Carlisle’s biggest
Bitts Park
Park or garden
21 ha (52 acres)4.8 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.8 km of path
30 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi northfrom the centre
1 listedWeavers' Bank
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Bill Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Carlisle · parks, paths & countryside
91% of Carlisle’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Solway Coast National Landscape begins 1.2 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Carlisle add up to 3.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 190 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.1 for every square kilometre. Carlisle grades A− for the outdoors: #7 of 23 in Cumbria. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
91%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
190 km
3.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
4%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Solway Coast National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Carlisle?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside close byThe Solway Coast National Landscape starts 1.2 mi north-west.On a National TrailThe Hadrian's Wall Path passes through.Historic parks2 registered historic parks and gardens, including Dalston Road Cemetery.
Carlisle’s strongest suit is the Solway Coast National Landscape close by, followed by the Hadrian's Wall Path.
Outdoors grade
Carlisle grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Carlisle, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A−
Better than 81% of UK towns#7 of 23 in Cumbria · 22nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
73out of
100
100
A park within a walk91%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
68out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape4%of the land within 5 km
67out of
100
100
Footpaths3.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
63out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out 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
Carlisle is 22nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 63,000 to 94,600 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
Carlisle3.1
Towns its size3.7
Cumbria towns2.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Carlisle3.2
Towns its size2.4
Cumbria towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Carlisle91%
Towns its size86%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Carlisle stands out most for park space per resident: only 13 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 40 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 2 | Hastings East Sussex | A+ | 3.1 | 76% | 4.3 | 42% |
| 3 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 4 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 5 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 6 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 7 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 8 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 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 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 16 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 17 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 18 | Stevenage Hertfordshire | A− | 3 | 98% | 7.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 21 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 22 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 23 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 24 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 26 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 28 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 29 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 31 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 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 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Nuneaton Warwickshire | B− | 2.3 | 94% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 42 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 43 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Halifax West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 47 | Royal Sutton Coldfield West Midlands | B− | 6.1 | 64% | 3 | 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 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 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 Carlisle’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 Carlisle
The biggest is Bitts Park, 21 ha (52 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 10 named parks by size: 70 ha (172 acres) and 13 km of path
Parks & gardens 54 haPlaying fields 15 ha
The two biggest, Bitts Park and Heysham Park, are 55% of the named green space and carry 9 km of path between them. 5 of the 10 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Heysham Park
Park or garden
17 ha (43 acres)4.0 km of path
55 minto walk all 4 km of path
24 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Chance's Park
Park or garden
15 ha (38 acres)2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
21 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi westfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Keenan Park
Playing field
8.5 ha (21 acres)0.4 km of path
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Cummersdale Common
Playing field · 30 m outside town
1.4 ha (3 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St James' Park
Playing field
2.0 ha (5 acres)0.3 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Carlisle
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Edenside Carlisle Cricket Club
Playing field
2.4 ha (6 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Blackwell Common
Playing field
1.0 ha (3 acres)
1.6 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 10 named parks and green spaces
Bitts ParkPark or garden · 21 ha · 4.8 km of path
DirectionsHeysham ParkPark or garden · 17 ha · 4.0 km of path
DirectionsChance's ParkPark or garden · 15 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsKeenan ParkPlaying field · 8.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsCummersdale CommonPlaying field · 1.4 ha · 0.8 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsSt James' ParkPlaying field · 2.0 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsEdenside Carlisle Cricket ClubPlaying field · 2.4 ha
DirectionsBlackwell CommonPlaying field · 1.0 ha
DirectionsGarden Life Community GardenPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsTown Dyke OrchardPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsClose to home
How close Carlisle’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).
Within 400 m (91%)Further (9%)
Carlisle91%
Towns its size86%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 7,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 71 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,095 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Solway Coast National Landscape is 1.2 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
National Landscape
Solway Coast
1.2 mi north-west123 km²since 19644% of the land within 5 km
Official site4% of the land within 5 km of Carlisle is National Park or National Landscape, more than 66% of UK towns. Lake District National Park covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Carlisle is on the Hadrian's Wall Path
190 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Carlisle and the kilometre around it, 3.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegional
Hadrian's Wall Path11.4 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Gretna to Allonby10.8 km
Cumbria Way6.7 km
The Hadrian's Wall Path, a national route, passes Carlisle. The regional route here is the Cumbria Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 registered historic parks in Carlisle
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Carlisle’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IIDalston Road Cemetery0.9 ha
Registered · Grade IIRickerby Park0.5 ha
Heritage walks
Hadrian's Wall Path 11.4 km
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 Carlisle: 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 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 7.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 60 | 55 | 45 | 53 | 69 | 76 | 85 | 72 | 88 | 80 | 87 |
April is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 88 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Carlisle →
Things to do
71 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
1Viewpoints6Nature reserves2× towns its size2Picnic sites71Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size
The nearest beaches
Carlisle is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach18 mi from Carlisle’s edge
DirectionsDouble Mills Beach22 mi from Carlisle’s edge
DirectionsNorth Beach33 mi from Carlisle’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 6
Kingmoor North Nature Reserve12 ha · in town
DirectionsKingmoor Sidings12 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsEngine Lonning12 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsFormer Swifts Golf Course17 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsKingmoor South Nature Reserve35 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
HoughtonScotbyDalstonWetheralWarwick BridgeLongtownCarlisle
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Carlisle grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. Warwick Bridge has at least twice Carlisle’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Carlisle
What is the biggest park in Carlisle?
Bitts Park, 21 ha (52 acres), with 4.8 km of path. Heysham Park (17 ha) is second. 10 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Carlisle near a National Park?
Yes. Lake District National Park begins 8.2 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Solway Coast National Landscape, 1.2 mi away.
What are the best walks near Carlisle?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Hadrian's Wall Path, King Charles III England Coast Path: Gretna to Allonby and Cumbria Way. Bitts Park alone has 4.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Carlisle?
The Beach, 18 mi from the edge of the town, then Double Mills Beach (22 mi). Carlisle itself is inland.
How many people in Carlisle live near a park?
91% 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 Carlisle?
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 Carlisle are historic?
Dalston Road Cemetery (Grade II) and Rickerby Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Carlisle good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 63% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 73% (3.2 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 Carlisle’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Carlisle’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.