Kirkby Stephen’s biggest
Jubilee Park
Park or garden
1.4 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Kirkby Stephen · parks, paths & countryside
65% of the land within 5 km of Kirkby Stephen is National Park or National Landscape
The Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North Pennines National Landscape both begin about a mile from the village’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Kirkby Stephen add up to 4.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 34 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 3.7 for every square kilometre. Kirkby Stephen grades A+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
34 km
3.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
65%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Yorkshire Dales National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Kirkby Stephen?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside65% of the land within 5 km is Yorkshire Dales National Park.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam4.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 86% of UK towns.On a National TrailThe Coast to Coast Walk passes through.
Kirkby Stephen’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by parks close to every home.
Outdoors grade
Kirkby Stephen grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Kirkby Stephen, 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 almost every UK town2nd of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space4.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
86out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape65%of the land within 5 km
95out of
100
100
Footpaths3.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
75out 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.
Villages its size
Kirkby Stephen is 2nd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,800 to 2,000 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
Kirkby Stephen3.7
Villages its size2.3
Cumbria towns2.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Kirkby Stephen4.9
Villages its size2.2
Cumbria towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Kirkby Stephen100%
Villages its size80%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Kirkby Stephen stands out most for park space per resident: only 9 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badshot Lea Surrey | A+ | 25.9 | 100% | 5.2 | 25% |
| 2 | Kirkby Stephen Cumbria | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.7 | 65% |
| 3 | Brading Isle of Wight | A+ | 2.9 | 84% | 4.2 | 21% |
| 4 | Scholes (near Hade Edge) West Yorkshire | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 4.7 | 16% |
| 5 | Chilworth Surrey | A+ | 10.8 | 80% | 6.1 | 59% |
| 6 | Hayfield Derbyshire | A+ | 2.2 | 100% | 4.1 | 62% |
| 7 | Bagworth Leicestershire | A | 11 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Newell Green Berkshire | A | 22.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Ravenstone Leicestershire | A− | 5.3 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Lower Broadheath Worcestershire | A− | 6 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 11 | Goosnargh Lancashire | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.5 | 6% |
| 12 | Lyminge Kent | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.1 | 90% |
| 13 | Flamborough East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Waddesdon Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 15 | Highnam Gloucestershire | B+ | 12 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Mevagissey Cornwall | B+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.9 | 29% |
| 17 | Ingoldmells Lincolnshire | B+ | 2.8 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Chinley Derbyshire | B+ | 1.2 | 78% | 4.4 | 53% |
| 19 | Hathersage Derbyshire | B | 1.6 | 58% | 4.5 | 100% |
| 20 | Partridge Green West Sussex | B | 2.1 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Westham East Sussex | B | 3.8 | 18% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Little Eaton Derbyshire | B | 4.6 | 85% | 3 | 0% |
| 23 | Shurdington Gloucestershire | B | 2.7 | 47% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 24 | Horrabridge Devon | B | 1.4 | 83% | 2.7 | 92% |
| 25 | Campsall South Yorkshire | B | 14.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Stanwick Northamptonshire | B− | 7.9 | 82% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Wrea Green Lancashire | B− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 28 | Whitland Dyfed | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Wooler Northumberland | B− | 3.3 | 81% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 30 | Stow-on-the-Wold Gloucestershire | B− | 3.4 | 64% | 1.2 | 88% |
| 31 | Oxenhope West Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 80% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Wickham Bishops Essex | C+ | 3.4 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Houghton Conquest Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.8 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Hockley Heath West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 86% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Northiam East Sussex | C+ | 2.2 | 76% | 0.8 | 100% |
| 36 | Stratton Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 23% | 3 | 8% |
| 37 | Milnthorpe Cumbria | C | 2.2 | 49% | 2 | 39% |
| 38 | Presteigne Powys | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Sleights North Yorkshire | C | 0.9 | 30% | 1.5 | 80% |
| 40 | Rode Heath Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Newton Poppleford Devon | C | 1.4 | 44% | 2.3 | 60% |
| 42 | Toft Hill and High Etherley County Durham | C− | 2.5 | 83% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Black Notley Essex | C− | 1.6 | 36% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Hemingbrough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Littlethorpe Leicestershire | C− | 0.4 | 57% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Thornton-le-Dale North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 58% | 1.1 | 29% |
| 47 | Brompton-on-Swale North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 71% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Manby Lincolnshire | D | 1.4 | 68% | 0.8 | 2% |
| 49 | Cropwell Bishop Nottinghamshire | D | 0.7 | 45% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Newton Longville Buckinghamshire | D | 2.9 | 18% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Dunholme Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 52% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Salfords Surrey | D | 1.3 | 12% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Little Plumstead Norfolk | D | 0.6 | 64% | 1 | 16% |
| 54 | Wragby Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 69% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Hampton in Arden West Midlands | D− | 0.1 | 44% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Colnbrook Berkshire | D− | 0.6 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Weeting Norfolk | D− | 1.2 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Great Gonerby Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 56% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Shippon Oxfordshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 60 | Burstwick East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Kirkby Stephen’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 Kirkby Stephen
The biggest is Jubilee Park, 1.4 ha (3 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Silver Street Memorial Garden
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Kirkby Stephen
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
Everyone in Kirkby Stephen 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).
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
Kirkby Stephen100%
Villages its size80%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 316 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Kirkby Stephen
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 Park
Yorkshire Dales
At the edge south2,185 km²since 195442% of the land within 5 km
Official siteNational Landscape
North Pennines
At the edge south-east1,985 km²since 198823% of the land within 5 km
Official site65% of the land within 5 km of Kirkby Stephen is National Park or National Landscape, more than 95% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Kirkby Stephen is on the Coast to Coast Walk
34 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Kirkby Stephen and the kilometre around it, 3.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
NationalRegional
Lady Anne's Way7.0 km
Coast to Coast Walk (Shap to Richmond)6.3 km
Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 3 (The Sleeping Elephants)3.6 km
Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 2 (Eden's Garden)3.2 km
The Coast to Coast Walk, a national route, passes Kirkby Stephen. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Lady Anne's Way, Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 3 (The Sleeping Elephants) and Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 2 (Eden's Garden).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kirkby Stephen: 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 | 8.4 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 141 | 116 | 84 | 59 | 62 | 69 | 79 | 96 | 88 | 110 | 120 | 150 |
April is the driest month (59 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 150 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 57 nights a year. The climate in Kirkby Stephen →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 6 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
Kirkby Stephen is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
The Beach16 mi from Kirkby Stephen’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.
Up high. Stenkrith Hill, at 212 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Kirkby Stephen.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Devil's Grinding Mill0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 10
Stenkrith Hill212 m (696 ft) · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCastle Hill221 m (725 ft) · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsWiseber Hill283 m (928 ft) · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPark Hill262 m (860 ft) · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsGallows Hill250 m (820 ft) · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsHighmore Hill266 m (873 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPetty Brow0.8 mi from town
DirectionsSleighgate Hill236 m (774 ft) · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 2 hills and peaks more.
Campsites 1
Pennine View Parkin town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Appleby-in-WestmorlandKirkby Stephen
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkby Stephen | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 65% |
| Appleby-in-Westmorland 9.3 mi | C− | 1.2 | 63% | 24% |
Kirkby Stephen grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Kirkby Stephen
What is the biggest park in Kirkby Stephen?
Jubilee Park, 1.4 ha (3 acres). Silver Street Memorial Garden (0.1 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Kirkby Stephen near a National Park?
Yorkshire Dales National Park reaches the edge of Kirkby Stephen. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
What are the best walks near Kirkby Stephen?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Lady Anne's Way, Coast to Coast Walk (Shap to Richmond) and Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 3 (The Sleeping Elephants).
What is the nearest beach to Kirkby Stephen?
The Beach, 16 mi from the edge of the village. Kirkby Stephen itself is inland.
How many people in Kirkby Stephen 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 Kirkby Stephen?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Kirkby Stephen good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 75% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 86% (4.9 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 Kirkby Stephen’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Kirkby Stephen’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.