Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Billington
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape begins 1.2 mi from the village’s edge. 29 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Billington add up to 0.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Billington grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Billington?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Billington’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Billington grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Billington, 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.
Billington is 39th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,700 to 1,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Billington stands out most for path per km²: only 5 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 57 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Llanbadarn Fawr Dyfed | A+ | 14.7 | 82% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 2 | Wanborough Wiltshire | A+ | 6 | 100% | 2.7 | 45% |
| 3 | Trimley St Martin Suffolk | A+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.9 | 43% |
| 4 | Woodbury Devon | A | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 26% |
| 5 | Malvern Wells Worcestershire | A | 10.8 | 37% | 5.3 | 57% |
| 6 | Elstree Hertfordshire | A | 22 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 7 | Grain Kent | A | 13 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Upchurch Kent | A | 4 | 76% | 2.3 | 7% |
| 9 | New Hartley Northumberland | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Hamstreet Kent | A− | 2.3 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Ingleton North Yorkshire | B+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.5 | 54% |
| 12 | Harthill South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.6 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Pendlebury Greater Manchester | B+ | 18.5 | 74% | 4 | 0% |
| 14 | Eight Ash Green Essex | B+ | 8.2 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Criccieth Gwynedd | B | 2.9 | 75% | 1.3 | 4% |
| 16 | Denby Bottles Derbyshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 17 | Rackheath Norfolk | B | 2.6 | 100% | 1 | 14% |
| 18 | South Hiendley West Yorkshire | B | 13.4 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | North Benfleet Essex | B | 11 | 56% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | East Bridgford Nottinghamshire | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Great Bentley Essex | B− | 6.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Bryn Dyfed | B− | 2.9 | 67% | 1.4 | 1% |
| 23 | Flockton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 24 | Shaldon Devon | B− | 1.7 | 85% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Winkfield Row Berkshire | B− | 11 | 80% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Much Wenlock Shropshire | B− | 2.4 | 13% | 3.6 | 20% |
| 27 | Summit Greater Manchester | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Feniton Devon | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 17% |
| 29 | Dunvant West Glamorgan | C+ | 4.3 | 36% | 1.8 | 30% |
| 30 | Langho Lancashire | C+ | 1.6 | 74% | 3 | 7% |
| 31 | Cheddington Buckinghamshire | C+ | 2.2 | 35% | 3.1 | 16% |
| 32 | North Leigh Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.3 | 56% | 2.4 | 26% |
| 33 | Sharnbrook Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Harvington Worcestershire | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Minsterley Shropshire | C+ | 1.1 | 77% | 2.4 | 38% |
| 36 | Bury Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Great Broughton and Little Broughton Cumbria | C | 1.2 | 85% | 2.3 | 1% |
| 38 | Doveridge Derbyshire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Billington Lancashire | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 3.9 | 14% |
| 40 | Poyle Berkshire | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 41 | West Thorney West Sussex | C− | 0.4 | 0% | 0.9 | 55% |
| 42 | Embsay North Yorkshire | C− | 0.9 | 38% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 43 | Deddington Oxfordshire | C− | 3.6 | 53% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Middle Barton Oxfordshire | C− | 1.9 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Elmstead Market Essex | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Higher Kinnerton Clwyd | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 47 | Sudbrooke Lincolnshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Croft Leicestershire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Charminster Dorset | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 56% |
| 50 | Glinton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 79% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Shrewton Wiltshire | D | 1.4 | 42% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Frizington Cumbria | D | 1.4 | 52% | 0.9 | 15% |
| 53 | Aiskew North Yorkshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Houghton on the Hill Leicestershire | D | 1.8 | 60% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Johnston Dyfed | D | 1.4 | 55% | 0.6 | 5% |
| 56 | Monk Fryston and Hillam North Yorkshire | D | 2.7 | 40% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Bramham West Yorkshire | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Necton Norfolk | D− | 1.5 | 17% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Swffryd Gwent | D− | 1.4 | 17% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Hambleton North Yorkshire | D− | 0.1 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Billington’s built-up area.
Few Billington 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 1,700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 218 residents.
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 1.2 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.
Forest Of Bowland
14% of the land within 5 km of Billington is National Park or National Landscape, more than 73% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Billington
29 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Billington and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail and Ribble 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 Billington: May to September
The village’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 | 15.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 116 | 102 | 86 | 65 | 72 | 84 | 96 | 103 | 104 | 121 | 124 | 145 |
April is the driest month (65 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 145 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Billington →
8 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Billington is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Whalley Nab, at 185 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Billington.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 3
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 8
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billington | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 14% |
| Whalley 0.6 mi | B | 1.2 | 88% | 23% |
| Langho 1.5 mi | C+ | 1.6 | 74% | 7% |
| Old Langho 1.6 mi | A− | 7.6 | 73% | 20% |
| Barrow 1.9 mi | B | 0.5 | 100% | 27% |
| Great Harwood 2.2 mi | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4% |
| Read 2.9 mi | C+ | 1.6 | 71% | 21% |
Great Harwood, 2.2 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 97% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Whalley, Langho and Old Langho have at least twice Billington’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Billington
Is Billington near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 15 mi north-east of the village’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, 1.2 mi away.
What are the best walks near Billington?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail, Great Harwood Nature Walk and Ribble Way.
What is the nearest beach to Billington?
Treasure Beach, 10 mi from the edge of the village, then Car Park Beach (16 mi). Billington itself is inland.
How many people in Billington live near a park?
0% 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 Billington?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Billington good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 79% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 5% (0.5 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 Billington’s overall grade.
Where Billington’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.