Leeds and Liverpool Canal south of bridge 2J

Litherland, #1 on this list · Photo: Rodhullandemu · CC BY-SA 4.0

Merseyside rankings · Outdoors

Best towns for the outdoors in Merseyside

Litherland ranks first on outdoors among Merseyside’s 25 towns of 2,500+; 7 of the 25 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Litherland

18,752 people

Better than 94% of UK towns·#114 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Meols

5,023 people

Better than 87% of UK towns·#272 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Greasby

9,175 people

Better than 85% of UK towns·#333 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 25 towns, ranked

Outdoors grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Merseyside →

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25 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Litherland18,752 peopleA#114 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

2Meols5,023 peopleA#272 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

3Greasby9,175 peopleA#333 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

4Crosby50,218 peopleA⁻#447 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

5Liverpool506,564 peopleA⁻#487 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

6Hoylake5,311 peopleA⁻#494 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

7Newton-le-Willows24,651 peopleA⁻#560 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

8Bootle53,722 peopleB⁺#702 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns

9Bebington57,607 peopleB⁺#810 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns

10Huyton with Roby59,844 peopleB⁺#818 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns

11Birkenhead109,854 peopleB⁺#837 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns

12Haydock16,143 peopleB#930 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns

13St Helens107,684 peopleB#947 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns

14Wallasey85,619 peopleB#975 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

15Prescot39,227 peopleB#1,043 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 57% of UK towns

16West Kirby13,383 peopleB#1,057 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns

17Rainford5,573 peopleC⁺#1,465 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns

18Formby22,892 peopleC⁺#1,498 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

19Kirkby45,559 peopleC#1,545 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

20Billinge4,963 peopleC#1,568 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

21Southport94,438 peopleC⁻#1,745 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

22Maghull20,367 peopleC⁻#1,747 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

23Lydiate6,516 peopleC⁻#1,773 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

24Heswall29,082 peopleC⁻#1,807 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

25Aintree6,212 peopleD#2,045 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 8% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Merseyside is best for the outdoors?

Litherland ranks first on outdoors among 25 towns, with an A: better than 94% of UK towns. Meols and Greasby follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Merseyside’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Merseyside is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Merseyside lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Merseyside rankings →

Best places to live25 towns · #1 Greasby Most affordable towns25 towns · #1 Birkenhead Safest towns25 towns · #1 Greasby Towns with the best schools25 towns · #1 Hoylake Healthiest towns25 towns · #1 West Kirby Best towns for jobs & income25 towns · #1 Meols Most walkable towns25 towns · #1 Liverpool Towns with the lowest flood risk25 towns · #1 Aintree and 4 more Most historic towns25 towns · #1 Southport Towns with the most civic life25 towns · #1 Rainford Towns with the highest household incomes25 towns · #1 FormbyDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax25 towns · #1 Haydock and Newton-le-WillowsDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters25 towns · #1 HoylakeDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers25 towns · #1 St HelensDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers25 towns · #1 FormbyDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts25 towns · #1 MeolsDescribed, no letters Driest towns25 towns · #1 Hoylake and MeolsDescribed, no letters Wettest towns25 towns · #1 BillingeDescribed, no letters

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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.