Rushden’s biggest
Hall Park
Park or garden
14 ha (34 acres)1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
20 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Rushden
Playground Rushden Hall Grade II*
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0C−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Rushden · parks, paths & countryside
84% of Rushden’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Rushden add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 72 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Rushden grades C− for the outdoors: #23 of 31 in Northamptonshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
84%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
72 km
2.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Outdoors grade
Rushden grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rushden, 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 22% of UK towns#23 of 31 in Northamptonshire
Public green space1.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
26out of
100
100
A park within a walk84%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
55out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
42out 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
How Rushden compares with UK towns of 28,900 to 34,700
The 60 UK towns and cities of 28,900 to 34,700 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
Rushden2.4
Towns its size3.2
Northamptonshire towns2.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Rushden1.5
Towns its size2.1
Northamptonshire towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Rushden84%
Towns its size84%
Northamptonshire towns83%
All UK towns83%
Rushden falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 49 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Malvern Worcestershire | A+ | 3.9 | 90% | 6 | 38% |
| 2 | Jarrow Tyne and Wear | A+ | 5.3 | 90% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Northfleet Kent | A | 2 | 85% | 7.7 | 4% |
| 4 | Burgess Hill West Sussex | A | 2.4 | 87% | 5 | 27% |
| 5 | Witney Oxfordshire | A | 2.5 | 88% | 4.6 | 19% |
| 6 | Prestwich Greater Manchester | A | 9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 7 | Redhill Surrey | A− | 2.2 | 91% | 4.3 | 14% |
| 8 | Rustington West Sussex | A− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.7 | 25% |
| 9 | Chandler's Ford Hampshire | A− | 2.7 | 80% | 5.3 | 6% |
| 10 | Dunstable Bedfordshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 8 | 29% |
| 11 | Caversham Berkshire | A− | 2.5 | 77% | 4.3 | 32% |
| 12 | Great Yarmouth Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.2 | 18% |
| 13 | Nelson Lancashire | A− | 1.8 | 85% | 5.2 | 15% |
| 14 | St Neots Cambridgeshire | A− | 3.5 | 91% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Didcot Oxfordshire | A− | 1.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 16 | Cleethorpes Lincolnshire | A− | 3 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Eston North Yorkshire | B+ | 2.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 18 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 84% | 2.9 | 2% |
| 19 | Fulwood Lancashire | B+ | 3.5 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Swadlincote Derbyshire | B+ | 4.1 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 21 | Deal Kent | B+ | 1 | 86% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 22 | Chichester West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 89% | 3 | 40% |
| 23 | Lichfield Staffordshire | B+ | 2.7 | 82% | 3.1 | 2% |
| 24 | Pontypool Gwent | B+ | 3.6 | 93% | 1.8 | 7% |
| 25 | Brierley Hill West Midlands | B+ | 3.1 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Colwyn Bay Clwyd | B+ | 1.9 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 27 | Windsor Berkshire | B | 5.5 | 83% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 28 | Shipley West Yorkshire | B | 2.1 | 87% | 6 | 0% |
| 29 | Consett County Durham | B | 1.7 | 87% | 3.1 | 19% |
| 30 | Brighouse West Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Billingham County Durham | B | 4.7 | 86% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Loughton Essex | B | 2.9 | 74% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Letchworth Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 85% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Abingdon-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Caerphilly Gwent | B | 2.6 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Morecambe Lancashire | B− | 0.8 | 84% | 2.2 | 2% |
| 37 | Radcliffe Greater Manchester | B− | 1.7 | 86% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Stanford-le-Hope Essex | B− | 2.6 | 84% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Whitstable Kent | B− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Billericay Essex | C+ | 4.1 | 70% | 3 | 0% |
| 41 | Winsford Cheshire | C+ | 1.3 | 92% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Pontefract West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.6 | 84% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 43 | New Haw, West Byfleet and Sheerwater Surrey | C+ | 2.2 | 69% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Newton Abbot Devon | C+ | 2.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 6% |
| 45 | Morley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.2 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Horndean Hampshire | C+ | 0.9 | 57% | 3.3 | 53% |
| 47 | Newark-on-Trent Nottinghamshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Bedworth Warwickshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Barnstaple Devon | C | 1.6 | 92% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Rayleigh Essex | C | 2 | 71% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.7 | 92% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Sedgley West Midlands | C | 1.5 | 65% | 4 | 0% |
| 53 | Congleton Cheshire | C | 1.7 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Bilston West Midlands | C− | 1.5 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 55 | Rushden Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Heywood Greater Manchester | C− | 1.3 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Heswall Merseyside | C− | 1.1 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Port Talbot West Glamorgan | C− | 1.3 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Spalding Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 85% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Pontypridd Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.5 | 70% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rushden’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 Rushden
The biggest is Hall Park, 14 ha (34 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 24 ha (60 acres) and 3 km of path
Parks & gardens 14 haPlaying fields 10 ha
The two biggest, Hall Park and Spencer Park Recreation Ground, are 85% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them.
Spencer Park Recreation Ground
Playing field
6.6 ha (16 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Jubilee Park
Playing field
3.6 ha (9 acres)
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Church Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Rushden
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Rushden’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 (84%)Further (16%)
Rushden84%
Towns its size84%
Northamptonshire towns83%
All UK towns83%
About 5,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 28 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,132 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Rushden
72 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rushden 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
Nene Way7.8 km
Three Shires Way3.4 km
Lakes and Meadows Trail3.0 km
Ditchford Muddy Boot Trail2.3 km
Nature Trail Walk1.4 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Nene Way and Three Shires 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 Rushden: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 41 | 38 | 43 | 53 | 49 | 51 | 60 | 54 | 64 | 59 | 55 |
March is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 64 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Rushden →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 28 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.
2Viewpoints7Nature reserves3.5× towns its size28Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Campsites
The nearest beaches
Rushden is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach17 mi from Rushden’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
Viewpoints 2
The Quarry Face1.1 mi from town
DirectionsThe Dragline View Point1.2 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 7
BCN Wildlife Discovery Centre0.0 mi from town
DirectionsDitchford Lakes and Meadows32 ha · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsHigham Ferrers Pits and Wilson's Pits31 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsNene Wetlands Nature Reserve277 ha · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsSharnbrook Summit5.6 ha · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsWymington Meadow1.9 ha · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve more.
Playgrounds 28
Hall Park Playgroundin town
DirectionsJubillee Parkin town
DirectionsRose Avenue Playgroundin town
DirectionsSpencer Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite 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.
WymingtonHigham FerrersIrchesterIrthlingboroughStanwickWollastonRushden
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushden | C− | 1.5 | 84% | 0% |
| Wymington 1.2 mi | D | 0.3 | 0% | 0% |
| Higham Ferrers 1.6 mi | B+ | 3.5 | 93% | 0% |
| Irchester 2.0 mi | B− | 8.2 | 83% | 0% |
| Irthlingborough 2.8 mi | A− | 4.7 | 94% | 0% |
| Stanwick 3.5 mi | B− | 7.9 | 82% | 0% |
| Wollaston 3.9 mi | D− | 1.2 | 11% | 0% |
Irthlingborough, 2.8 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Higham Ferrers, Irchester and Irthlingborough have at least twice Rushden’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Rushden
What is the biggest park in Rushden?
Hall Park, 14 ha (34 acres), with 1.6 km of path. Spencer Park Recreation Ground (6.6 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Rushden near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Rushden.
What are the best walks near Rushden?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Nene Way, Three Shires Way and Lakes and Meadows Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Rushden?
The Beach, 17 mi from the edge of the town. Rushden itself is inland.
How many people in Rushden live near a park?
84% 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 Rushden?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rushden good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 42% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 26% (1.5 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 Rushden’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Rushden’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.