Sway’s biggest
Jubilee Field
Playing field
4.2 ha (10 acres)
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Sway
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Downer · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Sway · parks, paths & countryside
Sway is inside the New Forest National Park
Footpaths add up to 41 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 4.0 for every square kilometre. 38% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Sway grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
38%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
41 km
4.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
74%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: New Forest National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Sway?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Inside the New Forest National ParkSway sits inside it: 567 km² of protected landscape.A village of footpaths4.0 km of path per km², more than 80% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Parks can be a walk away63% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Sway’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Sway grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sway, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 73% of UK towns15th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
68out of
100
100
A park within a walk38%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
8out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape74%of the land within 5 km
96out of
100
100
Footpaths4.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
80out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
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.
Villages its size
Sway is 15th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,300 to 2,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Sway4.0
Villages its size2.2
Hampshire towns3.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Sway2.9
Villages its size2.2
Hampshire towns2.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Sway38%
Villages its size88%
Hampshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Sway stands out most for path per km²: only 6 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 55 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rawnsley Staffordshire | A+ | 17.7 | 100% | 3.7 | 36% |
| 2 | Wolsingham County Durham | A+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.9 | 55% |
| 3 | Eton Berkshire | A | 22.9 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 4 | Aldeburgh Suffolk | A | 2.3 | 88% | 2.3 | 41% |
| 5 | Lyndhurst Hampshire | A | 3.6 | 73% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 6 | St Margaret's at Cliffe Kent | A | 2.3 | 90% | 2.4 | 15% |
| 7 | Old Stratford Northamptonshire | A | 9.8 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Little Clacton Essex | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Awsworth Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Upton upon Severn Worcestershire | A− | 4.9 | 90% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 11 | Colerne Wiltshire | A− | 3.1 | 86% | 2.4 | 84% |
| 12 | West Wick Somerset | A− | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 16% |
| 13 | Tanfield Lea County Durham | A− | 3.8 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Higher Folds Greater Manchester | A− | 2.8 | 90% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Sway Hampshire | B+ | 2.9 | 38% | 4 | 74% |
| 16 | Kington Herefordshire | B+ | 3.9 | 89% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Williton Somerset | B+ | 1.1 | 88% | 2.1 | 31% |
| 18 | Cotford St Luke Somerset | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 6% |
| 19 | Henlow Bedfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Chattenden Kent | B | 1.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Farndon Nottinghamshire | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 22 | Middlestown and Overton West Yorkshire | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Alresford Essex | B− | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Watlington Oxfordshire | B− | 2.3 | 67% | 2.4 | 55% |
| 25 | Wootton (Vale of White Horse) Oxfordshire | B− | 3.4 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Redlynch and Woodfalls Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 34% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 27 | Riccall North Yorkshire | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Llanrwst Clwyd | C+ | 2.2 | 75% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 29 | Renishaw Derbyshire | C+ | 0.6 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Shelley Essex | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Hendreforgan Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.7 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 32 | Witchford Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Grendon Warwickshire | C+ | 8.1 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 34 | Coven Staffordshire | C+ | 3.6 | 87% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Ruspidge Gloucestershire | C+ | 2 | 46% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 36 | Whittington Staffordshire | C | 7.5 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Great Houghton South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Pontycymer Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.2 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 39 | Tycroes Dyfed | C | 3.5 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 40 | South Milford North Yorkshire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Bugle Cornwall | C− | 1.8 | 92% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Eggborough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.5 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 43 | Hambleton Lancashire | C− | 2.3 | 14% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Wilstead Bedfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 88% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Willaston (Cheshire West and Chester) Cheshire | C− | 4.2 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Upper Heyford Oxfordshire | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Aberfan Mid Glamorgan | C− | 4.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Cornforth County Durham | C− | 1.9 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Maulden Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 55% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Eastry Kent | D | 2 | 77% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Llanhilleth Gwent | D | 1.3 | 71% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Mawsley Village Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | Leyburn North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 22% | 2 | 16% |
| 54 | Broughton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 45% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Fishburn County Durham | D | 1.5 | 76% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Parbold Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 36% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire | D | 1.5 | 44% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Myerscough Smithy Lancashire | D | 0.5 | 45% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Garden City Clwyd | D− | 1.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Shipdham Norfolk | D− | 1 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sway’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Sway
The biggest is Jubilee Field, 4.2 ha (10 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
4 in 10 Sway 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).
Within 400 m (38%)Further (63%)
Sway38%
Villages its size88%
Hampshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 1,500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Sway
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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
13 mi north-west986 km²since 1983
Official site74% of the land within 5 km of Sway is National Park or National Landscape, more than 96% of UK towns. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Sway
41 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sway and the kilometre around it, 4.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Sway; 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sway: May to 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 94 | 64 | 59 | 56 | 52 | 57 | 54 | 64 | 70 | 100 | 112 | 107 |
May is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 112 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Sway →
The coast
Beaches near Sway
0% of the area within 5 km of Sway is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Brockenhurst Beach2.8 mi from town
DirectionsSea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
Viewpoints, hills and nature near Sway
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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Blackhamsley Hill59 m (194 ft) · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Campsites 5
Rushcroft Farm Caravan And Camping Park0.1 mi from town
DirectionsHigh Tops Caravan Site0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPine Top Caravan Site0.7 mi from town
DirectionsOaken Caravan Site0.8 mi from town
DirectionsSet Oaks Caravan Site0.9 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
AshleyHordleBrockenhurstEvertonLymingtonNew MiltonSway
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sway | B+ | 2.9 | 38% | 74% |
| Ashley 2.3 mi | B | 2.2 | 53% | 47% |
| Hordle 2.4 mi | C− | 0.0 | 0% | 41% |
| Brockenhurst 2.5 mi | B | 1.8 | 63% | 98% |
| Everton 3.0 mi | C+ | 1.3 | 58% | 37% |
| Lymington 3.3 mi | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 56% |
| New Milton 3.3 mi | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 38% |
Lymington, 3.3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 89% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Sway
What is the biggest park in Sway?
Jubilee Field, 4.2 ha (10 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
How many people in Sway live near a park?
38% 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 Sway?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Sway good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 80% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 68% (2.9 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 Sway’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Sway’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.