Outdoors in Wolverhampton · parks, paths & countryside
76% of Wolverhampton’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Cannock Chase National Landscape begins 3.7 mi from the city’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Wolverhampton add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 325 km of footpaths run through the city and the kilometre around it, 2.8 for every square kilometre. Wolverhampton grades C for the outdoors: #31 of 35 in West Midlands. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Wolverhampton’s strongest suit is the Cannock Chase National Landscape close by, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Wolverhampton grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wolverhampton, 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 26% of UK towns#31 of 35 in West Midlands
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
39out of 100
A park within a walk76%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
39out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Cannock Chase begins just past 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
53out 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.
Cities its size
How Wolverhampton compares with UK cities of 164,000 to 316,000
The 47 UK towns and cities of 164,000 to 316,000 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
Wolverhampton2.8
Cities its size4.9
West Midlands towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Wolverhampton1.8
Cities its size2.3
West Midlands towns2.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Wolverhampton76%
Cities its size85%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
Wolverhampton falls furthest behind on path per km², where 44 of the 46 others do better.
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 (76%)Further (24%)
Wolverhampton76%
Cities its size85%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 57,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 108 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 2,167 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape is 3.7 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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Wolverhampton scores 0% on it even though the Cannock Chase National Landscape is 3.7 mi away.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
20 waymarked walks pass through or near Wolverhampton
325 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wolverhampton 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 city.
RegionalLocal
Monarch's Way39.5 km
Black Country Canals: The Dudley & Stourbridge Ring22.2 km
Staffordshire Way (Cannock Chase South)8.1 km
ABCD Pub Heritage Trail5.9 km
Northycote Farm to Moseley Old Hall Walk, Moseley Old Hall5.7 km
All Saints' Trail5.4 km
The Limestone Way5.0 km
ABCD War Heritage Trail4.4 km
The Blakenhall Trail3.8 km
Forest of Mercia Way3.4 km
Wolverhampton Locks Walk3.0 km
Bilston to Loxdale Health Walk2.9 km
Sedgley Heritage Trail 22.6 km
Tettenhall Village Trail2.1 km
Sedgley Heritage Trail 12.0 km
Weddell Wynd Circular Health Walk1.3 km
Plus 4 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the ABCD Pub Heritage Trail has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Monarch's Way, Black Country Canals: The Dudley & Stourbridge Ring and Staffordshire Way (Cannock Chase South).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Wolverhampton’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II*
West Park
19 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II*). 7 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstandIIBridge over LakeIIClock TowerIIConservatoryIIPavilion to North of LakeIIVilliers StatueIIWalls, Railings, Gates and Gatepiers
Registered · Grade IIWightwick Manor6.9 ha
Listed buildings insideSt Peter's GardensChurch of St Peter, Anglian cross 25m south of St Peter's Collegiate Church and Art Gallery and Museum and 8 more
Listed buildings insideFowler Playing FieldsBirmingham Canal Fox's Lane Bridge Birmingham Canal No 10 Lock, Birmingham Canal Jordans Bridge Birmingham Canal No 8 Lock and Birmingham Canal NO6 Lock and 3 more
Listed buildings insideLower GreenSewer Ventilation Pipe near Junction with the Rock, The Green House and The White House
Heritage walks
ABCD Pub Heritage Trail 5.9 km ABCD War Heritage Trail 4.4 km Sedgley Heritage Trail 2 2.6 km Sedgley Heritage Trail 1 2.0 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 Wolverhampton: May to September
The city’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)
8.1
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)
61
49
49
55
57
68
64
67
61
75
70
70
February 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 75 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Wolverhampton →
Things to do
108 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Essington, 3.7 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Essington has at least twice Wolverhampton’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Wolverhampton
What is the biggest park in Wolverhampton?
West Park, 19 ha (47 acres), with 5.7 km of path. East Park (19 ha) is second. 26 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Wolverhampton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 3.7 mi north of the city’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Wolverhampton?
20 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Monarch's Way, Black Country Canals: The Dudley & Stourbridge Ring and Staffordshire Way (Cannock Chase South). West Park alone has 5.7 km of path.
How many people in Wolverhampton live near a park?
76% 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 Wolverhampton?
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 Wolverhampton are historic?
Wightwick Manor (Grade II) and West Park (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Wolverhampton good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 53% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 39% (1.8 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 Wolverhampton’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: Roger D Kidd · CC BY-SA 2.0