Darlaston’s biggest
Pleck Park
Park or garden · 120 m outside town
9.8 ha (24 acres)1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
14 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Richard Vince · CC BY-SA 2.0DOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Darlaston · parks, paths & countryside
78% of Darlaston’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Darlaston add up to 1.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 33 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.9 for every square kilometre. Darlaston grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
78%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
33 km
1.9 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
Darlaston grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Darlaston, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
D
Better than 12% of UK towns#34 of 35 in West Midlands
Public green space1.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
22out of
100
100
A park within a walk78%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
42out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
28out 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
How Darlaston compares with UK towns of 20,100 to 23,100
The 60 UK towns and cities of 20,100 to 23,100 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
Darlaston1.9
Towns its size3.6
West Midlands towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Darlaston1.3
Towns its size2.5
West Midlands towns2.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Darlaston78%
Towns its size85%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
Darlaston falls furthest behind on path per km², where 56 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapeltown and High Green South Yorkshire | A+ | 4.9 | 94% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 2 | Camborne Cornwall | A+ | 2.2 | 93% | 4 | 8% |
| 3 | Dronfield Derbyshire | A+ | 3.2 | 97% | 5.3 | 9% |
| 4 | Reddish Greater Manchester | A | 6.7 | 100% | 5 | 0% |
| 5 | Faversham Kent | A | 2 | 88% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Caterham Surrey | A | 4.3 | 84% | 4.3 | 17% |
| 7 | Hebburn Tyne and Wear | A | 6.6 | 99% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Quedgeley and Hardwicke Gloucestershire | A | 2.1 | 99% | 4.7 | 21% |
| 9 | Farnham Surrey | A | 5.1 | 73% | 4.3 | 35% |
| 10 | Stratton St Margaret Wiltshire | A | 3.3 | 82% | 5.1 | 5% |
| 11 | Seaham County Durham | A | 2.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Harwich Essex | A− | 1.7 | 95% | 2.1 | 20% |
| 13 | South Ockendon Essex | A− | 2.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Workington Cumbria | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Dukinfield Greater Manchester | A− | 4 | 95% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Coalville Leicestershire | A− | 3.7 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 17 | Rothwell West Yorkshire | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Kempston Bedfordshire | A− | 4.9 | 88% | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | Whitefield Greater Manchester | A− | 4.7 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | Whitehaven Cumbria | B+ | 1.8 | 91% | 2 | 1% |
| 21 | Crowborough East Sussex | B+ | 3.2 | 68% | 2.6 | 91% |
| 22 | Kirkby-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 93% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Ossett West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.8 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Sandhurst Berkshire | B+ | 5.1 | 79% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Hazel Grove Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.9 | 62% | 4.2 | 3% |
| 26 | Brownhills West Midlands | B | 11 | 80% | 2 | 2% |
| 27 | Swinton Greater Manchester | B | 3.9 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Great Bookham and Fetcham Surrey | B | 1.7 | 68% | 4.4 | 33% |
| 29 | Ripley Derbyshire | B | 2.4 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Biggleswade Bedfordshire | B | 1.6 | 95% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Westhoughton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Penwortham Lancashire | B | 2.9 | 91% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Old Trafford Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Hailsham East Sussex | B | 1.4 | 87% | 3.2 | 12% |
| 35 | Truro Cornwall | B | 1.6 | 84% | 2.9 | 21% |
| 36 | Dorchester Dorset | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 37 | Stourport-on-Severn Worcestershire | B | 3.1 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Royton Greater Manchester | B− | 2.8 | 71% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Bingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.1 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 40 | Berkhamsted Hertfordshire | B− | 1 | 69% | 3.6 | 56% |
| 41 | Staines-upon-Thames Surrey | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Wednesbury West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Dereham Norfolk | B− | 1.8 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Ashford Surrey | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Clevedon Somerset | C+ | 1.1 | 69% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Clifton Nottinghamshire | C+ | 1.5 | 76% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 47 | Sunbury-on-Thames Surrey | C+ | 2 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Kenilworth Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Formby Merseyside | C+ | 1.4 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Spennymoor County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Normanton West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Horwich Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 67% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Maghull Merseyside | C− | 1.6 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Skegness Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Stowmarket Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 50% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Gainsborough Lincolnshire | C− | 1 | 96% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | March Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Goole East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.7 | 81% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Stamford Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 64% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Darlaston West Midlands | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Darlaston’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 Darlaston
The biggest is Pleck Park, 9.8 ha (24 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 21 ha (51 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 21 ha
The two biggest, Pleck Park and George Rose Park, are 69% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them.
George Rose Park
Park or garden
4.5 ha (11 acres)1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Kings Hill Park
Park or garden
3.1 ha (8 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Darlaston
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Victoria Park
Park or garden
2.1 ha (5 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Darlaston
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Owen Park
Park or garden
1.2 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Darlaston’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 (78%)Further (22%)
Darlaston78%
Towns its size85%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 5,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 41 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 525 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
7 waymarked walks pass through or near Darlaston
33 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Darlaston and the kilometre around it, 1.9 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
Monarch's Way9.3 km
Walk Wednesbury Heritage Trail6.0 km
Moorcroft Wood/ Walsall Canal Health Walk2.5 km
Bilston to Loxdale Health Walk2.4 km
Walsall Walk of Art1.7 km
Weddell Wynd Circular Health Walk1.6 km
Walk Tipton Heritage Trail0.5 km
Close to home, the Walk Wednesbury Heritage Trail has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Monarch's 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 Darlaston: 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 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 63 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 57 | 67 | 59 | 65 | 62 | 79 | 72 | 73 |
March is the driest month (49 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 79 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Darlaston →
Things to do
41 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
Darlaston is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
library23 mi from Darlaston’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.
Up high. Wednesbury Church Hill, at 164 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Darlaston.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Bilston Castle Mound1.1 mi from town
DirectionsHills and peaks 2
Wednesbury Church Hill164 m (538 ft) · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPouk Hill145 m (476 ft) · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Bilston Urban Village Nature Reserve1.9 ha · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 41
Brunswick Park Play Area0.6 mi from town
DirectionsChildren's Outdoor Play Area1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 39 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.
WednesburyBilstonWillenhallTiptonWalsallCoseleyDarlaston
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlaston | D | 1.3 | 78% | 0% |
| Wednesbury 1.2 mi | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 0% |
| Bilston 1.4 mi | C− | 1.5 | 76% | 0% |
| Willenhall 2.1 mi | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 0% |
| Tipton 2.4 mi | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 0% |
| Walsall 2.5 mi | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 0% |
| Coseley 3.0 mi | C+ | 1.4 | 84% | 0% |
Wednesbury, 1.2 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 93% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Wednesbury and Willenhall have at least twice Darlaston’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Darlaston
What is the biggest park in Darlaston?
Pleck Park, 9.8 ha (24 acres), with 1.3 km of path, just outside the built-up area. George Rose Park (4.5 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Darlaston near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 7.5 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Darlaston?
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Monarch's Way, Walk Wednesbury Heritage Trail and Moorcroft Wood/ Walsall Canal Health Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Darlaston?
library, 23 mi from the edge of the town. Darlaston itself is inland.
How many people in Darlaston live near a park?
78% 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 Darlaston?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Darlaston good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 28% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 22% (1.3 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 Darlaston’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Darlaston’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.