Wrexham has more park space per resident than 8 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Wrexham add up to 3.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape begins 2.2 mi from the town’s edge. 134 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Wrexham grades A for the outdoors: #6 of 39 in Clwyd. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Wrexham’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Wrexham grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wrexham, 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 91% of UK towns#6 of 39 in Clwyd · 3rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
80out of 100
A park within a walk92%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
71out of 100
National Park or National Landscape2%of the land within 5 km
65out of 100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
80out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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
Wrexham is 3rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 39,500 to 50,800 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
Wrexham3.9
Towns its size3.7
Clwyd towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Wrexham3.8
Towns its size2.3
Clwyd towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Wrexham92%
Towns its size83%
Clwyd towns83%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Wrexham stands out most for park space per resident: only 10 of the other 59 have more.
The biggest is Erddig Country Park, 84 ha (208 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 11 named parks by size: 129 ha (319 acres) and 15 km of path
Parks & gardens 113 haPlaying fields 16 haPlay spaces 0.3 ha
The two biggest, Erddig Country Park and Acton Park, are 81% of the named green space and carry 11 km of path between them. 6 of the 11 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
9 in 10 Wrexham 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 (92%)Further (8%)
Wrexham92%
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; 57 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 786 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is 2.2 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
2.2 mi south-west389 km²since 20112% of the land within 5 km
2% of the land within 5 km of Wrexham is National Park or National Landscape, more than 65% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Wrexham
134 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wrexham and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Llwybr Clawdd Wat10.8 km
Erddig French meadow walk through Emes' pleasure park, Erddig5.7 km
Erddig Riverside Walk2.6 km
Erddig Big Wood Trail2.0 km
Close to home, the Erddig French meadow walk through Emes' pleasure park, Erddig has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Llwybr Clawdd Wat.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Wrexham’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade I
Erddig Country Park
84 ha. Part of Erddig, a registered historic park (Grade I). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
Registered · Grade IIWrexham Cemetery0.7 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 Wrexham: 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
16.4
14.7
12.6
10.5
8.6
7.6
High (°C)
8
8
10
13
17
19
21
20
18
14
11
8
Rain (mm)
67
55
54
54
58
62
62
64
64
81
80
82
April is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 82 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Wrexham →
Things to do
57 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.
Brynteg, 2.3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Bradley, Gwersyllt and Brynteg have at least twice Wrexham’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Wrexham
What is the biggest park in Wrexham?
Erddig Country Park, 84 ha (208 acres), with 8.1 km of path. Acton Park (20 ha) is second. 11 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Wrexham near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 2.2 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 389 km² and was designated in 2011.
What are the best walks near Wrexham?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Llwybr Clawdd Wat, Erddig French meadow walk through Emes' pleasure park, Erddig and Erddig Riverside Walk. Erddig Country Park alone has 8.1 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Wrexham?
Tranmere Beach, 21 mi from the edge of the town, then East Hoyle Bank (23 mi). Wrexham itself is inland.
How many people in Wrexham live near a park?
92% 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 Wrexham?
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 Wrexham are historic?
Erddig (Grade I) and Wrexham Cemetery (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Wrexham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 80% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 80% (3.8 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 Wrexham’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0