Photo: Sealman · Public domain66% of the land within 5 km of Axminster is National Park or National Landscape
The East Devon National Landscape and the Blackdown Hills National Landscape both begin about a mile from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Axminster add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 33 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Axminster grades B for the outdoors: #22 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Axminster?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Axminster’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Axminster grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Axminster, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Axminster is 17th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,800 to 6,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Axminster stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 53 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netley Hampshire | A+ | 16.3 | 100% | 4.1 | 4% |
| 2 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bagshot Surrey | A | 10.5 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 5 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 6 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 7 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 10 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 11 | Barnton Cheshire | A− | 10 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Ackworth Moor Top West Yorkshire | A− | 4.6 | 91% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 13 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 14 | Burghfield Common Berkshire | A− | 2.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 8% |
| 15 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Crofton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Axminster Devon | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 66% |
| 18 | Throckley Tyne and Wear | B | 3.1 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 21 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 22 | Oundle Northamptonshire | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Bovey Tracey Devon | B− | 2.2 | 66% | 2.5 | 55% |
| 24 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Yapton West Sussex | B− | 1.8 | 63% | 2 | 15% |
| 26 | Upton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Danbury Essex | B− | 3.9 | 34% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 29 | South Molton Devon | C+ | 2.2 | 96% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Annesley Woodhouse Nottinghamshire | C+ | 1.1 | 96% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Waltham Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.2 | 84% | 1.3 | 19% |
| 33 | Oakdale Gwent | C+ | 5.2 | 79% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Lower Willingdon East Sussex | C+ | 0.8 | 57% | 4.2 | 33% |
| 35 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Malton North Yorkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 43% | 2.4 | 24% |
| 37 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 39 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 41 | Gildersome West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Great Shelford and Stapleford Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.6 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Weaverham Cheshire | C− | 0.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 45 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Cottenham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 86% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Staplehurst Kent | D | 1.3 | 70% | 1.4 | 1% |
| 50 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Wem Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Aintree Merseyside | D | 1.3 | 43% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Selston Nottinghamshire | D | 0.9 | 61% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Thurcroft South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 60 | Tadcaster North Yorkshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 1.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Axminster’s built-up area.
Everyone in Axminster 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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 609 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Axminster
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.
East Devon
Blackdown Hills
Dorset
66% of the land within 5 km of Axminster is National Park or National Landscape, more than 95% of UK towns.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Axminster
33 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Axminster and the kilometre around it, 2.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
3 regional routes pass through, including the Monmouth Rebellion Walk, Orange Way and Channel to Channel.
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 Axminster: 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 114 | 83 | 79 | 73 | 64 | 64 | 60 | 84 | 79 | 120 | 127 | 121 |
July is the driest month (60 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 127 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 32 nights a year. The climate in Axminster →
10 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
Axminster is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Trinity Hill, at 211 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Axminster.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 10
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Uplyme, 3.8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Uplyme, Colyton and Charmouth have at least twice Axminster’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Axminster
Is Axminster near a National Park?
The East Devon National Landscape reaches the edge of Axminster. It covers 269 km² and was designated in 1963.
What are the best walks near Axminster?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Monmouth Rebellion Walk, Orange Way and Channel to Channel.
What is the nearest beach to Axminster?
Church Cliff Beach, 4.2 mi from the edge of the town, then Monmouth Beach (4.3 mi). Axminster itself is inland.
How many people in Axminster 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 Axminster?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Axminster good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 42% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 10% (0.9 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 Axminster’s overall grade.
Where Axminster’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.