Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0Startforth has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Startforth add up to 6.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 40 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 4.3 for every square kilometre. The North Pennines National Landscape begins 2.4 mi from the village’s edge. Startforth grades A for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Startforth?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Startforth’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Startforth grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Startforth, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
100
100
100
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.
Startforth is 11th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Startforth stands out most for park space per resident: only 7 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 37 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dwygyfylchi Clwyd | A+ | 3.2 | 83% | 4.3 | 28% |
| 2 | Tatsfield Surrey | A+ | 7.5 | 100% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 3 | Troon Cornwall | A+ | 6.2 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 4 | Kingswood Gloucestershire | A | 2.1 | 100% | 3.7 | 45% |
| 5 | Tir-y-berth and Glan-y-nant Gwent | A | 22.1 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 6 | Chilton Oxfordshire | A | 5.4 | 88% | 2.8 | 70% |
| 7 | Cromford Derbyshire | A | 1.8 | 100% | 6.6 | 12% |
| 8 | Cowfold West Sussex | A | 2.6 | 100% | 3.6 | 15% |
| 9 | Gomshall Surrey | A | 1.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 87% |
| 10 | West Horsley Surrey | A | 3 | 74% | 5.2 | 40% |
| 11 | Startforth County Durham | A | 6 | 78% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 12 | Maresfield East Sussex | A | 2.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 13 | Sherston Wiltshire | A | 3.7 | 100% | 1.4 | 75% |
| 14 | Sherfield on Loddon Hampshire | A− | 8.3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Weston Rhyn Shropshire | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 10% |
| 16 | Distington Cumbria | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Wharncliffe Side South Yorkshire | A− | 3.3 | 47% | 6.4 | 22% |
| 18 | Bradwell Derbyshire | A− | 1.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 19 | Carway Dyfed | B+ | 17 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Appleton Thorn Cheshire | B+ | 5.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 21 | Handcross West Sussex | B | 9.6 | 58% | 1.9 | 87% |
| 22 | Barrow Lancashire | B | 0.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 27% |
| 23 | Trevor Clwyd | B | 2 | 60% | 3.5 | 55% |
| 24 | Woolmer Green Hertfordshire | B | 1.3 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 25 | Bentley Hampshire | B | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 22% |
| 26 | Cefn Cribwr Mid Glamorgan | B | 6.5 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Sampford Peverell Devon | B− | 3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 28 | Warkworth Northumberland | B− | 1.8 | 76% | 1.3 | 9% |
| 29 | Kingswood Kent | B− | 3.8 | 23% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 30 | Clwt-y-bont Gwynedd | B− | 0.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 19% |
| 31 | Steeple Bumpstead Essex | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Trub Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Houghton Cambridgeshire | C+ | 2.2 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Pilning Gloucestershire | C+ | 2 | 54% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Launton Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 36 | Thorner West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Benenden Kent | C | 2 | 57% | 1.7 | 83% |
| 38 | Great Waldingfield Suffolk | C | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Great Bardfield Essex | C | 2 | 81% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Brailsford Derbyshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Ringstead Northamptonshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Slip End Bedfordshire | C | 1.9 | 22% | 2.3 | 28% |
| 43 | Tickton East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 2 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Winterley Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 45 | Chelford Cheshire | C | 1.8 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Easebourne West Sussex | C | 0.4 | 0% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 47 | Blunham Bedfordshire | C | 2.2 | 77% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Offord D'Arcy and Offord Cluny Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.7 | 78% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Penperlleni Gwent | C− | 0.6 | 80% | 1.7 | 17% |
| 50 | Newton St Loe Somerset | C− | 0 | 0% | 3.5 | 17% |
| 51 | Penrhyn-coch Dyfed | D | 0.7 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Hawley Kent | D | 0.7 | 24% | 2.8 | 3% |
| 53 | Perham Down Wiltshire | D | 0.8 | 42% | 2.2 | 17% |
| 54 | Billingborough Lincolnshire | D | 2.4 | 45% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Skelton (York) North Yorkshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Meon Vale Warwickshire | D | 0.4 | 50% | 1.4 | 19% |
| 57 | Stillington County Durham | D | 1.4 | 77% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Friday Bridge Cambridgeshire | D− | 1 | 79% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Woodmansey East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Langham Rutland | D− | 0.3 | 23% | 1.3 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Startforth’s built-up area.
8 in 10 Startforth 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).
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 12 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 116 residents.
North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales both start about 5 miles from Startforth
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.
North Pennines
4% of the land within 5 km of Startforth is National Park or National Landscape, more than 67% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Startforth
40 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Startforth and the kilometre around it, 4.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the Teesdale Way (Middleton in Teesdale to Middlesbrough) and Alternatives in Teesdale Way (Middleton in Teesdale to Middlesbrough).
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 Startforth: June 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 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 79 | 73 | 62 | 54 | 50 | 64 | 62 | 71 | 64 | 79 | 84 | 93 |
May is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 93 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 64 nights a year. The climate in Startforth →
2 viewpoints and 12 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Picnic sites 4
Plus 4 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 12
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Startforth | A | 6.0 | 78% | 4% |
| Barnard Castle 0.7 mi | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 1% |
| Staindrop 5.8 mi | D | 1.4 | 82% | 0% |
| Cockfield 7.0 mi | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 0% |
| Gainford 7.9 mi | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Evenwood 8.9 mi | C+ | 3.4 | 100% | 0% |
| West Auckland 10.5 mi | C− | 1.1 | 91% | 0% |
Startforth grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Startforth
Is Startforth near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 5.4 mi south-west of the village’s edge. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the North Pennines National Landscape, 2.4 mi away.
What are the best walks near Startforth?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Teesdale Way (Middleton in Teesdale to Middlesbrough) and Alternatives in Teesdale Way (Middleton in Teesdale to Middlesbrough).
How many people in Startforth live near a park?
78% 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 Startforth?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Startforth good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 86% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 91% (6.0 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 Startforth’s overall grade.
Where Startforth’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.