Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Verwood add up to 5.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape begins 1.2 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 70 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Verwood grades B+ for the outdoors: #17 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.
Verwood’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Verwood, 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 13,000 to 14,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Verwood stands out most for park space per resident: only 5 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 58 of the others do better.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farncombe Surrey | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 3.8 | 54% |
| 2 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 3 | Sidmouth Devon | A | 2.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 4 | Abergavenny Gwent | A | 3.2 | 83% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 5 | Wellington Somerset | A | 2.2 | 99% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Wick West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 91% | 3 | 25% |
| 7 | Stoke Gifford Gloucestershire | A− | 5.7 | 87% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 9 | Addlestone Surrey | A− | 4.3 | 90% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Heckmondwike West Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 12 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Churchdown Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 92% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 14 | Wantage Oxfordshire | A− | 2.5 | 71% | 3.9 | 47% |
| 15 | Bacup Lancashire | A− | 2.5 | 94% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 18 | Audenshaw Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.6 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland | B+ | 2.5 | 62% | 2.7 | 1% |
| 20 | Verwood Dorset | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 3.9 | 13% |
| 21 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Chalfont St Peter Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 80% | 3.5 | 18% |
| 23 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Gomersal and Birkenshaw West Yorkshire | B | 3.2 | 83% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Enderby and Narborough Leicestershire | B | 1.9 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 27 | West Kirby Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 68% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 30 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 32 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 33 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 34 | Midsomer Norton Somerset | B− | 1.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Sheerness Kent | B− | 3 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Knutsford Cheshire | C+ | 2.6 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 40 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 41 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Buckley Clwyd | C+ | 2.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire | C+ | 4 | 91% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 45 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Flitwick Bedfordshire | C | 0.8 | 59% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 47 | Syston Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Ferndown Dorset | C | 0.7 | 13% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Rhondda Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Brough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Uttoxeter Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Porth Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Northallerton North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Driffield East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 75% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 58 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 73% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Verwood’s built-up area.
The biggest is Moors Valley Country Park, 585 ha (1,444 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 8,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 15 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 914 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.
13% of the land within 5 km of Verwood is National Park or National Landscape, more than 73% of UK towns. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
70 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Verwood and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
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 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 97 | 67 | 63 | 67 | 54 | 65 | 56 | 57 | 65 | 106 | 109 | 106 |
May is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 109 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 53 nights a year. The climate in Verwood →
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.
Verwood is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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. Mount Ararat, at 74 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Verwood.
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Plus 1 nature reserve more.
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verwood | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 13% |
| Three Legged Cross 1.6 mi | C | 1.5 | 77% | 1% |
| Alderholt 3.1 mi | C | 1.9 | 43% | 31% |
| Ashley Heath 3.3 mi | A | 24.2 | 68% | 15% |
| West Moors 3.9 mi | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 0% |
| Ringwood 4.6 mi | B+ | 2.3 | 78% | 43% |
| Sandleheath 4.7 mi | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 52% |
Ashley Heath, 3.3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 68% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Ashley Heath has at least twice Verwood’s green space per resident.
Moors Valley Country Park, 585 ha (1,444 acres), with 38.4 km of path. Ferrett Green (0.2 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 3.2 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 Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape, 1.2 mi away.
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Play Trail. Moors Valley Country Park alone has 38.4 km of path.
Fisherman's Walk Beach, 10 mi from the edge of the town, then Bournemouth East Beach (10 mi). Verwood itself is inland.
41% 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: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 78% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 89% (5.7 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 Verwood’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.