typical town of 2,500+. Beaches are on the coast’s list, from the EPA.
6Viewpoints40.7× the typical Irish town, per resident1Picnic sites24Playgrounds4.6× the typical Irish town, per resident5Slipways
Per resident, viewpoints stand out most: Newcastle has 40.7× as many as the typical Irish town.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Salmon Weir Bridge0.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 24
Mary Byrne Playground0.2 km from town
DirectionsCul Gharrai Play Area0.7 km from town
DirectionsCladdagh Playground0.9 km from town
DirectionsKennedy Park Playground0.9 km from town
DirectionsClaude Toft Park Playground1.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 5
Plus 5 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Gardens & nature
2 gardens and nature sites to visit near Newcastle
Gardens, national parks, nature sites and islands within 15 km of the town’s edge, each with its own page.
Eyre SquareGarden · 0.9 km from town
Its pageCircle of Life National Organ Donor Commemorative GardenGarden · 1.8 km from town
Its pagePlaces to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
Next door
Next to Newcastle
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
DanganTaylor's HillRahoonWoodquay and Nuns IslandCladdaghSalthillNewcastle
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 100% | 14.4 | 5.4 | 15% |
| Dangan 0.7 km | 81% | 5.4 | 4.3 | 18% |
| Taylor's Hill 0.9 km | 100% | 9.1 | 5.1 | 15% |
| Rahoon 1.1 km | 53% | 5.5 | 2.3 | 27% |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island 1.3 km | 100% | 9.6 | 4.5 | 14% |
| Claddagh 1.6 km | 100% | 7.2 | 2.4 | 17% |
| Salthill 1.8 km | 100% | 3.8 | 3.3 | 15% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Newcastle.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (CSO Small Areas, by where people live) within 400 m of a park, garden, common or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap. Mapping is uneven: a town whose parks nobody has mapped looks greyer than it is.
- Protected areas. Land in a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Natural Heritage Area within 5 km, overlaps counted once. Protected for nature doesn’t always mean open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it, from OpenStreetMap. Trails are the registered ones within 5 km; a trail often follows mapped paths, so the two aren’t added.
- Woodland. Woods and forest as OpenStreetMap maps them, private and Coillte forests included: mapped cover, not access.
- No grade yet. Ireland’s grades don’t include the outdoors yet: these figures describe the town and stand beside the median Irish town.
Questions about the outdoors in Newcastle
What is the biggest park in Newcastle?
Terryland Forest Park, 31 ha (76 acres), just outside the built-up area. Westside Park (7.2 ha) is second. 10 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the neighbourhood or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Newcastle?
Yes: 15% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 5 sites. Lough Corrib SAC reaches Newcastle.
Where can you swim near Newcastle?
The nearest bathing water is Grattan Road Beach, 1.5 km from town: Sufficient (2025). Check beaches.ie before swimming: a notice can close a beach for the day.
How many people in Newcastle live near a park?
100% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a park or playing field; in the typical Irish town it is 92%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Newcastle?
On the town’s 1991–2020 averages and its daylight: May to September, when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light for the place.
Is Newcastle near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Burren National Park, 20 km south of the town’s edge; it covers about 21 km². 2 more are within 100 km.
What is there to do outdoors around Newcastle?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 6 viewpoints and 1 picnic site; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Newcastle’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks, woods and paths. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): parks, woods and footpaths, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Protected sites. National Parks and Wildlife Service: designated sites (SAC, SPA, NHA), 2026
- Trails. Sport Ireland: National Trails Register, 2026
- Residents. CSO: Census 2022 Small Areas (residents)
- National Parks. National Parks and Wildlife Service: National Park boundaries, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0), 2022
- Things to do. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): viewpoints, hills, waterfalls, nature reserves, picnic sites, playgrounds, campsites and waymarked walks, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Bathing water. EPA: bathing water quality, 2025 season
- Weather. Met Éireann: 1991–2020 averages (Copyright Met Éireann)
Protected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service (CC BY 4.0). Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0). Bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Parks, woods and paths: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Not on this page yet: Coillte’s forest trails (its terms) and bike routes.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).