Penzance’s biggest
Foster-Bolitho Gardens
Park or garden
2.4 ha (6 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Andrew Abbott · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Penzance · parks, paths & countryside
Penzance is on the coast, on the South West Coast Path
The sea makes up 25% of the area within 5 km. The Cornwall National Landscape begins 0.3 mi from the town’s edge. 96% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Penzance grades A for the outdoors: #8 of 35 in Cornwall. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
96%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
37 km
2.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
34%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cornwall National Landscape
The sea
25%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Penzance?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast25% of the area within 5 km is sea; 11 beaches mapped.A park on every doorstep96% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Protected countryside34% of the land within 5 km is Cornwall National Landscape.Less park per person1.6 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Penzance’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Penzance grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Penzance, 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 87% of UK towns#8 of 35 in Cornwall · 12th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
32out of
100
100
A park within a walk96%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
77out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape34%of the land within 5 km
85out of
100
100
Footpaths2.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
41out of
100
100
The sea25%of the area within 5 km
91out 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
Penzance is 12th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 14,200 to 15,600 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
Penzance2.3
Towns its size3.6
Cornwall towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Penzance1.6
Towns its size2.6
Cornwall towns1.6
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Penzance96%
Towns its size85%
Cornwall towns81%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Penzance stands out most for homes near a park: only 6 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 46 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Saltash Cornwall | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 3 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 4 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 5 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 6 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 7 | Swanscombe Kent | A+ | 3.3 | 90% | 8.5 | 0% |
| 8 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 9 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 10 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 11 | Staveley Derbyshire | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 13 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Skipton North Yorkshire | A | 1.7 | 99% | 4.2 | 25% |
| 16 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 18 | Kidsgrove Staffordshire | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Frimley Surrey | A− | 2.9 | 99% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 21 | Hessle East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 96% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 22 | Risca Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 26 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 27 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 28 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 29 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Somercotes and Swanwick Derbyshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 32 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 33 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 34 | Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 36 | Crowthorne Berkshire | B | 4.7 | 60% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 39 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 40 | Redruth Cornwall | B− | 1.5 | 78% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 41 | Hoyland South Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Mexborough South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Teignmouth Devon | B− | 1.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | East Ardsley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 47 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | South Hayling Hampshire | C+ | 1 | 65% | 1.4 | 26% |
| 51 | Hockley and Hawkwell Essex | C+ | 1.6 | 85% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 53 | Garforth West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Alsager Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Penzance’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 Penzance
The biggest is Foster-Bolitho Gardens, 2.4 ha (6 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 13 named parks by size: 14 ha (36 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 9.3 haPlaying fields 4.3 haPlay spaces 0.8 ha
The biggest is Foster-Bolitho Gardens, 2.4 ha (6 acres); no single park dominates. 10 of the 13 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Penlee Memorial Park
Park or garden
2.8 ha (7 acres)0.5 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Penzance
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Morrab Gardens
Park or garden
1.5 ha (4 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Penzance
4 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lariggan Gardens
Park or garden
1.0 ha (3 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Princess May Recreation Ground
Playing field
2.4 ha (6 acres)0.4 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Penzance
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Eastern Green
Park or garden
0.7 ha (2 acres)0.3 km of path
0.9 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Mennaye Field
Playing field
1.9 ha (5 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Anthony Gardens
Park or garden
0.3 ha (1 acres)0.4 km of path
0.6 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 13 named parks and green spaces
Foster-Bolitho GardensPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsPenlee Memorial ParkPark or garden · 2.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsMorrab GardensPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsLariggan GardensPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsPrincess May Recreation GroundPlaying field · 2.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsEastern GreenPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsMennaye FieldPlaying field · 1.9 ha
DirectionsSt Anthony GardensPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsMann's FieldPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsBedford-Bolitho GardensPlay space · 0.5 ha
DirectionsPrincess Royal GardensPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsAlexandra Play AreaPlay space · 0.4 ha
DirectionsPenrose GardensPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsClose to home
Almost everyone in Penzance 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 (96%)Further (4%)
Penzance96%
Towns its size85%
Cornwall towns81%
All UK towns83%
About 500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,360 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cornwall National Landscape is 0.3 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
34% of the land within 5 km of Penzance is National Park or National Landscape, more than 85% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Penzance is on the South West Coast Path
37 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Penzance and the kilometre around it, 2.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegional
South West Coast Path (Section 24: Lamorna to Marazion)7.2 km
St Michael's Way4.0 km
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Penzance. The regional route here is the St Michael's Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Penzance
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Penzance’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Morrab Gardens
1.5 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstandIIBoer War Memorial, Morrab Gardens, PenzanceIIFountain and Pond Walls
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Penzance: June 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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.1 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 128 | 110 | 87 | 78 | 67 | 70 | 80 | 94 | 88 | 124 | 148 | 148 |
May is the driest month (67 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 148 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 8 nights a year. The climate in Penzance →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Penzance
25% of the area within 5 km of Penzance is sea. 11 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Sandy Cove0.6 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
3 viewpoints and 11 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Stream Valley Holiday & Caravan Parkin town
DirectionsPonsandane Camping0.1 mi from town
DirectionsYHA Campsite0.1 mi from town
DirectionsNoongallas0.9 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.
LongrockNewlynMarazionCrowlasGoldsithneySt ErthPenzance
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Goldsithney, 4.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Crowlas has at least twice Penzance’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Penzance
What is the biggest park in Penzance?
Foster-Bolitho Gardens, 2.4 ha (6 acres), with 1.1 km of path. Penlee Memorial Park (2.8 ha) is second. 13 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Penzance near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cornwall National Landscape, 0.3 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 964 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Penzance?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the South West Coast Path (Section 24: Lamorna to Marazion) and St Michael's Way.
How many people in Penzance live near a park?
96% 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 Penzance?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Penzance are historic?
Morrab Gardens (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Penzance good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 41% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 32% (1.6 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 Penzance’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Penzance’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.