Photo: Tim Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0Alston is inside the North Pennines National Landscape
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 100% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Alston add up to 5.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Alston grades A for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Alston?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Alston’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by parks close to every home.
Alston grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Alston, 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.
Alston is 6th 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, Alston stands out most for park space per resident: only 7 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giggleswick North Yorkshire | A+ | 14.2 | 100% | 4.1 | 75% |
| 2 | Lympne Kent | A+ | 4 | 100% | 2.7 | 34% |
| 3 | Frampton on Severn Gloucestershire | A+ | 11 | 100% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 4 | Bromham Wiltshire | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 5 | Colney Heath Hertfordshire | A | 8.7 | 100% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 6 | Alston Cumbria | A | 5.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 100% |
| 7 | Heather Leicestershire | A | 16.9 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Blockley Gloucestershire | A | 2.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 86% |
| 9 | Silverdale Lancashire | A | 2.3 | 46% | 3.9 | 76% |
| 10 | North Curry Somerset | A | 6.2 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 11 | Furness Vale Derbyshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 5 | 36% |
| 12 | Old Langho Lancashire | A− | 7.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 20% |
| 13 | Plumpton Green East Sussex | A− | 4.6 | 54% | 3.6 | 37% |
| 14 | Winford Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 0% | 4.4 | 39% |
| 15 | Cwmgwrach West Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 16 | Calver Derbyshire | B+ | 2.2 | 44% | 4.8 | 99% |
| 17 | North Thoresby Lincolnshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 0.8 | 21% |
| 18 | Bethel Gwynedd | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 1.4 | 10% |
| 19 | Groombridge East Sussex | B+ | 2.3 | 77% | 2.8 | 92% |
| 20 | Blackfordby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Five Ash Down East Sussex | B+ | 2.8 | 0% | 4.1 | 43% |
| 22 | Upperthong West Yorkshire | B | 1.7 | 65% | 4.7 | 26% |
| 23 | Fishtoft Lincolnshire | B | 2.3 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Holt Clwyd | B | 0.9 | 100% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Milborne St Andrew Dorset | B | 3.3 | 71% | 2.1 | 33% |
| 26 | Pentre Halkyn Clwyd | B | 1.3 | 59% | 3.6 | 3% |
| 27 | Nanpean Cornwall | B | 4.4 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Sharnford Leicestershire | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 29 | Challock Kent | B− | 3 | 62% | 2 | 88% |
| 30 | Tackley Oxfordshire | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Twyning Gloucestershire | B− | 1 | 100% | 2.5 | 10% |
| 32 | Ettington Warwickshire | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 33 | South Wingfield Derbyshire | B− | 5.4 | 75% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Coopersale Essex | B− | 1.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Beeford East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 3.9 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Carleton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | C+ | 0.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 10% |
| 37 | Chillington Devon | C+ | 0.6 | 78% | 1.3 | 55% |
| 38 | Milford Derbyshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Draycott Somerset | C+ | 2.1 | 68% | 2.1 | 46% |
| 40 | Sutterton Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.8 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Upper Basildon Berkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 0% | 2 | 97% |
| 42 | Lower Shiplake Oxfordshire | C+ | 3 | 0% | 2 | 28% |
| 43 | Woodhouses Greater Manchester | C | 2.6 | 40% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Charlton Marshall Dorset | C | 0.5 | 78% | 2 | 50% |
| 45 | Glazebury Cheshire | C− | 5.1 | 58% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Pattishall and Astcote Northamptonshire | C− | 2.9 | 39% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Stebbing Essex | C− | 2.4 | 70% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | North Leverton with Habblesthorpe Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.5 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | C− | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Gorefield Cambridgeshire | D | 2.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Crundale Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 57% | 0.5 | 5% |
| 52 | Napton on the Hill Warwickshire | D | 0.4 | 69% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Aberporth Dyfed | D | 0.6 | 38% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Wisbech St Mary Cambridgeshire | D | 1.8 | 69% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Hockliffe Bedfordshire | D− | 1.2 | 49% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Berryfield Wiltshire | D− | 0.4 | 53% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | South Hykeham Lincolnshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Pencader Dyfed | D− | 1.2 | 30% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Netheravon Wiltshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Leeming Bar North Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Alston’s built-up area.
Everyone in Alston lives 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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 4 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 269 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Alston
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
100% of the land within 5 km of Alston is National Park or National Landscape, more than 99% of UK towns. Northumberland National Park covers 1,051 km² and has been a National Park since 1957.
Alston is on the Pennine Way
16 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Alston and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The Pennine Way, a national route, passes Alston. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Isaac's Tea Trail, South Tyne Trail and Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 1 (The Pennine Roof).
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 Alston: June to August
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) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 157 | 145 | 113 | 85 | 78 | 85 | 93 | 110 | 114 | 138 | 156 | 184 |
May is the driest month (78 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 17 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 184 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 83 nights a year. The climate in Alston →
4 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
Alston 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
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alston | A | 5.8 | 100% | 100% |
| Haltwhistle 11.0 mi | C | 1.5 | 59% | 31% |
Alston grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Alston
Is Alston near a National Park?
Yes. Northumberland National Park begins 11 mi north of the village’s edge. It covers 1,051 km² and has been a National Park since 1957. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the North Pennines National Landscape, at the edge of the village.
What are the best walks near Alston?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Isaac's Tea Trail, Pennine Way (Middleton in Teesdale to Kirk Yetholm) and South Tyne Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Alston?
The Beach, 15 mi from the edge of the village. Alston itself is inland.
How many people in Alston 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 Alston?
June to August: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Alston good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 33% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 90% (5.8 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 Alston’s overall grade.
Where Alston’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.