Shipley’s biggest
Roberts Park
Park or garden · 0 m outside town
5.3 ha (13 acres)2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Shipley · parks, paths & countryside
Shipley has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 139 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 6.0 for every square kilometre. The Nidderdale National Landscape begins 4.8 mi from the town’s edge. 87% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Shipley grades B for the outdoors: #33 of 91 in West Yorkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
87%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
139 km
6.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nidderdale starts 4.8 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Shipley?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths6.0 km of path per km², more than 97% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe Nidderdale National Landscape starts 4.8 mi north.
Shipley’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Nidderdale National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Shipley grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Shipley, 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 64% of UK towns#33 of 91 in West Yorkshire · 29th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
49out of
100
100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
61out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Nidderdale begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths6.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
97out 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
Shipley is 29th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 26,800 to 31,800 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
Shipley6.0
Towns its size3.3
West Yorkshire towns3.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Shipley2.1
Towns its size2.1
West Yorkshire towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Shipley87%
Towns its size84%
West Yorkshire towns87%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Shipley stands out most for path per km²: only 5 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yate Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 99% | 6.8 | 11% |
| 2 | Jarrow Tyne and Wear | A+ | 5.3 | 90% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Northfleet Kent | A | 2 | 85% | 7.7 | 4% |
| 4 | Stalybridge Greater Manchester | A | 5 | 82% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 5 | Ashington Northumberland | A | 5.6 | 83% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 6 | Penarth South Glamorgan | A | 3.5 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 7 | Witney Oxfordshire | A | 2.5 | 88% | 4.6 | 19% |
| 8 | Woodley Berkshire | A | 5 | 81% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 9 | Lancing and Sompting West Sussex | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3 | 37% |
| 10 | Prestwich Greater Manchester | A | 9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 11 | Totton Hampshire | A | 1.6 | 94% | 4.4 | 50% |
| 12 | Burntwood Staffordshire | A− | 5.3 | 81% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 13 | Ewell Surrey | A− | 7.5 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Stretford Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 92% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Tadworth and Epsom Downs Surrey | A− | 3.4 | 65% | 5.3 | 16% |
| 16 | Great Yarmouth Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.2 | 18% |
| 17 | Cleethorpes Lincolnshire | A− | 3 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Daventry Northamptonshire | A− | 4.1 | 99% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Eston North Yorkshire | B+ | 2.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 20 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 84% | 2.9 | 2% |
| 21 | Cramlington Northumberland | B+ | 2.3 | 91% | 6.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Longbenton Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.3 | 80% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Deal Kent | B+ | 1 | 86% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 24 | Farnworth Greater Manchester | B+ | 3 | 85% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 25 | Chichester West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 89% | 3 | 40% |
| 26 | Pontypool Gwent | B+ | 3.6 | 93% | 1.8 | 7% |
| 27 | Colwyn Bay Clwyd | B+ | 1.9 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Windsor Berkshire | B | 5.5 | 83% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Shipley West Yorkshire | B | 2.1 | 87% | 6 | 0% |
| 30 | Consett County Durham | B | 1.7 | 87% | 3.1 | 19% |
| 31 | Darwen Lancashire | B | 2.2 | 89% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Witham Essex | B | 1.9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Egham Surrey | B | 4.1 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Bushey Hertfordshire | B | 3.1 | 77% | 4 | 0% |
| 35 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B | 3.8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Rhyl Clwyd | B | 1 | 84% | 2.2 | 7% |
| 37 | Evesham Worcestershire | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 38 | Stanford-le-Hope Essex | B− | 2.6 | 84% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Radcliffe Greater Manchester | B− | 1.7 | 86% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Kendal Cumbria | C+ | 0.9 | 67% | 4 | 33% |
| 42 | Horley Surrey | C+ | 1.9 | 84% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Newton Abbot Devon | C+ | 2.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 6% |
| 44 | Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 84% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Newark-on-Trent Nottinghamshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 2 | 0% |
| 46 | Walton-on-Thames Surrey | C | 1.6 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Bedworth Warwickshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Frome Somerset | C | 1.3 | 78% | 2.4 | 9% |
| 49 | Barnstaple Devon | C | 1.6 | 92% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.7 | 92% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Wickford Essex | C | 2.4 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 52 | Congleton Cheshire | C | 1.7 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Hertford Hertfordshire | C | 0.9 | 65% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Rushden Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Heywood Greater Manchester | C− | 1.3 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Heswall Merseyside | C− | 1.1 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Port Talbot West Glamorgan | C− | 1.3 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Ormskirk Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Spalding Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 85% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Wisbech Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Shipley’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 Shipley
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 8 named parks by size: 26 ha (63 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 11 haPlaying fields 15 ha
The two biggest, Roberts Park and Norman Rae Playing Fields, are 49% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them. 4 of the 8 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Norman Rae Playing Fields
Playing field
7.3 ha (18 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Shipley
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Shay Grange Crematorium
Park or garden · 330 m outside town
4.4 ha (11 acres)
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
King George V Memorial Playing Fields
Playing field · 60 m outside town
4.9 ha (12 acres)
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Crowgill Park
Park or garden
1.3 ha (3 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Shipley
Cup marked rock 60m south west of the War Memorial at Crowgill Park monument +1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hirst Lane Recreation Ground
Playing field
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.2 km of path
0.9 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Saltaire Cricket Ground
Playing field · 30 m outside town
1.1 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Peter's Playing Fields
Playing field
0.5 ha (1 acres)
0.7 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Shipley 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 (87%)Further (13%)
Shipley87%
Towns its size84%
West Yorkshire towns87%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 55 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 531 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Nidderdale National Landscape is 4.8 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 Shipley scores 0% on it even though the Nidderdale National Landscape is 4.8 mi away. Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,185 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
6 waymarked walks pass through or near Shipley
139 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Shipley and the kilometre around it, 6.0 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
Airedale Way10.4 km
Dales Way Link9.2 km
Bradford Millennium Way6.6 km
Welcome Way6.1 km
Yorkshire Heritage Way4.5 km
Dales High Way3.3 km
Close to home, the Bradford Millennium Way has 7 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Shipley: 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 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 82 | 72 | 62 | 56 | 53 | 71 | 63 | 72 | 68 | 82 | 88 | 96 |
May is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 96 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Shipley →
Things to do
55 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.
1Viewpoints4Hills and peaks1Waterfalls6Nature reserves5.7× towns its size2Picnic sites55Playgrounds1.6× towns its size
The nearest beaches
Shipley is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Treasure Beach14 mi from Shipley’s edge
DirectionsPebble Beach24 mi from Shipley’s edge
DirectionsCar Park Beach27 mi from Shipley’s edge
DirectionsStone Beach27 mi from Shipley’s edge
DirectionsCreek Beach North27 mi from Shipley’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 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Idle Hillin town
DirectionsHope Hill1.0 mi from town
DirectionsHigh Plain1.1 mi from town
DirectionsBaildon Moor280 m (919 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 6
Hirst Wood Nature Reserve0.4 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsDenso Marston Nature Reserve2.7 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsTrench Meadows SSSI5.3 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsHeaton Reservoir Nature Reserve5.4 ha · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsBingley South Bog4.7 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsSwan Avenue Nature Reserve0.3 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 55
Baker Street Recreation Ground Play Areain town
DirectionsWindhill Playareain town
DirectionsRoberts Park Play Area0.0 mi from town
DirectionsSouth Cliffe Playground0.2 mi from town
DirectionsDaleview Court Playground0.5 mi from town
DirectionsGilstead playground0.8 mi from town
DirectionsBaildon Playground0.9 mi from town
DirectionsEccleshill play area0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 47 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
BaildonBingleyBradfordWilsdenCalverleyGuiseleyShipley
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Guiseley, 3.8 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 75% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Shipley
What is the biggest park in Shipley?
Roberts Park, 5.3 ha (13 acres), with 2.1 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Norman Rae Playing Fields (7.3 ha) is second. 8 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Shipley near a National Park?
Yes. Yorkshire Dales National Park begins 8.4 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, 4.8 mi away.
What are the best walks near Shipley?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Airedale Way, Dales Way Link and Bradford Millennium Way. Roberts Park alone has 2.1 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Shipley?
Treasure Beach, 14 mi from the edge of the town, then Pebble Beach (24 mi). Shipley itself is inland.
How many people in Shipley live near a park?
87% 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 Shipley?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Shipley good for walking?
For paths, yes: 6.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 97% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 49% (2.1 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 Shipley’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Shipley’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.