Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.060% of the land within 5 km of Harpur Hill is National Park or National Landscape
The Peak District National Park begins 0.2 mi from the village’s edge. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 31% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Harpur Hill add up to 3.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Harpur Hill grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Harpur Hill?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Harpur Hill’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Harpur Hill grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Harpur Hill, 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.
Harpur Hill is 28th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,100 to 1,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Harpur Hill stands out most for park space per resident: only 14 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 45 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corton Suffolk | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 3 | 5% |
| 2 | Upton St Leonards Gloucestershire | A+ | 5.2 | 80% | 7.5 | 43% |
| 3 | Fairlands Surrey | A+ | 2.8 | 100% | 5 | 11% |
| 4 | Chagford Devon | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 98% |
| 5 | Masham North Yorkshire | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 3 | 44% |
| 6 | Ditchling East Sussex | A | 7.4 | 77% | 4 | 57% |
| 7 | Tolvaddon Cornwall | A | 11.9 | 24% | 4.5 | 9% |
| 8 | Leigh Kent | A | 3 | 100% | 2.6 | 49% |
| 9 | Barns Green West Sussex | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 10 | Horsted Keynes West Sussex | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.3 | 83% |
| 11 | Wenvoe South Glamorgan | A− | 5.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Chatburn Lancashire | A− | 1.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 59% |
| 13 | Boosbeck North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 22% |
| 14 | Camber East Sussex | A− | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 5% |
| 15 | Grange Moor West Yorkshire | A− | 4.3 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 16 | St Erth Cornwall | B+ | 0.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 4% |
| 17 | Gotherington Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.7 | 72% | 3.7 | 33% |
| 18 | Grassington North Yorkshire | B+ | 1.3 | 79% | 4.1 | 100% |
| 19 | South Bents Tyne and Wear | B+ | 4.9 | 62% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Borth Dyfed | B | 3.1 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Oakley Buckinghamshire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 22 | Cropston Leicestershire | B | 3.1 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Jacobs Well Surrey | B | 1.4 | 77% | 4.7 | 8% |
| 24 | Goudhurst Kent | B | 1.5 | 100% | 1.2 | 65% |
| 25 | Bishop Middleham County Durham | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Shipham Somerset | B− | 1.2 | 63% | 4 | 55% |
| 27 | Plaxtol Kent | B− | 2.6 | 57% | 2.5 | 40% |
| 28 | Harpur Hill Derbyshire | B− | 3.1 | 31% | 2.3 | 60% |
| 29 | Kelly Bray Cornwall | B− | 1.2 | 100% | 1.8 | 22% |
| 30 | Roydon (South Norfolk) Norfolk | B− | 4.3 | 50% | 4 | 0% |
| 31 | Beaumaris Gwynedd | B− | 2.7 | 30% | 0.8 | 18% |
| 32 | Castlethorpe Buckinghamshire | C+ | 3.5 | 72% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Gainford County Durham | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Lacey Green and Loosley Row Buckinghamshire | C+ | 2.1 | 27% | 2.4 | 82% |
| 35 | Whimple Devon | C+ | 5.2 | 70% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 36 | Brinklow Warwickshire | C+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 37 | Three Legged Cross Dorset | C | 1.5 | 77% | 2.6 | 1% |
| 38 | Bow Devon | C | 1.9 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Swindon Staffordshire | C | 2.5 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Mannings Heath West Sussex | C | 1 | 71% | 1.9 | 44% |
| 41 | Baldwin's Gate Staffordshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | North Newbald East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Milverton Somerset | C− | 2.1 | 70% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Maiden Newton Dorset | C− | 1.1 | 27% | 2 | 100% |
| 45 | Wetheral Cumbria | C− | 3.8 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Crowle Worcestershire | C− | 2.4 | 34% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Beachley Gloucestershire | C− | 0.3 | 0% | 1.2 | 14% |
| 48 | Farmborough Somerset | C− | 2 | 38% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Cawston Norfolk | D | 2.7 | 71% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Ramsey Island Essex | D | 1.4 | 39% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Chawley Oxfordshire | D | 0.3 | 0% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Wattstown Mid Glamorgan | D | 3.1 | 26% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Landrake Cornwall | D | 0.9 | 0% | 0.6 | 38% |
| 54 | Reawla Cornwall | D | 0.2 | 0% | 2 | 3% |
| 55 | Stickney Lincolnshire | D | 2.4 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
| 56 | Pilton Somerset | D− | 1.2 | 28% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Moulton Chapel Lincolnshire | D− | 1.5 | 60% | 0 | 0% |
| 58 | Kentford Suffolk | D− | 1.9 | 0% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Llanfyllin Powys | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Whaplode Lincolnshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 0.2 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Harpur Hill’s built-up area.
3 in 10 Harpur Hill 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).
About 800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 224 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Harpur Hill
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.
60% of the land within 5 km of Harpur Hill is National Park or National Landscape, more than 94% of UK towns. Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Harpur Hill
25 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Harpur Hill and the kilometre around it, 2.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
3 regional routes pass through, including the Midshires Way, Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 1 and Dane Valley Way.
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 Harpur Hill: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 129 | 118 | 93 | 84 | 85 | 94 | 102 | 105 | 107 | 136 | 132 | 149 |
April is the driest month (84 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 149 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 61 nights a year. The climate in Harpur Hill →
5 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Hills and peaks 10
Plus 2 hills and peaks more.
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpur Hill | B− | 3.1 | 31% | 60% |
| Buxton 1.4 mi | A | 3.5 | 86% | 61% |
| Dove Holes 4.5 mi | A | 5.1 | 100% | 52% |
| Chapel-en-le-Frith 5.9 mi | B− | 1.0 | 75% | 58% |
| Tideswell 6.1 mi | B | 1.5 | 100% | 97% |
| Chinley 7.3 mi | B+ | 1.2 | 78% | 53% |
| Whaley Bridge 7.3 mi | B | 1.6 | 44% | 53% |
Buxton, 1.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Harpur Hill
Is Harpur Hill near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 0.2 mi east of the village’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Harpur Hill?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Buxton Ring of Trees Walk, Midshires Way and Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 1.
How many people in Harpur Hill live near a park?
31% 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 Harpur Hill?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Harpur Hill good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 40% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 72% (3.1 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 Harpur Hill’s overall grade.
Where Harpur Hill’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.