Lizard’s biggest
The Green
Park or garden
0.7 ha (2 acres)
Centralin the middle of Lizard
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Nigel Thompson · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Lizard · parks, paths & countryside
Lizard is inside the Cornwall National Landscape
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 100% of residents. The sea makes up 71% of the area within 5 km. Lizard grades A+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
29 km
3.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
30%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cornwall National Landscape
The sea
71%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Lizard?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Inside the Cornwall National LandscapeLizard sits inside it: 964 km² of protected landscape.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.On the coast71% of the area within 5 km is sea; 7 beaches mapped.On a National TrailThe South West Coast Path passes through.
Lizard’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by parks close to every home.
Outdoors grade
Lizard grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lizard, 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 almost every UK town2nd of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
55out 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 Landscape30%of the land within 5 km
84out of
100
100
Footpaths3.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
67out of
100
100
The sea71%of the area within 5 km
100out 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.
Villages its size
Lizard is 2nd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,100 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
Lizard3.3
Villages its size2.4
Cornwall towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Lizard2.3
Villages its size2.4
Cornwall towns1.6
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Lizard100%
Villages its size69%
Cornwall towns81%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Lizard stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grove Dorset | A+ | 6 | 100% | 8.7 | 0% |
| 2 | Lizard Cornwall | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 3 | Uplyme Devon | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 61% |
| 4 | Blagdon Somerset | A | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 62% |
| 5 | Colney Heath Hertfordshire | A | 8.7 | 100% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 6 | Abingworth West Sussex | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 27% |
| 7 | Newnham Gloucestershire | A | 4.2 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 8 | Aberaeron Dyfed | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 9 | Shorne Kent | A | 28.3 | 23% | 3.4 | 24% |
| 10 | Silverdale Lancashire | A | 2.3 | 46% | 3.9 | 76% |
| 11 | Misterton Somerset | A | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 12 | North Curry Somerset | A | 6.2 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Godshill Isle of Wight | A | 2.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 53% |
| 14 | Chedgrave Norfolk | A− | 3 | 100% | 1.7 | 26% |
| 15 | Plumpton Green East Sussex | A− | 4.6 | 54% | 3.6 | 37% |
| 16 | Ardleigh Essex | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.5 | 21% |
| 17 | Hyde Heath Buckinghamshire | B+ | 5.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 81% |
| 18 | Crowlas Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 73% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 19 | Llangynidr Powys | B+ | 2.4 | 65% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 20 | Loddiswell Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 21 | Five Ash Down East Sussex | B+ | 2.8 | 0% | 4.1 | 43% |
| 22 | Avening Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 97% |
| 23 | Morchard Bishop Devon | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Flamstead Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 82% | 2.7 | 33% |
| 25 | Llanymynech Shropshire | B | 2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Minley Hampshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 27 | High Shincliffe County Durham | B− | 0.5 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 28 | Carleton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | C+ | 0.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 10% |
| 29 | St Newlyn East Cornwall | C+ | 3 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Little Waltham Essex | C+ | 2.3 | 63% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Weston Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1 | 4% |
| 32 | Simister Greater Manchester | C | 16.6 | 0% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Warmington Northamptonshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 34 | Little Melton Norfolk | C | 4.2 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 35 | Hilton Cambridgeshire | C | 6.8 | 70% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Huby (Hambleton) North Yorkshire | C | 2.4 | 75% | 1.5 | 2% |
| 37 | Upper Bucklebury Berkshire | C | 0.1 | 0% | 4 | 48% |
| 38 | Elswick Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Freethorpe Norfolk | C− | 2.3 | 26% | 0.7 | 61% |
| 40 | Kimbolton Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Ansley Warwickshire | C− | 1.8 | 64% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Ewyas Harold Herefordshire | C− | 2.1 | 55% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Hoylandswaine South Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Stebbing Essex | C− | 2.4 | 70% | 2 | 0% |
| 45 | Marchwiel Clwyd | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 46 | Castle Hedingham Essex | C− | 1.7 | 52% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | C− | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Surfleet Lincolnshire | C− | 4.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Scole Norfolk | C− | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 50 | New Quay Dyfed | D | 1.2 | 30% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Skidby East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.8 | 56% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Snitterfield Warwickshire | D | 2.4 | 63% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Hevingham Norfolk | D | 1.8 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 54 | Waltham on the Wolds Leicestershire | D | 2 | 23% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Horsham St Faith Norfolk | D | 0.9 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Henham Essex | D | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Methwold Norfolk | D− | 1.8 | 61% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Pencader Dyfed | D− | 1.2 | 30% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Wainfleet St Mary Lincolnshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Ranby Nottinghamshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lizard’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 Lizard
The biggest is The Green, 0.7 ha (2 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
Everyone in Lizard lives within a 5-minute walk of 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%)
Lizard100%
Villages its size69%
Cornwall towns81%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Lizard
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
Cornwall
Lizard is inside it964 km²since 195930% of the land within 5 km
Official site30% of the land within 5 km of Lizard is National Park or National Landscape, more than 83% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Lizard is on the South West Coast Path
29 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lizard and the kilometre around it, 3.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
NationalLocal
The Lizard Coastal Walk9.2 km
The Lizard coastal walk, Lizard Point9.1 km
South West Coast Path (Section 27: The Lizard to Coverack)6.1 km
South West Coast Path (Section 26: Porthleven to The Lizard)4.1 km
Lizard Point walk: the most southerly place in Britain, Lizard Point1.3 km
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Lizard. Close to home, the The Lizard Coastal Walk has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the village.
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 Lizard: June to September
The village’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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.1 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 93 | 77 | 65 | 60 | 51 | 53 | 61 | 68 | 60 | 92 | 104 | 107 |
May is the driest month (51 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 107 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 6 nights a year. The climate in Lizard →
The coast
Lizard is a coastal town
71% of the area within 5 km of Lizard is sea. 7 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Kennack Sands2.7 mi from town
DirectionsThe South West Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
12 viewpoints
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 12
Bass Point0.4 mi from town
DirectionsKynance Cove0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 10 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
The Lizard - Caerthillian National Nature Reserve0.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Campsites 3
Henry's Campsite0.0 mi from town
DirectionsKynance Camping0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCadgwith Camping0.7 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
MullionPorthlevenHelstonMawnan SmithLizard
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lizard | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 30% |
| Mullion 4.3 mi | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 64% |
| Porthleven 9.4 mi | B+ | 1.6 | 78% | 19% |
| Helston 9.7 mi | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 21% |
| Mawnan Smith 10.9 mi | A | 3.5 | 30% | 40% |
Mullion, 4.3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Lizard
What is the biggest park in Lizard?
The Green, 0.7 ha (2 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
What are the best walks near Lizard?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the The Lizard Coastal Walk, The Lizard coastal walk, Lizard Point and South West Coast Path (Section 27: The Lizard to Coverack).
How many people in Lizard 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 Lizard?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Lizard good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 67% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 55% (2.3 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 Lizard’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Lizard’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.