Best Parks and Green Spaces in Hexham

For a market town of its size, Hexham is remarkably green. A cluster of historic parks sits right in the centre, framed by the Abbey and shaded by mature lime trees, while a short walk to the north brings you to the River Tyne and one of the county's most relaxed riverside country parks. Whether you want a bandstand and formal borders, a picnic on open grass, or a flat riverside stroll with a coffee at the end, everything is within easy reach on foot. Here are the green spaces worth knowing.

The Sele

The Sele is Hexham's best-loved open space: a broad sweep of grass overlooked by the Abbey, ringed by some of the finest mature lime trees in the town. It was first opened to the public in 1753 and passed into public ownership in 1908, and it has been a gathering place for fairs, games and picnics ever since. The wide grassy expanse is ideal for kite-flying, ball games and lazy summer afternoons, and there is a children's play area and a skate park (refurbished in 2023) for younger visitors. Public toilets and town-centre parking are close by.

Because it sits directly beside the Abbey and the Market Place, the Sele doubles as the easiest way to reach the town centre on foot. The nearby Rising Cafe on Beaumont Street has outdoor seating overlooking the park.

Best for: Best for: open grass for picnics, games and the town's biggest play area, all a two-minute walk from the shops.

The Abbey Grounds

Immediately alongside the Sele lie the Abbey Grounds, laid out as a public park in the early twentieth century and now the most formal of Hexham's central green spaces. Here you will find neat lawns and seasonal borders arranged around a traditional bandstand, along with woodland walks, a war memorial and quiet corners for a bench and a book. It is a gentler, more sheltered space than the open Sele, and a favourite spot to sit with a takeaway coffee on a sunny day.

The Abbey Grounds, the Sele and Hexham House Grounds together form the group known as the Hexham Parks, which have held Green Flag Award status, the national mark of a well-managed public park, for many years. All three are open year-round and free to enter.

Best for: Best for: formal gardens, the bandstand and a peaceful sit-down in the heart of town.

Hexham House Grounds

The third of the central trio, Hexham House Grounds surround the early eighteenth-century Hexham House on Gilesgate and were purchased and laid out as a public park in 1928, with restoration and new planting carried out between 1999 and 2001. The result is a compact but beautifully kept garden of lawns, mature trees and planted beds, sitting beside the town's bowling green.

Hexham House itself now serves as a register office and civil-ceremony venue, so the grounds are a popular backdrop for wedding photographs, but the gardens remain open to everyone. It is the quietest of the three central spaces and a lovely place to wander when the Sele is busy with events.

Best for: Best for: a quiet, well-tended garden and the prettiest planting of the three town-centre parks.

Tyne Green Country Park

A short walk or drive north of the town centre, Tyne Green Country Park runs along the south bank of the River Tyne immediately west of Hexham Bridge. This is Hexham's riverside park: a long ribbon of open grass and mature tree-lined avenues with flat, well-surfaced paths that make it excellent for a gentle walk, a run or a family cycle. It is home to the town's Saturday morning parkrun and forms part of Hadrian's Cycleway, so it is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists alike.

Facilities include a large car park, public toilets, a children's play area, a picnic and barbecue site, and a fitness trim track, with the Tynedale Golf Club and a water sports centre alongside. The riverside Cafe Enna at the golf club is dog-friendly and a fine place to finish a lap. One note of caution: the Tyne here is wide, fast and deep in places, so swimming is not advised except with an organised group; throw-lines and lifebelts are positioned along the bank.

Best for: Best for: flat riverside walks, cycling, parkrun and a proper picnic by the water.

Planning your visit

All of Hexham's central parks are within a few minutes' walk of one another and of the railway station, so it is easy to string them together into one relaxed circuit: start at the Sele beside the Abbey, drift through the Abbey Grounds and Hexham House Grounds, then head down to Tyne Green for the riverside. Every one of them is free, open all year and dog-friendly. If we have missed a favourite corner or you have a green space you would like to see covered, do get in touch, we always want to hear from local readers.