Ingatestone’s biggest
Mountnessing Coronation Playing Fields
Playing field
3.3 ha (8 acres)0.5 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi south-westfrom the centre
Mountnessing Windmill Grade II*
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Imagosuk at English Wikipedia · Public domainC−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Ingatestone · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Ingatestone
Parks and playing fields in Ingatestone add up to 3.2 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 56% of residents. 37 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.0 for every square kilometre. Ingatestone grades C− for the outdoors: #75 of 81 in Essex. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
56%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
37 km
2.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Ingatestone grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ingatestone, 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 21% of UK towns#75 of 81 in Essex · 46th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
72out of
100
100
A park within a walk56%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
17out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
30out 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
Ingatestone is 46th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,200 to 5,600 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
Ingatestone2.0
Towns its size2.6
Essex towns2.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ingatestone3.2
Towns its size2.1
Essex towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ingatestone56%
Towns its size77%
Essex towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Ingatestone stands out most for park space per resident: only 15 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 50 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ventnor Isle of Wight | A+ | 4.5 | 61% | 3.7 | 25% |
| 2 | St Ives Cornwall | A | 0.8 | 89% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 3 | Budleigh Salterton Devon | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 4 | Edwinstowe Nottinghamshire | A− | 5.6 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 5 | Hoylake Merseyside | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 6 | Brotton North Yorkshire | A− | 1.4 | 89% | 3 | 2% |
| 7 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A− | 3 | 94% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 8 | Steyning West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 86% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 9 | Merley Dorset | B+ | 3.9 | 64% | 4.1 | 6% |
| 10 | Highbridge Somerset | B+ | 2.9 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 11 | Carlton in Lindrick Nottinghamshire | B+ | 9 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Sonning Common Oxfordshire | B+ | 2.6 | 60% | 3.7 | 74% |
| 13 | Aston Clinton Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.1 | 61% | 3.8 | 29% |
| 14 | Llantwit Major South Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Drighlington West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.1 | 92% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Whitchurch Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 3.3 | 43% |
| 17 | Cottam Lancashire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 18 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 94% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 19 | Waverley and Catcliffe South Yorkshire | B+ | 8.8 | 65% | 5 | 0% |
| 20 | Shrivenham and Watchfield Oxfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 96% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 21 | Dartmouth Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 22 | Newent Gloucestershire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Battle East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 64% | 4.3 | 84% |
| 24 | Benson Oxfordshire | B | 6 | 44% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 25 | Askern South Yorkshire | B | 8.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Longstanton and Northstowe Cambridgeshire | B | 4.3 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Rowlands Gill Tyne and Wear | B | 4.9 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Shinfield Berkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Llandrindod Wells Powys | B− | 4.5 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire | B− | 1.6 | 84% | 7.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Midhurst West Sussex | C+ | 0.3 | 28% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 32 | Brynmawr Gwent | C+ | 1.2 | 68% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 33 | Broseley Shropshire | C+ | 1.2 | 74% | 3.4 | 8% |
| 34 | Quorndon Leicestershire | C+ | 2.7 | 81% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Helsby Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Rainford Merseyside | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Oakley Hampshire | C | 1.7 | 56% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 38 | Coningsby and Tattershall Lincolnshire | C | 2.7 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Bovingdon Hertfordshire | C | 1.4 | 55% | 2.3 | 26% |
| 40 | Shevington Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Waterbeach Cambridgeshire | C | 1.5 | 94% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Looe Cornwall | C− | 0.1 | 47% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 43 | Welshpool Powys | C− | 2.6 | 82% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Ludgershall Wiltshire | C− | 0.7 | 72% | 1.9 | 32% |
| 45 | Llangefni Gwynedd | C− | 1.8 | 95% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Ingatestone Essex | C− | 3.2 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 47 | Measham Leicestershire | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Littlestone-on-Sea Kent | C− | 1.4 | 37% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Long Sutton Lincolnshire | D | 2.2 | 81% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Takeley and Little Canfield Essex | D | 1 | 45% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Potton Bedfordshire | D | 1.3 | 77% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Blackrod Greater Manchester | D | 1 | 83% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Wigton Cumbria | D | 2.4 | 65% | 1 | 0% |
| 54 | Thornton West Yorkshire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Pontardawe West Glamorgan | D | 2.3 | 60% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Treherbert Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.2 | 73% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Eye Cambridgeshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Winslow Buckinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 59% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Ravenshead Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Kirton Lincolnshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 0.5 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ingatestone’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 Ingatestone
The biggest is Mountnessing Coronation Playing Fields, 3.3 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Seymour Field
Playing field
3.9 ha (10 acres)
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
6 in 10 Ingatestone 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 (56%)Further (44%)
Ingatestone56%
Towns its size77%
Essex towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 2,400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 902 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 16 mi away
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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Ingatestone
37 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ingatestone and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
St Peter's Way6.9 km
The regional route here is the St Peter's 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 Ingatestone: 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 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 56 | 44 | 37 | 41 | 47 | 51 | 48 | 54 | 52 | 68 | 65 | 60 |
March is the driest month (37 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 68 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Ingatestone →
Things to do
6 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
Ingatestone is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Northfleet Beach13 mi from Ingatestone’s edge
DirectionsThorney Bay Beach14 mi from Ingatestone’s edge
DirectionsStort Beach14 mi from Ingatestone’s edge
DirectionsBell Wharf Beach14 mi from Ingatestone’s edge
DirectionsEgypt Bay Beach14 mi from Ingatestone’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
Playgrounds 6
Hutton Playground0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds 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.
StockBillericayBlackmoreDoddinghurstBrentwoodKelvedon HatchIngatestone
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingatestone | C− | 3.2 | 56% | 0% |
| Stock 3.0 mi | C | 2.2 | 62% | 0% |
| Billericay 3.1 mi | C+ | 4.1 | 70% | 0% |
| Blackmore 3.2 mi | C+ | 3.6 | 75% | 0% |
| Doddinghurst 3.3 mi | D | 1.6 | 60% | 0% |
| Brentwood 3.7 mi | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 0% |
| Kelvedon Hatch 4.3 mi | B− | 7.3 | 77% | 0% |
Brentwood, 3.7 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 69% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Kelvedon Hatch has at least twice Ingatestone’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Ingatestone
What is the biggest park in Ingatestone?
Mountnessing Coronation Playing Fields, 3.3 ha (8 acres). Seymour Field (3.9 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Ingatestone near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 16 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Ingatestone?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the St Peter's Way.
What is the nearest beach to Ingatestone?
Northfleet Beach, 13 mi from the edge of the town, then Thorney Bay Beach (14 mi). Ingatestone itself is inland.
How many people in Ingatestone live near a park?
56% 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 Ingatestone?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ingatestone good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 30% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 72% (3.2 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 Ingatestone’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Ingatestone’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.