Hoylake’s biggest
Queens Park
Park or garden · 170 m outside town
3.0 ha (7 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: habiloid · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Hoylake · parks, paths & countryside
Hoylake is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 65% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Hoylake add up to 3.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 83% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Hoylake grades A− for the outdoors: #6 of 25 in Merseyside. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
83%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
30 km
2.6 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
65%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Hoylake?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast65% of the area within 5 km is sea; 20 beaches mapped.Room to roam3.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 76% of UK towns.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.
Hoylake’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Hoylake grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Hoylake, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A−
Better than 79% of UK towns#6 of 25 in Merseyside · 8th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
77out of
100
100
A park within a walk83%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
53out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
48out of
100
100
The sea65%of the area within 5 km
100out 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
Hoylake is 8th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,100 to 5,500 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
Hoylake2.6
Towns its size2.7
Merseyside towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Hoylake3.5
Towns its size2.1
Merseyside towns3.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Hoylake83%
Towns its size76%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Hoylake stands out most for park space per resident: only 15 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cookham Berkshire | A+ | 8.3 | 96% | 4.3 | 19% |
| 2 | Weston Dorset | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 7.6 | 0% |
| 3 | Whitehill Hampshire | A+ | 10.2 | 74% | 5.1 | 58% |
| 4 | Hungerford Berkshire | A+ | 9.1 | 85% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 5 | St Ives Cornwall | A | 0.8 | 89% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Budleigh Salterton Devon | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 7 | Edwinstowe Nottinghamshire | A− | 5.6 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 8 | Hoylake Merseyside | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 9 | Brotton North Yorkshire | A− | 1.4 | 89% | 3 | 2% |
| 10 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A− | 3 | 94% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 11 | Northam Devon | A− | 6.8 | 43% | 2 | 16% |
| 12 | Highbridge Somerset | B+ | 2.9 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Sonning Common Oxfordshire | B+ | 2.6 | 60% | 3.7 | 74% |
| 14 | Llantwit Major South Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Drighlington West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.1 | 92% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Whitchurch Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 3.3 | 43% |
| 17 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 94% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Waverley and Catcliffe South Yorkshire | B+ | 8.8 | 65% | 5 | 0% |
| 19 | Shrivenham and Watchfield Oxfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 96% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 20 | Long Ashton Somerset | B+ | 10.2 | 66% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Dartmouth Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 22 | Newent Gloucestershire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Battle East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 64% | 4.3 | 84% |
| 24 | Fremington Devon | B+ | 1.4 | 88% | 2.1 | 10% |
| 25 | Benson Oxfordshire | B | 6 | 44% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 26 | Askern South Yorkshire | B | 8.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Longstanton and Northstowe Cambridgeshire | B | 4.3 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Rowlands Gill Tyne and Wear | B | 4.9 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Shinfield Berkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Redbourn Hertfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 3.2 | 11% |
| 31 | Virginia Water Surrey | B | 14.5 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 32 | Llandrindod Wells Powys | B− | 4.5 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire | B− | 1.6 | 84% | 7.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Midhurst West Sussex | C+ | 0.3 | 28% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 35 | Brynmawr Gwent | C+ | 1.2 | 68% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 36 | Sacriston County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 72% | 4 | 0% |
| 37 | Helsby Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Oakley Hampshire | C | 1.7 | 56% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 39 | Havercroft and Ryhill West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 81% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Bovingdon Hertfordshire | C | 1.4 | 55% | 2.3 | 26% |
| 41 | Shevington Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Waterbeach Cambridgeshire | C | 1.5 | 94% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Looe Cornwall | C− | 0.1 | 47% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 44 | Long Stratton Norfolk | C− | 1 | 89% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Bayston Hill Shropshire | C− | 1.8 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Ludgershall Wiltshire | C− | 0.7 | 72% | 1.9 | 32% |
| 47 | Llangefni Gwynedd | C− | 1.8 | 95% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Ingatestone Essex | C− | 3.2 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 49 | Measham Leicestershire | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Littlestone-on-Sea Kent | C− | 1.4 | 37% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Long Sutton Lincolnshire | D | 2.2 | 81% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Potton Bedfordshire | D | 1.3 | 77% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Blackrod Greater Manchester | D | 1 | 83% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Wigton Cumbria | D | 2.4 | 65% | 1 | 0% |
| 55 | Thornton West Yorkshire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Treherbert Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.2 | 73% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Eye Cambridgeshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Moorends South Yorkshire | D | 2.2 | 39% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Winslow Buckinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 59% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Ravenshead Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Hoylake’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 Hoylake
The biggest is Queens Park, 3.0 ha (7 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Meols Parade Gardens
Park or garden
1.6 ha (4 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi northfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Grove Park
Playing field
0.4 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Hoylake
Grove Terrace
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Hoylake 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 (83%)Further (17%)
Hoylake83%
Towns its size76%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
About 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 531 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is 6.9 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
6.9 mi south-west389 km²since 2011
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Hoylake is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
30 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Hoylake and the kilometre around it, 2.6 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
King Charles III England Coast Path: Birkenhead to Welsh Border13.2 km
Wirral Circular Trail7.1 km
Wirral Way1.3 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Hoylake. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Wirral Circular Trail and Wirral Way.
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 Hoylake: 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 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 61 | 50 | 47 | 48 | 50 | 63 | 67 | 66 | 72 | 81 | 78 | 78 |
March is the driest month (47 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 81 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 16 nights a year. The climate in Hoylake →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Hoylake
65% of the area within 5 km of Hoylake is sea. 20 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
East Hoyle Bank0.0 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
2 viewpoints and 10 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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Grange Hill0.5 mi from town
DirectionsHilbre Island16 m (52 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 10
Ashton Park Play Area0.6 mi from town
DirectionsUpper Cage1.2 mi from town
DirectionsMiddle Cage1.2 mi from town
DirectionsLower Cage1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 6
Plus 6 slipways 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.
MeolsWest KirbyCaldyGreasbyHeswallWallaseyHoylake
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Meols, 0.9 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Caldy has at least twice Hoylake’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Hoylake
What is the biggest park in Hoylake?
Queens Park, 3.0 ha (7 acres), with 0.8 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Meols Parade Gardens (1.6 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Hoylake near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 6.9 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 389 km² and was designated in 2011.
What are the best walks near Hoylake?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Birkenhead to Welsh Border, Wirral Circular Trail and Wirral Way.
How many people in Hoylake live near a park?
83% 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 Hoylake?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Hoylake good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 48% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 77% (3.5 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 Hoylake’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Hoylake’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.