Crook’s biggest
Glenholme Park
Park or garden
3.8 ha (9 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Crook
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Crook · parks, paths & countryside
85% of Crook’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The North Pennines National Landscape begins 3.4 mi from the town’s edge. 50 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.5 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Crook add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Crook grades C+ for the outdoors: #33 of 52 in County Durham. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
85%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
50 km
3.5 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 3.4 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Crook?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside close byThe North Pennines National Landscape starts 3.4 mi north-west.Less park per person1.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Crook’s strongest suit is the North Pennines National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Crook grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Crook, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C+
Better than 37% of UK towns#33 of 52 in County Durham · 45th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
29out of
100
100
A park within a walk85%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
56out 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
Footpaths3.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
70out 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.
Towns its size
Crook is 45th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 9,100 to 10,300 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
Crook3.5
Towns its size3.2
County Durham towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Crook1.5
Towns its size2.5
County Durham towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Crook85%
Towns its size86%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
Crook falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 47 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caldicot Gwent | A+ | 4.2 | 92% | 3 | 2% |
| 2 | Brynteg Clwyd | A | 8.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 3 | Ilfracombe Devon | A | 2 | 86% | 3 | 28% |
| 4 | Bordon Hampshire | A | 8.6 | 54% | 6.7 | 49% |
| 5 | Linthwaite and Slaithwaite West Yorkshire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 6 | New Mills Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 84% | 5.1 | 34% |
| 7 | Beccles Suffolk | A | 4.5 | 87% | 3.2 | 20% |
| 8 | South Merstham Surrey | A | 3.7 | 84% | 3.7 | 20% |
| 9 | Nuthall and Watnall Nottinghamshire | A | 6.3 | 97% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Bradford-on-Avon Wiltshire | A | 2.8 | 88% | 3.7 | 21% |
| 11 | Southborough Kent | A− | 2.8 | 94% | 2.5 | 57% |
| 12 | Whiteley Hampshire | A− | 3 | 52% | 4.4 | 2% |
| 13 | Thurmaston Leicestershire | A− | 10.4 | 89% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Esher Surrey | A− | 6.9 | 86% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Shelf and Northowram West Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 88% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Kings Hill Kent | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 17 | Padiham Lancashire | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 4.5 | 18% |
| 18 | Bingham Nottinghamshire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Aveley Essex | A− | 3.4 | 84% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Irthlingborough Northamptonshire | A− | 4.7 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 22 | Yarm North Yorkshire | A− | 3.3 | 96% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Corfe Mullen Dorset | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 3.5 | 13% |
| 24 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 25 | Sandiacre Derbyshire | B+ | 2.6 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Shildon County Durham | B | 2.8 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Pontllanfraith Gwent | B | 3.7 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Ludlow Shropshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 29 | North Wingfield and Holmewood Derbyshire | B | 2.7 | 84% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Queensbury West Yorkshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Tiptree Essex | B | 2.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Immingham Lincolnshire | B | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Perton Staffordshire | B | 2.4 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Pembroke Dock Dyfed | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 1.1 | 25% |
| 35 | Yaxley Cambridgeshire | B− | 2.6 | 90% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Caernarfon Gwynedd | B− | 1.7 | 83% | 1.4 | 14% |
| 37 | Horbury West Yorkshire | B− | 2.5 | 75% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Mildenhall Suffolk | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Radstock Somerset | B− | 1.1 | 93% | 2.9 | 1% |
| 40 | Knottingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Whitchurch Shropshire | B− | 2.7 | 86% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Mold Clwyd | C+ | 1.9 | 86% | 1.6 | 17% |
| 43 | Brandon County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Crook County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Lydney Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.1 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Diss Norfolk | C | 1.5 | 80% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Milnrow Greater Manchester | C | 2.9 | 58% | 3 | 0% |
| 50 | Barnham West Sussex | C | 1.3 | 70% | 2.3 | 32% |
| 51 | Shepton Mallet Somerset | C | 1.2 | 70% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 52 | Totnes Devon | C | 0.4 | 65% | 3.3 | 11% |
| 53 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Polegate East Sussex | C− | 0.8 | 64% | 2.2 | 24% |
| 55 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Broughton Astley Leicestershire | D | 1 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Brandon Suffolk | D | 0.8 | 39% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Pocklington East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Pheasey West Midlands | D− | 0.9 | 40% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 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 Crook’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 Crook
The biggest is Glenholme Park, 3.8 ha (9 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Crook’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 (85%)Further (15%)
Crook85%
Towns its size86%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
About 1,500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 694 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The North Pennines National Landscape is 3.4 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 Crook scores 0% on it even though the North Pennines National Landscape is 3.4 mi away.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Crook
50 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Crook and the kilometre around it, 3.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Crook; 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 Crook: 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) | 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) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 54 | 48 | 55 | 46 | 66 | 62 | 71 | 64 | 70 | 74 | 71 |
May is the driest month (46 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 74 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 58 nights a year. The climate in Crook →
Things to do
14 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
Crook is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Shippersea Bay18 mi from Crook’s edge
DirectionsHawthorn Hive18 mi from Crook’s edge
DirectionsBlast Beach18 mi from Crook’s edge
DirectionsShingles18 mi from Crook’s edge
DirectionsShingle Beach18 mi from Crook’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.
Up high. Billy Hill, at 310 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Crook.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Billy Hill310 m (1,017 ft) · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Billy RowWillingtonTow LawToft Hill and High EtherleyEsh WinningBishop AucklandCrook
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crook | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 0% |
| Billy Row 1.7 mi | B | 2.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Willington 2.3 mi | B+ | 4.7 | 95% | 0% |
| Tow Law 3.6 mi | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 21% |
| Toft Hill and High Etherley 4.2 mi | C− | 2.5 | 83% | 0% |
| Esh Winning 4.5 mi | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 0% |
| Bishop Auckland 4.9 mi | B− | 2.7 | 85% | 0% |
Esh Winning, 4.5 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Willington, Tow Law and Esh Winning have at least twice Crook’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Crook
What is the biggest park in Crook?
Glenholme Park, 3.8 ha (9 acres), with 1.1 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Crook near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the North Pennines National Landscape, 3.4 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,985 km² and was designated in 1988.
What is the nearest beach to Crook?
Shippersea Bay, 18 mi from the edge of the town, then Hawthorn Hive (18 mi). Crook itself is inland.
How many people in Crook live near a park?
85% 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 Crook?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Crook good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 70% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 29% (1.5 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 Crook’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Crook’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.