Lymm’s biggest
Ridgway-Grundy Memorial Park
Park or garden
4.7 ha (12 acres)
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: David Jones from Isle of Wight, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Lymm · parks, paths & countryside
89% of Lymm’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Lymm add up to 3.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 51 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.1 for every square kilometre. Lymm grades B− for the outdoors: #20 of 46 in Cheshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
89%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
51 km
2.1 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
Outdoors grade
Lymm grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lymm, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B−
Better than 47% of UK towns#20 of 46 in Cheshire · 37th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
78out of
100
100
A park within a walk89%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
66out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
33out 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
Lymm is 37th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 11,000 to 12,100 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
Lymm2.1
Towns its size2.9
Cheshire towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Lymm3.6
Towns its size1.9
Cheshire towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Lymm89%
Towns its size84%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Lymm stands out most for park space per resident: only 10 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 46 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tring Hertfordshire | A+ | 5.7 | 95% | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 3 | Chepstow Gwent | A+ | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 4 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 5 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 6 | Brockworth Gloucestershire | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 5.1 | 46% |
| 7 | Waltham Cross Hertfordshire | A | 10.6 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 9 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 10 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 11 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 12 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 14 | Matlock Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 76% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 15 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 17 | Barton-upon-Humber Lincolnshire | A− | 5.9 | 97% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 19 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 21 | New Milton Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 1.9 | 38% |
| 22 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 23 | Haslemere Surrey | B+ | 1 | 78% | 5.1 | 80% |
| 24 | Bentley South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Worsley Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.7 | 86% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 26 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 28 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 29 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 34 | Ystrad Mynach Gwent | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 36 | Wells Somerset | B− | 1.7 | 65% | 3.4 | 26% |
| 37 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 39 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Kingsteignton Devon | B− | 1.9 | 95% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 46 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Haverfordwest Dyfed | C− | 1 | 85% | 1.4 | 8% |
| 51 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Market Drayton Shropshire | C− | 1.5 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Codsall Staffordshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Sarn Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Desborough Northamptonshire | D | 0.6 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lymm’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 Lymm
The biggest is Ridgway-Grundy Memorial Park, 4.7 ha (12 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Lymm’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 (89%)Further (11%)
Lymm89%
Towns its size84%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
About 1,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,050 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 15 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 Lymm
51 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lymm and the kilometre around it, 2.1 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
Cheshire Ring Canal Walk8.0 km
Trans-Pennine Trail (Warrington to Ashton-upon-Mersey)7.9 km
Bollin Valley Way5.6 km
GM Ringway Stage 185.6 km
Mersey Way3.0 km
Mersey Valley Timberland Trail2.4 km
New Cut Trail0.3 km
3 regional routes pass through, including the Trans-Pennine Trail (Warrington to Ashton-upon-Mersey), Bollin Valley Way and GM Ringway Stage 18.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lymm: 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 | 15.9 | 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 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 65 | 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 36 nights a year. The climate in Lymm →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 11 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
2Viewpoints3Nature reserves3.1× towns its size1Picnic sites11Playgrounds0.6× towns its size1Campsites
The nearest beaches
Lymm is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Wader Point14 mi from Lymm’s edge
DirectionsStone Beach14 mi from Lymm’s edge
DirectionsCreek Beach South14 mi from Lymm’s edge
DirectionsCreek Beach North14 mi from Lymm’s edge
DirectionsCar Park Beach14 mi from Lymm’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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 3
Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve No. 1 Bed79 ha · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsWoolston Eyes Nature Reserve No. 2 Bed70 ha · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsWoolston Eyes No. 3 Bed50 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 11
Elizabeth Park Playground1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Holly Bank Caravan Park1.2 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
High LeghPartingtonAppleton ThornIrlamBowdonWarringtonLymm
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lymm | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 0% |
| High Legh 2.3 mi | D− | 1.9 | 50% | 0% |
| Partington 2.9 mi | B | 2.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Appleton Thorn 3.7 mi | B+ | 5.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Irlam 4.5 mi | B | 3.1 | 95% | 0% |
| Bowdon 4.7 mi | C | 1.8 | 81% | 0% |
| Warrington 4.8 mi | B+ | 3.5 | 93% | 0% |
Warrington, 4.8 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 93% 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 Lymm
What is the biggest park in Lymm?
Ridgway-Grundy Memorial Park, 4.7 ha (12 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Lymm near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 15 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 Lymm?
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk, Trans-Pennine Trail (Warrington to Ashton-upon-Mersey) and Bollin Valley Way.
What is the nearest beach to Lymm?
Wader Point, 14 mi from the edge of the town, then Stone Beach (14 mi). Lymm itself is inland.
How many people in Lymm live near a park?
89% 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 Lymm?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Lymm good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 33% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 78% (3.6 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 Lymm’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Lymm’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.