Bishop's Castle’s biggest
Kerry Green
Playing field
1.9 ha (5 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bishop's Castle
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Bishop's Castle · parks, paths & countryside
53% of the land within 5 km of Bishop's Castle is National Park or National Landscape
The Shropshire Hills National Landscape begins 0.2 mi from the village’s edge. 12 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.3 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Bishop's Castle add up to 2.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Bishop's Castle grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
12 km
1.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
53%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Shropshire Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Bishop's Castle?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside53% of the land within 5 km is Shropshire Hills National Landscape.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Few mapped footpaths1.3 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
Bishop's Castle’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Bishop's Castle grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bishop's Castle, 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 66% of UK towns14th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
46out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape53%of the land within 5 km
93out of
100
100
Footpaths1.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
13out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
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.
Villages its size
Bishop's Castle is 14th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,800 to 1,900 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
Bishop's Castle1.3
Villages its size2.3
Shropshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bishop's Castle2.0
Villages its size2.0
Shropshire towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bishop's Castle100%
Villages its size73%
Shropshire towns72%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Bishop's Castle stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 46 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Llanberis Gwynedd | A+ | 33.7 | 100% | 3.9 | 49% |
| 2 | St Just Cornwall | A+ | 1.8 | 100% | 4.2 | 50% |
| 3 | Southwick Wiltshire | A+ | 22.2 | 100% | 5.2 | 1% |
| 4 | Mistley Essex | A | 4.3 | 86% | 1.9 | 41% |
| 5 | Colwall Stone Herefordshire | A | 4.5 | 67% | 5.5 | 64% |
| 6 | Bagworth Leicestershire | A | 11 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 7 | Newell Green Berkshire | A | 22.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Wembury Devon | A− | 2.4 | 53% | 2.7 | 41% |
| 9 | Flamborough East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Painswick Gloucestershire | B+ | 1.3 | 81% | 4.3 | 83% |
| 11 | Waddesdon Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 12 | Tongwynlais South Glamorgan | B+ | 8.6 | 65% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Findon West Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 74% | 3.7 | 70% |
| 14 | Bishop's Castle Shropshire | B+ | 2 | 100% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 15 | Weston Turville Buckinghamshire | B | 2.9 | 64% | 3.1 | 30% |
| 16 | Fernhurst West Sussex | B | 3.1 | 37% | 3 | 92% |
| 17 | Hathersage Derbyshire | B | 1.6 | 58% | 4.5 | 100% |
| 18 | Westham East Sussex | B | 3.8 | 18% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Ironville Derbyshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 20 | Northop Hall Clwyd | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Little Eaton Derbyshire | B | 4.6 | 85% | 3 | 0% |
| 22 | Rhayader Powys | B | 5.5 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Horrabridge Devon | B | 1.4 | 83% | 2.7 | 92% |
| 24 | Chilcompton Somerset | B− | 6.5 | 40% | 2.9 | 1% |
| 25 | Yelverton Devon | B− | 3.6 | 72% | 1.1 | 85% |
| 26 | Meldreth Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.7 | 82% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Ingrave and Herongate Essex | B− | 5 | 51% | 4 | 0% |
| 28 | Newcastle Emlyn Dyfed | B− | 5.9 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 29 | High Halstow Kent | B− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Barnburgh and Harlington South Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Great Yeldham Essex | C+ | 3.1 | 86% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Houghton Conquest Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.8 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Lowdham Nottinghamshire | C+ | 3.7 | 85% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Pontlottyn Gwent | C+ | 1.8 | 70% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Withnoe Cornwall | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 0.9 | 3% |
| 36 | Ryton-on-Dunsmore Warwickshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Walkington East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 2.3 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 38 | Milnthorpe Cumbria | C | 2.2 | 49% | 2 | 39% |
| 39 | Dunkeswell Devon | C | 1.4 | 83% | 0.7 | 87% |
| 40 | Lympstone Devon | C | 1 | 66% | 1.3 | 16% |
| 41 | Scotby Cumbria | C− | 3 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Toft Hill and High Etherley County Durham | C− | 2.5 | 83% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Woolpit Suffolk | C− | 4.3 | 54% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Hemingbrough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Branton South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 71% | 3 | 0% |
| 46 | Bradninch Devon | D | 2.3 | 73% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Thornton-le-Dale North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 58% | 1.1 | 29% |
| 48 | Newton Longville Buckinghamshire | D | 2.9 | 18% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Dunholme Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 52% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Salfords Surrey | D | 1.3 | 12% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Rickinghall and Botesdale Suffolk | D | 1.7 | 61% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Harston Cambridgeshire | D | 1.6 | 45% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Barnetby le Wold Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 59% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Wragby Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 69% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Hampton in Arden West Midlands | D− | 0.1 | 44% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Mickle Trafford Cheshire | D− | 0.5 | 70% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Audlem Cheshire | D− | 0.6 | 50% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Great Barton Suffolk | D− | 1.6 | 19% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Bardsey West Yorkshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Burstwick East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bishop's Castle’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Bishop's Castle
The biggest is Kerry Green, 1.9 ha (5 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Bishops Castle and Onny Valley
Playing field · 180 m outside town
1.8 ha (4 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
Everyone in Bishop's Castle lives 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Bishop's Castle100%
Villages its size73%
Shropshire towns72%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Bishop's Castle
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
National Landscape
Shropshire Hills
0.2 mi south-east808 km²since 195953% of the land within 5 km
Official site53% of the land within 5 km of Bishop's Castle is National Park or National Landscape, more than 92% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Bishop's Castle
12 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bishop's Castle and the kilometre around it, 1.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Local
Shropshire Way - stage 034.2 km
Shropshire Way - stage 023.7 km
Middle Woodbatch Circular1.9 km
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 Bishop's Castle: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 78 | 62 | 53 | 59 | 55 | 63 | 58 | 58 | 60 | 87 | 73 | 84 |
March is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 87 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 50 nights a year. The climate in Bishop's Castle →
Things to do
2 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 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Craven ArmsChurch StrettonKnightonMinsterleyPontesburyBishop's Castle
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Castle | B+ | 2.0 | 100% | 53% |
| Craven Arms 7.6 mi | B | 1.3 | 87% | 59% |
| Church Stretton 8.8 mi | A− | 2.2 | 68% | 92% |
| Knighton 10.5 mi | A− | 2.7 | 81% | 34% |
| Minsterley 10.6 mi | C+ | 1.1 | 77% | 38% |
| Pontesbury 11.8 mi | B+ | 3.1 | 63% | 28% |
Knighton, 10.5 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 81% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Bishop's Castle
What is the biggest park in Bishop's Castle?
Kerry Green, 1.9 ha (5 acres), with 0.7 km of path. Bishops Castle and Onny Valley (1.8 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Bishop's Castle near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Shropshire Hills National Landscape, 0.2 mi south-east of the village’s edge. It covers 808 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Bishop's Castle?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Shropshire Way - stage 03, Shropshire Way - stage 02 and Middle Woodbatch Circular.
How many people in Bishop's Castle live near a park?
100% 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 Bishop's Castle?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bishop's Castle good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 13% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 46% (2.0 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 Bishop's Castle’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Bishop's Castle’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.