Runcorn’s biggest
Town Park
Park or garden
104 ha (256 acres)11.5 km of path
2 h 35 minto walk all 11.5 km of path
145 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi eastfrom the centre
PeakNorton 7Norton 3Stockham Lane
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Christine Johnstone · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Runcorn · parks, paths & countryside
Runcorn is on the coast
The sea makes up 9% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 262 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.6 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Runcorn add up to 4.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Runcorn grades A for the outdoors: #1 of 46 in Cheshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
87%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
262 km
4.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
The sea
9%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Runcorn?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast9% of the area within 5 km is sea; 1 beach mapped.A town of footpaths4.6 km of path per km², more than 88% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Room to roam4.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 86% of UK towns.Hills with a view9 mapped viewpoints, about 4× as many per resident as the typical town its size.
Runcorn’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Runcorn grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Runcorn, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A
Better than 94% of UK towns#1 of 46 in Cheshire · 5th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space4.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
86out of
100
100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths4.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
89out of
100
100
The sea9%of the area within 5 km
86out 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
Runcorn is 5th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 51,200 to 74,200 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
Runcorn4.6
Towns its size3.5
Cheshire towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Runcorn4.9
Towns its size2.4
Cheshire towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Runcorn87%
Towns its size86%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Runcorn stands out most for park space per resident: only 2 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 3 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 4 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 5 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 6 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 7 | Scarborough North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 86% | 3.1 | 17% |
| 8 | Gravesend Kent | A | 1.4 | 84% | 6.4 | 14% |
| 9 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 11 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 12 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 15 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 17 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 18 | Tynemouth Tyne and Wear | A− | 2.2 | 85% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Hereford Herefordshire | A− | 2.6 | 92% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 20 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 21 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 22 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 24 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 25 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 27 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 29 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 31 | Bebington Merseyside | B+ | 3 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Huyton with Roby Merseyside | B+ | 3.7 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 37 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 38 | Sale Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 86% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 41 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 49 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Halesowen West Midlands | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 55 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Kidderminster Worcestershire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Runcorn’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 Runcorn
The biggest is Town Park, 104 ha (256 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 15 named parks by size: 184 ha (455 acres) and 24 km of path
Parks & gardens 153 haPlaying fields 31 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Town Park and Runcorn Hill, are 68% of the named green space and carry 18 km of path between them. 7 of the 15 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Runcorn Hill
Park or garden
22 ha (54 acres)6.4 km of path
1 h 25 minto walk all 6.4 km of path
31 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.6 mi westfrom the centre
Peak Nature reserve
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Runcorn Heath
Park or garden
12 ha (31 acres)1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
17 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Phoenix Park
Park or garden
9.8 ha (24 acres)1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
14 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Heath Park Playing Fields
Playing field
11 ha (26 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Haddock's Wood Playing Fields
Playing field · 0 m outside town
11 ha (28 acres)0.1 km of path
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Halton Common
Park or garden
2.6 ha (6 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Runcorn
The Old Hall Grade II*
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Queen Elizabeth II Playing Fields
Playing field
5.9 ha (15 acres)0.2 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 15 named parks and green spaces
Town ParkPark or garden · 104 ha · 11.5 km of path
DirectionsRuncorn HillPark or garden · 22 ha · 6.4 km of path
DirectionsRuncorn HeathPark or garden · 12 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsPhoenix ParkPark or garden · 9.8 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsHeath Park Playing FieldsPlaying field · 11 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsHaddock's Wood Playing FieldsPlaying field · 11 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsHalton CommonPark or garden · 2.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsQueen Elizabeth II Playing FieldsPlaying field · 5.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsVictoria GardensPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsHalton Village Millennium GreenPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsRock ParkPlaying field · 1.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsNorton Priory Walled GardenPark or garden · 0.9 ha · just outside town
DirectionsRuncorn Boys ClubPlaying field · 1.2 ha
DirectionsSutton Weaver Community ParkPlaying field · 0.2 ha · just outside town
DirectionsTrinity GardenPlay space · 0.1 ha
DirectionsClose to home
9 in 10 Runcorn residents live within a 5-minute walk of 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 (87%)Further (13%)
Runcorn87%
Towns its size86%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
About 8,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 55 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,121 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
10 waymarked walks pass through or near Runcorn
262 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Runcorn and the kilometre around it, 4.6 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
Mersey Valley Timberland Trail13.7 km
Mersey Way13.2 km
Trans-Pennine Trail (Liverpool to Warrington)11.2 km
Cheshire Ring Canal Walk9.5 km
Cheshire Circuit8.0 km
Delamere Way3.2 km
Weaver Way2.0 km
Bluebell Cottage Circular Walk1.7 km
Eddisbury Way1.6 km
Sandstone Trail0.6 km
Close to home, the Mersey Valley Timberland Trail has 14 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 6 regional routes pass through, including the Trans-Pennine Trail (Liverpool to Warrington), Cheshire Circuit, Delamere Way 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 Runcorn: 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 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 67 | 54 | 52 | 56 | 58 | 70 | 72 | 80 | 76 | 85 | 79 | 81 |
March is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Runcorn →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Runcorn
9% of the area within 5 km of Runcorn 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.
Things to do
9 viewpoints and 55 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.
9Viewpoints4.2× towns its size4Hills and peaks3.6× towns its size2Nature reserves2Picnic sites55Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size3Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 9
Raptor Watch0.6 mi from town
DirectionsWidnes Warth1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 7 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Beacon Hillin town
DirectionsHalton Hill99 m (325 ft) · in town
DirectionsWindmill Hill67 m (220 ft) · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsAston Grange66 m (217 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Runcorn Hill23 ha · in town
DirectionsDorchester Park3.2 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 55
Castle Risein town
DirectionsOtterburn Street Playgroundin town
DirectionsOtterburn Street playgroundin town
DirectionsTrinity Gardenin town
DirectionsVictoria Gardens Playground0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 50 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 3
Plus 3 slipways 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.
FrodshamWidnesHale BankHaleKingsleyCrontonRuncorn
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Runcorn grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Runcorn
What is the biggest park in Runcorn?
Town Park, 104 ha (256 acres), with 11.5 km of path. Runcorn Hill (22 ha) is second. 15 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Runcorn near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Runcorn.
What are the best walks near Runcorn?
10 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Mersey Valley Timberland Trail, Mersey Way and Trans-Pennine Trail (Liverpool to Warrington). Town Park alone has 11.5 km of path.
How many people in Runcorn live near a park?
87% 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 Runcorn?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Runcorn good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 89% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 86% (4.9 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 Runcorn’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Runcorn’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.