Almost everyone in Ilkeston lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 98% of residents. 160 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 5.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Ilkeston add up to 3.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Ilkeston grades A for the outdoors: #13 of 59 in Derbyshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Ilkeston’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Ilkeston grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ilkeston, 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 86% of UK towns#13 of 59 in Derbyshire · 9th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
79out of 100
A park within a walk98%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
78out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths5.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
93out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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
Ilkeston is 9th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 34,500 to 43,500 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
Ilkeston5.0
Towns its size3.8
Derbyshire towns3.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ilkeston3.7
Towns its size2.4
Derbyshire towns2.2
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ilkeston98%
Towns its size84%
Derbyshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Ilkeston stands out most for park space per resident: only 11 of the other 59 have more.
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 (98%)Further (2%)
Ilkeston98%
Towns its size84%
Derbyshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
About 1,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 51 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 759 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 13 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
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
20 waymarked walks pass through or near Ilkeston
160 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ilkeston and the kilometre around it, 5.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Erewash Valley Trail23.6 km
Derby Nomad Way5.2 km
Erewash Circular Walk 144.2 km
Robin Hood Way3.5 km
Erewash Circular Walk 153.1 km
Circular Walk 172.1 km
Erewash Circular Walk 61.8 km
Erewash Circular Walk 11.6 km
Midshires Way1.5 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 61.5 km
Centenary Way (Derbyshire)1.5 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 161.4 km
Erewash Circular Walk 81.2 km
Erewash Circular Walk 111.0 km
Bennerley Viaduct0.9 km
Erewash Circular Walk 20.9 km
Plus 4 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Erewash Valley Trail has 24 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Derby Nomad Way, Robin Hood 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 Ilkeston: 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
8
11
14
17
20
22
21
19
14
10
8
Rain (mm)
60
47
45
47
46
65
66
62
57
70
65
67
March is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 70 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Ilkeston →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 51 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.
West Hallam, 2.2 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Trowell has at least twice Ilkeston’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Ilkeston
What is the biggest park in Ilkeston?
Shipley Country Park, 300 ha (740 acres), with 38.5 km of path. Shipley Country Park (300 ha) is second. 11 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Ilkeston near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 13 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Ilkeston?
20 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Erewash Valley Trail, Derby Nomad Way and Erewash Circular Walk 14. Shipley Country Park alone has 38.5 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Ilkeston?
The Beach, 16 mi from the edge of the town. Ilkeston itself is inland.
How many people in Ilkeston live near a park?
98% 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 Ilkeston?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ilkeston good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 93% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 79% (3.7 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 Ilkeston’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0