Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.033% of the land within 5 km of Aylesham is National Park or National Landscape
The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 0.3 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Aylesham add up to 0.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 32 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. Aylesham grades C+ for the outdoors: #60 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Aylesham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Aylesham’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by the Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Aylesham grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Aylesham, 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.
Aylesham is 38th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,600 to 6,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Aylesham stands out most for path per km²: only 16 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 59 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| 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 | Deepcar South Yorkshire | A | 1.8 | 100% | 6.4 | 21% |
| 5 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 6 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 7 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 8 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 9 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Haworth West Yorkshire | A | 4.1 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Millom Cumbria | A | 2 | 82% | 3.2 | 13% |
| 12 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 13 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 14 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 15 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 16 | Nailsworth Gloucestershire | A− | 1.3 | 86% | 5.9 | 88% |
| 17 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 18 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 19 | Blaenavon Gwent | A− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.3 | 39% |
| 20 | Henfield West Sussex | A− | 3.8 | 51% | 4.4 | 17% |
| 21 | Kingsbridge Devon | B+ | 1.5 | 91% | 1.6 | 67% |
| 22 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 23 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 24 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 25 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 26 | Willington County Durham | B+ | 4.7 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 28 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 30 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 33 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 35 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Hullbridge Essex | C+ | 5.7 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 38 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 39 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 41 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Ruthin Clwyd | C | 2.7 | 51% | 1.5 | 31% |
| 43 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 44 | Wadebridge Cornwall | C | 1.8 | 74% | 1.8 | 17% |
| 45 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Durrington Wiltshire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 51 | Abertridwr and Senghenydd Gwent | C− | 1.8 | 87% | 1 | 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 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Brigg Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 65% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Ruskington Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 70% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Bulkington Warwickshire | D | 0.9 | 76% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Aylesham’s built-up area.
8 in 10 Aylesham 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 1,400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 724 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Aylesham
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.
33% of the land within 5 km of Aylesham is National Park or National Landscape, more than 84% of UK towns.
Aylesham is on the Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain
32 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Aylesham and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain, a national route, passes Aylesham. The regional route here is the Miner's Way 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 Aylesham: 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 63 | 45 | 47 | 53 | 57 | 52 | 61 | 58 | 93 | 93 | 87 |
March is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 93 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Aylesham →
8 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
Aylesham 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 8
Plus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aylesham | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 33% |
| Wingham 3.0 mi | C− | 2.2 | 53% | 0% |
| Sibertswold 3.1 mi | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 38% |
| Bridge 3.5 mi | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 44% |
| Eythorne 3.6 mi | C | 0.5 | 79% | 9% |
| Littlebourne 3.6 mi | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 9% |
| Eastry 4.7 mi | D | 2.0 | 77% | 0% |
Littlebourne, 3.6 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Wingham, Sibertswold and Bridge have at least twice Aylesham’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Aylesham
Is Aylesham near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 0.3 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Aylesham?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Miner's Way Trail, Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain and North Downs Way (Canterbury loop).
What is the nearest beach to Aylesham?
Abbot's Cliff Beach, 8.6 mi from the edge of the town, then Shakespeare's Beach (8.7 mi). Aylesham itself is inland.
How many people in Aylesham live near a park?
76% 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 Aylesham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Aylesham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 69% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 3% (0.3 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 Aylesham’s overall grade.
Where Aylesham’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.