Ripon’s biggest
Hell Wath Playground
Playing field
4.2 ha (10 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0COutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Ripon · parks, paths & countryside
75% of Ripon’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Nidderdale National Landscape begins 0.5 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Ripon add up to 1.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 59 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Ripon grades C for the outdoors: #35 of 54 in North Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
75%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
59 km
2.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
17%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Nidderdale National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Ripon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside close byThe Nidderdale National Landscape starts 0.5 mi south-west.Less park per person1.0 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Ripon’s strongest suit is the Nidderdale National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Ripon grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ripon, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C
Better than 29% of UK towns#35 of 54 in North Yorkshire · 50th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
14out of
100
100
A park within a walk75%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
38out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape17%of the land within 5 km
76out of
100
100
Footpaths2.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
41out 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
Ripon is 50th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 15,700 to 17,600 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
Ripon2.4
Towns its size3.3
North Yorkshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ripon1.0
Towns its size2.3
North Yorkshire towns1.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ripon75%
Towns its size84%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Ripon falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 57 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 2 | Dorking Surrey | A | 4.4 | 75% | 7 | 57% |
| 3 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 4 | Hadfield Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 91% | 4.5 | 36% |
| 5 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 7 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bedlington Northumberland | A | 5.1 | 94% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Lewes East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 83% | 4.6 | 75% |
| 11 | Porthcawl Mid Glamorgan | A− | 3.5 | 82% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Euxton Lancashire | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Worcester Park and Stoneleigh Surrey | B+ | 7.3 | 76% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 14 | South Woodham Ferrers Essex | B+ | 7.8 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 15 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Weybridge Surrey | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 19 | Swanley Kent | B+ | 1.8 | 78% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 20 | Swinton South Yorkshire | B+ | 3 | 97% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 21 | Liversedge West Yorkshire | B+ | 2 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Tyldesley Greater Manchester | B | 2.3 | 97% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Brackley Northamptonshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Haydock Merseyside | B | 6.8 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 26 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | B | 1.8 | 62% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 27 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Haslingden Lancashire | B | 1.8 | 89% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Cobham Surrey | B | 3.1 | 49% | 4 | 1% |
| 30 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 31 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 32 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 33 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Bramhall Greater Manchester | B− | 4.7 | 71% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 36 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Biddulph Staffordshire | B− | 3.3 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Knaresborough North Yorkshire | B− | 2.3 | 87% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 42 | South Normanton and Pinxton Derbyshire | C+ | 1.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Elland West Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 69% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Royston Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Aldridge West Midlands | C+ | 3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 47 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | C | 1.2 | 54% | 3.3 | 21% |
| 48 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 49 | Bourne Lincolnshire | C | 1.3 | 70% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 51 | Nailsea Somerset | C | 1.1 | 65% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Tonypandy Mid Glamorgan | C | 1.5 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Stone Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 56 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Louth Lincolnshire | C− | 0.6 | 76% | 1.3 | 47% |
| 59 | Oswestry Shropshire | C− | 1.3 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ripon’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 Ripon
The biggest is Hell Wath Playground, 4.2 ha (10 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 7 ha (17 acres) and 2 km of path
Parks & gardens 1.9 haPlaying fields 5.1 ha
The two biggest, Hell Wath Playground and Spa Gardens, are 77% of the named green space. 4 of the 5 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Spa Gardens
Park or garden
1.3 ha (3 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Ripon
5 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Workhouse Gardens
Park or garden
0.3 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
0.5 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Allhallows Park
Park or garden
0.4 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
0.4 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Spa Park
Playing field
1.0 ha (2 acres)
Centralin the middle of Ripon
Playground Gazebos in Gardens of Numbers 7 and 8 Grade II*
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Ripon’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 (75%)Further (25%)
Ripon75%
Towns its size84%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 4,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 976 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Nidderdale National Landscape is 0.5 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
National Landscape
Nidderdale
0.5 mi south-west601 km²since 199417% of the land within 5 km
Official site17% of the land within 5 km of Ripon is National Park or National Landscape, more than 75% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
13 waymarked walks pass through or near Ripon
59 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ripon and the kilometre around it, 2.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Ripon Sanctuary Way13.3 km
Ripon to Fountains Abbey Walk, Fountains Abbey10.5 km
Ripon Rowel Walk9.4 km
Studley Park, Water Gardens and Fountains Abbey Walk4.1 km
The Lost Spa Trail at Fountains Abbey3.4 km
Fountains Abbey Estate Boundary Walk3.2 km
Camino Ingles to Santiago2.7 km
Aislabie Walk2.5 km
The Seven Bridges Valley Walk, Fountains Abbey2.5 km
Walk through the centuries at Fountains Abbey2.4 km
Studley Royal Deer Park Walk, Fountains Abbey2.3 km
Fountains Abbey Ancient Trees Walk2.0 km
Hell Wath Nature Trail, Fountains Abbey1.4 km
Close to home, the Ripon Sanctuary Way has 13 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Camino Ingles to Santiago.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
History inside Ripon’s parks
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Ripon’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Spa Gardens
1.3 ha. 5 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstandIIGate Piers Just to the West of the Spa BathsIISt Wilfrid's Well, and flanking gatesIIStatue of the First Marquess of RiponIIWar Memorial
Heritage walks
Ripon to Fountains Abbey Walk, Fountains Abbey 10.5 km Studley Park, Water Gardens and Fountains Abbey Walk 4.1 km The Lost Spa Trail at Fountains Abbey 3.4 km Fountains Abbey Estate Boundary Walk 3.2 km The Seven Bridges Valley Walk, Fountains Abbey 2.5 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 Ripon: May and July 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 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 69 | 58 | 54 | 55 | 51 | 75 | 59 | 69 | 60 | 72 | 75 | 74 |
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 75 mm of rain falls in June, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 53 nights a year. The climate in Ripon →
The coast
Beaches near Ripon
0% of the area within 5 km of Ripon is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Pebble Beach0.2 mi from town
DirectionsSea: 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
17 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.
3Nature reserves3× towns its size1Picnic sites17Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Campsites3Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 3
Little Studley Meadow4.9 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsQuarry Moor10 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsRipon City Wetlands32 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 17
Allhallowsgate Parkin town
DirectionsBorrage Green Play Areain town
DirectionsMillfield Play Areain town
DirectionsSpa Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Clotherholme Farm Campsite0.1 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 3
Plus 3 slipways 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.
DishforthLangthorpeBoroughbridgeKillinghallMashamHampsthwaiteRipon
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripon | C | 1.0 | 75% | 17% |
| Dishforth 4.7 mi | D | 2.3 | 68% | 0% |
| Langthorpe 5.7 mi | C− | 0.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Boroughbridge 6.1 mi | D− | 0.4 | 60% | 0% |
| Killinghall 7.8 mi | C+ | 1.0 | 100% | 7% |
| Masham 8.0 mi | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 44% |
| Hampsthwaite 8.4 mi | A− | 2.0 | 100% | 23% |
Masham, 8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Dishforth and Masham have at least twice Ripon’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Ripon
What is the biggest park in Ripon?
Hell Wath Playground, 4.2 ha (10 acres), with 0.7 km of path. Spa Gardens (1.3 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Ripon near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 11 mi north-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, 0.5 mi away.
What are the best walks near Ripon?
13 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Ripon Sanctuary Way, Ripon to Fountains Abbey Walk, Fountains Abbey and Ripon Rowel Walk.
How many people in Ripon live near a park?
75% 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 Ripon?
May and July to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ripon good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 41% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 14% (1.0 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 Ripon’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Ripon’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.