Dorchester’s biggest
Great Field
Playing field
12 ha (30 acres)2.0 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
17 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Ian Greig · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Dorchester · parks, paths & countryside
53% of the land within 5 km of Dorchester is National Park or National Landscape
The Dorset National Landscape reaches the edge of Dorchester. Parks and playing fields in Dorchester add up to 1.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 78% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Dorchester grades B for the outdoors: #23 of 30 in Dorset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
78%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
58 km
2.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
53%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Dorset National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Dorchester?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside53% of the land within 5 km is Dorset National Landscape.Historic parks2 registered historic parks and gardens, including Borough Gardens, Dorchester.Less park per person1.6 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Dorchester’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Dorchester grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Dorchester, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B
Better than 56% of UK towns#23 of 30 in Dorset · 36th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
32out of
100
100
A park within a walk78%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
42out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape53%of the land within 5 km
92out of
100
100
Footpaths2.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
56out 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
Dorchester is 36th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 19,900 to 22,900 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
Dorchester2.9
Towns its size3.6
Dorset towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Dorchester1.6
Towns its size2.5
Dorset towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Dorchester78%
Towns its size85%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
Dorchester falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 46 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapeltown and High Green South Yorkshire | A+ | 4.9 | 94% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 2 | Camborne Cornwall | A+ | 2.2 | 93% | 4 | 8% |
| 3 | Dronfield Derbyshire | A+ | 3.2 | 97% | 5.3 | 9% |
| 4 | Buxton Derbyshire | A | 3.5 | 86% | 3.8 | 61% |
| 5 | Reddish Greater Manchester | A | 6.7 | 100% | 5 | 0% |
| 6 | Faversham Kent | A | 2 | 88% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 7 | Caterham Surrey | A | 4.3 | 84% | 4.3 | 17% |
| 8 | Hebburn Tyne and Wear | A | 6.6 | 99% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Quedgeley and Hardwicke Gloucestershire | A | 2.1 | 99% | 4.7 | 21% |
| 10 | Farnham Surrey | A | 5.1 | 73% | 4.3 | 35% |
| 11 | Hazlemere Buckinghamshire | A | 2.5 | 81% | 4.7 | 68% |
| 12 | Stratton St Margaret Wiltshire | A | 3.3 | 82% | 5.1 | 5% |
| 13 | Seaham County Durham | A | 2.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Harwich Essex | A− | 1.7 | 95% | 2.1 | 20% |
| 15 | South Ockendon Essex | A− | 2.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Workington Cumbria | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Dukinfield Greater Manchester | A− | 4 | 95% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Coalville Leicestershire | A− | 3.7 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | Rothwell West Yorkshire | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Kempston Bedfordshire | A− | 4.9 | 88% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Whitefield Greater Manchester | A− | 4.7 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Crowborough East Sussex | B+ | 3.2 | 68% | 2.6 | 91% |
| 23 | Kirkby-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 93% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Ossett West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.8 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Sandhurst Berkshire | B+ | 5.1 | 79% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Hazel Grove Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.9 | 62% | 4.2 | 3% |
| 27 | Brownhills West Midlands | B | 11 | 80% | 2 | 2% |
| 28 | Swinton Greater Manchester | B | 3.9 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Great Bookham and Fetcham Surrey | B | 1.7 | 68% | 4.4 | 33% |
| 30 | Ripley Derbyshire | B | 2.4 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Biggleswade Bedfordshire | B | 1.6 | 95% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Westhoughton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Penwortham Lancashire | B | 2.9 | 91% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Old Trafford Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Hailsham East Sussex | B | 1.4 | 87% | 3.2 | 12% |
| 36 | Dorchester Dorset | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 37 | Stourport-on-Severn Worcestershire | B | 3.1 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Romsey Hampshire | B− | 1.2 | 82% | 4.5 | 2% |
| 39 | Bingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.1 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 40 | Berkhamsted Hertfordshire | B− | 1 | 69% | 3.6 | 56% |
| 41 | Staines-upon-Thames Surrey | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Wednesbury West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Dereham Norfolk | B− | 1.8 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Failsworth Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.8 | 77% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Ashford Surrey | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Clevedon Somerset | C+ | 1.1 | 69% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Sunbury-on-Thames Surrey | C+ | 2 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Kenilworth Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Formby Merseyside | C+ | 1.4 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Spennymoor County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Normanton West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Horwich Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 67% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Maghull Merseyside | C− | 1.6 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Skegness Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Stowmarket Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 50% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Gainsborough Lincolnshire | C− | 1 | 96% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | March Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Goole East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.7 | 81% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Stamford Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 64% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Darlaston West Midlands | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dorchester’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 Dorchester
The biggest is Great Field, 12 ha (30 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 8 named parks by size: 22 ha (54 acres) and 5 km of path
Parks & gardens 9.9 haPlaying fields 12 ha
The two biggest, Great Field and Centenary Field, are 75% of the named green space and carry 2 km of path between them. 5 of the 8 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Centenary Field
Park or garden
4.5 ha (11 acres)0.4 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Borough Gardens
Park or garden
2.0 ha (5 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Dorchester
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Salisbury Field
Park or garden
1.7 ha (4 acres)0.5 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi eastfrom the centre
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Colliton Park
Park or garden
0.7 ha (2 acres)0.5 km of path
0.4 mi northfrom the centre
1 listedWest Walks
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Riverside Nature Reserve
Park or garden
0.6 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Nature reserve
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Coade Square
Park or garden
0.2 ha (1 acres)
1 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Fordington Green
Park or garden
0.2 ha (0 acres)
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Dorchester 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 (78%)Further (23%)
Dorchester78%
Towns its size85%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 5,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 25 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 854 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Dorchester
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
At the edge south1,129 km²since 195953% of the land within 5 km
Official siteNational Landscape
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
15 mi north-east986 km²since 1983
Official site53% of the land within 5 km of Dorchester is National Park or National Landscape, more than 92% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Dorchester
58 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Dorchester and the kilometre around it, 2.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Frome Valley Way10.7 km
Hardy’s cottage to Max Gate3.9 km
Jubilee Trail (Dorset)3.0 km
Close to home, the Frome Valley Way has 11 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Jubilee Trail (Dorset).
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 Dorchester’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Borough Gardens
2.0 ha. Part of Borough Gardens, Dorchester, a registered historic park (Grade II). 2 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstand and surrounding twelve park benchesIIClock Tower in Public Gardens
Registered · Grade IITown Walks3.3 ha
Listed buildings insideSalisbury FieldSalisbury Terrace and Wall to Garden Behind No 36 to the South West
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 Dorchester: 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 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 124 | 89 | 75 | 72 | 61 | 61 | 57 | 81 | 80 | 126 | 134 | 129 |
July is the driest month (57 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 134 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Dorchester →
Things to do
25 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
Dorchester is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Ringstead Beach5.8 mi from Dorchester’s edge
DirectionsChesil Beach7.0 mi from Dorchester’s edge
DirectionsCastle Cove7.1 mi from Dorchester’s edge
DirectionsPortland Beach9.1 mi from Dorchester’s edge
DirectionsLittle Beach10 mi from Dorchester’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 2
Conygar Hill0.2 mi from town
DirectionsFrome Hill0.4 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Riverside Reserve0.7 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
CharminsterCharlton DownPuddletownCrosswaysWeymouthChickerellDorchester
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester | B | 1.6 | 78% | 53% |
| Charminster 1.8 mi | D | 0.3 | 0% | 56% |
| Charlton Down 3.0 mi | A | 4.0 | 100% | 58% |
| Puddletown 5.1 mi | D | 0.2 | 0% | 15% |
| Crossways 5.1 mi | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 22% |
| Weymouth 6.4 mi | A | 2.6 | 55% | 35% |
| Chickerell 6.6 mi | A | 1.5 | 88% | 27% |
Charlton Down, 3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Charlton Down has at least twice Dorchester’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Dorchester
What is the biggest park in Dorchester?
Great Field, 12 ha (30 acres), with 2 km of path. Centenary Field (4.5 ha) is second. 8 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Dorchester near a National Park?
It covers 1,129 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Dorchester?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Frome Valley Way, Hardy’s cottage to Max Gate and Jubilee Trail (Dorset). Great Field alone has 2 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Dorchester?
Ringstead Beach, 5.8 mi from the edge of the town, then Chesil Beach (7.0 mi). Dorchester itself is inland.
How many people in Dorchester live near a park?
78% 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 Dorchester?
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 Dorchester are historic?
Borough Gardens (Grade II) and Town Walks (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Dorchester good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 56% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 32% (1.6 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 Dorchester’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Dorchester’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.