Cam’s biggest
Holywell Orchard
Park or garden
2.4 ha (6 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Holywell Road
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Arpingstone · Public domainA−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Cam · parks, paths & countryside
Cam has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 83 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 5.0 for every square kilometre. The Cotswolds National Landscape reaches the edge of Cam. 57% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Cam grades A− for the outdoors: #29 of 48 in Gloucestershire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
57%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
83 km
5.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
34%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cotswolds National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Cam?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths5.0 km of path per km², more than 92% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Protected countryside34% of the land within 5 km is Cotswolds National Landscape.On a National TrailThe Cotswold Way passes through.Parks can be a walk away43% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Cam’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Cam grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Cam, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A−
Better than 78% of UK towns#29 of 48 in Gloucestershire · 13th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
66out of
100
100
A park within a walk57%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
18out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape34%of the land within 5 km
85out of
100
100
Footpaths5.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
93out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 1.4% sea, under the 5% that counts
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
Cam is 13th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 7,400 to 8,100 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
Cam5.0
Towns its size3.0
Gloucestershire towns3.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Cam2.8
Towns its size2.1
Gloucestershire towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Cam57%
Towns its size78%
Gloucestershire towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Cam stands out most for path per km²: only 6 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 52 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freshwater and Totland Isle of Wight | A+ | 5 | 89% | 3.9 | 20% |
| 2 | Chipping Sodbury Gloucestershire | A+ | 5.2 | 93% | 8.2 | 29% |
| 3 | Bargod Gwent | A | 13.6 | 100% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 4 | Ruddington Nottinghamshire | A | 9.7 | 100% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 5 | Dursley Gloucestershire | A | 1.8 | 90% | 7.2 | 52% |
| 6 | Grove Oxfordshire | A | 2.2 | 92% | 4.7 | 27% |
| 7 | Bolton upon Dearne South Yorkshire | A | 5.6 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Prestwood and Great Missenden Buckinghamshire | A− | 5.5 | 65% | 3.2 | 94% |
| 9 | Dinas Powis South Glamorgan | A− | 3 | 73% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 10 | London Colney Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Burnham-on-Crouch Essex | A− | 5.3 | 86% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 12 | City of London London | A− | 2 | 100% | 11 | 0% |
| 13 | Cam Gloucestershire | A− | 2.8 | 57% | 5 | 34% |
| 14 | Goldthorpe South Yorkshire | A− | 8.4 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Pembroke Dyfed | B+ | 2.2 | 91% | 1 | 31% |
| 16 | Annfield Plain County Durham | B+ | 3.4 | 93% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Great Notley Essex | B+ | 6.4 | 79% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 18 | Cromer Norfolk | B+ | 1.4 | 74% | 2.5 | 36% |
| 19 | Gowerton West Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 79% | 1.2 | 14% |
| 20 | Partington Greater Manchester | B | 2.8 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Edenbridge Kent | B | 2.6 | 64% | 3 | 42% |
| 22 | Barugh Green and Redbrook South Yorkshire | B | 2.1 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 23 | Rusthall and Langton Green Kent | B | 2.1 | 69% | 2.7 | 79% |
| 24 | Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire | B | 1.4 | 78% | 3.2 | 57% |
| 25 | Clayton-le-Moors Lancashire | B | 1.1 | 86% | 4.2 | 2% |
| 26 | Ashley Hampshire | B | 2.2 | 53% | 1.7 | 47% |
| 27 | Berechurch Essex | B− | 2.1 | 72% | 10.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Wootton Bedfordshire | B− | 2.5 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Rogerstone Gwent | B− | 3.1 | 60% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Crawcrook and Greenside Tyne and Wear | B− | 3.2 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Yatton Somerset | B− | 3.7 | 40% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Abersychan Gwent | B− | 2.8 | 83% | 1.1 | 17% |
| 33 | Buntingford Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 95% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Ystalyfera West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.6 | 84% | 0.8 | 15% |
| 35 | Crediton Devon | C+ | 2.4 | 89% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Paddock Wood Kent | C+ | 1.7 | 78% | 2.1 | 28% |
| 37 | Countesthorpe Leicestershire | C+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Seaton Delaval Northumberland | C+ | 0.5 | 66% | 4 | 0% |
| 39 | Sprotbrough South Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 40 | Holywell Clwyd | C | 0.9 | 68% | 3 | 0% |
| 41 | Mablethorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.1 | 66% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Elworth Cheshire | C | 1.8 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Newbridge Gwent | C | 2.2 | 94% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Fazeley Staffordshire | C | 3.2 | 35% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Norton-on-Derwent North Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 58% | 2.4 | 16% |
| 46 | Marske-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 66% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Dalton-in-Furness Cumbria | C | 0.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Histon and Impington Cambridgeshire | C | 1.5 | 66% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Heathfield East Sussex | C | 0.9 | 53% | 2.3 | 79% |
| 50 | Rainworth Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.5 | 65% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Tenterden Kent | C− | 0.8 | 58% | 1.8 | 48% |
| 52 | Cotgrave Nottinghamshire | C− | 1 | 47% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Godmanchester Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.6 | 66% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Highworth Wiltshire | C− | 0.4 | 59% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Clowne Derbyshire | C− | 1.4 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross Berkshire | D | 0.7 | 78% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Polesworth and Dordon Warwickshire | D | 1.6 | 68% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Old Windsor and Wraysbury Berkshire | D | 1.2 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Market Weighton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 79% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Treorchy Mid Glamorgan | D− | 1 | 57% | 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 Cam’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 Cam
The biggest is Holywell Orchard, 2.4 ha (6 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 6 named parks by size: 8 ha (19 acres) and 1 km of path
Parks & gardens 2.4 haPlaying fields 5.1 haPlay spaces 0.2 ha
The two biggest, Holywell Orchard and Dursley Rugby Club, are 98% of the named green space. 4 of the 6 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Dursley Rugby Club
Playing field · 100 m outside town
5.1 ha (13 acres)0.3 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Millfields Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
1 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Cam Play Area
Play space · 120 m outside town
0.0 ha (0 acres)
0.9 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lister Gardens Play Area
Play space
0.0 ha (0 acres)
1.3 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Box Road Play Area
Play space
0.0 ha (0 acres)
1.1 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
6 in 10 Cam 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 (57%)Further (43%)
Cam57%
Towns its size78%
Gloucestershire towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 3,400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 21 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 368 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Cam
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
Cotswolds
At the edge south2,041 km²since 196634% of the land within 5 km
Official site34% of the land within 5 km of Cam is National Park or National Landscape, more than 85% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Cam
83 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Cam and the kilometre around it, 5.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
National
Cotswold Way9.8 km
Cotswold Way (Stinchcombe Hill by pass)0.3 km
The Cotswold Way, a national route, passes Cam.
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 Cam: May to July and 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 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 85 | 59 | 57 | 48 | 67 | 58 | 55 | 80 | 63 | 90 | 91 | 95 |
April is the driest month (48 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 95 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Cam →
Things to do
5 viewpoints, 21 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
Cam is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Fossil Beach12 mi from Cam’s edge
DirectionsSugar Loaf Beach23 mi from Cam’s edge
DirectionsLadye Bay26 mi from Cam’s edge
DirectionsClevedon Beach27 mi from Cam’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 5
Topograph0.7 mi from town
DirectionsDrakestone Point0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Cam Peak0.4 mi from town
DirectionsDownham Hill198 m (650 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 2 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Rackfields Nature Reserve1.0 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 21
Cam Leap Play Area0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCam Play Area0.1 mi from town
DirectionsLittlecombe Playground0.2 mi from town
DirectionsSwan Park Play Area0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 17 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.
DursleyEastingtonBerkeleyLeonard Stanley and King's StanleySharpnessWotton-under-EdgeCam
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam | A− | 2.8 | 57% | 34% |
| Dursley 1.3 mi | A | 1.8 | 90% | 52% |
| Eastington 3.8 mi | A+ | 4.2 | 100% | 22% |
| Berkeley 3.8 mi | C+ | 0.9 | 49% | 3% |
| Leonard Stanley and King's Stanley 4.4 mi | A | 2.0 | 100% | 51% |
| Sharpness 4.4 mi | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wotton-under-Edge 4.5 mi | C+ | 0.4 | 32% | 60% |
Eastington, 3.8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Cam
What is the biggest park in Cam?
Holywell Orchard, 2.4 ha (6 acres), with 0.8 km of path. Dursley Rugby Club (5.1 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Cam near a National Park?
It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What are the best walks near Cam?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Cotswold Way and Cotswold Way (Stinchcombe Hill by pass).
What is the nearest beach to Cam?
Fossil Beach, 12 mi from the edge of the town, then Sugar Loaf Beach (23 mi). Cam itself is inland.
How many people in Cam live near a park?
57% 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 Cam?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Cam good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 93% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 66% (2.8 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 Cam’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Cam’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.