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Parish Church of St.John's, New SeahamSeaham, #1 on this list · Photo: Matthew Hatton · CC BY-SA 2.0
County Durham rankings · Outdoors

Best towns for the outdoors in County Durham

Seaham ranks first on outdoors among County Durham’s 52 towns of 2,500+; 7 of the 52 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

#1

Seaham

21,660 people
A

Better than 88% of UK towns·#265 of 2,156 in England and Wales

#2

Easington

6,968 people
A−

Better than 84% of UK towns·#354 of 2,156 in England and Wales

#3

Barnard Castle

5,783 people
A−

Better than 83% of UK towns·#397 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 52 towns, ranked

Outdoors grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in County Durham →

52 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns
1Seaham21,660 peopleA#265 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns
2Easington6,968 peopleA−#354 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns
3Barnard Castle5,783 peopleA−#397 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns
4Peterlee19,750 peopleA−#418 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns
5Horden6,805 peopleA−#427 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns
6Esh Winning3,877 peopleA−#527 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 78% of UK towns
7Egglescliffe10,250 peopleA−#529 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 78% of UK towns
8Annfield Plain7,786 peopleB+#640 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 73% of UK towns
9Thornley2,543 peopleB+#697 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns
10Witton Gilbert2,525 peopleB+#728 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns
11Willington5,685 peopleB+#732 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns
T12South Hetton2,877 peopleB+#805 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns
T12Wheatley Hill3,148 peopleB+#805 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns
14Consett29,874 peopleB#866 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 64% of UK towns
15Newton Aycliffe25,760 peopleB#877 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 64% of UK towns
16Dipton2,653 peopleB#883 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns
17Shildon9,650 peopleB#885 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns
18Billingham33,917 peopleB#905 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns
19Blackhall Colliery4,577 peopleB#1,002 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns
20Sedgefield4,979 peopleB#1,007 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns
21Stanley19,423 peopleB#1,022 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns
22Hartlepool88,001 peopleB−#1,097 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 54% of UK towns
23Coundon and Leeholme2,522 peopleB−#1,203 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns
24Bishop Auckland23,359 peopleB−#1,298 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns
25Ushaw Moor and Bearpark6,483 peopleC+#1,306 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns
26Chester-le-Street23,554 peopleC+#1,312 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns
27Hurworth-on-Tees2,667 peopleC+#1,365 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 42% of UK towns
28Stockton-on-Tees84,824 peopleC+#1,397 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns
29Sacriston5,186 peopleC+#1,428 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
30Great Lumley3,627 peopleC+#1,431 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
31Pelton and Ouston7,305 peopleC+#1,439 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
32Brandon9,508 peopleC+#1,445 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns
33Crook9,717 peopleC+#1,482 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns
34Murton7,239 peopleC+#1,484 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns
35Leadgate3,339 peopleC+#1,498 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
36Spennymoor20,401 peopleC+#1,507 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
37Darlington93,022 peopleC+#1,508 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
38Durham50,502 peopleC#1,634 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns
39Langley Park4,031 peopleC#1,641 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns
40Trimdon2,835 peopleC#1,642 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns
41Bowburn4,843 peopleC#1,648 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns
42Coxhoe4,542 peopleC#1,680 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns
43Wynyard4,040 peopleC#1,699 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns
44Ferryhill8,857 peopleC−#1,788 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 22% of UK towns
45Middleton St George4,756 peopleC−#1,822 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns
46West Auckland3,107 peopleC−#1,839 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns
47Burnopfield2,998 peopleC−#1,896 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns
48Lanchester3,510 peopleD#2,003 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 11% of UK towns
49Sherburn2,796 peopleD#2,015 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns
50Wingate5,033 peopleD−#2,117 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns
51Chilton4,693 peopleD−#2,120 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns
52Shotton Colliery4,943 peopleD−#2,141 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 2% of UK towns
Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in County Durham is best for the outdoors?

Seaham ranks first on outdoors among 52 towns, with an A: better than 88% of UK towns. Easington and Barnard Castle follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers County Durham’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in County Durham is on the county page.

Go deeper

More County Durham lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All County Durham rankings →
Best places to live52 towns · #1 EgglescliffeBest small towns38 towns · #1 SedgefieldMost affordable towns52 towns · #1 Stockton-on-TeesSafest towns52 towns · #1 WynyardTowns with the best schools52 towns · #1 Barnard CastleHealthiest towns52 towns · #1 WynyardBest towns for jobs & income52 towns · #1 WynyardMost walkable towns52 towns · #1 Barnard CastleTowns with the lowest flood risk52 towns · #1 Blackhall Colliery and 23 moreMost historic towns52 towns · #1 Barnard CastleTowns with the most civic life52 towns · #1 Barnard CastleTowns with the highest household incomes52 towns · #1 WynyardDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest council tax52 towns · #1 DarlingtonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters52 towns · #1 Horden and SeahamDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers52 towns · #1 Stockton-on-TeesDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers52 towns · #1 Consett and LeadgateDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts52 towns · #1 HartlepoolDescribed, no lettersDriest towns52 towns · #1 Hartlepool and HordenDescribed, no lettersWettest towns52 towns · #1 Esh WinningDescribed, no letters
County by county

Best towns for the outdoors, county by county

BedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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.