Bangor’s biggest
Gardd Lysieueg
Park or garden · 200 m outside town
3.1 ha (8 acres)0.3 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Jeff Buck · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Bangor · parks, paths & countryside
Bangor is on the coast, on the Wales Coast Path
The sea makes up 16% of the area within 5 km. The Ynys Mon/anglesey National Landscape begins 0.1 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Bangor add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Bangor grades B for the outdoors: #9 of 13 in Gwynedd. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
0.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
79%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
61 km
2.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
11%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Ynys Mon/anglesey National Landscape
The sea
16%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Bangor?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast16% of the area within 5 km is sea; 1 beach mapped.Hills with a view13 mapped viewpoints, about 13× as many per resident as the typical town its size.Countryside both waysYnys Mon/anglesey starts 0.1 mi north-west, Snowdonia 2.2 mi east.Less park per person0.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Bangor’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by its views. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Bangor grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bangor, 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 58% of UK towns#9 of 13 in Gwynedd · 33rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space0.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
12out of
100
100
A park within a walk79%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
45out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape11%of the land within 5 km
72out of
100
100
Footpaths2.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
51out of
100
100
The sea16%of the area within 5 km
88out 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
Bangor is 33rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 16,000 to 18,100 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
Bangor2.7
Towns its size3.2
Gwynedd towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bangor0.9
Towns its size2.1
Gwynedd towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bangor79%
Towns its size85%
Gwynedd towns83%
All UK towns83%
Bangor falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 58 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 2 | Cirencester Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 95% | 4.1 | 48% |
| 3 | Dorking Surrey | A | 4.4 | 75% | 7 | 57% |
| 4 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 5 | Hadfield Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 91% | 4.5 | 36% |
| 6 | Brixham Devon | A | 3.1 | 76% | 2.5 | 30% |
| 7 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 9 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Bedlington Northumberland | A | 5.1 | 94% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Clifton Greater Manchester | A | 10 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Lewes East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 83% | 4.6 | 75% |
| 14 | Euxton Lancashire | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | South Woodham Ferrers Essex | B+ | 7.8 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 16 | Alton Hampshire | B+ | 2.6 | 82% | 3 | 27% |
| 17 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Glossop Derbyshire | B+ | 1.5 | 78% | 4.2 | 60% |
| 19 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 20 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 21 | Swanley Kent | B+ | 1.8 | 78% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 22 | Warminster Wiltshire | B+ | 1.7 | 86% | 3 | 44% |
| 23 | Liversedge West Yorkshire | B+ | 2 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Tyldesley Greater Manchester | B | 2.3 | 97% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 25 | Brackley Northamptonshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Haydock Merseyside | B | 6.8 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 27 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 28 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | B | 1.8 | 62% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 29 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Cobham Surrey | B | 3.1 | 49% | 4 | 1% |
| 31 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 32 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 33 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 34 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Bramhall Greater Manchester | B− | 4.7 | 71% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 37 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Biddulph Staffordshire | B− | 3.3 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 39 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Carterton Oxfordshire | B− | 2.1 | 82% | 2 | 13% |
| 42 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 43 | South Normanton and Pinxton Derbyshire | C+ | 1.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Royston Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 46 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | C | 1.2 | 54% | 3.3 | 21% |
| 47 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Bourne Lincolnshire | C | 1.3 | 70% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 50 | Sleaford Lincolnshire | C | 1.7 | 93% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | Tonypandy Mid Glamorgan | C | 1.5 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Stone Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Louth Lincolnshire | C− | 0.6 | 76% | 1.3 | 47% |
| 58 | Oswestry Shropshire | C− | 1.3 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 59 | Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 60% | 1.6 | 3% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bangor’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 Bangor
The biggest is Gardd Lysieueg, 3.1 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 7 named parks by size: 8 ha (19 acres) and 1 km of path
Parks & gardens 5.4 haPlaying fields 2.5 ha
The two biggest, Gardd Lysieueg and Gerddi Pen y Bryn, are 60% of the named green space. 6 of the 7 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Gerddi Pen y Bryn
Park or garden
1.6 ha (4 acres)0.4 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi north-eastfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
King George's Field Playing Field
Playing field
1.4 ha (4 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
King George's Field
Playing field
1.0 ha (3 acres)
Centralin the middle of Bangor
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Garth Gardens
Park or garden
0.2 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
1.2 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Gardd-yr-esgob
Park or garden
0.2 ha (0 acres)0.2 km of path
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Tan-y-fynwent
Park or garden
0.3 ha (1 acres)0.1 km of path
0.7 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Bangor 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).
Within 400 m (79%)Further (21%)
Bangor79%
Towns its size85%
Gwynedd towns83%
All UK towns83%
About 3,600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 25 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 680 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Ynys Mon/anglesey and Snowdonia both start about 2 miles from Bangor
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
National Landscape
Ynys Mon/anglesey
0.1 mi north-west219 km²since 19679% of the land within 5 km
National Park
Snowdonia
2.2 mi east2,140 km²since 19512% of the land within 5 km
National Landscape
Llyn
13 mi south-west160 km²since 1957
11% of the land within 5 km of Bangor is National Park or National Landscape, more than 72% of UK towns. Snowdonia National Park covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Bangor is on the Wales Coast Path
61 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bangor and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
Wales Coast Path (North Wales) main route11.9 km
Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path10.0 km
Llwybr Llechi Eryri4.9 km
Glan Faenol Wildlife and Woodland Walk, Glan Faenol2.3 km
Discover Nature Walk at Penrhyn Castle, Penrhyn1.9 km
North Wales Path1.3 km
The Wales Coast Path, a national route, passes Bangor. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path, Llwybr Llechi Eryri and North Wales Path.
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 Bangor: May to August
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 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 99 | 84 | 76 | 65 | 65 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 98 | 128 | 130 | 125 |
April is the driest month (65 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 130 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 19 nights a year. The climate in Bangor →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Bangor
16% of the area within 5 km of Bangor is sea. 1 beach is mapped within 5 km, 0 with a name.
The Wales Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
13 viewpoints and 25 playgrounds
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.
13Viewpoints12.6× towns its size2Hills and peaks2Nature reserves25Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Dog parks3Campsites4Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 2
Pier Roman Camp60 m (197 ft) · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsMynydd Bangor117 m (384 ft) · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Nant Porth Nature Reserve4.4 ha · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsCaeau Pen y Clip1.8 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 25
Ffordd Cynanin town
DirectionsAdventure Playground0.6 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Zoomie's Zone1.2 mi from town
DirectionsCampsites 3
Treborth Leisure0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCae lal0.5 mi from town
DirectionsLlyn Y Gors1.1 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 4
Plus 4 slipways 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.
Menai BridgeLlanfair PwllgwyngyllTregarthBeaumarisY FelinheliBethesdaBangor
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | B | 0.9 | 79% | 11% |
| Menai Bridge 1.4 mi | A | 1.8 | 100% | 7% |
| Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll 2.7 mi | C | 0.8 | 71% | 8% |
| Tregarth 2.9 mi | B+ | 1.5 | 100% | 23% |
| Beaumaris 3.4 mi | B− | 2.7 | 30% | 18% |
| Y Felinheli 4.0 mi | B+ | 4.9 | 65% | 10% |
| Bethesda 4.4 mi | A | 2.5 | 90% | 49% |
Menai Bridge, 1.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Beaumaris, Y Felinheli and Bethesda have at least twice Bangor’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Bangor
What is the biggest park in Bangor?
Gardd Lysieueg, 3.1 ha (8 acres), just outside the built-up area. Gerddi Pen y Bryn (1.6 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Bangor near a National Park?
Yes. Snowdonia National Park begins 2.2 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Ynys Mon/anglesey National Landscape, 0.1 mi away.
What are the best walks near Bangor?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Wales Coast Path (North Wales) main route, Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path and Llwybr Llechi Eryri.
How many people in Bangor live near a park?
79% 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 Bangor?
May to August: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bangor good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 51% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 12% (0.9 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 Bangor’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Bangor’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.