Rufford’s biggest
Rufford Cricket Ground
Playing field
1.3 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Rufford
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0COutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Rufford · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Rufford
Parks and playing fields in Rufford add up to 2.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 70% of residents. 26 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.8 for every square kilometre. Rufford grades C for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
70%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
26 km
2.8 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
Outdoors grade
Rufford grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rufford, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C
Better than 35% of UK towns34th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
67out of
100
100
A park within a walk70%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
31out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
54out 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.
Villages its size
Rufford is 34th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,500 to 1,600 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
Rufford2.8
Villages its size2.5
Lancashire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Rufford2.8
Villages its size2.4
Lancashire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Rufford70%
Villages its size80%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Rufford stands out most for park space per resident: only 24 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 38 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanhope County Durham | A+ | 7.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 86% |
| 2 | Salcombe Devon | A+ | 2 | 100% | 3.3 | 65% |
| 3 | Finberry Kent | A+ | 4 | 100% | 5.1 | 2% |
| 4 | Fairlight East Sussex | A+ | 39.6 | 50% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 5 | Dobcross Greater Manchester | A+ | 2.8 | 100% | 4.8 | 22% |
| 6 | Crockenhill Kent | A+ | 5.2 | 100% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 7 | Wood Street Village Surrey | A+ | 25.7 | 81% | 4.9 | 18% |
| 8 | Ducklington Oxfordshire | A | 10.1 | 79% | 4.8 | 4% |
| 9 | Roydon Essex | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 10 | Haverigg Cumbria | A | 4.7 | 67% | 2.5 | 11% |
| 11 | North Bradley Wiltshire | A | 3.4 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Middle Winterslow Wiltshire | A | 7 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Collett's Green Worcestershire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Sabden Lancashire | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 5 | 38% |
| 15 | Oakenshaw West Yorkshire | A− | 7.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 16 | West Wellow Hampshire | A− | 3.6 | 82% | 2.7 | 51% |
| 17 | Thorpe-le-Soken Essex | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 18 | Llanrug Gwynedd | A− | 1.7 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 19 | King's Cliffe Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Kimpton Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Ambergate Derbyshire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 22 | Ramsbury Wiltshire | B+ | 3.9 | 62% | 2.3 | 100% |
| 23 | Tideswell Derbyshire | B | 1.5 | 100% | 1.6 | 97% |
| 24 | Fence Lancashire | B | 1.3 | 62% | 6.2 | 32% |
| 25 | Potterne Wiltshire | B | 1.3 | 77% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 26 | Wick Gloucestershire | B− | 1.8 | 56% | 3.6 | 39% |
| 27 | Bridge Kent | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 28 | Mundford Norfolk | B− | 3.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 29 | Gotham Nottinghamshire | B− | 3.9 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 30 | South Witham Lincolnshire | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 31 | High Harrington Cumbria | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Evenwood County Durham | C+ | 3.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Bacton and Cotton Suffolk | C+ | 4.4 | 70% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Rufford Lancashire | C | 2.8 | 70% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Anna Valley and Upper Clatford Hampshire | C | 2.2 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 36 | Four Lanes Cornwall | C | 0.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Kingsley Cheshire | C | 3.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Stock Essex | C | 2.2 | 62% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Arksey South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Rawcliffe East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Glapwell Derbyshire | C− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Haslingfield Cambridgeshire | C− | 2 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Horsmonden Kent | C− | 0.5 | 79% | 0.9 | 50% |
| 44 | Yalding Kent | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Sandleheath Hampshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.6 | 52% |
| 46 | Tidbury Green West Midlands | C− | 2.4 | 49% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Dalston Cumbria | C− | 3.4 | 66% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Baston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.3 | 78% | 1 | 0% |
| 49 | Heighington County Durham | D | 2.6 | 64% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Henstridge Somerset | D | 1.8 | 47% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | Tetney Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Broadclyst Devon | D | 1.4 | 78% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Wood End (North Warwickshire) Warwickshire | D | 1.1 | 74% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Camblesforth North Yorkshire | D | 0.3 | 81% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Burton Green Warwickshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Aberford West Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 22% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Edgmond Shropshire | D− | 1.7 | 33% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Walpole St Peter and Walpole St Andrew Norfolk | D− | 1.7 | 52% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 59 | School Aycliffe County Durham | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Leasingham Lincolnshire | D− | 1.3 | 50% | 0.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rufford’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 Rufford
The biggest is Rufford Cricket Ground, 1.3 ha (3 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
7 in 10 Rufford 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 (70%)Further (30%)
Rufford70%
Villages its size80%
Lancashire towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Forest Of Bowland National Landscape is 16 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 Rufford
26 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rufford and the kilometre around it, 2.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Rufford; 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rufford: May to August
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 | 17.0 | 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) | 79 | 71 | 50 | 51 | 60 | 68 | 75 | 86 | 97 | 104 | 98 | 106 |
March is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 106 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Rufford →
Things to do
2 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
Rufford is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Taylor's Bank13 mi from Rufford’s edge
DirectionsCrosby Beach13 mi from Rufford’s edge
DirectionsBrazil Bank16 mi from Rufford’s edge
DirectionsTranmere Beach19 mi from Rufford’s edge
DirectionsCreek Beach North20 mi from Rufford’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
Nature reserves 1
Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve42 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 2
Plus 2 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.
BurscoughCrostonParboldEcclestonTarleton and Hesketh BankWymottRufford
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Rufford grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Rufford
What is the biggest park in Rufford?
Rufford Cricket Ground, 1.3 ha (3 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Rufford near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Forest Of Bowland National Landscape, 16 mi north-east of the village’s edge. It covers 806 km² and was designated in 1964.
What is the nearest beach to Rufford?
Taylor's Bank, 13 mi from the edge of the village, then Crosby Beach (13 mi). Rufford itself is inland.
How many people in Rufford live near a park?
70% 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 Rufford?
May to August: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rufford good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 54% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 67% (2.8 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 Rufford’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Rufford’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.