Photo: Richard Vince · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Whitwell lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Footpaths add up to 27 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Whitwell add up to 1.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Whitwell grades B− for the outdoors: #37 of 59 in Derbyshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Whitwell?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Whitwell’s strongest suit is parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Whitwell grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Whitwell, 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.
Whitwell is 19th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 3,600 to 3,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Whitwell stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trimley St Mary Suffolk | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.8 | 34% |
| 2 | Marsden West Yorkshire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 6.5 | 33% |
| 3 | Cuckfield West Sussex | A | 6.7 | 70% | 4.9 | 49% |
| 4 | Lingfield Surrey | A | 3.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 16% |
| 5 | Bethesda Gwynedd | A | 2.5 | 90% | 3.2 | 49% |
| 6 | Mulbarton Norfolk | A− | 7 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 7 | Kingswood Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 27% | 6.3 | 17% |
| 8 | Barnt Green Worcestershire | B+ | 37.8 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Stanstead Abbotts Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.5 | 92% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 10 | Keresley Newlands Warwickshire | B+ | 4.4 | 89% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 11 | Papworth Everard Cambridgeshire | B+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Harriseahead, Mow Cop and Newchapel Staffordshire | B+ | 4.2 | 86% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Watchet Somerset | B+ | 1.3 | 86% | 2 | 18% |
| 14 | Locking Somerset | B+ | 2.7 | 84% | 2.4 | 23% |
| 15 | Lyme Regis Dorset | B | 1.4 | 60% | 2.5 | 56% |
| 16 | Mayland Essex | B | 2.6 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 17 | Romanby North Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Martham Norfolk | B | 1.7 | 74% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 19 | Whitwell Derbyshire | B− | 1.7 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 20 | Rhuddlan Clwyd | B− | 1.8 | 85% | 0.9 | 8% |
| 21 | Cholsey Oxfordshire | B− | 2.3 | 55% | 2.5 | 81% |
| 22 | Lower Nazeing Essex | B− | 23.8 | 58% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Pulborough West Sussex | B− | 1.4 | 77% | 2.7 | 50% |
| 24 | Cardigan Dyfed | B− | 1.9 | 69% | 1.4 | 13% |
| 25 | Kingskerswell Devon | C+ | 3.5 | 76% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Oakworth West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 84% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Tutbury Staffordshire | C+ | 2.5 | 90% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Pewsey Wiltshire | C+ | 1 | 64% | 3 | 91% |
| 29 | Troedyrhiw and Pentrebach Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 84% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Great Lumley County Durham | C+ | 1.4 | 88% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 31 | Norton Fitzwarren Somerset | C+ | 1.3 | 35% | 5.2 | 6% |
| 32 | Hatfield Peverel Essex | C | 2 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Coggeshall Essex | C | 2.1 | 84% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Bransgore Hampshire | C | 1.9 | 71% | 1.2 | 49% |
| 35 | Cowbridge South Glamorgan | C | 1.2 | 86% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Haltwhistle Northumberland | C | 1.5 | 59% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 37 | Bromyard Herefordshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Glemsford Suffolk | C− | 1.1 | 84% | 3 | 0% |
| 39 | Desford Leicestershire | C− | 1.6 | 90% | 2 | 0% |
| 40 | Hawkhurst Kent | C− | 1.1 | 60% | 1.4 | 100% |
| 41 | Holton le Clay Lincolnshire | C− | 2 | 59% | 1.4 | 8% |
| 42 | Fulbourn Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Pwllheli Gwynedd | C− | 0.1 | 23% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 44 | West Parley Dorset | C− | 1.6 | 20% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Bloxham Oxfordshire | C− | 2.6 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Kempsey Worcestershire | D | 0.9 | 40% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Windlesham Surrey | D | 2 | 57% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Pen-pedair-heol Gwent | D | 0.9 | 80% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Langford Bedfordshire | D | 1.4 | 63% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Spilsby Lincolnshire | D | 0 | 0% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 51 | Wilsden West Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 61% | 3 | 0% |
| 52 | St Columb Major Cornwall | D | 1 | 89% | 1 | 0% |
| 53 | Willaston (Cheshire East) Cheshire | D | 1 | 82% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Bilton East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.3 | 66% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Llanbradach Gwent | D− | 1.2 | 52% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Upwell and Outwell Norfolk | D− | 1.8 | 43% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Long Buckby Northamptonshire | D− | 0.6 | 52% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Penyffordd Clwyd | D− | 0.7 | 36% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Llanharry Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.6 | 50% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Copmanthorpe North Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 38% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Whitwell’s built-up area.
How close Whitwell’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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 16 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 233 residents.
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.
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Whitwell
27 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Whitwell and the kilometre around it, 3.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The regional route here is the Robin Hood 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 Whitwell: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 47 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 66 | 65 | 60 | 54 | 70 | 71 | 67 |
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Whitwell →
16 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
Whitwell 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.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 2
Plus 2 nature reserves without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 16
Plus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Langwith, 3.9 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Barlborough, Harthill and Langwith have at least twice Whitwell’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Whitwell
Is Whitwell near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 13 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 Whitwell?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Archaeological Way (old route) and Robin Hood Way.
What is the nearest beach to Whitwell?
The Beach, 9.7 mi from the edge of the town, then Doncaster Lakeside Beach (16 mi). Whitwell itself is inland.
How many people in Whitwell live near a park?
100% 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 Whitwell?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Whitwell good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 61% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 35% (1.7 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 Whitwell’s overall grade.
Where Whitwell’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.