Photo: Eric Soons · CC BY-SA 2.0Ruspidge has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
48 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 5.6 for every square kilometre. The Wye Valley National Landscape begins 3.4 mi from the village’s edge. 46% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Ruspidge grades C+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Ruspidge?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Ruspidge’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Wye Valley National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Ruspidge grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ruspidge, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
100
100
100
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.
Ruspidge is 36th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,300 to 2,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Ruspidge stands out most for path per km²: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 51 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rawnsley Staffordshire | A+ | 17.7 | 100% | 3.7 | 36% |
| 2 | Wolsingham County Durham | A+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.9 | 55% |
| 3 | Eton Berkshire | A | 22.9 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 4 | Aldeburgh Suffolk | A | 2.3 | 88% | 2.3 | 41% |
| 5 | Lyndhurst Hampshire | A | 3.6 | 73% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 6 | St Margaret's at Cliffe Kent | A | 2.3 | 90% | 2.4 | 15% |
| 7 | Old Stratford Northamptonshire | A | 9.8 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Little Clacton Essex | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Awsworth Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Upton upon Severn Worcestershire | A− | 4.9 | 90% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 11 | Colerne Wiltshire | A− | 3.1 | 86% | 2.4 | 84% |
| 12 | West Wick Somerset | A− | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 16% |
| 13 | Tanfield Lea County Durham | A− | 3.8 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Higher Folds Greater Manchester | A− | 2.8 | 90% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Sway Hampshire | B+ | 2.9 | 38% | 4 | 74% |
| 16 | Kington Herefordshire | B+ | 3.9 | 89% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Williton Somerset | B+ | 1.1 | 88% | 2.1 | 31% |
| 18 | Cotford St Luke Somerset | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 6% |
| 19 | Henlow Bedfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Nant-y-moel Mid Glamorgan | B | 7 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Chattenden Kent | B | 1.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 22 | Farndon Nottinghamshire | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Middlestown and Overton West Yorkshire | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Alresford Essex | B− | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Watlington Oxfordshire | B− | 2.3 | 67% | 2.4 | 55% |
| 26 | Wootton (Vale of White Horse) Oxfordshire | B− | 3.4 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Redlynch and Woodfalls Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 34% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 28 | Riccall North Yorkshire | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Llanrwst Clwyd | C+ | 2.2 | 75% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 30 | Renishaw Derbyshire | C+ | 0.6 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Shelley Essex | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Hendreforgan Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.7 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Witchford Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Grendon Warwickshire | C+ | 8.1 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 35 | Coven Staffordshire | C+ | 3.6 | 87% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Ruspidge Gloucestershire | C+ | 2 | 46% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Whittington Staffordshire | C | 7.5 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Pontycymer Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.2 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 39 | Tycroes Dyfed | C | 3.5 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 40 | South Milford North Yorkshire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Bugle Cornwall | C− | 1.8 | 92% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Hambleton Lancashire | C− | 2.3 | 14% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Eggborough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.5 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 44 | Wilstead Bedfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 88% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Willaston (Cheshire West and Chester) Cheshire | C− | 4.2 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Marshfield Gwent | C− | 1 | 85% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Upper Heyford Oxfordshire | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Aberfan Mid Glamorgan | C− | 4.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Cornforth County Durham | C− | 1.9 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Maulden Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 55% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Eastry Kent | D | 2 | 77% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Llanhilleth Gwent | D | 1.3 | 71% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Leyburn North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 22% | 2 | 16% |
| 54 | Broughton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 45% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Fishburn County Durham | D | 1.5 | 76% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Parbold Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 36% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire | D | 1.5 | 44% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Myerscough Smithy Lancashire | D | 0.5 | 45% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Garden City Clwyd | D− | 1.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Shipdham Norfolk | D− | 1 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ruspidge’s built-up area.
5 in 10 Ruspidge 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).
About 1,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 15 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 162 residents.
The Wye Valley National Landscape is 3.4 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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Ruspidge scores 0% on it even though the Wye Valley National Landscape is 3.4 mi away.
Footpaths and waymarked walks in Ruspidge
48 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ruspidge and the kilometre around it, 5.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Ruspidge; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Ruspidge: May to September
The village’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) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 115 | 79 | 72 | 78 | 69 | 68 | 60 | 87 | 72 | 114 | 116 | 114 |
July is the driest month (60 mm) and the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 116 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Ruspidge →
15 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Ruspidge is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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 1
Hills and peaks 1
Playgrounds 15
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruspidge | C+ | 2.0 | 46% | 0% |
| Cinderford 1.0 mi | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 4% |
| Newnham 2.3 mi | A | 4.2 | 100% | 0% |
| Drybrook 3.1 mi | A− | 3.9 | 83% | 10% |
| Blakeney 3.6 mi | B− | 2.1 | 68% | 0% |
| Yorkley and Whitecroft 3.7 mi | A | 3.3 | 74% | 1% |
| Ruardean 3.8 mi | A | 4.5 | 100% | 29% |
Yorkley and Whitecroft, 3.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 74% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Newnham and Ruardean have at least twice Ruspidge’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Ruspidge
Is Ruspidge near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Wye Valley National Landscape, 3.4 mi west of the village’s edge. It covers 655 km² and was designated in 1971.
What is the nearest beach to Ruspidge?
Fossil Beach, 13 mi from the edge of the village, then Sugar Loaf Beach (25 mi). Ruspidge itself is inland.
How many people in Ruspidge live near a park?
46% 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 Ruspidge?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ruspidge good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 96% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 46% (2.0 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 Ruspidge’s overall grade.
Where Ruspidge’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.