Motcombe’s biggest
Queen Elizabeth Field
Park or garden
10 ha (25 acres)1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
14 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Motcombe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Downer · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Motcombe · parks, paths & countryside
Motcombe has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Motcombe add up to 9.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape begins 0.4 mi from the village’s edge. 19 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.5 for every square kilometre. Motcombe grades B for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
9.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
74%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
19 km
1.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
25%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Motcombe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam9.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 95% of UK towns.Protected countryside25% of the land within 5 km is Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape.Few mapped footpaths1.5 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
Motcombe’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Motcombe grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Motcombe, 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 60% of UK towns19th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space9.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
95out of
100
100
A park within a walk74%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
36out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape25%of the land within 5 km
81out of
100
100
Footpaths1.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
17out 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.
Villages its size
Motcombe is 19th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,400 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
Motcombe1.5
Villages its size2.3
Dorset towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Motcombe9.5
Villages its size2.0
Dorset towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Motcombe74%
Villages its size81%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Motcombe stands out most for park space per resident: only 4 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 45 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatsfield Surrey | A+ | 7.5 | 100% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 2 | Winsley Wiltshire | A | 12.4 | 79% | 4.2 | 38% |
| 3 | Chilton Oxfordshire | A | 5.4 | 88% | 2.8 | 70% |
| 4 | Cowfold West Sussex | A | 2.6 | 100% | 3.6 | 15% |
| 5 | Gomshall Surrey | A | 1.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 87% |
| 6 | Goldsithney Cornwall | A | 1.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 10% |
| 7 | West Horsley Surrey | A | 3 | 74% | 5.2 | 40% |
| 8 | Maresfield East Sussex | A | 2.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 9 | Sherfield on Loddon Hampshire | A− | 8.3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 10 | Weston Rhyn Shropshire | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 10% |
| 11 | Distington Cumbria | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Cwmfelinfach Gwent | A− | 24.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Stoke sub Hamdon Somerset | A− | 25.1 | 81% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 14 | Bradwell Derbyshire | A− | 1.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 15 | Mynydd Marian Clwyd | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Quintrell Downs Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Appleton Thorn Cheshire | B+ | 5.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | Wymeswold Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Motcombe Dorset | B | 9.5 | 74% | 1.5 | 25% |
| 20 | Marazion Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 80% | 2 | 14% |
| 21 | Cwmllynfell and Ystradowen West Glamorgan | B | 4.1 | 79% | 1 | 40% |
| 22 | Cefn Cribwr Mid Glamorgan | B | 6.5 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Sampford Peverell Devon | B− | 3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 24 | Holymoorside Derbyshire | B− | 1.1 | 82% | 3.8 | 14% |
| 25 | Narborough Norfolk | B− | 3.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Cockfield County Durham | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Kingswood Kent | B− | 3.8 | 23% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 28 | Clwt-y-bont Gwynedd | B− | 0.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 19% |
| 29 | Steeple Bumpstead Essex | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Mobberley Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Houghton Cambridgeshire | C+ | 2.2 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Launton Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 33 | Great Waldingfield Suffolk | C | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | East Hendred Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 29% | 2.8 | 47% |
| 35 | Great Bardfield Essex | C | 2 | 81% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 36 | Harpole Northamptonshire | C | 2.3 | 81% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Ringstead Northamptonshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 38 | Tickton East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 2 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 39 | Winterley Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Chelford Cheshire | C | 1.8 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Seaton Burn Tyne and Wear | C | 3.3 | 36% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Walkern Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 52% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Offord D'Arcy and Offord Cluny Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.7 | 78% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Cottingham and Middleton Northamptonshire | C− | 12.1 | 53% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Newton St Loe Somerset | C− | 0 | 0% | 3.5 | 17% |
| 46 | Cowbit Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Ogmore-by-Sea South Glamorgan | C− | 0 | 0% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Penrhyn-coch Dyfed | D | 0.7 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Hawley Kent | D | 0.7 | 24% | 2.8 | 3% |
| 50 | Butterwick Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Todwick South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Malpas Cheshire | D | 1.6 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | North Cave East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.5 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Skelton (York) North Yorkshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Longframlington Northumberland | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Bomere Heath Shropshire | D− | 1.8 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Woodmansey East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Claypole Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Griston Norfolk | D− | 0.8 | 15% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Cock and End Suffolk | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Motcombe’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 Motcombe
The biggest is Queen Elizabeth Field, 10 ha (25 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
7 in 10 Motcombe 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 (74%)Further (26%)
Motcombe74%
Villages its size81%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 171 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape is 0.4 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
0.4 mi east986 km²since 198325% of the land within 5 km
Official site25% of the land within 5 km of Motcombe is National Park or National Landscape, more than 81% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Motcombe
19 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Motcombe and the kilometre around it, 1.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Motcombe; 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 Motcombe: 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 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 90 | 68 | 63 | 62 | 59 | 59 | 62 | 73 | 65 | 100 | 105 | 98 |
May is the driest month (59 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 105 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Motcombe →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 8 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
The nearest beaches
Motcombe is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Lake North Beach22 mi from Motcombe’s edge
DirectionsShipstal Beach24 mi from Motcombe’s edge
DirectionsBranksome Chine Beach25 mi from Motcombe’s edge
DirectionsBranksome Dene Chine Beach25 mi from Motcombe’s edge
DirectionsAlum Chine Beach25 mi from Motcombe’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. Little Hill, at 249 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Motcombe.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Little Hill249 m (817 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 8
Plus 8 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.
ShaftesburyGillinghamMereMarnhullTisburySturminster NewtonMotcombe
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motcombe | B | 9.5 | 74% | 25% |
| Shaftesbury 2.1 mi | A− | 2.8 | 92% | 44% |
| Gillingham 2.8 mi | B | 1.9 | 91% | 3% |
| Mere 4.7 mi | C− | 1.6 | 34% | 54% |
| Marnhull 5.9 mi | C− | 1.8 | 41% | 0% |
| Tisbury 6.2 mi | B+ | 1.5 | 86% | 100% |
| Sturminster Newton 7.8 mi | B | 1.4 | 85% | 5% |
Shaftesbury, 2.1 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 92% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Motcombe
What is the biggest park in Motcombe?
Queen Elizabeth Field, 10 ha (25 acres), with 1.4 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Motcombe near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape, 0.4 mi east of the village’s edge. It covers 986 km² and was designated in 1983.
What is the nearest beach to Motcombe?
Lake North Beach, 22 mi from the edge of the village, then Shipstal Beach (24 mi). Motcombe itself is inland.
How many people in Motcombe live near a park?
74% 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 Motcombe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Motcombe good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 17% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 95% (9.5 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 Motcombe’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Motcombe’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.