Morecambe’s biggest
Happy Mount Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)2.0 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: The wub · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Morecambe · parks, paths & countryside
Morecambe is on the coast
The sea makes up 44% of the area within 5 km. The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape and the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape both begin about 3 miles from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Morecambe add up to 0.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Morecambe grades B− for the outdoors: #37 of 65 in Lancashire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
0.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
84%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
55 km
2.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
2%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Forest Of Bowland National Landscape
The sea
44%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Morecambe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast44% of the area within 5 km is sea; 11 beaches mapped.Countryside both waysForest Of Bowland starts 2.7 mi east, Arnside & Silverdale 2.7 mi north.Less park per person0.8 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Morecambe’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Morecambe grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Morecambe, 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 55% of UK towns#37 of 65 in Lancashire · 39th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space0.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
8out of
100
100
A park within a walk84%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
55out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape2%of the land within 5 km
65out of
100
100
Footpaths2.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
37out of
100
100
The sea44%of the area within 5 km
97out 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
Morecambe is 39th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 29,800 to 36,000 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
Morecambe2.2
Towns its size3.8
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Morecambe0.8
Towns its size2.1
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Morecambe84%
Towns its size84%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Morecambe falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 57 of the 59 others do better.
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 | Great Malvern Worcestershire | A+ | 3.9 | 90% | 6 | 38% |
| 3 | Northfleet Kent | A | 2 | 85% | 7.7 | 4% |
| 4 | Hyde Greater Manchester | A | 4.3 | 91% | 3.9 | 1% |
| 5 | Epsom Surrey | A | 5.7 | 80% | 4.8 | 2% |
| 6 | Burgess Hill West Sussex | A | 2.4 | 87% | 5 | 27% |
| 7 | Skelmersdale Lancashire | A | 7.8 | 91% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Witney Oxfordshire | A | 2.5 | 88% | 4.6 | 19% |
| 9 | Prestwich Greater Manchester | A | 9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Redhill Surrey | A− | 2.2 | 91% | 4.3 | 14% |
| 11 | Rustington West Sussex | A− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.7 | 25% |
| 12 | Chandler's Ford Hampshire | A− | 2.7 | 80% | 5.3 | 6% |
| 13 | Dunstable Bedfordshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 8 | 29% |
| 14 | Caversham Berkshire | A− | 2.5 | 77% | 4.3 | 32% |
| 15 | Accrington Lancashire | A− | 2.6 | 79% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Nelson Lancashire | A− | 1.8 | 85% | 5.2 | 15% |
| 17 | St Neots Cambridgeshire | A− | 3.5 | 91% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 18 | Didcot Oxfordshire | A− | 1.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 19 | Exmouth Devon | A− | 1.4 | 82% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 20 | Waterlooville Hampshire | B+ | 1 | 66% | 5.2 | 18% |
| 21 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 84% | 2.9 | 2% |
| 22 | Fulwood Lancashire | B+ | 3.5 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 23 | Swadlincote Derbyshire | B+ | 4.1 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Chichester West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 89% | 3 | 40% |
| 25 | Lichfield Staffordshire | B+ | 2.7 | 82% | 3.1 | 2% |
| 26 | Brierley Hill West Midlands | B+ | 3.1 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Pudsey West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 94% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Hucknall Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 29 | Hitchin Hertfordshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 4.4 | 10% |
| 30 | Windsor Berkshire | B | 5.5 | 83% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Consett County Durham | B | 1.7 | 87% | 3.1 | 19% |
| 32 | Brighouse West Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Wigston Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 88% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Billingham County Durham | B | 4.7 | 86% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Loughton Essex | B | 2.9 | 74% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Letchworth Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 85% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Abingdon-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Caerphilly Gwent | B | 2.6 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Morecambe Lancashire | B− | 0.8 | 84% | 2.2 | 2% |
| 40 | Radcliffe Greater Manchester | B− | 1.7 | 86% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Whitstable Kent | B− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Billericay Essex | C+ | 4.1 | 70% | 3 | 0% |
| 43 | Winsford Cheshire | C+ | 1.3 | 92% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Pontefract West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.6 | 84% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 45 | New Haw, West Byfleet and Sheerwater Surrey | C+ | 2.2 | 69% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Morley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.2 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Horndean Hampshire | C+ | 0.9 | 57% | 3.3 | 53% |
| 48 | Bedworth Warwickshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Barnstaple Devon | C | 1.6 | 92% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Rayleigh Essex | C | 2 | 71% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.7 | 92% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Sedgley West Midlands | C | 1.5 | 65% | 4 | 0% |
| 53 | Congleton Cheshire | C | 1.7 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Bilston West Midlands | C− | 1.5 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Rushden Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Bromsgrove Worcestershire | C− | 1.4 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Port Talbot West Glamorgan | C− | 1.3 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Spalding Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 85% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Pontypridd Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.5 | 70% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Morecambe’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 Morecambe
The biggest is Happy Mount Park, 5.2 ha (13 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 9 named parks by size: 22 ha (54 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 6.9 haPlaying fields 15 ha
The two biggest, Happy Mount Park and Vale of Lune Rugby Club, are 47% of the named green space and carry 2 km of path between them. 4 of the 9 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Vale of Lune Rugby Club
Playing field · 250 m outside town
5.0 ha (12 acres)
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Boundary Meadow
Playing field · 210 m outside town
3.5 ha (9 acres)0.2 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Regent Park
Playing field
2.1 ha (5 acres)0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
West End Gardens
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
King George's Field
Playing field · 250 m outside town
3.0 ha (7 acres)
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Torrisholme Park
Park or garden
0.7 ha (2 acres)0.2 km of path
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bare Cricket Club
Playing field · 250 m outside town
1.3 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 9 named parks and green spaces
Happy Mount ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 2.0 km of path
DirectionsVale of Lune Rugby ClubPlaying field · 5.0 ha · just outside town
DirectionsBoundary MeadowPlaying field · 3.5 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsRegent ParkPlaying field · 2.1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsWest End GardensPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsKing George's FieldPlaying field · 3.0 ha · just outside town
DirectionsTorrisholme ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBare Cricket ClubPlaying field · 1.3 ha · just outside town
DirectionsPoulton HallPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsClose to home
8 in 10 Morecambe 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 (84%)Further (16%)
Morecambe84%
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; 65 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 504 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Forest Of Bowland and Arnside & Silverdale both start about 3 miles from Morecambe
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
Arnside & Silverdale
2.7 mi north76 km²since 19721% of the land within 5 km
Official site2% of the land within 5 km of Morecambe is National Park or National Landscape, more than 65% of UK towns. Lake District National Park covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Morecambe
55 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Morecambe and the kilometre around it, 2.2 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 Ramble1.5 km
Lancashire Coastal Way1.1 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Lune Valley Ramble and Lancashire Coastal Way.
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 Morecambe: May to August
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 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 97 | 79 | 65 | 58 | 60 | 69 | 82 | 96 | 104 | 112 | 110 | 113 |
April is the driest month (58 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 113 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 25 nights a year. The climate in Morecambe →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Morecambe
44% of the area within 5 km of Morecambe is sea. 11 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
Mallows Bay0.0 mi from town
DirectionsHalf Moon Bay1.8 mi from town
DirectionsSea: 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
65 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.
1Viewpoints2Hills and peaks2Nature reserves1Picnic sites65Playgrounds1.8× towns its size1Campsites13Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Scalestones Point0.0 mi from town
DirectionsHills and peaks 2
Torrisholme Barrow40 m (131 ft) · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Ryelands Nature Reserve1.2 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsFairfield Nature Reserve20 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 65
Bay Cottage Play Area1.0 mi from town
DirectionsFairfield Community Playground1.0 mi from town
DirectionsManor Lane Playground1.1 mi from town
DirectionsDerby Road1.1 mi from town
DirectionsHill Road1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 60 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Sunnyside Camping & Caravan Sitein town
DirectionsSlipways 13
Plus 13 slipways 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.
HeyshamLancasterBolton-le-SandsOvertonHaltonBailriggMorecambe
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Lancaster, 2.6 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 96% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Lancaster has at least twice Morecambe’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Morecambe
What is the biggest park in Morecambe?
Happy Mount Park, 5.2 ha (13 acres), with 2 km of path. Vale of Lune Rugby Club (5.0 ha) is second. 9 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Morecambe near a National Park?
Yes. Lake District National Park begins 7.6 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, 2.7 mi away.
What are the best walks near Morecambe?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Lune Valley Ramble and Lancashire Coastal Way. Happy Mount Park alone has 2 km of path.
How many people in Morecambe live near a park?
84% 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 Morecambe?
May to August: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Morecambe good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 37% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 8% (0.8 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 Morecambe’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Morecambe’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.