Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Otley add up to 5.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Nidderdale National Landscape reaches the edge of Otley. 85 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.4 for every square kilometre. Otley grades A+ for the outdoors: #1 of 91 in West Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Otley’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Otley, 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 14,000 to 15,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Otley stands out most for park space per resident: only 9 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 3 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 4 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 5 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 6 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 7 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 8 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 9 | Staveley Derbyshire | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 12 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Skipton North Yorkshire | A | 1.7 | 99% | 4.2 | 25% |
| 14 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 15 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 17 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Frimley Surrey | A− | 2.9 | 99% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 19 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 20 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 22 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 24 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 25 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 26 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Somercotes and Swanwick Derbyshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 30 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 31 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 33 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 37 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 38 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 39 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 40 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 41 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 43 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 46 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire | C+ | 4 | 91% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 50 | Garforth West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 52 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Uttoxeter Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Otley’s built-up area.
The biggest is Chevin Forest Park, 176 ha (434 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Chevin Forest Park and Wharfemeadows Park, are 99% of the named green space and carry 32 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 1,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 13 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,119 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.
26% of the land within 5 km of Otley is National Park or National Landscape, more than 81% of UK towns. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
85 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Otley and the kilometre around it, 4.4 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 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Ebor Way, Dales Way Link and 6 Dales Trail.
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) | 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) | 70 | 74 | 64 | 59 | 59 | 73 | 72 | 80 | 75 | 88 | 96 | 97 |
April is the driest month (59 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 97 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Otley →
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.
Otley 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 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 1 slipway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otley | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 26% |
| Menston 2.2 mi | A | 2.4 | 90% | 18% |
| Burley in Wharfedale 2.3 mi | B | 1.6 | 81% | 35% |
| Guiseley 2.6 mi | A− | 2.5 | 75% | 6% |
| Pool-in-Wharfedale 2.9 mi | C− | 2.1 | 44% | 7% |
| Yeadon 3.1 mi | A | 3.5 | 94% | 2% |
| Bramhope 3.9 mi | C− | 1.8 | 0% | 2% |
Otley grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Chevin Forest Park, 176 ha (434 acres), with 30.2 km of path. Wharfemeadows Park (4.9 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 5.8 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, at the edge of the town.
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Ebor Way, Dales Way Link and Welcome Way. Chevin Forest Park alone has 30.2 km of path.
Pebble Beach, 18 mi from the edge of the town, then Treasure Beach (18 mi). Otley itself is inland.
93% 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: 4.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 87% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 90% (5.8 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 Otley’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.