Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0The sea makes up 18% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Upton add up to 9.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 61 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.7 for every square kilometre. Upton grades A+ for the outdoors: #2 of 30 in Dorset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Upton’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by plenty of park space.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Upton, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 8,000 to 8,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Upton stands out most for park space per resident: only 3 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upton Dorset | A+ | 9.1 | 84% | 4.7 | 18% |
| 2 | Hawkinge Kent | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 74% |
| 3 | Pool and Illogan Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 81% | 4 | 5% |
| 4 | Ecclesfield and Grenoside South Yorkshire | A+ | 5.1 | 94% | 5.2 | 2% |
| 5 | Stakeford Northumberland | A+ | 10 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 6 | Bargod Gwent | A | 13.6 | 100% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 7 | Storrington West Sussex | A | 5.5 | 85% | 3.2 | 54% |
| 8 | Wallingford Oxfordshire | A | 3.1 | 85% | 3.7 | 61% |
| 9 | East Cowes Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 96% | 3 | 8% |
| 10 | Brecon Powys | A | 3.2 | 86% | 3.2 | 61% |
| 11 | Ledbury Herefordshire | A | 3.3 | 89% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 12 | Penistone South Yorkshire | A | 2.6 | 97% | 3.9 | 9% |
| 13 | Bearsted Kent | A | 5.5 | 76% | 3.5 | 39% |
| 14 | Stonehouse Gloucestershire | A | 1.8 | 94% | 4.6 | 36% |
| 15 | Bursledon Hampshire | A | 2.6 | 90% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Richmond North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 96% | 3.9 | 7% |
| 17 | Maryport Cumbria | A− | 1.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 5% |
| 18 | Norton Canes Staffordshire | A− | 13.3 | 97% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 19 | Brightlingsea Essex | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Longridge Lancashire | B+ | 1.9 | 89% | 3 | 32% |
| 21 | Coppull Lancashire | B+ | 4.6 | 85% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Hadleigh Suffolk | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 2.7 | 10% |
| 23 | Runwell Essex | B+ | 5.1 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Cinderford Gloucestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 4.7 | 4% |
| 25 | Pershore Worcestershire | B | 2.7 | 76% | 3.2 | 7% |
| 26 | Abergele Clwyd | B | 2.9 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Wendover Buckinghamshire | B | 1 | 58% | 5.6 | 60% |
| 28 | Alnwick Northumberland | B− | 2.2 | 67% | 3.4 | 7% |
| 29 | Twyford Berkshire | B− | 2.4 | 86% | 2.1 | 5% |
| 30 | Meltham West Yorkshire | B− | 1 | 63% | 5.3 | 27% |
| 31 | Stansted Mountfitchet Essex | B− | 0.8 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Denbigh Clwyd | B− | 1.3 | 96% | 2.3 | 5% |
| 33 | Hoo St Werburgh Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 92% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Fakenham Norfolk | C+ | 5.2 | 81% | 2 | 0% |
| 35 | Bewdley Worcestershire | C+ | 1.7 | 88% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Atherstone Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 37 | Ammanford Dyfed | C+ | 2.8 | 70% | 1.5 | 9% |
| 38 | Brinsworth South Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 76% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Faringdon Oxfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Silsden West Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 67% | 3.5 | 1% |
| 41 | Rothwell Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Burscough Lancashire | C | 2.6 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Southam Warwickshire | C | 2.3 | 86% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire | C | 2.1 | 38% | 2.3 | 2% |
| 45 | Hedon East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 0.9 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Sherburn in Elmet North Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Glastonbury Somerset | C− | 2 | 69% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Llanharan and Brynna Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 97% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Hilton Derbyshire | C− | 1.1 | 89% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Radlett Hertfordshire | C− | 2.1 | 60% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | East Leake Nottinghamshire | C− | 2.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Launceston Cornwall | C− | 2.1 | 66% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 53 | Penkridge Staffordshire | C− | 0.8 | 70% | 2.1 | 7% |
| 54 | Adlington Lancashire | C− | 1.3 | 64% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Swaffham Norfolk | D | 1 | 68% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Holbeach Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 91% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Ashford Common Surrey | D | 0.8 | 62% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Tarleton and Hesketh Bank Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 63% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Coxheath Kent | D | 1.2 | 48% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Clydach West Glamorgan | D | 1.7 | 68% | 0.8 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Upton’s built-up area.
The biggest is Upton Country Park, 63 ha (155 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
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 1,400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 600 residents.
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.
18% of the land within 5 km of Upton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 76% of UK towns. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
61 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Upton and the kilometre around it, 4.7 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 Poole Harbour Trails 5b has 8 km of local walk within 2 km of the town.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 99 | 69 | 59 | 53 | 50 | 53 | 49 | 58 | 65 | 104 | 112 | 106 |
July is the driest month (49 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 112 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 31 nights a year. The climate in Upton →
18% of the area within 5 km of Upton is sea. 19 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 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.
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.
Plus 13 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upton | A+ | 9.1 | 84% | 18% |
| Corfe Mullen 2.4 mi | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 13% |
| Lytchett Matravers 2.7 mi | C− | 1.2 | 83% | 5% |
| Poole 2.9 mi | A | 2.5 | 81% | 20% |
| Sandford 3.7 mi | B | 0.3 | 43% | 41% |
| Merley 4.2 mi | B+ | 3.9 | 64% | 6% |
| Bearwood 4.7 mi | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 0% |
Upton grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Upton Country Park, 63 ha (155 acres), with 9.9 km of path. Meadow Garden (0.1 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. New Forest National Park begins 10 mi north-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, 0.9 mi away.
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Poole Harbour Trails 6, Poole Harbour Trails 5b and Castleman Trailway. Upton Country Park alone has 9.9 km of path.
84% 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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
For paths, yes: 4.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 91% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 95% (9.1 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Upton’s overall grade.
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.