Wimborne Minster’s biggest
Bytheway Field
Park or garden
15 ha (37 acres)2.4 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.4 km of path
21 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Wimborne Minster
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Bellminsterboy · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Wimborne Minster · parks, paths & countryside
The Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape begins 0.1 mi from Wimborne Minster
Footpaths add up to 100 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.6 for every square kilometre. 51% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Wimborne Minster add up to 2.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Wimborne Minster grades B for the outdoors: #21 of 30 in Dorset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
51%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
100 km
3.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
17%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Wimborne Minster?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside both waysCranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs starts 0.1 mi west, New Forest 5.0 mi east.Parks can be a walk away49% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Wimborne Minster’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Wimborne Minster grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wimborne Minster, 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 59% of UK towns#21 of 30 in Dorset · 30th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
63out of
100
100
A park within a walk51%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
14out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape17%of the land within 5 km
76out of
100
100
Footpaths3.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
74out 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
Wimborne Minster is 30th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 15,700 to 17,600 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
Wimborne Minster3.6
Towns its size3.3
Dorset towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Wimborne Minster2.7
Towns its size2.3
Dorset towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Wimborne Minster51%
Towns its size84%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Wimborne Minster stands out most for park space per resident: only 22 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 57 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 2 | Dorking Surrey | A | 4.4 | 75% | 7 | 57% |
| 3 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 4 | Hadfield Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 91% | 4.5 | 36% |
| 5 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 7 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bedlington Northumberland | A | 5.1 | 94% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Lewes East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 83% | 4.6 | 75% |
| 11 | Porthcawl Mid Glamorgan | A− | 3.5 | 82% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Euxton Lancashire | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 13 | Worcester Park and Stoneleigh Surrey | B+ | 7.3 | 76% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 14 | South Woodham Ferrers Essex | B+ | 7.8 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 15 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Weybridge Surrey | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 19 | Swanley Kent | B+ | 1.8 | 78% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 20 | Swinton South Yorkshire | B+ | 3 | 97% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 21 | Liversedge West Yorkshire | B+ | 2 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Tyldesley Greater Manchester | B | 2.3 | 97% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Brackley Northamptonshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Haydock Merseyside | B | 6.8 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 26 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | B | 1.8 | 62% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 27 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Haslingden Lancashire | B | 1.8 | 89% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Cobham Surrey | B | 3.1 | 49% | 4 | 1% |
| 30 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 31 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 32 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 33 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Bramhall Greater Manchester | B− | 4.7 | 71% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 36 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Biddulph Staffordshire | B− | 3.3 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Knaresborough North Yorkshire | B− | 2.3 | 87% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 42 | South Normanton and Pinxton Derbyshire | C+ | 1.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Elland West Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 69% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Royston Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Aldridge West Midlands | C+ | 3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 47 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | C | 1.2 | 54% | 3.3 | 21% |
| 48 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 49 | Bourne Lincolnshire | C | 1.3 | 70% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 51 | Nailsea Somerset | C | 1.1 | 65% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Tonypandy Mid Glamorgan | C | 1.5 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Stone Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 56 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Louth Lincolnshire | C− | 0.6 | 76% | 1.3 | 47% |
| 59 | Oswestry Shropshire | C− | 1.3 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Wimborne Minster’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 Wimborne Minster
The biggest is Bytheway Field, 15 ha (37 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 32 ha (79 acres) and 7 km of path
Parks & gardens 28 haPlaying fields 4.1 ha
The two biggest, Bytheway Field and Dogdean, are 82% of the named green space and carry 6 km of path between them.
Dogdean
Park or garden
12 ha (29 acres)3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Redcotts Recreation Ground
Playing field
4.1 ha (10 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Knoll Gardens
Park or garden
1.7 ha (4 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.3 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
5 in 10 Wimborne Minster 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 (51%)Further (49%)
Wimborne Minster51%
Towns its size84%
Dorset towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 8,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 978 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Wimborne Minster
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
0.1 mi west986 km²since 198317% of the land within 5 km
Official site17% of the land within 5 km of Wimborne Minster is National Park or National Landscape, more than 75% of UK towns. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
8 waymarked walks pass through or near Wimborne Minster
100 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wimborne Minster and the kilometre around it, 3.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Stour Valley Way11.0 km
Castleman Trailway10.6 km
The Hardy Way6.4 km
Walk at Eye Bridge and Pamphill, Kingston Lacy4.3 km
Walk at Pamphill and Cowgrove, Kingston Lacy2.7 km
Walk at Pamphill Green and Moor, Kingston Lacy2.0 km
Ferndown, Stour and Forest Trail1.0 km
Kingston Lacy walk at Holt Heath, Kingston Lacy0.7 km
Close to home, the Castleman Trailway has 11 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Stour Valley Way and The Hardy Way.
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 Wimborne Minster: 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 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 102 | 75 | 64 | 60 | 52 | 53 | 51 | 62 | 68 | 104 | 113 | 108 |
July is the driest month (51 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 113 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Wimborne Minster →
Things to do
17 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.
1Viewpoints1Nature reserves1Picnic sites17Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size4Campsites4.1× towns its size1Slipways
The nearest beaches
Wimborne Minster is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Lake North Beach5.7 mi from Wimborne Minster’s edge
DirectionsBournemouth West Beach6.0 mi from Wimborne Minster’s edge
DirectionsBournemouth East Beach6.1 mi from Wimborne Minster’s edge
DirectionsAlum Chine Beach6.1 mi from Wimborne Minster’s edge
DirectionsBranksome Dene Chine Beach6.2 mi from Wimborne Minster’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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Holmwood Park SANG5.7 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 17
King George Playground0.8 mi from town
DirectionsCasterbridge Road Play Area1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Farrs Meadow0.2 mi from town
DirectionsWilksworth Farm C.P.0.4 mi from town
DirectionsMerley Court Touring Park0.6 mi from town
DirectionsCharris Car.& Camp. Park1.1 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway 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.
MerleyBearwoodCorfe MullenFerndownWest ParleyWest MoorsWimborne Minster
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wimborne Minster | B | 2.7 | 51% | 17% |
| Merley 1.5 mi | B+ | 3.9 | 64% | 6% |
| Bearwood 3.1 mi | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Corfe Mullen 3.2 mi | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 13% |
| Ferndown 3.3 mi | C | 0.7 | 13% | 0% |
| West Parley 3.9 mi | C− | 1.6 | 20% | 0% |
| West Moors 4.0 mi | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 0% |
Merley, 1.5 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 64% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Wimborne Minster
What is the biggest park in Wimborne Minster?
Bytheway Field, 15 ha (37 acres), with 2.4 km of path. Dogdean (12 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Wimborne Minster near a National Park?
Yes. New Forest National Park begins 5.0 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, 0.1 mi away.
What are the best walks near Wimborne Minster?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Stour Valley Way, Castleman Trailway and The Hardy Way. Bytheway Field alone has 2.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Wimborne Minster?
Lake North Beach, 5.7 mi from the edge of the town, then Bournemouth West Beach (6.0 mi). Wimborne Minster itself is inland.
How many people in Wimborne Minster live near a park?
51% 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 Wimborne Minster?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Wimborne Minster good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 74% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 63% (2.7 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 Wimborne Minster’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Wimborne Minster’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.