Great Torrington’s biggest
Donnacroft Playing Field
Playing field
5.1 ha (13 acres)0.2 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Great Torrington · parks, paths & countryside
88% of Great Torrington’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The North Devon National Landscape begins 5.5 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Great Torrington add up to 2.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 34 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.7 for every square kilometre. Great Torrington grades B− for the outdoors: #29 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
88%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
34 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
North Devon starts 5.5 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Great Torrington?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside close byThe North Devon National Landscape starts 5.5 mi north-west.Historic parksGreat Torrington Cemetery is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Great Torrington’s strongest suit is the North Devon National Landscape close by, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Great Torrington grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Great Torrington, 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 47% of UK towns#29 of 47 in Devon · 32nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
61out of
100
100
A park within a walk88%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · North Devon begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
51out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out 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
Great Torrington is 32nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,700 to 6,200 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
Great Torrington2.7
Towns its size2.7
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Great Torrington2.6
Towns its size2.0
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Great Torrington88%
Towns its size81%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Great Torrington stands out most for park space per resident: only 16 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 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 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 11 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 13 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 14 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 15 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 16 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Crofton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Axminster Devon | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 66% |
| 23 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 24 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 25 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 26 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 29 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 31 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Oakdale Gwent | C+ | 5.2 | 79% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 36 | Lower Willingdon East Sussex | C+ | 0.8 | 57% | 4.2 | 33% |
| 37 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 39 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 42 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 43 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 47 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 49 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Cottenham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 86% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Thurcroft South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Great Torrington’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 Great Torrington
The biggest is Donnacroft Playing Field, 5.1 ha (13 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Rack Park
Park or garden
0.3 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Great Torrington
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Great Torrington’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 (88%)Further (12%)
Great Torrington88%
Towns its size81%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 12 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 497 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The North Devon National Landscape is 5.5 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 Great Torrington scores 0% on it even though the North Devon National Landscape is 5.5 mi away. Exmoor National Park covers 693 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Great Torrington
34 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Great Torrington 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.
RegionalOther waymarked
Great Torrington Circular5.9 km
Tarka Trail4.5 km
The regional route here is the Tarka 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
A registered historic park in Great Torrington
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Great Torrington’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IIGreat Torrington Cemetery0.4 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 Great Torrington: 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 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 120 | 90 | 76 | 68 | 62 | 71 | 77 | 92 | 79 | 123 | 132 | 140 |
May is the driest month (62 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 140 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in Great Torrington →
Things to do
9 viewpoints, 12 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
Great Torrington is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Instow Beach6.9 mi from Great Torrington’s edge
DirectionsWest Appledore7.1 mi from Great Torrington’s edge
DirectionsNortham Beach7.7 mi from Great Torrington’s edge
DirectionsPulley Ridge8.4 mi from Great Torrington’s edge
DirectionsBasett's Ridge8.8 mi from Great Torrington’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 9
Plus 9 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 2
Barley Grove Picnic & Viewpoint0.0 mi from town
DirectionsThe Brash0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 12
Plus 12 playgrounds 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.
BidefordNorthamWestward Ho!AppledoreFremingtonBickingtonGreat Torrington
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Torrington | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 0% |
| Bideford 5.4 mi | C+ | 0.9 | 83% | 11% |
| Northam 6.8 mi | A− | 6.8 | 43% | 16% |
| Westward Ho! 7.4 mi | A− | 12.3 | 63% | 18% |
| Appledore 7.4 mi | B+ | 1.2 | 100% | 16% |
| Fremington 8.1 mi | B+ | 1.4 | 88% | 10% |
| Bickington 8.5 mi | B | 1.4 | 100% | 0% |
Westward Ho!, 7.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 63% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Northam and Westward Ho! have at least twice Great Torrington’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Great Torrington
What is the biggest park in Great Torrington?
Donnacroft Playing Field, 5.1 ha (13 acres). Rack Park (0.3 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Great Torrington near a National Park?
Yes. Exmoor National Park begins 15 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 693 km² and has been a National Park since 1954. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the North Devon National Landscape, 5.5 mi away.
What are the best walks near Great Torrington?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Great Torrington Circular and Tarka Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Great Torrington?
Instow Beach, 6.9 mi from the edge of the town, then West Appledore (7.1 mi). Great Torrington itself is inland.
How many people in Great Torrington live near a park?
88% 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 Great Torrington?
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 Great Torrington are historic?
Great Torrington Cemetery (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Great Torrington good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 51% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 61% (2.6 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 Great Torrington’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Great Torrington’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.