Baildon’s biggestHistoric park · Grade II
Roberts Park
Park or garden
5.3 ha (13 acres)2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi south-westfrom the centre
6 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Baildon · parks, paths & countryside
Baildon has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
156 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 7.5 for every square kilometre. The Nidderdale National Landscape begins 3.6 mi from the town’s edge. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 71% of residents. Baildon grades B− for the outdoors: #56 of 91 in West Yorkshire. 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
71%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
156 km
7.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nidderdale starts 3.6 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Baildon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths7.5 km of path per km², more than 99% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe Nidderdale National Landscape starts 3.6 mi north.Historic parksRoberts Park is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Baildon’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Nidderdale National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Baildon grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Baildon, 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 47% of UK towns#56 of 91 in West Yorkshire · 40th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
44out of
100
100
A park within a walk71%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
32out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Nidderdale begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths7.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
99out 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
Baildon is 40th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 16,000 to 18,100 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
Baildon7.5
Towns its size3.1
West Yorkshire towns3.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Baildon2.0
Towns its size2.1
West Yorkshire towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Baildon71%
Towns its size84%
West Yorkshire towns87%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Baildon stands out most for path per km²: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 49 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 2 | Cirencester Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 95% | 4.1 | 48% |
| 3 | Dorking Surrey | A | 4.4 | 75% | 7 | 57% |
| 4 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 5 | Hadfield Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 91% | 4.5 | 36% |
| 6 | Brixham Devon | A | 3.1 | 76% | 2.5 | 30% |
| 7 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 9 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Bedlington Northumberland | A | 5.1 | 94% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Clifton Greater Manchester | A | 10 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Lewes East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 83% | 4.6 | 75% |
| 14 | Euxton Lancashire | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | South Woodham Ferrers Essex | B+ | 7.8 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 16 | Alton Hampshire | B+ | 2.6 | 82% | 3 | 27% |
| 17 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Glossop Derbyshire | B+ | 1.5 | 78% | 4.2 | 60% |
| 19 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 20 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 21 | Swanley Kent | B+ | 1.8 | 78% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 22 | Warminster Wiltshire | B+ | 1.7 | 86% | 3 | 44% |
| 23 | Liversedge West Yorkshire | B+ | 2 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Tyldesley Greater Manchester | B | 2.3 | 97% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 25 | Brackley Northamptonshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Haydock Merseyside | B | 6.8 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 27 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 28 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | B | 1.8 | 62% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 29 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Cobham Surrey | B | 3.1 | 49% | 4 | 1% |
| 31 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 32 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 33 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 34 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Bramhall Greater Manchester | B− | 4.7 | 71% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 37 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Biddulph Staffordshire | B− | 3.3 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 39 | Guisborough North Yorkshire | B− | 1.5 | 80% | 2.6 | 35% |
| 40 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Carterton Oxfordshire | B− | 2.1 | 82% | 2 | 13% |
| 43 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Royston Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 46 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | C | 1.2 | 54% | 3.3 | 21% |
| 47 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Bourne Lincolnshire | C | 1.3 | 70% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 50 | Sleaford Lincolnshire | C | 1.7 | 93% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | Tonypandy Mid Glamorgan | C | 1.5 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Stone Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Louth Lincolnshire | C− | 0.6 | 76% | 1.3 | 47% |
| 58 | Oswestry Shropshire | C− | 1.3 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 59 | Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 60% | 1.6 | 3% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Baildon’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 Baildon
The biggest is Roberts Park, 5.3 ha (13 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 12 ha (30 acres) and 2 km of path
Parks & gardens 5.3 haPlaying fields 6.9 ha
The two biggest, Roberts Park and Jenny Lane Playing Fields, are 83% of the named green space and carry 2 km of path between them.
Jenny Lane Playing Fields
Playing field
4.8 ha (12 acres)0.1 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
PlaygroundHeygate Lane
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hirst Lane Recreation Ground
Playing field · 180 m outside town
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.2 km of path
1.3 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Saltaire Cricket Ground
Playing field
1.1 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Baildon 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 (71%)Further (29%)
Baildon71%
Towns its size84%
West Yorkshire towns87%
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; 37 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 461 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Nidderdale National Landscape is 3.6 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 Baildon scores 0% on it even though the Nidderdale National Landscape is 3.6 mi away. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
8 waymarked walks pass through or near Baildon
156 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Baildon and the kilometre around it, 7.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Welcome Way13.9 km
Airedale Way13.8 km
Dales Way Link8.0 km
Bradford Millennium Way8.0 km
Dales High Way5.3 km
Yorkshire Heritage Way4.5 km
Millennium Way Circular Walk 161.2 km
Millennium Way Circular Walk 150.7 km
Close to home, the Welcome Way has 14 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Airedale Way, Dales Way Link and Dales High 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 historic park in the middle of Baildon
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Baildon’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Roberts Park
5.3 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 6 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIEast ShelterIILodge at East Entry to ParkIINorth ShelterIIStatue of Sir Titus Salt Set in Centre of Main Terrace of ParkIITea Room, Balustrade and Flanking StepsIIWest Shelter
Heritage walks
Yorkshire Heritage Way 4.5 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 Baildon: 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 78 | 71 | 61 | 56 | 56 | 71 | 67 | 73 | 72 | 84 | 90 | 90 |
April is the driest month (56 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 90 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Baildon →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 37 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.
2Viewpoints13Hills and peaks6.7× towns its size6Nature reserves6× towns its size2Picnic sites37Playgrounds1.8× towns its size1Campsites
The nearest beaches
Baildon is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Treasure Beach15 mi from Baildon’s edge
DirectionsPebble Beach22 mi from Baildon’s edge
DirectionsCar Park Beach28 mi from Baildon’s edge
DirectionsStone Beach28 mi from Baildon’s edge
DirectionsCreek Beach North28 mi from Baildon’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
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 13
Hope Hill0.2 mi from town
DirectionsHigh Plain0.3 mi from town
DirectionsBaildon Moor280 m (919 ft) · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsAcrehowe Hill0.4 mi from town
DirectionsBracken Hill0.4 mi from town
DirectionsGreenhouse Hill0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPennythorn Hill0.6 mi from town
DirectionsHoney Joan Hill0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 5 hills and peaks more.
Nature reserves 6
Denso Marston Nature Reserve2.7 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsHirst Wood Nature Reserve0.4 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsTrench Meadows SSSI5.3 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsSwan Avenue Nature Reserve0.3 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsBingley South Bog4.7 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 37
Baildon Playgroundin town
DirectionsDaleview Court Playgroundin town
DirectionsRoberts Park Play Areain town
DirectionsSouth Cliffe Playgroundin town
DirectionsBaker Street Recreation Ground Play Area0.2 mi from town
DirectionsWindhill Playarea0.2 mi from town
DirectionsGilstead playground0.7 mi from town
DirectionsBall Games Playground1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 29 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Esholt Caravan Park0.2 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
ShipleyBingleyGuiseleyMenstonCalverleyYeadonBaildon
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Yeadon, 3.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Baildon
What is the biggest park in Baildon?
Roberts Park, 5.3 ha (13 acres), with 2.1 km of path. Jenny Lane Playing Fields (4.8 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Baildon near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 7.7 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Nidderdale National Landscape, 3.6 mi away.
What are the best walks near Baildon?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Welcome Way, Airedale Way and Dales Way Link. Roberts Park alone has 2.1 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Baildon?
Treasure Beach, 15 mi from the edge of the town, then Pebble Beach (22 mi). Baildon itself is inland.
How many people in Baildon live near a park?
71% 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 Baildon?
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 Baildon are historic?
Roberts Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Baildon good for walking?
For paths, yes: 7.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 99% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 44% (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 Baildon’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Baildon’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.