Cockfield’s biggest
Hazelgrove Grounds
Playing field
3.2 ha (8 acres)0.3 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Cockfield
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Gordon Hatton · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Cockfield · parks, paths & countryside
81% of Cockfield’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The North Pennines National Landscape begins 3.5 mi from the village’s edge. Footpaths add up to 26 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Cockfield add up to 2.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Cockfield grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
81%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
26 km
3.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
North Pennines starts 3.5 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Cockfield?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A village of footpaths3.9 km of path per km², more than 79% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe North Pennines National Landscape starts 3.5 mi west.
Cockfield’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the North Pennines National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Cockfield grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Cockfield, 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 51% of UK towns27th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
55out 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 · North Pennines begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
80out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
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.
Villages its size
Cockfield is 27th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,400 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
Cockfield3.9
Villages its size2.3
County Durham towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Cockfield2.3
Villages its size2.2
County Durham towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Cockfield81%
Villages its size81%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Cockfield stands out most for path per km²: only 4 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Davids Dyfed | A+ | 5.2 | 84% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 2 | Pateley Bridge North Yorkshire | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 100% |
| 3 | Winsley Wiltshire | A | 12.4 | 79% | 4.2 | 38% |
| 4 | Goldsithney Cornwall | A | 1.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 10% |
| 5 | Charmouth Dorset | A | 2.5 | 82% | 2.3 | 63% |
| 6 | Brinscall Lancashire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 7 | Maresfield East Sussex | A | 2.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 8 | Biddenden Kent | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 20% |
| 9 | Cwmfelinfach Gwent | A− | 24.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Stoke sub Hamdon Somerset | A− | 25.1 | 81% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Upper Caldecote Bedfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bradwell Derbyshire | A− | 1.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 13 | Govilon Gwent | A− | 2.1 | 80% | 3.4 | 69% |
| 14 | Auckley South Yorkshire | B+ | 4.9 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Layer-de-la-Haye Essex | B+ | 9.5 | 79% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 16 | Mynydd Marian Clwyd | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Quintrell Downs Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Barleythorpe Rutland | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Wymeswold Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Motcombe Dorset | B | 9.5 | 74% | 1.5 | 25% |
| 21 | Marazion Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 80% | 2 | 14% |
| 22 | Seven Sisters West Glamorgan | B | 7 | 82% | 0.5 | 19% |
| 23 | Cwmllynfell and Ystradowen West Glamorgan | B | 4.1 | 79% | 1 | 40% |
| 24 | Holymoorside Derbyshire | B− | 1.1 | 82% | 3.8 | 14% |
| 25 | Burton-in-Kendal Cumbria | B− | 0.6 | 100% | 2.4 | 23% |
| 26 | Narborough Norfolk | B− | 3.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Cockfield County Durham | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 28 | Burwash East Sussex | B− | 1.5 | 76% | 2.5 | 100% |
| 29 | St Merryn Cornwall | B− | 1.9 | 47% | 1.7 | 29% |
| 30 | Helmsley North Yorkshire | B− | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 73% |
| 31 | Mobberley Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Morton Derbyshire | C+ | 18.3 | 66% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Houghton Cambridgeshire | C+ | 2.2 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Littleton Panell Wiltshire | C+ | 5.3 | 39% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Stonnall Staffordshire | C+ | 11.5 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Stoke Gabriel Devon | C+ | 1.2 | 70% | 1.2 | 30% |
| 37 | East Hendred Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 29% | 2.8 | 47% |
| 38 | Harpole Northamptonshire | C | 2.3 | 81% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Ringstead Northamptonshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Winterley Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Moretonhampstead Devon | C | 0.6 | 81% | 1.2 | 100% |
| 42 | Seaton Burn Tyne and Wear | C | 3.3 | 36% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Winkleigh Devon | C | 1.9 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Walkern Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 52% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Cottingham and Middleton Northamptonshire | C− | 12.1 | 53% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Cowbit Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Northborough Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 68% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Ogmore-by-Sea South Glamorgan | C− | 0 | 0% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Butterwick Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Todwick South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Malpas Cheshire | D | 1.6 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | North Cave East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.5 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Staindrop County Durham | D | 1.4 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Longframlington Northumberland | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Bomere Heath Shropshire | D− | 1.8 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Brandesburton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 2.2 | 0% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Claypole Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Kilsby Northamptonshire | D− | 0.5 | 50% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Griston Norfolk | D− | 0.8 | 15% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Cock and End Suffolk | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Cockfield’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 Cockfield
The biggest is Hazelgrove Grounds, 3.2 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Cockfield’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%)
Cockfield81%
Villages its size81%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 450 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The North Pennines National Landscape is 3.5 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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Cockfield scores 0% on it even though the North Pennines National Landscape is 3.5 mi away. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Cockfield
26 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Cockfield and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Cockfield; 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Cockfield: May to September
The village’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 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 54 | 47 | 50 | 44 | 61 | 62 | 70 | 59 | 69 | 68 | 68 |
May is the driest month (44 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 70 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 64 nights a year. The climate in Cockfield →
Things to do
3 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Cockfield is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Shippersea Bay23 mi from Cockfield’s edge
DirectionsHawthorn Hive24 mi from Cockfield’s edge
DirectionsBlast Beach24 mi from Cockfield’s edge
DirectionsNorth Sands25 mi from Cockfield’s edge
DirectionsMiddleton Beach25 mi from Cockfield’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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 3
Plus 3 playgrounds 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.
EvenwoodStaindropToft Hill and High EtherleyWest AucklandGainfordBishop AucklandCockfield
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cockfield | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 0% |
| Evenwood 2.0 mi | C+ | 3.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Staindrop 2.2 mi | D | 1.4 | 82% | 0% |
| Toft Hill and High Etherley 3.5 mi | C− | 2.5 | 83% | 0% |
| West Auckland 3.6 mi | C− | 1.1 | 91% | 0% |
| Gainford 5.3 mi | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Bishop Auckland 5.7 mi | B− | 2.7 | 85% | 0% |
Cockfield grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Cockfield
What is the biggest park in Cockfield?
Hazelgrove Grounds, 3.2 ha (8 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Cockfield near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 12 mi south-west of the village’s edge. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the North Pennines National Landscape, 3.5 mi away.
What is the nearest beach to Cockfield?
Shippersea Bay, 23 mi from the edge of the village, then Hawthorn Hive (24 mi). Cockfield itself is inland.
How many people in Cockfield 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 Cockfield?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Cockfield 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 55% (2.3 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 Cockfield’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Cockfield’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.