Photo: Malcolm Neal · CC BY-SA 2.092% of Ashbourne’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Peak District National Park begins 0.4 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Ashbourne add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 58 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.7 for every square kilometre. Ashbourne grades B for the outdoors: #28 of 59 in Derbyshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Ashbourne grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ashbourne, 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.
Ashbourne is 24th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 8,500 to 9,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Ashbourne falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 37 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swanage Dorset | A+ | 6.9 | 95% | 4.2 | 47% |
| 2 | Pool and Illogan Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 81% | 4 | 5% |
| 3 | Worsbrough South Yorkshire | A | 10.1 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 4 | Storrington West Sussex | A | 5.5 | 85% | 3.2 | 54% |
| 5 | Killamarsh Derbyshire | A | 10.6 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 6 | Warlingham Surrey | A | 4.2 | 81% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 7 | Greasby Merseyside | A | 5.9 | 74% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Hetton-le-Hole Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.8 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Billingshurst West Sussex | A− | 2.9 | 95% | 3.1 | 3% |
| 10 | Ryton Tyne and Wear | A− | 5.5 | 85% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 11 | Brightlingsea Essex | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Thurnscoe South Yorkshire | A− | 9.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Shaftesbury Dorset | A− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.3 | 44% |
| 14 | Shanklin Isle of Wight | A− | 1.4 | 33% | 4.5 | 29% |
| 15 | Alfreton Derbyshire | B+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Longridge Lancashire | B+ | 1.9 | 89% | 3 | 32% |
| 17 | Winnersh Berkshire | B+ | 9.6 | 80% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Frodsham Cheshire | B+ | 2.5 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Hadleigh Suffolk | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 2.7 | 10% |
| 20 | Higham Ferrers Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.5 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Hayle Cornwall | B+ | 1.4 | 72% | 3.4 | 6% |
| 22 | Banstead Surrey | B+ | 2.4 | 66% | 5.2 | 3% |
| 23 | Cinderford Gloucestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 4.7 | 4% |
| 24 | Ashbourne Derbyshire | B | 1.9 | 92% | 2.7 | 14% |
| 25 | Cockermouth Cumbria | B | 2.6 | 81% | 2.2 | 42% |
| 26 | Ampthill Bedfordshire | B | 6.8 | 71% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Clay Cross Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 88% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Gatley Greater Manchester | B | 5.7 | 66% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 29 | South Kirkby West Yorkshire | B | 3 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Marlborough Wiltshire | B | 1.2 | 72% | 3.8 | 100% |
| 31 | Wendover Buckinghamshire | B | 1 | 58% | 5.6 | 60% |
| 32 | Hornsea East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 90% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 33 | Whitnash Warwickshire | B− | 2 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Cullompton Devon | B− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Stansted Mountfitchet Essex | B− | 0.8 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Hook Hampshire | B− | 2.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 37 | West End and Chobham Surrey | B− | 3.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Caister-on-Sea Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 58% | 2.1 | 21% |
| 39 | Hoo St Werburgh Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 92% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Wideopen Tyne and Wear | C+ | 2.1 | 75% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Okehampton Devon | C+ | 0.9 | 85% | 2.2 | 37% |
| 42 | Atherstone Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 43 | Brinsworth South Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 76% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Barwell Leicestershire | C | 1.7 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Faringdon Oxfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Kinmel Bay Clwyd | C | 1.8 | 76% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Rothwell Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Burscough Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Sherburn in Elmet North Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Ferryhill County Durham | C− | 1.5 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 51 | East Leake Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Pencoed Mid Glamorgan | C− | 2.8 | 52% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Sileby Leicestershire | C− | 1 | 80% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Adlington Lancashire | C− | 1.3 | 64% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Shifnal Shropshire | D | 1 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Littleport Cambridgeshire | D | 1 | 71% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Harworth and Bircotes Nottinghamshire | D | 1.9 | 64% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Holbeach Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 91% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Tarleton and Hesketh Bank Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 63% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Kirkham Lancashire | D− | 1.3 | 66% | 1.3 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ashbourne’s built-up area.
How close Ashbourne’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).
About 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 632 residents.
The Peak District National Park is 0.4 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.
14% of the land within 5 km of Ashbourne is National Park or National Landscape, more than 73% of UK towns. Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Ashbourne
58 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ashbourne and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
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 Ashbourne: 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) | 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 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 81 | 69 | 65 | 61 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 72 | 94 | 91 | 97 |
May is the driest month (60 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 97 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 48 nights a year. The climate in Ashbourne →
14 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 14
Plus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne | B | 1.9 | 92% | 14% |
| Mayfield 1.8 mi | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 14% |
| Brailsford 5.2 mi | C | 0.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Rocester 6.2 mi | C+ | 15.2 | 58% | 0% |
| Wirksworth 8.0 mi | A | 2.0 | 100% | 8% |
| Doveridge 8.5 mi | C | 1.7 | 100% | 0% |
| Cromford 9.4 mi | A | 1.8 | 100% | 12% |
Cromford, 9.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Rocester has at least twice Ashbourne’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Ashbourne
Is Ashbourne near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 0.4 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Ashbourne?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Royal Shrovetide Challenge Walk (down'ards), Centenary Way (Derbyshire) and Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk.
How many people in Ashbourne live near a park?
92% 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 Ashbourne?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ashbourne good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 52% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 40% (1.9 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 Ashbourne’s overall grade.
Where Ashbourne’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.