Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Ash (Dover)
The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 4.9 mi from the town’s edge. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 72% of residents. Footpaths add up to 25 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Ash (Dover) grades C for the outdoors: #74 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Ash (Dover) grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ash (Dover), 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.
Ash (Dover) is 40th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,400 to 2,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Ash (Dover) stands out most for park space per resident: only 27 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 38 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shalford Surrey | A+ | 14.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 47% |
| 2 | Silloth Cumbria | A+ | 7.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 17% |
| 3 | Hopton on Sea Norfolk | A+ | 6.7 | 100% | 1.6 | 2% |
| 4 | Binley Woods Warwickshire | A | 5.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 5 | Rowhedge Essex | A | 1.6 | 100% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 6 | Maple Cross Hertfordshire | A | 3.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 7 | Hawley Hampshire | A | 6.9 | 92% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Chopwell Tyne and Wear | A | 7.5 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Longford Gloucestershire | A | 11.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Drybrook Gloucestershire | A− | 3.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 10% |
| 11 | South Anston South Yorkshire | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Stewartby Bedfordshire | A− | 21 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Saundersfoot Dyfed | A− | 10.2 | 69% | 0.9 | 19% |
| 14 | Porthmadog Gwynedd | B+ | 0.9 | 94% | 2 | 41% |
| 15 | Thornley County Durham | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Witton Gilbert County Durham | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Craven Arms Shropshire | B | 1.3 | 87% | 2.9 | 59% |
| 18 | Barlestone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Oakley Bedfordshire | B | 3.2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 20 | Pannal North Yorkshire | B− | 3.7 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 21 | Coundon and Leeholme County Durham | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 22 | Brewood Staffordshire | B− | 3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Kelvedon Hatch Essex | B− | 7.3 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Seer Green Buckinghamshire | B− | 1.7 | 38% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 25 | Ash Green Warwickshire | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Timsbury Somerset | B− | 2.7 | 68% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Bishop's Itchington Warwickshire | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Crossways Dorset | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 22% |
| 29 | Shepley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Widdrington Station Northumberland | C+ | 1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Caton Lancashire | C+ | 1.2 | 72% | 2.2 | 67% |
| 32 | Steeple Claydon Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Whittington Staffordshire | C | 7.5 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Stratton Gloucestershire | C | 0.7 | 46% | 3.3 | 70% |
| 35 | Great Houghton South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Heage Derbyshire | C | 1.9 | 78% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Tycroes Dyfed | C | 3.5 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Llandybie Dyfed | C | 2.6 | 59% | 1.2 | 13% |
| 39 | Laleham Surrey | C | 9.8 | 34% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Ash (Dover) Kent | C | 2.3 | 72% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Willaston (Cheshire West and Chester) Cheshire | C− | 4.2 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Upper Heyford Oxfordshire | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Hatton Derbyshire | C− | 3.3 | 61% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Loggerheads Staffordshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Cwm Gwent | C− | 2 | 12% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Cliffe Kent | C− | 1.1 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Probus Cornwall | C− | 0.6 | 75% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 48 | Maulden Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 55% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 49 | East Harling Norfolk | D | 1.7 | 85% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Lampeter Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 88% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Long Crendon Buckinghamshire | D | 1.4 | 86% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Mawsley Village Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | Fordham Cambridgeshire | D | 2.3 | 35% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Long Itchington Warwickshire | D | 2.1 | 45% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Clophill Bedfordshire | D | 0.7 | 41% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Silverstone Northamptonshire | D | 1.1 | 0% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Nafferton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 56% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Holme upon Spalding Moor East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.5 | 41% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Rhos West Glamorgan | D− | 1 | 58% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Cranwell Lincolnshire | D− | 0.5 | 57% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ash (Dover)’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Ash (Dover) 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 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 506 residents.
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 4.9 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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Ash (Dover) scores 0% on it even though the Kent Downs National Landscape is 4.9 mi away.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Ash (Dover)
25 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ash (Dover) and the kilometre around it, 2.4 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 Miner's Way Trail and Stour Valley Walk.
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 Ash (Dover): 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 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 47 | 38 | 40 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 51 | 52 | 84 | 76 | 72 |
March is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 84 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Ash (Dover) →
5 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
Ash (Dover) 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.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 5
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 2 campsites 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash (Dover) | C | 2.3 | 72% | 0% |
| Sandwich 2.5 mi | C+ | 2.1 | 51% | 0% |
| Eastry 2.5 mi | D | 2.0 | 77% | 0% |
| Wingham 2.8 mi | C− | 2.2 | 53% | 0% |
| Minster (Thanet) 4.6 mi | C | 2.3 | 64% | 0% |
| Aylesham 4.9 mi | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 33% |
| Littlebourne 4.9 mi | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 9% |
Littlebourne, 4.9 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Ash (Dover)
Is Ash (Dover) near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 4.9 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Ash (Dover)?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Miner's Way Trail and Stour Valley Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Ash (Dover)?
Ramsgate Western Undercliffe, 5.9 mi from the edge of the town, then Ramsgate Sands (7.4 mi). Ash (Dover) itself is inland.
How many people in Ash (Dover) live near a park?
72% 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 Ash (Dover)?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ash (Dover) good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 43% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 55% (2.3 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 Ash (Dover)’s overall grade.
Where Ash (Dover)’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.