Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Cornishstrongbitter at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0The Brecon Beacons National Park reaches the edge of Abergavenny. Parks and playing fields in Abergavenny add up to 3.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 63 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.1 for every square kilometre. Abergavenny grades A for the outdoors: #7 of 38 in Gwent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Abergavenny’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by the Cambrian Way.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Abergavenny, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 13,000 to 14,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Abergavenny stands out most for park space per resident: only 16 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farncombe Surrey | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 3.8 | 54% |
| 2 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 3 | Sidmouth Devon | A | 2.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 4 | Abergavenny Gwent | A | 3.2 | 83% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 5 | Wellington Somerset | A | 2.2 | 99% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Wick West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 91% | 3 | 25% |
| 7 | Stoke Gifford Gloucestershire | A− | 5.7 | 87% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 9 | Addlestone Surrey | A− | 4.3 | 90% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Heckmondwike West Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 12 | Churchdown Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 92% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 13 | Wantage Oxfordshire | A− | 2.5 | 71% | 3.9 | 47% |
| 14 | Bacup Lancashire | A− | 2.5 | 94% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 17 | Audenshaw Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.6 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland | B+ | 2.5 | 62% | 2.7 | 1% |
| 19 | Verwood Dorset | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 3.9 | 13% |
| 20 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Chalfont St Peter Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 80% | 3.5 | 18% |
| 22 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Gomersal and Birkenshaw West Yorkshire | B | 3.2 | 83% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 25 | Enderby and Narborough Leicestershire | B | 1.9 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 26 | West Kirby Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 68% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 29 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 31 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 32 | Scawthorpe and Cusworth South Yorkshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 34 | Midsomer Norton Somerset | B− | 1.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Sheerness Kent | B− | 3 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Knutsford Cheshire | C+ | 2.6 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 40 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 41 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Buckley Clwyd | C+ | 2.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire | C+ | 4 | 91% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 45 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Flitwick Bedfordshire | C | 0.8 | 59% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 47 | Syston Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Ferndown Dorset | C | 0.7 | 13% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Rhondda Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Brough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Uttoxeter Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Porth Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Northallerton North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Driffield East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 75% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 58 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 73% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Abergavenny’s built-up area.
The biggest is Bailey Park, 7.6 ha (19 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
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 2,400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 18 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 761 residents.
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.
60% of the land within 5 km of Abergavenny is National Park or National Landscape, more than 94% of UK towns. Brecon Beacons National Park covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
63 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Abergavenny and the kilometre around it, 3.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The Cambrian Way, a national route, passes Abergavenny. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Beacons Way and Usk Valley Walk.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Abergavenny’s named parks.
7.6 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 1 listed structure stands inside it or at its edge.
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.
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 | 16.7 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 121 | 91 | 80 | 73 | 88 | 68 | 68 | 80 | 78 | 116 | 120 | 128 |
June is the driest month (68 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 128 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Abergavenny →
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.
Abergavenny is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. Natural Resources Wales tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Twyn-yr-Allt, at 344 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Abergavenny.
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Plus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abergavenny | A | 3.2 | 83% | 60% |
| Llanfoist 1.2 mi | A+ | 10.7 | 86% | 57% |
| Govilon 2.2 mi | A− | 2.1 | 80% | 69% |
| Gilwern 3.2 mi | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 83% |
| Blaenavon 4.8 mi | A− | 1.8 | 100% | 39% |
| Crickhowell 5.5 mi | A+ | 4.3 | 100% | 100% |
| Penperlleni 6.4 mi | C− | 0.6 | 80% | 17% |
Llanfoist, 1.2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Llanfoist has at least twice Abergavenny’s green space per resident.
Bailey Park, 7.6 ha (19 acres), with 1 km of path. Linda Vista Gardens (1.8 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Brecon Beacons National Park reaches the edge of Abergavenny. It covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Cambrian Way, Beacons Way and Usk Valley Walk.
Fossil Beach, 20 mi from the edge of the town, then Sugar Loaf Beach (24 mi). Abergavenny itself is inland.
83% 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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Abergavenny Castle (Grade II), Bailey Park (Grade II), Linda Vista Gardens (Grade II) and The Hill (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 63% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 73% (3.2 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Abergavenny’s overall grade.
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.