Olney’s biggest
Emberton Park
Park or garden · 120 m outside town
51 ha (126 acres)3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
71 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
3 campsites
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: PaleCloudedWhite · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Olney · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Olney lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Olney add up to 6.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 37 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.2 for every square kilometre. Olney grades A− for the outdoors: #11 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
6.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
37 km
3.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Chilterns National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Olney?
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 roam6.3 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 90% of UK towns.
Olney’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Olney grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Olney, 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 83% of UK towns#11 of 39 in Buckinghamshire · 13th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space6.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
91out 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 Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
64out 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
Olney is 13th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 6,300 to 6,900 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
Olney3.2
Towns its size3.1
Buckinghamshire towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Olney6.3
Towns its size2.1
Buckinghamshire towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Olney100%
Towns its size82%
Buckinghamshire towns74%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Olney stands out most for park space per resident: only 5 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stone Kent | A+ | 3.1 | 100% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 2 | Filey North Yorkshire | A | 5.9 | 89% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 3 | Chalford Gloucestershire | A | 1.6 | 96% | 4.7 | 94% |
| 4 | East Boldon and West Boldon Tyne and Wear | A | 3.4 | 96% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 5 | Wingerworth Derbyshire | A | 9 | 86% | 4 | 0% |
| 6 | Shotton Clwyd | A | 4.5 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 7 | Ibstock Leicestershire | A | 8.5 | 96% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Barton on Sea Hampshire | A | 4.9 | 50% | 2.8 | 22% |
| 9 | Bedwas Gwent | A | 4.4 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 10 | Broad Blunsdon Wiltshire | A− | 5.2 | 93% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 11 | St Blazey Cornwall | A− | 2.4 | 78% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 12 | Marston Moretaine Bedfordshire | A− | 17.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Olney Buckinghamshire | A− | 6.3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Alcester Warwickshire | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitfield Kent | A− | 2.3 | 79% | 2.5 | 32% |
| 16 | Horden County Durham | A− | 2.1 | 82% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 17 | Paulton Somerset | A− | 2.1 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 18 | Whitworth Lancashire | B+ | 2.5 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Broadbridge Heath West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 95% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 20 | Lightwater Surrey | B+ | 9.2 | 72% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Milford and Witley Surrey | B+ | 2.6 | 54% | 3.7 | 78% |
| 22 | Cawston Warwickshire | B+ | 3.6 | 98% | 3 | 0% |
| 23 | North Anston South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Cleator Moor Cumbria | B+ | 3.5 | 91% | 1.9 | 11% |
| 25 | Little Chalfont Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 3.6 | 45% |
| 26 | Groby Leicestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 96% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Peasedown St John Somerset | B+ | 1.5 | 88% | 4 | 9% |
| 28 | Burley in Wharfedale West Yorkshire | B | 1.6 | 81% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 29 | Hindhead Surrey | B | 1.7 | 37% | 5.9 | 66% |
| 30 | Braunton Devon | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.1 | 24% |
| 31 | Galleywood Essex | B | 10.3 | 61% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Hartford Cheshire | B | 2.2 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Barrow upon Soar Leicestershire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Rishton Lancashire | B− | 2.2 | 94% | 3 | 0% |
| 35 | Wincanton Somerset | B− | 1.4 | 88% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 36 | Crigglestone and Durkar West Yorkshire | B− | 4.4 | 45% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Ushaw Moor and Bearpark County Durham | C+ | 1.6 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Chiswell Green Hertfordshire | C+ | 4 | 54% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Denmead Hampshire | C+ | 1.4 | 72% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 40 | Tetbury Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 66% | 2.6 | 88% |
| 41 | Rawdon West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Bolton-le-Sands Lancashire | C+ | 1.1 | 58% | 1.6 | 23% |
| 43 | Brampton Cambridgeshire | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Market Deeping Lincolnshire | C | 1.5 | 96% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Farnham Common and Farnham Royal Buckinghamshire | C | 1 | 55% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Waddington Lincolnshire | C | 2.3 | 87% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 47 | Rhoose South Glamorgan | C | 2 | 43% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Great Wakering Essex | C | 1.1 | 47% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Lydiate Merseyside | C− | 1.5 | 90% | 2 | 0% |
| 50 | Ashingdon Essex | C− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Culcheth Cheshire | C− | 1.7 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Boston Spa West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Washingborough and Heighington Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 66% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Holmes Chapel Cheshire | D | 0.8 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Pontarddulais West Glamorgan | D | 1.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Coleshill Warwickshire | D | 1.3 | 69% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Broughton Clwyd | D− | 0.8 | 80% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Keyworth Nottinghamshire | D− | 1.3 | 58% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook Staffordshire | D− | 1.6 | 49% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Abercynon Mid Glamorgan | D− | 1.1 | 55% | 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 Olney’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 Olney
The biggest is Emberton Park, 51 ha (126 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Olney’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%)
Olney100%
Towns its size82%
Buckinghamshire towns74%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 388 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 16 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Olney
37 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Olney and the kilometre around it, 3.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Three Shires Way8.2 km
Mike Mellor Way8.0 km
Milton Keynes Boundary Walk7.3 km
Olney Circular Walk7.0 km
Ouse Valley Way 1 (Syresham to Turvey)6.3 km
Close to home, the Mike Mellor Way has 8 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Three Shires Way, Milton Keynes Boundary Walk and Ouse Valley Way 1 (Syresham to Turvey).
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 Olney: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 43 | 38 | 45 | 53 | 50 | 50 | 54 | 53 | 66 | 62 | 58 |
March is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 66 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Olney →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 17 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
Olney is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach11 mi from Olney’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 2
Olney Beacon0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCowper's Alcove1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 17
Plus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 3
Overspill Rally Field0.4 mi from town
DirectionsLarge Rally Field0.4 mi from town
DirectionsSmall Rally Field0.5 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.
LavendonBozeatNewport PagnellHarroldHanslopeHartwellOlney
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Olney grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. Harrold has at least twice Olney’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Olney
What is the biggest park in Olney?
Emberton Park, 51 ha (126 acres), with 3.6 km of path, just outside the built-up area. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Olney near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 16 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Olney?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Three Shires Way, Mike Mellor Way and Milton Keynes Boundary Walk. Emberton Park alone has 3.6 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Olney?
The Beach, 11 mi from the edge of the town. Olney itself is inland.
How many people in Olney 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 Olney?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Olney good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 64% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 91% (6.3 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 Olney’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Olney’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.