St Helens’ biggest
Sankey Valley Park
Park or garden
56 ha (139 acres)2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
79 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.7 mi north-eastfrom the centre
1 listedWagon Lane
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Gary Rogers · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in St Helens · parks, paths & countryside
91% of St Helens’ residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in St Helens add up to 3.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 198 km of footpaths run through the city and the kilometre around it, 2.9 for every square kilometre. St Helens grades B for the outdoors: #13 of 25 in Merseyside. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
91%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
198 km
2.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors city is St Helens?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam3.4 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 75% of UK towns.Historic parks3 registered historic parks and gardens, including Borough Cemetery, St Helens.
St Helens’ strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
St Helens grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is St Helens, 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 61% of UK towns#13 of 25 in Merseyside · 38th of 60 UK cities its size
Public green space3.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
75out of
100
100
A park within a walk91%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
68out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
57out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out 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.
Cities its size
St Helens is 38th of 60 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 78,200 to 143,400 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
St Helens2.9
Cities its size4.1
Merseyside towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
St Helens3.4
Cities its size2.4
Merseyside towns3.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
St Helens91%
Cities its size86%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
Against cities its size, St Helens stands out most for park space per resident: only 8 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 52 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hastings East Sussex | A+ | 3.1 | 76% | 4.3 | 42% |
| 2 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 3 | Gloucester Gloucestershire | A | 2.7 | 93% | 6 | 22% |
| 4 | Gillingham Kent | A | 1.6 | 86% | 5.3 | 23% |
| 5 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 6 | Poole Dorset | A | 2.5 | 81% | 3.4 | 20% |
| 7 | Crawley West Sussex | A | 2.6 | 85% | 10.5 | 33% |
| 8 | Eastbourne East Sussex | A | 2 | 75% | 4.3 | 23% |
| 9 | Stockport Greater Manchester | A | 4 | 93% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Basingstoke Hampshire | A | 2.5 | 94% | 5.8 | 6% |
| 11 | Colchester Essex | A | 3.2 | 86% | 5.4 | 10% |
| 12 | Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire | A | 3 | 95% | 3.6 | 18% |
| 13 | Bath Somerset | A | 1.8 | 89% | 5.6 | 50% |
| 14 | Harlow Essex | A | 3.7 | 99% | 8.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Watford Hertfordshire | A | 2.8 | 88% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 17 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 18 | Stevenage Hertfordshire | A− | 3 | 98% | 7.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Gateshead Tyne and Wear | A− | 3.3 | 95% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Basildon Essex | A− | 3 | 95% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 21 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 22 | Maidstone Kent | A− | 2.9 | 81% | 3.5 | 20% |
| 23 | Cheltenham Gloucestershire | A− | 1.4 | 87% | 4.5 | 44% |
| 24 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Worthing West Sussex | A− | 1.2 | 78% | 2.9 | 38% |
| 26 | Newport Gwent | A− | 2.8 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Bedford Bedfordshire | B+ | 4.2 | 88% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 28 | Wakefield West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.9 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Oldham Greater Manchester | B+ | 1.7 | 87% | 5 | 0% |
| 30 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 31 | Huddersfield West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.4 | 94% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 32 | Birkenhead Merseyside | B+ | 3.1 | 71% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | York North Yorkshire | B | 2.3 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Salford Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 91% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Kensington and Chelsea London | B | 1.5 | 99% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Chelmsford Essex | B | 2.4 | 87% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Wythenshawe Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 84% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 38 | St Helens Merseyside | B | 3.4 | 91% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Preston Lancashire | B | 3 | 80% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Wallasey Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 90% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 42 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Nuneaton Warwickshire | B− | 2.3 | 94% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 44 | West Bromwich West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 83% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 46 | Halifax West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Blackburn Lancashire | B− | 2.2 | 71% | 3.1 | 1% |
| 49 | Exeter Devon | B− | 1.8 | 81% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Royal Sutton Coldfield West Midlands | B− | 6.1 | 64% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Lincoln Lincolnshire | B− | 2.5 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Rochdale Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.7 | 88% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 2 | 83% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Darlington County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Worcester Worcestershire | C | 1.5 | 77% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Solihull West Midlands | C | 2.9 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Chester Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Southport Merseyside | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is St Helens’ 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 St Helens
The biggest is Sankey Valley Park, 56 ha (139 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 28 named parks by size: 278 ha (687 acres) and 30 km of path
Parks & gardens 235 haPlaying fields 43 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The biggest is Sankey Valley Park, 56 ha (139 acres); no single park dominates. 7 of the 28 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Sherdley Park
Park or garden
47 ha (116 acres)2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
66 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Taylor Park
Park or garden
20 ha (49 acres)2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi westfrom the centre
2 playgrounds
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Ravenhead Nature Park
Park or garden
21 ha (52 acres)1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
29 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Duckeries
Park or garden
20 ha (48 acres)1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
27 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.8 mi eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Victoria Park
Park or garden
14 ha (34 acres)3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
20 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi northfrom the centre
Playground 3 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Parr Hall Millennium Green
Park or garden
12 ha (31 acres)0.5 km of path
17 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Sutton Park
Park or garden
8.2 ha (20 acres)2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
11 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 28 named parks and green spaces
Sankey Valley ParkPark or garden · 56 ha · 2.2 km of path
DirectionsSherdley ParkPark or garden · 47 ha · 2.9 km of path
DirectionsTaylor ParkPark or garden · 20 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsRavenhead Nature ParkPark or garden · 21 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsThe DuckeriesPark or garden · 20 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsVictoria ParkPark or garden · 14 ha · 3.7 km of path
DirectionsParr Hall Millennium GreenPark or garden · 12 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsSutton ParkPark or garden · 8.2 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsFosters ParkPark or garden · 7.4 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsGaskell ParkPark or garden · 6.0 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsQueens Park Recreation CentrePlaying field · 8.5 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsThatto Heath CrusadersPlaying field · 9.3 ha · 1.0 km of path
DirectionsThatto Heath ParkPark or garden · 5.5 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsHaresfinch ParkPark or garden · 5.5 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsKing George's FieldPlaying field · 7.3 ha · 1.0 km of path
DirectionsSunshine ParkPark or garden · 4.4 ha · 1.0 km of path
DirectionsKing George V Playing FieldsPlaying field · 6.7 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsNanny Goat ParkPark or garden · 4.5 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsBosworth FieldsPark or garden · 4.1 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParr Recreation GroundPlaying field · 3.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsLiverpool St Helens Rugby Football GroundPlaying field · 3.5 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsKentmere ParkPlaying field · 1.6 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsMillbrook Recreation GroundPlaying field · 1.2 ha
DirectionsAlder Hey Recreation GroundPlaying field · 0.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsThatto Heath ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsFriends' GardenPark or garden · 0.1 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsThe SquarePark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsSutton Park Play AreaPlay space · 0.1 ha
DirectionsClose to home
How close St Helens’s homes are to 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 (91%)Further (10%)
St Helens91%
Cities its size86%
Merseyside towns87%
All UK towns83%
About 10,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 72 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,496 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near St Helens
198 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in St Helens and the kilometre around it, 2.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
Other waymarked
Rainford Linear Park1.5 km
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
3 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 St Helens’ named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Taylor Park
20 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
Registered · Grade IIBorough Cemetery0.6 ha
Registered · Grade IILandscape associated with the former Pilkingtons Headquarters complex8.0 ha
Listed buildings insideVictoria ParkGrotto by Lake to North of Victoria Park House, St Marks Gate Lodge and The Mansion House
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 St Helens: 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 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 66 | 57 | 58 | 58 | 71 | 78 | 82 | 84 | 101 | 89 | 98 |
March is the driest month (57 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 101 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 32 nights a year. The climate in St Helens →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 72 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
2Viewpoints6Hills and peaks3.2× cities its size2Nature reserves72Playgroundsabout the same as cities its size3Dog parks
The nearest beaches
St Helens is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the city.
Tranmere Beach9.9 mi from St Helens’ edge
DirectionsCrosby Beach11 mi from St Helens’ edge
DirectionsBrazil Bank12 mi from St Helens’ edge
DirectionsTaylor's Bank14 mi from St Helens’ edge
DirectionsEast Hoyle Bank17 mi from St Helens’ edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 6
Windle Bleak Hill0.0 mi from town
DirectionsEccleston Hill0.2 mi from town
DirectionsDream0.2 mi from town
DirectionsCrank Hill0.6 mi from town
DirectionsBlundells Hill1.1 mi from town
DirectionsHag Brow97 m (318 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Mill Brow Local Nature Reserve1.5 ha · in town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve more.
Playgrounds 72
Ashurst Children's Play Areain town
DirectionsBlackbrook Park Children's Play Areain town
DirectionsBroads Park Children's Playing Areain town
DirectionsBroadway Park Children's Play Areain town
DirectionsChain Lane Playgroundin town
DirectionsChildren's Play Area Sherdley Parkin town
DirectionsChildren's Play Area The Spiresin town
DirectionsChildren's Playing Area Sutton Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 64 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 3
My Dog Paddock0.0 mi from town
DirectionsThe Dog Barn Exercise Area0.6 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park 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.
PrescotHaydockBillingeBurtonwoodCrontonRainfordSt Helens
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Cronton, 4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in St Helens
What is the biggest park in St Helens?
Sankey Valley Park, 56 ha (139 acres), with 2.2 km of path. Sherdley Park (47 ha) is second. 28 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is St Helens near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of St Helens.
What are the best walks near St Helens?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the city, including the Rainford Linear Park. Sankey Valley Park alone has 2.2 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to St Helens?
Tranmere Beach, 9.9 mi from the edge of the city, then Crosby Beach (11 mi). St Helens itself is inland.
How many people in St Helens live near a park?
91% 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 St Helens?
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 St Helens are historic?
Borough Cemetery (Grade II), Landscape associated with the former Pilkingtons Headquarters complex (Grade II) and Taylor Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is St Helens good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 57% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 75% (3.4 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 St Helens’ overall grade.
Sources
Where St Helens’ 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.