Hexham’s biggest
Tyne Green Country Park
Park or garden
3.4 ha (8 acres)0.5 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Slipway
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Michael Garlick · CC BY-SA 2.0C−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Hexham · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Hexham
The North Pennines National Landscape begins 1.1 mi from the town’s edge. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 64% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Hexham add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Hexham grades C− for the outdoors: #18 of 20 in Northumberland. 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
64%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
42 km
2.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
9%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North Pennines National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Hexham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside both waysNorth Pennines starts 1.1 mi south-west, Northumberland 3.9 mi north-west.Historic parksThe Hexham Parks is a registered historic park (Grade II).Less park per person1.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Hexham’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Hexham grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Hexham, 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#18 of 20 in Northumberland · 47th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
28out of
100
100
A park within a walk64%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
24out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape9%of the land within 5 km
71out of
100
100
Footpaths2.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
31out 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
Hexham is 47th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 10,400 to 11,500 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
Hexham2.0
Towns its size3.1
Northumberland towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Hexham1.5
Towns its size1.9
Northumberland towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Hexham64%
Towns its size82%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
Hexham falls furthest behind on path per km², where 49 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 2 | West End Hampshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Brierfield Lancashire | A | 2.1 | 92% | 5.6 | 18% |
| 4 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 5 | Great Harwood Lancashire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 6 | Godalming Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 3.1 | 66% |
| 7 | Soham Cambridgeshire | A− | 4.7 | 97% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Platt Bridge and Abram Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Royston South Yorkshire | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Romiley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.9 | 80% | 3.8 | 1% |
| 12 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 13 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Chadwell St Mary Essex | A− | 3.2 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 18 | Tidworth Wiltshire | B+ | 3.7 | 90% | 2.3 | 8% |
| 19 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 21 | Barnoldswick Lancashire | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 4 | 2% |
| 22 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 24 | Cranleigh Surrey | B | 2.5 | 20% | 4.3 | 38% |
| 25 | Corsham Wiltshire | B | 1.9 | 81% | 3 | 31% |
| 26 | Baldock Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 29 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 31 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 32 | Oswaldtwistle Lancashire | B− | 1.1 | 94% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 33 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 34 | Filton Gloucestershire | B− | 3.3 | 40% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Liskeard Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 89% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 38 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Selsey West Sussex | C | 1.6 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 44 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Epping Essex | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Hexham Northumberland | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 2 | 9% |
| 48 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Lutterworth Leicestershire | C− | 1.7 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | West Moors Dorset | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Dinnington South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 55 | New Ollerton and Ollerton Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.8 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Longton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Hexham’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 Hexham
The biggest is Tyne Green Country Park, 3.4 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 9 ha (22 acres) and 2 km of path
Parks & gardens 6.6 haPlaying fields 2.2 ha
The two biggest, Tyne Green Country Park and Abbey Grounds, are 63% of the named green space.
Abbey Grounds
Park or garden
2.2 ha (5 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hexham
Bridge over Halgut Burn in Grounds of Hexham House Grade II* Northumberland Fusiliers' War Memorial Gateway Grade II* +4 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hexham House Grounds
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Hexham
St Wilfrid's Gateway the Priory Gatehouse Grade I Bridge over Halgut Burn in Grounds of Hexham House Grade II* +2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Priors Flat
Playing field
2.2 ha (6 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Dene Park
Park or garden
0.2 ha (0 acres)
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
6 in 10 Hexham 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 (64%)Further (36%)
Hexham64%
Towns its size82%
Northumberland towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 3,900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 12 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 912 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
North Pennines and Northumberland both start about 4 miles from Hexham
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
North Pennines
1.1 mi south-west1,985 km²since 19889% of the land within 5 km
Official site9% of the land within 5 km of Hexham is National Park or National Landscape, more than 70% of UK towns. Northumberland National Park covers 1,051 km² and has been a National Park since 1957.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Hexham
42 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Hexham and the kilometre around it, 2.0 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
Way of Light8.6 km
Historic Dilston Trail2.9 km
The regional route here is the Way of Light.
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 historic park in the middle of Hexham
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Hexham’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Hexham House Grounds
0.9 ha. 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including St Wilfrid's Gateway the Priory Gatehouse (Grade I).
ISt Wilfrid's Gateway the Priory GatehouseII*Bridge over Halgut Burn in Grounds of Hexham HouseII*Hexham HouseIIWall to Bowling Green, from Hexham House to Priory Gateway
Registered · Grade IIThe Hexham Parks9.5 ha
Listed buildings insideAbbey GroundsBridge over Halgut Burn in Grounds of Hexham House, Northumberland Fusiliers' War Memorial Gateway and Bandstand and 3 more
Heritage walks
Historic Dilston Trail 2.9 km
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 Hexham: 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) | 7.8 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 16.8 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 7.2 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 50 | 48 | 47 | 45 | 62 | 63 | 71 | 58 | 65 | 72 | 67 |
May is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 72 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 55 nights a year. The climate in Hexham →
Things to do
12 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
Hexham is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Shingle Beach12 mi from Hexham’s edge
DirectionsShingles13 mi from Hexham’s edge
DirectionsSouth Beach25 mi from Hexham’s edge
DirectionsNorth Beach25 mi from Hexham’s edge
DirectionsWhitley Sands25 mi from Hexham’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
Playgrounds 12
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Dilston Scout Camp0.9 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Above Weir0.0 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.
AcombCorbridgeHaydon BridgeStocksfieldOvinghamPrudhoeHexham
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hexham | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 9% |
| Acomb 1.6 mi | B | 2.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Corbridge 3.7 mi | C | 2.2 | 79% | 0% |
| Haydon Bridge 5.7 mi | A | 7.2 | 100% | 26% |
| Stocksfield 8.5 mi | C− | 2.2 | 40% | 0% |
| Ovingham 9.5 mi | A | 6.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Prudhoe 10.1 mi | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 0% |
Ovingham, 9.5 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Haydon Bridge and Ovingham have at least twice Hexham’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Hexham
What is the biggest park in Hexham?
Tyne Green Country Park, 3.4 ha (8 acres). Abbey Grounds (2.2 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Hexham near a National Park?
Yes. Northumberland National Park begins 3.9 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 North Pennines National Landscape, 1.1 mi away.
What are the best walks near Hexham?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Way of Light and Historic Dilston Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Hexham?
Shingle Beach, 12 mi from the edge of the town, then Shingles (13 mi). Hexham itself is inland.
How many people in Hexham live near a park?
64% 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 Hexham?
May 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 Hexham are historic?
The Hexham Parks (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Hexham good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 31% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 28% (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 Hexham’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Hexham’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.