Dumfries’ biggest
Academy Playing Fields
Playing field
15 ha (37 acres)0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
21 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Dumfries
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Les Hull · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Dumfries · parks, paths & countryside
90% of Dumfries’ residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Nith Estuary National Scenic Area begins 0.5 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Dumfries add up to 4.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical town in England and Wales has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 62 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.4 for every square kilometre. Dumfries has no Outdoors Grade: Scottish towns aren’t graded on the outdoors yet.
Green space
4.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical town in England and Wales 2.1
Near a park
90%
of residents within 400 m
Typical town in England and Wales 83%
Footpaths
62 km
1.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical town in England and Wales 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
10%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Nith Estuary National Scenic Area
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dumfries’ locality.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Scottish Government, NatureScot
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Dumfries
The biggest is Academy Playing Fields, 15 ha (37 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 16 named parks by size: 62 ha (154 acres) and 5 km of path
Parks & gardens 22 haPlaying fields 40 haPlay spaces 0.2 ha
The biggest is Academy Playing Fields, 15 ha (37 acres); no single park dominates. 5 of the 16 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Dock Park
Park or garden
4.3 ha (11 acres)1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
Octocentenary Walk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Castledykes Park
Park or garden
3.9 ha (10 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi southfrom the centre
Castledykes Park, motte and bailey, medieval castle and associated earthworks monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hamilton Starke Park
Playing field
8.9 ha (22 acres)
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Joseph's College Playing Fields
Playing field
7.4 ha (18 acres)
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lincluden Gardens
Park or garden
3.3 ha (8 acres)0.3 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rock Garden
Park or garden
3.2 ha (8 acres)0.2 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Parkhead Playing Field
Playing field
4.6 ha (11 acres)0.4 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 16 named parks and green spaces
Academy Playing FieldsPlaying field · 15 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsDock ParkPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsCastledykes ParkPark or garden · 3.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsHamilton Starke ParkPlaying field · 8.9 ha
DirectionsSt Joseph's College Playing FieldsPlaying field · 7.4 ha
DirectionsLincluden GardensPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsRock GardenPark or garden · 3.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParkhead Playing FieldPlaying field · 4.6 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsGoldie ParkPark or garden · 2.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsMill GreenPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsKing George V ParkPlaying field · 4.6 ha
DirectionsThe GreensandsPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsNoblehill ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsApache LandPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsPlaygroundPlay space · 0.1 ha · just outside town
DirectionsPlaygroundPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsClose to home
How close Dumfries’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 (NRS Census 2022 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (90%)Further (10%)
Dumfries90%
Dumfries and Galloway towns87%
Towns in England and Wales83%
About 3,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 78 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 432 residents.
National Parks & National Scenic Areas
The Nith Estuary National Scenic Area is 0.5 mi away
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the locality; circle size shows each one’s area. National Scenic Areas are Scotland’s finest landscapes, chosen by NatureScot.
National ParkNational Scenic AreaThe 5 km the grade counts
National Scenic Area
Nith Estuary
0.5 mi south90 km²since 198010% of the land within 5 km
National Scenic Area
East Stewartry Coast
9.2 mi south57 km²since 1980
10% of the land within 5 km of Dumfries is National Park or National Scenic Area.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Dumfries
62 km of footpaths, tracks and core paths are mapped in Dumfries and the kilometre around it, 1.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical town in England and Wales has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Dumfries; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Scotland has no rights-of-way register: everyone has a right of responsible access to most land, so tracks and councils’ core paths count. Paths are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Dumfries: 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) | 7.7 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 16.8 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 7.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 135 | 103 | 87 | 69 | 68 | 78 | 87 | 101 | 92 | 137 | 133 | 134 |
May is the driest month (68 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 137 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Dumfries →
Things to do
78 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Dumfries is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Milton Sands24 mi from Dumfries’ edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. SEPA tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Mid Craig, at 80 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Dumfries.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 3
Mid Craig80 m (262 ft) · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCamp Hill0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Fontainbleau Ladypark Nature Reserve5.7 ha · in town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 78
Catherine Street Inclusive Play Park & Community Gardenin town
DirectionsPlus 77 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
LocharbriggsLockerbieDumfries
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfries | – | 4.0 | 90% | 10% |
| Locharbriggs 2.3 mi | – | 2.3 | 87% | 0% |
| Lockerbie 10.8 mi | – | 1.0 | 66% | 0% |
Questions about the outdoors in Dumfries
What is the biggest park in Dumfries?
Academy Playing Fields, 15 ha (37 acres), with 0.6 km of path. Dock Park (4.3 ha) is second. 16 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Dumfries near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Nith Estuary National Scenic Area, 0.5 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 90 km² and was designated in 1980.
What is the nearest beach to Dumfries?
Milton Sands, 24 mi from the edge of the town. Dumfries itself is inland.
How many people in Dumfries live near a park?
90% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (NRS Census 2022 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical town in England and Wales is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Dumfries?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
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 Scenic Area within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Dumfries’ overall grade.
Sources
Where Dumfries’ 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 Scenic Areas: Scottish Government and NatureScot boundaries (Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, Cairngorms; the 40 National Scenic Areas), clipped to land, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, tracks, core paths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik’s Scotland extract, October 2026.
- Historic gardens, listed buildings and monuments: Historic Environment Scotland designations, 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: NRS Scotland’s Census 2022 output areas.
- Grade: Scottish towns have no Outdoors Grade yet.
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.