Somercotes and Swanwick’s biggest
Midland Railway Centre
Park or garden
10 ha (25 acres)3.0 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
14 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Somercotes and Swanwick · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Somercotes and Swanwick lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 95% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Somercotes and Swanwick add up to 3.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 75 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.1 for every square kilometre. Somercotes and Swanwick grades B+ for the outdoors: #23 of 59 in Derbyshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
95%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
75 km
3.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Peak District National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Somercotes and Swanwick?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep95% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam3.6 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 78% of UK towns.
Somercotes and Swanwick’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Somercotes and Swanwick grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Somercotes and Swanwick, 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 towns#23 of 59 in Derbyshire · 30th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
78out of
100
100
A park within a walk95%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
75out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
63out 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
Somercotes and Swanwick is 30th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 14,300 to 15,900 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
Somercotes and Swanwick3.1
Towns its size3.6
Derbyshire towns3.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Somercotes and Swanwick3.6
Towns its size2.6
Derbyshire towns2.2
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Somercotes and Swanwick95%
Towns its size84%
Derbyshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Somercotes and Swanwick stands out most for park space per resident: only 15 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 41 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Saltash Cornwall | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 3 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 4 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 5 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 6 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 7 | Conwy Clwyd | A+ | 2.9 | 82% | 3.6 | 13% |
| 8 | Swanscombe Kent | A+ | 3.3 | 90% | 8.5 | 0% |
| 9 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 10 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 11 | Staveley Derbyshire | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 13 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Skipton North Yorkshire | A | 1.7 | 99% | 4.2 | 25% |
| 16 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 18 | Kidsgrove Staffordshire | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Porthcawl Mid Glamorgan | A− | 3.5 | 82% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Frimley Surrey | A− | 2.9 | 99% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 21 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 22 | Hessle East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 96% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Risca Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 25 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 27 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 28 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Peacehaven East Sussex | B+ | 1.1 | 51% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 30 | Somercotes and Swanwick Derbyshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 32 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 33 | Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 35 | Whickham Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.9 | 77% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Crowthorne Berkshire | B | 4.7 | 60% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Redruth Cornwall | B− | 1.5 | 78% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 39 | Hoyland South Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Knaresborough North Yorkshire | B− | 2.3 | 87% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Mexborough South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Teignmouth Devon | B− | 1.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | East Ardsley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Elland West Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 69% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 49 | South Hayling Hampshire | C+ | 1 | 65% | 1.4 | 26% |
| 50 | Aldridge West Midlands | C+ | 3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Hockley and Hawkwell Essex | C+ | 1.6 | 85% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 53 | Garforth West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Alsager Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Somercotes and Swanwick’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 Somercotes and Swanwick
The biggest is Midland Railway Centre, 10 ha (25 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 7 named parks by size: 23 ha (57 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 11 haPlaying fields 12 ha
The two biggest, Midland Railway Centre and Crays Hill Park, are 74% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them. 4 of the 7 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Crays Hill Park
Playing field
6.6 ha (16 acres)0.2 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Somercotes and Swanwick
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Somerlea Park
Playing field
4.0 ha (10 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Somercotes and Swanwick
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Ewart Watchorn Recreation Ground
Playing field · 320 m outside town
1.1 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Centenary Green
Park or garden · 30 m outside town
0.7 ha (2 acres)
1.3 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Brewster Memorial Garden
Park or garden
0.2 ha (1 acres)
1.1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Garden on the Green
Park or garden
0.0 ha (0 acres)
0.9 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Somercotes and Swanwick’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 (95%)Further (5%)
Somercotes and Swanwick95%
Towns its size84%
Derbyshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
About 800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 40 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 378 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 7.5 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
6 waymarked walks pass through or near Somercotes and Swanwick
75 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Somercotes and Swanwick and the kilometre around it, 3.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
LocalOther waymarked
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 47.0 km
Cromford Canal Footpath4.7 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 82.5 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 32.0 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 50.6 km
Amber Valley Routeway Walk 180.4 km
Close to home, the Amber Valley Routeway Walk 4 has 7 km of local walk 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Somercotes and Swanwick: 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 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 70 | 59 | 53 | 63 | 57 | 72 | 64 | 67 | 66 | 85 | 81 | 82 |
March is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Somercotes and Swanwick →
Things to do
40 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
Somercotes and Swanwick is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach13 mi from Somercotes and Swanwick’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
Picnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 40
Cromford View Park0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 39 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Riddings Woodin town
DirectionsGolden Valley Caravan Park0.5 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
AlfretonIronvilleRipleyJacksdale and WestwoodSouth Normanton and PinxtonSouth WingfieldSomercotes and Swanwick
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somercotes and Swanwick | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 0% |
| Alfreton 1.6 mi | B+ | 4.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Ironville 1.6 mi | B | 1.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Ripley 2.1 mi | B | 2.4 | 91% | 0% |
| Jacksdale and Westwood 2.1 mi | A− | 2.7 | 100% | 0% |
| South Normanton and Pinxton 2.5 mi | C+ | 1.7 | 90% | 0% |
| South Wingfield 3.1 mi | B− | 5.4 | 75% | 0% |
Jacksdale and Westwood, 2.1 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Somercotes and Swanwick
What is the biggest park in Somercotes and Swanwick?
Midland Railway Centre, 10 ha (25 acres), with 3 km of path. Crays Hill Park (6.6 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Somercotes and Swanwick near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 7.5 mi 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 Somercotes and Swanwick?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Amber Valley Routeway Walk 4, Cromford Canal Footpath and Amber Valley Routeway Walk 8. Midland Railway Centre alone has 3 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Somercotes and Swanwick?
The Beach, 13 mi from the edge of the town. Somercotes and Swanwick itself is inland.
How many people in Somercotes and Swanwick live near a park?
95% 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 Somercotes and Swanwick?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Somercotes and Swanwick good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 63% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 78% (3.6 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 Somercotes and Swanwick’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Somercotes and Swanwick’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.