First pick
Castletown Demesne
Park or garden
195 ha14.2 km of path
3 h 10 minto walk all 14.2 km of path
1.9 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ian Paterson · CC BY-SA 2.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Ballyoulster · parks, paths & countryside
Ballyoulster has more park space per resident than 10 in 10 Irish towns
Parks and playing fields in Ballyoulster add up to 386.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1. Wicklow Mountains National Park begins 14 km away. 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
386.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
31 km
2.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
0.5%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC
Woodland
6.9%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Ballyoulster?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam386.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 99% of Irish towns.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Countryside close byWicklow Mountains National Park starts 14 km south-east.
Ballyoulster’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by parks close to every home.
Against other towns
How Ballyoulster 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 space386.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
100out of 100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
57out of 100
Protected for nature0.5%of the land within 5 km
38out of 100
Woodland6.9%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
83out 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
Ballyoulster has the 11th most footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (523 to 3,141 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Ballybrack (8.6 km per km²) to Sixmilebridge (0 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Ballyoulster2.8
Towns its size0.7
Co. Kildare towns1.0
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ballyoulster386.5
Towns its size4.1
Co. Kildare towns2.2
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ballyoulster100%
Towns its size87%
Co. Kildare towns79%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Ballyoulster stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 39 has more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballybrack Dublin | 8.6 | 8% | 0.2% | 36% |
| 2 | Sunday's Well Cork | 7.3 | 2.7% | 0.4% | – |
| 3 | Blackpool Cork | 6.6 | 3% | 1.4% | – |
| 4 | Carna Dublin | 5.4 | 1.7% | 0% | – |
| 5 | Taylor's Hill Galway | 5.1 | 1.2% | 15% | 37% |
| 6 | Togher Cork | 5 | 1.5% | 0.5% | – |
| 7 | Decies Dublin | 4.8 | 7.2% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Mayfield Cork | 4.7 | 5.3% | 3.3% | – |
| 9 | Kylemore Dublin | 4 | 3% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Edenmore Dublin | 2.8 | 3.6% | 5.9% | 24% |
| 11 | Ballyoulster Kildare | 2.8 | 6.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 12 | Ballynanty Limerick | 2.5 | 5.7% | 12% | – |
| 13 | Claddagh Galway | 2.4 | 0.2% | 17% | 46% |
| 14 | Murrough Galway | 2.3 | 5.1% | 10% | 26% |
| 15 | Grange Upper Waterford | 1.4 | 1.5% | 6.6% | – |
| 16 | Blarney Cork | 1.4 | 14% | 0% | – |
| 17 | Kilbarry Waterford | 1.3 | 1.6% | 5.1% | – |
| 18 | Bantry Cork | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | 18% |
| 19 | Ballina Tipperary | 0.9 | 1.8% | 4.7% | – |
| 20 | Moate Westmeath | 0.7 | 2.4% | 2.4% | – |
| 21 | Callan Kilkenny | 0.7 | 0.1% | 2.3% | – |
| 22 | Kingscourt Cavan | 0.7 | 12% | 0% | – |
| 23 | Kenmare Kerry | 0.6 | 7.2% | 6.5% | 6.4% |
| 24 | Athboy Meath | 0.6 | 1.1% | 1.5% | – |
| 25 | Bundoran Donegal | 0.5 | 2% | 5.1% | 35% |
| 26 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 0.5 | 3.9% | 2.9% | – |
| 27 | Skibbereen Cork | 0.5 | 1.7% | 1.6% | – |
| 28 | Kinnegad Westmeath | 0.3 | 4.5% | 4.5% | – |
| 29 | Donegal Donegal | 0.3 | 4% | 4.1% | 12% |
| 30 | Boyle Roscommon | 0.3 | 3.2% | 0% | – |
| 31 | Bailieborough Cavan | 0.3 | 10% | 0% | – |
| 32 | Castleisland Kerry | 0.3 | 1.7% | 12% | – |
| 33 | Kanturk Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 5.1% | – |
| 34 | Baltinglass Wicklow | 0.2 | 4.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 35 | Ballyhaunis Mayo | 0.2 | 2.8% | 3.4% | – |
| 36 | Kilrush Clare | 0.2 | 9.8% | 37% | – |
| 37 | Ballyjamesduff Cavan | 0.2 | 7.6% | 0% | – |
| 38 | Gort Galway | 0.2 | 4.3% | 24% | – |
| 39 | Carndonagh Donegal | 0.1 | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5.8% |
| 40 | Sixmilebridge Clare | 0 | 0.7% | 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 Ballyoulster’s urban area.
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 Ballyoulster
The biggest is Castletown Demesne, 195 ha (483 acres).
Batty Langley Woods
Wood or forest
2.8 ha0.2 km of path
1.3 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Named 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 Ballyoulster 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%)
Ballyoulster100%
Co. Kildare towns79%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC is the nearest protected area, 1.7 km away
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 Ballyoulster0%
Within 5 km0.5%
Co. Kildare towns0.5%
Typical Irish town1.8%
One protected site lies within 5 km of Ballyoulster. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 1.7% 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.
Rye Water Valley/Carton SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 0.7 km² · 1.7 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
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 14 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
Wicklow Mountains National Park
14 km south-east223 km²
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
31 km of footpaths cross Ballyoulster
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
31 km
over 11.2 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
6.9%
about 0.8 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
3
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BallyoulsterCo. Kildare townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths2.8
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BallyoulsterCo. Kildare townsTypical Irish town
Woodland6.9%
0%50%100%
Ballyoulster has more footpath per km² than 57% of Irish towns and more woodland than 83% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
3 waymarked trails start near Ballyoulster
31 km of footpaths are mapped in Ballyoulster and the kilometre around it, 2.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Long-distance way
Grand Canal Way117.1 km
National Famine Way168.6 km
Royal Canal Way146.3 km
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
Local
Sli Na Sláinte Leixlip Sli0.8 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 Ballyoulster: 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) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 63 | 57 | 51 | 54 | 55 | 64 | 63 | 72 | 65 | 81 | 85 | 77 |
March is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. The climate in Ballyoulster →
Things to do
9 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.
Per resident, playgrounds stand out most: Ballyoulster has 13.2× as many as the typical Irish town.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 9
Abbey Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsWonderful Barn Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsCelbridge Playground1.8 km from town
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Ballyoulster
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
CelbridgeLeixlipLucanNewcastleEskerDeansrathBallyoulster
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Ballyoulster.
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 Ballyoulster
What is the biggest park in Ballyoulster?
Castletown Demesne, 195 ha (483 acres), just outside the built-up area. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Ballyoulster?
One protected site lies within 5 km, though it covers under 1% of the land. The nearest is Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC, 1.7 km from the edge of town.
What are the best walks near Ballyoulster?
3 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Grand Canal Way, National Famine Way and Royal Canal Way.
How many people in Ballyoulster 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 Ballyoulster?
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 Ballyoulster near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 14 km south-east of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Ballyoulster?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 2 picnic sites; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Ballyoulster’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
- 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).