Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.083% of Lytchett Matravers’ residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Dorset National Landscape and the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape both begin about 3 miles from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 13 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.2 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Lytchett Matravers add up to 1.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Lytchett Matravers grades C− for the outdoors: #27 of 30 in Dorset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Lytchett Matravers?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Lytchett Matravers’ strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Lytchett Matravers grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lytchett Matravers, 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.
Lytchett Matravers is 47th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 3,300 to 3,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Lytchett Matravers falls furthest behind on path per km², where 52 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minchinhampton Gloucestershire | A+ | 5.6 | 91% | 5.3 | 90% |
| 2 | Lane End Buckinghamshire | A+ | 3.1 | 92% | 4.7 | 90% |
| 3 | Silsoe Bedfordshire | A+ | 6.6 | 100% | 3.8 | 2% |
| 4 | Goring Oxfordshire | A+ | 3 | 100% | 3.2 | 98% |
| 5 | Talke and Talke Pits Staffordshire | A | 16.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 6 | Bishopston West Glamorgan | A | 3 | 47% | 3.1 | 41% |
| 7 | Elsenham Essex | A− | 3 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Westward Ho! Devon | A− | 12.3 | 63% | 1.7 | 18% |
| 9 | Grassmoor Derbyshire | A− | 6.8 | 85% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Birdwell South Yorkshire | A− | 3.6 | 90% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 11 | Essington Staffordshire | B+ | 6.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Newlyn Cornwall | B+ | 1.5 | 67% | 3.2 | 24% |
| 13 | Blaenau Ffestiniog Gwynedd | B+ | 3.6 | 70% | 2.5 | 78% |
| 14 | St Asaph Clwyd | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 9% |
| 15 | Mickletown West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 93% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 16 | Water Orton Warwickshire | B+ | 5.3 | 82% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Hartley Wintney Hampshire | B+ | 6.1 | 82% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Whalley Lancashire | B | 1.2 | 88% | 3.5 | 23% |
| 19 | Fishbourne West Sussex | B | 1.9 | 38% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 20 | Westerham Kent | B | 1.9 | 61% | 3.5 | 66% |
| 21 | Brockenhurst Hampshire | B | 1.8 | 63% | 3.3 | 98% |
| 22 | Llanfairfechan Clwyd | B | 1 | 48% | 2.9 | 38% |
| 23 | Hemingford Grey Cambridgeshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Sunniside Tyne and Wear | B | 2.1 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 25 | Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel Cornwall | B− | 2.5 | 64% | 2.3 | 66% |
| 26 | Istead Rise Kent | B− | 1.9 | 82% | 2.7 | 15% |
| 27 | Ruabon Clwyd | B− | 3.8 | 69% | 1.9 | 20% |
| 28 | Burtonwood Cheshire | B− | 3.3 | 93% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Theydon Bois Essex | B− | 2.4 | 70% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Castle Cary Somerset | B− | 2.2 | 91% | 3 | 0% |
| 31 | Stalham Norfolk | B− | 1.9 | 85% | 2 | 23% |
| 32 | Pilsley and Lower Pilsley Derbyshire | B− | 1.9 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Kirkheaton West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 92% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Broomfield Essex | C+ | 2.7 | 45% | 5 | 0% |
| 35 | Fishguard Dyfed | C+ | 0.8 | 64% | 2.1 | 23% |
| 36 | Woodstock Oxfordshire | C+ | 1 | 80% | 3 | 11% |
| 37 | Thorpe Willoughby North Yorkshire | C | 0.4 | 92% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Ashburton Devon | C | 1.7 | 74% | 1 | 60% |
| 39 | Cosby Leicestershire | C | 1.6 | 93% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Marden Kent | C | 1.8 | 71% | 2.1 | 3% |
| 41 | Upper Poppleton North Yorkshire | C | 2.9 | 82% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Alvechurch Worcestershire | C | 2.2 | 84% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Eastchurch Kent | C | 1.9 | 72% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Nettleham Lincolnshire | C | 4.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 45 | Goff's Oak Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 41% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Holsworthy Devon | C− | 2.7 | 84% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Lytchett Matravers Dorset | C− | 1.2 | 83% | 1.2 | 5% |
| 48 | Tylorstown and Pontygwaith Mid Glamorgan | C− | 2.3 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Willand Devon | C− | 0.9 | 88% | 0.6 | 1% |
| 50 | Witham St Hughs Lincolnshire | D | 0.7 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Wadhurst East Sussex | D | 0.9 | 19% | 1.2 | 100% |
| 52 | Chapel St Leonards Lincolnshire | D | 0.4 | 53% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Messingham Lincolnshire | D | 3.4 | 46% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Lanchester County Durham | D | 1.4 | 70% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Bilsthorpe Nottinghamshire | D | 0.7 | 88% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Metheringham Lincolnshire | D | 0.8 | 44% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Cherry Willingham Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 79% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Spixworth Norfolk | D | 0.6 | 59% | 1.2 | 5% |
| 59 | Barlby North Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Bawtry South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lytchett Matravers’ built-up area.
How close Lytchett Matravers’s homes are to 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).
About 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 576 residents.
Dorset and Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs both start about 3 miles from Lytchett Matravers
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.
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
5% of the land within 5 km of Lytchett Matravers is National Park or National Landscape, more than 67% of UK towns. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Lytchett Matravers
13 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lytchett Matravers and the kilometre around it, 1.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Close to home, the Wareham Forest Way has 5 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the The Hardy 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 Lytchett Matravers: 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 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 109 | 70 | 63 | 59 | 53 | 54 | 50 | 61 | 69 | 107 | 114 | 110 |
July is the driest month (50 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 114 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Lytchett Matravers →
Beaches near Lytchett Matravers
3% of the area within 5 km of Lytchett Matravers is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 4 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
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.
6 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Picnic sites 1
Campsites 5
Plus 1 campsite 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lytchett Matravers | C− | 1.2 | 83% | 5% |
| Upton 2.7 mi | A+ | 9.1 | 84% | 18% |
| Corfe Mullen 2.7 mi | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 13% |
| Sturminster Marshall 2.7 mi | B | 2.0 | 100% | 30% |
| Sandford 3.7 mi | B | 0.3 | 43% | 41% |
| Wareham 4.8 mi | A | 1.9 | 83% | 56% |
| Merley 5.2 mi | B+ | 3.9 | 64% | 6% |
Upton, 2.7 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 84% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Upton, Corfe Mullen and Merley have at least twice Lytchett Matravers’ green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Lytchett Matravers
Is Lytchett Matravers near a National Park?
Yes. New Forest National Park begins 12 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Dorset National Landscape, 2.4 mi away.
What are the best walks near Lytchett Matravers?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Wareham Forest Way, The Hardy Way and Poole Harbour Trails 5b.
How many people in Lytchett Matravers live near a park?
83% 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 Lytchett Matravers?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Lytchett Matravers good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 11% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 17% (1.2 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 Lytchett Matravers’ overall grade.
Where Lytchett Matravers’ 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.