Almost everyone in Burnley lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 95% of residents. 287 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 5.7 for every square kilometre. The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape begins 1.5 mi from the town’s edge. Burnley grades A+ for the outdoors: #2 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Burnley’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Burnley grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Burnley, 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 95% of UK towns#2 of 65 in Lancashire · 3rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
76out of 100
A park within a walk95%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
75out of 100
National Park or National Landscape7%of the land within 5 km
69out of 100
Footpaths5.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
97out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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
Burnley is 3rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 63,100 to 96,000 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
Burnley5.7
Towns its size3.7
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Burnley3.4
Towns its size2.4
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Burnley95%
Towns its size86%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Burnley stands out most for path per km²: only 6 of the other 59 have more.
The biggest is Towneley Park, 154 ha (381 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 21 named parks by size: 241 ha (596 acres) and 39 km of path
Parks & gardens 230 haPlaying fields 11 ha
The two biggest, Towneley Park and Calder Park, are 72% of the named green space and carry 23 km of path between them. 9 of the 21 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
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 (95%)Further (5%)
Burnley95%
Towns its size86%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 73 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,072 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 1.5 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
1.5 mi north806 km²since 19647% of the land within 5 km
7% of the land within 5 km of Burnley is National Park or National Landscape, more than 69% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
6 waymarked walks pass through or near Burnley
287 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Burnley and the kilometre around it, 5.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Burnley Way36.7 km
Bronte Way14.4 km
Pendle Way11.7 km
Huncoat Trail2.8 km
Brun Valley Greenway1.2 km
Mary Towneley Loop0.8 km
4 regional routes pass through, including the Burnley Way, Bronte Way, Pendle Way and Mary Towneley Loop.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
5 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Burnley’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Towneley Park
154 ha. Part of Towneley Hall, a registered historic park (Grade II). 3 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIFormer Main Entrance to Towneley Park Comprising Archway and CottageIIHand BridgeIITowneley Golf Club Clubhouse Shop and Cottage
Registered · Grade IIGawthorpe Hall0.7 ha
Registered · Grade IIQueen's Park1.9 ha
Registered · Grade IIScott Park7.7 ha
Registered · Grade IIThompson Park0.6 ha
Listed buildings insideIghtenhill ParkBoundary Stone on East Side Approximately 50 Metres South of Junction with Ighten Road and Boundary Stone on West Side Approximately 50 Metres South of Junction with Ighten Road
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Burnley: 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)
8.0
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)
115
98
87
67
67
81
90
97
97
117
123
141
April is the driest month (67 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 141 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Burnley →
The coast
Beaches near Burnley
0% of the area within 5 km of Burnley is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
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
73 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.
Burnley grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Burnley
What is the biggest park in Burnley?
Towneley Park, 154 ha (381 acres), with 20.9 km of path. Calder Park (18 ha) is second. 21 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Burnley near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 12 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, 1.5 mi away.
What are the best walks near Burnley?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Burnley Way, Bronte Way and Pendle Way. Towneley Park alone has 20.9 km of path.
How many people in Burnley live near a park?
95% 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 Burnley?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Burnley are historic?
Gawthorpe Hall (Grade II), Queen's Park (Grade II), Scott Park (Grade II) and Thompson Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Burnley good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 97% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 76% (3.4 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 Burnley’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0