Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.087% of Underwood’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
6 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Underwood add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Underwood grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Underwood grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Underwood, 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.
Underwood is 49th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,000 to 2,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Underwood falls furthest behind on path per km², where 57 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mullion Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 64% |
| 2 | Broughton Buckinghamshire | A+ | 8 | 100% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Crickhowell Powys | A+ | 4.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 4 | Charlton Hampshire | A+ | 5.6 | 87% | 5.2 | 19% |
| 5 | Bestwood Village Nottinghamshire | A | 43.8 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 6 | Deepcut Surrey | A | 8.4 | 100% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 7 | Chigwell Row Essex | A | 30.3 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Springwell Tyne and Wear | A | 5 | 100% | 6.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Eton Wick Berkshire | A | 17.4 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Carlton South Yorkshire | A | 23.1 | 87% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Streethay Staffordshire | A− | 10.1 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Chipping Campden Gloucestershire | A− | 2.1 | 100% | 2 | 74% |
| 13 | Church Warsop Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.1 | 85% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Hanslope Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Chiddingfold Surrey | B+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.5 | 68% |
| 16 | Wells-next-the-Sea Norfolk | B+ | 2 | 70% | 1.9 | 65% |
| 17 | Charing Kent | B+ | 2.7 | 85% | 2.1 | 56% |
| 18 | Sharlston West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.9 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 19 | Gamston (Rushcliffe) Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 86% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Holbrook Suffolk | B+ | 1.1 | 74% | 2.7 | 52% |
| 21 | Carnon Downs and Devoran Cornwall | B+ | 0.3 | 87% | 2.5 | 36% |
| 22 | Yarnfield Staffordshire | B | 6.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Bickington Devon | B | 1.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Wheelock Cheshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Ellington Northumberland | B | 2.5 | 86% | 2 | 0% |
| 26 | Trowell Nottinghamshire | B | 7.7 | 56% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Evercreech Somerset | B | 3.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 28 | Rayne Essex | B− | 4.3 | 64% | 4 | 0% |
| 29 | Resolven West Glamorgan | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 30 | East Peckham Kent | B− | 14.5 | 66% | 2 | 1% |
| 31 | Hutton Lancashire | B− | 6.6 | 90% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Wardle Greater Manchester | B− | 1 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Westoning Bedfordshire | B− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 34 | Aspley Guise Bedfordshire | B− | 2.2 | 69% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Burgh le Marsh Lincolnshire | C+ | 3.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 7% |
| 36 | Luddenden Foot West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.2 | 68% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Machynlleth Powys | C+ | 2.6 | 45% | 2 | 29% |
| 38 | Huncote Leicestershire | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Market Bosworth Leicestershire | C | 10.9 | 25% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Linton Derbyshire | C | 1.8 | 76% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Mitcheldean Gloucestershire | C | 1.5 | 80% | 1.9 | 1% |
| 42 | Aspatria Cumbria | C− | 3.1 | 60% | 0.8 | 1% |
| 43 | Maesycwmmer Gwent | C− | 1.9 | 73% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Rudgwick West Sussex | C− | 2.5 | 16% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Seamer (Scarborough) North Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 58% | 1 | 18% |
| 46 | Lanner Cornwall | C− | 1.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Stainburn Cumbria | C− | 0.1 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Long Bennington Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Underwood Gwent | C− | 1.9 | 87% | 1 | 0% |
| 50 | Scholar Green Cheshire | C− | 0.7 | 65% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Wickham Hampshire | D | 0.8 | 26% | 2 | 13% |
| 52 | Hersden Kent | D | 2 | 63% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Meden Vale Nottinghamshire | D | 0.3 | 58% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Thurlby Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 54% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Preston East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 56 | West Hill Devon | D | 0 | 0% | 1.2 | 27% |
| 57 | Keelby Lincolnshire | D− | 1 | 71% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Bozeat Northamptonshire | D− | 1.3 | 13% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Aslockton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1 | 11% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Ipplepen Devon | D− | 0.8 | 42% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Underwood’s built-up area.
How close Underwood’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 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 356 residents.
The Wye Valley National Landscape is 6.3 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.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Underwood
6 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Underwood and the kilometre around it, 1.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Bishton & Llanwern Loop has 5 km of local walk within 2 km of the village.
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 Underwood: May to July and 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 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 108 | 80 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 62 | 91 | 76 | 112 | 102 | 110 |
July is the driest month (62 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 112 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 28 nights a year. The climate in Underwood →
6 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
Underwood is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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. Waltwood Hill, at 62 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Underwood.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Playgrounds 6
Plus 5 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.
Rogiet, 4.7 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Rogiet has at least twice Underwood’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Underwood
Is Underwood near a National Park?
Yes. Brecon Beacons National Park begins 9.0 mi north-west of the village’s edge. It covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Wye Valley National Landscape, 6.3 mi away.
What are the best walks near Underwood?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the Bishton & Llanwern Loop.
What is the nearest beach to Underwood?
Sugar Loaf Beach, 8.5 mi from the edge of the village, then Ladye Bay (9.9 mi). Underwood itself is inland.
How many people in Underwood live near a park?
87% 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 Underwood?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Underwood good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 7% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 42% (1.9 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 Underwood’s overall grade.
Where Underwood’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.