Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.088% of Nelson’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Footpaths add up to 16 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.5 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Nelson add up to 2.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Nelson grades C for the outdoors: #32 of 38 in Gwent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Nelson grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Nelson, 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.
Nelson is 44th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,100 to 4,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Nelson 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 50 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Malling Kent | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 3.4 | 21% |
| 2 | Telscombe Cliffs East Sussex | A+ | 3 | 58% | 5.1 | 42% |
| 3 | Southbourne West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 92% | 3.3 | 64% |
| 4 | Denaby Main South Yorkshire | A | 10.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 5 | Milton Cambridgeshire | A | 10.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 6 | Overton Hampshire | A | 3.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 45% |
| 7 | Loftus North Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 90% | 2 | 31% |
| 8 | Arborfield Garrison Berkshire | A− | 10.4 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Stokenchurch Buckinghamshire | A− | 2.3 | 90% | 2.6 | 86% |
| 10 | Hunstanton Norfolk | A− | 3.7 | 71% | 1.4 | 31% |
| 11 | Fairford Gloucestershire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.8 | 17% |
| 12 | Lofthouse and Robin Hood West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 93% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Bearwood Dorset | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Ratby Leicestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Bramley and Wonersh Surrey | B+ | 1.7 | 77% | 3.5 | 59% |
| 16 | Winchcombe Gloucestershire | B | 2.2 | 60% | 3 | 81% |
| 17 | Brampton Cumbria | B | 2 | 92% | 2.2 | 9% |
| 18 | Saltford Somerset | B | 1.6 | 75% | 3.6 | 24% |
| 19 | Bourton-on-the-Water Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 79% | 3.3 | 100% |
| 20 | Penrhyn Bay Clwyd | B− | 0.6 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Woodford Halse Northamptonshire | B− | 3.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Topsham Devon | B− | 1.9 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 23 | Easington Lane Tyne and Wear | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 24 | Wilton Wiltshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 25 | Tibshelf Derbyshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Ferndale Mid Glamorgan | B− | 3.6 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Woburn Sands Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Kessingland Suffolk | C+ | 0.9 | 70% | 1.9 | 19% |
| 29 | Old Tupton Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 73% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Eaton Bray and Edlesborough Bedfordshire | C+ | 2.6 | 72% | 1.7 | 29% |
| 31 | Thorpe Hesley South Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 80% | 4 | 0% |
| 32 | Backwell Somerset | C+ | 2.3 | 57% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Sandwich Kent | C+ | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Sible Hedingham Essex | C+ | 0.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Holmfield West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.8 | 74% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Knebworth Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 81% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Warton (Fylde) Lancashire | C | 1.3 | 92% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Deanshanger Northamptonshire | C | 1.5 | 93% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Meopham Kent | C | 1.3 | 53% | 2.5 | 35% |
| 40 | Uppingham Rutland | C | 2.2 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Branston Lincolnshire | C | 2.1 | 86% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Beck Row Suffolk | C | 5.3 | 76% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Llangennech Dyfed | C | 1.6 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Nelson Gwent | C | 2.1 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Cuffley Hertfordshire | C− | 13.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Ellesmere Shropshire | C− | 12.5 | 54% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Epworth Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 75% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Doddington and Wimblington Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.5 | 73% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Great Ayton North Yorkshire | C− | 0.2 | 48% | 2.2 | 31% |
| 50 | West Kingsdown Kent | D | 0.8 | 28% | 1.6 | 52% |
| 51 | North Weald Bassett Essex | D | 1.4 | 67% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Middleton Cheney Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Shepperton Green Surrey | D | 1.4 | 73% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Blidworth Nottinghamshire | D | 0.5 | 23% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Kegworth Leicestershire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Llantrisant Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.6 | 42% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Wheatley Oxfordshire | D− | 0.2 | 34% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Warboys Cambridgeshire | D− | 0.4 | 67% | 1 | 0% |
| 59 | Pinchbeck Lincolnshire | D− | 1 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Little Eriswell Suffolk | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Nelson’s built-up area.
How close Nelson’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).
About 500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 12 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 353 residents.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is 8.5 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
Brecon Beacons National Park covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Nelson
16 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Nelson and the kilometre around it, 1.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
2 regional routes pass through, including the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk and Taff Trail.
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 Nelson: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 190 | 154 | 124 | 98 | 103 | 100 | 102 | 121 | 124 | 189 | 194 | 227 |
April is the driest month (98 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 227 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Nelson →
5 viewpoints, 12 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
Nelson 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 1
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 12
Plus 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | C | 2.1 | 88% | 0% |
| Trelewis 1.2 mi | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Treharris 1.3 mi | C | 2.6 | 72% | 0% |
| Gelligaer 1.6 mi | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Abercynon 2.1 mi | D− | 1.1 | 55% | 0% |
| Pen-pedair-heol 2.2 mi | D | 0.9 | 80% | 0% |
| Ystrad Mynach 2.3 mi | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 0% |
Ystrad Mynach, 2.3 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 85% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Ystrad Mynach has at least twice Nelson’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Nelson
Is Nelson near a National Park?
Yes. Brecon Beacons National Park begins 8.5 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
What are the best walks near Nelson?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk and Taff Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Nelson?
The Bendricks, 17 mi from the edge of the town, then Pebble Beach (17 mi). Nelson itself is inland.
How many people in Nelson live near a park?
88% 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 Nelson?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Nelson good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 17% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 48% (2.1 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 Nelson’s overall grade.
Where Nelson’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.