Smethwick’s biggest
Warley Park
Park or garden
25 ha (61 acres)3.4 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.4 km of path
35 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Smethwick · parks, paths & countryside
88% of Smethwick’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
85 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.1 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Smethwick add up to 2.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Smethwick grades C+ for the outdoors: #17 of 35 in West Midlands. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
88%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
85 km
3.1 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
Smethwick grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Smethwick, 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 45% of UK towns#17 of 35 in West Midlands · 48th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
46out of
100
100
A park within a walk88%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
63out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
63out 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
Smethwick is 48th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 48,400 to 65,500 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
Smethwick3.1
Towns its size3.5
West Midlands towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Smethwick2.0
Towns its size2.3
West Midlands towns2.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Smethwick88%
Towns its size86%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
Smethwick falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 40 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 3 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 4 | Scarborough North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 86% | 3.1 | 17% |
| 5 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 6 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 7 | Gravesend Kent | A | 1.4 | 84% | 6.4 | 14% |
| 8 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 10 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 11 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 13 | Tynemouth Tyne and Wear | A− | 2.2 | 85% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 14 | Hereford Herefordshire | A− | 2.6 | 92% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 15 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 16 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 17 | Crosby Merseyside | A− | 4.6 | 89% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 23 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 26 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 29 | Bebington Merseyside | B+ | 3 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Huyton with Roby Merseyside | B+ | 3.7 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Wokingham Berkshire | B | 4 | 84% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 35 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 37 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 38 | Sale Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 86% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 41 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 42 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Hinckley Leicestershire | C+ | 1.8 | 87% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Halesowen West Midlands | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 55 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Durham County Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 6 | 0% |
| 57 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Kidderminster Worcestershire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 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 Smethwick’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 Smethwick
The biggest is Warley Park, 25 ha (61 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 14 named parks by size: 102 ha (252 acres) and 18 km of path
Parks & gardens 87 haPlaying fields 15 ha
The two biggest, Warley Park and West Smethwick Park, are 44% of the named green space and carry 7 km of path between them. 5 of the 14 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
West Smethwick Park
Park or garden
20 ha (50 acres)3.4 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.4 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Victoria Park
Park or garden
14 ha (34 acres)3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
19 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Smethwick
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lightwoods Park
Park or garden
12 ha (29 acres)2.8 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Kenrick Park
Park or garden · 190 m outside town
5.9 ha (15 acres)1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Black Patch Recreation Ground
Playing field
6.3 ha (15 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lewisham Park
Park or garden
3.7 ha (9 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Smethwick Hall Park
Park or garden
3.5 ha (9 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 14 named parks and green spaces
Warley ParkPark or garden · 25 ha · 3.4 km of path
DirectionsWest Smethwick ParkPark or garden · 20 ha · 3.4 km of path
DirectionsVictoria ParkPark or garden · 14 ha · 3.6 km of path
DirectionsLightwoods ParkPark or garden · 12 ha · 2.8 km of path
DirectionsKenrick ParkPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 1.5 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsThe Black Patch Recreation GroundPlaying field · 6.3 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsLewisham ParkPark or garden · 3.7 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSmethwick Hall ParkPark or garden · 3.5 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsHarry Mitchell ParkPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsAvery FieldsPlaying field · 5.3 ha · just outside town
DirectionsUnett Street Open SpacePark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSmethwick Cricket ClubPlaying field · 2.0 ha
DirectionsMontague Road Open SpacePark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBasons Playing FieldPlaying field · 1.6 ha · just outside town
DirectionsClose to home
How close Smethwick’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%)
Smethwick88%
Towns its size86%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 7,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 147 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 383 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape is 13 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
19 waymarked walks pass through or near Smethwick
85 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Smethwick and the kilometre around it, 3.1 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
Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail7.5 km
Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail6.9 km
Revolution Walk5.7 km
West Bromwich to Oldbury Health Walk3.6 km
Galton Valley Health Walk3.5 km
Warley Woods History Trail3.1 km
Handsworth Park Arts Trail2.6 km
Bearwood Beer Mile2.3 km
BCN Walks- Titford Canal2.3 km
Sandwell Park Colliery Trail1.9 km
Handsworth & Lozells Places of Worship Heritage Trail1.8 km
Galton Valley Walk1.8 km
Paupers Memorial Trail1.5 km
Bourn Brook Walkway1.2 km
Warley Woods Tree Trail1.2 km
Monarch's Way1.1 km
Plus 3 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail has 8 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Monarch's Way and Beacon Way.
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 Smethwick
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Smethwick’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IIWarley Park1.3 ha
Heritage walks
Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail 7.5 km Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail 6.9 km Warley Woods History Trail 3.1 km BCN Walks- Titford Canal 2.3 km Handsworth & Lozells Places of Worship Heritage Trail 1.8 km
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 Smethwick: 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 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 67 | 54 | 50 | 56 | 60 | 71 | 62 | 67 | 63 | 75 | 73 | 76 |
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 76 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Smethwick →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 147 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.
2Viewpoints3Hills and peaks1.6× towns its size9Nature reserves4.1× towns its size1Picnic sites147Playgrounds2.6× towns its size4Slipways
The nearest beaches
Smethwick is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
library20 mi from Smethwick’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. Lightwoods Hill, at 236 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Smethwick.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Jugbury Hill (Barnford Hill)0.6 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 3
Lightwoods Hill236 m (774 ft) · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsWarley Hill228 m (748 ft) · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsBarnford Hill207 m (679 ft) · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 9
Galton Valley Black Country Geosite6.8 ha · in town
DirectionsThimblemill Brook0.8 ha · in town
DirectionsDeer's Leap Wood Nature Reserve2.1 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsBarnford Hill Black Country Geosite1.4 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsEdgbaston Reservoir Local Nature Reserve33 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsHarborne Nature Reserve2.1 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 3 nature reserves more.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 147
Early Years Playgroundin town
DirectionsGranville Drive Toddler Play Areain town
DirectionsHarry Mitchell Park Play Areain town
DirectionsInfants Playgroundin town
DirectionsJuniors Playgroundin town
DirectionsRooftop Playgroundin town
DirectionsNursery0.4 mi from town
DirectionsWild Play0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 139 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways 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.
OldburyBlackheathRowley RegisWest BromwichBirminghamHalesowenSmethwick
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smethwick | C+ | 2.0 | 88% | 0% |
| Oldbury 1.6 mi | B− | 3.0 | 68% | 0% |
| Blackheath 2.9 mi | C+ | 2.5 | 57% | 0% |
| Rowley Regis 3.2 mi | B+ | 4.1 | 71% | 0% |
| West Bromwich 3.3 mi | B− | 2.7 | 83% | 0% |
| Birmingham 3.9 mi | B− | 2.1 | 79% | 0% |
| Halesowen 4.3 mi | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 0% |
Rowley Regis, 3.2 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 71% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Rowley Regis has at least twice Smethwick’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Smethwick
What is the biggest park in Smethwick?
Warley Park, 25 ha (61 acres), with 3.4 km of path. West Smethwick Park (20 ha) is second. 14 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Smethwick near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 13 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Smethwick?
19 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail, Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail and Revolution Walk. Warley Park alone has 3.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Smethwick?
library, 20 mi from the edge of the town. Smethwick itself is inland.
How many people in Smethwick 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 Smethwick?
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 Smethwick are historic?
Warley Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Smethwick good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 63% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 46% (2.0 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 Smethwick’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Smethwick’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.