Photo: Roger Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in High Shincliffe lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Footpaths add up to 30 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 4.6 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in High Shincliffe add up to 0.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. High Shincliffe grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is High Shincliffe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
High Shincliffe’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
High Shincliffe grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is High Shincliffe, 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.
High Shincliffe is 28th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, High Shincliffe stands out most for path per km²: only 3 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 54 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grove Dorset | A+ | 6 | 100% | 8.7 | 0% |
| 2 | Lizard Cornwall | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 3 | Uplyme Devon | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 61% |
| 4 | East Challow Oxfordshire | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 5 | Blagdon Somerset | A | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 62% |
| 6 | Colney Heath Hertfordshire | A | 8.7 | 100% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Abingworth West Sussex | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 27% |
| 8 | Newnham Gloucestershire | A | 4.2 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Bellingham Northumberland | A | 8.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 57% |
| 10 | Aberaeron Dyfed | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 11 | Shorne Kent | A | 28.3 | 23% | 3.4 | 24% |
| 12 | Silverdale Lancashire | A | 2.3 | 46% | 3.9 | 76% |
| 13 | Misterton Somerset | A | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 14 | North Curry Somerset | A | 6.2 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Godshill Isle of Wight | A | 2.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 53% |
| 16 | Chedgrave Norfolk | A− | 3 | 100% | 1.7 | 26% |
| 17 | Ardleigh Essex | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.5 | 21% |
| 18 | Hyde Heath Buckinghamshire | B+ | 5.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 81% |
| 19 | Llangynidr Powys | B+ | 2.4 | 65% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 20 | Crowlas Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 73% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 21 | Loddiswell Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 22 | Five Ash Down East Sussex | B+ | 2.8 | 0% | 4.1 | 43% |
| 23 | Avening Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 97% |
| 24 | Morchard Bishop Devon | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Flamstead Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 82% | 2.7 | 33% |
| 26 | Llanymynech Shropshire | B | 2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Minley Hampshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 28 | High Shincliffe County Durham | B− | 0.5 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 29 | King's Bromley Staffordshire | B− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Carleton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | C+ | 0.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 10% |
| 31 | St Newlyn East Cornwall | C+ | 3 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Little Waltham Essex | C+ | 2.3 | 63% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Weston Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1 | 4% |
| 34 | Simister Greater Manchester | C | 16.6 | 0% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 35 | Warmington Northamptonshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 36 | Little Melton Norfolk | C | 4.2 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 37 | Hilton Cambridgeshire | C | 6.8 | 70% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Huby (Hambleton) North Yorkshire | C | 2.4 | 75% | 1.5 | 2% |
| 39 | Upper Bucklebury Berkshire | C | 0.1 | 0% | 4 | 48% |
| 40 | Elswick Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Freethorpe Norfolk | C− | 2.3 | 26% | 0.7 | 61% |
| 42 | Kimbolton Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Ansley Warwickshire | C− | 1.8 | 64% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Ewyas Harold Herefordshire | C− | 2.1 | 55% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Hoylandswaine South Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Marchwiel Clwyd | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 47 | Castle Hedingham Essex | C− | 1.7 | 52% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | C− | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Surfleet Lincolnshire | C− | 4.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Scole Norfolk | C− | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 51 | New Quay Dyfed | D | 1.2 | 30% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Skidby East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.8 | 56% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Snitterfield Warwickshire | D | 2.4 | 63% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Hevingham Norfolk | D | 1.8 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Waltham on the Wolds Leicestershire | D | 2 | 23% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Horsham St Faith Norfolk | D | 0.9 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Henham Essex | D | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Methwold Norfolk | D− | 1.8 | 61% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Wainfleet St Mary Lincolnshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Ranby Nottinghamshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.8 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is High Shincliffe’s built-up area.
How close High Shincliffe’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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 7 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 149 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.
6 waymarked walks pass through or near High Shincliffe
30 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in High Shincliffe and the kilometre around it, 4.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
3 regional routes pass through, including the Way of Love, Weardale Way 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.
The best walking months in High Shincliffe: 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 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 16.8 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 7.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 46 | 43 | 51 | 45 | 61 | 61 | 66 | 56 | 64 | 73 | 62 |
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 73 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 57 nights a year. The climate in High Shincliffe →
3 viewpoints, 7 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
High Shincliffe is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Slipways 2
Plus 2 slipways 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.
High Pittington, 3.3 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Bowburn, Durham and Coxhoe have at least twice High Shincliffe’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in High Shincliffe
Is High Shincliffe near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the North Pennines National Landscape, 12 mi west of the village’s edge. It covers 1,985 km² and was designated in 1988.
What are the best walks near High Shincliffe?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Way of Love, Weardale Way and Houghall Discovery Trail.
What is the nearest beach to High Shincliffe?
Shippersea Bay, 9.4 mi from the edge of the village, then Hawthorn Hive (9.5 mi). High Shincliffe itself is inland.
How many people in High Shincliffe live near a park?
100% 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 High Shincliffe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is High Shincliffe good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 90% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 4% (0.5 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 High Shincliffe’s overall grade.
Where High Shincliffe’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.