Photo: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.031% of the land within 5 km of Ruthin is National Park or National Landscape
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape begins 0.4 mi from the town’s edge. 51% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Footpaths add up to 24 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.5 for every square kilometre. Ruthin grades C for the outdoors: #32 of 39 in Clwyd. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Ruthin?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Ruthin’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Ruthin grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ruthin, 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.
Ruthin is 39th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,500 to 5,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Ruthin stands out most for park space per resident: only 16 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 49 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 2 | Ventnor Isle of Wight | A+ | 4.5 | 61% | 3.7 | 25% |
| 3 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 4 | Deepcar South Yorkshire | A | 1.8 | 100% | 6.4 | 21% |
| 5 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 6 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 7 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | Haworth West Yorkshire | A | 4.1 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Millom Cumbria | A | 2 | 82% | 3.2 | 13% |
| 10 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 11 | Nailsworth Gloucestershire | A− | 1.3 | 86% | 5.9 | 88% |
| 12 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 13 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 14 | Steyning West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 86% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 15 | Blaenavon Gwent | A− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.3 | 39% |
| 16 | Henfield West Sussex | A− | 3.8 | 51% | 4.4 | 17% |
| 17 | Kingsbridge Devon | B+ | 1.5 | 91% | 1.6 | 67% |
| 18 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 21 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Willington County Durham | B+ | 4.7 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 24 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 25 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 26 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 28 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 29 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 30 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Haddenham Buckinghamshire | B− | 3.1 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Hullbridge Essex | C+ | 5.7 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 33 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 34 | Broseley Shropshire | C+ | 1.2 | 74% | 3.4 | 8% |
| 35 | Quorndon Leicestershire | C+ | 2.7 | 81% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Rainford Merseyside | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 38 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Ruthin Clwyd | C | 2.7 | 51% | 1.5 | 31% |
| 40 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 41 | Wadebridge Cornwall | C | 1.8 | 74% | 1.8 | 17% |
| 42 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Four Marks Hampshire | C | 0.9 | 46% | 3 | 31% |
| 44 | Coningsby and Tattershall Lincolnshire | C | 2.7 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Durrington Wiltshire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 50 | Abertridwr and Senghenydd Gwent | C− | 1.8 | 87% | 1 | 0% |
| 51 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Takeley and Little Canfield Essex | D | 1 | 45% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Pontardawe West Glamorgan | D | 2.3 | 60% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Brigg Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 65% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Ruskington Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 70% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Bulkington Warwickshire | D | 0.9 | 76% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Kirton Lincolnshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 0.5 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ruthin’s built-up area.
5 in 10 Ruthin 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).
About 2,800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 713 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Ruthin
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.
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley
Snowdonia
31% of the land within 5 km of Ruthin is National Park or National Landscape, more than 84% of UK towns. Snowdonia National Park covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths in and around Ruthin
24 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ruthin and the kilometre around it, 1.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Ruthin; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
2 registered historic parks in Ruthin
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Ruthin’s named parks.
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.
The best walking months in Ruthin: 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 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 76 | 62 | 53 | 56 | 55 | 61 | 66 | 61 | 69 | 91 | 88 | 102 |
March is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 102 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Ruthin →
8 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.
The nearest beaches
Ruthin is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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. Graig Lom, at 203 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Ruthin.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 8
Plus 8 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.
Denbigh, 6.5 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 96% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Ruthin
Is Ruthin near a National Park?
Yes. Snowdonia National Park begins 14 mi south-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, 0.4 mi away.
What is the nearest beach to Ruthin?
Horton's Nose Nature Reserve, 15 mi from the edge of the town, then Rhyl Sands (16 mi). Ruthin itself is inland.
How many people in Ruthin live near a park?
51% 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 Ruthin?
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 Ruthin are historic?
Nantclwyd House (Grade II) and Ruthin Castle (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Ruthin good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 17% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 63% (2.7 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 Ruthin’s overall grade.
Where Ruthin’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.