Harrogate’s biggest
Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens
Park or garden
23 ha (56 acres)13.0 km of path
2 h 55 minto walk all 13 km of path
32 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.7 mi south-westfrom the centre
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Christine Matthews · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Harrogate · parks, paths & countryside
86% of Harrogate’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Nidderdale National Landscape begins 0.8 mi from the town’s edge. 190 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.6 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Harrogate add up to 2.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Harrogate grades A− for the outdoors: #12 of 54 in North Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
86%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
190 km
3.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
6%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Nidderdale National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Harrogate?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside close byThe Nidderdale National Landscape starts 0.8 mi west.Historic parksValley Gardens is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Harrogate’s strongest suit is the Nidderdale National Landscape close by, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Harrogate grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Harrogate, 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 80% of UK towns#12 of 54 in North Yorkshire · 25th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
68out of
100
100
A park within a walk86%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
58out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape6%of the land within 5 km
68out of
100
100
Footpaths3.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
74out 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.
Towns its size
Harrogate is 25th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 60,600 to 93,600 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
Harrogate3.6
Towns its size3.7
North Yorkshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Harrogate2.9
Towns its size2.4
North Yorkshire towns1.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Harrogate86%
Towns its size86%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Harrogate stands out most for park space per resident: only 19 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 2 | Hastings East Sussex | A+ | 3.1 | 76% | 4.3 | 42% |
| 3 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 4 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 5 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 6 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 7 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 8 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 9 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 10 | Harlow Essex | A | 3.7 | 99% | 8.2 | 0% |
| 11 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 13 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 15 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 16 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 17 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 18 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 19 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 21 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 22 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 23 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 24 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 26 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 28 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 29 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 31 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 33 | Sale Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 86% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Wallasey Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 90% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 38 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Nuneaton Warwickshire | B− | 2.3 | 94% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 43 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 44 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Halifax West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 48 | Royal Sutton Coldfield West Midlands | B− | 6.1 | 64% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 2 | 83% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Woking Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Shrewsbury Shropshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Darlington County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Chester Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Harrogate’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 Harrogate
The biggest is Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens, 23 ha (56 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 8 named parks by size: 76 ha (187 acres) and 24 km of path
Parks & gardens 72 haPlaying fields 4.3 ha
The two biggest, Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens and Valley Gardens, are 61% of the named green space and carry 20 km of path between them.
Historic park · Grade II
Valley Gardens
Park or garden
24 ha (59 acres)7.3 km of path
1 h 35 minto walk all 7.3 km of path
33 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi westfrom the centre
Playground 3 listedElgar Walk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Killinghall Moor Country Park
Park or garden
16 ha (39 acres)1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
22 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Oak Beck Park
Park or garden
5.3 ha (13 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Belmont Park
Park or garden
3.3 ha (8 acres)0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.6 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Harrogate Cricket Club
Playing field
4.3 ha (11 acres)0.3 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Crescent Gardens
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Harrogate
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Library Gardens
Park or garden
0.2 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Harrogate
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Harrogate’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 (86%)Further (14%)
Harrogate86%
Towns its size86%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 11,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 41 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,842 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Nidderdale National Landscape is 0.8 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
6% of the land within 5 km of Harrogate is National Park or National Landscape, more than 68% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Harrogate
190 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Harrogate and the kilometre around it, 3.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Local
Harrogate Ringway32.9 km
Knaresborough Round9.1 km
Dales Way - Harrogate Link Path7.0 km
Harrogate and Knaresborough Heritage Trail4.1 km
Close to home, the Harrogate Ringway has 33 km of local walk within 2 km of the town.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Harrogate
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Harrogate’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Valley Gardens
24 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 3 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIMagnesia Well BuildingIIRefreshment KioskIISun Pavilion and Sun Colonnade
Listed buildings insideHarlow Carr Botanical GardensHarrogate Arms Hotel and Offices of the Northern Horticultural Society
Listed buildings insideCrescent GardensPavilion and The Old Town Hall
Heritage walks
Harrogate and Knaresborough Heritage Trail 4.1 km
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 Harrogate: 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 15.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 70 | 61 | 54 | 53 | 55 | 68 | 64 | 75 | 67 | 75 | 81 | 79 |
April is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 81 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 52 nights a year. The climate in Harrogate →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 41 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
3Viewpoints1.6× towns its size7Hills and peaks6.7× towns its size1Waterfalls3Nature reservesabout the same as towns its size2Picnic sites41Playgrounds0.6× towns its size2Campsites
The nearest beaches
Harrogate is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Pebble Beach9.6 mi from Harrogate’s edge
DirectionsYork Beach17 mi from Harrogate’s edge
DirectionsTreasure Beach25 mi from Harrogate’s 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.
Up high. Harlow Hill, at 180 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Harrogate.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Pinewoods Panorama0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 7
Harlow Hill180 m (591 ft) · in town
DirectionsWarren Top0.1 mi from town
DirectionsMaw Hill100 m (328 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsHowe Hill0.9 mi from town
DirectionsSwarth Hill1.0 mi from town
DirectionsThistle Hill1.0 mi from town
DirectionsSimon Knoll1.1 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Petrifying well0.6 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 3
Rossett Local Nature Reserve1.8 ha · in town
DirectionsLong Lands Common12 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 41
Harlow Hill Play Areain town
DirectionsHartley Road Play Area (or The Aeroplane Park)in town
DirectionsOatlands Play Parkin town
DirectionsRoberts Crescent Play Areain town
DirectionsValley Gardens Play Areain town
DirectionsWoodfield Playgroundin town
DirectionsAppleby play area0.7 mi from town
DirectionsKillinghall Playground0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 33 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Rudding Holiday Park0.5 mi from town
DirectionsHigh Moor Farm Park1.1 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
KillinghallPannalKnaresboroughHampsthwaiteSpofforthPool-in-WharfedaleHarrogate
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrogate | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 6% |
| Killinghall 2.3 mi | C+ | 1.0 | 100% | 7% |
| Pannal 2.4 mi | B− | 3.7 | 77% | 0% |
| Knaresborough 3.1 mi | B− | 2.3 | 87% | 0% |
| Hampsthwaite 3.4 mi | A− | 2.0 | 100% | 23% |
| Spofforth 4.5 mi | C− | 1.7 | 78% | 0% |
| Pool-in-Wharfedale 7.3 mi | C− | 2.1 | 44% | 7% |
Harrogate grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Harrogate
What is the biggest park in Harrogate?
Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens, 23 ha (56 acres), with 13 km of path. Valley Gardens (24 ha) is second. 8 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Harrogate near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 8.7 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Nidderdale National Landscape, 0.8 mi away.
What are the best walks near Harrogate?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Harrogate Ringway, Knaresborough Round and Dales Way - Harrogate Link Path. Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens alone has 13 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Harrogate?
Pebble Beach, 9.6 mi from the edge of the town, then York Beach (17 mi). Harrogate itself is inland.
How many people in Harrogate live near a park?
86% 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 Harrogate?
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 Harrogate are historic?
Valley Gardens (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Harrogate good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 74% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 68% (2.9 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 Harrogate’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Harrogate’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.