Photo: Ianmacm at English Wikipedia · Public domainPaignton is on the coast, on the South West Coast Path
The sea makes up 26% of the area within 5 km. The South Devon National Landscape reaches the edge of Paignton. Parks and playing fields in Paignton add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Paignton grades A for the outdoors: #5 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Paignton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Paignton’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by its views. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Paignton grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Paignton, 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
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.
Paignton is 18th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 55,200 to 82,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Paignton falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 49 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 2 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 3 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 4 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 5 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 6 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 7 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 8 | Scarborough North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 86% | 3.1 | 17% |
| 9 | Gravesend Kent | A | 1.4 | 84% | 6.4 | 14% |
| 10 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 11 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 12 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 13 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 15 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 16 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 17 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 18 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 19 | Tynemouth Tyne and Wear | A− | 2.2 | 85% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 21 | Hereford Herefordshire | A− | 2.6 | 92% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 22 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 23 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 24 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 25 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 28 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 30 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 32 | Bebington Merseyside | B+ | 3 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Huyton with Roby Merseyside | B+ | 3.7 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 37 | Sale Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 86% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 42 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 45 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 49 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Halesowen West Midlands | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Woking Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Shrewsbury Shropshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Kidderminster Worcestershire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 2.6 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Paignton’s built-up area.
Parks to walk in, in and around Paignton
The biggest is Preston Park, 36 ha (88 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Preston Park and Oldway, are 50% of the named green space and carry 10 km of path between them. 16 of the 27 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Oldway
Goodrington Park
Victoria Park
Chapel Hill Pleasure Grounds
Abbey Park
The Green
Torre Abbey Meadows
All 27 named parks and green spaces
8 in 10 Paignton 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).
About 11,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 76 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 888 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Paignton
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.
South Devon
20% of the land within 5 km of Paignton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 77% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Paignton is on the South West Coast Path
157 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Paignton and the kilometre around it, 3.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Paignton. Close to home, the Greenway Walk has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the John Musgrave Heritage Trail and Orange Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
A historic park in the middle of Paignton
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Paignton’s named parks.
Oldway
7.0 ha. Part of Oldway Mansion, a registered historic park (Grade II). 11 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
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.
The best walking months in Paignton: 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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 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) | 132 | 96 | 82 | 69 | 60 | 64 | 57 | 77 | 70 | 122 | 126 | 135 |
July is the driest month (57 mm) and the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 135 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 15 nights a year. The climate in Paignton →
The coast and beaches near Paignton
26% of the area within 5 km of Paignton is sea. 58 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 29 with a name.
The 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.
14 viewpoints and 76 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
Hills and peaks 17
Plus 9 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 12
Plus 9 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 76
Plus 72 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Slipways 6
Plus 6 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paignton | A | 1.8 | 84% | 20% |
| Marldon 1.4 mi | A− | 4.1 | 70% | 3% |
| Torquay 3.1 mi | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 0% |
| Stoke Gabriel 3.5 mi | C+ | 1.2 | 70% | 30% |
| Kingskerswell 4.1 mi | C+ | 3.5 | 76% | 0% |
| Brixham 4.2 mi | A | 3.1 | 76% | 30% |
| Ipplepen 4.3 mi | D− | 0.8 | 42% | 0% |
Brixham, 4.2 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 76% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Marldon has at least twice Paignton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Paignton
What is the biggest park in Paignton?
Preston Park, 36 ha (88 acres), with 7.7 km of path. Oldway (7.0 ha) is second. 27 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Paignton near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 6.5 mi north-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 South Devon National Landscape, at the edge of the town.
What are the best walks near Paignton?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the John Musgrave Heritage Trail, South West Coast Path (Section 42: Brixham to Babbacombe) and Orange Way. Preston Park alone has 7.7 km of path.
How many people in Paignton live near a park?
84% 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 Paignton?
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 Paignton are historic?
Oldway Mansion (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Paignton good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 62% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 38% (1.8 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 Paignton’s overall grade.
Where Paignton’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.