Rhyl’s biggest
Coronation Gardens
Park or garden
4.1 ha (10 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Rhyl
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Rhyl · parks, paths & countryside
Rhyl is on the coast, on the Wales Coast Path
The sea makes up 42% of the area within 5 km. The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape begins 1.6 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Rhyl add up to 1.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Rhyl grades B for the outdoors: #17 of 39 in Clwyd. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
84%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
50 km
2.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
7%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape
The sea
42%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Rhyl?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast42% of the area within 5 km is sea; 25 beaches mapped.Countryside close byThe Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape starts 1.6 mi east.On a National TrailThe Wales Coast Path passes through.Less park per person1.0 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Rhyl’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Rhyl grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rhyl, 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 57% of UK towns#17 of 39 in Clwyd · 43rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
12out of
100
100
A park within a walk84%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
54out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape7%of the land within 5 km
69out of
100
100
Footpaths2.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
35out of
100
100
The sea42%of the area within 5 km
97out 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
Rhyl is 43rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 24,800 to 29,300 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
Rhyl2.2
Towns its size3.8
Clwyd towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Rhyl1.0
Towns its size2.4
Clwyd towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Rhyl84%
Towns its size83%
Clwyd towns83%
All UK towns83%
Rhyl falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 57 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yate Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 99% | 6.8 | 11% |
| 2 | Stroud Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.6 | 79% | 5.8 | 70% |
| 3 | Sevenoaks Kent | A | 8.1 | 76% | 3.8 | 70% |
| 4 | Stalybridge Greater Manchester | A | 5 | 82% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 5 | Ashington Northumberland | A | 5.6 | 83% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 6 | Penarth South Glamorgan | A | 3.5 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 7 | Newport Isle of Wight | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3.8 | 37% |
| 8 | Huntingdon Cambridgeshire | A | 5.7 | 99% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Woodley Berkshire | A | 5 | 81% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 10 | Lancing and Sompting West Sussex | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3 | 37% |
| 11 | Totton Hampshire | A | 1.6 | 94% | 4.4 | 50% |
| 12 | Burntwood Staffordshire | A− | 5.3 | 81% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 13 | Larkfield Kent | A− | 5.6 | 75% | 3.4 | 27% |
| 14 | Ewell Surrey | A− | 7.5 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Rickmansworth Hertfordshire | A− | 2.9 | 81% | 4.4 | 11% |
| 16 | Stretford Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 92% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Tadworth and Epsom Downs Surrey | A− | 3.4 | 65% | 5.3 | 16% |
| 18 | Great Yarmouth Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.2 | 18% |
| 19 | Little Hulton Greater Manchester | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 20 | East Grinstead West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 87% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 21 | Wilmslow Cheshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Daventry Northamptonshire | A− | 4.1 | 99% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 23 | Cramlington Northumberland | B+ | 2.3 | 91% | 6.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Herne Bay Kent | B+ | 2.3 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Portishead Somerset | B+ | 2 | 82% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Haverhill Suffolk | B+ | 2.4 | 91% | 5 | 0% |
| 27 | Longbenton Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.3 | 80% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Thatcham Berkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 87% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 29 | Fleetwood Lancashire | B+ | 2.7 | 92% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Deal Kent | B+ | 1 | 86% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 31 | Farnworth Greater Manchester | B+ | 3 | 85% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Pontypool Gwent | B+ | 3.6 | 93% | 1.8 | 7% |
| 33 | Bradley Stoke Gloucestershire | B+ | 2 | 93% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Shipley West Yorkshire | B | 2.1 | 87% | 6 | 0% |
| 35 | Darwen Lancashire | B | 2.2 | 89% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Newton Aycliffe County Durham | B | 2.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Rugeley Staffordshire | B | 1.2 | 94% | 2.7 | 37% |
| 38 | Witham Essex | B | 1.9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Egham Surrey | B | 4.1 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Broadstairs Kent | B | 1.7 | 76% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B | 3.8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Bushey Hertfordshire | B | 3.1 | 77% | 4 | 0% |
| 43 | Rhyl Clwyd | B | 1 | 84% | 2.2 | 7% |
| 44 | Droitwich Spa Worcestershire | B | 2.5 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Evesham Worcestershire | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 46 | Thetford Norfolk | B− | 2.9 | 65% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Ashton-in-Makerfield Greater Manchester | B− | 2.6 | 93% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Kendal Cumbria | C+ | 0.9 | 67% | 4 | 33% |
| 50 | Coseley West Midlands | C+ | 1.4 | 84% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Horley Surrey | C+ | 1.9 | 84% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 84% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Walton-on-Thames Surrey | C | 1.6 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Golborne Greater Manchester | C | 3 | 66% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Frome Somerset | C | 1.3 | 78% | 2.4 | 9% |
| 56 | Wickford Essex | C | 2.4 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Hertford Hertfordshire | C | 0.9 | 65% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Heswall Merseyside | C− | 1.1 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Ormskirk Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Wisbech Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 79% | 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 Rhyl’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 Rhyl
The biggest is Coronation Gardens, 4.1 ha (10 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 11 ha (28 acres) and 2 km of path
Parks & gardens 4.1 haPlaying fields 6.9 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Coronation Gardens and Botanical Gardens, are 57% of the named green space and carry 2 km of path between them.
Botanical Gardens
Playing field
2.2 ha (6 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Rhyl
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rhyl and District Rugby Club
Playing field
4.2 ha (10 acres)
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Rhyl
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Gerddi Heulwen
Playing field
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
0.9 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bruton Park Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
0.6 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Rhyl 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 (84%)Further (16%)
Rhyl84%
Towns its size83%
Clwyd towns83%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 59 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 457 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is 1.6 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
1.6 mi east389 km²since 20117% of the land within 5 km
National Park
Snowdonia
14 mi west2,140 km²since 1951
7% of the land within 5 km of Rhyl is National Park or National Landscape, more than 69% of UK towns. Snowdonia National Park covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Rhyl is on the Wales Coast Path
50 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rhyl and the kilometre around it, 2.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegional
North Wales Path11.8 km
Wales Coast Path (North Wales) main route8.9 km
The Wales Coast Path, a national route, passes Rhyl. The regional route here is the North Wales Path.
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 Rhyl: 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) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 48 | 42 | 45 | 46 | 56 | 56 | 61 | 63 | 81 | 72 | 81 |
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 81 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 19 nights a year. The climate in Rhyl →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Rhyl
42% of the area within 5 km of Rhyl is sea. 25 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
Horton's Nose Nature Reserve0.1 mi from town
DirectionsRhyl Sands0.2 mi from town
DirectionsThe Wales Coast Path passes the town.
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
4 viewpoints and 59 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.
4Viewpoints3.8× towns its size4Nature reserves3.9× towns its size6Picnic sites5.8× towns its size59Playgrounds1.8× towns its size4Campsites8Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 4
Brickfield Pond Butterfly Garden0.1 ha · in town
DirectionsGlan Morfa Community Woodland11 ha · in town
DirectionsBrickfield Pond Nature Reserve6.0 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsRhuddlan Nature Reserve5.9 ha · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 6
Plus 6 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 59
Geronimo's Fun Centrein town
DirectionsJohn Street Play Areain town
DirectionsRhyl Adventure Playgroundin town
DirectionsThe Sun Verge Play Areain town
DirectionsFfordd Idwal Play Area1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 54 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Ffrith Beach Touring Caravan Park0.6 mi from town
DirectionsAlbert Wilson Memorial Field0.8 mi from town
DirectionsClwyd View Touring Park0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 8
Plus 8 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.
RhuddlanKinmel BayMelidenPrestatynDyserthBodelwyddanRhyl
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhyl | B | 1.0 | 84% | 7% |
| Rhuddlan 1.8 mi | B− | 1.8 | 85% | 8% |
| Kinmel Bay 2.3 mi | C | 1.8 | 76% | 0% |
| Meliden 2.6 mi | A+ | 4.2 | 100% | 21% |
| Prestatyn 2.6 mi | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 14% |
| Dyserth 2.9 mi | B− | 0.5 | 54% | 22% |
| Bodelwyddan 3.5 mi | C | 1.9 | 100% | 0% |
Meliden, 2.6 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Meliden and Prestatyn have at least twice Rhyl’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Rhyl
What is the biggest park in Rhyl?
Coronation Gardens, 4.1 ha (10 acres), with 1 km of path. Botanical Gardens (2.2 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Rhyl near a National Park?
Yes. Snowdonia National Park begins 14 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 1.6 mi away.
What are the best walks near Rhyl?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the North Wales Path and Wales Coast Path (North Wales) main route.
How many people in Rhyl live near a park?
84% 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 Rhyl?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rhyl good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 35% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 12% (1.0 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 Rhyl’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Rhyl’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.