Atherstone’s biggest
Cowpasture Playing Field
Playing field
1.3 ha (3 acres)0.2 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Atherstone
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Andrew Abbott · CC BY-SA 2.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Atherstone · parks, paths & countryside
88% of Atherstone’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Atherstone add up to 2.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 28 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.0 for every square kilometre. Atherstone grades C+ for the outdoors: #21 of 34 in Warwickshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
88%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
28 km
2.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cannock Chase National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Atherstone grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Atherstone, 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 36% of UK towns#21 of 34 in Warwickshire · 39th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
63out of
100
100
A park within a walk88%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
29out 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
Atherstone is 39th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 8,300 to 9,000 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
Atherstone2.0
Towns its size2.7
Warwickshire towns2.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Atherstone2.7
Towns its size2.3
Warwickshire towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Atherstone88%
Towns its size84%
Warwickshire towns88%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Atherstone stands out most for park space per resident: only 21 of the other 59 have 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 | Upton Dorset | A+ | 9.1 | 84% | 4.7 | 18% |
| 2 | Hawkinge Kent | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 74% |
| 3 | Pool and Illogan Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 81% | 4 | 5% |
| 4 | Worsbrough South Yorkshire | A | 10.1 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 5 | Storrington West Sussex | A | 5.5 | 85% | 3.2 | 54% |
| 6 | Wallingford Oxfordshire | A | 3.1 | 85% | 3.7 | 61% |
| 7 | Warlingham Surrey | A | 4.2 | 81% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 8 | East Cowes Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 96% | 3 | 8% |
| 9 | Ledbury Herefordshire | A | 3.3 | 89% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 10 | Penistone South Yorkshire | A | 2.6 | 97% | 3.9 | 9% |
| 11 | Bearsted Kent | A | 5.5 | 76% | 3.5 | 39% |
| 12 | Maryport Cumbria | A− | 1.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 5% |
| 13 | Hetton-le-Hole Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.8 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 14 | Brightlingsea Essex | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Ryton Tyne and Wear | A− | 5.5 | 85% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Alfreton Derbyshire | B+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Longridge Lancashire | B+ | 1.9 | 89% | 3 | 32% |
| 18 | Winnersh Berkshire | B+ | 9.6 | 80% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Hadleigh Suffolk | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 2.7 | 10% |
| 20 | Higham Ferrers Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.5 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Banstead Surrey | B+ | 2.4 | 66% | 5.2 | 3% |
| 22 | Cinderford Gloucestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 4.7 | 4% |
| 23 | Ashbourne Derbyshire | B | 1.9 | 92% | 2.7 | 14% |
| 24 | Cockermouth Cumbria | B | 2.6 | 81% | 2.2 | 42% |
| 25 | Ampthill Bedfordshire | B | 6.8 | 71% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Clay Cross Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 88% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 27 | South Kirkby West Yorkshire | B | 3 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Marlborough Wiltshire | B | 1.2 | 72% | 3.8 | 100% |
| 29 | Abergele Clwyd | B | 2.9 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Wendover Buckinghamshire | B | 1 | 58% | 5.6 | 60% |
| 31 | Hornsea East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 90% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Alnwick Northumberland | B− | 2.2 | 67% | 3.4 | 7% |
| 33 | Whitnash Warwickshire | B− | 2 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Cullompton Devon | B− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Stansted Mountfitchet Essex | B− | 0.8 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 36 | West End and Chobham Surrey | B− | 3.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Hoo St Werburgh Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 92% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Fakenham Norfolk | C+ | 5.2 | 81% | 2 | 0% |
| 39 | Atherstone Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 40 | Brinsworth South Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 76% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Faringdon Oxfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Silsden West Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 67% | 3.5 | 1% |
| 43 | Rothwell Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Burscough Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Sherburn in Elmet North Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Ferryhill County Durham | C− | 1.5 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 47 | East Leake Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Launceston Cornwall | C− | 2.1 | 66% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 49 | Penkridge Staffordshire | C− | 0.8 | 70% | 2.1 | 7% |
| 50 | Sileby Leicestershire | C− | 1 | 80% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Adlington Lancashire | C− | 1.3 | 64% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Shifnal Shropshire | D | 1 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Swaffham Norfolk | D | 1 | 68% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Harworth and Bircotes Nottinghamshire | D | 1.9 | 64% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Holbeach Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 91% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Ashford Common Surrey | D | 0.8 | 62% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Tarleton and Hesketh Bank Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 63% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Coxheath Kent | D | 1.2 | 48% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Clydach West Glamorgan | D | 1.7 | 68% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Kirkham Lancashire | D− | 1.3 | 66% | 1.3 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Atherstone’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 Atherstone
The biggest is Cowpasture Playing Field, 1.3 ha (3 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Witherley Memorial Playing Field
Playing field · 300 m outside town
1.1 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Atherstone’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 (88%)Further (12%)
Atherstone88%
Towns its size84%
Warwickshire towns88%
All UK towns83%
About 1,100 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 town, about one for every 1,733 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape is 17 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Atherstone
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Atherstone and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Atherstone; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A registered historic park in Atherstone
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Atherstone’s named parks.
Registered · Grade II*Merevale Hall1.0 ha
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 Atherstone: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 45 | 44 | 47 | 52 | 64 | 61 | 63 | 56 | 66 | 61 | 63 |
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 66 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Atherstone →
Things to do
5 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
Atherstone is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
library4.4 mi from Atherstone’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
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite 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.
Mancetter and WitherleyGrendonBaddesley EnsorHartshillAnsleyPolesworth and DordonAtherstone
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherstone | C+ | 2.7 | 88% | 0% |
| Mancetter and Witherley 0.8 mi | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 0% |
| Grendon 2.4 mi | C+ | 8.1 | 71% | 0% |
| Baddesley Ensor 2.4 mi | B+ | 18.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Hartshill 2.4 mi | A | 19.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Ansley 3.8 mi | C− | 1.8 | 64% | 0% |
| Polesworth and Dordon 3.8 mi | D | 1.6 | 68% | 0% |
Hartshill, 2.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Grendon, Baddesley Ensor and Hartshill have at least twice Atherstone’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Atherstone
What is the biggest park in Atherstone?
Cowpasture Playing Field, 1.3 ha (3 acres). Witherley Memorial Playing Field (1.1 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Atherstone near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 17 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What is the nearest beach to Atherstone?
library, 4.4 mi from the edge of the town. Atherstone itself is inland.
How many people in Atherstone live near a park?
88% 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 Atherstone?
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 Atherstone are historic?
Merevale Hall (Grade II*) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Atherstone good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 29% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 63% (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 Atherstone’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Atherstone’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.