Burscough’s biggest
Burscough Brickpits
Park or garden
7.3 ha (18 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Small-town hero · Public domainCOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Burscough · parks, paths & countryside
76% of Burscough’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Burscough add up to 2.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 51 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.1 for every square kilometre. Burscough grades C for the outdoors: #53 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
76%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
51 km
2.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Forest Of Bowland National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Burscough grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Burscough, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C
Better than 28% of UK towns#53 of 65 in Lancashire · 47th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
62out of
100
100
A park within a walk76%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
39out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
34out 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
Burscough is 47th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 8,400 to 9,200 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
Burscough2.1
Towns its size2.9
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Burscough2.6
Towns its size2.4
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Burscough76%
Towns its size85%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Burscough falls furthest behind on path per km², where 41 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swanage Dorset | A+ | 6.9 | 95% | 4.2 | 47% |
| 2 | Hawkinge Kent | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 74% |
| 3 | Pool and Illogan Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 81% | 4 | 5% |
| 4 | Worsbrough South Yorkshire | A | 10.1 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 5 | Storrington West Sussex | A | 5.5 | 85% | 3.2 | 54% |
| 6 | Killamarsh Derbyshire | A | 10.6 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 7 | Wallingford Oxfordshire | A | 3.1 | 85% | 3.7 | 61% |
| 8 | Warlingham Surrey | A | 4.2 | 81% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 9 | Penistone South Yorkshire | A | 2.6 | 97% | 3.9 | 9% |
| 10 | Maryport Cumbria | A− | 1.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 5% |
| 11 | Hetton-le-Hole Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.8 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Billingshurst West Sussex | A− | 2.9 | 95% | 3.1 | 3% |
| 13 | Ryton Tyne and Wear | A− | 5.5 | 85% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Brightlingsea Essex | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Shanklin Isle of Wight | A− | 1.4 | 33% | 4.5 | 29% |
| 16 | Alfreton Derbyshire | B+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Longridge Lancashire | B+ | 1.9 | 89% | 3 | 32% |
| 18 | Winnersh Berkshire | B+ | 9.6 | 80% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Frodsham Cheshire | B+ | 2.5 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Hadleigh Suffolk | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 2.7 | 10% |
| 21 | Higham Ferrers Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.5 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Hayle Cornwall | B+ | 1.4 | 72% | 3.4 | 6% |
| 23 | Banstead Surrey | B+ | 2.4 | 66% | 5.2 | 3% |
| 24 | Cinderford Gloucestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 4.7 | 4% |
| 25 | Ashbourne Derbyshire | B | 1.9 | 92% | 2.7 | 14% |
| 26 | Cockermouth Cumbria | B | 2.6 | 81% | 2.2 | 42% |
| 27 | Ampthill Bedfordshire | B | 6.8 | 71% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 28 | Clay Cross Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 88% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 29 | South Kirkby West Yorkshire | B | 3 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Marlborough Wiltshire | B | 1.2 | 72% | 3.8 | 100% |
| 31 | Abergele Clwyd | B | 2.9 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 32 | Wendover Buckinghamshire | B | 1 | 58% | 5.6 | 60% |
| 33 | Hornsea East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 90% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Whitnash Warwickshire | B− | 2 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Cullompton Devon | B− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Stansted Mountfitchet Essex | B− | 0.8 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Hook Hampshire | B− | 2.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 38 | West End and Chobham Surrey | B− | 3.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Caister-on-Sea Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 58% | 2.1 | 21% |
| 40 | Hoo St Werburgh Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 92% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Okehampton Devon | C+ | 0.9 | 85% | 2.2 | 37% |
| 42 | Atherstone Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 43 | Brinsworth South Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 76% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Faringdon Oxfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Kinmel Bay Clwyd | C | 1.8 | 76% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Rothwell Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Burscough Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Sherburn in Elmet North Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Ferryhill County Durham | C− | 1.5 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 50 | East Leake Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Pencoed Mid Glamorgan | C− | 2.8 | 52% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Sileby Leicestershire | C− | 1 | 80% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Adlington Lancashire | C− | 1.3 | 64% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Shifnal Shropshire | D | 1 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Harworth and Bircotes Nottinghamshire | D | 1.9 | 64% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Holbeach Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 91% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Tarleton and Hesketh Bank Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 63% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Coxheath Kent | D | 1.2 | 48% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Clydach West Glamorgan | D | 1.7 | 68% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Kirkham Lancashire | D− | 1.3 | 66% | 1.3 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Burscough’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 Burscough
The biggest is Burscough Brickpits, 7.3 ha (18 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Thomas Galvin Sports Ground
Playing field
8.1 ha (20 acres)
11 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Richmond Park
Playing field
2.7 ha (7 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Burscough
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Burscough’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 (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (76%)Further (24%)
Burscough76%
Towns its size85%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 2,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 21 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 418 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 18 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Burscough
51 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Burscough and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Local
Reedbed Walk3.2 km
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 Burscough: May to July
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 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 78 | 66 | 58 | 53 | 57 | 71 | 73 | 87 | 87 | 103 | 94 | 103 |
April is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 103 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Burscough →
Things to do
21 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
The nearest beaches
Burscough is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Crosby Beach10 mi from Burscough’s edge
DirectionsTaylor's Bank11 mi from Burscough’s edge
DirectionsBrazil Bank13 mi from Burscough’s edge
DirectionsTranmere Beach15 mi from Burscough’s edge
DirectionsEast Hoyle Bank18 mi from Burscough’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Martin Mere Wetland Centre77 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 21
Plus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Merseyside Scouts County HQ1.2 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
RuffordParboldOrmskirkSkelmersdaleCrostonAppley BridgeBurscough
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burscough | C | 2.6 | 76% | 0% |
| Rufford 2.3 mi | C | 2.8 | 70% | 0% |
| Parbold 2.9 mi | D | 1.5 | 36% | 0% |
| Ormskirk 3.2 mi | D | 1.5 | 80% | 0% |
| Skelmersdale 4.4 mi | A | 7.8 | 91% | 0% |
| Croston 5.3 mi | D | 0.6 | 78% | 0% |
| Appley Bridge 5.4 mi | D− | 0.5 | 44% | 0% |
Skelmersdale, 4.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 91% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Skelmersdale has at least twice Burscough’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Burscough
What is the biggest park in Burscough?
Burscough Brickpits, 7.3 ha (18 acres), with 0.9 km of path. Thomas Galvin Sports Ground (8.1 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Burscough near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 18 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 806 km² and was designated in 1964.
What are the best walks near Burscough?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Reedbed Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Burscough?
Crosby Beach, 10 mi from the edge of the town, then Taylor's Bank (11 mi). Burscough itself is inland.
How many people in Burscough live near a park?
76% 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 Burscough?
May to July: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Burscough good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 34% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 62% (2.6 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 Burscough’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Burscough’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.