Dartmouth’s biggest
Royal Avenue Gardens
Park or garden
1.2 ha (3 acres)0.3 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi eastfrom the centre
3 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Dartmouth · parks, paths & countryside
Dartmouth is inside the South Devon National Landscape
The sea makes up 29% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 28 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.8 for every square kilometre. Dartmouth grades B+ for the outdoors: #19 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
71%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
28 km
1.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
45%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: South Devon National Landscape
The sea
29%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Dartmouth?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Inside the South Devon National LandscapeDartmouth sits inside it: 340 km² of protected landscape.On the coast29% of the area within 5 km is sea; 12 beaches mapped.On a National TrailThe South West Coast Path passes through.
Dartmouth’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by the sea.
Outdoors grade
Dartmouth grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Dartmouth, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 67% of UK towns#19 of 47 in Devon · 21st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
47out of
100
100
A park within a walk71%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
32out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape45%of the land within 5 km
90out of
100
100
Footpaths1.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
23out of
100
100
The sea29%of the area within 5 km
92out 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
Dartmouth is 21st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,100 to 5,500 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
Dartmouth1.8
Towns its size2.7
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Dartmouth2.1
Towns its size2.1
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Dartmouth71%
Towns its size74%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Dartmouth falls furthest behind on path per km², where 50 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cookham Berkshire | A+ | 8.3 | 96% | 4.3 | 19% |
| 2 | Weston Dorset | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 7.6 | 0% |
| 3 | Whitehill Hampshire | A+ | 10.2 | 74% | 5.1 | 58% |
| 4 | Hungerford Berkshire | A+ | 9.1 | 85% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 5 | St Ives Cornwall | A | 0.8 | 89% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Budleigh Salterton Devon | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 7 | Edwinstowe Nottinghamshire | A− | 5.6 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 8 | Hoylake Merseyside | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 9 | Brotton North Yorkshire | A− | 1.4 | 89% | 3 | 2% |
| 10 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A− | 3 | 94% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 11 | Northam Devon | A− | 6.8 | 43% | 2 | 16% |
| 12 | Highbridge Somerset | B+ | 2.9 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Sonning Common Oxfordshire | B+ | 2.6 | 60% | 3.7 | 74% |
| 14 | Llantwit Major South Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Drighlington West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.1 | 92% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Whitchurch Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 3.3 | 43% |
| 17 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 94% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Waverley and Catcliffe South Yorkshire | B+ | 8.8 | 65% | 5 | 0% |
| 19 | Shrivenham and Watchfield Oxfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 96% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 20 | Long Ashton Somerset | B+ | 10.2 | 66% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Dartmouth Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 22 | Newent Gloucestershire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Battle East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 64% | 4.3 | 84% |
| 24 | Fremington Devon | B+ | 1.4 | 88% | 2.1 | 10% |
| 25 | Benson Oxfordshire | B | 6 | 44% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 26 | Longstanton and Northstowe Cambridgeshire | B | 4.3 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Rowlands Gill Tyne and Wear | B | 4.9 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Shinfield Berkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Redbourn Hertfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 3.2 | 11% |
| 30 | Iver Heath Buckinghamshire | B | 28.9 | 53% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Virginia Water Surrey | B | 14.5 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 32 | Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire | B− | 1.6 | 84% | 7.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Abercarn Gwent | B− | 3 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Midhurst West Sussex | C+ | 0.3 | 28% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 35 | Brynmawr Gwent | C+ | 1.2 | 68% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 36 | Sacriston County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 72% | 4 | 0% |
| 37 | Helsby Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Oakley Hampshire | C | 1.7 | 56% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 39 | Havercroft and Ryhill West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 81% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Bovingdon Hertfordshire | C | 1.4 | 55% | 2.3 | 26% |
| 41 | Shevington Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Waterbeach Cambridgeshire | C | 1.5 | 94% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Looe Cornwall | C− | 0.1 | 47% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 44 | Long Stratton Norfolk | C− | 1 | 89% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Bayston Hill Shropshire | C− | 1.8 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Ludgershall Wiltshire | C− | 0.7 | 72% | 1.9 | 32% |
| 47 | Llangefni Gwynedd | C− | 1.8 | 95% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Ingatestone Essex | C− | 3.2 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 49 | Measham Leicestershire | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Littlestone-on-Sea Kent | C− | 1.4 | 37% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Long Sutton Lincolnshire | D | 2.2 | 81% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Potton Bedfordshire | D | 1.3 | 77% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Blackrod Greater Manchester | D | 1 | 83% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Wigton Cumbria | D | 2.4 | 65% | 1 | 0% |
| 55 | Thornton West Yorkshire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Moorends South Yorkshire | D | 2.2 | 39% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Winslow Buckinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 59% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Appley Bridge Greater Manchester | D− | 0.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Ravenshead Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Somerton Somerset | D− | 0.6 | 48% | 1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dartmouth’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 Dartmouth
The biggest is Royal Avenue Gardens, 1.2 ha (3 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Coronation Park
Playing field
1.5 ha (4 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Dartmouth 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).
Within 400 m (71%)Further (29%)
Dartmouth71%
Towns its size74%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 1,500 people live further than that. 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 526 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Dartmouth
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
South Devon
Dartmouth is inside it340 km²since 196045% of the land within 5 km
Official site45% of the land within 5 km of Dartmouth is National Park or National Landscape, more than 90% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Dartmouth is on the South West Coast Path
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Dartmouth and the kilometre around it, 1.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
Dart Valley Trail8.9 km
South West Coast Path (Section 40: Torcross to Dartmouth)7.3 km
Diamond Jubilee Way6.6 km
South West Coast Path (Section 41: Dartmouth to Brixham)2.9 km
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Dartmouth. Close to home, the Diamond Jubilee Way has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Dart Valley Trail.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
History inside Dartmouth’s parks
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Dartmouth’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Royal Avenue Gardens
1.2 ha. 3 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstandIIDartmouth War Memorial CrossIITwo Adjacent Telephone Kiosks Approximately 2 Metres to North of the Boat Float
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 Dartmouth: 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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 11 |
| Rain (mm) | 141 | 93 | 80 | 69 | 59 | 66 | 63 | 78 | 71 | 120 | 127 | 132 |
May is the driest month (59 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 141 mm of rain falls in January, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 11 nights a year. The climate in Dartmouth →
The coast
Dartmouth is a coastal town
29% of the area within 5 km of Dartmouth is sea. 12 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 8 with a name.
Compass Cove0.5 mi from town
DirectionsBlackpool Sands1.7 mi from town
DirectionsLandcombe Beach2.0 mi from town
DirectionsForest Cove Beach2.3 mi from town
DirectionsScabbacombe Sands2.4 mi from town
DirectionsLong Sands2.5 mi from town
DirectionsMansands2.8 mi from town
DirectionsStrete Sands3.0 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
4 viewpoints and 10 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 4
Plus 4 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Plus 4 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 10
Coronation Parkin town
DirectionsVenn Lane Play Are1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Dartmouh Higher Ferry slipwayin town
DirectionsHigher Ferry public slipwayin town
DirectionsPlus 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.
Stoke GabrielBrixhamPaigntonTotnesChillingtonMarldonDartmouth
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 45% |
| Stoke Gabriel 4.1 mi | C+ | 1.2 | 70% | 30% |
| Brixham 4.2 mi | A | 3.1 | 76% | 30% |
| Paignton 6.5 mi | A | 1.8 | 84% | 20% |
| Totnes 7.0 mi | C | 0.4 | 65% | 11% |
| Chillington 7.1 mi | C+ | 0.6 | 78% | 55% |
| Marldon 7.3 mi | A− | 4.1 | 70% | 3% |
Brixham, 4.2 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 76% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Dartmouth
What is the biggest park in Dartmouth?
Royal Avenue Gardens, 1.2 ha (3 acres). Coronation Park (1.5 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Dartmouth near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 9.9 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the South Devon National Landscape, at the edge of the town.
What are the best walks near Dartmouth?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Dart Valley Trail, South West Coast Path (Section 40: Torcross to Dartmouth) and Diamond Jubilee Way.
How many people in Dartmouth live near a park?
71% 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 Dartmouth?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Dartmouth good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 23% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 47% (2.1 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 Dartmouth’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Dartmouth’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.