Photo: Pauline E · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Wheldrake
6 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 0.8 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Wheldrake add up to 1.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 72% of residents. Wheldrake grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Wheldrake grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wheldrake, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
100
100
100
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.
How Wheldrake compares with UK villages of 1,900 to 2,000
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,900 to 2,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Wheldrake falls furthest behind on path per km², where 57 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westbourne West Sussex | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 57% |
| 2 | Capel-le-Ferne Kent | A+ | 21.8 | 88% | 4 | 52% |
| 3 | Colyton Devon | A+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 79% |
| 4 | Chilworth Surrey | A+ | 10.8 | 80% | 6.1 | 59% |
| 5 | Bournmoor County Durham | A | 11 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 6 | Churchill Somerset | A | 2.8 | 84% | 3.9 | 39% |
| 7 | Machen Gwent | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Y Bala Gwynedd | A | 4 | 100% | 1.4 | 67% |
| 9 | Ickleford Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 82% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 10 | South Nutfield Surrey | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 11 | Lyminge Kent | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.1 | 90% |
| 12 | Little Haywood Staffordshire | A− | 1.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 34% |
| 13 | Kirkby Lonsdale Cumbria | B+ | 9.2 | 74% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 14 | Pontesbury Shropshire | B+ | 3.1 | 63% | 3.8 | 28% |
| 15 | Highnam Gloucestershire | B+ | 12 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Polesworth Warwickshire | B+ | 13.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 17 | Wingates Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Ingoldmells Lincolnshire | B+ | 2.8 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Southgate West Glamorgan | B+ | 1.1 | 21% | 3.7 | 56% |
| 20 | Martlesham Suffolk | B | 2.1 | 69% | 3.8 | 24% |
| 21 | Wrotham Kent | B | 1.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 49% |
| 22 | Welsh Bicknor Gloucestershire | B | 2.7 | 31% | 3.3 | 45% |
| 23 | Beare Green Surrey | B | 1.6 | 70% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 24 | Wheaton Aston Staffordshire | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 25 | Dilton Marsh Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 67% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 26 | Hutton Cranswick East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 5 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Wooler Northumberland | B− | 3.3 | 81% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 28 | Barmouth Gwynedd | B− | 0.5 | 60% | 2 | 53% |
| 29 | Leeswood Clwyd | C+ | 4 | 83% | 0.7 | 2% |
| 30 | Audley Staffordshire | C+ | 3.4 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Wickham Bishops Essex | C+ | 3.4 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Stratton Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 23% | 3 | 8% |
| 33 | Whitchurch Somerset | C+ | 2.3 | 47% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 34 | High Spen Tyne and Wear | C+ | 3.3 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Hatton Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 36 | Ramsden Heath Essex | C | 2.3 | 82% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Presteigne Powys | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 38 | West Haddon Northamptonshire | C | 2.3 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Sleights North Yorkshire | C | 0.9 | 30% | 1.5 | 80% |
| 40 | Longrock Cornwall | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.2 | 26% |
| 41 | Newton Poppleford Devon | C | 1.4 | 44% | 2.3 | 60% |
| 42 | Barrow Suffolk | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Chivenor and Wrafton Devon | C− | 0.6 | 0% | 1.7 | 17% |
| 44 | Black Notley Essex | C− | 1.6 | 36% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Pool-in-Wharfedale West Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 44% | 1.6 | 7% |
| 46 | Littlethorpe Leicestershire | C− | 0.4 | 57% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 47 | Ashwell Hertfordshire | C− | 3 | 52% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Stocksfield Northumberland | C− | 2.2 | 40% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Briston Norfolk | D | 2.7 | 69% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Broughton Northamptonshire | D | 2.7 | 70% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Cookley Worcestershire | D | 2.3 | 52% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Hutton Rudby North Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 35% | 1.1 | 13% |
| 53 | Morda Shropshire | D | 0.7 | 84% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Greylees Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Shawbury Shropshire | D− | 2.2 | 30% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Wheldrake North Yorkshire | D− | 1.4 | 72% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Tollerton Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Rossett Clwyd | D− | 0.3 | 55% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Goostrey Cheshire | D− | 0.3 | 42% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Bottisham Cambridgeshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Wheldrake’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Wheldrake 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 500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
The Howardian Hills National Landscape is 11 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.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Wheldrake
6 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wheldrake and the kilometre around it, 0.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the Wilberforce Way and Jorvic Way.
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 Wheldrake: May to September
The village’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 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 48 | 41 | 39 | 43 | 42 | 58 | 56 | 63 | 52 | 56 | 57 | 52 |
March is the driest month (39 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 63 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Wheldrake →
Viewpoints, hills and nature near Wheldrake
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Wheldrake is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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
Playgrounds 1
Campsites 2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheldrake | D− | 1.4 | 72% | 0% |
| Elvington 2.1 mi | D | 2.1 | 0% | 0% |
| Heslington 4.7 mi | A− | 6.3 | 80% | 0% |
| Dunnington 4.7 mi | D− | 0.8 | 44% | 0% |
| Wilberfoss 4.8 mi | D− | 0.7 | 69% | 0% |
| North Duffield 4.9 mi | C | 2.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Osbaldwick 5.0 mi | C+ | 1.9 | 70% | 0% |
Heslington, 4.7 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 80% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Heslington has at least twice Wheldrake’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Wheldrake
Is Wheldrake near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Howardian Hills National Landscape, 11 mi north of the village’s edge. It covers 204 km² and was designated in 1987.
What are the best walks near Wheldrake?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Wilberforce Way and Jorvic Way.
What is the nearest beach to Wheldrake?
York Beach, 6.1 mi from the edge of the village, then Pebble Beach (28 mi). Wheldrake itself is inland.
How many people in Wheldrake live near a park?
72% 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 Wheldrake?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Wheldrake good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 4% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 23% (1.4 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 Wheldrake’s overall grade.
Where Wheldrake’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.