Alnwick’s biggest
The Park
Park or garden
1.6 ha (4 acres)0.4 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Alnwick
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Alnwick · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Alnwick
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape begins 2.0 mi from the town’s edge. 59 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. 67% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Alnwick grades B− for the outdoors: #12 of 20 in Northumberland. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
67%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
59 km
3.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
7%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Northumberland Coast National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Alnwick?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside close byThe Northumberland Coast National Landscape starts 2.0 mi east.Historic parksAlnwick Castle is a registered historic park (Grade I).Parks can be a walk away33% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Alnwick’s strongest suit is the Northumberland Coast National Landscape close by, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Alnwick grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Alnwick, 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 53% of UK towns#12 of 20 in Northumberland · 29th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
52out of
100
100
A park within a walk67%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
27out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape7%of the land within 5 km
69out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
69out 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
Alnwick is 29th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 8,000 to 8,900 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
Alnwick3.4
Towns its size2.7
Northumberland towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Alnwick2.2
Towns its size2.2
Northumberland towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Alnwick67%
Towns its size85%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Alnwick stands out most for path per km²: only 16 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 50 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upton Dorset | A+ | 9.1 | 84% | 4.7 | 18% |
| 2 | Hawkinge Kent | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 74% |
| 3 | Pool and Illogan Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 81% | 4 | 5% |
| 4 | Ecclesfield and Grenoside South Yorkshire | A+ | 5.1 | 94% | 5.2 | 2% |
| 5 | Stakeford Northumberland | A+ | 10 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 6 | Storrington West Sussex | A | 5.5 | 85% | 3.2 | 54% |
| 7 | Wallingford Oxfordshire | A | 3.1 | 85% | 3.7 | 61% |
| 8 | East Cowes Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 96% | 3 | 8% |
| 9 | Brecon Powys | A | 3.2 | 86% | 3.2 | 61% |
| 10 | Ledbury Herefordshire | A | 3.3 | 89% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 11 | Penistone South Yorkshire | A | 2.6 | 97% | 3.9 | 9% |
| 12 | Bearsted Kent | A | 5.5 | 76% | 3.5 | 39% |
| 13 | Stonehouse Gloucestershire | A | 1.8 | 94% | 4.6 | 36% |
| 14 | Richmond North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 96% | 3.9 | 7% |
| 15 | Maryport Cumbria | A− | 1.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 5% |
| 16 | Norton Canes Staffordshire | A− | 13.3 | 97% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 17 | Brightlingsea Essex | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 18 | Ryton Tyne and Wear | A− | 5.5 | 85% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Alfreton Derbyshire | B+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Longridge Lancashire | B+ | 1.9 | 89% | 3 | 32% |
| 21 | Coppull Lancashire | B+ | 4.6 | 85% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Hadleigh Suffolk | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 2.7 | 10% |
| 23 | Runwell Essex | B+ | 5.1 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Cinderford Gloucestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 4.7 | 4% |
| 25 | Pershore Worcestershire | B | 2.7 | 76% | 3.2 | 7% |
| 26 | Abergele Clwyd | B | 2.9 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Wendover Buckinghamshire | B | 1 | 58% | 5.6 | 60% |
| 28 | Hornsea East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 90% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 29 | Alnwick Northumberland | B− | 2.2 | 67% | 3.4 | 7% |
| 30 | Twyford Berkshire | B− | 2.4 | 86% | 2.1 | 5% |
| 31 | Meltham West Yorkshire | B− | 1 | 63% | 5.3 | 27% |
| 32 | Stansted Mountfitchet Essex | B− | 0.8 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Hoo St Werburgh Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 92% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Fakenham Norfolk | C+ | 5.2 | 81% | 2 | 0% |
| 35 | Bewdley Worcestershire | C+ | 1.7 | 88% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Atherstone Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 37 | Ammanford Dyfed | C+ | 2.8 | 70% | 1.5 | 9% |
| 38 | Brinsworth South Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 76% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Faringdon Oxfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Silsden West Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 67% | 3.5 | 1% |
| 41 | Rothwell Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Burscough Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Southam Warwickshire | C | 2.3 | 86% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire | C | 2.1 | 38% | 2.3 | 2% |
| 45 | Hedon East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 0.9 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Sherburn in Elmet North Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Glastonbury Somerset | C− | 2 | 69% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Llanharan and Brynna Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 97% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Hilton Derbyshire | C− | 1.1 | 89% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Radlett Hertfordshire | C− | 2.1 | 60% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | East Leake Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Launceston Cornwall | C− | 2.1 | 66% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 53 | Penkridge Staffordshire | C− | 0.8 | 70% | 2.1 | 7% |
| 54 | Adlington Lancashire | C− | 1.3 | 64% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Swaffham Norfolk | D | 1 | 68% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Holbeach Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 91% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Ashford Common Surrey | D | 0.8 | 62% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Tarleton and Hesketh Bank Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 63% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Coxheath Kent | D | 1.2 | 48% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Clydach West Glamorgan | D | 1.7 | 68% | 0.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Alnwick’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 Alnwick
The biggest is The Park, 1.6 ha (4 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
7 in 10 Alnwick 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).
Within 400 m (67%)Further (33%)
Alnwick67%
Towns its size85%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 2,800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 937 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape is 2.0 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
Northumberland Coast
2.0 mi east133 km²since 19587% of the land within 5 km
Official site7% of the land within 5 km of Alnwick is National Park or National Landscape, more than 69% of UK towns. Northumberland National Park covers 1,051 km² and has been a National Park since 1957.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
6 waymarked walks pass through or near Alnwick
59 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Alnwick and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
LocalOther waymarked
Walk 35.1 km
Borderline Greenway3.2 km
Walk 23.0 km
Blue2.8 km
Red1.6 km
Yellow1.2 km
Close to home, the Walk 3 has 5 km of local walk within 2 km of the town.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A registered historic park in Alnwick
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Alnwick’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IAlnwick Castle8.6 ha
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 Alnwick: June 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) | 7.7 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 16.2 | 17.4 | 16.9 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 7.1 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 72 | 59 | 50 | 56 | 49 | 66 | 67 | 72 | 60 | 83 | 94 | 75 |
May is the driest month (49 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 94 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 50 nights a year. The climate in Alnwick →
Things to do
9 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
Alnwick is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Suger Sands3.9 mi from Alnwick’s edge
DirectionsHowdlemont Sands4.0 mi from Alnwick’s edge
DirectionsBroad Sand Rocks13 mi from Alnwick’s edge
DirectionsRoss Back Sands14 mi from Alnwick’s edge
DirectionsNewbiggin Beach16 mi from Alnwick’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
Picnic sites 1
Barneyside Picnic Area0.0 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.
ShilbottleLonghoughtonWarkworthAmbleFeltonSouth BroomhillAlnwick
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alnwick | B− | 2.2 | 67% | 7% |
| Shilbottle 2.6 mi | C− | 1.8 | 49% | 7% |
| Longhoughton 3.7 mi | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 27% |
| Warkworth 5.8 mi | B− | 1.8 | 76% | 9% |
| Amble 7.1 mi | A | 2.0 | 100% | 5% |
| Felton 7.4 mi | D− | 1.7 | 50% | 0% |
| South Broomhill 8.2 mi | D− | 0.0 | 0% | 0% |
Longhoughton, 3.7 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Longhoughton has at least twice Alnwick’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Alnwick
What is the biggest park in Alnwick?
The Park, 1.6 ha (4 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Alnwick near a National Park?
Yes. Northumberland National Park begins 9.7 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,051 km² and has been a National Park since 1957. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Northumberland Coast National Landscape, 2.0 mi away.
What are the best walks near Alnwick?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Walk 3, Borderline Greenway and Walk 2.
What is the nearest beach to Alnwick?
Suger Sands, 3.9 mi from the edge of the town, then Howdlemont Sands (4.0 mi). Alnwick itself is inland.
How many people in Alnwick live near a park?
67% 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 Alnwick?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Alnwick are historic?
Alnwick Castle (Grade I) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Alnwick good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 69% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 52% (2.2 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 Alnwick’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Alnwick’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.