Rugby’s biggest
Swift Valley Country Park
Park or garden
28 ha (69 acres)2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
39 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi northfrom the centre
Nature reserve
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: G-Man at English Wikipedia · Public domainB−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Rugby · parks, paths & countryside
92% of Rugby’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Rugby add up to 2.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 198 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.8 for every square kilometre. Rugby grades B− for the outdoors: #13 of 34 in Warwickshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
92%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
198 km
2.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cotswolds National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Rugby grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rugby, 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 54% of UK towns#13 of 34 in Warwickshire · 40th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of
100
100
A park within a walk92%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
70out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
54out 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
Rugby is 40th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 63,100 to 96,000 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
Rugby2.8
Towns its size3.7
Warwickshire towns2.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Rugby2.8
Towns its size2.4
Warwickshire towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Rugby92%
Towns its size86%
Warwickshire towns88%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Rugby stands out most for park space per resident: only 22 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 47 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 2 | Hastings East Sussex | A+ | 3.1 | 76% | 4.3 | 42% |
| 3 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 4 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 5 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 6 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 7 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 8 | Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire | A | 3 | 95% | 3.6 | 18% |
| 9 | Bath Somerset | A | 1.8 | 89% | 5.6 | 50% |
| 10 | Harlow Essex | A | 3.7 | 99% | 8.2 | 0% |
| 11 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 13 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 15 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 16 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 17 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 18 | Stevenage Hertfordshire | A− | 3 | 98% | 7.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 21 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 22 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 23 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 24 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 26 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 28 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 29 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 31 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 33 | Wallasey Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 90% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Preston Lancashire | B | 3 | 80% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 37 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Nuneaton Warwickshire | B− | 2.3 | 94% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 42 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 43 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Halifax West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 86% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 47 | Royal Sutton Coldfield West Midlands | B− | 6.1 | 64% | 3 | 0% |
| 48 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 2 | 83% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Woking Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Shrewsbury Shropshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 52 | Darlington County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Chester Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Southport Merseyside | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rugby’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 Rugby
The biggest is Swift Valley Country Park, 28 ha (69 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 13 named parks by size: 95 ha (235 acres) and 10 km of path
Parks & gardens 64 haPlaying fields 31 haPlay spaces 0.0 ha
The two biggest, Swift Valley Country Park and Mill Gardens, are 50% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them. 5 of the 13 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Mill Gardens
Park or garden
19 ha (47 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
27 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Newbold Quarry Park
Park or garden
9.5 ha (23 acres)1.7 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
13 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Whinfield Recreation Ground
Playing field
11 ha (26 acres)1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Caldecott Park
Park or garden
4.2 ha (10 acres)1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Rugby
PlaygroundHazel Bell Walk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rugby Town Junior Football Club
Playing field
11 ha (26 acres)0.3 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.2 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Andrews Rugby Football Club
Playing field
8.6 ha (21 acres)0.1 km of path
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Centenary Park
Park or garden
2.4 ha (6 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 13 named parks and green spaces
Swift Valley Country ParkPark or garden · 28 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsMill GardensPark or garden · 19 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsNewbold Quarry ParkPark or garden · 9.5 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsWhinfield Recreation GroundPlaying field · 11 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsCaldecott ParkPark or garden · 4.2 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsRugby Town Junior Football ClubPlaying field · 11 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSt Andrews Rugby Football ClubPlaying field · 8.6 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsCentenary ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsJubilee GardensPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsThe Millennium GreenPlaying field · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsAssheton Recreation GroundPlaying field · 0.7 ha
DirectionsEdible Garden ProjectPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsNelson Way Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsClose to home
How close Rugby’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 (92%)Further (8%)
Rugby92%
Towns its size86%
Warwickshire towns88%
All UK towns83%
About 6,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 67 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,166 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cotswolds National Landscape is 15 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
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Rugby
198 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rugby and the kilometre around it, 2.8 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
Shakespeare's Avon Way14.8 km
Oxford Canal Walk13.8 km
Rail Trail: The Avon Valley from Rugby Circular4.1 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Shakespeare's Avon Way and Oxford Canal Walk.
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 Rugby: May to July and 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 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 47 | 42 | 48 | 51 | 54 | 59 | 68 | 55 | 67 | 61 | 59 |
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 68 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Rugby →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 67 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.
2Viewpoints1Hills and peaks2Nature reserves4Picnic sites2.8× towns its size67Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Dog parks
The nearest beaches
Rugby is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
library12 mi from Rugby’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
Viewpoints 2
DIRFT Heritage0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCracks Hill1.2 mi from town
DirectionsHills and peaks 1
Cracks Hill1.2 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Ashlawn Cutting Nature Reserve21 ha · in town
DirectionsSwift Valley34 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 67
Alwyn Road Play Areain town
DirectionsHeath Way Play Areain town
DirectionsHoulton Play Parkin town
DirectionsPlaygroudin town
DirectionsToddler Play Areain town
DirectionsCoton Park Play Area0.0 mi from town
DirectionsRokeby Play Area0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 60 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park 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.
Clifton upon DunsmoreLong LawfordCawstonDunchurchOnleyKilsbyRugby
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 0% |
| Clifton upon Dunsmore 1.4 mi | C | 2.2 | 79% | 0% |
| Long Lawford 2.1 mi | C | 1.2 | 91% | 0% |
| Cawston 2.5 mi | B+ | 3.6 | 98% | 0% |
| Dunchurch 2.8 mi | C+ | 7.8 | 68% | 0% |
| Onley 3.2 mi | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Kilsby 4.1 mi | D− | 0.5 | 50% | 0% |
Cawston, 2.5 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 98% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Dunchurch has at least twice Rugby’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Rugby
What is the biggest park in Rugby?
Swift Valley Country Park, 28 ha (69 acres), with 2.5 km of path. Mill Gardens (19 ha) is second. 13 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Rugby near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 15 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What are the best walks near Rugby?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Shakespeare's Avon Way, Oxford Canal Walk and Rail Trail: The Avon Valley from Rugby Circular. Swift Valley Country Park alone has 2.5 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Rugby?
library, 12 mi from the edge of the town. Rugby itself is inland.
How many people in Rugby live near a park?
92% 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 Rugby?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rugby good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 54% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 65% (2.8 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 Rugby’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Rugby’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.