Outdoors in Nottingham · parks, paths & countryside
Nottingham has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
743 km of footpaths run through the city and the kilometre around it, 7.0 for every square kilometre. 87% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Nottingham add up to 2.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Nottingham grades B+ for the outdoors: #18 of 49 in Nottinghamshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Nottingham’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Nottingham grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Nottingham, 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 70% of UK towns#18 of 49 in Nottinghamshire · 16th of 40 UK cities its size
Public green space2.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
56out of 100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths7.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
99out 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.
Cities its size
Nottingham is 16th of 40 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 40 UK towns and cities of 210,000 to 405,000 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
Nottingham7.0
Cities its size4.9
Nottinghamshire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Nottingham2.4
Cities its size2.0
Nottinghamshire towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Nottingham87%
Cities its size83%
Nottinghamshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Against cities its size, Nottingham stands out most for path per km²: only 6 of the other 39 have more.
The biggest is Bestwood Country Park, 202 ha (500 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 30 named parks by size: 721 ha (1,780 acres) and 95 km of path
Parks & gardens 647 haPlaying fields 73 haPlay spaces 0.8 ha
The two biggest, Bestwood Country Park and Wollaton Park, are 57% of the named green space and carry 42 km of path between them. 9 of the 30 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Nottingham’s biggest
Bestwood Country Park
Park or garden
202 ha (500 acres)24.8 km of path
5 h 30 minto walk all 24.8 km of path
283 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.8 mi northfrom the centre
Bestwood Lodge Hotel and Terrace Wall Grade II*Woodman's Path
Playground Wollaton Hall Grade I Camellia House 100 Metres South West of Wollaton Hall Grade II* +22 listedDigby AvenueDuck RideSweet Chestnut Avenue+2 paths
9 in 10 Nottingham 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 (87%)Further (13%)
Nottingham87%
Cities its size83%
Nottinghamshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
About 38,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 266 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,127 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 16 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
21 waymarked walks pass through or near Nottingham
743 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Nottingham and the kilometre around it, 7.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Robin Hood Way36.5 km
Broxtowe Country Trail25.3 km
The Big Track16.7 km
Trent Valley Way13.5 km
Erewash Valley Trail7.3 km
Waymarked Trail 34.2 km
Colwick Parkrun4.0 km
Hucknall Road Walkway3.3 km
Waymarked Trail 23.2 km
Kingfisher Route3.0 km
Owl Route2.0 km
Mallard Route1.5 km
Waymarked Trail 11.5 km
The Smew Trail1.0 km
Mallard Trail0.7 km
Shoveler Trail0.7 km
Plus 5 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the The Big Track has 17 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 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.
History along the way
9 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Nottingham’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II*
Wollaton Park
207 ha. Part of Wollaton Hall, a registered historic park (Grade II*). 24 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Wollaton Hall (Grade I).
IWollaton HallII*Camellia House 100 Metres South West of Wollaton HallII*Doric Temple and Attached Bridge 200 Metres South-East of Wollaton HallIIBeeston Lodge and Attached Boundary WallsIIBoathouse at South West Corner of Lake at Wollaton HallIIBoundary Wall Enclosing Kitchen Garden Wall at Wollaton HallIIBoundary Wall, Passage and Ha-Ha South East of Wollaton HallIICircular Pond on the Upper Garden Terrace in Front of Wollaton HallIIGarden Cottage and Attached Outbuildings at Wollaton ParkIIGarden Walls, Attached Outbuildings and Gates at Wollaton HallIIGateway to Lime Tree Avenue Entrance to Wollaton ParkIIGateway, Railings and Attached Fences at East Entrance to Wollaton ParkIIGazebo 50 Metres North West of Wollaton HallIIHa-Ha 400 Metres South West of Wollaton HallIIIce House 40 Metres South East of Lodge Number 1 at Wollaton ParkIIIce House, Retaining Wall, Steps and Railings North West of Wollaton Hall
Registered · Grade II*Bagthorpe Gardens1.9 ha
Registered · Grade II*Church Cemetery5.3 ha
Registered · Grade II*Highfields Park25 ha
Registered · Grade II*Hunger Hill Gardens, Stonepit Coppice Gardens and Gorseyclose Gardens31 ha
Registered · Grade II*Nottingham Arboretum7.5 ha
Registered · Grade IIGeneral Cemetery7.0 ha
Registered · Grade IIJewish Burial Ground, North Sherwood Street0.0 ha
Registered · Grade IIMemorial Gardens0.5 ha
Listed buildings insideChinese Bell GardenAviary at South West Entrance to Arboretum, Bandstand at Arboretum and Gateway, Screen Walls and Railings at South West Entrance to Arboretum and 6 more
Show 2 more
Listed buildings insideForest Recreation GroundBoer War Memorial near South West Corner of Forest Recreation Ground, Forest Lodge and Gate Piers and Screen Plinths at South West Corner of Forest Recreation Ground and 3 more
Listed buildings insideGeorge's GreenGreen's Mill and 19 and 21, Belvoir Hill
Heritage walks
Lace Market Heritage Trail for Vision Impaired People 0.6 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 Nottingham: May to September
The city’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
8
11
14
17
20
22
22
19
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
55
45
44
47
49
63
66
64
56
69
64
64
March is the driest month (44 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 69 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 31 nights a year. The climate in Nottingham →
Things to do
9 viewpoints, 266 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Bestwood Village, 3.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Nuthall and Watnall, Wilford and Carlton have at least twice Nottingham’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Nottingham
What is the biggest park in Nottingham?
Bestwood Country Park, 202 ha (500 acres), with 24.8 km of path. Wollaton Park (207 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Nottingham near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 16 mi north-west of the city’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Nottingham?
21 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Robin Hood Way, Broxtowe Country Trail and The Big Track. Bestwood Country Park alone has 24.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Nottingham?
The Beach, 11 mi from the edge of the city. Nottingham itself is inland.
How many people in Nottingham live near a park?
87% 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 Nottingham?
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 Nottingham are historic?
General Cemetery (Grade II), Jewish Burial Ground, North Sherwood Street (Grade II), Memorial Gardens (Grade II) and Bagthorpe Gardens (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Nottingham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 7.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 99% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 56% (2.4 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 Nottingham’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: Malcolm Neal · CC BY-SA 2.0