Durham’s biggest
Holliday Park
Park or garden · 40 m outside town
7.3 ha (18 acres)1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.9 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0COutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Durham · parks, paths & countryside
Durham has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
302 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 6.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Durham add up to 1.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 68% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Durham grades C for the outdoors: #38 of 52 in County Durham. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
68%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
302 km
6.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North Pennines National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Durham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths6.0 km of path per km², more than 97% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Hills with a view14 mapped viewpoints, about 8× as many per resident as the typical town its size.Less park per person1.1 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Durham’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its views. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Durham grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Durham, 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 29% of UK towns#38 of 52 in County Durham · 54th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
14out of
100
100
A park within a walk68%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
28out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths6.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
97out 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
Durham is 54th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 44,300 to 57,600 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
Durham6.0
Towns its size3.5
County Durham towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Durham1.1
Towns its size2.3
County Durham towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Durham68%
Towns its size83%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Durham stands out most for path per km²: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 57 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Havant Hampshire | A+ | 3.6 | 84% | 5.8 | 30% |
| 3 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 4 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 5 | Salisbury Wiltshire | A | 2.7 | 94% | 3.9 | 22% |
| 6 | Wrexham Clwyd | A | 3.8 | 92% | 3.9 | 2% |
| 7 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 9 | Wallsend Tyne and Wear | A | 6 | 93% | 5.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 11 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Bletchley Buckinghamshire | A | 4.1 | 91% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Eastleigh Hampshire | A− | 3 | 76% | 4.9 | 17% |
| 14 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 15 | Crosby Merseyside | A− | 4.6 | 89% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 17 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 18 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 22 | West Molesey Surrey | B+ | 4.4 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Bridgwater Somerset | B+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3.7 | 2% |
| 26 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 27 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Batley West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.7 | 94% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Cwmbrân Gwent | B+ | 2.1 | 84% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 30 | Middleton Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.5 | 80% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Wokingham Berkshire | B | 4 | 84% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 33 | Leigh Greater Manchester | B | 5.3 | 77% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 35 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 37 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 38 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Castleford West Yorkshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Oldbury West Midlands | B− | 3 | 68% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Tipton West Midlands | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Hinckley Leicestershire | C+ | 1.8 | 87% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 50 | King's Lynn Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 51 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Kirkby Merseyside | C | 2.2 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Grays Essex | C | 1.2 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Durham County Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 6 | 0% |
| 55 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 56 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Boston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Kidderminster Worcestershire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Grantham Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Durham’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 Durham
The biggest is Holliday Park, 7.3 ha (18 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 17 ha (41 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 15 haPlaying fields 2.0 ha
The two biggest, Holliday Park and Wharton Park, are 74% of the named green space and carry 4 km of path between them.
Wharton Park
Park or garden
5.1 ha (12 acres)1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Broompark Picnic Area
Park or garden · 380 m outside town
2.2 ha (5 acres)0.2 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.9 mi south-westfrom the centre
Picnic site
Directionsto the nearest entrance
King George's Field
Playing field
2.0 ha (5 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Flass Well
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
0.7 mi westfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Durham 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 (68%)Further (32%)
Durham68%
Towns its size83%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
About 16,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 53 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 953 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The North Pennines National Landscape is 9.4 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
19 waymarked walks pass through or near Durham
302 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Durham and the kilometre around it, 6.0 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
Weardale Way17.0 km
Small Pilgrim Places14.2 km
H100 - Witton Gilbert10.2 km
Heritage 100 - Bearpark10.0 km
Way of Learning8.0 km
Cuddy's Corse8.0 km
Way of Light7.9 km
Finchale Camino Inglés (Durham to Escomb)7.7 km
Way of Love6.9 km
Yellow Clover Leaf Walk6.2 km
H100 - Newton Hall & Brasside5.9 km
Purple Clover Leaf Walk5.0 km
Battle of Neville's Cross4.1 km
Houghall Discovery Trail4.0 km
Riverside Trail3.5 km
Sulphur and Salt Trail2.5 km
Plus 3 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Small Pilgrim Places has 14 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 5 regional routes pass through, including the Weardale Way, Way of Learning, Way of Light and Finchale Camino Inglés (Durham to Escomb).
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 Durham: 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 | 7.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 48 | 43 | 52 | 47 | 65 | 62 | 69 | 58 | 66 | 76 | 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 76 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 50 nights a year. The climate in Durham →
Things to do
14 viewpoints, 53 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.
14Viewpoints7.6× towns its size7Hills and peaks4.6× towns its size1Waterfalls2Nature reserves9Picnic sites8.4× towns its size53Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size2Campsites6Slipways
The nearest beaches
Durham is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Blast Beach8.0 mi from Durham’s edge
DirectionsHawthorn Hive8.1 mi from Durham’s edge
DirectionsShippersea Bay8.1 mi from Durham’s edge
DirectionsHendon Beach8.9 mi from Durham’s edge
DirectionsShingles13 mi from Durham’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
Viewpoints 14
Observatory Hillin town
DirectionsView of Cathedral, Mill and weirin town
DirectionsViewing galleryin town
DirectionsPlus 11 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 7
Elvet Hillin town
DirectionsThe Moundin town
DirectionsHangman's Hill0.0 mi from town
DirectionsMountjoy0.0 mi from town
DirectionsWhinney Hill0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPinnock Hill0.1 mi from town
DirectionsBroom Hill0.2 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Sherburn Road nature area0.6 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsThe Ponderosa3.9 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 9
Broompark Picnic Area0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 8 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 53
Allergate play areain town
DirectionsLaurelsParkin town
DirectionsMoorfield Play Areain town
DirectionsThe Avenue Playing Fieldin town
DirectionsThe Chains Play Areain town
DirectionsToddler Playgroundin town
DirectionsWakenshaw Road Play Areain town
DirectionsPlus 46 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 6
Plus 6 slipways 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.
High ShincliffeSherburnUshaw Moor and BearparkBrandonHigh PittingtonNew BrancepethDurham
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 0% |
| High Shincliffe 2.2 mi | B− | 0.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Sherburn 2.5 mi | D | 0.2 | 0% | 0% |
| Ushaw Moor and Bearpark 2.7 mi | C+ | 1.6 | 82% | 0% |
| Brandon 3.1 mi | C+ | 2.2 | 72% | 0% |
| High Pittington 3.3 mi | B | 1.6 | 100% | 0% |
| New Brancepeth 3.3 mi | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0% |
New Brancepeth, 3.3 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Brandon and New Brancepeth have at least twice Durham’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Durham
What is the biggest park in Durham?
Holliday Park, 7.3 ha (18 acres), with 1.8 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Wharton Park (5.1 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Durham near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the North Pennines National Landscape, 9.4 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,985 km² and was designated in 1988.
What are the best walks near Durham?
19 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Weardale Way, Small Pilgrim Places and H100 - Witton Gilbert.
What is the nearest beach to Durham?
Blast Beach, 8.0 mi from the edge of the town, then Hawthorn Hive (8.1 mi). Durham itself is inland.
How many people in Durham 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 Durham?
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 Durham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 6.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 97% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 14% (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 Durham’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Durham’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.