#1Hexham
10,945 peopleBetter than 97% of UK towns·#93 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Hexham, #1 on this list · Photo: Michael Garlick · CC BY-SA 2.0Northumberland rankings · Walkability
Most walkable towns in Northumberland
Hexham ranks first on walkability among Northumberland’s 20 towns of 2,500+; 6 of the 20 grade A− or better against UK towns.
The Walkability Grade: the share of commuters who walked, cycled or took public transport to work at the 2021 Census (taken in lockdown). The rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sits beside each letter. How grades work
#1A+
#2Alnwick
8,432 peopleBetter than 95% of UK towns·#159 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
#3Haltwhistle
3,646 peopleBetter than 92% of UK towns·#250 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
All 20 towns, ranked
Walkability grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland links to the national list.
20 towns.
#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns
Quick answers
Questions people ask
What is the most walkable town in Northumberland?
Hexham ranks first on walkability among 20 towns, with an A+: better than 97% of UK towns. Alnwick and Haltwhistle follow.
How are these towns ranked?
The Walkability Grade: the share of commuters who walked, cycled or took public transport to work at the 2021 Census (taken in lockdown). The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Northumberland’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Northumberland is on the county page.
Go deeper
All Northumberland rankings →More Northumberland lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live20 towns · #1 CorbridgeMost affordable towns20 towns · #1 HadstonSafest towns20 towns · #1 CorbridgeTowns with the best schools19 towns · #1 HaltwhistleHealthiest towns20 towns · #1 PontelandBest towns for jobs & income20 towns · #1 PontelandTowns with the lowest flood risk20 towns · #1 Alnwick and 4 moreBest towns for the outdoors20 towns · #1 HadstonMost historic towns20 towns · #1 Berwick-upon-Tweed and HexhamTowns with the most civic life20 towns · #1 HaltwhistleTowns with the highest household incomes20 towns · #1 PontelandDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest council tax20 towns · #1 HadstonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters20 towns · #1 Newbiggin-by-the-SeaDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers20 towns · #1 CorbridgeDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers20 towns · #1 HaltwhistleDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts20 towns · #1 Newbiggin-by-the-SeaDescribed, no lettersDriest towns20 towns · #1 CorbridgeDescribed, no lettersWettest towns20 towns · #1 HaltwhistleDescribed, no letters
County by county
Most walkable towns, county by county
AberdeenshireBedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexFifeGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireHighlandKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth LanarkshireNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth LanarkshireSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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.