Photo: Colin Pyle · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Appleton Thorn lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Appleton Thorn add up to 5.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 28 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 2.0 for every square kilometre. Appleton Thorn grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Appleton Thorn?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Appleton Thorn’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Appleton Thorn grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Appleton Thorn, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Appleton Thorn is 17th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Appleton Thorn stands out most for park space per resident: only 9 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 35 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatsfield Surrey | A+ | 7.5 | 100% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 2 | Winsley Wiltshire | A | 12.4 | 79% | 4.2 | 38% |
| 3 | Chilton Oxfordshire | A | 5.4 | 88% | 2.8 | 70% |
| 4 | Cowfold West Sussex | A | 2.6 | 100% | 3.6 | 15% |
| 5 | Gomshall Surrey | A | 1.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 87% |
| 6 | West Horsley Surrey | A | 3 | 74% | 5.2 | 40% |
| 7 | Startforth County Durham | A | 6 | 78% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 8 | Maresfield East Sussex | A | 2.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 9 | Sherfield on Loddon Hampshire | A− | 8.3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 10 | Weston Rhyn Shropshire | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 10% |
| 11 | Distington Cumbria | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Cwmfelinfach Gwent | A− | 24.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Stoke sub Hamdon Somerset | A− | 25.1 | 81% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 14 | Wharncliffe Side South Yorkshire | A− | 3.3 | 47% | 6.4 | 22% |
| 15 | Bradwell Derbyshire | A− | 1.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 16 | Quintrell Downs Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Appleton Thorn Cheshire | B+ | 5.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | Barrow Lancashire | B | 0.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 27% |
| 19 | Wymeswold Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Motcombe Dorset | B | 9.5 | 74% | 1.5 | 25% |
| 21 | Cwmllynfell and Ystradowen West Glamorgan | B | 4.1 | 79% | 1 | 40% |
| 22 | Cefn Cribwr Mid Glamorgan | B | 6.5 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Sampford Peverell Devon | B− | 3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 24 | Holymoorside Derbyshire | B− | 1.1 | 82% | 3.8 | 14% |
| 25 | Narborough Norfolk | B− | 3.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Cockfield County Durham | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Kingswood Kent | B− | 3.8 | 23% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 28 | Clwt-y-bont Gwynedd | B− | 0.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 19% |
| 29 | Steeple Bumpstead Essex | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Trub Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Houghton Cambridgeshire | C+ | 2.2 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Launton Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 33 | Great Waldingfield Suffolk | C | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | East Hendred Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 29% | 2.8 | 47% |
| 35 | Great Bardfield Essex | C | 2 | 81% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 36 | Ringstead Northamptonshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Tickton East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 2 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Winterley Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Chelford Cheshire | C | 1.8 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Seaton Burn Tyne and Wear | C | 3.3 | 36% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Blunham Bedfordshire | C | 2.2 | 77% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Walkern Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 52% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Offord D'Arcy and Offord Cluny Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.7 | 78% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Cottingham and Middleton Northamptonshire | C− | 12.1 | 53% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Newton St Loe Somerset | C− | 0 | 0% | 3.5 | 17% |
| 46 | Cowbit Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Ogmore-by-Sea South Glamorgan | C− | 0 | 0% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Penrhyn-coch Dyfed | D | 0.7 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Hawley Kent | D | 0.7 | 24% | 2.8 | 3% |
| 50 | Butterwick Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Todwick South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Malpas Cheshire | D | 1.6 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Billingborough Lincolnshire | D | 2.4 | 45% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 54 | North Cave East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.5 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Skelton (York) North Yorkshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Longframlington Northumberland | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Bomere Heath Shropshire | D− | 1.8 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Woodmansey East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 59 | Claypole Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Griston Norfolk | D− | 0.8 | 15% | 0.5 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Appleton Thorn’s built-up area.
How close Appleton Thorn’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 (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 152 residents.
The Peak District National Park is 17 mi away
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Appleton Thorn
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Appleton Thorn and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Mersey Valley Timberland Trail has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the village.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Appleton Thorn: May to September
The village’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| 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) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 69 | 57 | 53 | 57 | 57 | 69 | 73 | 79 | 72 | 86 | 78 | 82 |
March is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 86 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Appleton Thorn →
9 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Appleton Thorn is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 2
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 9
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Barnton, 5.3 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Appleton Thorn
Is Appleton Thorn near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 17 mi east of the village’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Appleton Thorn?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Mersey Valley Timberland Trail and Cheshire Ring Canal Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Appleton Thorn?
Wader Point, 18 mi from the edge of the village, then Stone Beach (18 mi). Appleton Thorn itself is inland.
How many people in Appleton Thorn live near a park?
100% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Appleton Thorn?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Appleton Thorn good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 32% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 89% (5.6 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Appleton Thorn’s overall grade.
Where Appleton Thorn’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik, 16 October 2026.
- Historic parks, listed buildings and monuments: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: ONS Census 2021 output areas.
- Grade: TownRatings’ Outdoors Grade, ranked against UK towns only.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.