Photo: Julian P Guffogg · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Broughton
39% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Broughton add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 26 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.7 for every square kilometre. Broughton grades D for the outdoors: #53 of 61 in Lincolnshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Broughton grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Broughton, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
How Broughton compares with UK towns of 4,300 to 4,700
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,300 to 4,700 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Broughton falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 54 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keswick Cumbria | A+ | 9.1 | 100% | 4.1 | 100% |
| 2 | Lawford Essex | A+ | 3.4 | 94% | 2.8 | 40% |
| 3 | Chipstead and Woodmansterne Surrey | A+ | 10.3 | 92% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 4 | Hamble-le-Rice Hampshire | A+ | 12.7 | 67% | 3.6 | 7% |
| 5 | Monkton Heathfield Somerset | A | 2.4 | 100% | 4.4 | 8% |
| 6 | Aberbargoed Gwent | A | 22.8 | 95% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 7 | Fortuneswell Dorset | A | 1.1 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Kimberley Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Stanton Hill and Skegby Nottinghamshire | A− | 16.1 | 83% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Whittle-le-Woods Lancashire | A− | 7.7 | 91% | 4 | 0% |
| 11 | Exminster Devon | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Nantyglo Gwent | A− | 2.5 | 82% | 3.7 | 29% |
| 13 | Brampton South Yorkshire | A− | 4.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Wheathampstead Hertfordshire | A− | 3.1 | 93% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Horsford Norfolk | B+ | 6.5 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Winscombe and Sandford Somerset | B+ | 3.5 | 52% | 3.6 | 38% |
| 17 | Girton Cambridgeshire | B+ | 2.8 | 92% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Elmswell Suffolk | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Clayton West and Scissett West Yorkshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire | B | 4.5 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Blackhall Colliery County Durham | B | 1.1 | 95% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Whaley Bridge Derbyshire | B | 1.6 | 44% | 4.3 | 53% |
| 23 | High Lane Greater Manchester | B− | 1.5 | 67% | 4.6 | 12% |
| 24 | Earby Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 93% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Alderley Edge Cheshire | B− | 2.2 | 86% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 26 | Finedon Northamptonshire | B− | 3.9 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Cwmavon West Glamorgan | B− | 2.3 | 75% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Irchester Northamptonshire | B− | 8.2 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Cleadon Tyne and Wear | B− | 2.1 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Toddington Bedfordshire | B− | 0.9 | 86% | 3.1 | 8% |
| 31 | Blaina Gwent | C+ | 2.1 | 53% | 3.1 | 13% |
| 32 | Stamford Bridge East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Brinsley and Underwood Nottinghamshire | C+ | 3.3 | 71% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Iwade Kent | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Kennington Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.1 | 58% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Howden East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 94% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Southminster Essex | C+ | 1.8 | 92% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Halfway Houses Kent | C | 1.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Queen's Hills Norfolk | C | 0.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 40 | Backworth Tyne and Wear | C | 2 | 59% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Eccleston Lancashire | C | 2.4 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Hope Clwyd | C | 8.5 | 64% | 2 | 0% |
| 43 | Clapham Bedfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Kilburn and Horsley Woodhouse Derbyshire | C | 1.6 | 75% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Skelmanthorpe West Yorkshire | C | 1 | 88% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Brundall Norfolk | C | 1.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 20% |
| 47 | Coxhoe County Durham | C | 1.4 | 66% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Wesham Lancashire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Bricket Wood Hertfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 43% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Saxilby Lincolnshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Chudleigh Devon | C− | 0.3 | 83% | 1.4 | 15% |
| 52 | Crowland Lincolnshire | C− | 2.8 | 70% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Freckleton Lancashire | D | 0.4 | 73% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Linton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.1 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Welton Lincolnshire | D | 2 | 57% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Ynysybwl Mid Glamorgan | D | 2.3 | 60% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Banks Lancashire | D | 0.3 | 33% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Lakenheath Suffolk | D | 1.1 | 57% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Broughton Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 39% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Elm and Emneth Norfolk | D | 2.2 | 45% | 0.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Broughton’s built-up area.
4 in 10 Broughton 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 2,800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape is 10 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.
Footpaths in and around Broughton
26 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Broughton and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Broughton; 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.
The best walking months in Broughton: 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 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 47 | 41 | 48 | 50 | 67 | 63 | 70 | 59 | 68 | 68 | 59 |
March is the driest month (41 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 70 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Broughton →
2 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
Broughton is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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
Hills and peaks 1
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broughton | D | 0.9 | 39% | 0% |
| Scawby 2.5 mi | C− | 25.7 | 68% | 0% |
| Brigg 2.9 mi | D | 1.7 | 65% | 0% |
| Wrawby 3.7 mi | D− | 1.8 | 26% | 0% |
| Scunthorpe 4.2 mi | C | 2.2 | 91% | 0% |
| Hibaldstow 4.2 mi | C− | 1.7 | 89% | 0% |
| Messingham 4.9 mi | D | 3.4 | 46% | 0% |
Scunthorpe, 4.2 miles away, grades C, the best next door: 91% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Scawby, Scunthorpe and Messingham have at least twice Broughton’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Broughton
Is Broughton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, 10 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 559 km² and was designated in 1973.
What is the nearest beach to Broughton?
Sea Lions, 20 mi from the edge of the town, then Beach at Doncaster Lakeside (23 mi). Broughton itself is inland.
How many people in Broughton live near a park?
39% 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 Broughton?
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.
Is Broughton good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 53% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 11% (0.9 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 Broughton’s overall grade.
Where Broughton’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.