First pick
Burgess Park
Park or garden
6.5 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
0.9 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.073%near a park
Outdoors in Athlone · parks, paths & countryside
Athlone borders Lough Ree SAC
14% of the land within 5 km is protected for nature, the nearest site being Lough Ree SAC. 2 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Athlone, among them the Old Rail Trail Greenway Walking Trail: Mullingar - Athlone and Brideswell Nature Loop. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 73% of residents.
Near a park
73%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
2.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
62 km
1.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
14%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Lough Ree SAC
Woodland
6.1%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Against other towns
How Athlone 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 walk73%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
24out of 100
Public green space2.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
30out of 100
Footpaths1.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
38out of 100
Protected for nature14%of the land within 5 km
95out of 100
Woodland6.1%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
81out 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
Athlone has the 12th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (18,369 to 27,923 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Esker (10.5 km per km²) to Portlaoise (0.6 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Athlone1.3
Towns its size2.7
Co. Westmeath towns0.8
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Athlone2.5
Towns its size4.0
Co. Westmeath towns2.0
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Athlone73%
Towns its size95%
Co. Westmeath towns68%
Typical Irish town92%
Athlone falls furthest behind on path per km², where 28 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esker Dublin | 10.5 | 2.1% | 0.1% | – |
| 2 | Old Bawn Dublin | 8.5 | 3% | 1.8% | – |
| 3 | Dolphins Barn Dublin | 8.4 | 2.9% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Stoneybatter Dublin | 7.5 | 1.6% | 0% | – |
| 5 | The Liberties Dublin | 7.4 | 0.5% | 0% | – |
| 6 | Carpenterstown Dublin | 7.3 | 11% | 0% | – |
| 7 | Blanchardstown Dublin | 7 | 3.8% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Lucan Dublin | 6.8 | 7.3% | 0.2% | – |
| 9 | Mulhuddart Dublin | 6.6 | 4% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Ballymun Dublin | 6.5 | 2.6% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Clonsilla Dublin | 6.4 | 3% | 0.1% | – |
| 12 | Jobstown Dublin | 6.3 | 1.9% | 2.2% | – |
| 13 | Rathmines West Dublin | 6 | 1.7% | 0.1% | 5.8% |
| 14 | Crumlin Dublin | 5.4 | 0.8% | 0% | – |
| 15 | Clondalkin Dublin | 4.6 | 3.3% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Stepaside Dublin | 4.3 | 15% | 6.4% | 5.9% |
| 17 | Sandymount Dublin | 3.6 | 1.2% | 3.6% | 35% |
| 18 | Clontarf East Dublin | 3.1 | 3% | 6.1% | 38% |
| 19 | Kilkenny Kilkenny | 3.1 | 3.8% | 2.4% | – |
| 20 | Beaumont Dublin | 2.9 | 2% | 3.4% | 9.7% |
| 21 | Celbridge Kildare | 2.4 | 6.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 22 | Malahide Dublin | 2.4 | 3.4% | 2.1% | 32% |
| 23 | Greystones-Delgany Wicklow | 2.2 | 11% | 5% | 35% |
| 24 | Balbriggan Dublin | 2.1 | 1.6% | 0% | 37% |
| 25 | Naas Kildare | 1.9 | 1.4% | 0% | – |
| 26 | Douglas Cork | 1.7 | 4.6% | 5% | – |
| 27 | Knocknacarra Galway | 1.6 | 3.4% | 32% | 34% |
| 28 | Ballincollig Cork | 1.3 | 8.4% | 0% | – |
| 29 | Athlone Westmeath | 1.3 | 6.1% | 14% | – |
| 30 | Sligo Sligo | 1.2 | 6.1% | 9.5% | 18% |
| 31 | Tralee Kerry | 1.1 | 2.4% | 21% | 6.4% |
| 32 | Clonmel Tipperary | 1.1 | 14% | 3.9% | – |
| 33 | Wexford Wexford | 1.1 | 3.8% | 13% | 22% |
| 34 | Dooradoyle Limerick | 1 | 2.6% | 7.7% | – |
| 35 | Carlow Carlow | 0.9 | 1.3% | 2% | – |
| 36 | Mullingar Westmeath | 0.8 | 8.9% | 3.3% | – |
| 37 | Ennis Clare | 0.7 | 9.6% | 7.8% | – |
| 38 | Letterkenny Donegal | 0.7 | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.3% |
| 39 | Newbridge Kildare | 0.6 | 1.6% | 4.9% | – |
| 40 | Portlaoise Laois | 0.6 | 2.6% | 1.1% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Athlone’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 Athlone
The biggest is Burgess Park, 6.5 ha (16 acres).
Wansboro Field
Park or garden
4.0 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Athlone
Directionsto a point inside
Monksland Park
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.5 km of path
3.2 km westfrom 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
7 in 10 Athlone 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 (73%)Further (27%)
Athlone73%
Co. Westmeath towns68%
Typical Irish town92%
About 6,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
The 9 protected sites within 5 km of Athlone
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 Athlone4.6%
Within 5 km14%
Co. Westmeath towns3.9%
Typical Irish town1.8%
9 protected sites lie within 5 km of Athlone. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 10% 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 Ree SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 144 km² · reaches Athlone
NPWS pageRiver Shannon Callows SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 58 km² · reaches Athlone
NPWS pageLough Ree SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 48 km² · reaches Athlone
NPWS pageMiddle Shannon Callows SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 13 km² · reaches Athlone
NPWS pageCrosswood Bog SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 2.0 km² · 0.4 km from the edge
NPWS pageCarrickynaghtan Bog NHANatural Heritage Area · 6.0 km² · 1.5 km from the edge
NPWS pageCarn Park Bog SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 2.5 km² · 2.2 km from the edge
NPWS pageCastlesampson Esker SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 1.5 km² · 4.1 km from the edge
NPWS pageBallynamona Bog and Corkip Lough SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 2.4 km² · 4.2 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 74 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
74 km south-west21 km²
National Park
Wicklow Mountains National Park
97 km east223 km²
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Athlone.
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
62 km of footpaths cross Athlone
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
62 km
over 48.3 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
6.1%
about 3 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
2
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AthloneCo. Westmeath townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths1.3
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AthloneCo. Westmeath townsTypical Irish town
Woodland6.1%
0%50%100%
Athlone has less footpath per km² than 62% of Irish towns and more woodland than 81% 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 Athlone
62 km of footpaths are mapped in Athlone and the kilometre around it, 1.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
GreenwayWalking trail
Old Rail Trail Greenway Walking Trail: Mullingar - Athlone43.0 km
Brideswell Nature Loop13.4 km
For a shorter walk, the Brideswell Nature Loop is 13.4 km, graded moderate.
3 more waymarked walks on OpenStreetMap
Local
Shannon Banks Nature Trail4.9 km
Athlone Sli na Slainte4.5 km
Lunchtime Walk2.4 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 Athlone: 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 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 92 | 73 | 68 | 57 | 58 | 72 | 74 | 81 | 71 | 93 | 94 | 97 |
April is the driest month (57 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 97 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Athlone →
Things to do
1 hill or peak and 16 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.
1Hills and peaks1Picnic sites16Playgrounds0.5× the typical Irish town, per resident1Campsites4Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 16
Plus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Lough Ree East Caravan and Camping1.0 km from town
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Athlone
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
MoateFerbaneAthlone
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
In Moate, 85% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Moate has at least twice Athlone’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 Athlone
What is the biggest park in Athlone?
Burgess Park, 6.5 ha (16 acres). Wansboro Field (4.0 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Athlone?
Yes: 14% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 9 sites. Lough Ree SAC reaches Athlone.
What are the best walks near Athlone?
2 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Old Rail Trail Greenway Walking Trail: Mullingar - Athlone and Brideswell Nature Loop.
How many people in Athlone live near a park?
73% 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 Athlone?
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 Athlone near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Burren National Park, 74 km south-west of the town’s edge; it covers about 21 km². One more is within 100 km.
What is there to do outdoors around Athlone?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 hill or peak and 1 picnic site; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Athlone’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).