First pick
Belleek Woods
Wood or forest · 80 m outside town
62 ha5.1 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 5.1 km of path
2.4 km northfrom the centre
Belleek Wood GreenwayPine AvenueFairy trail+2 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Sottobosco90 · CC BY-SA 4.083%near a park
Outdoors in Ballina · parks, paths & countryside
River Moy SAC reaches the edge of Ballina
3.5% of the land within 5 km is protected for nature, the nearest site being River Moy SAC. Wild Nephin National Park begins 17 km away. 2 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Ballina, among them the Belleek - Multi Access and The Warren Way.
Near a park
83%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
1.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
22 km
0.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
3.5%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: River Moy SAC
Woodland
3.3%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Ballina?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected land nearbyRiver Moy SAC reaches the edge of Ballina.Countryside close byWild Nephin National Park starts 17 km west.Less park per person1.6 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1.
Ballina’s strongest suit is protected land close by, followed by Wild Nephin National Park close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Against other towns
How Ballina 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 walk83%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
36out of 100
Public green space1.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
16out of 100
Footpaths0.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
24out of 100
Protected for nature3.5%of the land within 5 km
62out of 100
Woodland3.3%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
57out 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
Ballina has the 10th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (9,288 to 12,254 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Cabra West (7.8 km per km²) to Tuam (0.4 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Ballina0.8
Towns its size3.3
Co. Mayo towns0.6
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ballina1.6
Towns its size4.7
Co. Mayo towns2.6
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ballina83%
Towns its size94%
Co. Mayo towns85%
Typical Irish town92%
Ballina falls furthest behind on path per km², where 30 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabra West Dublin | 7.8 | 4.5% | 0% | – |
| 2 | Kilmainham Dublin | 7.7 | 7.3% | 0% | – |
| 3 | Phibsborough Dublin | 7.6 | 0.4% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Kilnamanagh Dublin | 7.4 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 5 | Palmerston Dublin | 6.9 | 8.6% | 0% | – |
| 6 | Firhouse Dublin | 6.8 | 4.4% | 4.2% | – |
| 7 | Ronanstown Dublin | 6.6 | 0.7% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Parnell Square Dublin | 6.6 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 5.6% |
| 9 | Glasnevin Dublin | 6.6 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Ballygall Dublin | 6.3 | 1.4% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Summerhill Dublin | 6 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 8.5% |
| 12 | Killiney Dublin | 6 | 7.7% | 0.5% | 45% |
| 13 | Foxrock Dublin | 5.8 | 5.3% | 0.2% | 25% |
| 14 | Churchtown Dublin | 5.6 | 3.3% | 0.1% | – |
| 15 | Drumcondra Dublin | 5.6 | 1.6% | 0.8% | 6.9% |
| 16 | Terenure Dublin | 4.9 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 17 | Monkstown Dublin | 4.2 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 38% |
| 18 | Finglas North Dublin | 4.2 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 19 | Shankill Dublin | 3.6 | 12% | 3.8% | 28% |
| 20 | Donaghmede Dublin | 3.5 | 2.7% | 6.2% | 31% |
| 21 | Kilmore Dublin | 3.1 | 2.2% | 3.5% | 9.5% |
| 22 | Donabate Dublin | 2.8 | 6.8% | 2.8% | 32% |
| 23 | Portmarnock Dublin | 2.7 | 0.8% | 7.9% | 44% |
| 24 | Skerries Dublin | 2 | 1.7% | 0% | 53% |
| 25 | Shannon Clare | 1.8 | 3.9% | 35% | – |
| 26 | Trim Meath | 1.3 | 0.9% | 1.5% | – |
| 27 | Ratoath Meath | 1.3 | 0.4% | 0% | – |
| 28 | Kildare Kildare | 1.1 | 0.4% | 1.8% | – |
| 29 | Rush Dublin | 1.1 | 0.4% | 3.7% | 51% |
| 30 | Athy Kildare | 0.9 | 0.3% | 1.6% | – |
| 31 | Ballina Mayo | 0.8 | 3.3% | 3.5% | – |
| 32 | Tramore Waterford | 0.8 | 0.9% | 3.9% | 34% |
| 33 | Portarlington Laois | 0.8 | 2.5% | 1.6% | – |
| 34 | Dungarvan Waterford | 0.7 | 0.7% | 1.8% | 19% |
| 35 | Gorey Wexford | 0.7 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 36 | Cavan Cavan | 0.6 | 6.7% | 5.1% | – |
| 37 | Grantstown and Ballinakill Waterford | 0.6 | 4.5% | 10% | – |
| 38 | Longford Longford | 0.6 | 2.7% | 5.6% | – |
| 39 | Nenagh Tipperary | 0.4 | 1.8% | 0% | – |
| 40 | Tuam Galway | 0.4 | 1.4% | 2.7% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ballina’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 Ballina
The biggest is Belleek Woods, 62 ha (153 acres).
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
8 in 10 Ballina residents live 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 (83%)Further (17%)
Ballina83%
Co. Mayo towns85%
Typical Irish town92%
About 1,800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
The 4 protected sites within 5 km of Ballina
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 Ballina5.6%
Within 5 km3.5%
Co. Mayo towns3.4%
Typical Irish town1.8%
4 protected sites lie within 5 km of Ballina. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 1.8% 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.
River Moy SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 156 km² · reaches Ballina
NPWS pageKillala Bay/Moy Estuary SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 22 km² · reaches Ballina
NPWS pageKillala Bay/Moy Estuary SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 8.8 km² · reaches Ballina
NPWS pageLough Conn and Lough Cullin SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 65 km² · 4.6 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
Wild Nephin National Park is 17 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
Wild Nephin National Park
17 km west171 km²
National Park
Connemara National Park
76 km south-west21 km²
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Ballina.
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
22 km of footpaths cross Ballina
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
22 km
over 26.7 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
3.3%
about 0.9 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
2
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BallinaCo. Mayo townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.8
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BallinaCo. Mayo townsTypical Irish town
Woodland3.3%
0%50%100%
Ballina has less footpath per km² than 76% of Irish towns and more woodland than 57% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
2 waymarked trails start near Ballina
22 km of footpaths are mapped in Ballina and the kilometre around it, 0.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Walking trail
Belleek - Multi Access0.8 km
The Warren Way1.8 km
One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
2 more waymarked walks on OpenStreetMap
NationalLocal
Western Way - Mayo10.8 km
Ballina Slí na Sláinte3.2 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 Ballina: 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 132 | 105 | 89 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 85 | 95 | 90 | 116 | 135 | 137 |
April is the driest month (73 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.4 hours of daylight in December, and 137 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Ballina →
Things to do
1 viewpoint and 7 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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
View of boats on the river Moy0.1 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 7
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Belleek Park Caravan and Camping0.3 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Ballina
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
CrossmolinaEnniscroneFoxfordBallina
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina | 83% | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.5% |
| Crossmolina 11 km | 79% | 3.0 | 0.1 | 7.2% |
| Enniscrone 12 km | 100% | 8.6 | 0.5 | 2.6% |
| Foxford 15 km | 60% | 5.9 | 0.2 | 9.3% |
In Enniscrone, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Enniscrone and Foxford have at least twice Ballina’s green space per resident.
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 Ballina
What is the biggest park in Ballina?
Grow It Yourself Ballina Community Garden, 0.2 ha (0 acres). Walled Garden (0.1 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Ballina?
Yes: 3.5% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 4 sites. River Moy SAC reaches Ballina.
What are the best walks near Ballina?
2 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Belleek - Multi Access and The Warren Way.
How many people in Ballina live near a park?
83% 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 Ballina?
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 Ballina near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wild Nephin National Park, 17 km west of the town’s edge; it covers about 171 km². One more is within 100 km.
What is there to do outdoors around Ballina?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 viewpoint; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Ballina’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).