West Moors’ biggest
The Fryer Playing Field
Playing field
4.8 ha (12 acres)0.2 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0C−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in West Moors · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in West Moors
The New Forest National Park and the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape both begin about 3 miles from the town’s edge. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 33% of residents. Parks and playing fields in West Moors add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. West Moors grades C− for the outdoors: #28 of 30 in Dorset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
0.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
33%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
61 km
3.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
New Forest starts 2.7 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is West Moors?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside both waysNew Forest starts 2.7 mi east, Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs 3.4 mi west.Less park per person0.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
West Moors’ strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
West Moors grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is West Moors, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C−
Better than 18% of UK towns#28 of 30 in Dorset · 51st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space0.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
11out of
100
100
A park within a walk33%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
7out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · New Forest begins just past 5 km
62out of
100
100
Footpaths3.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
62out 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
West Moors is 51st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 9,800 to 11,100 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
West Moors3.1
Towns its size3.1
Dorset towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
West Moors0.9
Towns its size1.9
Dorset towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
West Moors33%
Towns its size81%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
West Moors falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 58 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West End Hampshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 2 | Brierfield Lancashire | A | 2.1 | 92% | 5.6 | 18% |
| 3 | South Merstham Surrey | A | 3.7 | 84% | 3.7 | 20% |
| 4 | Bradford-on-Avon Wiltshire | A | 2.8 | 88% | 3.7 | 21% |
| 5 | Great Harwood Lancashire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 6 | Godalming Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 3.1 | 66% |
| 7 | Soham Cambridgeshire | A− | 4.7 | 97% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Platt Bridge and Abram Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Royston South Yorkshire | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Kings Hill Kent | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 11 | Romiley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.9 | 80% | 3.8 | 1% |
| 12 | Padiham Lancashire | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 4.5 | 18% |
| 13 | Bingham Nottinghamshire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Chadwell St Mary Essex | A− | 3.2 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Tidworth Wiltshire | B+ | 3.7 | 90% | 2.3 | 8% |
| 19 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Corfe Mullen Dorset | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 3.5 | 13% |
| 21 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 22 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 23 | Barnoldswick Lancashire | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 4 | 2% |
| 24 | Cranleigh Surrey | B | 2.5 | 20% | 4.3 | 38% |
| 25 | Corsham Wiltshire | B | 1.9 | 81% | 3 | 31% |
| 26 | Baldock Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Ludlow Shropshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 28 | Great Dunmow Essex | B | 2 | 92% | 4 | 0% |
| 29 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 30 | Horbury West Yorkshire | B− | 2.5 | 75% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Monmouth Gwent | B− | 1.5 | 69% | 3.1 | 45% |
| 32 | Oswaldtwistle Lancashire | B− | 1.1 | 94% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 33 | Radstock Somerset | B− | 1.1 | 93% | 2.9 | 1% |
| 34 | Filton Gloucestershire | B− | 3.3 | 40% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Mold Clwyd | C+ | 1.9 | 86% | 1.6 | 17% |
| 36 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Liskeard Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 89% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 38 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Selsey West Sussex | C | 1.6 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Barnham West Sussex | C | 1.3 | 70% | 2.3 | 32% |
| 43 | Kippax West Yorkshire | C | 1.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Epping Essex | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 47 | Hexham Northumberland | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 2 | 9% |
| 48 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Polegate East Sussex | C− | 0.8 | 64% | 2.2 | 24% |
| 50 | Lutterworth Leicestershire | C− | 1.7 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | West Moors Dorset | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 52 | New Ollerton and Ollerton Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.8 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Dinnington South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Sherborne Dorset | D | 1.2 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Longton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Pocklington East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is West Moors’ 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 West Moors
The biggest is The Fryer Playing Field, 4.8 ha (12 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
3 in 10 West Moors 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 (33%)Further (67%)
West Moors33%
Towns its size81%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 7,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 13 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 802 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
New Forest and Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs both start about 3 miles from West Moors
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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so West Moors scores 0% on it even though the New Forest National Park is 2.7 mi away. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near West Moors
61 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in West Moors and the kilometre around it, 3.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Local
Castleman Trailway6.8 km
Kingston Lacy walk at Holt Heath, Kingston Lacy5.4 km
Close to home, the Castleman Trailway has 7 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in West Moors: 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 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 99 | 68 | 62 | 62 | 52 | 56 | 54 | 58 | 65 | 104 | 110 | 105 |
May is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 110 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 54 nights a year. The climate in West Moors →
Things to do
13 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.
1Hills and peaks1Nature reserves1Picnic sites13Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size4Campsites
The nearest beaches
West Moors is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Bournemouth East Beach5.9 mi from West Moors’ edge
DirectionsFisherman's Walk Beach6.0 mi from West Moors’ edge
DirectionsBournemouth West Beach6.1 mi from West Moors’ edge
DirectionsAlum Chine Beach6.4 mi from West Moors’ edge
DirectionsSouthbourne Beach6.5 mi from West Moors’ 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. Lions Hill, at 30 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of West Moors.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Lions Hill30 m (98 ft) · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Slop Bog12 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 13
Dugdell Playgroundin town
DirectionsTap And Railway Playareain town
DirectionsKing George Playground0.8 mi from town
DirectionsCasterbridge Road Play Area1.2 mi from town
DirectionsAdventure Playground1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Gundry's Farm Campsite0.2 mi from town
DirectionsSouthern Comfort0.4 mi from town
DirectionsShamba Holidays0.5 mi from town
DirectionsFairoak Camping0.5 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.
FerndownWest ParleyAshley HeathThree Legged CrossVerwoodWimborne MinsterWest Moors
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Moors | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 0% |
| Ferndown 1.3 mi | C | 0.7 | 13% | 0% |
| West Parley 2.1 mi | C− | 1.6 | 20% | 0% |
| Ashley Heath 2.3 mi | A | 24.2 | 68% | 15% |
| Three Legged Cross 2.4 mi | C | 1.5 | 77% | 1% |
| Verwood 3.9 mi | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 13% |
| Wimborne Minster 4.0 mi | B | 2.7 | 51% | 17% |
Ashley Heath, 2.3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 68% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Ashley Heath, Verwood and Wimborne Minster have at least twice West Moors’ green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in West Moors
What is the biggest park in West Moors?
The Fryer Playing Field, 4.8 ha (12 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is West Moors near a National Park?
Yes. New Forest National Park begins 2.7 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
What are the best walks near West Moors?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Castleman Trailway and Kingston Lacy walk at Holt Heath, Kingston Lacy.
What is the nearest beach to West Moors?
Bournemouth East Beach, 5.9 mi from the edge of the town, then Fisherman's Walk Beach (6.0 mi). West Moors itself is inland.
How many people in West Moors live near a park?
33% 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 West Moors?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is West Moors good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 62% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 11% (0.9 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 West Moors’ overall grade.
Sources
Where West Moors’ 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.