South Brent’s biggest
Palstone Park Recreation Ground
Playing field
3.7 ha (9 acres)0.2 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of South Brent
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0COutdoors Grade
Outdoors in South Brent · parks, paths & countryside
South Brent is inside Dartmoor National Park
Footpaths add up to 7 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 0.8 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in South Brent add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. South Brent grades C for the outdoors: #40 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
79%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
7 km
0.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
64%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Dartmoor National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors town is South Brent?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Inside Dartmoor National ParkSouth Brent sits inside it: 956 km² of protected landscape.Few mapped footpaths0.8 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
South Brent’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
South Brent grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is South Brent, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C
Better than 29% of UK towns#40 of 47 in Devon · 39th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
27out of
100
100
A park within a walk79%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
44out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape64%of the land within 5 km
95out of
100
100
Footpaths0.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
4out 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
South Brent is 39th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,500 to 2,800 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
South Brent0.8
Towns its size2.3
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
South Brent1.5
Towns its size1.9
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
South Brent79%
Towns its size81%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
South Brent falls furthest behind on path per km², where 55 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petworth West Sussex | A+ | 29.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 93% |
| 2 | Ambleside Cumbria | A+ | 6.9 | 92% | 4.6 | 100% |
| 3 | Tywardreath Cornwall | A+ | 4.6 | 100% | 2.5 | 26% |
| 4 | Settle North Yorkshire | A+ | 6.4 | 100% | 3.6 | 73% |
| 5 | Downley Buckinghamshire | A+ | 9.5 | 76% | 7.6 | 71% |
| 6 | Yorkley and Whitecroft Gloucestershire | A | 3.3 | 74% | 6.4 | 1% |
| 7 | Hellingly East Sussex | A | 6.9 | 90% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 8 | Dolgellau Gwynedd | A | 3.6 | 100% | 1.9 | 100% |
| 9 | Hawley Hampshire | A | 6.9 | 92% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Maple Cross Hertfordshire | A | 3.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 11 | Darenth Kent | A− | 1.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 12 | Newington Kent | A− | 2.3 | 78% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 13 | Combe Martin Devon | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 14 | Avonmouth Bristol | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Langold Nottinghamshire | B+ | 13 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Porthmadog Gwynedd | B+ | 0.9 | 94% | 2 | 41% |
| 17 | Blofield Norfolk | B+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 17% |
| 18 | Dipton County Durham | B | 3.2 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 19 | Farington Moss Lancashire | B | 5.9 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Prestbury Cheshire | B | 5.6 | 42% | 3.2 | 6% |
| 21 | Builth Wells Powys | B | 4.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Brynamman Dyfed | B | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 51% |
| 23 | Mancetter and Witherley Warwickshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Cliffe Woods Kent | B− | 1.7 | 62% | 2.5 | 1% |
| 25 | Halton Lancashire | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 35% |
| 26 | Seer Green Buckinghamshire | B− | 1.7 | 38% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 27 | Grimsargh Lancashire | B− | 2.6 | 67% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 28 | Pucklechurch Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 64% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 29 | Godstone Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 3.7 | 18% |
| 30 | Ashington West Sussex | C+ | 1.3 | 86% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 31 | Hurworth-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 4.5 | 93% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Snettisham Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 73% | 1.3 | 32% |
| 33 | Endon Staffordshire | C+ | 3 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Little Dunmow Essex | C+ | 1.1 | 89% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Dunchurch Warwickshire | C+ | 7.8 | 68% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Bosham West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 48% | 1.4 | 58% |
| 37 | Heage Derbyshire | C | 1.9 | 78% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Watlington Norfolk | C | 2.3 | 100% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 39 | South Brent Devon | C | 1.5 | 79% | 0.8 | 64% |
| 40 | Smallfield Surrey | C | 1.6 | 70% | 2.4 | 1% |
| 41 | Marham Norfolk | C | 3.5 | 85% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Shelley West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Wittering Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.1 | 83% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 44 | South Wonston Hampshire | C− | 1.6 | 42% | 2.6 | 7% |
| 45 | Wolston Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Higham Kent | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 1.8 | 18% |
| 47 | Codicote Hertfordshire | C− | 0.4 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Newick East Sussex | C− | 1.7 | 35% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 49 | Hardwick Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Costessey Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 12% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 51 | West Clyst Devon | C− | 0.6 | 59% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Saughall Cheshire | D | 2.5 | 27% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 53 | Christleton and Waverton Cheshire | D | 2.4 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Tonna West Glamorgan | D | 2.1 | 36% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Keele Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 0% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Watton at Stone Hertfordshire | D | 0.8 | 61% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | St Martins Shropshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 0.8 | 2% |
| 58 | Swineshead Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 73% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Manea Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Cranwell Lincolnshire | D− | 0.5 | 57% | 1.1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is South Brent’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 South Brent
The biggest is Palstone Park Recreation Ground, 3.7 ha (9 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
8 in 10 South Brent 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 (79%)Further (21%)
South Brent79%
Towns its size81%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 4 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 661 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around South Brent
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 Park
Dartmoor
South Brent is inside it956 km²since 195154% of the land within 5 km
Official siteNational Landscape
South Devon
1.0 mi south-east340 km²since 196010% of the land within 5 km
Official site64% of the land within 5 km of South Brent is National Park or National Landscape, more than 94% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around South Brent
7 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in South Brent and the kilometre around it, 0.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of South Brent; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in South Brent: 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) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 199 | 162 | 137 | 110 | 95 | 108 | 114 | 134 | 123 | 195 | 201 | 232 |
May is the driest month (95 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 232 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in South Brent →
Things to do
4 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
South Brent is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Pamflete Beach8.4 mi from South Brent’s edge
DirectionsMothecombe Beach9.0 mi from South Brent’s edge
DirectionsMeadowsfoot Beach9.1 mi from South Brent’s edge
DirectionsWadham Beach10 mi from South Brent’s edge
DirectionsSandy Cove11 mi from South Brent’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
Hills and peaks 1
Brent Hill0.5 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Lydia's Falls0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 4
Plus 4 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.
BuckfastleighIvybridgeModburyTotnesLoddiswellAshburtonSouth Brent
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Brent | C | 1.5 | 79% | 64% |
| Buckfastleigh 4.3 mi | B+ | 2.9 | 89% | 53% |
| Ivybridge 4.7 mi | B+ | 1.8 | 86% | 38% |
| Modbury 5.9 mi | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 41% |
| Totnes 6.4 mi | C | 0.4 | 65% | 11% |
| Loddiswell 7.2 mi | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 53% |
| Ashburton 7.3 mi | C | 1.7 | 74% | 60% |
Ivybridge, 4.7 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in South Brent
What is the biggest park in South Brent?
Palstone Park Recreation Ground, 3.7 ha (9 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
What is the nearest beach to South Brent?
Pamflete Beach, 8.4 mi from the edge of the town, then Mothecombe Beach (9.0 mi). South Brent itself is inland.
How many people in South Brent live near a park?
79% 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 South Brent?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is South Brent good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 4% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 27% (1.5 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 South Brent’s overall grade.
Sources
Where South Brent’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.