Photo: Mtaylor848 · CC BY-SA 3.0Menston has more footpath per square kilometre than 8 in 10 UK towns
57 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.1 for every square kilometre. The Nidderdale National Landscape begins 0.8 mi from the town’s edge. 90% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Menston grades A for the outdoors: #7 of 91 in West Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Menston?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Menston’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Menston grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Menston, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Menston is 10th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,700 to 6,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Menston stands out most for path per km²: only 9 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 2 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bagshot Surrey | A | 10.5 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 5 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 6 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 7 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 11 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 13 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 14 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 15 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 16 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Axminster Devon | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 66% |
| 22 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 23 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 24 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 25 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 26 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 29 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 30 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 32 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 36 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 38 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 41 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Durrington Wiltshire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 48 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 50 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Thurcroft South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Menston’s built-up area.
9 in 10 Menston 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).
About 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 537 residents.
Nidderdale and Yorkshire Dales both start about 6 miles from Menston
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.
18% of the land within 5 km of Menston is National Park or National Landscape, more than 76% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
6 waymarked walks pass through or near Menston
57 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Menston and the kilometre around it, 4.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Close to home, the Welcome Way has 10 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Ebor Way and Dales Way Link.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
A registered historic park in Menston
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Menston’s named parks.
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.
The best walking months in Menston: 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 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 74 | 71 | 60 | 55 | 57 | 71 | 68 | 74 | 74 | 85 | 91 | 87 |
April is the driest month (55 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 91 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Menston →
4 viewpoints, 11 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
Menston is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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. Derry Hill, at 184 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Menston.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 13
Plus 5 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 11
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Slipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Otley, 2.2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 93% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Otley has at least twice Menston’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Menston
Is Menston near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 6.0 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, 0.8 mi away.
What are the best walks near Menston?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Welcome Way, Ebor Way and Dales Way Link.
What is the nearest beach to Menston?
Treasure Beach, 17 mi from the edge of the town, then Pebble Beach (20 mi). Menston itself is inland.
How many people in Menston live near a park?
90% 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 Menston?
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 Menston are historic?
High Royds Hospital (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Menston good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 83% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 57% (2.4 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 Menston’s overall grade.
Where Menston’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.