Ambergate’s biggest
Sawmills Recreation Ground
Playing field
0.7 ha (2 acres)
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Ambergate · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Ambergate lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Peak District National Park begins 4.7 mi from the village’s edge. Footpaths add up to 48 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Ambergate add up to 2.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Ambergate grades B+ 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
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
48 km
3.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Peak District starts 4.7 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Ambergate?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Countryside close byThe Peak District National Park starts 4.7 mi north-west.
Ambergate’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by the Peak District National Park close by.
Outdoors grade
Ambergate grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ambergate, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 70% of UK towns21st of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
57out 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 Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Peak District begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
70out 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
Ambergate is 21st of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,500 to 1,600 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
Ambergate3.4
Villages its size2.6
Derbyshire towns3.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ambergate2.4
Villages its size2.4
Derbyshire towns2.2
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ambergate100%
Villages its size81%
Derbyshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Ambergate stands out most for path per km²: only 13 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanhope County Durham | A+ | 7.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 86% |
| 2 | Salcombe Devon | A+ | 2 | 100% | 3.3 | 65% |
| 3 | Finberry Kent | A+ | 4 | 100% | 5.1 | 2% |
| 4 | Dobcross Greater Manchester | A+ | 2.8 | 100% | 4.8 | 22% |
| 5 | Fairlight East Sussex | A+ | 39.6 | 50% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 6 | Crockenhill Kent | A+ | 5.2 | 100% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 7 | Wood Street Village Surrey | A+ | 25.7 | 81% | 4.9 | 18% |
| 8 | Ducklington Oxfordshire | A | 10.1 | 79% | 4.8 | 4% |
| 9 | Roydon Essex | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 10 | Haverigg Cumbria | A | 4.7 | 67% | 2.5 | 11% |
| 11 | North Bradley Wiltshire | A | 3.4 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Middle Winterslow Wiltshire | A | 7 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Collett's Green Worcestershire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | St Athan South Glamorgan | A | 2.2 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 15 | Sabden Lancashire | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 5 | 38% |
| 16 | Oakenshaw West Yorkshire | A− | 7.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 17 | West Wellow Hampshire | A− | 3.6 | 82% | 2.7 | 51% |
| 18 | Thorpe-le-Soken Essex | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 19 | King's Cliffe Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Kimpton Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Ambergate Derbyshire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 22 | Ramsbury Wiltshire | B+ | 3.9 | 62% | 2.3 | 100% |
| 23 | Tideswell Derbyshire | B | 1.5 | 100% | 1.6 | 97% |
| 24 | Mount Hawke Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 85% | 2 | 6% |
| 25 | Fence Lancashire | B | 1.3 | 62% | 6.2 | 32% |
| 26 | Potterne Wiltshire | B | 1.3 | 77% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 27 | Wick Gloucestershire | B− | 1.8 | 56% | 3.6 | 39% |
| 28 | Bridge Kent | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 29 | Mundford Norfolk | B− | 3.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 30 | Gotham Nottinghamshire | B− | 3.9 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 31 | South Witham Lincolnshire | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | High Harrington Cumbria | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Evenwood County Durham | C+ | 3.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Norton (Norton Juxta Kempsey) Worcestershire | C+ | 0.9 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 35 | Bacton and Cotton Suffolk | C+ | 4.4 | 70% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Rufford Lancashire | C | 2.8 | 70% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Anna Valley and Upper Clatford Hampshire | C | 2.2 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 38 | Four Lanes Cornwall | C | 0.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Kingsley Cheshire | C | 3.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Stock Essex | C | 2.2 | 62% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Arksey South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Rawcliffe East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Glapwell Derbyshire | C− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Horsmonden Kent | C− | 0.5 | 79% | 0.9 | 50% |
| 45 | Yalding Kent | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Sandleheath Hampshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.6 | 52% |
| 47 | Tidbury Green West Midlands | C− | 2.4 | 49% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Dalston Cumbria | C− | 3.4 | 66% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Baston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.3 | 78% | 1 | 0% |
| 50 | Heighington County Durham | D | 2.6 | 64% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Henstridge Somerset | D | 1.8 | 47% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Broadclyst Devon | D | 1.4 | 78% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Wood End (North Warwickshire) Warwickshire | D | 1.1 | 74% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Camblesforth North Yorkshire | D | 0.3 | 81% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Burton Green Warwickshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Aberford West Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 22% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Edgmond Shropshire | D− | 1.7 | 33% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Walpole St Peter and Walpole St Andrew Norfolk | D− | 1.7 | 52% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 59 | School Aycliffe County Durham | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Leasingham Lincolnshire | D− | 1.3 | 50% | 0.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ambergate’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 Ambergate
The biggest is Sawmills Recreation Ground, 0.7 ha (2 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The Green
Park or garden · 250 m outside town
0.0 ha (0 acres)
0.9 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Ambergate’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 (100%)Further (0%)
Ambergate100%
Villages its size81%
Derbyshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 174 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 4.7 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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Ambergate scores 0% on it even though the Peak District National Park is 4.7 mi away. Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
8 waymarked walks pass through or near Ambergate
48 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ambergate and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Cromford Canal Footpath8.6 km
Derwent Valley Heritage Way7.6 km
Amber Valley Routeways Walk 124.8 km
Midshires Way3.3 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 53.2 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 73.2 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 142.5 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 81.9 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Derwent Valley Heritage Way and Midshires Way.
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 Ambergate: May 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 66 | 68 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 78 | 77 | 79 | 73 | 94 | 93 | 96 |
April is the driest month (61 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 96 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Ambergate →
Things to do
9 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
Ambergate is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
The Beach18 mi from Ambergate’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. Bessalone, at 182 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Ambergate.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Bessalone182 m (597 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Wyver Lane Nature Reserve16 ha · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 9
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Broadholme Lane Caravan Park0.8 mi from town
DirectionsTannebaum campsite1.1 mi from town
DirectionsHigg Lane Farm Campsite1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite 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.
HeageCrichBelperRipleySouth WingfieldDenby BottlesAmbergate
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambergate | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Heage 1.2 mi | C | 1.9 | 78% | 0% |
| Crich 1.7 mi | C− | 0.6 | 69% | 0% |
| Belper 2.2 mi | B+ | 2.4 | 94% | 0% |
| Ripley 3.0 mi | B | 2.4 | 91% | 0% |
| South Wingfield 3.1 mi | B− | 5.4 | 75% | 0% |
| Denby Bottles 3.5 mi | B | 1.4 | 100% | 0% |
Ambergate grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. South Wingfield has at least twice Ambergate’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Ambergate
What is the biggest park in Ambergate?
Sawmills Recreation Ground, 0.7 ha (2 acres). The Green (0.0 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Ambergate near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 4.7 mi north-west of the village’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Ambergate?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Cromford Canal Footpath, Derwent Valley Heritage Way and Amber Valley Routeways Walk 12.
What is the nearest beach to Ambergate?
The Beach, 18 mi from the edge of the village. Ambergate itself is inland.
How many people in Ambergate 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 Ambergate?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ambergate good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 70% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 57% (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 Ambergate’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Ambergate’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.