Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Swadlincote add up to 4.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 117 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.8 for every square kilometre. 84% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Swadlincote grades B+ for the outdoors: #24 of 59 in Derbyshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Swadlincote’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Swadlincote, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 31,600 to 37,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Swadlincote stands out most for park space per resident: only 6 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Locks Heath Hampshire | A+ | 3.5 | 91% | 3.7 | 4% |
| 2 | Great Malvern Worcestershire | A+ | 3.9 | 90% | 6 | 38% |
| 3 | Dover Kent | A+ | 3 | 86% | 2.9 | 29% |
| 4 | Hyde Greater Manchester | A | 4.3 | 91% | 3.9 | 1% |
| 5 | Epsom Surrey | A | 5.7 | 80% | 4.8 | 2% |
| 6 | Burgess Hill West Sussex | A | 2.4 | 87% | 5 | 27% |
| 7 | Skelmersdale Lancashire | A | 7.8 | 91% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Redhill Surrey | A− | 2.2 | 91% | 4.3 | 14% |
| 9 | Rustington West Sussex | A− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.7 | 25% |
| 10 | Chandler's Ford Hampshire | A− | 2.7 | 80% | 5.3 | 6% |
| 11 | Dunstable Bedfordshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 8 | 29% |
| 12 | Caversham Berkshire | A− | 2.5 | 77% | 4.3 | 32% |
| 13 | Sutton in Ashfield Nottinghamshire | A− | 4.3 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 14 | Accrington Lancashire | A− | 2.6 | 79% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Nelson Lancashire | A− | 1.8 | 85% | 5.2 | 15% |
| 16 | St Neots Cambridgeshire | A− | 3.5 | 91% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Didcot Oxfordshire | A− | 1.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 18 | Exmouth Devon | A− | 1.4 | 82% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 19 | Waterlooville Hampshire | B+ | 1 | 66% | 5.2 | 18% |
| 20 | Chippenham Wiltshire | B+ | 2.8 | 76% | 3.9 | 7% |
| 21 | Fulwood Lancashire | B+ | 3.5 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Swadlincote Derbyshire | B+ | 4.1 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Chichester West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 89% | 3 | 40% |
| 24 | Lichfield Staffordshire | B+ | 2.7 | 82% | 3.1 | 2% |
| 25 | Brierley Hill West Midlands | B+ | 3.1 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Pudsey West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 94% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Hucknall Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 28 | Aberdare Mid Glamorgan | B+ | 4.6 | 84% | 1.8 | 19% |
| 29 | Hitchin Hertfordshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 4.4 | 10% |
| 30 | West Bridgford Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 86% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Brighouse West Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Wigston Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 88% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 33 | Billingham County Durham | B | 4.7 | 86% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear | B | 1.9 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Warwick Warwickshire | B | 3 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Denton Greater Manchester | B | 2.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Letchworth Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 85% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Loughton Essex | B | 2.9 | 74% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Abingdon-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Bicester Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 99% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Caerphilly Gwent | B | 2.6 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Chadderton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Morecambe Lancashire | B− | 0.8 | 84% | 2.2 | 2% |
| 44 | Redcar North Yorkshire | B− | 2.6 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Tonbridge Kent | B− | 2.1 | 65% | 2.6 | 38% |
| 46 | Whitstable Kent | B− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Camberley Surrey | C+ | 2 | 73% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Billericay Essex | C+ | 4.1 | 70% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Winsford Cheshire | C+ | 1.3 | 92% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Pontefract West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.6 | 84% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 51 | New Haw, West Byfleet and Sheerwater Surrey | C+ | 2.2 | 69% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Morley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.2 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Horndean Hampshire | C+ | 0.9 | 57% | 3.3 | 53% |
| 54 | Rayleigh Essex | C | 2 | 71% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Sedgley West Midlands | C | 1.5 | 65% | 4 | 0% |
| 56 | Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Bilston West Midlands | C− | 1.5 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Rushden Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Bromsgrove Worcestershire | C− | 1.4 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Pontypridd Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.5 | 70% | 1.9 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Swadlincote’s built-up area.
The biggest is Swadlincote Woodlands Forest Park, 34 ha (85 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Swadlincote Woodlands Forest Park and Gresley Common, are 76% of the named green space and carry 7 km of path between them.
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 6,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 55 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 629 residents.
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.
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
117 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Swadlincote and the kilometre around it, 3.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The regional route here is the National Forest Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Swadlincote’s named parks.
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
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 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 55 | 45 | 46 | 49 | 50 | 61 | 65 | 64 | 58 | 69 | 65 | 66 |
February 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 69 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Swadlincote →
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.
Swadlincote is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Plus 50 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swadlincote | B+ | 4.1 | 84% | 0% |
| Woodville 1.5 mi | B− | 3.7 | 78% | 0% |
| Overseal and Castle Gresley 2.4 mi | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Blackfordby 2.4 mi | B+ | 3.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Linton 2.4 mi | C | 1.8 | 76% | 0% |
| Moira 3.0 mi | A | 15.5 | 86% | 0% |
| Burton upon Trent 3.8 mi | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 0% |
Moira, 3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Moira has at least twice Swadlincote’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Swadlincote Woodlands Forest Park, 34 ha (85 acres), with 6.5 km of path. Gresley Common (18 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 17 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 13 mi away.
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the National Forest Way. Swadlincote Woodlands Forest Park alone has 6.5 km of path.
library, 16 mi from the edge of the town. Swadlincote itself is inland.
84% 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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Bretby Hall (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
For paths, yes: 3.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 78% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 82% (4.1 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Swadlincote’s overall grade.
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.