Exminster’s biggest
Bowling Green Park
Park or garden
0.6 ha (2 acres)0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Exminster
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Exminster · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Exminster lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The East Devon National Landscape begins 4.2 mi from the town’s edge. The sea makes up 7% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Exminster add up to 2.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Exminster grades A− for the outdoors: #9 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
27 km
2.7 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 4.2 mi out, past the 5 km
The sea
7%
of the area within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Exminster?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Countryside both waysEast Devon starts 4.2 mi east, Dartmoor 6.0 mi west.
Exminster’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Outdoors grade
Exminster grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Exminster, 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 81% of UK towns#9 of 47 in Devon · 10th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
58out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · East Devon begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
50out of
100
100
The sea7%of the area within 5 km
85out 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
Exminster is 10th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,200 to 4,600 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
Exminster2.7
Towns its size2.6
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Exminster2.5
Towns its size1.7
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Exminster100%
Towns its size87%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Exminster stands out most for park space per resident: only 19 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keswick Cumbria | A+ | 9.1 | 100% | 4.1 | 100% |
| 2 | Lawford Essex | A+ | 3.4 | 94% | 2.8 | 40% |
| 3 | Great Denham Bedfordshire | A | 14.7 | 100% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 4 | Aberbargoed Gwent | A | 22.8 | 95% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 5 | Denaby Main South Yorkshire | A | 10.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Overton Hampshire | A | 3.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 45% |
| 7 | Kimberley Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Whittle-le-Woods Lancashire | A− | 7.7 | 91% | 4 | 0% |
| 9 | Loftus North Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 90% | 2 | 31% |
| 10 | Exminster Devon | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Arborfield Garrison Berkshire | A− | 10.4 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 12 | Stokenchurch Buckinghamshire | A− | 2.3 | 90% | 2.6 | 86% |
| 13 | Horsford Norfolk | B+ | 6.5 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Girton Cambridgeshire | B+ | 2.8 | 92% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Elmswell Suffolk | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Clayton West and Scissett West Yorkshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Winchcombe Gloucestershire | B | 2.2 | 60% | 3 | 81% |
| 18 | Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire | B | 4.5 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Earby Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 93% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Woodford Halse Northamptonshire | B− | 3.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Alderley Edge Cheshire | B− | 2.2 | 86% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Wilton Wiltshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 23 | Tibshelf Derbyshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Ferndale Mid Glamorgan | B− | 3.6 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Woburn Sands Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Milford on Sea Hampshire | C+ | 1.2 | 50% | 2.1 | 21% |
| 27 | Stamford Bridge East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Backwell Somerset | C+ | 2.3 | 57% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Halfway Houses Kent | C | 1.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Queen's Hills Norfolk | C | 0.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 31 | Backworth Tyne and Wear | C | 2 | 59% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Hope Clwyd | C | 8.5 | 64% | 2 | 0% |
| 33 | Clapham Bedfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Kilburn and Horsley Woodhouse Derbyshire | C | 1.6 | 75% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Skelmanthorpe West Yorkshire | C | 1 | 88% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Brundall Norfolk | C | 1.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 20% |
| 37 | Meopham Kent | C | 1.3 | 53% | 2.5 | 35% |
| 38 | Uppingham Rutland | C | 2.2 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Long Lawford Warwickshire | C | 1.2 | 91% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Branston Lincolnshire | C | 2.1 | 86% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Llangennech Dyfed | C | 1.6 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Cuffley Hertfordshire | C− | 13.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Wesham Lancashire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Chudleigh Devon | C− | 0.3 | 83% | 1.4 | 15% |
| 45 | Saxilby Lincolnshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Epworth Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 75% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 47 | Doddington and Wimblington Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.5 | 73% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Great Ayton North Yorkshire | C− | 0.2 | 48% | 2.2 | 31% |
| 49 | Freckleton Lancashire | D | 0.4 | 73% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | West Kingsdown Kent | D | 0.8 | 28% | 1.6 | 52% |
| 51 | North Weald Bassett Essex | D | 1.4 | 67% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Linton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.1 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Shepperton Green Surrey | D | 1.4 | 73% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Banks Lancashire | D | 0.3 | 33% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Blidworth Nottinghamshire | D | 0.5 | 23% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Broughton Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 39% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Kegworth Leicestershire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Wheatley Oxfordshire | D− | 0.2 | 34% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Warboys Cambridgeshire | D− | 0.4 | 67% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Pinchbeck Lincolnshire | D− | 1 | 49% | 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 Exminster’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 Exminster
The biggest is Bowling Green Park, 0.6 ha (2 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Exminster’s homes are to 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Exminster100%
Towns its size87%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
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 244 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
East Devon and Dartmoor both start about 6 miles from Exminster
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 Exminster scores 0% on it even though the East Devon National Landscape is 4.2 mi away. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Exminster
27 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Exminster and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Orange Way18.5 km
Exe Valley Way7.1 km
Two Counties Way7.1 km
Exminster to Kenton6.2 km
Exeter Green Circle0.4 km
3 regional routes pass through, including the Orange Way, Exe Valley Way and Two Counties Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Exminster: 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 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 91 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 51 | 54 | 47 | 60 | 57 | 89 | 100 | 95 |
July is the driest month (47 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 100 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 32 nights a year. The climate in Exminster →
The coast
Exminster is near the sea
7% of the area within 5 km of Exminster is sea. 4 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 0 with a name.
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
10 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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 10
Plus 10 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 5
Powderham Marshes34 ha · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsExminster Marshes107 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsMatford Marshes13 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsOld Sludge Beds Nature Reserve (DWCT)4.2 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsTopsham Community Orchard0.3 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites 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.
TopshamClyst St MaryExtonExeterLympstoneWoodburyExminster
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Woodbury, 4.2 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Clyst St Mary has at least twice Exminster’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Exminster
What is the biggest park in Exminster?
Bowling Green Park, 0.6 ha (2 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Exminster near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 6.0 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, 4.2 mi away.
What are the best walks near Exminster?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Orange Way, Exe Valley Way and Two Counties Way.
How many people in Exminster 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 Exminster?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Exminster good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 50% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 58% (2.5 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 Exminster’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Exminster’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.