Bootle’s biggest
Rimrose Valley Country Park
Park or garden
116 ha (288 acres)6.1 km of path
1 h 20 minto walk all 6.1 km of path
163 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Rodhullandemu · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Bootle · parks, paths & countryside
Bootle is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 17% of the area within 5 km. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 93% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Bootle add up to 2.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Bootle grades B+ for the outdoors: #8 of 25 in Merseyside. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
93%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
103 km
2.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape
The sea
17%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Bootle?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast17% of the area within 5 km is sea; 33 beaches mapped.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.Historic parksDerby Park is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Bootle’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Outdoors grade
Bootle grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bootle, 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 70% of UK towns#8 of 25 in Merseyside · 23rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
49out of
100
100
A park within a walk93%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
72out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
50out of
100
100
The sea17%of the area within 5 km
89out 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
Bootle is 23rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 46,600 to 61,700 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
Bootle2.7
Towns its size3.6
Merseyside towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bootle2.1
Towns its size2.3
Merseyside towns3.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bootle93%
Towns its size84%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Bootle stands out most for homes near a park: only 6 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 50 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Havant Hampshire | A+ | 3.6 | 84% | 5.8 | 30% |
| 3 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 4 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 5 | Scarborough North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 86% | 3.1 | 17% |
| 6 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 7 | Gravesend Kent | A | 1.4 | 84% | 6.4 | 14% |
| 8 | Salisbury Wiltshire | A | 2.7 | 94% | 3.9 | 22% |
| 9 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 11 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 12 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 14 | Eastleigh Hampshire | A− | 3 | 76% | 4.9 | 17% |
| 15 | Tynemouth Tyne and Wear | A− | 2.2 | 85% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Hereford Herefordshire | A− | 2.6 | 92% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 17 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 18 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 19 | Crosby Merseyside | A− | 4.6 | 89% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 23 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 25 | West Molesey Surrey | B+ | 4.4 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 26 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Bridgwater Somerset | B+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3.7 | 2% |
| 29 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 30 | Bebington Merseyside | B+ | 3 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Huyton with Roby Merseyside | B+ | 3.7 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Cwmbrân Gwent | B+ | 2.1 | 84% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 34 | Middleton Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.5 | 80% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Wokingham Berkshire | B | 4 | 84% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 37 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 39 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 40 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 42 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 43 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Tipton West Midlands | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Hinckley Leicestershire | C+ | 1.8 | 87% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Halesowen West Midlands | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 54 | King's Lynn Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 55 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Durham County Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 6 | 0% |
| 57 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Kidderminster Worcestershire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bootle’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 Bootle
The biggest is Rimrose Valley Country Park, 116 ha (288 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 16 named parks by size: 154 ha (380 acres) and 16 km of path
Parks & gardens 152 haPlaying fields 1.2 ha
The two biggest, Rimrose Valley Country Park and Derby Park, are 81% of the named green space and carry 9 km of path between them. 10 of the 16 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Historic park · Grade II
Derby Park
Park or garden
8.8 ha (22 acres)2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Walton Park Cemetery
Park or garden · 0 m outside town
9.2 ha (23 acres)1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
13 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bootle South Recreation Ground
Park or garden
6.1 ha (15 acres)1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Marian Gardens
Park or garden
5.0 ha (12 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Copy Farm Park
Park or garden
2.0 ha (5 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.9 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Playground Dog park
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Millennium Greens
Park or garden
1.0 ha (2 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
1.5 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Stanley Garden
Park or garden
0.7 ha (2 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.6 mi southfrom the centre
Bootle War Memorial, including flight of steps and flanking stone tablets Grade II* +1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 16 named parks and green spaces
Rimrose Valley Country ParkPark or garden · 116 ha · 6.1 km of path
DirectionsDerby ParkPark or garden · 8.8 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsWalton Park CemeteryPark or garden · 9.2 ha · 1.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBootle South Recreation GroundPark or garden · 6.1 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsMarian GardensPark or garden · 5.0 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsCopy Farm ParkPark or garden · 2.0 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsMillennium GreensPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsStanley GardenPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSt Mary's Garden of RestPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsWarbreck Moor Recreation GroundPlaying field · 1.2 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBowersdale ParkPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsDevonfield Road GardensPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsDeerbarn ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsNetherton GreenPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsWarbreck ParkPark or garden · 0.1 ha · just outside town
DirectionsMartin's GardenPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsClose to home
9 in 10 Bootle 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 (93%)Further (7%)
Bootle93%
Towns its size84%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 58 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 926 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley 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
National Landscape
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley
15 mi south-west389 km²since 2011
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Bootle is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
103 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bootle and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegional
Trans-Pennine Trail (Southport to Liverpool)10.1 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Cleveleys to Liverpool7.7 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Birkenhead to Welsh Border2.5 km
Wirral Circular Trail2.5 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Bootle. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Trans-Pennine Trail (Southport to Liverpool) and Wirral Circular Trail.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Bootle
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Bootle’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Derby Park
8.8 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
Listed buildings insideStanley GardenBootle War Memorial, including flight of steps and flanking stone tablets and Statue of Edward VII South of Balliol Road Junction
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 Bootle: May to 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) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 76 | 63 | 55 | 55 | 60 | 69 | 75 | 74 | 84 | 92 | 91 | 93 |
April is the driest month (55 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 93 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 26 nights a year. The climate in Bootle →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Bootle
17% of the area within 5 km of Bootle is sea. 33 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
Brazil Bank2.0 mi from town
DirectionsCrosby Beach2.1 mi from town
DirectionsThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: 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
3 viewpoints and 58 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.
3Viewpoints1.5× towns its size3Nature reserves1.5× towns its size58Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Dog parks
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 3
Seaforth Nature Reserve30 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsCrosby Coastal Park1.6 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsLunt Meadows Nature Reserve1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 58
Copy Farm Playgroundin town
DirectionsFernbank Playgroundin town
DirectionsRice Lane Recreation Ground Playground0.5 mi from town
DirectionsWorkout equipment0.6 mi from town
DirectionsStanley Park Playground0.7 mi from town
DirectionsMoorside Park Playground0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 52 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Copy Farm Dog Parkin town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
LitherlandCrosbyAintreeMaghullKirkbyLydiateBootle
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Litherland, 0.8 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Litherland and Crosby have at least twice Bootle’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Bootle
What is the biggest park in Bootle?
Rimrose Valley Country Park, 116 ha (288 acres), with 6.1 km of path. Derby Park (8.8 ha) is second. 16 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Bootle near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 15 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 389 km² and was designated in 2011.
What are the best walks near Bootle?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Trans-Pennine Trail (Southport to Liverpool), King Charles III England Coast Path: Cleveleys to Liverpool and King Charles III England Coast Path: Birkenhead to Welsh Border. Rimrose Valley Country Park alone has 6.1 km of path.
How many people in Bootle live near a park?
93% 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 Bootle?
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 Bootle are historic?
Derby Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Bootle good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 50% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 49% (2.1 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 Bootle’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Bootle’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.