Photo: Wanfried-Dublin · CC BY 4.0Almost everyone in Ratoath lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Wicklow Mountains National Park begins 29 km away. There are 2.6 ha of parks and playing fields for every 1,000 people in Ratoath, against 4.1 in the typical Irish town. Footpaths add up to 19 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.3 for every square kilometre.
How Ratoath 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.
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.
Ratoath has the 14th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (8,707 to 11,703 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).
Ratoath falls furthest behind on path per km², where 26 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 | Sandyford Dublin | 7.5 | 4.8% | 0.3% | 6.2% |
| 5 | Kilnamanagh Dublin | 7.4 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 6 | Palmerston Dublin | 6.9 | 8.6% | 0% | – |
| 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 | Killiney Dublin | 6 | 7.7% | 0.5% | 45% |
| 11 | Churchtown Dublin | 5.6 | 3.3% | 0.1% | – |
| 12 | Drumcondra Dublin | 5.6 | 1.6% | 0.8% | 6.9% |
| 13 | Terenure Dublin | 4.9 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 14 | Monkstown Dublin | 4.2 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 38% |
| 15 | Finglas North Dublin | 4.2 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Shankill Dublin | 3.6 | 12% | 3.8% | 28% |
| 17 | Donaghmede Dublin | 3.5 | 2.7% | 6.2% | 31% |
| 18 | Kilmore Dublin | 3.1 | 2.2% | 3.5% | 9.5% |
| 19 | Raheny Dublin | 3.1 | 2.8% | 11% | 46% |
| 20 | Donabate Dublin | 2.8 | 6.8% | 2.8% | 32% |
| 21 | Portmarnock Dublin | 2.7 | 0.8% | 7.9% | 44% |
| 22 | Skerries Dublin | 2 | 1.7% | 0% | 53% |
| 23 | Shannon Clare | 1.8 | 3.9% | 35% | – |
| 24 | Ballyvolane Cork | 1.6 | 6.7% | 2.8% | – |
| 25 | Trim Meath | 1.3 | 0.9% | 1.5% | – |
| 26 | Waterford City Centre Waterford | 1.3 | 1.5% | 6% | – |
| 27 | Ratoath Meath | 1.3 | 0.4% | 0% | – |
| 28 | Lusk Dublin | 1.1 | 0.6% | 1.3% | 6.4% |
| 29 | Kildare Kildare | 1.1 | 0.4% | 1.8% | – |
| 30 | Rush Dublin | 1.1 | 0.4% | 3.7% | 51% |
| 31 | Athy Kildare | 0.9 | 0.3% | 1.6% | – |
| 32 | Ballina Mayo | 0.8 | 3.3% | 3.5% | – |
| 33 | Tramore Waterford | 0.8 | 0.9% | 3.9% | 34% |
| 34 | Portarlington Laois | 0.8 | 2.5% | 1.6% | – |
| 35 | Dungarvan Waterford | 0.7 | 0.7% | 1.8% | 19% |
| 36 | Gorey Wexford | 0.7 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 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% | – |
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ratoath’s urban area.
How close Ratoath’s homes are to 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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
No protected site lies within 5 km of Ratoath
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.
No site protected for nature lies within 5 km of Ratoath.
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 29 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.
Wicklow Mountains National Park
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).
19 km of footpaths cross Ratoath
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+.
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Ratoath has less footpath per km² than 62% of Irish towns and less woodland than 94% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths in and around Ratoath
19 km of footpaths are mapped in Ratoath and the kilometre around it, 1.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
No waymarked trail starts within 5 km of Ratoath; its footpaths are counted above.
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). 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.
The best walking months in Ratoath: 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 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 74 | 60 | 58 | 60 | 62 | 69 | 66 | 77 | 69 | 88 | 91 | 82 |
March is the driest month (58 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 91 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. The climate in Ratoath →
2 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
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next to Ratoath
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratoath | 100% | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0% |
| Ashbourne 4.2 km | 98% | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0% |
| Dunshaughlin 5.4 km | 100% | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0% |
| Dunboyne 9.9 km | 100% | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.4% |
| Clonee 11 km | 100% | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0% |
| Hollystown 11 km | 55% | 4.1 | 3.3 | 0% |
| Ongar 12 km | 96% | 3.1 | 4.2 | 0.2% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Ratoath.
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 Ratoath
How many people in Ratoath 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 Ratoath?
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 Ratoath near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 29 km south of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
Where Ratoath’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).