Dawlish’s biggest
Dawlish Countryside Park
Park or garden · 10 m outside town
27 ha (68 acres)5.2 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.2 km of path
38 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Robin Stott · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Dawlish · parks, paths & countryside
Dawlish is on the coast, on the South West Coast Path
The sea makes up 43% of the area within 5 km. The East Devon National Landscape begins 2.6 mi from the town’s edge. 93% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Dawlish grades A for the outdoors: #6 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
93%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
43 km
2.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
East Devon starts 2.6 mi out, past the 5 km
The sea
43%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Dawlish?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast43% of the area within 5 km is sea; 26 beaches mapped.Hills with a view6 mapped viewpoints, about 6× as many per resident as the typical town its size.Countryside close byThe East Devon National Landscape starts 2.6 mi north-east.On a National TrailThe South West Coast Path passes through.
Dawlish’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by its views.
Outdoors grade
Dawlish grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Dawlish, 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 85% of UK towns#6 of 47 in Devon · 13th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
50out of
100
100
A park within a walk93%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
71out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · East Devon begins just past 5 km
62out of
100
100
Footpaths2.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
41out of
100
100
The sea43%of the area within 5 km
97out 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
Dawlish is 13th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 11,200 to 12,400 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
Dawlish2.4
Towns its size3.0
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Dawlish2.1
Towns its size2.0
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Dawlish93%
Towns its size84%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Dawlish falls furthest behind on path per km², where 41 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tring Hertfordshire | A+ | 5.7 | 95% | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 3 | Chepstow Gwent | A+ | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 4 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 5 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 6 | Brockworth Gloucestershire | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 5.1 | 46% |
| 7 | Waltham Cross Hertfordshire | A | 10.6 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 9 | Southwick West Sussex | A | 1.1 | 100% | 2.6 | 34% |
| 10 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 11 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 12 | Killingworth Tyne and Wear | A | 4.7 | 97% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 15 | Matlock Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 76% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 16 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 17 | Bridport Dorset | A− | 0.9 | 75% | 3.7 | 71% |
| 18 | Barton-upon-Humber Lincolnshire | A− | 5.9 | 97% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 20 | New Milton Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 1.9 | 38% |
| 21 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 22 | Haslemere Surrey | B+ | 1 | 78% | 5.1 | 80% |
| 23 | Bentley South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Worsley Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.7 | 86% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 25 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 26 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 27 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 28 | Littleborough Greater Manchester | B | 5 | 85% | 3 | 0% |
| 29 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Stotfold Bedfordshire | B | 2.1 | 96% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 34 | Ystrad Mynach Gwent | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Honiton Devon | B− | 1.3 | 90% | 2 | 73% |
| 36 | Chigwell Essex | B− | 2.9 | 64% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 38 | Wells Somerset | B− | 1.7 | 65% | 3.4 | 26% |
| 39 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 41 | Ince-in-Makerfield Greater Manchester | B− | 2 | 74% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Kingsteignton Devon | B− | 1.9 | 95% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Bridgnorth Shropshire | C− | 2.4 | 66% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Haverfordwest Dyfed | C− | 1 | 85% | 1.4 | 8% |
| 50 | Oakham Rutland | C− | 1.8 | 86% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Market Drayton Shropshire | C− | 1.5 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Codsall Staffordshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Sarn Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Desborough Northamptonshire | D | 0.6 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Thorne South Yorkshire | D− | 1.6 | 65% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dawlish’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 Dawlish
The biggest is Dawlish Countryside Park, 27 ha (68 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 32 ha (79 acres) and 8 km of path
Parks & gardens 32 ha
The two biggest, Dawlish Countryside Park and York Gardens, are 93% of the named green space and carry 6 km of path between them.
York Gardens
Park or garden
2.1 ha (5 acres)1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Dawlish
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Manor Grounds
Park or garden
1.9 ha (5 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Dawlish
Playground 1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lea Mount Grounds
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Dawlish 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 (93%)Further (7%)
Dawlish93%
Towns its size84%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 18 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 656 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The East Devon National Landscape is 2.6 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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Dawlish scores 0% on it even though the East Devon National Landscape is 2.6 mi away. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Dawlish is on the South West Coast Path
43 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Dawlish 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.
NationalLocalOther waymarked
South West Coast Path (Section 43: Babbacombe to Exmouth)10.0 km
Teignmouth & Dawlish Way9.0 km
Red Trail2.2 km
Dawlish Ale Trail2.2 km
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Dawlish. Close to home, the Teignmouth & Dawlish Way has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town.
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 registered historic park in Dawlish
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Dawlish’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IIStonelands House1.0 ha
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 Dawlish: 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 | 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 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 93 | 77 | 74 | 63 | 56 | 61 | 48 | 68 | 64 | 109 | 105 | 110 |
July is the driest month (48 mm) and the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 110 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 15 nights a year. The climate in Dawlish →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Dawlish
43% of the area within 5 km of Dawlish is sea. 26 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 12 with a name.
Dawlish Town Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCoryton's Cove Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsRed Rock Beach0.1 mi from town
DirectionsTeignmouth Beach1.7 mi from town
DirectionsPirate Cove1.9 mi from town
DirectionsGales Hill1.9 mi from town
DirectionsEast Pole Sand2.0 mi from town
DirectionsSprat Sand2.1 mi from town
DirectionsExmouth Beach2.2 mi from town
DirectionsShaldon Beach2.3 mi from town
DirectionsNess Beach2.6 mi from town
DirectionsSable collecté - Ness Beach2.6 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
6 viewpoints and 18 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.
6Viewpoints6.1× towns its size2Nature reserves1Picnic sites18Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Campsites2Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Teignmouth Letters1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Frobisher Wood0.7 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsDawlish Warren National Nature Reserve153 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 18
Little Week Gardens Play Areain town
DirectionsManor Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 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.
Dawlish WarrenTeignmouthStarcrossShaldonBishopsteigntonExmouthDawlish
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawlish | A | 2.1 | 93% | 0% |
| Dawlish Warren 1.3 mi | A | 21.1 | 73% | 1% |
| Teignmouth 2.6 mi | B− | 1.7 | 82% | 0% |
| Starcross 2.9 mi | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1% |
| Shaldon 3.7 mi | B− | 1.7 | 85% | 0% |
| Bishopsteignton 4.0 mi | C | 3.0 | 62% | 0% |
| Exmouth 4.3 mi | A− | 1.4 | 82% | 21% |
Dawlish Warren, 1.3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 73% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Dawlish Warren has at least twice Dawlish’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Dawlish
What is the biggest park in Dawlish?
Dawlish Countryside Park, 27 ha (68 acres), with 5.2 km of path, just outside the built-up area. York Gardens (2.1 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Dawlish near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 6.9 mi 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 East Devon National Landscape, 2.6 mi away.
What are the best walks near Dawlish?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the South West Coast Path (Section 43: Babbacombe to Exmouth), Teignmouth & Dawlish Way and Red Trail. Dawlish Countryside Park alone has 5.2 km of path.
How many people in Dawlish live near a park?
93% 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 Dawlish?
May 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 Dawlish are historic?
Stonelands House (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Dawlish good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 41% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 50% (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 Dawlish’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Dawlish’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.