Wigton’s biggest
Area
Play space
0.0 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Wigton
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0DOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Wigton · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Wigton
The Lake District National Park and the Solway Coast National Landscape both begin about 4 miles from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 14 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.0 for every square kilometre. 65% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Wigton grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
65%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
14 km
1.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Lake District starts 4.1 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Wigton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside both waysLake District starts 4.1 mi south, Solway Coast 4.2 mi north-west.Few mapped footpaths1.0 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
Wigton’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Wigton grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wigton, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
D
Better than 10% of UK towns#23 of 23 in Cumbria · 53rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
55out of
100
100
A park within a walk65%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
25out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Lake District begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
7out 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
Wigton is 53rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,200 to 5,600 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
Wigton1.0
Towns its size2.5
Cumbria towns2.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Wigton2.4
Towns its size2.1
Cumbria towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Wigton65%
Towns its size78%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Wigton stands out most for park space per resident: only 25 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 54 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ventnor Isle of Wight | A+ | 4.5 | 61% | 3.7 | 25% |
| 2 | St Ives Cornwall | A | 0.8 | 89% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 3 | Budleigh Salterton Devon | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 4 | Edwinstowe Nottinghamshire | A− | 5.6 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 5 | Hoylake Merseyside | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 6 | Brotton North Yorkshire | A− | 1.4 | 89% | 3 | 2% |
| 7 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A− | 3 | 94% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 8 | Steyning West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 86% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 9 | Merley Dorset | B+ | 3.9 | 64% | 4.1 | 6% |
| 10 | Highbridge Somerset | B+ | 2.9 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 11 | Carlton in Lindrick Nottinghamshire | B+ | 9 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Sonning Common Oxfordshire | B+ | 2.6 | 60% | 3.7 | 74% |
| 13 | Aston Clinton Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.1 | 61% | 3.8 | 29% |
| 14 | Llantwit Major South Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Drighlington West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.1 | 92% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Whitchurch Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 3.3 | 43% |
| 17 | Cottam Lancashire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 18 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 94% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 19 | Waverley and Catcliffe South Yorkshire | B+ | 8.8 | 65% | 5 | 0% |
| 20 | Shrivenham and Watchfield Oxfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 96% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 21 | Dartmouth Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 22 | Newent Gloucestershire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Battle East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 64% | 4.3 | 84% |
| 24 | Fremington Devon | B+ | 1.4 | 88% | 2.1 | 10% |
| 25 | Benson Oxfordshire | B | 6 | 44% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 26 | Askern South Yorkshire | B | 8.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Longstanton and Northstowe Cambridgeshire | B | 4.3 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Rowlands Gill Tyne and Wear | B | 4.9 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Shinfield Berkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Llandrindod Wells Powys | B− | 4.5 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire | B− | 1.6 | 84% | 7.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Midhurst West Sussex | C+ | 0.3 | 28% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 33 | Brynmawr Gwent | C+ | 1.2 | 68% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 34 | Quorndon Leicestershire | C+ | 2.7 | 81% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Helsby Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Rainford Merseyside | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Oakley Hampshire | C | 1.7 | 56% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 38 | Coningsby and Tattershall Lincolnshire | C | 2.7 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Bovingdon Hertfordshire | C | 1.4 | 55% | 2.3 | 26% |
| 40 | Shevington Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Waterbeach Cambridgeshire | C | 1.5 | 94% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Looe Cornwall | C− | 0.1 | 47% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 43 | Welshpool Powys | C− | 2.6 | 82% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Ludgershall Wiltshire | C− | 0.7 | 72% | 1.9 | 32% |
| 45 | Llangefni Gwynedd | C− | 1.8 | 95% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Ingatestone Essex | C− | 3.2 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 47 | Measham Leicestershire | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Littlestone-on-Sea Kent | C− | 1.4 | 37% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Long Sutton Lincolnshire | D | 2.2 | 81% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Takeley and Little Canfield Essex | D | 1 | 45% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Potton Bedfordshire | D | 1.3 | 77% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Blackrod Greater Manchester | D | 1 | 83% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Wigton Cumbria | D | 2.4 | 65% | 1 | 0% |
| 54 | Thornton West Yorkshire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Pontardawe West Glamorgan | D | 2.3 | 60% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Treherbert Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.2 | 73% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Eye Cambridgeshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Winslow Buckinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 59% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Ravenshead Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Kirton Lincolnshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 0.5 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Wigton’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 Wigton
The biggest is Area, 0.0 ha (0 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
6 in 10 Wigton 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).
Within 400 m (65%)Further (35%)
Wigton65%
Towns its size78%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 1,900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,799 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Lake District and Solway Coast both start about 4 miles from Wigton
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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Wigton scores 0% on it even though the Lake District National Park is 4.1 mi away. Lake District National Park covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Wigton
14 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wigton and the kilometre around it, 1.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Wigton; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Wigton: 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 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 87 | 76 | 70 | 53 | 62 | 78 | 88 | 94 | 84 | 110 | 106 | 110 |
April is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 110 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 51 nights a year. The climate in Wigton →
Things to do
3 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.
The nearest beaches
Wigton is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Double Mills Beach14 mi from Wigton’s edge
DirectionsThe Beach23 mi from Wigton’s edge
DirectionsNorth Beach25 mi from Wigton’s edge
DirectionsFleswick Bay28 mi from Wigton’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
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds 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.
DalstonAspatriaSillothCarlisleHoughtonAnnanWigton
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Silloth, 9.4 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Silloth has at least twice Wigton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Wigton
What is the biggest park in Wigton?
Area, 0.0 ha (0 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Wigton near a National Park?
Yes. Lake District National Park begins 4.1 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What is the nearest beach to Wigton?
Double Mills Beach, 14 mi from the edge of the town, then The Beach (23 mi). Wigton itself is inland.
How many people in Wigton live near a park?
65% 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 Wigton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Wigton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 7% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 55% (2.4 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 Wigton’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Wigton’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.