Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape begins 0.2 mi from Read
71% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Read add up to 1.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 26 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.5 for every square kilometre. Read grades C+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Read?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Read’s strongest suit is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Read grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Read, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
100
100
100
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.
Read is 30th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,000 to 2,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Read falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 41 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 | Seaview and Nettlestone Isle of Wight | A+ | 3.6 | 89% | 2.8 | 8% |
| 4 | Fowey Cornwall | A | 3.2 | 91% | 2.1 | 32% |
| 5 | Lower Kingswood Surrey | A | 4.7 | 75% | 6.6 | 22% |
| 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 | Great Haywood Staffordshire | A− | 7.1 | 27% | 4.1 | 29% |
| 11 | Stowupland Suffolk | A− | 5.3 | 83% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Culverstone Green Kent | B+ | 5.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 42% |
| 13 | Brompton North Yorkshire | B+ | 4.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Bermuda Warwickshire | B | 4.7 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 15 | Alveston Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Meppershall Bedfordshire | B | 2.3 | 83% | 3 | 2% |
| 17 | Needingworth Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.6 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Dyserth Clwyd | B− | 0.5 | 54% | 3.6 | 22% |
| 19 | Bishop's Tachbrook Warwickshire | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 20 | Felbridge Surrey | B− | 2 | 80% | 2.4 | 25% |
| 21 | Trelewis Mid Glamorgan | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Uffculme Devon | B− | 2.8 | 86% | 1.3 | 14% |
| 23 | Edenfield Lancashire | B− | 2.7 | 69% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Rothbury Northumberland | B− | 1 | 76% | 3.8 | 21% |
| 25 | Exning Suffolk | B− | 3.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 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 | Read Lancashire | C+ | 1.6 | 71% | 2.5 | 21% |
| 31 | Hixon Staffordshire | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 11% |
| 32 | Clenchwarton Norfolk | C | 2.2 | 87% | 0.3 | 3% |
| 33 | Galgate Lancashire | C | 1.1 | 58% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 34 | Goodwick Dyfed | C | 0.2 | 47% | 1.9 | 25% |
| 35 | Marcham Oxfordshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Bredon Worcestershire | C | 2.1 | 66% | 1.6 | 25% |
| 37 | Hightown Merseyside | C | 1.7 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Benllech Gwynedd | C | 0.1 | 17% | 1.8 | 27% |
| 39 | Barrowby Lincolnshire | C− | 3.5 | 66% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Keyingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Micklefield West Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 48% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Cadnam and Bartley Hampshire | C− | 0.9 | 30% | 2.4 | 79% |
| 43 | Carlton North Yorkshire | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Sutton Bonington Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.7 | 28% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Crich Derbyshire | C− | 0.6 | 69% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Urpeth County Durham | C− | 1.3 | 0% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Radley Oxfordshire | C− | 2.1 | 36% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Winwick Cheshire | C− | 3.2 | 48% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Ilchester Somerset | C− | 3.5 | 40% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Hibaldstow Lincolnshire | C− | 1.7 | 89% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Bishop Burton and Cherry Burton East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.5 | 78% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Bardney Lincolnshire | D | 4.1 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
| 53 | Stone Buckinghamshire | D | 2.2 | 57% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Stretham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.4 | 60% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Merriott Somerset | D | 1.1 | 39% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Haxey Lincolnshire | D | 1.6 | 46% | 2 | 0% |
| 57 | Great Eccleston Lancashire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Westwoodside Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 33% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Wilberfoss East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 69% | 0.3 | 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 Read’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Read 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; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 342 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Read
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.
Forest Of Bowland
21% of the land within 5 km of Read is National Park or National Landscape, more than 79% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Read
26 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Read and the kilometre around it, 2.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the Burnley Way and The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail.
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 Read: May to 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) | 8.0 | 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 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 102 | 102 | 86 | 65 | 72 | 84 | 96 | 103 | 104 | 121 | 124 | 145 |
April is the driest month (65 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 145 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Read →
6 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
Read 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
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 6
Plus 6 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read | C+ | 1.6 | 71% | 21% |
| Padiham 1.8 mi | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 18% |
| Sabden 1.8 mi | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 38% |
| Hapton 2.4 mi | A | 2.6 | 87% | 2% |
| Clayton-le-Moors 2.5 mi | B | 1.1 | 86% | 2% |
| Huncoat 2.6 mi | A+ | 10.1 | 100% | 1% |
| Great Harwood 2.7 mi | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4% |
Huncoat, 2.6 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Huncoat has at least twice Read’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Read
Is Read near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 14 mi north of the village’s edge. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 0.2 mi away.
What are the best walks near Read?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Burnley Way and The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Read?
Treasure Beach, 7.6 mi from the edge of the village, then Car Park Beach (15 mi). Read itself is inland.
How many people in Read live near a park?
71% 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 Read?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Read good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 44% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 31% (1.6 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 Read’s overall grade.
Where Read’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.