Photo: Stephen Horncastle · CC BY-SA 2.0Ampleforth is inside the Howardian Hills National Landscape
27% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. 23 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.7 for every square kilometre. Ampleforth grades C for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Ampleforth?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Ampleforth’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Ampleforth grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ampleforth, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Ampleforth is 46th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,200 to 1,300 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Ampleforth falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 54 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huncoat Lancashire | A+ | 10.1 | 100% | 4.9 | 1% |
| 2 | Clanfield Hampshire | A+ | 6.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 78% |
| 3 | Holmbridge West Yorkshire | A+ | 2.5 | 100% | 4.2 | 45% |
| 4 | Kirton Suffolk | A+ | 2.5 | 100% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 5 | Hoddlesden Lancashire | A | 11.4 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 6 | Otterbourne Hampshire | A | 2.9 | 100% | 3.2 | 25% |
| 7 | Rotherfield East Sussex | A | 5.6 | 100% | 1.7 | 91% |
| 8 | Thurgoland South Yorkshire | A | 2.5 | 100% | 4.1 | 1% |
| 9 | Haydon Bridge Northumberland | A | 7.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 26% |
| 10 | Cronton Merseyside | A | 6.8 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 11 | Chew Magna Somerset | A | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 15% |
| 12 | Millhouse Green South Yorkshire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.6 | 18% |
| 13 | East Hanney Oxfordshire | A− | 5.7 | 100% | 1.8 | 4% |
| 14 | Caldy Merseyside | A− | 19.3 | 47% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Thorpe Surrey | A− | 5.2 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Bonds Lancashire | A− | 1.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 16% |
| 17 | Herstmonceux East Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.5 | 36% |
| 18 | Bradpole Dorset | A− | 0.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 95% |
| 19 | Felsted Essex | A− | 7.5 | 81% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Tregarth Gwynedd | B+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 23% |
| 21 | Bierton Buckinghamshire | B+ | 5.8 | 70% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Walberton West Sussex | B+ | 1.8 | 100% | 1.9 | 39% |
| 23 | Sharpness Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Billy Row County Durham | B | 2.3 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Stoke Holy Cross Norfolk | B | 2.2 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Horton Kirby Kent | B | 5.9 | 78% | 1.7 | 21% |
| 27 | Bunbury Cheshire | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Kilgetty Dyfed | B | 1 | 100% | 0.9 | 18% |
| 29 | Talgarth Powys | B | 5.7 | 71% | 1.5 | 52% |
| 30 | Alconbury Weald Cambridgeshire | B | 5 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 31 | Eckington Worcestershire | B | 4.1 | 72% | 1.9 | 23% |
| 32 | Clarborough Nottinghamshire | B | 4 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Oxfordshire | B− | 2.5 | 72% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 34 | Wyton Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.9 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Gilmorton Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Chulmleigh Devon | C+ | 3.5 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 37 | East Morton West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.1 | 89% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Trimdon Grange County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Crondall Hampshire | C+ | 3.6 | 73% | 1.8 | 1% |
| 40 | Husbands Bosworth Leicestershire | C+ | 3 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 41 | Clehonger Herefordshire | C+ | 0.6 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Thorpe on the Hill West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.2 | 64% | 4 | 0% |
| 43 | Ashill Norfolk | C+ | 3.7 | 82% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Westhampnett West Sussex | C | 0.2 | 79% | 2.6 | 33% |
| 45 | Lavenham Suffolk | C | 4.2 | 59% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Ampleforth North Yorkshire | C | 2.3 | 27% | 1.7 | 95% |
| 47 | Bradfield Essex | C | 1.4 | 27% | 1.5 | 35% |
| 48 | Warwick Bridge Cumbria | C | 6.5 | 78% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 49 | West Clandon Surrey | C | 1.9 | 49% | 2.1 | 28% |
| 50 | Ponthir Gwent | C | 2.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | South Killingholme Lincolnshire | C | 1.7 | 68% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Hanwood Shropshire | C− | 1.9 | 19% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 53 | Little Downham Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.8 | 61% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Trewoon Cornwall | D | 0.9 | 71% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 55 | Burton on the Wolds Leicestershire | D | 2.5 | 31% | 2 | 0% |
| 56 | Southery Norfolk | D | 2 | 61% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Sutton on Trent Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.5 | 39% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Walsham le Willows Suffolk | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 59 | Helpston Cambridgeshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Prees Higher Heath Shropshire | D− | 0.7 | 26% | 0.9 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ampleforth’s built-up area.
3 in 10 Ampleforth 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).
About 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 413 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Ampleforth
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.
Howardian Hills
North York Moors
95% of the land within 5 km of Ampleforth is National Park or National Landscape, more than 98% of UK towns. North York Moors National Park covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
Footpaths in and around Ampleforth
23 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ampleforth and the kilometre around it, 1.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Ampleforth; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Ampleforth: May to September
The village’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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 60 | 52 | 56 | 51 | 75 | 67 | 71 | 66 | 77 | 76 | 68 |
May is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 77 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Ampleforth →
3 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Ampleforth is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampleforth | C | 2.3 | 27% | 95% |
| Helmsley 3.7 mi | B− | 2.4 | 44% | 73% |
| Easingwold 6.5 mi | B | 4.3 | 86% | 14% |
| Huby (Hambleton) 8.2 mi | C | 2.4 | 75% | 2% |
| Kirkbymoorside 8.3 mi | C− | 0.4 | 55% | 37% |
| Thirsk 9.9 mi | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Sowerby 10.1 mi | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 0% |
Easingwold, 6.5 miles away, grades B, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Ampleforth
Is Ampleforth near a National Park?
North York Moors National Park reaches the edge of Ampleforth. It covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Howardian Hills National Landscape, at the edge of the village.
What is the nearest beach to Ampleforth?
York Beach, 16 mi from the edge of the village, then Pebble Beach (17 mi). Ampleforth itself is inland.
How many people in Ampleforth live near a park?
27% 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 Ampleforth?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ampleforth good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 21% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 54% (2.3 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 Ampleforth’s overall grade.
Where Ampleforth’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.