Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Mike Crowe · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Heathfield add up to 20.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Dartmoor National Park begins 0.6 mi from the village’s edge. Heathfield grades A+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Heathfield’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by parks close to every home.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Heathfield, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,400 to 1,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Heathfield stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 59 has more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chambercombe Devon | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 2.8 | 29% |
| 2 | Ashurst Wood West Sussex | A+ | 4 | 100% | 3.4 | 81% |
| 3 | Heathfield Devon | A+ | 20.4 | 100% | 3 | 30% |
| 4 | Charlton Down Dorset | A | 4 | 100% | 2.3 | 58% |
| 5 | Newburn Tyne and Wear | A | 12.1 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 6 | Ewhurst Surrey | A | 4.3 | 76% | 4.6 | 46% |
| 7 | Gargrave North Yorkshire | A | 5.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 41% |
| 8 | Three Crosses West Glamorgan | A | 2.4 | 100% | 1.3 | 39% |
| 9 | Denham Buckinghamshire | A− | 5.7 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Knowle Hampshire | A− | 2 | 100% | 3.1 | 7% |
| 11 | Hale Cheshire | A− | 4.8 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Littleton Hampshire | A− | 7.8 | 100% | 1.1 | 10% |
| 13 | Twyford Hampshire | A− | 6.8 | 49% | 3.3 | 44% |
| 14 | Holme Cumbria | A− | 2.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 25% |
| 15 | Temple Cloud Somerset | B+ | 2.6 | 77% | 3.9 | 15% |
| 16 | Great Bowden Leicestershire | B+ | 6.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 17 | Offenham Worcestershire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 18 | Kensworth Bedfordshire | B | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 59% |
| 19 | Hellifield North Yorkshire | B | 1.3 | 100% | 2.2 | 38% |
| 20 | Sturminster Marshall Dorset | B | 2 | 100% | 1.4 | 30% |
| 21 | Pont Rhyd-y-cyff Mid Glamorgan | B | 4.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Houghton Cumbria | B | 1.7 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Wingrave Buckinghamshire | B− | 3.7 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Kingstone Herefordshire | B− | 3.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Kibblesworth Tyne and Wear | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Netherne on-the-Hill Surrey | B− | 1.6 | 40% | 5.9 | 19% |
| 27 | Collingtree and Milton Malsor Northamptonshire | B− | 4.9 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 28 | Trinant Gwent | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Nether Stowey Somerset | C+ | 1.9 | 18% | 3 | 39% |
| 30 | Killinghall North Yorkshire | C+ | 1 | 100% | 1.6 | 7% |
| 31 | Langley Vale Surrey | C+ | 0.8 | 53% | 5.5 | 7% |
| 32 | Gretton Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Nether Heyford Northamptonshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Bassingham Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.2 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Connor Downs Cornwall | C | 0.5 | 79% | 0.7 | 8% |
| 36 | Barton Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 47% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Eythorne Kent | C | 0.5 | 79% | 2.5 | 9% |
| 38 | Horndon on the Hill Essex | C | 3.5 | 81% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Brabourne Lees Kent | C | 0.9 | 0% | 3.2 | 34% |
| 40 | Alveley Shropshire | C− | 5.4 | 51% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Cogenhoe Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 78% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Hartwell Northamptonshire | C− | 1.2 | 59% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Silverton Devon | C− | 1 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Ruishton Somerset | C− | 0.6 | 60% | 2.7 | 4% |
| 45 | Denbury Devon | C− | 2.8 | 24% | 0.7 | 3% |
| 46 | Pontyberem Dyfed | C− | 4.7 | 58% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 47 | East Rainton Tyne and Wear | D | 1.4 | 34% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Hook East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 19% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 49 | North Somercotes Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 44% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Pontyates Dyfed | D | 4.6 | 39% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Cawood North Yorkshire | D | 1.9 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Braunston Northamptonshire | D | 1.8 | 50% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Copplestone Devon | D | 1.1 | 88% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Oakington Cambridgeshire | D | 2.1 | 52% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Stockton Warwickshire | D | 1.5 | 44% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Newton-with-Scales Lancashire | D | 1.4 | 76% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Badersfield Norfolk | D− | 0.3 | 53% | 1 | 2% |
| 58 | Sturton by Stow Lincolnshire | D− | 1.7 | 41% | 1 | 0% |
| 59 | Tilney St Lawrence Norfolk | D− | 1.5 | 53% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Great Bricett Suffolk | D− | 1.2 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Heathfield’s built-up area.
The biggest is Stover Country Park, 104 ha (257 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
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; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 107 residents.
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.
30% of the land within 5 km of Heathfield is National Park or National Landscape, more than 83% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Heathfield and the kilometre around it, 3.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Great Plantation Loop has 5 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Templer Way, Dartmoor Way and Orange Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 142 | 93 | 85 | 71 | 64 | 61 | 55 | 68 | 69 | 123 | 121 | 127 |
July is the driest month (55 mm) and the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 142 mm of rain falls in January, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 21 nights a year. The climate in Heathfield →
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.
Heathfield is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 2 nature reserves without a name on the map.
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathfield | A+ | 20.4 | 100% | 30% |
| Coldeast 1.0 mi | C+ | 1.6 | 47% | 30% |
| Chudleigh Knighton 1.6 mi | C− | 1.0 | 46% | 16% |
| Bovey Tracey 1.9 mi | B− | 2.2 | 66% | 55% |
| Kingsteignton 2.9 mi | B− | 1.9 | 95% | 0% |
| Newton Abbot 3.3 mi | C+ | 2.6 | 62% | 6% |
| Chudleigh 3.4 mi | C− | 0.3 | 83% | 15% |
Heathfield grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Stover Country Park, 104 ha (257 acres), with 6.8 km of path, just outside the built-up area. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 0.6 mi west of the village’s edge. It covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Templer Way, Great Plantation Loop and Stover Heritage Trail. Stover Country Park alone has 6.8 km of path.
Shaldon Beach, 6.5 mi from the edge of the village, then Gales Hill (6.5 mi). Heathfield itself is inland.
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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
About average for paths: 3.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 60% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 99% (20.4 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Heathfield’s overall grade.
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.