Plymouth is on the coast, on the South West Coast Path
The sea makes up 16% of the area within 5 km. The Tamar Valley National Landscape and the South Devon National Landscape both begin about a mile from the city’s edge. Footpaths add up to 630 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 4.9 for every square kilometre. Plymouth grades A+ for the outdoors: #1 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Plymouth’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Plymouth grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Plymouth, 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 96% of UK towns#1 of 47 in Devon · 1st of 46 UK cities its size
Public green space1.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
36out of 100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
61out of 100
National Park or National Landscape35%of the land within 5 km
86out of 100
Footpaths4.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
92out of 100
The sea16%of the area within 5 km
88out of 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.
Cities its size
Plymouth is 1st of 46 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 46 UK towns and cities of 187,000 to 360,000 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
Plymouth4.9
Cities its size4.9
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Plymouth1.7
Cities its size2.0
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Plymouth87%
Cities its size84%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Plymouth falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 29 of the 45 others do better.
The biggest is Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, 360 ha (890 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 30 named parks by size: 1,036 ha (2,560 acres) and 97 km of path
Parks & gardens 1,006 haPlaying fields 30 ha
The two biggest, Mount Edgcumbe Country Park and Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, are 69% of the named green space and carry 59 km of path between them. 10 of the 30 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
9 in 10 Plymouth 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).
Within 400 m (87%)Further (13%)
Plymouth87%
Cities its size84%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 35,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 211 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,265 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Tamar Valley and South Devon both start about a mile from Plymouth
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
National Landscape
Tamar Valley
At the edge north-west196 km²since 199518% of the land within 5 km
35% of the land within 5 km of Plymouth is National Park or National Landscape, more than 85% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Plymouth is on the South West Coast Path
630 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Plymouth and the kilometre around it, 4.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
NationalRegionalLocalOther waymarked
The Co-operative Way21.2 km
South West Coast Path (Section 36: Plymouth to Wembury Point)18.1 km
Erme-Plym Trail13.2 km
West Devon Way13.0 km
Wixenford Way, Saltram6.9 km
Tamar Valley Discovery Trail5.3 km
Hoe Trail4.7 km
South West Coast Path (Section 35: Portwrinkle to Plymouth)4.3 km
Meadow Path, Saltram4.0 km
Plymouth City Trail3.4 km
European long distance path E9 - part alternative Great Britain3.1 km
Budshead Wood Red Walking Route2.4 km
Turnpike Trail, Saltram2.1 km
Mayflower Trail1.9 km
Saltram boundary walk, Saltram1.7 km
Saltram pillars walk, Saltram1.5 km
Plus 3 more waymarked walks on the map.
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Plymouth. Close to home, the The Co-operative Way has 21 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Erme-Plym Trail, West Devon Way and Tamar Valley Discovery 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
6 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Plymouth’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Hoe Park
11 ha. Part of The Hoe, a registered historic park (Grade II). 13 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Plymouth Naval War Memorial (Grade I).
IPlymouth Naval War MemorialII*Armada MemorialII*Drake StatueII*Elliot Terrace Numbers 1 to 8 Including 6A and Walls and Gate PiersII*The Esplanade Numbers 1 to 8 and Forecourt Walls and RailingsIIBelvedereIIGate Piers at South End of StreetIIK6 Telephone Kiosk (Adjacent to Park Keepers Lodge)IIPark Keepers LodgeIIPrince Christian Victor MemorialIIShelter Immediately West of the Belverdere, Hoe RoadIIVictorian Drinking Fountain Memorial in Hoe ParkIIWar Memorial at North West Corner of the Hoe
Registered · Grade II*Ford Park Cemetery4.2 ha
Registered · Grade II*Saltram House4.6 ha
Registered · Grade IICivic Square1.7 ha
Registered · Grade IIDevonport Park16 haInside: HMS Doris Memorial Gun and 2 more
Registered · Grade IIPlympton House3.0 ha
Listed buildings insideDevils Point ParkClarence Steps, South West Quay Wall and 2 Bollards, Royal William Victualling Yard and Reservoir and Enclosing Iron Railings, Royal William Victualling Yard
Listed buildings insideMount Pleasant Recreation GroundMount Pleasant Redoubt and Mount Pleasant Blockhouse
Listed buildings insidePenlee GardensLamp Standard Opposite Number 11, Lamp Standard Opposite Number 12 and Lamp Standard Opposite Number 7 and 5 more
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 Plymouth: May to September
The city’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
14
16
19
21
21
19
15
12
10
Rain (mm)
121
96
80
72
66
71
74
87
76
123
129
135
May is the driest month (66 mm) and July 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 19 nights a year. The climate in Plymouth →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Plymouth
16% of the area within 5 km of Plymouth is sea. 21 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 3 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
33 viewpoints and 211 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Saltash, 4.5 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 96% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Plymouth
What is the biggest park in Plymouth?
Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, 360 ha (890 acres), with 29.3 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Mount Edgcumbe Country Park (360 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Plymouth near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 0.4 mi north of the city’s edge. It covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Tamar Valley National Landscape, at the edge of the city.
What are the best walks near Plymouth?
19 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the The Co-operative Way, South West Coast Path (Section 36: Plymouth to Wembury Point) and Erme-Plym Trail. Mount Edgcumbe Country Park alone has 29.3 km of path.
How many people in Plymouth live near a park?
87% 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 Plymouth?
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 Plymouth are historic?
Civic Square (Grade II), Devonport Park (Grade II), Plympton House (Grade II) and The Hoe (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Plymouth good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 92% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 36% (1.7 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 Plymouth’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Pete Cruse · CC BY-SA 2.0