Plymouth, #1 on this list · Photo: Pete Cruse · CC BY-SA 2.0

Devon rankings · Outdoors

Best towns for the outdoors in Devon

Plymouth ranks first on outdoors among Devon’s 47 towns of 2,500+; 14 of the 47 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Plymouth

266,970 people

A⁺

Better than 96% of UK towns·#72 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Ilfracombe

9,199 people

Better than 92% of UK towns·#151 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Brixham

17,839 people

Better than 92% of UK towns·#165 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 47 towns, ranked

Outdoors grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Devon →

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47 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Plymouth266,970 peopleA⁺#72 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 96% of UK towns

2Ilfracombe9,199 peopleA#151 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

3Brixham17,839 peopleA#165 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

4Sidmouth13,258 peopleA#171 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

5Paignton67,509 peopleA#328 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

6Dawlish11,800 peopleA#336 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

7Budleigh Salterton5,237 peopleA⁻#380 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns

8Westward Ho!3,468 peopleA⁻#421 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns

9Exminster4,388 peopleA⁻#439 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

10Seaton7,429 peopleA⁻#529 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 78% of UK towns

11Tavistock12,676 peopleA⁻#560 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

12Northam5,191 peopleA⁻#569 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

13Exmouth35,502 peopleA⁻#578 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

14Combe Martin2,707 peopleA⁻#581 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

15Kingsbridge5,682 peopleB⁺#640 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 73% of UK towns

16Ivybridge12,485 peopleB⁺#654 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

17Cranbrook4,936 peopleB⁺#753 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 68% of UK towns

18Torquay52,034 peopleB⁺#773 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 68% of UK towns

19Dartmouth5,260 peopleB⁺#788 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns

20Fremington5,229 peopleB⁺#824 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns

21Buckfastleigh2,720 peopleB⁺#830 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns

22Axminster6,094 peopleB#857 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 64% of UK towns

23Braunton6,610 peopleB#899 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns

24Bovey Tracey6,241 peopleB⁻#1,124 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 53% of UK towns

25Cullompton8,895 peopleB⁻#1,141 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

26Honiton12,155 peopleB⁻#1,159 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

27Topsham4,193 peopleB⁻#1,173 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 51% of UK towns

28Exeter126,181 peopleB⁻#1,233 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

29Great Torrington5,958 peopleB⁻#1,262 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns

30Kingsteignton11,945 peopleB⁻#1,287 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns

31Teignmouth15,314 peopleB⁻#1,301 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns

32Kingskerswell3,761 peopleC⁺#1,322 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns

33South Molton6,226 peopleC⁺#1,324 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns

34Crediton7,971 peopleC⁺#1,393 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

35Okehampton9,108 peopleC⁺#1,428 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

36Newton Abbot29,650 peopleC⁺#1,439 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

37Bideford19,493 peopleC⁺#1,453 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns

38Barnstaple31,271 peopleC#1,586 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

39Ashburton3,368 peopleC#1,611 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns

40South Brent2,643 peopleC#1,638 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

41Totnes9,217 peopleC#1,657 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

42Ottery St Mary6,043 peopleC⁻#1,761 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

43Holsworthy3,472 peopleC⁻#1,777 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

44Chudleigh4,372 peopleC⁻#1,856 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 19% of UK towns

45West Clyst2,683 peopleC⁻#1,877 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

46Willand3,477 peopleC⁻#1,885 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

47Tiverton19,710 peopleD#1,977 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Devon is best for the outdoors?

Plymouth ranks first on outdoors among 47 towns, with an A+: better than 96% of UK towns. Ilfracombe and Brixham follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Devon’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Devon is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Devon lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Devon rankings →

Best places to live47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Best small towns30 towns · #1 Ottery St Mary Most affordable towns47 towns · #1 Tiverton Safest towns47 towns · #1 Budleigh Salterton Towns with the best schools47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Healthiest towns47 towns · #1 Ottery St Mary Best towns for jobs & income47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Most walkable towns47 towns · #1 Exeter Towns with the lowest flood risk47 towns · #1 West Clyst and Willand Most historic towns47 towns · #1 Dartmouth Towns with the most civic life47 towns · #1 Holsworthy Towns with the highest household incomes47 towns · #1 CranbrookDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax47 towns · #1 PlymouthDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers47 towns · #1 Exminster and TopshamDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers47 towns · #1 Combe MartinDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no letters Driest towns47 towns · #1 ExmouthDescribed, no letters Wettest towns47 towns · #1 BuckfastleighDescribed, no letters

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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.