Outdoors in Ashington · parks, paths & countryside
Ashington is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 28% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Ashington add up to 5.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 101 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Ashington grades A for the outdoors: #3 of 20 in Northumberland. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Ashington’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Ashington grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ashington, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A
Better than 93% of UK towns#3 of 20 in Northumberland · 6th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space5.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
89out of 100
A park within a walk83%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
54out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
79out of 100
The sea28%of the area within 5 km
92out of 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
Ashington is 6th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 26,100 to 30,600 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
Ashington3.9
Towns its size3.4
Northumberland towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ashington5.6
Towns its size2.4
Northumberland towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ashington83%
Towns its size84%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Ashington stands out most for park space per resident: only 2 of the other 59 have more.
8 in 10 Ashington 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 (83%)Further (17%)
Ashington83%
Towns its size84%
Northumberland towns80%
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; 35 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 808 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape is 10 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
Northumberland National Park covers 1,051 km² and has been a National Park since 1957.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Ashington is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
101 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ashington and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
National
King Charles III England Coast Path: South Bents to Amble7.2 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Ashington.
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 Ashington: 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
9.6
11.7
14.0
16.1
17.4
16.9
15.0
12.6
10.3
8.2
7.2
High (°C)
8
8
10
12
14
17
19
19
17
14
10
8
Rain (mm)
48
45
41
48
43
62
64
65
52
63
75
59
March is the driest month (41 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 75 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 18 nights a year. The climate in Ashington →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Ashington
28% of the area within 5 km of Ashington is sea. 13 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 4 with a name.
The King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: 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
35 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.
Stakeford, 1.5 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Ashington
What is the biggest park in Ashington?
Wansbeck Riverside Park, 103 ha (254 acres), with 11.8 km of path. Wansbeck Riverside Park (103 ha) is second. 9 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Ashington near a National Park?
Yes. Northumberland National Park begins 13 mi north-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, 10 mi away.
What are the best walks near Ashington?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: South Bents to Amble. Wansbeck Riverside Park alone has 11.8 km of path.
How many people in Ashington live near a park?
83% 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 Ashington?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ashington good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 79% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 89% (5.6 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 Ashington’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0