Photo: John Firth · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Four Crosses
Footpaths add up to 7 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 0.8 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 53% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Four Crosses add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Four Crosses grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Four Crosses?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Four Crosses’ strongest suit is the Offa's Dyke Path. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Four Crosses grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Four Crosses, 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.
How Four Crosses compares with UK villages of 1,400 to 1,500
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,400 to 1,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Four Crosses falls furthest behind on path per km², where 50 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Runton and Beeston Regis Norfolk | A+ | 25 | 100% | 4.8 | 34% |
| 2 | Sandridge Hertfordshire | A+ | 18.8 | 100% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 3 | Charlton Down Dorset | A | 4 | 100% | 2.3 | 58% |
| 4 | Newburn Tyne and Wear | A | 12.1 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 5 | Penrhyndeudraeth Gwynedd | A | 2.5 | 100% | 1 | 68% |
| 6 | Three Crosses West Glamorgan | A | 2.4 | 100% | 1.3 | 39% |
| 7 | Sedbergh Cumbria | A | 1.9 | 83% | 5 | 92% |
| 8 | Heath and Reach Bedfordshire | A− | 3.3 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 9 | Llandovery Dyfed | A− | 13.3 | 100% | 1 | 22% |
| 10 | Denham Buckinghamshire | A− | 5.7 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 11 | Knowle Hampshire | A− | 2 | 100% | 3.1 | 7% |
| 12 | Twyford Hampshire | A− | 6.8 | 49% | 3.3 | 44% |
| 13 | Little Kingshill Buckinghamshire | A− | 6.5 | 50% | 2.9 | 90% |
| 14 | Holme Cumbria | A− | 2.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 25% |
| 15 | Burnhope County Durham | B+ | 3.1 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Horspath Oxfordshire | B | 14 | 54% | 5 | 0% |
| 17 | Staveley Cumbria | B | 1.7 | 85% | 2.5 | 89% |
| 18 | Hellifield North Yorkshire | B | 1.3 | 100% | 2.2 | 38% |
| 19 | Alconbury Cambridgeshire | B | 5.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Pont Rhyd-y-cyff Mid Glamorgan | B | 4.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Houghton Cumbria | B | 1.7 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 22 | Netherne on-the-Hill Surrey | B− | 1.6 | 40% | 5.9 | 19% |
| 23 | Gosfield Essex | C+ | 3.7 | 85% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Nether Stowey Somerset | C+ | 1.9 | 18% | 3 | 39% |
| 25 | Pirton Hertfordshire | C+ | 2.4 | 57% | 2.3 | 24% |
| 26 | Sutton Valence Kent | C+ | 5.6 | 71% | 1 | 1% |
| 27 | Killinghall North Yorkshire | C+ | 1 | 100% | 1.6 | 7% |
| 28 | Lavendon Buckinghamshire | C | 1.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Castor and Ailsworth Cambridgeshire | C | 3.4 | 41% | 3 | 0% |
| 30 | Connor Downs Cornwall | C | 0.5 | 79% | 0.7 | 8% |
| 31 | Barton Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 47% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 32 | Newborough Cambridgeshire | C | 2.1 | 100% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Eythorne Kent | C | 0.5 | 79% | 2.5 | 9% |
| 34 | Ticehurst East Sussex | C | 1.4 | 75% | 0.8 | 100% |
| 35 | Brabourne Lees Kent | C | 0.9 | 0% | 3.2 | 34% |
| 36 | Patrington East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 3.6 | 79% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Warton Warwickshire | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Cogenhoe Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 78% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 39 | Burniston North Yorkshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 0.9 | 49% |
| 40 | Hartwell Northamptonshire | C− | 1.2 | 59% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Ruishton Somerset | C− | 0.6 | 60% | 2.7 | 4% |
| 42 | Denbury Devon | C− | 2.8 | 24% | 0.7 | 3% |
| 43 | Marnhull Dorset | C− | 1.8 | 41% | 3 | 0% |
| 44 | Pontyberem Dyfed | C− | 4.7 | 58% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 45 | East Rainton Tyne and Wear | D | 1.4 | 34% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Hook East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 19% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 47 | North Somercotes Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 44% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Pontyates Dyfed | D | 4.6 | 39% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Keadby Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 84% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Flore Northamptonshire | D | 1.6 | 62% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Westonzoyland Somerset | D | 3.1 | 30% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Copplestone Devon | D | 1.1 | 88% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Blakedown Worcestershire | D | 0.8 | 79% | 2 | 0% |
| 54 | Gosberton Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 86% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Four Crosses Powys | D− | 1.9 | 53% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Badersfield Norfolk | D− | 0.3 | 53% | 1 | 2% |
| 57 | Sturton by Stow Lincolnshire | D− | 1.7 | 41% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Guilden Sutton Cheshire | D− | 0.3 | 56% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Shadwell West Yorkshire | D− | 0.3 | 25% | 2 | 0% |
| 60 | Woodford Northamptonshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Four Crosses’ built-up area.
5 in 10 Four Crosses 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 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 294 residents.
The Shropshire Hills National Landscape is 9.3 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.
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley
Snowdonia
Snowdonia National Park covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Four Crosses is on the Offa's Dyke Path
7 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Four Crosses and the kilometre around it, 0.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The Offa's Dyke Path, a national route, passes Four Crosses. Close to home, the Shropshire Way - stage 14 has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Severn Way (1) Source to Shrewsbury and Llwybr Clawdd Wat.
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 Four Crosses: May 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 73 | 52 | 49 | 50 | 54 | 60 | 59 | 54 | 55 | 68 | 69 | 80 |
March is the driest month (49 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 80 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Four Crosses →
5 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 2 campsites 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Crosses | D− | 1.9 | 53% | 0% |
| Llanymynech 1.4 mi | B | 2.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Pant 2.3 mi | D | 0.3 | 0% | 0% |
| Guilsfield 5.3 mi | C− | 3.6 | 71% | 0% |
| Morda 5.7 mi | D | 0.7 | 84% | 0% |
| Oswestry 7.0 mi | C− | 1.3 | 88% | 0% |
| Welshpool 7.3 mi | C− | 2.6 | 82% | 0% |
Llanymynech, 1.4 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Four Crosses
Is Four Crosses near a National Park?
Yes. Snowdonia National Park begins 18 mi west of the village’s edge. It covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Shropshire Hills National Landscape, 9.3 mi away.
What are the best walks near Four Crosses?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Shropshire Way - stage 14, Offa's Dyke Path and Severn Way (1) Source to Shrewsbury.
How many people in Four Crosses live near a park?
53% 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 Four Crosses?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Four Crosses good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 4% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 41% (1.9 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 Four Crosses’ overall grade.
Where Four Crosses’ 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.