Photo: David Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0Starcross is on the coast, on the South West Coast Path
The sea makes up 28% of the area within 5 km. The East Devon National Landscape begins 2.2 mi from the village’s edge. 6 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 0.9 for every square kilometre. Starcross grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Starcross?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Starcross’ strongest suit is the sea, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Starcross grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Starcross, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Starcross is 20th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,600 to 1,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Starcross stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 52 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pease Pottage West Sussex | A+ | 4.1 | 100% | 7.4 | 65% |
| 2 | Manningtree Essex | A+ | 5.6 | 100% | 2.5 | 43% |
| 3 | Guston Kent | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 2.5 | 25% |
| 4 | Llansanffraid Glan Conwy Clwyd | A+ | 10.8 | 100% | 1.6 | 8% |
| 5 | Penwithick Cornwall | A | 15 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Wroxall Isle of Wight | A | 1.2 | 84% | 4.6 | 33% |
| 7 | Eccles Kent | A | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 30% |
| 8 | Hutton Somerset | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.2 | 22% |
| 9 | Flimby Cumbria | A | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 2% |
| 10 | Southwell Dorset | A | 0.7 | 100% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Wickwar Gloucestershire | A− | 2 | 100% | 3.5 | 15% |
| 12 | Lynemouth Northumberland | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Hemyock Devon | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.3 | 82% |
| 14 | Seascale Cumbria | A− | 2.1 | 81% | 2.2 | 27% |
| 15 | Clayhanger West Midlands | A− | 17.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Harrold Bedfordshire | A− | 19.1 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Bathampton Somerset | A− | 1 | 85% | 5.5 | 62% |
| 18 | Ripley Surrey | A− | 15 | 64% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 19 | Appledore Devon | B+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 16% |
| 20 | Starcross Devon | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 21 | Aldbourne Wiltshire | B+ | 3.2 | 84% | 1.8 | 100% |
| 22 | Kingsdown Kent | B+ | 1.1 | 67% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 23 | Blewbury Oxfordshire | B | 3.1 | 54% | 2.7 | 79% |
| 24 | Great Kingshill Buckinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 55% | 2.9 | 84% |
| 25 | Silkstone South Yorkshire | B | 1 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Normandy Surrey | B− | 3.2 | 23% | 3.1 | 26% |
| 27 | Streethouse West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Eynsford Kent | B− | 2.1 | 81% | 1.9 | 46% |
| 29 | Shaldon Devon | B− | 1.7 | 85% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Woodsetts South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 31 | Allhallows Kent | B− | 3.2 | 76% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 32 | Onley Northamptonshire | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Trethomas Gwent | B− | 6.9 | 48% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Pilling Lancashire | C+ | 4.2 | 46% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Seahouses and North Sunderland Northumberland | C+ | 1.6 | 17% | 1.7 | 21% |
| 36 | Chipperfield Hertfordshire | C+ | 2.4 | 37% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 37 | Rocester Staffordshire | C+ | 15.2 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Templecombe Somerset | C+ | 2 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 39 | Harvington Worcestershire | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 40 | New Arley Warwickshire | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Acton Suffolk | C | 1.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Stonesfield Oxfordshire | C | 1.9 | 60% | 1.8 | 38% |
| 43 | Wylam Northumberland | C− | 1.1 | 74% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Leeming North Yorkshire | C− | 5 | 76% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 45 | High Bentham North Yorkshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 46 | Lower Quinton Warwickshire | C− | 2 | 49% | 1.3 | 18% |
| 47 | Modbury Devon | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 1.2 | 41% |
| 48 | Creunant West Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 79% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Whitehill County Durham | C− | 0.3 | 0% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Upper Arncott Oxfordshire | D | 3.1 | 59% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Holt Wiltshire | D | 1.1 | 45% | 2.1 | 2% |
| 52 | Leverington Cambridgeshire | D | 2.8 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Dobwalls Cornwall | D | 1.4 | 28% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 54 | Tiddington Warwickshire | D | 0.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Point Clear Essex | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Soughton Clwyd | D | 0.4 | 67% | 1.3 | 3% |
| 57 | Monk Fryston and Hillam North Yorkshire | D | 2.7 | 40% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Skirlaugh East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1 | 85% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Ulceby Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 72% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Welford-on-Avon Warwickshire | D− | 0.4 | 48% | 1.5 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Starcross’ built-up area.
Everyone in Starcross lives 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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 337 residents.
The East Devon National Landscape is 2.2 mi away
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.
East Devon
1% of the land within 5 km of Starcross is National Park or National Landscape, more than 63% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Starcross is on the South West Coast Path
6 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Starcross and the kilometre around it, 0.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Starcross. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Two Counties Way, Exe Valley Way and East Devon Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Starcross: May to September
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 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 96 | 77 | 72 | 60 | 56 | 57 | 49 | 66 | 62 | 107 | 104 | 96 |
July is the driest month (49 mm) and the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 107 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 24 nights a year. The climate in Starcross →
The coast and beaches near Starcross
28% of the area within 5 km of Starcross is sea. 13 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 4 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.
5 viewpoints and 5 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 2
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Slipways 4
Plus 4 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.
Dawlish Warren, 1.8 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 73% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Dawlish Warren has at least twice Starcross’ green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Starcross
Is Starcross near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 7.7 mi west of the village’s edge. It covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the East Devon National Landscape, 2.2 mi away.
What are the best walks near Starcross?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Kenton Starcross Circular, South West Coast Path (Section 43: Babbacombe to Exmouth) and Two Counties Way.
How many people in Starcross live near a park?
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%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Starcross?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Starcross good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 6% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 43% (1.9 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 Starcross’ overall grade.
Where Starcross’ 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.