Chorley has more park space per resident than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Chorley add up to 5.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 126 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.1 for every square kilometre. 88% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Chorley grades A− for the outdoors: #14 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Chorley’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Chorley grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Chorley, 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 77% of UK towns#14 of 65 in Lancashire · 16th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space5.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
87out of 100
A park within a walk88%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
82out 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
Chorley is 16th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 34,800 to 45,000 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
Chorley4.1
Towns its size3.8
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Chorley5.0
Towns its size2.4
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Chorley88%
Towns its size84%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Chorley stands out most for park space per resident: only 4 of the other 59 have more.
The biggest is Yarrow Valley Country Park, 162 ha (400 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 9 named parks by size: 379 ha (936 acres) and 37 km of path
Parks & gardens 369 haPlaying fields 10 ha
The two biggest, Yarrow Valley Country Park and Yarrow Valley Country Park, are 85% of the named green space and carry 29 km of path between them. 4 of the 9 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
9 in 10 Chorley 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 (88%)Further (12%)
Chorley88%
Towns its size84%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 5,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 61 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 648 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 11 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
126 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Chorley and the kilometre around it, 4.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Other waymarked
Adlington Circular Walk1.4 km
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Chorley
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Chorley’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Astley Park
45 ha. Part of Astley Hall, a registered historic park (Grade II). 5 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Astley Hall (Grade I).
IAstley HallIIAckhurst LodgeIIDrinking Fountain Circa 50 Metres South of Stable Block to Astley HallIIStable Block to Astley HallIIWar Memorial Gateway to Astley Park
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 Chorley: 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
17.0
16.6
14.8
12.6
10.4
8.5
7.5
High (°C)
7
8
10
13
16
18
20
20
17
14
10
7
Rain (mm)
97
88
76
64
69
84
93
102
99
120
116
125
April is the driest month (64 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 125 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Chorley →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 61 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.
Charnock Richard, 1.8 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Charnock Richard has at least twice Chorley’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Chorley
What is the biggest park in Chorley?
Yarrow Valley Country Park, 162 ha (400 acres), with 14.3 km of path. Yarrow Valley Country Park (162 ha) is second. 9 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Chorley near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 11 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 806 km² and was designated in 1964.
What are the best walks near Chorley?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Adlington Circular Walk. Yarrow Valley Country Park alone has 14.3 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Chorley?
Creek Beach North, 12 mi from the edge of the town, then Creek Beach South (12 mi). Chorley itself is inland.
How many people in Chorley live near a park?
88% 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 Chorley?
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 Chorley are historic?
Astley Hall (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Chorley good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 82% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 87% (5.0 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 Chorley’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: Ann Cook · CC BY-SA 2.0