First pick
Recreatiedomein De Balokken
Park or garden
38 ha8.1 km of path
1 h 50 minto walk all 8.1 km of path
2.4 km north-eastfrom the center
De Balokken
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain2.3%woodland
Outdoors in Comines · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Comines is within 800 m of a park or wood
Comines has 19 km of waymarked hiking routes. 2.3% of Comines is mapped woodland. No protected area reaches Comines; the nearest, Le Héron nature reserve, is 17 km from the town center. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Le Héron nature reserve, 17 km
Woodland
2.3%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
15 km
0.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
19 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
6
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Recreatiedomein De Balokken
The sea
48 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Nord median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
What kind of place
What kind of outdoors place is Comines?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On waymarked routes19 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Little mapped woodland2.3% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Comines apart: its hiking routes. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Comines compares with French towns
Each figure against the 3,798 compared French towns (communes with an overall grade): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Described, not graded.
Protected areas0%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
22out of 100
Woodland2.3%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
12out of 100
Footpaths0.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
29out of 100
Hiking routes1.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
88out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Comines has the 7th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (12,416 to 13,045 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Villetaneuse (11 km per km²) to Mèze (0.5 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Villetaneuse Seine-Saint-Denis | 11 | 5.1% | 0% | 140 km |
| 2 | Bayeux Calvados | 6.1 | 2.8% | 0% | 7.4 km |
| 3 | Marquette-lez-Lille Nord | 5.6 | 4.2% | 0% | 58 km |
| 4 | L'Union Haute-Garonne | 5.4 | 4.4% | 0% | 146 km |
| 5 | L'Isle-Adam Val-d'Oise | 5.2 | 60% | 0.2% | 121 km |
| 6 | Châlette-sur-Loing Loiret | 5.1 | 43% | 0% | 234 km |
| 7 | Nemours Seine-et-Marne | 4.3 | 49% | 2.7% | 215 km |
| 8 | Saint-Avé Morbihan | 3.7 | 24% | 97% | 4.5 km |
| 9 | Granville Manche | 3.6 | 1.3% | 7.2% | On it |
| 10 | Chambray-lès-Tours Indre-et-Loire | 3.5 | 24% | 0% | 181 km |
| 11 | Pornichet Loire-Atlantique | 3.3 | 12% | 0.1% | On it |
| 12 | Mayenne Mayenne | 2.8 | 2.5% | 0% | 66 km |
| 13 | Andernos-les-Bains Gironde | 2.6 | 46% | 3.4% | On it |
| 14 | Betton Ille-et-Vilaine | 2.5 | 3.3% | 0.2% | 43 km |
| 15 | Guéret Creuse | 2.5 | 39% | 0.1% | 220 km |
| 16 | Saint-André-les-Vergers Aube | 2.5 | 4.4% | 0% | 273 km |
| 17 | Quimperlé Finistère | 2.4 | 24% | 3.9% | 9.2 km |
| 18 | Mende Lozère | 2.4 | 54% | 0% | 115 km |
| 19 | Aubergenville Yvelines | 2.4 | 9.1% | 0% | 121 km |
| 20 | Berck Pas-de-Calais | 2.3 | 19% | 29% | On it |
| 21 | La Chapelle-Saint-Luc Aube | 2.3 | 12% | 0% | 270 km |
| 22 | Tarnos Landes | 2.3 | 41% | 21% | On it |
| 23 | Obernai Bas-Rhin | 2 | 16% | 1.9% | 447 km |
| 24 | Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne Seine-et-Marne | 2 | 26% | 8.9% | 213 km |
| 25 | Brignais Rhône | 2 | 14% | 0% | 241 km |
| 26 | Auriol Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.7 | 49% | 75% | 19 km |
| 27 | Solliès-Pont Var | 1.7 | 28% | 0% | 11 km |
| 28 | Noyon Oise | 1.6 | 19% | 18% | 116 km |
| 29 | Aubenas Ardèche | 1.6 | 6.8% | 18% | 120 km |
| 30 | Amboise Indre-et-Loire | 1.4 | 58% | 5% | 203 km |
| 31 | Fonsorbes Haute-Garonne | 1.4 | 8.5% | 1.7% | 160 km |
| 32 | Yzeure Allier | 1.3 | 25% | 0% | 338 km |
| 33 | Tergnier Aisne | 1.2 | 9% | 4.8% | 130 km |
| 34 | Louvres Val-d'Oise | 1.2 | 2.3% | 0% | 139 km |
| 35 | Comines Nord | 0.9 | 2.3% | 0% | 48 km |
| 36 | Saint-André-de-Cubzac Gironde | 0.8 | 5.4% | 5.2% | 12 km |
| 37 | Châteaudun Eure-et-Loir | 0.8 | 9.7% | 2.7% | 168 km |
| 38 | Vidauban Var | 0.7 | 22% | 34% | 20 km |
| 39 | Rognac Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.7 | 22% | 10% | 16 km |
| 40 | Bras-Panon Réunion | 0.6 | 69% | 83% | On it |
| 41 | Mèze Hérault | 0.5 | 5.2% | 27% | 6.3 km |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park or wood. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is the commune’s boundary.
Green: parks, gardens and woods mapped on OpenStreetMap, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · INPN / PatriNat · IGN
Places to walk
Parks and woods to walk in, in and around Comines
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Recreatiedomein De Balokken leads, at 38 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc des Prés de la Lys - Weiden van Leie park
Park or garden
18 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
1.4 km northfrom the center
Route des Docks - Docksweg
Directionsto a point inside
Domaine Dalle-Dumont
Park or garden · 0 m outside the commune
14 ha3.1 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.1 km of path
2.5 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Réserve naturelle du Vert Digue - Natuurreservaat van de Vert Digue
Wood or forest · 210 m outside the commune
27 ha5.4 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.4 km of path
2.4 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin partagé du parc des près de Lys
Park or garden · 130 m outside the commune
0.3 ha
1.2 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Le Héron nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 17 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Le Héron nature reserve
17 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0%
Designations overlap (a regional park can hold a Natura 2000 site), so the rows don’t add up; the first counts each piece of land once.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
15 km of footpaths and 19 km of hiking routes cross Comines
Paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and waymarked hiking routes, mapped on OpenStreetMap inside the commune; woods are mapped forest and woodland, private woods included.
Footpaths
15 km
0.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
19 km
waymarked: 1.2 km per km²
Woodland
2.3%
about 0.4 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
CominesNord medianFrance median
Footpaths0.9
Hiking routes1.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CominesNord medianFrance median
Woodland2.3%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 71% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 88% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. Every home in Comines is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
9 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 121B0.9 km
Les Becques de Comines14 km
Circuit des Tilleuls8.8 km
Circuit de la Montagne8.8 km
Via Yprensis - hoofdtraject6.9 km
Circuit des Chouettes5.4 km
Menen - Libercourt5 km
Circuit Auger de Bousbecque3.3 km
Circuit du Genièvre1 km
GR 121B passes within 2 km of Comines.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Comines: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Lille-Lesquin, 22 km away, and the daylight at the town’s latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 51 | 52 | 45 | 62 | 64 | 68 | 71 | 57 | 64 | 75 | 73 |
April is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Comines →
Neighbors
Next to Comines
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Wervicq-SudBousbecqueQuesnoy-sur-DeûleLinsellesFrelinghienRoncqComines
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comines | 0% | 2.3% | 0.9 | 48 km |
| Wervicq-Sud 5,426 · 3.2 km | 0% | 3% | 1.8 | 48 km |
| Bousbecque 4,978 · 4.9 km | 0% | 1.4% | 1.5 | 49 km |
| Quesnoy-sur-Deûle 6,805 · 4.9 km | 0% | 0.8% | 1 | 52 km |
| Linselles 8,161 · 5.4 km | 0% | 0.7% | 1 | 53 km |
| Frelinghien 2,609 · 7.2 km | 0% | 1% | 0.7 | 51 km |
| Roncq 14,075 · 7.8 km | 0% | 2.5% | 2.3 | 53 km |
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected areas. National-park cores, national parks’ outer areas, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites, from INPN. A national park’s core is strictly protected; its outer area and a regional park are charters between communes, not bans. Designations overlap, so the total counts each piece of land once.
- Woodland. Forest and woods as OpenStreetMap maps them, private woods included: woods nobody has mapped are missing, and a mapped wood isn’t necessarily open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footpaths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, then waymarked hiking routes (GR and others) measured apart. A route often follows a path or lane already counted: the two overlap. Paths nobody has mapped are missing.
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (INSEE’s 200 m grid) within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or wood edge. It measures nearness, not a way in. Guadeloupe and French Guiana have no grid: their pages say whether the town center is within 800 m.
- The coast. The straight-line distance from the town center to OpenStreetMap’s coastline, which follows the tide line into estuaries. A commune is on the coast when the coastline crosses its boundary.
- No grade yet. U.S. and UK towns have an Outdoors Grade; French towns don’t yet. Each figure is set beside the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade) in the département and in France, each figure its own median.
Questions about the outdoors in Comines
Is Comines in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Le Héron nature reserve, 17 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Comines?
OpenStreetMap maps 15 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 0.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 19 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Comines is woodland?
2.3% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Comines near the sea?
No: the coast is 48 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Comines?
April to September: long days, mild highs and little rain, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest suitable station.
Why is there no Outdoors Grade for French towns?
TownRatings grades the outdoors in the U.S. and the UK; the French figures are new and not graded yet. This page sets each one beside the median compared French town instead.
Sources: INPN / PatriNat (protected areas 2026, Natura 2000 2024) · © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (paths, hiking routes, woods, coast, gardens) · INSEE, Filosofi 2021 200 m grid (residents) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Météo-France normals 1991–2020 · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.