Bedlington’s biggest
Bedlington Country Park
Park or garden
65 ha (160 acres)8.8 km of path
1 h 55 minto walk all 8.8 km of path
91 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bedlington
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Bedlington · parks, paths & countryside
Bedlington has more park space per resident than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Bedlington add up to 5.1 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 94% of residents. The sea makes up 11% of the area within 5 km. Bedlington grades A for the outdoors: #5 of 20 in Northumberland. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
5.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
94%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
58 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
Nearest: Northumberland Coast National Landscape
The sea
11%
of the area within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Bedlington?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam5.1 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 87% of UK towns.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.
Bedlington’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Outdoors grade
Bedlington grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bedlington, 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 89% of UK towns#5 of 20 in Northumberland · 10th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space5.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
87out of
100
100
A park within a walk94%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
73out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
54out of
100
100
The sea11%of the area within 5 km
87out 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
Bedlington is 10th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 15,300 to 17,100 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
Bedlington2.8
Towns its size3.3
Northumberland towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bedlington5.1
Towns its size2.4
Northumberland towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bedlington94%
Towns its size84%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Bedlington stands out most for park space per resident: only 9 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 39 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saltash Cornwall | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 2 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 3 | Conwy Clwyd | A+ | 2.9 | 82% | 3.6 | 13% |
| 4 | Swanscombe Kent | A+ | 3.3 | 90% | 8.5 | 0% |
| 5 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 6 | Hadfield Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 91% | 4.5 | 36% |
| 7 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 9 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Bedlington Northumberland | A | 5.1 | 94% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Lewes East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 83% | 4.6 | 75% |
| 13 | Kidsgrove Staffordshire | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Porthcawl Mid Glamorgan | A− | 3.5 | 82% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Hessle East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 96% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Worcester Park and Stoneleigh Surrey | B+ | 7.3 | 76% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 17 | South Woodham Ferrers Essex | B+ | 7.8 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 18 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Peacehaven East Sussex | B+ | 1.1 | 51% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 20 | Weybridge Surrey | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 22 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Whickham Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.9 | 77% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Swinton South Yorkshire | B+ | 3 | 97% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Brackley Northamptonshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Tyldesley Greater Manchester | B | 2.3 | 97% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Haydock Merseyside | B | 6.8 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 29 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Haslingden Lancashire | B | 1.8 | 89% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 32 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 33 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 34 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 36 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Redruth Cornwall | B− | 1.5 | 78% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 38 | Hoyland South Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Knaresborough North Yorkshire | B− | 2.3 | 87% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Mexborough South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Teignmouth Devon | B− | 1.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | South Normanton and Pinxton Derbyshire | C+ | 1.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Elland West Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 69% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 47 | South Hayling Hampshire | C+ | 1 | 65% | 1.4 | 26% |
| 48 | Aldridge West Midlands | C+ | 3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Hockley and Hawkwell Essex | C+ | 1.6 | 85% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 51 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | C | 1.2 | 54% | 3.3 | 21% |
| 52 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 54 | Nailsea Somerset | C | 1.1 | 65% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Alsager Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 58 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bedlington’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 Bedlington
The biggest is Bedlington Country Park, 65 ha (160 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 6 named parks by size: 104 ha (257 acres) and 13 km of path
Parks & gardens 100 haPlaying fields 3.9 ha
The two biggest, Bedlington Country Park and Gallager Park, are 93% of the named green space and carry 11 km of path between them.
Gallager Park
Park or garden
32 ha (80 acres)2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
45 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bedlington
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Spring Park
Park or garden
2.0 ha (5 acres)0.4 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bedlington
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Miners Welfare Recreation Ground
Playing field
1.6 ha (4 acres)0.5 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bedlington
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Grange Park
Park or garden
1.1 ha (3 acres)0.4 km of path
1.2 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hirst Head Ground
Playing field
2.3 ha (6 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bedlington
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Bedlington 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 (94%)Further (6%)
Bedlington94%
Towns its size84%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 1,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 27 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 599 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape is 13 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
Bedlington is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
58 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bedlington 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.
National
King Charles III England Coast Path: South Bents to Amble7.5 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Bedlington.
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 Bedlington: June, August 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) | 7.7 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.1 | 17.4 | 16.8 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 7.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 48 | 44 | 43 | 56 | 42 | 64 | 67 | 66 | 55 | 55 | 74 | 63 |
May is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 74 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 27 nights a year. The climate in Bedlington →
The coast
Bedlington is near the sea
11% of the area within 5 km of Bedlington is sea. 10 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
North Beach1.6 mi from town
DirectionsNewbiggin Beach2.8 mi from town
DirectionsThe 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
27 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.
1Waterfalls1Nature reserves6Picnic sites27Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Dog parks2Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Waterfalls 1
Outfall Weir0.8 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Castle Island LNR0.8 ha · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 6
Pleassey Woods Country Park1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 5 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 27
Briardale Toddler Park1.0 mi from town
DirectionsBriardale Kids Park1.0 mi from town
DirectionsKids Rope Swing1.0 mi from town
DirectionsMorpeth Road Estate Play Area1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Briardale Community Dog Club1.0 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways 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.
StakefordBlythAshingtonCramlingtonPegswoodNew HartleyBedlington
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedlington | A | 5.1 | 94% | 0% |
| Stakeford 2.0 mi | A+ | 10.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Blyth 2.6 mi | B | 1.6 | 83% | 0% |
| Ashington 3.3 mi | A | 5.6 | 83% | 0% |
| Cramlington 3.3 mi | B+ | 2.3 | 91% | 0% |
| Pegswood 4.0 mi | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 0% |
| New Hartley 4.3 mi | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 0% |
Stakeford, 2 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 Bedlington
What is the biggest park in Bedlington?
Bedlington Country Park, 65 ha (160 acres), with 8.8 km of path. Gallager Park (32 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Bedlington near a National Park?
Yes. Northumberland National Park begins 14 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, 13 mi away.
What are the best walks near Bedlington?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: South Bents to Amble. Bedlington Country Park alone has 8.8 km of path.
How many people in Bedlington live near a park?
94% 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 Bedlington?
June, August and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bedlington good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 54% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 87% (5.1 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 Bedlington’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Bedlington’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.