Thaxted’s biggest
Margaret Gardens
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Thaxted
Garden Wall to Clarence House Fronting Bell Lane and Margaret Street Grade I
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0COutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Thaxted · parks, paths & countryside
91% of Thaxted’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Thaxted add up to 0.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 34 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.6 for every square kilometre. Thaxted grades C for the outdoors: #61 of 81 in Essex. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
0.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
91%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
34 km
3.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Dedham Vale National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Thaxted grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Thaxted, 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 34% of UK towns#61 of 81 in Essex · 35th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space0.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
9out of
100
100
A park within a walk91%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
68out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out 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
Thaxted is 35th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 3,000 to 3,200 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
Thaxted3.6
Towns its size2.5
Essex towns2.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Thaxted0.8
Towns its size1.7
Essex towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Thaxted91%
Towns its size80%
Essex towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Thaxted stands out most for path per km²: only 15 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 51 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whyteleafe Surrey | A+ | 16.3 | 100% | 4.9 | 15% |
| 2 | Arundel West Sussex | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 56% |
| 3 | Theale Berkshire | A+ | 5 | 100% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 4 | Cuxton Kent | A+ | 25.2 | 90% | 4 | 44% |
| 5 | Horton Heath Hampshire | A+ | 10 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 6 | Bignall End Staffordshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 7 | Llangollen Clwyd | A | 3.5 | 91% | 2.5 | 76% |
| 8 | Menai Bridge Gwynedd | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 7% |
| 9 | Tywyn Gwynedd | A− | 2.4 | 79% | 1.9 | 51% |
| 10 | Gamesley Derbyshire | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 5 | 32% |
| 11 | Netherton (Kirklees) West Yorkshire | A− | 2 | 88% | 5.5 | 6% |
| 12 | Oughtibridge South Yorkshire | A− | 2.2 | 76% | 6 | 19% |
| 13 | Bream Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 82% | 4.7 | 10% |
| 14 | Wootton Isle of Wight | B+ | 3.7 | 67% | 1.7 | 20% |
| 15 | North Petherton Somerset | B+ | 3.8 | 91% | 2.3 | 5% |
| 16 | Amlwch Gwynedd | B+ | 1.6 | 87% | 2.1 | 14% |
| 17 | Porthleven Cornwall | B+ | 1.6 | 78% | 2.5 | 19% |
| 18 | Drayton Oxfordshire | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 3 | 3% |
| 19 | Markyate Hertfordshire | B+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 53% |
| 20 | Wheatley Hill County Durham | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 21 | Newton and Blackwell Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Honeybourne Worcestershire | B | 2.9 | 80% | 2.6 | 14% |
| 23 | Upper Beeding West Sussex | B | 0.6 | 83% | 3.9 | 62% |
| 24 | Fleur-de-lis and Pengam Gwent | B | 6 | 54% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Weldon Northamptonshire | B | 8.2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Newbold Verdon Leicestershire | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Bugbrooke Northamptonshire | B− | 3.7 | 80% | 3 | 0% |
| 28 | Askam in Furness Cumbria | B− | 1.7 | 90% | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Long Hanborough Oxfordshire | B− | 1.3 | 89% | 2.7 | 18% |
| 30 | Harwell Oxfordshire | B− | 1.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 42% |
| 31 | Crumbles East Sussex | B− | 0.3 | 44% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Lambourn Berkshire | C+ | 1.2 | 61% | 3 | 100% |
| 33 | Etwall Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Dymchurch Kent | C+ | 1.6 | 58% | 1 | 13% |
| 35 | Thaxted Essex | C | 0.8 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 36 | Swillington West Yorkshire | C | 2.2 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 37 | West Bergholt Essex | C | 1.5 | 82% | 1.8 | 9% |
| 38 | Swanmore Hampshire | C | 1.4 | 69% | 1.9 | 54% |
| 39 | Sutton Courtenay Oxfordshire | C | 1.2 | 23% | 4 | 6% |
| 40 | West Chiltington West Sussex | C | 1.5 | 18% | 2.7 | 38% |
| 41 | Bottesford Leicestershire | C | 3.9 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Haddenham Cambridgeshire | C | 2.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Teynham Kent | C | 0.8 | 55% | 1.8 | 13% |
| 44 | Ogmore Vale Mid Glamorgan | C | 4.3 | 79% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Cullingworth West Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Hadlow Kent | C− | 1.7 | 61% | 2 | 11% |
| 47 | Charvil Berkshire | C− | 0.7 | 68% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 48 | Claydon Suffolk | C− | 2.8 | 72% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Lostwithiel Cornwall | C− | 1.6 | 67% | 1.5 | 11% |
| 50 | West Auckland County Durham | C− | 1.1 | 91% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Purton Wiltshire | C− | 0.8 | 60% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 52 | South Petherton Somerset | C− | 1.1 | 61% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Rendlesham Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 52% | 1.6 | 59% |
| 54 | Navenby Lincolnshire | D | 1.2 | 81% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Gobowen Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 50% | 1.2 | 2% |
| 56 | Skellingthorpe Lincolnshire | D | 1.2 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Queniborough Leicestershire | D | 1.4 | 48% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Kirton in Lindsey Lincolnshire | D− | 1.7 | 57% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Boroughbridge North Yorkshire | D− | 0.4 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Donington Lincolnshire | D− | 0.8 | 54% | 0.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Thaxted’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 Thaxted
The biggest is Margaret Gardens, 0.1 ha (0 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Thaxted’s homes are to 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 (91%)Further (9%)
Thaxted91%
Towns its size80%
Essex towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Dedham Vale National Landscape is 19 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
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Thaxted
34 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Thaxted 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.
RegionalLocal
Turpin's Trail 18.8 km
Harcamlow Way6.4 km
London to Walsingham - stage 043.9 km
London to Walsingham - stage 032.8 km
Turpin's Trail 21.3 km
Close to home, the Turpin's Trail 1 has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Harcamlow 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 Thaxted: 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) | 8.2 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 45 | 40 | 41 | 46 | 52 | 53 | 62 | 52 | 64 | 64 | 60 |
March is the driest month (40 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 64 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Thaxted →
Things to do
Viewpoints, hills and nature near Thaxted
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
Thaxted is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Stort Beach15 mi from Thaxted’s edge
DirectionsMill Beach22 mi from Thaxted’s edge
DirectionsEast Point Beach24 mi from Thaxted’s edge
DirectionsWeymarks Beach28 mi from Thaxted’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
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground 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.
Great BardfieldHenhamStebbingGreat DunmowElsenhamNewportThaxted
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thaxted | C | 0.8 | 91% | 0% |
| Great Bardfield 4.0 mi | C | 2.0 | 81% | 0% |
| Henham 4.6 mi | D | 0.0 | 0% | 0% |
| Stebbing 4.7 mi | C− | 2.4 | 70% | 0% |
| Great Dunmow 5.7 mi | B | 2.0 | 92% | 0% |
| Elsenham 5.8 mi | A− | 3.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Newport 6.1 mi | B | 2.5 | 100% | 0% |
Elsenham, 5.8 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Great Bardfield, Stebbing and Great Dunmow have at least twice Thaxted’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Thaxted
What is the biggest park in Thaxted?
Margaret Gardens, 0.1 ha (0 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Thaxted near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Dedham Vale National Landscape, 19 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 91 km² and was designated in 1970.
What are the best walks near Thaxted?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Turpin's Trail 1, Harcamlow Way and London to Walsingham - stage 04.
What is the nearest beach to Thaxted?
Stort Beach, 15 mi from the edge of the town, then Mill Beach (22 mi). Thaxted itself is inland.
How many people in Thaxted live near a park?
91% 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 Thaxted?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Thaxted 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 9% (0.8 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 Thaxted’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Thaxted’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.