Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0Almost everyone in Rode Heath lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Rode Heath add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 17 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Rode Heath grades C for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Rode Heath?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Rode Heath’s strongest suit is parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Rode Heath grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rode Heath, 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.
Rode Heath is 43rd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,800 to 2,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Rode Heath stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 51 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westbourne West Sussex | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 57% |
| 2 | Badshot Lea Surrey | A+ | 25.9 | 100% | 5.2 | 25% |
| 3 | Kirkby Stephen Cumbria | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.7 | 65% |
| 4 | Colyton Devon | A+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 79% |
| 5 | Brading Isle of Wight | A+ | 2.9 | 84% | 4.2 | 21% |
| 6 | Scholes (near Hade Edge) West Yorkshire | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 4.7 | 16% |
| 7 | Chilworth Surrey | A+ | 10.8 | 80% | 6.1 | 59% |
| 8 | Hayfield Derbyshire | A+ | 2.2 | 100% | 4.1 | 62% |
| 9 | Bagworth Leicestershire | A | 11 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Newell Green Berkshire | A | 22.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Ravenstone Leicestershire | A− | 5.3 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Ickleford Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 82% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 13 | Lower Broadheath Worcestershire | A− | 6 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 14 | Goosnargh Lancashire | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.5 | 6% |
| 15 | Lyminge Kent | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.1 | 90% |
| 16 | Flamborough East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Highnam Gloucestershire | B+ | 12 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 18 | Mevagissey Cornwall | B+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.9 | 29% |
| 19 | Wingates Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Ingoldmells Lincolnshire | B+ | 2.8 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Southgate West Glamorgan | B+ | 1.1 | 21% | 3.7 | 56% |
| 22 | Chinley Derbyshire | B+ | 1.2 | 78% | 4.4 | 53% |
| 23 | Partridge Green West Sussex | B | 2.1 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Little Eaton Derbyshire | B | 4.6 | 85% | 3 | 0% |
| 25 | Shurdington Gloucestershire | B | 2.7 | 47% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 26 | Horrabridge Devon | B | 1.4 | 83% | 2.7 | 92% |
| 27 | Campsall South Yorkshire | B | 14.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Stanwick Northamptonshire | B− | 7.9 | 82% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Wrea Green Lancashire | B− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Whitland Dyfed | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Wooler Northumberland | B− | 3.3 | 81% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 32 | Stow-on-the-Wold Gloucestershire | B− | 3.4 | 64% | 1.2 | 88% |
| 33 | Oxenhope West Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 80% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Wickham Bishops Essex | C+ | 3.4 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Houghton Conquest Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.8 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Hockley Heath West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 86% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Northiam East Sussex | C+ | 2.2 | 76% | 0.8 | 100% |
| 38 | Stratton Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 23% | 3 | 8% |
| 39 | High Spen Tyne and Wear | C+ | 3.3 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Milnthorpe Cumbria | C | 2.2 | 49% | 2 | 39% |
| 41 | Presteigne Powys | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Sleights North Yorkshire | C | 0.9 | 30% | 1.5 | 80% |
| 43 | Rode Heath Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Newton Poppleford Devon | C | 1.4 | 44% | 2.3 | 60% |
| 45 | Toft Hill and High Etherley County Durham | C− | 2.5 | 83% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Black Notley Essex | C− | 1.6 | 36% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Hemingbrough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Littlethorpe Leicestershire | C− | 0.4 | 57% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Brompton-on-Swale North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 71% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Manby Lincolnshire | D | 1.4 | 68% | 0.8 | 2% |
| 51 | Cropwell Bishop Nottinghamshire | D | 0.7 | 45% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Newton Longville Buckinghamshire | D | 2.9 | 18% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Dunholme Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 52% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Salfords Surrey | D | 1.3 | 12% | 3 | 0% |
| 55 | Little Plumstead Norfolk | D | 0.6 | 64% | 1 | 16% |
| 56 | Hampton in Arden West Midlands | D− | 0.1 | 44% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Colnbrook Berkshire | D− | 0.6 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Weeting Norfolk | D− | 1.2 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Great Gonerby Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 56% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Shippon Oxfordshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rode Heath’s built-up area.
How close Rode Heath’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; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 173 residents.
The Peak District National Park is 8.8 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.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Rode Heath
17 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rode Heath and the kilometre around it, 2.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the South Cheshire Market Towns Trail and South 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 Rode Heath: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 51 | 49 | 50 | 55 | 65 | 66 | 72 | 63 | 80 | 71 | 75 |
March is the driest month (49 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 80 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Rode Heath →
11 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 11
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rode Heath | C | 0.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Alsager 1.5 mi | C | 1.2 | 82% | 0% |
| Scholar Green 1.6 mi | C− | 0.7 | 65% | 0% |
| Kidsgrove 2.7 mi | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 0% |
| Talke and Talke Pits 3.1 mi | A | 16.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Harriseahead, Mow Cop and Newchapel 3.5 mi | B+ | 4.2 | 86% | 0% |
| Sandbach 3.6 mi | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 0% |
Talke and Talke Pits, 3.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Kidsgrove, Talke and Talke Pits and Harriseahead, Mow Cop and Newchapel have at least twice Rode Heath’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Rode Heath
Is Rode Heath near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 8.8 mi north-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 Rode Heath?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the South Cheshire Market Towns Trail, Cheshire Ring Canal Walk and South Cheshire Way.
How many people in Rode Heath 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 Rode Heath?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rode Heath good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 41% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 10% (0.9 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 Rode Heath’s overall grade.
Where Rode Heath’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.