Photo: Wayland Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Willington
67% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Willington add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 19 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.0 for every square kilometre. Willington grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Willington grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Willington, 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.
Willington is 54th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,600 to 2,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Willington falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 40 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindford Hampshire | A+ | 17.1 | 100% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 2 | Settle North Yorkshire | A+ | 6.4 | 100% | 3.6 | 73% |
| 3 | Hadston Northumberland | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 2 | 1% |
| 4 | Yorkley and Whitecroft Gloucestershire | A | 3.3 | 74% | 6.4 | 1% |
| 5 | Penmaenmawr Clwyd | A | 1.7 | 78% | 3.4 | 39% |
| 6 | Martlesham Heath Suffolk | A− | 3.5 | 68% | 4.6 | 25% |
| 7 | Jacksdale and Westwood Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.7 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Newington Kent | A− | 2.3 | 78% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 9 | Combe Martin Devon | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 10 | Newhey Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 11 | Blofield Norfolk | B+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 17% |
| 12 | Perranporth Cornwall | B+ | 1.3 | 75% | 3.4 | 4% |
| 13 | Buckfastleigh Devon | B+ | 2.9 | 89% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 14 | Broadway Worcestershire | B | 2 | 65% | 3.6 | 56% |
| 15 | Farington Moss Lancashire | B | 5.9 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Boverton South Glamorgan | B | 4.3 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Ormesby St Margaret Norfolk | B | 2.1 | 79% | 0.8 | 21% |
| 18 | Sutton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Mancetter and Witherley Warwickshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Alltwen West Glamorgan | B− | 4.2 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Cliffe Woods Kent | B− | 1.7 | 62% | 2.5 | 1% |
| 22 | Denby Dale West Yorkshire | B− | 0.7 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 23 | Pucklechurch Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 64% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 24 | Pimperne Dorset | C+ | 1.9 | 72% | 1.9 | 89% |
| 25 | Shevington Moor Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Ashington West Sussex | C+ | 1.3 | 86% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 27 | Hurworth-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 4.5 | 93% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Hambrook and Nutbourne West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 28% | 2 | 69% |
| 29 | Snettisham Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 73% | 1.3 | 32% |
| 30 | Rhostyllen Clwyd | C+ | 1.1 | 68% | 3.7 | 10% |
| 31 | Bosham West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 48% | 1.4 | 58% |
| 32 | Lostock Gralam Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Catterick North Yorkshire | C | 3.6 | 89% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Badsey Worcestershire | C | 2.8 | 54% | 1.9 | 5% |
| 35 | Asfordby Leicestershire | C | 4 | 57% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Woolton Hill and Highclere Hampshire | C | 1.2 | 60% | 2.3 | 70% |
| 37 | Kidwelly Dyfed | C | 2.8 | 56% | 1 | 0% |
| 38 | Buckden Cambridgeshire | C | 2.9 | 85% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Shelley West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Wittering Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.1 | 83% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Swavesey Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.8 | 80% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | South Wonston Hampshire | C− | 1.6 | 42% | 2.6 | 7% |
| 43 | Wolston Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Cheswick Green West Midlands | C− | 1 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Codicote Hertfordshire | C− | 0.4 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Newick East Sussex | C− | 1.7 | 35% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 47 | Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen West Glamorgan | C− | 1.1 | 80% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 48 | Tarvin Cheshire | C− | 1.2 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | West Clyst Devon | C− | 0.6 | 59% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Clifton Bedfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 64% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Kirkbymoorside North Yorkshire | C− | 0.4 | 55% | 1.9 | 37% |
| 52 | Christleton and Waverton Cheshire | D | 2.4 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Tonna West Glamorgan | D | 2.1 | 36% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Willington Derbyshire | D | 1.8 | 67% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Brierley South Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Harbury Warwickshire | D | 1.6 | 73% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Larkhill Wiltshire | D | 1.1 | 68% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Ambrosden Oxfordshire | D | 1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Repton Derbyshire | D | 0.8 | 36% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 60 | St Martins Shropshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 0.8 | 2% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Willington’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Willington 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 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 272 residents.
The Peak District National Park is 14 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 Willington
19 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Willington and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
2 regional routes pass through, including the Derby Nomad Way and Trent 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 Willington: 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) | 54 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 62 | 63 | 61 | 57 | 67 | 64 | 68 |
February is the driest month (46 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 68 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Willington →
10 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
Willington 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
Hills and peaks 1
Nature reserves 6
Picnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 10
Plus 10 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.
Etwall, 2.5 miles away, grades C+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Stretton and Rolleston on Dove have at least twice Willington’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Willington
Is Willington near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 14 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 Willington?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Derby Nomad Way and Trent Valley Way.
What is the nearest beach to Willington?
library, 23 mi from the edge of the town, then The Beach (30 mi). Willington itself is inland.
How many people in Willington live near a park?
67% 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 Willington?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Willington good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 31% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 38% (1.8 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 Willington’s overall grade.
Where Willington’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.