Beaminster’s biggestHistoric park · Grade II
The Green
Park or garden
9.1 ha (22 acres)
13 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Beaminster
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Beaminster · parks, paths & countryside
Beaminster is inside the Dorset National Landscape
Parks and playing fields in Beaminster add up to 4.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 36 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. Beaminster grades A for the outdoors: #4 of 30 in Dorset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
89%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
36 km
3.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
100%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Dorset National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Beaminster?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Inside the Dorset National LandscapeBeaminster sits inside it: 1,129 km² of protected landscape.Room to roam4.1 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 82% of UK towns.Historic parks2 registered historic parks and gardens, including Beaminster Manor.
Beaminster’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Beaminster grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Beaminster, 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 95% of UK towns#4 of 30 in Dorset · 7th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space4.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
82out of
100
100
A park within a walk89%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
65out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape100%of the land within 5 km
100out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
68out 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
Beaminster is 7th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,900 to 3,100 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
Beaminster3.4
Towns its size2.3
Dorset towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Beaminster4.1
Towns its size2.2
Dorset towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Beaminster89%
Towns its size85%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Beaminster stands out most for park space per resident: only 15 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rowlands Castle Hampshire | A+ | 26.1 | 100% | 5 | 48% |
| 2 | Halling Kent | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 4.6 | 54% |
| 3 | Arundel West Sussex | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 56% |
| 4 | Theale Berkshire | A+ | 5 | 100% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 5 | Cuxton Kent | A+ | 25.2 | 90% | 4 | 44% |
| 6 | Horton Heath Hampshire | A+ | 10 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 7 | Beaminster Dorset | A | 4.1 | 89% | 3.4 | 100% |
| 8 | Ebbsfleet Valley Kent | A | 9 | 77% | 8.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Downton Wiltshire | A | 4.3 | 100% | 2 | 59% |
| 10 | Langwith Derbyshire | A | 19.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Ellistown Leicestershire | A | 7.5 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Llangollen Clwyd | A | 3.5 | 91% | 2.5 | 76% |
| 13 | Mortimer Berkshire | A | 2.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Menai Bridge Gwynedd | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 7% |
| 15 | New Marske North Yorkshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Knighton Powys | A− | 2.7 | 81% | 3.4 | 34% |
| 17 | Seaton Sluice Northumberland | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | Rhodes Greater Manchester | B+ | 16.6 | 78% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Milton-under-Wychwood and Shipton-under-Wychwood Oxfordshire | B+ | 4.1 | 87% | 1.3 | 100% |
| 20 | Welham Green Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.5 | 93% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Almondsbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 7.9 | 77% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Wing Buckinghamshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 23 | Newton and Blackwell Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Camelford Cornwall | B | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 33% |
| 25 | Newport Essex | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Denholme West Yorkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Weldon Northamptonshire | B | 8.2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Bugbrooke Northamptonshire | B− | 3.7 | 80% | 3 | 0% |
| 29 | Long Hanborough Oxfordshire | B− | 1.3 | 89% | 2.7 | 18% |
| 30 | Harwell Oxfordshire | B− | 1.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 42% |
| 31 | Crumbles East Sussex | B− | 0.3 | 44% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Henley-in-Arden Warwickshire | C+ | 4.6 | 58% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Etwall Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Capel St Mary Suffolk | C+ | 1.5 | 59% | 3 | 24% |
| 35 | Rolleston on Dove Staffordshire | C+ | 3.8 | 84% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Swillington West Yorkshire | C | 2.2 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Hendy and Fforest Dyfed | C | 2.1 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Sutton Courtenay Oxfordshire | C | 1.2 | 23% | 4 | 6% |
| 39 | Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll Gwynedd | C | 0.8 | 71% | 1.6 | 8% |
| 40 | Bottesford Leicestershire | C | 3.9 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Haddenham Cambridgeshire | C | 2.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Fenstanton Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.8 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 43 | Great Leighs Essex | C− | 1.5 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Lostwithiel Cornwall | C− | 1.6 | 67% | 1.5 | 11% |
| 45 | Burnopfield County Durham | C− | 1.5 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | St Mary's Bay Kent | D | 0 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Cleobury Mortimer Shropshire | D | 0.8 | 64% | 2 | 2% |
| 48 | Kelsall Cheshire | D | 1 | 57% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Gamlingay Cambridgeshire | D | 2.1 | 32% | 2 | 0% |
| 50 | Scotter Lincolnshire | D | 2.6 | 61% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Gobowen Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 50% | 1.2 | 2% |
| 52 | Gilberdyke East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 90% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 53 | Thurston Suffolk | D | 1.6 | 39% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Bampton Oxfordshire | D | 1.1 | 63% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Hunmanby North Yorkshire | D | 0.3 | 33% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Queniborough Leicestershire | D | 1.4 | 48% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Kirton in Lindsey Lincolnshire | D− | 1.7 | 57% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Boroughbridge North Yorkshire | D− | 0.4 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Langstone Gwent | D− | 0.1 | 46% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Feltwell Norfolk | D− | 1.1 | 63% | 0.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Beaminster’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 Beaminster
The biggest is The Green, 9.1 ha (22 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Beaminster Memorial Playing Field
Playing field
3.2 ha (8 acres)0.4 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Beaminster
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Beaminster 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 (89%)Further (11%)
Beaminster89%
Towns its size85%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Beaminster
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
Dorset
Beaminster is inside it1,129 km²since 1959100% of the land within 5 km
Official site100% of the land within 5 km of Beaminster is National Park or National Landscape, more than 99% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Beaminster
36 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Beaminster and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Wessex Ridgeway9.3 km
Jubilee Trail (Dorset)6.5 km
Monarch's Way5.6 km
3 regional routes pass through, including the Wessex Ridgeway, Jubilee Trail (Dorset) and Monarch's Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 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 Beaminster’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
The Green
9.1 ha. Part of Beaminster Manor, a registered historic park (Grade II). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
Registered · Grade II*Parnham House0.5 ha
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 Beaminster: 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 117 | 81 | 74 | 74 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 89 | 85 | 131 | 132 | 119 |
June 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 132 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Beaminster →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 2 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
Beaminster is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
East Beach6.7 mi from Beaminster’s edge
DirectionsSeatown Beach6.7 mi from Beaminster’s edge
DirectionsHive Beach7.5 mi from Beaminster’s edge
DirectionsChurch Cliff Beach9.7 mi from Beaminster’s edge
DirectionsMonmouth Beach10 mi from Beaminster’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.
Up high. Buckham Down, at 211 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Beaminster.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 2
Buckham Down211 m (692 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsHorn Hill213 m (699 ft) · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Horn Park Quarry fossils0.2 ha · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Buckham Down0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 2
Plus 2 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.
BradpoleMistertonBridportCrewkerneMerriottMaiden NewtonBeaminster
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Beaminster grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Beaminster
What is the biggest park in Beaminster?
The Green, 9.1 ha (22 acres). Beaminster Memorial Playing Field (3.2 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
What are the best walks near Beaminster?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Wessex Ridgeway, Jubilee Trail (Dorset) and Monarch's Way.
What is the nearest beach to Beaminster?
East Beach, 6.7 mi from the edge of the town, then Seatown Beach (6.7 mi). Beaminster itself is inland.
How many people in Beaminster live near a park?
89% 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 Beaminster?
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 Beaminster are historic?
Beaminster Manor (Grade II) and Parnham House (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Beaminster good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 68% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 82% (4.1 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 Beaminster’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Beaminster’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.