Barrowford’s biggest
Victoria Park
Park or garden
8.4 ha (21 acres)3.2 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lamb Working Mens Club · Photo: Trappedinburnley · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Barrowford · parks, paths & countryside
Barrowford has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 88 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 5.0 for every square kilometre. The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape begins 0.2 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Barrowford add up to 4.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Barrowford grades A for the outdoors: #3 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
82%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
88 km
5.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
22%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Forest Of Bowland National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Barrowford?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths5.0 km of path per km², more than 93% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Room to roam4.2 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 82% of UK towns.Countryside close byThe Forest Of Bowland National Landscape starts 0.2 mi north-west.
Barrowford’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Barrowford grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Barrowford, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A
Better than 93% of UK towns#3 of 65 in Lancashire · 4th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space4.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
83out of
100
100
A park within a walk82%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
50out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape22%of the land within 5 km
79out of
100
100
Footpaths5.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
93out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out 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
Barrowford is 4th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,700 to 6,100 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
Barrowford5.0
Towns its size2.6
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Barrowford4.2
Towns its size2.2
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Barrowford82%
Towns its size81%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Barrowford stands out most for park space per resident: only 10 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 2 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bagshot Surrey | A | 10.5 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 5 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 6 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 7 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 11 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 13 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 14 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 15 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 16 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 22 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 23 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 25 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 28 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 29 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 31 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Hullbridge Essex | C+ | 5.7 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 36 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 38 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Ruthin Clwyd | C | 2.7 | 51% | 1.5 | 31% |
| 41 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 42 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Durrington Wiltshire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 49 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 51 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Barrowford’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 Barrowford
The biggest is Victoria Park, 8.4 ha (21 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 19 ha (47 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 13 haPlaying fields 6.1 ha
The two biggest, Victoria Park and Barrowford Park, are 68% of the named green space and carry 4 km of path between them.
Barrowford Park
Park or garden
4.5 ha (11 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Barrowford
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lower Park Hill Recreation Ground
Playing field
4.1 ha (10 acres)
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Barrowford
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Seedhill
Playing field · 60 m outside town
2.0 ha (5 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Barrowford 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 (82%)Further (19%)
Barrowford82%
Towns its size81%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 1,100 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 235 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 0.2 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
Forest Of Bowland
0.2 mi north-west806 km²since 196422% of the land within 5 km
Official site22% of the land within 5 km of Barrowford is National Park or National Landscape, more than 79% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Barrowford
88 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Barrowford and the kilometre around it, 5.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Pendle Way11.5 km
The regional route here is the Pendle Way.
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 Barrowford: June 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 125 | 117 | 103 | 77 | 80 | 95 | 112 | 116 | 123 | 140 | 145 | 170 |
April is the driest month (77 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 170 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Barrowford →
The coast
Beaches near Barrowford
0% of the area within 5 km of Barrowford is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 1 beach is mapped within 5 km.
Treasure Beach1.6 mi from town
DirectionsSea: 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
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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 4
Blacko Hill0.3 mi from town
DirectionsHollin Top312 m (1,024 ft) · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsHigher Wheathead388 m (1,273 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsJackson Slack Hill1.2 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Greenfield Road Local Nature Reserve1.9 ha · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsQuarry Hill Nature Reserve6.4 ha · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 25
Plus 25 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.
NelsonFenceBrierfieldColneFoulridgeTrawdenBarrowford
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Barrowford grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. Foulridge has at least twice Barrowford’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Barrowford
What is the biggest park in Barrowford?
Victoria Park, 8.4 ha (21 acres), with 3.2 km of path. Barrowford Park (4.5 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Barrowford near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 9.2 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 0.2 mi away.
What are the best walks near Barrowford?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Pendle Way. Victoria Park alone has 3.2 km of path.
How many people in Barrowford live near a park?
82% 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 Barrowford?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Barrowford good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 93% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 83% (4.2 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 Barrowford’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Barrowford’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.