Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hopton Congregational Church · Photo: John Slater · CC BY-SA 2.0Footpaths add up to 91 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.7 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Mirfield add up to 2.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Mirfield grades B for the outdoors: #38 of 91 in West Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Mirfield, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 18,200 to 21,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Mirfield stands out most for park space per resident: only 24 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camborne Cornwall | A+ | 2.2 | 93% | 4 | 8% |
| 2 | Littlehampton West Sussex | A+ | 2.1 | 99% | 3.1 | 18% |
| 3 | Litherland Merseyside | A | 7.3 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 4 | Buxton Derbyshire | A | 3.5 | 86% | 3.8 | 61% |
| 5 | Faversham Kent | A | 2 | 88% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Houghton Regis Bedfordshire | A | 3.5 | 81% | 8 | 20% |
| 7 | Colne Lancashire | A | 3.2 | 86% | 5.3 | 8% |
| 8 | Waltham Abbey Essex | A | 11.9 | 92% | 6.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Farnham Surrey | A | 5.1 | 73% | 4.3 | 35% |
| 10 | Hazlemere Buckinghamshire | A | 2.5 | 81% | 4.7 | 68% |
| 11 | Forest Town Nottinghamshire | A | 6.4 | 94% | 5.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Northwich Cheshire | A | 8.8 | 92% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Leek Staffordshire | A | 4.2 | 83% | 3.6 | 19% |
| 14 | Stratton St Margaret Wiltshire | A | 3.3 | 82% | 5.1 | 5% |
| 15 | Keynsham Somerset | A | 2.1 | 95% | 4.6 | 11% |
| 16 | Harwich Essex | A− | 1.7 | 95% | 2.1 | 20% |
| 17 | Peterlee County Durham | A− | 2.3 | 85% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Ebbw Vale Gwent | A− | 2 | 92% | 3.3 | 29% |
| 19 | Rothwell West Yorkshire | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Mansfield Woodhouse Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.8 | 94% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Devizes Wiltshire | A− | 1.8 | 91% | 3.2 | 38% |
| 22 | Walkden Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.4 | 92% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Belper Derbyshire | B+ | 2.4 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Eastwood Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.6 | 93% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Hythe and Dibden Purlieu Hampshire | B+ | 0.8 | 49% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 26 | Sandhurst Berkshire | B+ | 5.1 | 79% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Hazel Grove Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.9 | 62% | 4.2 | 3% |
| 28 | Mirfield West Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 90% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Ripley Derbyshire | B | 2.4 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Irlam Greater Manchester | B | 3.1 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Cradley Heath West Midlands | B | 3.3 | 76% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Penwortham Lancashire | B | 2.9 | 91% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Ely Cambridgeshire | B | 2.7 | 88% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Stanley County Durham | B | 1.7 | 88% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Shaw Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 96% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Stourport-on-Severn Worcestershire | B | 3.1 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Romsey Hampshire | B− | 1.2 | 82% | 4.5 | 2% |
| 38 | Ware Hertfordshire | B− | 2 | 81% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Calne Wiltshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 2.4 | 33% |
| 40 | Wednesbury West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Dereham Norfolk | B− | 1.8 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Failsworth Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.8 | 77% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Rawmarsh South Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 84% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Maesteg Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Melksham Wiltshire | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Bideford Devon | C+ | 0.9 | 83% | 1 | 11% |
| 47 | Newmarket Suffolk | C+ | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Knowle and Dorridge West Midlands | C+ | 2.7 | 82% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Adwick le Street South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.8 | 89% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Spennymoor County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Thornton Lancashire | C | 2.1 | 71% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Nantwich Cheshire | C | 2.2 | 86% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 53 | Horwich Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 67% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Maghull Merseyside | C− | 1.6 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Skegness Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Willerby and Anlaby East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.6 | 46% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Selby North Yorkshire | C− | 1.6 | 81% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Goole East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.7 | 81% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Stamford Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 64% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Tiverton Devon | D | 1.5 | 59% | 2.6 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Mirfield’s built-up area.
The biggest is Dewsbury Country Park, 87 ha (214 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Dewsbury Country Park and Holroyd Park, are 90% of the named green space and carry 10 km of path between them.
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 1,900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 49 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 400 residents.
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.
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
91 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Mirfield and the kilometre around it, 3.7 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 Brighouse Boundary Walk has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Kirklees Way and Bronte Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 61 | 68 | 61 | 58 | 57 | 74 | 71 | 72 | 71 | 79 | 86 | 91 |
May is the driest month (57 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 91 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 33 nights a year. The climate in Mirfield →
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.
Mirfield 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.
Plus 49 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirfield | B | 2.5 | 90% | 0% |
| Kirkheaton 2.0 mi | C+ | 1.8 | 92% | 0% |
| Liversedge 2.1 mi | B+ | 2.0 | 98% | 0% |
| Heckmondwike 2.4 mi | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Dewsbury 2.6 mi | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 0% |
| Grange Moor 3.1 mi | A− | 4.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Cleckheaton 3.2 mi | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 0% |
Heckmondwike, 2.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Dewsbury Country Park, 87 ha (214 acres), with 10.1 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Holroyd Park (7.1 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 7.8 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Kirklees Way, Brighouse Boundary Walk and Bronte Way. Dewsbury Country Park alone has 10.1 km of path.
Treasure Beach, 21 mi from the edge of the town, then Car Park Beach (25 mi). Mirfield itself is inland.
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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
For paths, yes: 3.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 76% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 59% (2.5 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Mirfield’s overall grade.
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.