Leyland’s biggest
Cuerden Valley Park
Park or garden
238 ha (589 acres)15.8 km of path
3 h 30 minto walk all 15.8 km of path
334 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Cam Lane
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Peter Wood · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Leyland · parks, paths & countryside
Leyland has more park space per resident than 8 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Leyland add up to 4.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 123 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 91% of residents. Leyland grades B+ for the outdoors: #20 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
91%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
123 km
3.4 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
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Leyland?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam4.6 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 84% of UK towns.Historic parksWorden Hall is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Leyland’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Leyland grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Leyland, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 74% of UK towns#20 of 65 in Lancashire · 19th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space4.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
85out of
100
100
A park within a walk91%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
69out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
70out 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
Leyland is 19th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 34,700 to 44,400 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
Leyland3.4
Towns its size3.8
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Leyland4.6
Towns its size2.4
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Leyland91%
Towns its size83%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Leyland stands out most for park space per resident: only 7 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Locks Heath Hampshire | A+ | 3.5 | 91% | 3.7 | 4% |
| 2 | Dover Kent | A+ | 3 | 86% | 2.9 | 29% |
| 3 | Hyde Greater Manchester | A | 4.3 | 91% | 3.9 | 1% |
| 4 | Epsom Surrey | A | 5.7 | 80% | 4.8 | 2% |
| 5 | Aldershot Hampshire | A | 3.4 | 77% | 6.3 | 17% |
| 6 | Skelmersdale Lancashire | A | 7.8 | 91% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Merthyr Tydfil Mid Glamorgan | A | 3.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 29% |
| 8 | Haywards Heath West Sussex | A | 2.4 | 84% | 4.2 | 44% |
| 9 | Bexhill-on-Sea East Sussex | A | 1.7 | 83% | 3.4 | 13% |
| 10 | Ilkeston Derbyshire | A | 3.7 | 98% | 5 | 0% |
| 11 | Llanelli Dyfed | A− | 2.3 | 85% | 2.4 | 18% |
| 12 | Trowbridge Wiltshire | A− | 2.3 | 91% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 13 | Sutton in Ashfield Nottinghamshire | A− | 4.3 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 14 | Accrington Lancashire | A− | 2.6 | 79% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Chorley Lancashire | A− | 5 | 88% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Bamber Bridge Lancashire | A− | 6.4 | 88% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Hoddesdon Hertfordshire | A− | 6.5 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Exmouth Devon | A− | 1.4 | 82% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 19 | Leyland Lancashire | B+ | 4.6 | 91% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Cheshunt Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.8 | 79% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Waterlooville Hampshire | B+ | 1 | 66% | 5.2 | 18% |
| 22 | Chippenham Wiltshire | B+ | 2.8 | 76% | 3.9 | 7% |
| 23 | Newbury Berkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 81% | 3.3 | 50% |
| 24 | Hatfield Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.8 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 25 | Fleet Hampshire | B+ | 3.3 | 79% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Pudsey West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 94% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Hucknall Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 28 | Aberdare Mid Glamorgan | B+ | 4.6 | 84% | 1.8 | 19% |
| 29 | Rowley Regis West Midlands | B+ | 4.1 | 71% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Hitchin Hertfordshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 4.4 | 10% |
| 31 | West Bridgford Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 86% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Wigston Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 88% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 33 | Arnold Nottinghamshire | B | 3 | 81% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear | B | 1.9 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Warwick Warwickshire | B | 3 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Denton Greater Manchester | B | 2.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Bishop's Stortford Hertfordshire | B | 2.3 | 80% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Ramsgate Kent | B | 1.2 | 89% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Borehamwood Hertfordshire | B | 1.8 | 97% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Prescot Merseyside | B | 3.5 | 94% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Bicester Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 99% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Blyth Northumberland | B | 1.6 | 83% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Fareham Hampshire | B | 1.1 | 48% | 4 | 2% |
| 44 | Chadderton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Redcar North Yorkshire | B− | 2.6 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Bury St Edmunds Suffolk | B− | 3 | 78% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Eccles Greater Manchester | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Lytham St Anne's Lancashire | B− | 2.4 | 83% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Canvey Island Essex | B− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Tonbridge Kent | B− | 2.1 | 65% | 2.6 | 38% |
| 51 | Braintree Essex | B− | 1.7 | 89% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Camberley Surrey | C+ | 2 | 73% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Urmston Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.7 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Neath West Glamorgan | C | 2 | 80% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Long Eaton Derbyshire | C | 1.8 | 74% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Grays Essex | C | 1.2 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Worksop Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.3 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 60 | Bromsgrove Worcestershire | C− | 1.4 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Leyland’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 Leyland
The biggest is Cuerden Valley Park, 238 ha (589 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 18 named parks by size: 558 ha (1,378 acres) and 40 km of path
Parks & gardens 542 haPlaying fields 14 haPlay spaces 1.0 ha
The two biggest, Cuerden Valley Park and Cuerden Valley Park, are 86% of the named green space and carry 32 km of path between them. 12 of the 18 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Cuerden Valley Park
Park or garden
238 ha (589 acres)15.8 km of path
3 h 30 minto walk all 15.8 km of path
334 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Cam Lane
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Worden Park
Park or garden
57 ha (141 acres)5.6 km of path
1 h 15 minto walk all 5.6 km of path
80 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Farington Park
Park or garden
4.9 ha (12 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Moss Side Playing Fields
Playing field
8.9 ha (22 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
13 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Jim Fowler Memorial Playing Fields
Playing field · 180 m outside town
3.9 ha (10 acres)
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bent Green
Park or garden
1.4 ha (3 acres)0.3 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Low Green
Park or garden
0.6 ha (2 acres)0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Leyland
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 18 named parks and green spaces
Cuerden Valley ParkPark or garden · 238 ha · 15.8 km of path
DirectionsCuerden Valley ParkPark or garden · 238 ha · 15.8 km of path
DirectionsWorden ParkPark or garden · 57 ha · 5.6 km of path
DirectionsFarington ParkPark or garden · 4.9 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsMoss Side Playing FieldsPlaying field · 8.9 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsThe Jim Fowler Memorial Playing FieldsPlaying field · 3.9 ha · just outside town
DirectionsBent GreenPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsLow GreenPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsKing George's FieldPlay space · 1.0 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsBalcarres GreenPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsLeyton GreenPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsHillbrook GreenPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSt John's GreenPlaying field · 0.6 ha
DirectionsWood GreenPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsHaig GreenPlaying field · 0.4 ha
DirectionsLeadale GreenPlaying field · 0.4 ha
DirectionsLever House GreenPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsRyden AvenuePlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsClose to home
9 in 10 Leyland 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 (91%)Further (9%)
Leyland91%
Towns its size83%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 3,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 53 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 741 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 9.7 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
Footpaths in and around Leyland
123 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Leyland and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Leyland; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Leyland
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Leyland’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Worden Park
57 ha. Part of Worden Hall, a registered historic park (Grade II). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
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 Leyland: May to July and 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 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 81 | 73 | 61 | 54 | 59 | 72 | 81 | 96 | 92 | 110 | 98 | 119 |
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 119 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Leyland →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 53 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
Leyland is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Creek Beach North16 mi from Leyland’s edge
DirectionsCreek Beach South16 mi from Leyland’s edge
DirectionsCar Park Beach16 mi from Leyland’s edge
DirectionsWader Point16 mi from Leyland’s edge
DirectionsStone Beach16 mi from Leyland’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
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 53
Children's playgroundin town
DirectionsWorden Park Play Areain town
DirectionsAnderton Crescent Play Area0.4 mi from town
DirectionsGuernsey Avenue Play Area0.7 mi from town
DirectionsWhittle-le-Woods Recreation Ground1.0 mi from town
DirectionsTiny Rockers1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 47 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Farington MossEuxtonWymottWhittle-le-WoodsBamber BridgeEcclestonLeyland
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leyland | B+ | 4.6 | 91% | 0% |
| Farington Moss 1.1 mi | B | 5.9 | 93% | 0% |
| Euxton 1.9 mi | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 0% |
| Wymott 2.3 mi | D− | 0.3 | 10% | 0% |
| Whittle-le-Woods 2.6 mi | A− | 7.7 | 91% | 0% |
| Bamber Bridge 2.7 mi | A− | 6.4 | 88% | 0% |
| Eccleston 3.5 mi | C | 2.4 | 83% | 0% |
Whittle-le-Woods, 2.6 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 91% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Leyland
What is the biggest park in Leyland?
Cuerden Valley Park, 238 ha (589 acres), with 15.8 km of path. Cuerden Valley Park (238 ha) is second. 18 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Leyland near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 9.7 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 806 km² and was designated in 1964.
What is the nearest beach to Leyland?
Creek Beach North, 16 mi from the edge of the town, then Creek Beach South (16 mi). Leyland itself is inland.
How many people in Leyland live near a park?
91% 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 Leyland?
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.
Which parks in Leyland are historic?
Worden Hall (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Leyland good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 70% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 85% (4.6 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 Leyland’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Leyland’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.