Oldbury has more footpath per square kilometre than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
130 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.3 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Oldbury add up to 3.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 68% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Oldbury grades B− for the outdoors: #11 of 35 in West Midlands. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Oldbury’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its views. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Oldbury grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Oldbury, 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 51% of UK towns#11 of 35 in West Midlands · 43rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
69out of 100
A park within a walk68%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
28out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
85out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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
Oldbury is 43rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 39,700 to 51,400 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
Oldbury4.3
Towns its size3.7
West Midlands towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Oldbury3.0
Towns its size2.3
West Midlands towns2.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Oldbury68%
Towns its size83%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Oldbury stands out most for park space per resident: only 19 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 56 of the others do better.
The biggest is Bury Hill Park, 38 ha (94 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 11 named parks by size: 133 ha (329 acres) and 26 km of path
Parks & gardens 108 haPlaying fields 25 ha
The two biggest, Bury Hill Park and Warley Park, are 47% of the named green space and carry 14 km of path between them. 4 of the 11 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Oldbury’s biggest
Bury Hill Park
Park or garden
38 ha (94 acres)11.0 km of path
2 h 25 minto walk all 11 km of path
53 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi north-westfrom the centre
Viewpoint 4 nature reserves 2 hills and peaksOld St Giles Coaching Road
7 in 10 Oldbury residents live 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 (68%)Further (32%)
Oldbury68%
Towns its size83%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 14,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 164 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 276 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape is 12 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
130 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Oldbury and the kilometre around it, 4.3 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 Way11.7 km
Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail7.4 km
Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail6.0 km
Rowley Hills Geology Trail4.7 km
Leasowes & Coombeswood Countryside Walk4.1 km
Black Country Canals: The Dudley & Stourbridge Ring4.0 km
William Shenstone & The Leasowes Historical Trail3.8 km
West Bromwich to Oldbury Health Walk3.6 km
BCN Walks- Titford Canal3.5 km
Galton Valley Health Walk3.5 km
The Leasowes Red Walking Trail3.1 km
Warley Woods History Trail3.1 km
Bourn Brook Walkway2.8 km
Bearwood Beer Mile2.3 km
Sheepwash Park Circular Health Walk2.3 km
Galton Valley Walk1.8 km
Plus 7 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Monarch's Way and Black Country Canals: The Dudley & Stourbridge Ring.
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 Oldbury: 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
16.3
14.7
12.6
10.5
8.6
7.7
High (°C)
7
8
10
13
17
19
22
21
18
14
10
7
Rain (mm)
65
52
50
59
61
69
61
69
64
78
75
75
March is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 78 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Oldbury →
Things to do
10 viewpoints, 164 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.
Rowley Regis, 2 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 71% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Oldbury
What is the biggest park in Oldbury?
Bury Hill Park, 38 ha (94 acres), with 11 km of path. Warley Park (25 ha) is second. 11 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Oldbury near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 12 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Oldbury?
23 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Monarch's Way, Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail and Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail. Bury Hill Park alone has 11 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Oldbury?
library, 22 mi from the edge of the town. Oldbury itself is inland.
How many people in Oldbury live near a park?
68% 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 Oldbury?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Oldbury good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 85% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 69% (3.0 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 Oldbury’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0