Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0The North York Moors National Park begins 0.2 mi from Pickering
39% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Footpaths add up to 33 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.7 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Pickering add up to 1.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Pickering grades C− for the outdoors: #42 of 54 in North Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Pickering?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Pickering’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Pickering grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Pickering, 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.
Pickering is 54th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 7,000 to 7,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Pickering falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 59 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freshwater and Totland Isle of Wight | A+ | 5 | 89% | 3.9 | 20% |
| 2 | Holbury Hampshire | A+ | 5.5 | 89% | 3.1 | 42% |
| 3 | Sheringham Norfolk | A+ | 11.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 32% |
| 4 | Stocksbridge South Yorkshire | A | 2.2 | 100% | 4.4 | 30% |
| 5 | Ruddington Nottinghamshire | A | 9.7 | 100% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 6 | Bude Cornwall | A | 3.1 | 78% | 3.3 | 9% |
| 7 | Anstey Leicestershire | A | 12.9 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Liphook Hampshire | A | 3.1 | 86% | 3.8 | 64% |
| 9 | Bolton upon Dearne South Yorkshire | A | 5.6 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 10 | Bourne End Buckinghamshire | A | 2.9 | 87% | 4 | 19% |
| 11 | Gwersyllt Clwyd | A | 14.6 | 96% | 2.5 | 2% |
| 12 | Ashley Heath Dorset | A | 24.2 | 68% | 4 | 15% |
| 13 | Darfield South Yorkshire | A | 4 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 14 | Seaton Devon | A− | 1.1 | 84% | 2.5 | 55% |
| 15 | Otford and Kemsing Kent | A− | 3.3 | 53% | 3.6 | 73% |
| 16 | Torpoint Cornwall | A− | 2.2 | 84% | 1.6 | 26% |
| 17 | Goldthorpe South Yorkshire | A− | 8.4 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 18 | Blackwater Hampshire | B+ | 10.6 | 74% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Chinnor Oxfordshire | B+ | 1.5 | 88% | 3.7 | 37% |
| 20 | Kiveton Park South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.8 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Cromer Norfolk | B+ | 1.4 | 74% | 2.5 | 36% |
| 22 | Gowerton West Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 79% | 1.2 | 14% |
| 23 | Malmesbury Wiltshire | B | 2 | 86% | 2.5 | 26% |
| 24 | Wroughton Wiltshire | B | 1.1 | 78% | 3.9 | 52% |
| 25 | Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire | B | 1.4 | 78% | 3.2 | 57% |
| 26 | Chapel-en-le-Frith Derbyshire | B− | 1 | 75% | 3.8 | 58% |
| 27 | Woodville Derbyshire | B− | 3.7 | 78% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Eckington Derbyshire | B− | 1.8 | 80% | 6 | 0% |
| 29 | Balsall Common West Midlands | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 30 | Cranfield Bedfordshire | B− | 2.3 | 72% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Borrowash Derbyshire | B− | 2.8 | 85% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Bollington Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 56% | 4.1 | 31% |
| 33 | Abersychan Gwent | B− | 2.8 | 83% | 1.1 | 17% |
| 34 | Wrecclesham Surrey | C+ | 1.2 | 50% | 3.8 | 37% |
| 35 | Poringland Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 91% | 2.1 | 5% |
| 36 | Pelton and Ouston County Durham | C+ | 2 | 64% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Murton County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 54% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 38 | West Mersea Essex | C+ | 1.9 | 69% | 2 | 0% |
| 39 | Thrapston Northamptonshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Caerleon Gwent | C | 1.9 | 64% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Horncastle Lincolnshire | C | 0.6 | 60% | 3.9 | 10% |
| 42 | Radcliffe on Trent Nottinghamshire | C | 2.5 | 76% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Sawston Cambridgeshire | C | 1.4 | 97% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Hagley Worcestershire | C | 1.7 | 90% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Castle Donington Leicestershire | C | 1.8 | 85% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Crewkerne Somerset | C | 0.5 | 66% | 2.8 | 21% |
| 47 | Aylsham Norfolk | C | 2.6 | 74% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Hethersett Norfolk | C | 2.1 | 65% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Wivenhoe Essex | C− | 0.9 | 65% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Kibworth Beauchamp and Kibworth Harcourt Leicestershire | C− | 2.1 | 82% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | Southwell Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.7 | 59% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Calverton Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.7 | 62% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Breaston and Draycott Derbyshire | C− | 1.1 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Pickering North Yorkshire | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 1.7 | 19% |
| 55 | Shefford Bedfordshire | D | 1.1 | 67% | 3 | 0% |
| 56 | Wellesbourne Warwickshire | D | 1.1 | 88% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Deeping St James Lincolnshire | D | 0.5 | 73% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Beddau Mid Glamorgan | D | 1 | 77% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Market Weighton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 79% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Featherstone Staffordshire | D− | 1.2 | 52% | 1.5 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Pickering’s built-up area.
4 in 10 Pickering 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 4,500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 726 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Pickering
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.
North York Moors
19% of the land within 5 km of Pickering is National Park or National Landscape, more than 77% of UK towns. North York Moors National Park covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
Footpaths in and around Pickering
33 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Pickering 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 Pickering; 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 Pickering: 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 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 51 | 53 | 50 | 43 | 63 | 58 | 65 | 58 | 71 | 76 | 73 |
May is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 76 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 57 nights a year. The climate in Pickering →
10 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.
The nearest beaches
Pickering is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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
Hills and peaks 1
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 10
Plus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Plus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 19% |
| Thornton-le-Dale 2.4 mi | D | 1.1 | 58% | 29% |
| Kirkbymoorside 6.5 mi | C− | 0.4 | 55% | 37% |
| Rillington 6.9 mi | D− | 1.0 | 75% | 0% |
| Malton 7.4 mi | C+ | 2.3 | 43% | 24% |
| Norton-on-Derwent 7.9 mi | C | 1.6 | 58% | 16% |
| Helmsley 11.2 mi | B− | 2.4 | 44% | 73% |
Helmsley, 11.2 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 44% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Pickering
Is Pickering near a National Park?
Yes. North York Moors National Park begins 0.2 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
What is the nearest beach to Pickering?
Crook Ness, 15 mi from the edge of the town, then Cayton Sands (16 mi). Pickering itself is inland.
How many people in Pickering live near a park?
39% 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 Pickering?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Pickering 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 36% (1.7 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 Pickering’s overall grade.
Where Pickering’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.