Darton’s biggest
Longfields
Park or garden
12 ha (29 acres)2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: DaveGorman at English Wikipedia · Public domainC+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Darton · parks, paths & countryside
86% of Darton’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Darton add up to 2.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 52 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Darton grades C+ for the outdoors: #43 of 63 in South Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
86%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
52 km
2.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Peak District National Park
Outdoors grade
Darton grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Darton, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C+
Better than 39% of UK towns#43 of 63 in South Yorkshire · 49th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
60out of
100
100
A park within a walk86%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
58out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
43out 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.
Towns its size
Darton is 49th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 14,200 to 15,800 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
Darton2.4
Towns its size3.6
South Yorkshire towns3.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Darton2.5
Towns its size2.6
South Yorkshire towns2.6
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Darton86%
Towns its size84%
South Yorkshire towns89%
All UK towns83%
Darton falls furthest behind on path per km², where 49 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Saltash Cornwall | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 3 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 4 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 5 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 6 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 7 | Conwy Clwyd | A+ | 2.9 | 82% | 3.6 | 13% |
| 8 | Swanscombe Kent | A+ | 3.3 | 90% | 8.5 | 0% |
| 9 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 10 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 11 | Staveley Derbyshire | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 13 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Skipton North Yorkshire | A | 1.7 | 99% | 4.2 | 25% |
| 16 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 18 | Kidsgrove Staffordshire | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Frimley Surrey | A− | 2.9 | 99% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 21 | Hessle East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 96% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 22 | Risca Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 26 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 27 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 28 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 29 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Peacehaven East Sussex | B+ | 1.1 | 51% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 32 | Somercotes and Swanwick Derbyshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 34 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 35 | Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 36 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 37 | Whickham Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.9 | 77% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Crowthorne Berkshire | B | 4.7 | 60% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Redruth Cornwall | B− | 1.5 | 78% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 41 | Hoyland South Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Mexborough South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Teignmouth Devon | B− | 1.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | East Ardsley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 47 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | South Hayling Hampshire | C+ | 1 | 65% | 1.4 | 26% |
| 51 | Hockley and Hawkwell Essex | C+ | 1.6 | 85% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 53 | Garforth West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Alsager Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Darton’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 Darton
The biggest is Longfields, 12 ha (29 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
New Lodge Community Park
Playing field · 210 m outside town
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
1.3 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Herbert Ibberson Memorial Garden
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)
Centralin the middle of Darton
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Darton’s homes are to 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 (86%)Further (14%)
Darton86%
Towns its size84%
South Yorkshire towns89%
All UK towns83%
About 2,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 25 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 601 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 7.5 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
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Darton
52 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Darton and the kilometre around it, 2.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Barnsley Boundary Walk11.8 km
Wakefield Way10.6 km
Dearne Way9.3 km
Royston & Carlton Boundary Walk4.2 km
Silkstone Waggonway0.8 km
3 regional routes pass through, including the Barnsley Boundary Walk, Wakefield Way and Dearne 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 Darton: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 53 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 67 | 64 | 63 | 56 | 65 | 68 | 69 |
March is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 69 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Darton →
Things to do
25 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.
The nearest beaches
Darton is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Doncaster Lakeside Beach16 mi from Darton’s edge
DirectionsBeach at Doncaster Lakeside16 mi from Darton’s edge
DirectionsSea Lions20 mi from Darton’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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
Nature reserves 1
Notton Wood LNR45 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 25
Plus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Cinderhill0.8 mi from town
DirectionsWoolley Edge Camp Site1.0 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Barugh Green and RedbrookBarnsleyCarltonRoystonDodworthHall GreenDarton
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darton | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 0% |
| Barugh Green and Redbrook 1.4 mi | B | 2.1 | 94% | 0% |
| Barnsley 2.6 mi | A | 4.3 | 95% | 0% |
| Carlton 2.6 mi | A | 23.1 | 87% | 0% |
| Royston 2.7 mi | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 0% |
| Dodworth 3.0 mi | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 0% |
| Hall Green 3.3 mi | B+ | 7.5 | 82% | 0% |
Barnsley, 2.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 95% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Carlton, Royston and Hall Green have at least twice Darton’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Darton
What is the biggest park in Darton?
Longfields, 12 ha (29 acres), with 2.3 km of path. New Lodge Community Park (0.5 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Darton near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 7.5 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Darton?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Barnsley Boundary Walk, Wakefield Way and Dearne Way. Longfields alone has 2.3 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Darton?
Doncaster Lakeside Beach, 16 mi from the edge of the town, then Beach at Doncaster Lakeside (16 mi). Darton itself is inland.
How many people in Darton live near a park?
86% 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 Darton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Darton good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 43% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 60% (2.5 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 Darton’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Darton’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.