Exton Farmhouse · Photo: Simon Cobb · CC0Exton is on the coast
The sea makes up 12% of the area within 5 km. The East Devon National Landscape begins 1.8 mi from the village’s edge. 6 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 0.6 for every square kilometre. Exton grades A− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Exton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Exton’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Exton grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Exton, 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
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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.
Exton is 10th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,200 to 1,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Exton stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 53 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hightown Hampshire | A+ | 15.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 58% |
| 2 | Rough Common Kent | A+ | 11 | 100% | 9.2 | 1% |
| 3 | Box Wiltshire | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 3.9 | 56% |
| 4 | Aldington Kent | A+ | 4.6 | 100% | 3.8 | 11% |
| 5 | Holybourne Hampshire | A+ | 12.2 | 100% | 2.7 | 23% |
| 6 | Amberley Gloucestershire | A | 13.7 | 0% | 6.3 | 87% |
| 7 | Box Hill Surrey | A | 35.9 | 12% | 6 | 39% |
| 8 | Cliffs End Kent | A | 6.9 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 9 | South Heath Buckinghamshire | A− | 20.4 | 0% | 3 | 85% |
| 10 | Exton Devon | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 0.6 | 7% |
| 11 | Westfield East Sussex | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 83% |
| 12 | New Brancepeth County Durham | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Baddesley Ensor Warwickshire | B+ | 18.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Marshfield Gloucestershire | B+ | 4.9 | 42% | 2.7 | 99% |
| 15 | Farningham Kent | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 33% |
| 16 | Lidlington Bedfordshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Minster Lovell Oxfordshire | B | 3.6 | 79% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 18 | Sutton Benger Wiltshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Beer Devon | B | 1.6 | 50% | 2.2 | 43% |
| 20 | Weir Lancashire | B | 0.6 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 21 | Codmore Hill West Sussex | B− | 3.5 | 0% | 2.7 | 46% |
| 22 | Potten End Hertfordshire | B− | 2.4 | 73% | 2.2 | 44% |
| 23 | Blindley Heath Surrey | B− | 3.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 24 | Blakeney Gloucestershire | B− | 2.1 | 68% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Fowlmere Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.5 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Marlpit Hill Kent | B− | 2.5 | 0% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 27 | Burham Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 77% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 28 | Gaerwen Gwynedd | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 0.4 | 7% |
| 29 | Weobley Herefordshire | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 30 | North Duffield North Yorkshire | C | 2.6 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Biddulph Moor Staffordshire | C | 8.4 | 43% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Silkstone Common South Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Coedhirwaun West Glamorgan | C | 2 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Nefyn Gwynedd | C | 0 | 0% | 2 | 24% |
| 35 | Foxton Cambridgeshire | C | 2.3 | 84% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Atworth Wiltshire | C− | 1.5 | 62% | 2.2 | 13% |
| 37 | Ninfield East Sussex | C− | 1.8 | 50% | 1.4 | 50% |
| 38 | Spratton Northamptonshire | C− | 2.3 | 85% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Weeley Essex | C− | 7.5 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Langthorpe North Yorkshire | C− | 0.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Aldbrough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 26% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Wooden Dyfed | D | 0.1 | 0% | 0.4 | 18% |
| 43 | Yardley Gobion Northamptonshire | D | 1.2 | 47% | 3 | 0% |
| 44 | East Markham Nottinghamshire | D | 2.2 | 46% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Bampton Devon | D | 1.5 | 22% | 1.6 | 5% |
| 46 | Pagham West Sussex | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 47 | Heddon-on-the-Wall Northumberland | D | 0.6 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Colsterworth Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 67% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Hockwold cum Wilton Norfolk | D | 1.6 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Garsington Oxfordshire | D | 0.4 | 65% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Fleet Hargate Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 76% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Appleby Magna Leicestershire | D | 1.7 | 46% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | Saham Toney Norfolk | D | 3 | 18% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Croeserw West Glamorgan | D | 1.3 | 33% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Byfield Northamptonshire | D | 1.9 | 48% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Hadham Cross Hertfordshire | D | 0 | 0% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Elvington North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Felton Northumberland | D− | 1.7 | 50% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Deeping St Nicholas Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 80% | 0 | 0% |
| 60 | Hunger Hill Greater Manchester | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Exton’s built-up area.
Everyone in Exton 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; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 161 residents.
The East Devon National Landscape is 1.8 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.
7% of the land within 5 km of Exton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 68% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Exton
6 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Exton and the kilometre around it, 0.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
4 regional routes pass through, including the Orange Way, Exe Valley Way, Two Counties Way and East Devon 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 Exton: 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 | 16.5 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 88 | 70 | 72 | 58 | 57 | 52 | 44 | 64 | 67 | 98 | 93 | 104 |
July is the driest month (44 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 104 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in Exton →
The coast and beaches near Exton
12% of the area within 5 km of Exton is sea. 7 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 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.
7 viewpoints and 8 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
Nature reserves 3
Playgrounds 8
Plus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways 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.
Woodbury, 1.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Exton
Is Exton near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 8.5 mi west of the village’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, 1.8 mi away.
What are the best walks near Exton?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Orange Way, Exe Valley Way and Two Counties Way.
How many people in Exton 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 Exton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Exton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 3% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 52% (2.2 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 Exton’s overall grade.
Where Exton’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.