Outdoors in Gloucester · parks, paths & countryside
Gloucester has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 360 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 6.0 for every square kilometre. The Cotswolds National Landscape begins 0.0 mi from the city’s edge. 93% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Gloucester grades A for the outdoors: #10 of 48 in Gloucestershire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Gloucester’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Cotswolds National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Gloucester grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Gloucester, 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 95% of UK towns#10 of 48 in Gloucestershire · 2nd of 58 UK cities its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
64out of 100
A park within a walk93%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
72out of 100
National Park or National Landscape22%of the land within 5 km
79out of 100
Footpaths6.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
97out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 0.5% sea, under the 5% that counts
42out of 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.
Cities its size
Gloucester is 2nd of 58 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 58 UK towns and cities of 83,000 to 160,000 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
Gloucester6.0
Cities its size4.1
Gloucestershire towns3.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Gloucester2.7
Cities its size2.4
Gloucestershire towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Gloucester93%
Cities its size86%
Gloucestershire towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against cities its size, Gloucester stands out most for path per km²: only 6 of the other 57 have more.
The biggest is Robinswood Hill Country Park, 108 ha (268 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 26 named parks by size: 203 ha (502 acres) and 45 km of path
Parks & gardens 142 haPlaying fields 61 haPlay spaces 0.3 ha
The two biggest, Robinswood Hill Country Park and Plock Court Playing Field, are 65% of the named green space and carry 34 km of path between them. 12 of the 26 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Gloucester’s biggest
Robinswood Hill Country Park
Park or garden
108 ha (268 acres)30.4 km of path
6 h 45 minto walk all 30.4 km of path
152 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Peak Well Cross in Robins Wood Hill Country Park at Ngr So 838 158 Grade II*
9 in 10 Gloucester 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 (93%)Further (7%)
Gloucester93%
Cities its size86%
Gloucestershire towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 8,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 122 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 972 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cotswolds National Landscape is 0.0 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
National Landscape
Cotswolds
0.0 mi south-east2,041 km²since 196622% of the land within 5 km
22% of the land within 5 km of Gloucester is National Park or National Landscape, more than 79% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
11 waymarked walks pass through or near Gloucester
360 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Gloucester and the kilometre around it, 6.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
RegionalLocal
Glevum Way36.6 km
Severn Way (3) Worcester to Bristol14.8 km
Wysis Way14.2 km
Gloucestershire Way12.1 km
Geopark Way11.8 km
Three Choirs Way (Worcester to Gloucester)3.9 km
Three Choirs Way (Hollybush to Gloucester)3.9 km
Three Choirs Way (Gloucester to Kilcot)3.5 km
Three Choirs Way (Gloucester to Hereford)3.5 km
Geology Trail1.4 km
Fox Trail0.4 km
9 regional routes pass through, including the Glevum Way, Severn Way (3) Worcester to Bristol, Wysis Way and Gloucestershire Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
History inside Gloucester’s parks
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Gloucester’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Hillfield Rest Garden
1.3 ha. 5 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Chapel of St Mary MagdaleneII*Kings Board, Hillfield GardensII*Scriven's ConduitIIEntrance Gates to Hillfield GardensIIGate Lodge to West of Entrance Gates to Hillfield Rest Garden
Listed buildings insideSt Lucy's CourtTop of Spire from Church of St John Northgate in St Lucy's Garden, Two K6 Telephone Kiosks, Hare Lane and 8, Hare Lane
Listed buildings insideGloucester ParkCity of Gloucester War Memorial and Statue of Queen Anne in Spa Field
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gloucester: May to July and September
The city’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
16.7
16.2
14.6
12.6
10.5
8.7
7.8
High (°C)
8
9
11
14
18
21
23
22
19
15
11
9
Rain (mm)
65
45
46
48
54
57
60
68
57
70
68
73
February is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 73 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 32 nights a year. The climate in Gloucester →
Things to do
8 viewpoints, 122 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Upton St Leonards, 1.8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 80% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Longford and Highnam have at least twice Gloucester’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Gloucester
What is the biggest park in Gloucester?
Robinswood Hill Country Park, 108 ha (268 acres), with 30.4 km of path. Plock Court Playing Field (23 ha) is second. 26 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Gloucester near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 0.0 mi south-east of the city’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What are the best walks near Gloucester?
11 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Glevum Way, Severn Way (3) Worcester to Bristol and Wysis Way. Robinswood Hill Country Park alone has 30.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Gloucester?
Fossil Beach, 20 mi from the edge of the city, then Sugar Loaf Beach (32 mi). Gloucester itself is inland.
How many people in Gloucester live near a park?
93% 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 Gloucester?
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 Gloucester good for walking?
For paths, yes: 6.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 97% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 64% (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 Gloucester’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Mat Fascione · CC BY-SA 2.0