Hartlepool’s biggest
Summerhill Country Park
Park or garden
38 ha (95 acres)4.9 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.9 km of path
54 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi south-westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Hartlepool · parks, paths & countryside
Hartlepool is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 38% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 214 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.3 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Hartlepool add up to 1.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Hartlepool grades B− for the outdoors: #22 of 52 in County Durham. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
73%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
214 km
3.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North York Moors National Park
The sea
38%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Hartlepool?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast38% of the area within 5 km is sea; 14 beaches mapped.Hills with a view5 mapped viewpoints, about 3× as many per resident as the typical town its size.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.Less park per person1.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Hartlepool’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by its views. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Hartlepool grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Hartlepool, 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 54% of UK towns#22 of 52 in County Durham · 37th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
36out of
100
100
A park within a walk73%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
35out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
65out of
100
100
The sea38%of the area within 5 km
95out 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
Hartlepool is 37th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 70,100 to 109,900 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
Hartlepool3.3
Towns its size3.8
County Durham towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Hartlepool1.7
Towns its size2.5
County Durham towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Hartlepool73%
Towns its size86%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
Hartlepool falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 49 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hastings East Sussex | A+ | 3.1 | 76% | 4.3 | 42% |
| 2 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 3 | Gillingham Kent | A | 1.6 | 86% | 5.3 | 23% |
| 4 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 5 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 6 | Eastbourne East Sussex | A | 2 | 75% | 4.3 | 23% |
| 7 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 8 | Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire | A | 3 | 95% | 3.6 | 18% |
| 9 | Bath Somerset | A | 1.8 | 89% | 5.6 | 50% |
| 10 | Harlow Essex | A | 3.7 | 99% | 8.2 | 0% |
| 11 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 13 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 15 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 16 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 17 | Stevenage Hertfordshire | A− | 3 | 98% | 7.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 20 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 21 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 22 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 24 | Maidstone Kent | A− | 2.9 | 81% | 3.5 | 20% |
| 25 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Bedford Bedfordshire | B+ | 4.2 | 88% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Wakefield West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.9 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 28 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 29 | Birkenhead Merseyside | B+ | 3.1 | 71% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Salford Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 91% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Wythenshawe Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 84% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 32 | St Helens Merseyside | B | 3.4 | 91% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Wallasey Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 90% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Preston Lancashire | B | 3 | 80% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 37 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 38 | Nuneaton Warwickshire | B− | 2.3 | 94% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 41 | West Bromwich West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 83% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 43 | Halifax West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 46 | Royal Sutton Coldfield West Midlands | B− | 6.1 | 64% | 3 | 0% |
| 47 | Lincoln Lincolnshire | B− | 2.5 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 2 | 83% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Woking Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Shrewsbury Shropshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 52 | Darlington County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Worcester Worcestershire | C | 1.5 | 77% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Solihull West Midlands | C | 2.9 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Chester Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Southport Merseyside | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Hartlepool’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 Hartlepool
The biggest is Summerhill Country Park, 38 ha (95 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 15 named parks by size: 91 ha (225 acres) and 17 km of path
Parks & gardens 67 haPlaying fields 24 ha
The two biggest, Summerhill Country Park and Burn Valley Gardens, are 53% of the named green space and carry 8 km of path between them. 6 of the 15 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Burn Valley Gardens
Park or garden
10 ha (25 acres)3.5 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.5 km of path
14 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hartlepool
Burn Valley
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Ward Jackson Park
Park or garden
6.9 ha (17 acres)2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi westfrom the centre
Playground 5 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Green
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2 mi south-eastfrom the centre
5 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rift House Recreation Ground
Playing field
11 ha (28 acres)
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rossmere Park
Park or garden
4.3 ha (11 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Seaton Carew Park
Playing field
3.5 ha (9 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.1 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Town Moor
Playing field
3.0 ha (7 acres)0.4 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.1 mi north-eastfrom the centre
2 playgrounds 1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 15 named parks and green spaces
Summerhill Country ParkPark or garden · 38 ha · 4.9 km of path
DirectionsBurn Valley GardensPark or garden · 10 ha · 3.5 km of path
DirectionsWard Jackson ParkPark or garden · 6.9 ha · 2.9 km of path
DirectionsThe GreenPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsRift House Recreation GroundPlaying field · 11 ha
DirectionsRossmere ParkPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 1.0 km of path
DirectionsSeaton Carew ParkPlaying field · 3.5 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsTown MoorPlaying field · 3.0 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsMiddlewarren PlaygroundPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsMayfield ParkPlaying field · 2.8 ha
DirectionsFriarage FieldPlaying field · 1.9 ha
DirectionsNew FriaragePlaying field · 2.0 ha
DirectionsCroft GardensPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsRedheugh GardensPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsBowes GreenPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsClose to home
7 in 10 Hartlepool 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 (73%)Further (27%)
Hartlepool73%
Towns its size86%
County Durham towns88%
All UK towns83%
About 24,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 37 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 2,378 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The North York Moors National Park is 7.8 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
North York Moors National Park covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Hartlepool is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
214 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Hartlepool and the kilometre around it, 3.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
King Charles III England Coast Path: North Gare to South Bents19.4 km
Three Villages Native Tree Walk15.6 km
Way of Love11.3 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Newport Bridge to North Gare6.5 km
Hartlepool Headland Story Trail4.3 km
Durham Coastal Path2.9 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Hartlepool. Close to home, the Three Villages Native Tree Walk has 16 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Way of Love.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Hartlepool
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Hartlepool’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Ward Jackson Park
6.9 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 5 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstand Bandstand in Ward Jackson ParkIIClock Tower Clock Tower in Ward Jackson ParkIIFountain Fountain in Ward Jackson ParkIIPark Lodge Park Lodge at Entrance to Ward Jackson Park Park Lodge at South East Entrance to Ward Jackson ParkIISouth African War Memorial in Ward Jackson Park
Listed buildings insideThe GreenBus Station, K6 Telephone Kiosk 12 Metres South of Number 3 and Seaton Carew War Memorial and 2 more
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 Hartlepool: 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) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 43 | 41 | 35 | 43 | 40 | 56 | 57 | 62 | 48 | 59 | 67 | 54 |
March is the driest month (35 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 67 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 24 nights a year. The climate in Hartlepool →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Hartlepool
38% of the area within 5 km of Hartlepool is sea. 14 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 5 with a name.
Block SandsIn town
DirectionsFish Sands0.0 mi from town
DirectionsMiddleton Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsNorth Sands0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCoatham Sands2.6 mi from town
DirectionsThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
5 viewpoints and 37 playgrounds
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.
5Viewpoints2.7× towns its size1Waterfalls1Nature reserves37Playgrounds0.5× towns its size1Dog parks1Campsites4Slipways10× towns its size
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 5
Plus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Spion Cop Cemetery Local Nature Reserve2.9 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 37
Children's Play Areain town
DirectionsQuarry Farmin town
DirectionsSeaton Seafront Playgroundin town
DirectionsTown Moor Playgroundin town
DirectionsTunstall Farm play areain town
DirectionsWard Jackson Park Playgroundin town
DirectionsSummerhill High Ropes Course0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 30 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Crimdon House Farm0.1 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.
Blackhall CollieryBillinghamWynyardHordenWingatePeterleeHartlepool
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartlepool | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 0% |
| Blackhall Colliery 5.0 mi | B | 1.1 | 95% | 0% |
| Billingham 5.5 mi | B | 4.7 | 86% | 0% |
| Wynyard 5.9 mi | C | 10.7 | 64% | 0% |
| Horden 6.6 mi | A− | 2.1 | 82% | 0% |
| Wingate 6.8 mi | D− | 1.0 | 64% | 0% |
| Peterlee 7.0 mi | A− | 2.3 | 85% | 0% |
Peterlee, 7 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 85% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Billingham and Wynyard have at least twice Hartlepool’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Hartlepool
What is the biggest park in Hartlepool?
Summerhill Country Park, 38 ha (95 acres), with 4.9 km of path. Burn Valley Gardens (10 ha) is second. 15 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Hartlepool near a National Park?
Yes. North York Moors National Park begins 7.8 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
What are the best walks near Hartlepool?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: North Gare to South Bents, Three Villages Native Tree Walk and Way of Love. Summerhill Country Park alone has 4.9 km of path.
How many people in Hartlepool live near a park?
73% 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 Hartlepool?
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 Hartlepool are historic?
Ward Jackson Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Hartlepool good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 65% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 36% (1.7 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 Hartlepool’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Hartlepool’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.