Photo: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Chilton
Footpaths add up to 12 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Chilton add up to 1.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 68% of residents. Chilton grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Chilton grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Chilton, 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.
How Chilton compares with UK towns of 4,500 to 4,900
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,500 to 4,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Chilton falls furthest behind on path per km², where 57 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windermere Cumbria | A+ | 3 | 94% | 3.6 | 100% |
| 2 | Hamble-le-Rice Hampshire | A+ | 12.7 | 67% | 3.6 | 7% |
| 3 | Rownhams and Nursling Hampshire | A+ | 4.9 | 86% | 6.7 | 12% |
| 4 | Marple Bridge Greater Manchester | A | 9.9 | 80% | 4.4 | 13% |
| 5 | Monkton Heathfield Somerset | A | 2.4 | 100% | 4.4 | 8% |
| 6 | Huntington Staffordshire | A | 3.7 | 74% | 4.6 | 27% |
| 7 | Carleton Lancashire | A | 3 | 86% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Rudheath Cheshire | A | 5.5 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Writtle Essex | A− | 5.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Cringleford Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 94% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Dersingham Norfolk | A− | 3.1 | 76% | 1.9 | 39% |
| 12 | Brampton South Yorkshire | A− | 4.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Liss Hampshire | A− | 2.3 | 87% | 2.6 | 98% |
| 14 | Saxmundham Suffolk | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 1.9 | 3% |
| 15 | Hugglescote Leicestershire | B+ | 4.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Borough Green Kent | B+ | 2.5 | 93% | 1.9 | 50% |
| 17 | Winscombe and Sandford Somerset | B+ | 3.5 | 52% | 3.6 | 38% |
| 18 | Bodicote Oxfordshire | B+ | 10.2 | 86% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Kings Worthy Hampshire | B+ | 3.9 | 66% | 3 | 23% |
| 20 | Blackhall Colliery County Durham | B | 1.1 | 95% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Callington Cornwall | B | 2.1 | 100% | 1.1 | 21% |
| 22 | Whaley Bridge Derbyshire | B | 1.6 | 44% | 4.3 | 53% |
| 23 | Coedpoeth Clwyd | B | 1.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 24% |
| 24 | Lyneham Wiltshire | B− | 1.5 | 94% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 25 | Lenham and Harrietsham Kent | B− | 1.4 | 88% | 2.4 | 47% |
| 26 | High Lane Greater Manchester | B− | 1.5 | 67% | 4.6 | 12% |
| 27 | Chalfont St Giles Buckinghamshire | B− | 1.8 | 57% | 3.5 | 37% |
| 28 | Kelvedon and Feering Essex | B− | 3.5 | 94% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Astley Greater Manchester | B− | 3.5 | 78% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Bromham Bedfordshire | B− | 3.8 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Llay Clwyd | B− | 10.6 | 85% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Cleadon Tyne and Wear | B− | 2.1 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Dudley Tyne and Wear | C+ | 2.6 | 69% | 4 | 0% |
| 34 | Bramley Hampshire | C+ | 2.8 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Dickens Heath West Midlands | C+ | 3.2 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Loughor West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.1 | 70% | 1.2 | 6% |
| 37 | Cross Hills North Yorkshire | C+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3 | 0% |
| 38 | Kennington Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.1 | 58% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Howden East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 94% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Ripponden West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.1 | 75% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Edwalton Nottinghamshire | C+ | 2.1 | 58% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Datchet Berkshire | C | 8.4 | 72% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Minster (Thanet) Kent | C | 2.3 | 64% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Makeney Derbyshire | C | 2.1 | 56% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Mynydd Isa Clwyd | C | 0.9 | 87% | 2 | 3% |
| 46 | Winterton Lincolnshire | C | 1.6 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Kinver Staffordshire | C | 3.1 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Woodhall Spa Lincolnshire | C− | 1.9 | 61% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Barton-under-Needwood Staffordshire | C− | 2.3 | 70% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Preesall and Knott End-on-Sea Lancashire | C− | 0.7 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Bricket Wood Hertfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 43% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Middleton St George County Durham | C− | 1.8 | 94% | 1 | 0% |
| 53 | Sowerby North Yorkshire | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Bailrigg Lancashire | C− | 0 | 0% | 3.4 | 18% |
| 55 | Stretton Staffordshire | C− | 3.7 | 49% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Crowland Lincolnshire | C− | 2.8 | 70% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Markfield Leicestershire | D | 0.8 | 63% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Welton Lincolnshire | D | 2 | 57% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Ynysybwl Mid Glamorgan | D | 2.3 | 60% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Chilton County Durham | D− | 1.1 | 68% | 1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Chilton’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Chilton 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 1,500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 521 residents.
The North Pennines National Landscape is 12 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.
Footpaths in and around Chilton
12 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Chilton and the kilometre around it, 1.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Chilton; 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.
The best walking months in Chilton: May to July and 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) | 7.8 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 16.8 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 48 | 43 | 53 | 48 | 65 | 67 | 71 | 54 | 67 | 72 | 64 |
March is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 72 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 52 nights a year. The climate in Chilton →
9 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
Chilton is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 9
Plus 9 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilton | D− | 1.1 | 68% | 0% |
| Ferryhill 1.8 mi | C− | 1.5 | 94% | 0% |
| Newton Aycliffe 2.7 mi | B | 2.1 | 94% | 0% |
| Coundon and Leeholme 2.9 mi | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Bishop Middleham 3.1 mi | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Cornforth 3.3 mi | C− | 1.9 | 66% | 0% |
| Spennymoor 3.3 mi | C+ | 2.1 | 84% | 0% |
Newton Aycliffe, 2.7 miles away, grades B, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Coundon and Leeholme and Bishop Middleham have at least twice Chilton’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Chilton
Is Chilton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the North Pennines National Landscape, 12 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,985 km² and was designated in 1988.
What is the nearest beach to Chilton?
Shippersea Bay, 13 mi from the edge of the town, then Hawthorn Hive (14 mi). Chilton itself is inland.
How many people in Chilton live near a park?
68% 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 Chilton?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Chilton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 7% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 17% (1.1 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 Chilton’s overall grade.
Where Chilton’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.