Loftus’ biggest
Coronation Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Loftus
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Martin Dawes · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Loftus · parks, paths & countryside
31% of the land within 5 km of Loftus is National Park or National Landscape
The North York Moors National Park begins 0.4 mi from the town’s edge. The sea makes up 26% of the area within 5 km. 90% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Loftus grades A− for the outdoors: #11 of 54 in North Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
90%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
20 km
2.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
31%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North York Moors National Park
The sea
26%
of the area within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Loftus?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside31% of the land within 5 km is North York Moors National Park.On a National TrailThe Cleveland Way passes through.
Loftus’ strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by the Cleveland Way.
Outdoors grade
Loftus grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Loftus, 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 82% of UK towns#11 of 54 in North Yorkshire · 7th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
41out of
100
100
A park within a walk90%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
66out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape31%of the land within 5 km
84out of
100
100
Footpaths2.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
31out of
100
100
The sea26%of the area within 5 km
91out 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
Loftus is 7th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,100 to 4,400 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
Loftus2.0
Towns its size2.5
North Yorkshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Loftus1.9
Towns its size1.8
North Yorkshire towns1.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Loftus90%
Towns its size81%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Loftus stands out most for homes near a park: only 23 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 40 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Malling Kent | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 3.4 | 21% |
| 2 | Telscombe Cliffs East Sussex | A+ | 3 | 58% | 5.1 | 42% |
| 3 | Great Denham Bedfordshire | A | 14.7 | 100% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 4 | Denaby Main South Yorkshire | A | 10.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 5 | Overton Hampshire | A | 3.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 45% |
| 6 | Whittle-le-Woods Lancashire | A− | 7.7 | 91% | 4 | 0% |
| 7 | Loftus North Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 90% | 2 | 31% |
| 8 | Exminster Devon | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Arborfield Garrison Berkshire | A− | 10.4 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Stokenchurch Buckinghamshire | A− | 2.3 | 90% | 2.6 | 86% |
| 11 | Hunstanton Norfolk | A− | 3.7 | 71% | 1.4 | 31% |
| 12 | Fairford Gloucestershire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.8 | 17% |
| 13 | Lofthouse and Robin Hood West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 93% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Horsford Norfolk | B+ | 6.5 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Ratby Leicestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Bramley and Wonersh Surrey | B+ | 1.7 | 77% | 3.5 | 59% |
| 17 | Girton Cambridgeshire | B+ | 2.8 | 92% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Clayton West and Scissett West Yorkshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Winchcombe Gloucestershire | B | 2.2 | 60% | 3 | 81% |
| 20 | Brampton Cumbria | B | 2 | 92% | 2.2 | 9% |
| 21 | Bourton-on-the-Water Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 79% | 3.3 | 100% |
| 22 | Penrhyn Bay Clwyd | B− | 0.6 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 23 | Woodford Halse Northamptonshire | B− | 3.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Topsham Devon | B− | 1.9 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Easington Lane Tyne and Wear | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 26 | Wilton Wiltshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 27 | Tibshelf Derbyshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Ferndale Mid Glamorgan | B− | 3.6 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Woburn Sands Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Milford on Sea Hampshire | C+ | 1.2 | 50% | 2.1 | 21% |
| 31 | Kessingland Suffolk | C+ | 0.9 | 70% | 1.9 | 19% |
| 32 | Old Tupton Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 73% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Eaton Bray and Edlesborough Bedfordshire | C+ | 2.6 | 72% | 1.7 | 29% |
| 34 | Backwell Somerset | C+ | 2.3 | 57% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Sandwich Kent | C+ | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Sible Hedingham Essex | C+ | 0.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Knebworth Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 81% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Warton (Fylde) Lancashire | C | 1.3 | 92% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Brundall Norfolk | C | 1.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 20% |
| 40 | Meopham Kent | C | 1.3 | 53% | 2.5 | 35% |
| 41 | Uppingham Rutland | C | 2.2 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Branston Lincolnshire | C | 2.1 | 86% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Long Lawford Warwickshire | C | 1.2 | 91% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Llangennech Dyfed | C | 1.6 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Nelson Gwent | C | 2.1 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Cuffley Hertfordshire | C− | 13.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Ellesmere Shropshire | C− | 12.5 | 54% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Chudleigh Devon | C− | 0.3 | 83% | 1.4 | 15% |
| 49 | Epworth Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 75% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Doddington and Wimblington Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.5 | 73% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Great Ayton North Yorkshire | C− | 0.2 | 48% | 2.2 | 31% |
| 52 | West Kingsdown Kent | D | 0.8 | 28% | 1.6 | 52% |
| 53 | North Weald Bassett Essex | D | 1.4 | 67% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Shepperton Green Surrey | D | 1.4 | 73% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Blidworth Nottinghamshire | D | 0.5 | 23% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Kegworth Leicestershire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Llantrisant Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.6 | 42% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Wheatley Oxfordshire | D− | 0.2 | 34% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Warboys Cambridgeshire | D− | 0.4 | 67% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Pinchbeck Lincolnshire | D− | 1 | 49% | 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 Loftus’ 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 Loftus
The biggest is Coronation Park, 0.5 ha (1 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
9 in 10 Loftus 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 (90%)Further (11%)
Loftus90%
Towns its size81%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 475 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Loftus
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
31% of the land within 5 km of Loftus is National Park or National Landscape, more than 84% of UK towns. North York Moors National Park covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Loftus is on the Cleveland Way
20 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Loftus and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalLocal
The Miners Way8.9 km
Cleveland Way4.3 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Filey Brigg to Newport Bridge4.3 km
Cleveland Street4.2 km
The Cleveland Way, a national route, passes Loftus. Close to home, the The Miners Way has 9 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Loftus: June 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) | 7.8 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 49 | 49 | 46 | 50 | 49 | 71 | 59 | 71 | 67 | 72 | 85 | 71 |
March is the driest month (46 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Loftus →
The coast
Loftus is near the sea
26% of the area within 5 km of Loftus is sea. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km.
Cattersty Sands1.0 mi from town
DirectionsCattersty Sands1.3 mi from town
DirectionsThe 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
9 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Waterfalls 2
Plus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Community Woodland1.9 ha · in town
DirectionsTVWT Cattersty Gill3.9 ha · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 9
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Holywell Farm Dog Field0.7 mi from town
DirectionsCampsites 1
Magpie Wood0.4 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.
Carlin HowBrottonLingdaleSkelton (Redcar and Cleveland)BoosbeckSaltburn-by-the-SeaLoftus
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loftus | A− | 1.9 | 90% | 31% |
| Carlin How 1.0 mi | A+ | 3.1 | 100% | 13% |
| Brotton 2.3 mi | A− | 1.4 | 89% | 2% |
| Lingdale 3.1 mi | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 31% |
| Skelton (Redcar and Cleveland) 3.7 mi | B+ | 1.7 | 82% | 9% |
| Boosbeck 3.8 mi | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 22% |
| Saltburn-by-the-Sea 4.3 mi | A | 4.7 | 92% | 0% |
Carlin How, 1 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Saltburn-by-the-Sea has at least twice Loftus’ green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Loftus
What is the biggest park in Loftus?
Coronation Park, 0.5 ha (1 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Loftus near a National Park?
Yes. North York Moors National Park begins 0.4 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
What are the best walks near Loftus?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the The Miners Way, Cleveland Way and King Charles III England Coast Path: Filey Brigg to Newport Bridge.
How many people in Loftus live near a park?
90% 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 Loftus?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Loftus good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 31% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 41% (1.9 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 Loftus’ overall grade.
Sources
Where Loftus’ 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.