Theale’s biggest
Linear Park
Park or garden · 130 m outside town
39 ha (95 acres)8.4 km of path
1 h 50 minto walk all 8.4 km of path
54 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Theale · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Theale lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Theale add up to 5.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The North Wessex Downs National Landscape begins 0.1 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 41 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.8 for every square kilometre. Theale grades A+ for the outdoors: #1 of 30 in Berkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
5.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
41 km
3.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
39%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North Wessex Downs National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Theale?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam5.0 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 87% of UK towns.Protected countryside39% of the land within 5 km is North Wessex Downs National Landscape.A town of footpaths3.8 km of path per km², more than 77% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.
Theale’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Theale grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Theale, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A+
Better than 98% of UK towns#1 of 30 in Berkshire · 2nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space5.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
87out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape39%of the land within 5 km
88out of
100
100
Footpaths3.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
78out 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
Theale is 2nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,900 to 3,200 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
Theale3.8
Towns its size2.7
Berkshire towns3.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Theale5.0
Towns its size1.9
Berkshire towns2.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Theale100%
Towns its size80%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Theale stands out most for park space per resident: only 8 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arundel West Sussex | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 56% |
| 2 | Theale Berkshire | A+ | 5 | 100% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 3 | Cuxton Kent | A+ | 25.2 | 90% | 4 | 44% |
| 4 | Horton Heath Hampshire | A+ | 10 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 5 | Beaminster Dorset | A | 4.1 | 89% | 3.4 | 100% |
| 6 | Ebbsfleet Valley Kent | A | 9 | 77% | 8.3 | 0% |
| 7 | Langwith Derbyshire | A | 19.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Ellistown Leicestershire | A | 7.5 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Llangollen Clwyd | A | 3.5 | 91% | 2.5 | 76% |
| 10 | Menai Bridge Gwynedd | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 7% |
| 11 | Tywyn Gwynedd | A− | 2.4 | 79% | 1.9 | 51% |
| 12 | Gamesley Derbyshire | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 5 | 32% |
| 13 | New Marske North Yorkshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Oughtibridge South Yorkshire | A− | 2.2 | 76% | 6 | 19% |
| 15 | Bream Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 82% | 4.7 | 10% |
| 16 | Rhodes Greater Manchester | B+ | 16.6 | 78% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Wootton Isle of Wight | B+ | 3.7 | 67% | 1.7 | 20% |
| 18 | Porthleven Cornwall | B+ | 1.6 | 78% | 2.5 | 19% |
| 19 | Drayton Oxfordshire | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 3 | 3% |
| 20 | Newton and Blackwell Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Wing Buckinghamshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 22 | Honeybourne Worcestershire | B | 2.9 | 80% | 2.6 | 14% |
| 23 | Camelford Cornwall | B | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 33% |
| 24 | Upper Beeding West Sussex | B | 0.6 | 83% | 3.9 | 62% |
| 25 | Fleur-de-lis and Pengam Gwent | B | 6 | 54% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Weldon Northamptonshire | B | 8.2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Newbold Verdon Leicestershire | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Bugbrooke Northamptonshire | B− | 3.7 | 80% | 3 | 0% |
| 29 | Long Hanborough Oxfordshire | B− | 1.3 | 89% | 2.7 | 18% |
| 30 | Harwell Oxfordshire | B− | 1.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 42% |
| 31 | Crumbles East Sussex | B− | 0.3 | 44% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Henley-in-Arden Warwickshire | C+ | 4.6 | 58% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Etwall Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Capel St Mary Suffolk | C+ | 1.5 | 59% | 3 | 24% |
| 35 | Dymchurch Kent | C+ | 1.6 | 58% | 1 | 13% |
| 36 | Thaxted Essex | C | 0.8 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Swillington West Yorkshire | C | 2.2 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 38 | Hendy and Fforest Dyfed | C | 2.1 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Swanmore Hampshire | C | 1.4 | 69% | 1.9 | 54% |
| 40 | Sutton Courtenay Oxfordshire | C | 1.2 | 23% | 4 | 6% |
| 41 | West Chiltington West Sussex | C | 1.5 | 18% | 2.7 | 38% |
| 42 | Bottesford Leicestershire | C | 3.9 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Haddenham Cambridgeshire | C | 2.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Teynham Kent | C | 0.8 | 55% | 1.8 | 13% |
| 45 | Ogmore Vale Mid Glamorgan | C | 4.3 | 79% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Fenstanton Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.8 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 47 | Cullingworth West Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Lostwithiel Cornwall | C− | 1.6 | 67% | 1.5 | 11% |
| 49 | West Auckland County Durham | C− | 1.1 | 91% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Burnopfield County Durham | C− | 1.5 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 51 | South Petherton Somerset | C− | 1.1 | 61% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Kelsall Cheshire | D | 1 | 57% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Gobowen Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 50% | 1.2 | 2% |
| 54 | Skellingthorpe Lincolnshire | D | 1.2 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 55 | Gilberdyke East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 90% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Thurston Suffolk | D | 1.6 | 39% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Bampton Oxfordshire | D | 1.1 | 63% | 2 | 0% |
| 58 | Queniborough Leicestershire | D | 1.4 | 48% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 59 | Kirton in Lindsey Lincolnshire | D− | 1.7 | 57% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Boroughbridge North Yorkshire | D− | 0.4 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Theale’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 Theale
The biggest is Linear Park, 39 ha (95 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Sheffield Bottom Lock Picnic Area
Park or garden · 180 m outside town
1.0 ha (2 acres)0.1 km of path
0.6 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Picnic site
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Theale’s homes are to 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Theale100%
Towns its size80%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 16 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 191 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
North Wessex Downs and Chilterns both start about 3 miles from Theale
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
National Landscape
North Wessex Downs
0.1 mi north-east1,731 km²since 197239% of the land within 5 km
Official site39% of the land within 5 km of Theale is National Park or National Landscape, more than 87% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Theale
41 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Theale and the kilometre around it, 3.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail6.0 km
St James' Way5.8 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail and St James' 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 Theale: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 72 | 51 | 44 | 52 | 48 | 47 | 49 | 56 | 52 | 74 | 80 | 70 |
March is the driest month (44 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 80 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Theale →
Things to do
5 viewpoints, 16 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.
The nearest beaches
Theale is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Penguin Beach20 mi from Theale’s edge
DirectionsAmity Beach24 mi from Theale’s edge
DirectionsThe Leys Park29 mi from Theale’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 5
Plus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Hosehill Lake Local Nature Reserve24 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsMoor Copse71 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Sheffield Bottom Lock0.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 16
Ayrton Senna Play Area1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Hounds&Bounds0.6 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Burghfield CommonPangbourneMortimerReadingUpper BasildonSpencers Wood and Three Mile CrossTheale
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theale | A+ | 5.0 | 100% | 39% |
| Burghfield Common 2.6 mi | A− | 2.1 | 100% | 8% |
| Pangbourne 3.3 mi | B− | 2.9 | 61% | 85% |
| Mortimer 4.1 mi | A | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Reading 4.3 mi | B+ | 1.7 | 73% | 26% |
| Upper Basildon 4.6 mi | C+ | 2.3 | 0% | 97% |
| Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross 5.3 mi | D | 0.7 | 78% | 0% |
Theale grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Theale
What is the biggest park in Theale?
Linear Park, 39 ha (95 acres), with 8.4 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Sheffield Bottom Lock Picnic Area (1.0 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Theale near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, 0.1 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,731 km² and was designated in 1972.
What are the best walks near Theale?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail and St James' Way. Linear Park alone has 8.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Theale?
Penguin Beach, 20 mi from the edge of the town, then Amity Beach (24 mi). Theale itself is inland.
How many people in Theale live near a park?
100% 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 Theale?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Theale good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 78% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 87% (5.0 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 Theale’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Theale’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.