Outdoors in Liverpool · parks, paths & countryside
Liverpool is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 19% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 582 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 3.3 for every square kilometre. 87% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Liverpool grades A− for the outdoors: #5 of 25 in Merseyside. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Liverpool’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Outdoors grade
Liverpool grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Liverpool, 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#5 of 25 in Merseyside · 3rd of 9 UK cities its size
Public green space2.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
60out of 100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths3.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
67out of 100
The sea19%of the area within 5 km
89out 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.
Cities its size
Liverpool is 3rd of 9 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 9 UK towns and cities of 355,000 to 684,000 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
Liverpool3.3
Cities its size4.6
Merseyside towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Liverpool2.5
Cities its size2.3
Merseyside towns3.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Liverpool87%
Cities its size85%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
Against cities its size, Liverpool stands out most for park space per resident: only 3 of the other 8 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 8 of the others do better.
9 in 10 Liverpool 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%)
Liverpool87%
Cities its size85%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
About 65,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 196 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 2,585 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 west389 km²since 2011
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Liverpool is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
582 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Liverpool and the kilometre around it, 3.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
NationalRegionalLocal
Trans-Pennine Trail (Liverpool to Warrington)24.9 km
Trans-Pennine Trail (Southport to Liverpool)13.8 km
Wirral Circular Trail12.2 km
Allerton Country Walk11.4 km
Mersey Way10.6 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Cleveleys to Liverpool6.4 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Birkenhead to Welsh Border3.8 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Liverpool. Close to home, the Allerton Country Walk has 11 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Trans-Pennine Trail (Liverpool to Warrington), 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
10 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 Liverpool’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Croxteth Hall and Country Park
224 ha. Part of Croxteth Hall Park, a registered historic park (Grade II). 15 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Croxteth HallII*DairyII*Laundry and Laundry CottageII*Stable Block to North and West of Stable YardIIAintree Lodge to Croxteth HallIIBull Box in PaddockIICarriage Washing Shelter in Stable YardIICroxteth Hall Home FarmhouseIIEntrance to North Side of Stable YardIIFarm Lodge to Croxteth HallIILodge to Croxteth Hall with railings and gateway to the northwest of the lodgeIIRiding School to North of Stable YardIIRow of Cottages on East Side of Stable YardIIStreet lamp and fountain in front of Croxteth Park entranceIIThe Cottage
Registered · Grade ISefton Park105 haInside: Sefton Park Palm House and 11 more
Registered · Grade ISt James's Gardens (Formerly St James's Cemetery)3.4 ha
Registered · Grade II*Anfield Cemetery45 ha
Registered · Grade II*Princes Park20 haInside: Boat House at South End of Lake and 8 more
Registered · Grade II*Stanley Park34 haInside: Anfield County Girls Secondary School (Old Building Only) and 17 more
Registered · Grade II*Wavertree Botanic Garden and Park17 ha
Registered · Grade IIAllerton Cemetery37 ha
Registered · Grade IINewsham Park51 haInside: Bandstand at West End of Newsham Park and 2 more
Registered · Grade IIToxteth Park Cemetery19 ha
Show 3 more
Listed buildings insideWavertree ParkFountain in Middle of the Park and Lodge to Botanic Gardens
Listed buildings insideHarthill EstateThe Calderstones: six monoliths decorated with rock art, Beechley Stables and Entrance to Calderstones Park and 3 more
Listed buildings insideWoolton Woods and Camp HillMuch Woolton Old School, Camp Hill Lodge and Gateway to Woolton Hall Park and 6 more
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 Liverpool: May to September
The city’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
17
19
21
21
18
14
11
8
Rain (mm)
76
61
54
57
58
67
76
78
81
90
86
87
March is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 90 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 24 nights a year. The climate in Liverpool →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Liverpool
19% of the area within 5 km of Liverpool is sea. 32 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
The 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
8 viewpoints and 196 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Liverpool 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 Liverpool
What is the biggest park in Liverpool?
Croxteth Hall and Country Park, 224 ha (554 acres), with 6.8 km of path. Sefton Park (96 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Liverpool near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, 15 mi west of the city’s edge. It covers 389 km² and was designated in 2011.
What are the best walks near Liverpool?
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Trans-Pennine Trail (Liverpool to Warrington), Trans-Pennine Trail (Southport to Liverpool) and Wirral Circular Trail. Croxteth Hall and Country Park alone has 6.8 km of path.
How many people in Liverpool 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 Liverpool?
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 Liverpool are historic?
Sefton Park (Grade I), St James's Gardens (Formerly St James's Cemetery) (Grade I), Allerton Cemetery (Grade II) and Croxteth Hall Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Liverpool good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 67% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 60% (2.5 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 Liverpool’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: Christine Matthews · CC BY-SA 2.0