Photo: Sue Adair · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Elton lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The sea makes up 19% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 24 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Elton add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Elton grades B for the outdoors: #12 of 46 in Cheshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Elton grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Elton, 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.
Elton is 12th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 3,100 to 3,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Elton stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 40 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bakewell Derbyshire | A | 5.5 | 91% | 2.7 | 98% |
| 2 | Bignall End Staffordshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Broadwell and Coalway Gloucestershire | A | 2.8 | 72% | 5.5 | 38% |
| 4 | Moira Leicestershire | A | 15.5 | 86% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 5 | Neyland Dyfed | A− | 3 | 93% | 1.2 | 13% |
| 6 | Birdwell South Yorkshire | A− | 3.6 | 90% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 7 | North Petherton Somerset | B+ | 3.8 | 91% | 2.3 | 5% |
| 8 | Addingham West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 93% | 3 | 32% |
| 9 | Newlyn Cornwall | B+ | 1.5 | 67% | 3.2 | 24% |
| 10 | St Agnes Cornwall | B+ | 1 | 81% | 3 | 5% |
| 11 | Mickletown West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 93% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 12 | Elton Cheshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Madeley Staffordshire | B | 3.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Walton West Yorkshire | B | 12.3 | 78% | 3 | 0% |
| 15 | Treeton South Yorkshire | B | 4.4 | 63% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Fishbourne West Sussex | B | 1.9 | 38% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 17 | Westerham Kent | B | 1.9 | 61% | 3.5 | 66% |
| 18 | Fernhill Heath Worcestershire | B | 3.2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Caddington Bedfordshire | B | 1.3 | 81% | 3.6 | 33% |
| 20 | Hemingford Grey Cambridgeshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 21 | Ringmer East Sussex | B− | 1.9 | 91% | 1.8 | 37% |
| 22 | Istead Rise Kent | B− | 1.9 | 82% | 2.7 | 15% |
| 23 | Pangbourne Berkshire | B− | 2.9 | 61% | 2 | 85% |
| 24 | Dunton Green Kent | B− | 1 | 82% | 2.7 | 69% |
| 25 | Stalham Norfolk | B− | 1.9 | 85% | 2 | 23% |
| 26 | Healing Lincolnshire | B− | 2 | 78% | 1.3 | 1% |
| 27 | Highley Shropshire | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Pegswood Northumberland | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Milborne Port Somerset | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Leadgate County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 91% | 1.9 | 1% |
| 31 | Marlow Bottom Buckinghamshire | C | 0.5 | 40% | 3.4 | 50% |
| 32 | Ashburton Devon | C | 1.7 | 74% | 1 | 60% |
| 33 | Somersham Cambridgeshire | C | 2.7 | 81% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Earls Colne Essex | C | 1.4 | 91% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Bedale North Yorkshire | C | 3.6 | 78% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Adderbury and Twyford Oxfordshire | C | 1.7 | 89% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Laceby Lincolnshire | C | 1.6 | 64% | 2.1 | 18% |
| 38 | Eastchurch Kent | C | 1.9 | 72% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Sapcote Leicestershire | C− | 2.4 | 67% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Appleby-in-Westmorland Cumbria | C− | 1.2 | 63% | 2.1 | 24% |
| 41 | Bishopthorpe North Yorkshire | C− | 3.2 | 51% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Yarnton Oxfordshire | C− | 0.4 | 69% | 3 | 0% |
| 43 | Farnsfield Nottinghamshire | C− | 2 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Purton Wiltshire | C− | 0.8 | 60% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 45 | Rendlesham Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 52% | 1.6 | 59% |
| 46 | Astwood Bank Worcestershire | C− | 0.9 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Talbot Green Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 66% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Wadhurst East Sussex | D | 0.9 | 19% | 1.2 | 100% |
| 49 | Messingham Lincolnshire | D | 3.4 | 46% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Eglwys-Brewis South Glamorgan | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Iver Buckinghamshire | D | 1.3 | 60% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Tarporley Cheshire | D | 1 | 69% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Eccleshall Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 74% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Heckington Lincolnshire | D | 1.4 | 68% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 55 | New Tredegar Gwent | D− | 1.4 | 68% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Headcorn Kent | D− | 1.6 | 48% | 1 | 0% |
| 57 | Dunnington North Yorkshire | D− | 0.8 | 44% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Upper Tean Staffordshire | D− | 0.6 | 60% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Donington Lincolnshire | D− | 0.8 | 54% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Bawtry South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Elton’s built-up area.
How close Elton’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; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 549 residents.
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is 16 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.
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Elton
24 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Elton and the kilometre around it, 1.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The regional route here is the North Cheshire Way.
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 Elton: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 51 | 64 | 57 | 70 | 69 | 79 | 74 | 77 |
February is the driest month (48 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 79 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 33 nights a year. The climate in Elton →
Elton is near the sea
19% of the area within 5 km of Elton is sea. 1 beach is mapped within 5 km, 0 with a name.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
6 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
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 6
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elton | B | 1.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Helsby 1.8 mi | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 0% |
| Mickle Trafford 3.5 mi | D− | 0.5 | 70% | 0% |
| Ellesmere Port 4.1 mi | B | 2.8 | 90% | 0% |
| Frodsham 4.2 mi | B+ | 2.5 | 67% | 0% |
| Hale 4.4 mi | A− | 4.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Guilden Sutton 4.6 mi | D− | 0.3 | 56% | 0% |
Hale, 4.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Hale has at least twice Elton’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Elton
Is Elton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 16 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 389 km² and was designated in 2011.
What are the best walks near Elton?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the North Cheshire Way and Longster Trail.
How many people in Elton 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 Elton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Elton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 28% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 42% (1.9 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 Elton’s overall grade.
Where Elton’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.