Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Great Eccleston
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape begins 5.5 mi from the village’s edge. 13 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Great Eccleston add up to 1.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Great Eccleston grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Great Eccleston?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Great Eccleston’s strongest suit is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Great Eccleston grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Great Eccleston, 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.
How Great Eccleston compares with UK villages of 2,000 to 2,200
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,000 to 2,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Great Eccleston falls furthest behind on path per km², where 53 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hay-on-Wye Powys | A+ | 9.3 | 100% | 3.8 | 21% |
| 2 | Wye Kent | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 3.1 | 71% |
| 3 | Crickhowell Powys | A+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 4 | Seaview and Nettlestone Isle of Wight | A+ | 3.6 | 89% | 2.8 | 8% |
| 5 | Chigwell Row Essex | A | 30.3 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 6 | Chiseldon Wiltshire | A | 1.8 | 100% | 3.4 | 69% |
| 7 | Highfields Caldecote Cambridgeshire | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Marldon Devon | A− | 4.1 | 70% | 2.7 | 3% |
| 9 | Bishops Lydeard Somerset | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.8 | 23% |
| 10 | Culverstone Green Kent | B+ | 5.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 42% |
| 11 | Brompton North Yorkshire | B+ | 4.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bermuda Warwickshire | B | 4.7 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 13 | Alveston Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Bickington Devon | B | 1.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Meppershall Bedfordshire | B | 2.3 | 83% | 3 | 2% |
| 16 | Needingworth Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.6 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Dyserth Clwyd | B− | 0.5 | 54% | 3.6 | 22% |
| 18 | Bishop's Tachbrook Warwickshire | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Felbridge Surrey | B− | 2 | 80% | 2.4 | 25% |
| 20 | Uffculme Devon | B− | 2.8 | 86% | 1.3 | 14% |
| 21 | Edenfield Lancashire | B− | 2.7 | 69% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 22 | Wardle Greater Manchester | B− | 1 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Exning Suffolk | B− | 3.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Westoning Bedfordshire | B− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 25 | Aspley Guise Bedfordshire | B− | 2.2 | 69% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Ightham Kent | C+ | 2 | 30% | 3 | 56% |
| 27 | Brantham Suffolk | C+ | 1 | 27% | 2.6 | 42% |
| 28 | Kintbury Berkshire | C+ | 1.9 | 71% | 1.8 | 92% |
| 29 | Gregson Lane Lancashire | C+ | 1.7 | 86% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Pembrey Dyfed | C+ | 0.3 | 48% | 2.6 | 11% |
| 31 | Read Lancashire | C+ | 1.6 | 71% | 2.5 | 21% |
| 32 | Hixon Staffordshire | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 11% |
| 33 | Market Bosworth Leicestershire | C | 10.9 | 25% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Galgate Lancashire | C | 1.1 | 58% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 35 | Bredon Worcestershire | C | 2.1 | 66% | 1.6 | 25% |
| 36 | Benllech Gwynedd | C | 0.1 | 17% | 1.8 | 27% |
| 37 | Maesycwmmer Gwent | C− | 1.9 | 73% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Barrowby Lincolnshire | C− | 3.5 | 66% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Keyingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Micklefield West Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 48% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Carlton North Yorkshire | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Crich Derbyshire | C− | 0.6 | 69% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Sutton Bonington Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.7 | 28% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Urpeth County Durham | C− | 1.3 | 0% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Radley Oxfordshire | C− | 2.1 | 36% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Winwick Cheshire | C− | 3.2 | 48% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 47 | Ilchester Somerset | C− | 3.5 | 40% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Scholar Green Cheshire | C− | 0.7 | 65% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Bardney Lincolnshire | D | 4.1 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
| 50 | Stone Buckinghamshire | D | 2.2 | 57% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Stretham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.4 | 60% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Merriott Somerset | D | 1.1 | 39% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Meden Vale Nottinghamshire | D | 0.3 | 58% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Haxey Lincolnshire | D | 1.6 | 46% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Great Eccleston Lancashire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 56 | West Hill Devon | D | 0 | 0% | 1.2 | 27% |
| 57 | Wymott Lancashire | D− | 0.3 | 10% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Keelby Lincolnshire | D− | 1 | 71% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Westwoodside Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 33% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Wythall Worcestershire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Great Eccleston’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Great Eccleston 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 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 691 residents.
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 5.5 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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Great Eccleston scores 0% on it even though the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 5.5 mi away.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Great Eccleston
13 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Great Eccleston and the kilometre around it, 1.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The regional route here is the Wyre Way (Shard Bridge to Garstang).
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 Great Eccleston: May to July and 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) | 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) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 88 | 72 | 62 | 54 | 60 | 68 | 78 | 97 | 91 | 108 | 102 | 108 |
April is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 108 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Great Eccleston →
3 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
Great Eccleston 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.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Poulton-le-Fylde, 4.8 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 85% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Stalmine and Poulton-le-Fylde have at least twice Great Eccleston’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Great Eccleston
Is Great Eccleston near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 5.5 mi east of the village’s edge. It covers 806 km² and was designated in 1964.
What are the best walks near Great Eccleston?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the Wyre Way (Shard Bridge to Garstang).
What is the nearest beach to Great Eccleston?
Half Moon Bay, 12 mi from the edge of the village, then Mallows Bay (15 mi). Great Eccleston itself is inland.
How many people in Great Eccleston live near a park?
72% 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 Great Eccleston?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Great Eccleston good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 14% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 18% (1.2 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 Great Eccleston’s overall grade.
Where Great Eccleston’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.