Crewe’s biggestHistoric park · Grade II*
Queen's Park
Park or garden
16 ha (39 acres)3.2 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
22 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi westfrom the centre
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0COutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Crewe · parks, paths & countryside
88% of Crewe’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Crewe add up to 1.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 114 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.3 for every square kilometre. Crewe grades C for the outdoors: #30 of 46 in Cheshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
88%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
114 km
2.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Peak District National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Crewe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Historic parks2 registered historic parks and gardens, including Crewe Hall.Less park per person1.6 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Crewe’s strongest suit is its historic parks. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Crewe grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Crewe, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C
Better than 27% of UK towns#30 of 46 in Cheshire
Public green space1.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
30out of
100
100
A park within a walk88%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
64out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
40out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
100
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.
Towns its size
How Crewe compares with UK towns of 59,900 to 91,500
The 60 UK towns and cities of 59,900 to 91,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Crewe2.3
Towns its size3.7
Cheshire towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Crewe1.6
Towns its size2.4
Cheshire towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Crewe88%
Towns its size86%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
Crewe falls furthest behind on path per km², where 53 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 2 | Hastings East Sussex | A+ | 3.1 | 76% | 4.3 | 42% |
| 3 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 4 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 5 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 6 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 7 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 8 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 9 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 10 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 12 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 13 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 15 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 16 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 17 | Tynemouth Tyne and Wear | A− | 2.2 | 85% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 19 | Hereford Herefordshire | A− | 2.6 | 92% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 20 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 22 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 23 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 24 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 27 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 29 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 30 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 32 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 35 | Sale Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 86% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Wallasey Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 90% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 40 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Nuneaton Warwickshire | B− | 2.3 | 94% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 45 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 46 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Halifax West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 50 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 2 | 83% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Halesowen West Midlands | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Woking Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Shrewsbury Shropshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 55 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Crewe’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Crewe
The biggest is Queen's Park, 16 ha (39 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 12 named parks by size: 52 ha (127 acres) and 7 km of path
Parks & gardens 35 haPlaying fields 17 ha
The two biggest, Queen's Park and Leighton Brook Park, are 46% of the named green space and carry 4 km of path between them. 7 of the 12 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Leighton Brook Park
Park or garden
8.2 ha (20 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
11 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi north-westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Tipkinder Park
Park or garden
6.8 ha (17 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
King George V Playing Fields
Playing field
12 ha (29 acres)
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Valley Park
Park or garden
1.8 ha (4 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Crewe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Derby Docks
Park or garden
1.8 ha (4 acres)0.5 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Crewe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Cumberland Sports Centre
Playing field
3.7 ha (9 acres)
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Queen Street Park
Playing field
1.3 ha (3 acres)0.4 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 12 named parks and green spaces
Queen's ParkPark or garden · 16 ha · 3.2 km of path
DirectionsLeighton Brook ParkPark or garden · 8.2 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsTipkinder ParkPark or garden · 6.8 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsKing George V Playing FieldsPlaying field · 12 ha
DirectionsValley ParkPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsDerby DocksPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsCumberland Sports CentrePlaying field · 3.7 ha
DirectionsQueen Street ParkPlaying field · 1.3 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJubilee GardensPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsVictoria GardensPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsHaslemere Way Pocket ParkPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsMike Heywood GreenPark or garden · 0.1 ha · just outside town
DirectionsClose to home
How close Crewe’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).
Within 400 m (88%)Further (12%)
Crewe88%
Towns its size86%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
About 9,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 52 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,425 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 14 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
7 waymarked walks pass through or near Crewe
114 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Crewe and the kilometre around it, 2.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk19.4 km
South Cheshire Way5.6 km
A Walk around Haslington3.7 km
Two Saints Way2.4 km
Weaver Way2.0 km
Cheshire Circuit2.0 km
Walk around Wybunbury1.2 km
Close to home, the Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk has 19 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 4 regional routes pass through, including the South Cheshire Way, Two Saints Way, Weaver Way and Cheshire Circuit.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Crewe’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II*
Queen's Park
16 ha. Part of Queen's Park, Crewe, a registered historic park (Grade II*). 2 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIEast Lodge at Queen's ParkIIWest Lodge at Queen's Park
Registered · Grade IICrewe Hall2.3 ha
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Crewe: May to September
The town’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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 46 | 43 | 46 | 49 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 66 | 74 | 59 | 72 |
March is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 74 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Crewe →
Things to do
52 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 52
Kingfisher Reach Play Areain town
DirectionsLeighton Brook Park Playgroundin town
DirectionsMacon Meadows Play Areain town
DirectionsMill Bridge Close Play Areain town
DirectionsWillowbrook Grange Play Parkin town
DirectionsVine Tree Play Area0.3 mi from town
DirectionsQueens Meadow Play Area0.6 mi from town
DirectionsHazelmere Playground1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 44 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
HaslingtonWillaston (Cheshire East)ShavingtonWinterleyNantwichWheelockCrewe
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crewe | C | 1.6 | 88% | 0% |
| Haslington 2.2 mi | D | 1.8 | 41% | 0% |
| Willaston (Cheshire East) 2.4 mi | D | 1.0 | 82% | 0% |
| Shavington 2.5 mi | C− | 1.1 | 87% | 0% |
| Winterley 3.2 mi | C | 0.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Nantwich 3.7 mi | C | 2.2 | 86% | 0% |
| Wheelock 3.7 mi | B | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
Wheelock, 3.7 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Crewe
What is the biggest park in Crewe?
Queen's Park, 16 ha (39 acres), with 3.2 km of path. Leighton Brook Park (8.2 ha) is second. 12 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Crewe near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 14 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Crewe?
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk, South Cheshire Way and A Walk around Haslington. Queen's Park alone has 3.2 km of path.
How many people in Crewe live near a park?
88% 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 Crewe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Crewe are historic?
Crewe Hall (Grade II) and Queen's Park (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Crewe good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 40% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 30% (1.6 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 Crewe’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Crewe’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.