Thirsk’s biggest
Thirsk Athletic Sports and Social Club
Playing field
3.8 ha (9 acres)
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Thirsk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Thirsk · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Thirsk lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The North York Moors National Park begins 3.1 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Thirsk add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 45 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.8 for every square kilometre. Thirsk grades B− for the outdoors: #23 of 54 in North Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
45 km
2.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
North York Moors starts 3.1 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Thirsk?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Countryside both waysNorth York Moors starts 3.1 mi north-east, Howardian Hills 6.0 mi south-east.Less park per person1.8 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Thirsk’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Thirsk grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Thirsk, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B−
Better than 51% of UK towns#23 of 54 in North Yorkshire · 31st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
38out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · North York Moors begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
55out 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
Thirsk is 31st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,700 to 6,100 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
Thirsk2.8
Towns its size2.6
North Yorkshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Thirsk1.8
Towns its size2.2
North Yorkshire towns1.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Thirsk100%
Towns its size81%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Thirsk stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 36 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 2 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bagshot Surrey | A | 10.5 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 5 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 6 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 7 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 11 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 13 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 14 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 15 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 16 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 22 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 23 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 25 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 28 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 29 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 31 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Hullbridge Essex | C+ | 5.7 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 36 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 38 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Ruthin Clwyd | C | 2.7 | 51% | 1.5 | 31% |
| 41 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 42 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Durrington Wiltshire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 49 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 51 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Thirsk’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 Thirsk
The biggest is Thirsk Athletic Sports and Social Club, 3.8 ha (9 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 5 ha (12 acres)
Parks & gardens 1.1 haPlaying fields 3.8 ha
The two biggest, Thirsk Athletic Sports and Social Club and Castle Garth, are 94% of the named green space. 3 of the 4 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Castle Garth
Park or garden
0.8 ha (2 acres)0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Thirsk
Thirsk Castle: a motte and bailey castle monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Nursery Little Green
Park or garden
0.3 ha (1 acres)
Centralin the middle of Thirsk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St James Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Thirsk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Thirsk’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 (100%)Further (0%)
Thirsk100%
Towns its size81%
North Yorkshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 536 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
North York Moors and Howardian Hills both start about 6 miles from Thirsk
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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Thirsk scores 0% on it even though the North York Moors National Park is 3.1 mi away. North York Moors National Park covers 1,441 km² and has been a National Park since 1952.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Thirsk
45 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Thirsk and the kilometre around it, 2.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Swale Way2.3 km
The regional route here is the Swale Way.
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 Thirsk: May to July and 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 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 49 | 44 | 52 | 48 | 64 | 62 | 74 | 61 | 69 | 70 | 66 |
March is the driest month (44 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 74 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 67 nights a year. The climate in Thirsk →
Things to do
11 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
Thirsk is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Pebble Beach7.9 mi from Thirsk’s edge
DirectionsYork Beach21 mi from Thirsk’s edge
DirectionsMarske Sands28 mi from Thirsk’s edge
DirectionsSaltburn Sands28 mi from Thirsk’s edge
DirectionsCattersty Sands29 mi from Thirsk’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.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Millgate Picnic Area0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 11
Holmes play areain town
DirectionsNorby Parkin town
DirectionsSowerby playgroundin town
DirectionsCarlton Miniott Play Park0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Carlton Miniott Park (Touring Pitches)0.5 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.
SowerbyDishforthRomanbyNorthallertonLeemingBromptonThirsk
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Brompton, 9.3 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Leeming and Brompton have at least twice Thirsk’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Thirsk
What is the biggest park in Thirsk?
Thirsk Athletic Sports and Social Club, 3.8 ha (9 acres). Castle Garth (0.8 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Thirsk near a National Park?
Yes. North York Moors National Park begins 3.1 mi north-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 Thirsk?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Swale Way.
What is the nearest beach to Thirsk?
Pebble Beach, 7.9 mi from the edge of the town, then York Beach (21 mi). Thirsk itself is inland.
How many people in Thirsk live near a park?
100% 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 Thirsk?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Thirsk good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 55% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 38% (1.8 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 Thirsk’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Thirsk’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.