Photo: Nigel Thompson · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Epping
61 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.7 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Epping add up to 1.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 70% of residents. Epping grades C− for the outdoors: #72 of 81 in Essex. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Epping?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Epping’s strongest suit is dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Epping grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Epping, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Epping is 45th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 10,100 to 11,300 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Epping stands out most for path per km²: only 22 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 45 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 2 | West End Hampshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Brierfield Lancashire | A | 2.1 | 92% | 5.6 | 18% |
| 4 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 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 | Romiley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.9 | 80% | 3.8 | 1% |
| 11 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 12 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Chadwell St Mary Essex | A− | 3.2 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 18 | Tidworth Wiltshire | B+ | 3.7 | 90% | 2.3 | 8% |
| 19 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 21 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 22 | Barnoldswick Lancashire | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 4 | 2% |
| 23 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 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 | Great Dunmow Essex | B | 2 | 92% | 4 | 0% |
| 28 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 29 | Monmouth Gwent | B− | 1.5 | 69% | 3.1 | 45% |
| 30 | Oswaldtwistle Lancashire | B− | 1.1 | 94% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 31 | Filton Gloucestershire | B− | 3.3 | 40% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Liskeard Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 89% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 35 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Selsey West Sussex | C | 1.6 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Kippax West Yorkshire | C | 1.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 43 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Epping Essex | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Hexham Northumberland | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 2 | 9% |
| 48 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 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 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Sherborne Dorset | D | 1.2 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Longton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Epping’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Epping 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).
About 3,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,188 residents.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Epping
61 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Epping and the kilometre around it, 3.7 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 Oak Trail has 10 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Essex Way (Epping to Stratford St Mary).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Epping: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 61 | 47 | 38 | 44 | 48 | 54 | 52 | 61 | 55 | 71 | 67 | 61 |
March is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Epping →
9 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.
The nearest beaches
Epping 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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 5
Nature reserves 2
Playgrounds 9
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epping | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 0% |
| Coopersale 1.2 mi | B− | 1.1 | 100% | 0% |
| Theydon Bois 1.8 mi | B− | 2.4 | 70% | 0% |
| Thornwood Common 1.8 mi | B+ | 6.1 | 100% | 0% |
| North Weald Bassett 2.9 mi | D | 1.4 | 67% | 0% |
| Abridge 3.3 mi | B | 3.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Loughton 3.9 mi | B | 2.9 | 74% | 0% |
Thornwood Common, 1.8 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Thornwood Common, Abridge and Loughton have at least twice Epping’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Epping
Is Epping near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Epping.
What are the best walks near Epping?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Oak Trail, Essex Way (Epping to Stratford St Mary) and Epping Forest Big Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Epping?
Stort Beach, 5.2 mi from the edge of the town, then Dock Beach (13 mi). Epping itself is inland.
How many people in Epping live near a park?
70% 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 Epping?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Epping good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 75% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 19% (1.2 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 Epping’s overall grade.
Where Epping’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.