Haringey has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 348 km in the borough and the kilometre around it, 5.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Haringey add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 87% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Haringey grades B− for the outdoors: #22 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Haringey’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Haringey grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Haringey, 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 52% of UK towns#22 of 33 in London · 33rd of 46 UK boroughs its size
Public green space1.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
27out of 100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
61out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths5.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
97out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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.
Boroughs its size
Haringey is 33rd of 46 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 46 UK towns and cities of 185,000 to 356,000 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
Haringey5.9
Boroughs its size4.9
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Haringey1.5
Boroughs its size2.0
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Haringey87%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against boroughs its size, Haringey stands out most for path per km²: only 14 of the other 45 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 35 of the others do better.
The biggest is Hampstead Heath, 316 ha (782 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 30 named parks by size: 637 ha (1,573 acres) and 138 km of path
Parks & gardens 584 haPlaying fields 52 ha
The two biggest, Hampstead Heath and Alexandra Park, are 59% of the named green space and carry 83 km of path between them. 3 of the 30 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Haringey’s biggest
Hampstead Heath
Park or garden
316 ha (782 acres)73.9 km of path
16 h 25 minto walk all 73.9 km of path
443 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.8 mi south-westfrom the centre
Playground 2 viewpoints Peak 2 dog parks Nature reserveSandy RoadBoundary PathHorse track+2 paths
9 in 10 Haringey 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 (87%)Further (13%)
Haringey87%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 35,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 428 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 617 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 15 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
348 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Haringey and the kilometre around it, 5.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
New River Path15.1 km
Pymmes Brook Trail12.4 km
Capital Ring (Section 12)8.8 km
London to Walsingham - stage 017.9 km
Capital Ring (Section 11)5.5 km
Hampstead Circular Walk, Fenton House4.6 km
Lea Valley Walk4.3 km
Green Link Walk (Section 1)4.0 km
Capital Ring (Section 13)3.1 km
Parkland Walk (South)2.7 km
Harringay Passage1.5 km
Dollis Valley Greenwalk1.3 km
Belsize Walk1.1 km
Capital Ring (section 12) - alternative0.8 km
Capital Ring link to Clapton Station0.8 km
Lea Valley Walk (link to Clapton Station)0.7 km
Plus 3 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Pymmes Brook Trail has 12 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 10 regional routes pass through, including the New River Path, Capital Ring (Section 12), Capital Ring (Section 11) and Lea Valley Walk.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Haringey’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Alexandra Park
61 ha. Part of Alexandra Palace, a registered historic park (Grade II). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
Registered · Grade IIFinsbury Park5.6 ha
Listed buildings insideBruce Castle ParkBruce Castle, Tower to South West of Bruce Castle and Front Wall and Gates to the Priory and 2 more
Listed buildings insideWaterlow ParkEntrance Gates and Walls to Lauderdale House Adjoining Highgate Hill, K2 Telephone Kiosk North Side of Junction with Dartmouth Park Hill and K6 Telephone Kiosk to the East of 3 Highgate High Street (Number 3 Not Included) and 1 more
Listed buildings insideThe Priory ParkFountain in Centre of Priory Park and Metcalf Memorial Drinking Fountain in Priory Park
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 Haringey: May to September
The borough’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)
8.3
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.6
16.6
16.2
14.6
12.6
10.5
8.7
7.8
High (°C)
8
9
11
15
18
21
23
23
20
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
66
49
40
46
49
55
51
62
54
73
71
65
March is the driest month (40 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 73 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 27 nights a year. The climate in Haringey →
Things to do
13 viewpoints, 428 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the borough in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK borough its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Camden, 4.1 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 90% 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 Haringey
What is the biggest park in Haringey?
Hampstead Heath, 316 ha (782 acres), with 73.9 km of path. Alexandra Park (61 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Haringey near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 15 mi west of the borough’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Haringey?
19 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the New River Path, Pymmes Brook Trail and Capital Ring (Section 12). Hampstead Heath alone has 73.9 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Haringey?
Kelson Beach, 5.8 mi from the edge of the borough, then Dock Beach (6.0 mi). Haringey itself is inland.
How many people in Haringey live near a park?
87% 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 Haringey?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Haringey are historic?
Alexandra Palace (Grade II) and Finsbury Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Haringey good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 97% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 27% (1.5 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 Haringey’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Martin Addison · CC BY-SA 2.0