Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Botley add up to 14.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The South Downs National Park begins 2.4 mi from the town’s edge. 67 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.6 for every square kilometre. Botley grades A− for the outdoors: #38 of 76 in Hampshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Botley’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Botley, 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 5,700 to 6,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Botley stands out most for park space per resident: only 1 of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 41 of the others do better.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 2 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bagshot Surrey | A | 10.5 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 5 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 6 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 7 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 11 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 13 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 14 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 15 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 16 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Axminster Devon | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 66% |
| 22 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 23 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 24 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 25 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 26 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 29 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 30 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 32 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Hullbridge Essex | C+ | 5.7 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 35 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 37 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 39 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 42 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Durrington Wiltshire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 49 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 51 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Botley’s built-up area.
The biggest is River Hamble Country Park, 164 ha (405 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 1,800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 28 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 211 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.
2% of the land within 5 km of Botley is National Park or National Landscape, more than 65% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
67 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Botley and the kilometre around it, 3.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
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 Botley’s named parks.
164 ha. 7 listed structures and monuments stand 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 94 | 66 | 53 | 56 | 50 | 59 | 51 | 69 | 67 | 91 | 105 | 93 |
May is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 105 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Botley →
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.
Botley is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Hill Top, at 41 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Botley.
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Plus 5 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botley | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 2% |
| Hedge End 1.3 mi | A− | 5.5 | 87% | 0% |
| Horton Heath 2.0 mi | A+ | 10.0 | 100% | 13% |
| West End 2.8 mi | A | 9.1 | 100% | 0% |
| Whiteley 3.0 mi | A− | 3.0 | 52% | 2% |
| Bursledon 3.1 mi | A | 2.6 | 90% | 0% |
| Waltham Chase 3.3 mi | B− | 2.0 | 75% | 39% |
Horton Heath, 2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
River Hamble Country Park, 164 ha (405 acres), with 18 km of path. Dowds Farm Park (8.9 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 2.4 mi north-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Strawberry Trail. River Hamble Country Park alone has 18 km of path.
Calshot Beach, 6.3 mi from the edge of the town, then Hill Head Beach (6.6 mi). Botley itself is inland.
70% 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.
For paths, yes: 3.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 74% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 98% (14.6 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 Botley’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.