Outdoors in Lancaster · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Lancaster lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 96% of residents. The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape begins 0.3 mi from the town’s edge. 127 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.5 for every square kilometre. Lancaster grades A+ for the outdoors: #1 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Lancaster’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Outdoors grade
Lancaster grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lancaster, 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 97% of UK towns#1 of 65 in Lancashire · 3rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
57out of 100
A park within a walk96%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
77out of 100
National Park or National Landscape22%of the land within 5 km
79out of 100
Footpaths3.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
72out of 100
The sea12%of the area within 5 km
87out 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
Lancaster is 3rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 45,400 to 60,700 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
Lancaster3.5
Towns its size3.5
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Lancaster2.4
Towns its size2.3
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Lancaster96%
Towns its size84%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Lancaster stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more.
The biggest is Williamson Park, 22 ha (54 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 19 named parks by size: 100 ha (247 acres) and 16 km of path
Parks & gardens 82 haPlaying fields 18 ha
The two biggest, Williamson Park and Ryelands Park, are 41% of the named green space and carry 8 km of path between them. 5 of the 19 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 (96%)Further (4%)
Lancaster96%
Towns its size84%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 2,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 89 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 592 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Forest Of Bowland and Arnside & Silverdale both start about 3 miles from Lancaster
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
0.3 mi east806 km²since 196422% of the land within 5 km
22% of the land within 5 km of Lancaster is National Park or National Landscape, more than 79% of UK towns. Lake District National Park covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Lancaster
127 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lancaster and the kilometre around it, 3.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Lune Valley Ramble6.8 km
The regional route here is the Lune Valley Ramble.
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 Lancaster
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Lancaster’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Williamson Park
22 ha. Part of Ashton Memorial Gardens and Williamson Park, a registered historic park (Grade II). 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Ashton Memorial (Grade I).
IAshton MemorialIIGate Piers, Gates and Walls to Williamson ParkIILodge to Williamson ParkIIThe Palm House
Listed buildings insideVicarage FieldPart of a Roman fort and its associated vicus and remains of a pre-Conquest monastery and a Benedictine priory on Castle Hill, Garden House Behind Number 2, Greycourt and Rawlinson Memorial Approximately 13 Metres North of Tower of Church of St Mary and 1 more
Listed buildings insideRyelands ParkRyelands House and Ryelands Lodge
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 Lancaster: 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)
7.9
9.7
11.7
14.0
16.0
17.1
16.6
14.8
12.6
10.4
8.4
7.4
High (°C)
7
8
9
12
15
18
19
19
17
14
10
7
Rain (mm)
103
85
71
60
62
73
88
103
105
116
115
118
April is the driest month (60 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 118 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in Lancaster →
The coast
Lancaster is near the sea
12% of the area within 5 km of Lancaster is sea. 17 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
3 viewpoints and 89 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.
Lancaster grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Lancaster
What is the biggest park in Lancaster?
Williamson Park, 22 ha (54 acres), with 6.2 km of path. Ryelands Park (19 ha) is second. 19 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Lancaster near a National Park?
Yes. Lake District National Park begins 8.8 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 0.3 mi away.
What are the best walks near Lancaster?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Lune Valley Ramble. Williamson Park alone has 6.2 km of path.
How many people in Lancaster live near a park?
96% 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 Lancaster?
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 Lancaster are historic?
Ashton Memorial Gardens and Williamson Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Lancaster good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 72% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 57% (2.4 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 Lancaster’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