Hawarden’s biggest
Etna Country Park
Park or garden
11 ha (27 acres)2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.6 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Jeff Buck · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Hawarden · parks, paths & countryside
81% of Hawarden’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape begins 4.5 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Hawarden add up to 3.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 91 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.0 for every square kilometre. Hawarden grades B− for the outdoors: #20 of 39 in Clwyd. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
81%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
91 km
3.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley starts 4.5 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Hawarden?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam3.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 79% of UK towns.Countryside close byThe Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape starts 4.5 mi west.On a National TrailThe Wales Coast Path passes through.Historic parksHawarden Castle is a registered historic park (Grade I).
Hawarden’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Hawarden grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Hawarden, 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 54% of UK towns#20 of 39 in Clwyd · 35th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
80out of
100
100
A park within a walk81%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
48out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
61out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 1.1% sea, under the 5% that counts
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
Hawarden is 35th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 13,600 to 15,000 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
Hawarden3.0
Towns its size3.5
Clwyd towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Hawarden3.7
Towns its size2.4
Clwyd towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Hawarden81%
Towns its size80%
Clwyd towns83%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Hawarden stands out most for park space per resident: only 14 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 39 of the 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 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 8 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Abergavenny Gwent | A | 3.2 | 83% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 10 | Wellington Somerset | A | 2.2 | 99% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 11 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 12 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Addlestone Surrey | A− | 4.3 | 90% | 4.8 | 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 | Verwood Dorset | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 3.9 | 13% |
| 23 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Chalfont St Peter Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 80% | 3.5 | 18% |
| 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 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 36 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 37 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 38 | Midsomer Norton Somerset | B− | 1.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 43 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 45 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire | C+ | 4 | 91% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 48 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 49 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Flitwick Bedfordshire | C | 0.8 | 59% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 51 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Uttoxeter Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 57 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 73% | 1.5 | 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 Hawarden’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 Hawarden
The biggest is Etna Country Park, 11 ha (27 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 21 ha (51 acres) and 3 km of path
Parks & gardens 12 haPlaying fields 8.2 haPlay spaces 0.7 ha
The two biggest, Etna Country Park and Gladstone Playing Fields, are 93% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them.
Gladstone Playing Fields
Playing field
8.2 ha (20 acres)0.4 km of path
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hawarden
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Big Park
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.1 km of path
1.1 mi westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Trueman's Hill Playing Field
Play space
0.7 ha (2 acres)0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Hawarden
Trueman's Hill motte monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Hawarden’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%)
Hawarden81%
Towns its size80%
Clwyd towns83%
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; 54 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 265 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is 4.5 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
National Landscape
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley
4.5 mi west389 km²since 2011
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Hawarden scores 0% on it even though the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is 4.5 mi away.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Hawarden is on the Wales Coast Path
91 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Hawarden and the kilometre around it, 3.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
National
Wales Coast Path (North Wales) main route7.8 km
The Wales Coast Path, a national route, passes Hawarden.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A registered historic park in Hawarden
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Hawarden’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IHawarden Castle0.5 ha
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hawarden: 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 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 55 | 64 | 61 | 62 | 65 | 78 | 76 | 78 |
April is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 78 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Hawarden →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 54 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.
2Viewpoints1Hills and peaks1Waterfalls3Nature reserves2.9× towns its size54Playgrounds2.3× towns its size2Slipways
The nearest beaches
Hawarden is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Tranmere Beach12 mi from Hawarden’s edge
DirectionsEast Hoyle Bank14 mi from Hawarden’s edge
DirectionsBrazil Bank16 mi from Hawarden’s edge
DirectionsCrosby Beach19 mi from Hawarden’s edge
DirectionsRhyl Sands20 mi from Hawarden’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. Natural Resources Wales tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Hawarden Castle, at 90 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Hawarden.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Hawarden Castle90 m (295 ft) · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 3
Standard Pools0.3 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsLane End Nature Reserve5.3 ha · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsTaliesin Nature Reserve2.7 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 54
McAlpines Parkin town
DirectionsThe Big Parkin town
DirectionsThe Little Parkin town
DirectionsWhiz Kids Softplayin town
DirectionsPlus 50 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 2
Plus 2 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.
AstonShottonGarden CityBuckleyConnah's QuayBroughtonHawarden
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawarden | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 0% |
| Aston 0.7 mi | B− | 4.4 | 37% | 0% |
| Shotton 1.5 mi | A | 4.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Garden City 2.2 mi | D− | 1.5 | 58% | 0% |
| Buckley 2.3 mi | C+ | 2.6 | 82% | 0% |
| Connah's Quay 2.3 mi | A | 5.8 | 97% | 0% |
| Broughton 2.4 mi | D− | 0.8 | 80% | 0% |
Shotton, 1.5 miles away, grades A, 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 Hawarden
What is the biggest park in Hawarden?
Etna Country Park, 11 ha (27 acres), with 2.3 km of path. Gladstone Playing Fields (8.2 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Hawarden near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 4.5 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 389 km² and was designated in 2011.
What are the best walks near Hawarden?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Wales Coast Path (North Wales) main route. Etna Country Park alone has 2.3 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Hawarden?
Tranmere Beach, 12 mi from the edge of the town, then East Hoyle Bank (14 mi). Hawarden itself is inland.
How many people in Hawarden 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 Hawarden?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Hawarden are historic?
Hawarden Castle (Grade I) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Hawarden good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 61% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 80% (3.7 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 Hawarden’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Hawarden’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.