Middlewich’s biggest
Croxton Park
Park or garden
3.2 ha (8 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi north-westfrom the centre
Picnic site
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.0DOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Middlewich · parks, paths & countryside
81% of Middlewich’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Middlewich add up to 1.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 36 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 1.8 for every square kilometre. Middlewich grades D for the outdoors: #40 of 46 in Cheshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
81%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
36 km
1.8 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
Middlewich grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Middlewich, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
D
Better than 13% of UK towns#40 of 46 in Cheshire
Public green space1.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
23out of
100
100
A park within a walk81%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
49out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
25out 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 Middlewich compares with UK towns of 13,800 to 15,100
The 60 UK towns and cities of 13,800 to 15,100 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
Middlewich1.8
Towns its size3.4
Cheshire towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Middlewich1.4
Towns its size2.6
Cheshire towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Middlewich81%
Towns its size81%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
Middlewich falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 47 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 3 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 4 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 5 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 6 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 7 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 8 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 9 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 11 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 13 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 14 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 15 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 16 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 17 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 21 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 22 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 23 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 25 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 26 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 27 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 29 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 31 | Gomersal and Birkenshaw West Yorkshire | B | 3.2 | 83% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 34 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 36 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 37 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 38 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 42 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 45 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire | C+ | 4 | 91% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 49 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 50 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Uttoxeter Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 58 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Middlewich’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 Middlewich
The biggest is Croxton Park, 3.2 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Harbutt's Field
Park or garden
1.4 ha (3 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi northfrom the centre
King Street Roman fort, Harbutt's Field monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Middlewich’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 (81%)Further (19%)
Middlewich81%
Towns its size81%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
About 2,800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 15 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 962 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 13 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
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Middlewich
36 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Middlewich and the kilometre around it, 1.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalOther waymarked
South Cheshire Market Towns Trail10.6 km
Cheshire Ring Canal Walk9.0 km
Dane Valley Way8.9 km
Cheshire Circuit0.7 km
Weaver Way0.7 km
4 regional routes pass through, including the South Cheshire Market Towns Trail, Dane Valley Way, Cheshire Circuit and Weaver Way.
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 Middlewich: 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 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 49 | 46 | 48 | 53 | 63 | 62 | 70 | 61 | 74 | 66 | 76 |
March is the driest month (46 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 76 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Middlewich →
Things to do
15 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
Picnic sites 2
Croxton Trail Park0.1 mi from town
DirectionsBramble Cuttings1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 15
Sycamore Drive Play Areain town
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Yatehouse Farm Camping & Caravan Park0.9 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.
ElworthWinsfordHolmes ChapelDavenhamSandbachWheelockMiddlewich
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Wheelock, 4.7 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 Middlewich
What is the biggest park in Middlewich?
Croxton Park, 3.2 ha (8 acres), with 1 km of path. Harbutt's Field (1.4 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Middlewich near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 13 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 Middlewich?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the South Cheshire Market Towns Trail, Cheshire Ring Canal Walk and Dane Valley Way.
How many people in Middlewich live near a park?
81% 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 Middlewich?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Middlewich good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 25% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 23% (1.4 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 Middlewich’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Middlewich’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.