Photo: Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0Rock is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 25% of the area within 5 km. The Cornwall National Landscape reaches the edge of Rock. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 39% of residents. Rock grades A− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Rock?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Rock’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Rock grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rock, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
100
100
100
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.
Rock is 6th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,100 to 1,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Rock stands out most for park space per resident: only 13 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 45 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bathford Somerset | A+ | 4.8 | 100% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 2 | Longhoughton Northumberland | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 1.2 | 27% |
| 3 | Halmer End and Alsagers Bank Staffordshire | A | 33.2 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Ovingham Northumberland | A | 6.5 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 5 | Dove Holes Derbyshire | A | 5.1 | 100% | 1.5 | 52% |
| 6 | Rock Cornwall | A− | 3.2 | 39% | 2.5 | 37% |
| 7 | Hampsthwaite North Yorkshire | A− | 2 | 100% | 2.6 | 23% |
| 8 | Walton Somerset | B+ | 3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Shillingstone Dorset | B+ | 2.8 | 67% | 3.2 | 51% |
| 10 | Slinfold West Sussex | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 11 | Gislingham Suffolk | B | 3.1 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 12 | High Pittington County Durham | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Huntley Gloucestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Acomb Northumberland | B | 2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 15 | Curdworth Warwickshire | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Thorpe End Norfolk | B− | 0.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 10% |
| 17 | Thurlton Norfolk | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 0.7 | 39% |
| 18 | Romsley Worcestershire | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 19 | Penybanc Dyfed | B− | 7.4 | 35% | 2.4 | 1% |
| 20 | Latchingdon Essex | B− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Grovesend West Glamorgan | C+ | 3.5 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Coddington Nottinghamshire | C+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Child Okeford Dorset | C+ | 1.7 | 45% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 24 | Grampound Road Cornwall | C+ | 3.6 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 25 | Allithwaite Cumbria | C+ | 1.9 | 60% | 1 | 17% |
| 26 | Baslow Derbyshire | C+ | 1.6 | 45% | 2.8 | 98% |
| 27 | Blackmore Essex | C+ | 3.6 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 28 | Wadworth South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.7 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Dickleburgh Norfolk | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 30 | St Cleer Cornwall | C | 3 | 29% | 1.6 | 32% |
| 31 | Hunston West Sussex | C | 1.8 | 65% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 32 | Stoke Hammond Buckinghamshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Llanerchymedd Gwynedd | C | 4.2 | 64% | 0.6 | 4% |
| 34 | Cold Norton Essex | C | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Hordle Hampshire | C− | 0 | 0% | 1.6 | 41% |
| 36 | North Elmham Norfolk | C− | 4.7 | 71% | 1 | 0% |
| 37 | Owston Ferry Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Southfields Essex | C− | 2.8 | 0% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Old Leake Lincolnshire | C− | 3.6 | 75% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Chilworth Hampshire | C− | 1.1 | 24% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Chudleigh Knighton Devon | C− | 1 | 46% | 2.5 | 16% |
| 42 | Eastrington East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 3 | 65% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Guilsfield Powys | C− | 3.6 | 71% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Bratton Wiltshire | C− | 1.9 | 25% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Fochriw Gwent | C− | 1 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Capel Hendre Dyfed | D | 0.8 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Long Whatton Leicestershire | D | 2.8 | 63% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Ullesthorpe Leicestershire | D | 1.5 | 75% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Benwick Cambridgeshire | D | 0.3 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Orwell Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | Ramsey Island Essex | D | 1.4 | 39% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Pelynt Cornwall | D | 0 | 0% | 0.6 | 13% |
| 53 | Pant Shropshire | D | 0.3 | 0% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Outlane West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 0% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Great Doddington Northamptonshire | D | 1.3 | 69% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | High Legh Cheshire | D− | 1.9 | 50% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Austrey Warwickshire | D− | 1.7 | 0% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Moor End Gloucestershire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 59 | East Keswick West Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Clipsham Rutland | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rock’s built-up area.
4 in 10 Rock residents live 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).
About 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 4 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 289 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Rock
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.
Cornwall
37% of the land within 5 km of Rock is National Park or National Landscape, more than 86% of UK towns.
Rock is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
36 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rock and the kilometre around it, 2.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Rock. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Camel Trail and Saints Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Rock: May 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) | 8.4 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 104 | 79 | 66 | 57 | 54 | 62 | 65 | 75 | 70 | 116 | 114 | 117 |
May is the driest month (54 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 117 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 11 nights a year. The climate in Rock →
The coast and beaches near Rock
25% of the area within 5 km of Rock is sea. 47 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 8 with a name.
The King Charles III England 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.
2 viewpoints and 4 playgrounds
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
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 6
Plus 3 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock | A− | 3.2 | 39% | 37% |
| Padstow 2.0 mi | C+ | 0.6 | 33% | 37% |
| Wadebridge 3.8 mi | C | 1.8 | 74% | 17% |
| Egloshayle 4.1 mi | A | 7.3 | 100% | 12% |
| St Merryn 4.1 mi | B− | 1.9 | 47% | 29% |
| St Columb Major 8.3 mi | D | 1.0 | 89% | 0% |
| Delabole 9.2 mi | B− | 1.1 | 76% | 35% |
Egloshayle, 4.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Egloshayle has at least twice Rock’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Rock
Is Rock near a National Park?
It covers 964 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Rock?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Marsland Mouth to Newquay, South West Coast Path (Section 14: Port Isaac to Padstow) and Camel Trail.
How many people in Rock live near a park?
39% 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 Rock?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rock good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 46% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 73% (3.2 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 Rock’s overall grade.
Where Rock’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.