Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Shilbottle
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape begins 2.0 mi from the village’s edge. 49% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Footpaths add up to 16 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 1.9 for every square kilometre. Shilbottle grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Shilbottle?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Shilbottle’s strongest suit is the Northumberland Coast National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Shilbottle grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Shilbottle, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Shilbottle is 45th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,700 to 1,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Shilbottle falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 46 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Market Lavington Wiltshire | A+ | 9.9 | 100% | 4.1 | 1% |
| 2 | Llanbadarn Fawr Dyfed | A+ | 14.7 | 82% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 3 | Rogiet Gwent | A+ | 3.9 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Malvern Wells Worcestershire | A | 10.8 | 37% | 5.3 | 57% |
| 5 | New Denham Buckinghamshire | A | 8.9 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Scalby North Yorkshire | A | 5.9 | 70% | 2 | 43% |
| 7 | New Hartley Northumberland | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Wembdon Somerset | A− | 7.4 | 88% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 9 | Heslington North Yorkshire | A− | 6.3 | 80% | 9.2 | 0% |
| 10 | Tow Law County Durham | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 1.3 | 21% |
| 11 | Horam East Sussex | B+ | 3.9 | 91% | 1.4 | 46% |
| 12 | Compton Berkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 100% |
| 13 | Pendlebury Greater Manchester | B+ | 18.5 | 74% | 4 | 0% |
| 14 | Trimdon Colliery County Durham | B+ | 4.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 15 | Marks Tey Essex | B+ | 5.5 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Eight Ash Green Essex | B+ | 8.2 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Denby Bottles Derbyshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 18 | Rackheath Norfolk | B | 2.6 | 100% | 1 | 14% |
| 19 | Hemingfield South Yorkshire | B | 3.3 | 80% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 20 | North Benfleet Essex | B | 11 | 56% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Hughenden Valley Buckinghamshire | B− | 2.1 | 32% | 3.4 | 76% |
| 22 | East Bridgford Nottinghamshire | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Llandeilo Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 88% | 2.3 | 22% |
| 24 | Delabole Cornwall | B− | 1.1 | 76% | 2 | 35% |
| 25 | Holbrook Derbyshire | B− | 4.2 | 55% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Warton (Lancaster) Lancashire | B− | 0.3 | 32% | 3.5 | 43% |
| 27 | Blaengarw Mid Glamorgan | B− | 5 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Inkberrow Worcestershire | B− | 5.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Winkfield Row Berkshire | B− | 11 | 80% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Much Wenlock Shropshire | B− | 2.4 | 13% | 3.6 | 20% |
| 31 | Warden Kent | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Copford Essex | B− | 4 | 70% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | North Tawton Devon | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Great Chesterford Essex | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Cheddington Buckinghamshire | C+ | 2.2 | 35% | 3.1 | 16% |
| 36 | Kedington Suffolk | C+ | 3.3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Duckmanton Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Great Broughton and Little Broughton Cumbria | C | 1.2 | 85% | 2.3 | 1% |
| 39 | Doveridge Derbyshire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Bodelwyddan Clwyd | C | 1.9 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Shireoaks Nottinghamshire | C | 1.5 | 78% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Penygroes Gwynedd | C− | 0.7 | 66% | 0.6 | 26% |
| 43 | Drakes Broughton Worcestershire | C− | 1 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Deddington Oxfordshire | C− | 3.6 | 53% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Shilbottle Northumberland | C− | 1.8 | 49% | 1.9 | 7% |
| 46 | Middle Barton Oxfordshire | C− | 1.9 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Elmstead Market Essex | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Pattingham Staffordshire | C− | 2 | 80% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Hatfield Heath Essex | D | 1.3 | 76% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Aiskew North Yorkshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Richings Park Buckinghamshire | D | 1 | 72% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Thorp Arch West Yorkshire | D | 2.6 | 29% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Johnston Dyfed | D | 1.4 | 55% | 0.6 | 5% |
| 54 | Stainton North Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 0% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 55 | St Clears Dyfed | D− | 2 | 31% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Bramham West Yorkshire | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Pentre Maelor Clwyd | D− | 1.4 | 8% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Bardsey West Yorkshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Tockwith North Yorkshire | D− | 0.4 | 14% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Wainfleet All Saints Lincolnshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Shilbottle’s built-up area.
5 in 10 Shilbottle 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).
About 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 596 residents.
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.
Northumberland Coast
7% of the land within 5 km of Shilbottle 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 in and around Shilbottle
16 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Shilbottle and the kilometre around it, 1.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Shilbottle; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Shilbottle: June to September
The village’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 | 11.7 | 14.1 | 16.2 | 17.4 | 16.9 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 7.1 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 64 | 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 45 nights a year. The climate in Shilbottle →
3 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Shilbottle is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shilbottle | C− | 1.8 | 49% | 7% |
| Alnwick 2.6 mi | B− | 2.2 | 67% | 7% |
| Warkworth 3.5 mi | B− | 1.8 | 76% | 9% |
| Amble 4.9 mi | A | 2.0 | 100% | 5% |
| Felton 4.9 mi | D− | 1.7 | 50% | 0% |
| Longhoughton 5.0 mi | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 27% |
| South Broomhill 5.6 mi | D− | 0.0 | 0% | 0% |
Longhoughton, 5 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Longhoughton has at least twice Shilbottle’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Shilbottle
Is Shilbottle near a National Park?
Yes. Northumberland National Park begins 9.3 mi south-west of the village’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 is the nearest beach to Shilbottle?
Howdlemont Sands, 5.6 mi from the edge of the village, then Suger Sands (5.6 mi). Shilbottle itself is inland.
How many people in Shilbottle live near a park?
49% 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 Shilbottle?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Shilbottle good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 26% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 38% (1.8 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 Shilbottle’s overall grade.
Where Shilbottle’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.