Photo: Philip Halling · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Newent lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Newent add up to 3.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 33 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.7 for every square kilometre. The Malvern Hills National Landscape and the Wye Valley National Landscape both begin about 5 miles from the town’s edge. Newent grades B+ for the outdoors: #35 of 48 in Gloucestershire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Newent?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Newent’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Newent grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Newent, 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.
Newent is 23rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,100 to 5,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Newent stands out most for park space per resident: only 18 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cookham Berkshire | A+ | 8.3 | 96% | 4.3 | 19% |
| 2 | Weston Dorset | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 7.6 | 0% |
| 3 | St Ives Cornwall | A | 0.8 | 89% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 4 | Budleigh Salterton Devon | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 5 | Edwinstowe Nottinghamshire | A− | 5.6 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 6 | Hoylake Merseyside | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 7 | Brotton North Yorkshire | A− | 1.4 | 89% | 3 | 2% |
| 8 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A− | 3 | 94% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 9 | Steyning West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 86% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 10 | Merley Dorset | B+ | 3.9 | 64% | 4.1 | 6% |
| 11 | Highbridge Somerset | B+ | 2.9 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Carlton in Lindrick Nottinghamshire | B+ | 9 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Sonning Common Oxfordshire | B+ | 2.6 | 60% | 3.7 | 74% |
| 14 | Aston Clinton Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.1 | 61% | 3.8 | 29% |
| 15 | Llantwit Major South Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Drighlington West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.1 | 92% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Whitchurch Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 3.3 | 43% |
| 18 | Cottam Lancashire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 19 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 94% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 20 | Waverley and Catcliffe South Yorkshire | B+ | 8.8 | 65% | 5 | 0% |
| 21 | Shrivenham and Watchfield Oxfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 96% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 22 | Dartmouth Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 23 | Newent Gloucestershire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Battle East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 64% | 4.3 | 84% |
| 25 | Fremington Devon | B+ | 1.4 | 88% | 2.1 | 10% |
| 26 | Benson Oxfordshire | B | 6 | 44% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 27 | Askern South Yorkshire | B | 8.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Longstanton and Northstowe Cambridgeshire | B | 4.3 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Rowlands Gill Tyne and Wear | B | 4.9 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Shinfield Berkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Llandrindod Wells Powys | B− | 4.5 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire | B− | 1.6 | 84% | 7.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Midhurst West Sussex | C+ | 0.3 | 28% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 34 | Brynmawr Gwent | C+ | 1.2 | 68% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 35 | Helsby Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Oakley Hampshire | C | 1.7 | 56% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 37 | Coningsby and Tattershall Lincolnshire | C | 2.7 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Havercroft and Ryhill West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 81% | 2.8 | 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 | Long Stratton Norfolk | C− | 1 | 89% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Welshpool Powys | C− | 2.6 | 82% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 45 | Bayston Hill Shropshire | C− | 1.8 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Ludgershall Wiltshire | C− | 0.7 | 72% | 1.9 | 32% |
| 47 | Llangefni Gwynedd | C− | 1.8 | 95% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Ingatestone Essex | C− | 3.2 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 49 | Measham Leicestershire | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Littlestone-on-Sea Kent | C− | 1.4 | 37% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Long Sutton Lincolnshire | D | 2.2 | 81% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Potton Bedfordshire | D | 1.3 | 77% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Blackrod Greater Manchester | D | 1 | 83% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Wigton Cumbria | D | 2.4 | 65% | 1 | 0% |
| 55 | Thornton West Yorkshire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Treherbert Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.2 | 73% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Eye Cambridgeshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Moorends South Yorkshire | D | 2.2 | 39% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Winslow Buckinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 59% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Ravenshead Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Newent’s built-up area.
How close Newent’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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 487 residents.
Malvern Hills and Wye Valley both start about 5 miles from Newent
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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Newent scores 0% on it even though the Malvern Hills National Landscape is 4.2 mi away.
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Newent
33 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Newent and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
4 regional routes pass through, including the Geopark Way, Three Choirs Way (Gloucester to Hereford), Three Choirs Way (Gloucester to Kilcot) and Three Choirs Way (Kilcot to Woolhope).
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 Newent: 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) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 72 | 58 | 53 | 50 | 56 | 55 | 56 | 63 | 58 | 88 | 81 | 82 |
April is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 88 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Newent →
11 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
Newent 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
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 11
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Drybrook, 7.1 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 83% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Highnam has at least twice Newent’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Newent
Is Newent near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Malvern Hills National Landscape, 4.2 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 107 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Newent?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Geopark Way, Three Choirs Way (Gloucester to Hereford) and Three Choirs Way (Gloucester to Kilcot).
What is the nearest beach to Newent?
Fossil Beach, 22 mi from the edge of the town. Newent itself is inland.
How many people in Newent live near a park?
100% 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 Newent?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Newent good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 52% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 69% (3.0 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 Newent’s overall grade.
Where Newent’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.