Beeston has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
225 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 6.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Beeston add up to 2.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 77% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Beeston grades B for the outdoors: #24 of 49 in Nottinghamshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Beeston, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B
Better than 62% of UK towns#24 of 49 in Nottinghamshire · 36th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of 100
A park within a walk77%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
40out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths6.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
97out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out 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
Beeston is 36th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 45,300 to 60,200 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
Beeston6.0
Towns its size3.5
Nottinghamshire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Beeston2.7
Towns its size2.3
Nottinghamshire towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Beeston77%
Towns its size84%
Nottinghamshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Beeston stands out most for path per km²: only 2 of the other 59 have more.
8 in 10 Beeston 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 (77%)Further (24%)
Beeston77%
Towns its size84%
Nottinghamshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
About 12,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 74 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 708 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 18 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
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
8 waymarked walks pass through or near Beeston
225 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Beeston and the kilometre around it, 6.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Erewash Valley Trail23.8 km
Robin Hood Way17.2 km
Broxtowe Country Trail13.2 km
Trent Valley Way9.8 km
The Big Track7.7 km
Skylark Route3.6 km
Tufted Duck Route2.6 km
Kingfisher Trail2.6 km
Close to home, the Erewash Valley Trail has 24 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Robin Hood Way and Trent Valley Way.
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 Beeston: 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)
8.1
9.8
11.7
13.9
15.8
16.9
16.4
14.7
12.6
10.5
8.6
7.6
High (°C)
8
9
11
14
17
20
22
22
19
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
52
44
42
45
45
62
63
60
53
65
61
61
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 65 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Beeston →
Things to do
74 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.
Wilford, 2.9 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 93% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Trowell and Wilford have at least twice Beeston’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Beeston
What is the biggest park in Beeston?
Wollaton Park, 207 ha (511 acres), with 17.4 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Bramcote Hills Park (37 ha) is second. 10 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Beeston near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 18 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Beeston?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Erewash Valley Trail, Robin Hood Way and Broxtowe Country Trail. Wollaton Park alone has 17.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Beeston?
The Beach, 17 mi from the edge of the town. Beeston itself is inland.
How many people in Beeston live near a park?
77% 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 Beeston?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Beeston good for walking?
For paths, yes: 6.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 97% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 65% (2.7 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 Beeston’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: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0