This dataset is free to download without registration. It is reviewed and updated twice annually, normally in March and September, with stable column names wherever possible.
SHA-256: b9e5f9efb74a2dea0a7c240a0230231bb453f4bf4f0841ffeb96e3e319397eb4
Data preview
| rank | place name | county | nearest service name | distance miles | place url |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwick | Shetland Islands | Montfield Hospital | 46.795 | https://postcodesuk.com/scotland/shetland-islands/norwick-shetland-islands |
| 2 | Crossapol | Argyll and Bute | Ospadal Naomh Brianain | 39.64 | https://postcodesuk.com/scotland/argyll-and-bute/crossapol-argyll-and-bute |
| 3 | Aultbea | Highland | Ospadal nan Eilean | 39.204 | https://postcodesuk.com/scotland/highland/aultbea-highland |
| 4 | Gairloch | Highland | Doctor Mackinnon Memorial Hospital | 34.056 | https://postcodesuk.com/scotland/highland/gairloch-highland |
| 5 | Ullapool | Highland | Migdale Hospital | 30.219 | https://postcodesuk.com/scotland/highland/ullapool-highland |
Data dictionary
- rank
- Position beginning with the place farthest from the named service.
- place_name
- Town or built-up place name.
- county
- County or equivalent area.
- country
- England, Scotland or Wales.
- place_latitude
- Place latitude in decimal degrees.
- place_longitude
- Place longitude in decimal degrees.
- nearest_service_name
- Name of the nearest service location.
- nearest_service_postcode
- Postcode of the nearest service location where available.
- service_latitude
- Nearest service latitude in decimal degrees.
- service_longitude
- Nearest service longitude in decimal degrees.
- distance_miles
- Great-circle surface distance in miles.
- distance_kilometres
- Great-circle surface distance in kilometres.
- distance_metres
- Great-circle surface distance in metres.
- distance_feet
- Great-circle surface distance in feet.
- place_url
- Permanent Postcodes UK place page.
Methodology and sources
Each built-up place is compared with every hospital and urgent-care coordinate in the Postcodes UK source table. The nearest location is retained and places are ranked by descending great-circle distance. This is straight-line geographic analysis, not travel time or clinical service coverage.
- Postcodes UK towns and places directory
- OpenStreetMap contributors
Source datasets change over time and can contain omissions or revisions. Verify operational, admissions, financial or safety-critical decisions with the responsible authority.
Licence and suggested attribution
You may use this compilation for research, analysis and publishing with attribution to Postcodes UK and compliance with the applicable underlying source licences. The download does not transfer or override third-party rights.
Suggested attribution:
Source: Postcodes UK (postcodesuk.com), “1,000 Places Farthest from a Hospital”, September 2026, https://postcodesuk.com/data-downloads/places-farthest-from-hospital. Derived from Postcodes UK location data and the named source datasets; underlying source rights and attribution statements apply.
Office for National Statistics and other public-sector information is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcode geography may contain Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail rights. HM Land Registry aggregates are derived from Price Paid Data. School fields derive from Department for Education and Ofsted sources.
Hospital locations include data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.