Photo: Tylerian3 · CC BY-SA 3.0Parks and walks in Abertillery
The Brecon Beacons National Park begins 2.9 mi from the town’s edge. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 69% of residents. Footpaths add up to 34 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.1 for every square kilometre. Abertillery grades C for the outdoors: #28 of 38 in Gwent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Abertillery?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Abertillery’s strongest suit is the Brecon Beacons National Park close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Abertillery grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Abertillery, 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.
Abertillery is 42nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 9,600 to 10,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Abertillery stands out most for park space per resident: only 25 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 48 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caldicot Gwent | A+ | 4.2 | 92% | 3 | 2% |
| 2 | West End Hampshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Brierfield Lancashire | A | 2.1 | 92% | 5.6 | 18% |
| 4 | South Merstham Surrey | A | 3.7 | 84% | 3.7 | 20% |
| 5 | Beccles Suffolk | A | 4.5 | 87% | 3.2 | 20% |
| 6 | Bradford-on-Avon Wiltshire | A | 2.8 | 88% | 3.7 | 21% |
| 7 | Godalming Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 3.1 | 66% |
| 8 | Soham Cambridgeshire | A− | 4.7 | 97% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 9 | Platt Bridge and Abram Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Royston South Yorkshire | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Kings Hill Kent | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 12 | Padiham Lancashire | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 4.5 | 18% |
| 13 | Bingham Nottinghamshire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Chadwell St Mary Essex | A− | 3.2 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 18 | Tidworth Wiltshire | B+ | 3.7 | 90% | 2.3 | 8% |
| 19 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Corfe Mullen Dorset | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 3.5 | 13% |
| 21 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 22 | Cranleigh Surrey | B | 2.5 | 20% | 4.3 | 38% |
| 23 | Baldock Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Shildon County Durham | B | 2.8 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 25 | Ludlow Shropshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 26 | Great Dunmow Essex | B | 2 | 92% | 4 | 0% |
| 27 | Queensbury West Yorkshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Immingham Lincolnshire | B | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Pembroke Dock Dyfed | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 1.1 | 25% |
| 30 | Caernarfon Gwynedd | B− | 1.7 | 83% | 1.4 | 14% |
| 31 | Horbury West Yorkshire | B− | 2.5 | 75% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Mildenhall Suffolk | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Monmouth Gwent | B− | 1.5 | 69% | 3.1 | 45% |
| 34 | Oswaldtwistle Lancashire | B− | 1.1 | 94% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Radstock Somerset | B− | 1.1 | 93% | 2.9 | 1% |
| 36 | Whitchurch Shropshire | B− | 2.7 | 86% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Mold Clwyd | C+ | 1.9 | 86% | 1.6 | 17% |
| 38 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Crook County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Lydney Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.1 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Selsey West Sussex | C | 1.6 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Barnham West Sussex | C | 1.3 | 70% | 2.3 | 32% |
| 46 | Kippax West Yorkshire | C | 1.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Epping Essex | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Polegate East Sussex | C− | 0.8 | 64% | 2.2 | 24% |
| 51 | Lutterworth Leicestershire | C− | 1.7 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | West Moors Dorset | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 53 | New Ollerton and Ollerton Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.8 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Sherborne Dorset | D | 1.2 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Broughton Astley Leicestershire | D | 1 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Pocklington East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Abertillery’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Abertillery 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 3,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 19 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 539 residents.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is 2.9 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.
Brecon Beacons
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Abertillery scores 0% on it even though the Brecon Beacons National Park is 2.9 mi away. Brecon Beacons National Park covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
Footpaths in and around Abertillery
34 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Abertillery and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Abertillery; 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 Abertillery: June 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 174 | 127 | 107 | 95 | 99 | 88 | 96 | 115 | 116 | 174 | 169 | 184 |
June is the driest month (88 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 184 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 54 nights a year. The climate in Abertillery →
19 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
Abertillery 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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 3
Playgrounds 19
Plus 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abertillery | C | 2.4 | 69% | 0% |
| Llanhilleth 2.0 mi | D | 1.3 | 71% | 0% |
| Cwm 2.2 mi | C− | 2.0 | 12% | 0% |
| Trinant 2.5 mi | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Blaina 2.5 mi | C+ | 2.1 | 53% | 13% |
| Abersychan 3.0 mi | B− | 2.8 | 83% | 17% |
| Swffryd 3.4 mi | D− | 1.4 | 17% | 0% |
Abersychan, 3 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 83% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Abertillery
Is Abertillery near a National Park?
Yes. Brecon Beacons National Park begins 2.9 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
What is the nearest beach to Abertillery?
Fossil Beach, 21 mi from the edge of the town, then Sugar Loaf Beach (21 mi). Abertillery itself is inland.
How many people in Abertillery live near a park?
69% 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 Abertillery?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Abertillery good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 32% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 57% (2.4 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 Abertillery’s overall grade.
Where Abertillery’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.