Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Bethersden lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The High Weald National Landscape and the Kent Downs National Landscape both begin about 4 miles from the village’s edge. Footpaths add up to 11 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 1.3 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Bethersden add up to 2.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Bethersden grades C+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Bethersden?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Bethersden’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Bethersden grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bethersden, 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.
Bethersden is 35th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Bethersden stands out most for park space per resident: only 25 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 42 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grove Dorset | A+ | 6 | 100% | 8.7 | 0% |
| 2 | Totternhoe Bedfordshire | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.9 | 26% |
| 3 | Winchelsea Beach East Sussex | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 45% |
| 4 | East Challow Oxfordshire | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 5 | Broadbottom Greater Manchester | A+ | 5 | 100% | 4.2 | 15% |
| 6 | Hawkesbury Upton Gloucestershire | A+ | 3.4 | 100% | 3 | 73% |
| 7 | Westwood Wiltshire | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 4.4 | 29% |
| 8 | Cemaes Gwynedd | A+ | 5 | 100% | 1.3 | 14% |
| 9 | Mawnan Smith Cornwall | A | 3.5 | 30% | 4 | 40% |
| 10 | Bellingham Northumberland | A | 8.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 57% |
| 11 | Waddington Lancashire | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 12 | Little Wymondley Hertfordshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Thurlstone South Yorkshire | A− | 0.9 | 100% | 4.5 | 13% |
| 14 | Wivelsfield Green East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 3 | 11% |
| 15 | North Chailey East Sussex | B+ | 4.5 | 48% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 16 | Langenhoe and Abberton Essex | B+ | 2.3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 17 | Leek Wootton Warwickshire | B+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Norton St Philip Somerset | B+ | 1.8 | 100% | 2.2 | 21% |
| 19 | Loddiswell Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 20 | Thornwood Common Essex | B+ | 6.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Clyst Honiton Devon | B+ | 8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Olveston Gloucestershire | B | 0.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Thornton Leicestershire | B | 13.7 | 50% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Whitwell Hertfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Levens Cumbria | B | 0.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 53% |
| 26 | Great Paxton Cambridgeshire | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Great Amwell Hertfordshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Beckington Somerset | B− | 2.7 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Laxfield Suffolk | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Winteringham Lincolnshire | B− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Hooley Surrey | B− | 1.7 | 67% | 3.4 | 18% |
| 32 | King's Bromley Staffordshire | B− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Derry Hill and Studley Wiltshire | C+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 1% |
| 34 | St Dogmaels Dyfed | C+ | 1.4 | 71% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 35 | Bethersden Kent | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Hill Ridware Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1.2 | 7% |
| 37 | Bempton East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.6 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Elmsett Suffolk | C | 3.4 | 82% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Clifton Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Scorton North Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Hurst Berkshire | C− | 5.1 | 68% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Lea Lincolnshire | C− | 4.3 | 76% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Swarthmoor Cumbria | C− | 0.2 | 79% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Llangeinor Mid Glamorgan | C− | 3.1 | 62% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Loxwood West Sussex | D | 0 | 0% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Sutton St James Lincolnshire | D | 0.1 | 100% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Marshland St James Norfolk | D | 3.5 | 0% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Besthorpe Norfolk | D | 1.5 | 72% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Barnack Cambridgeshire | D | 1.6 | 26% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Northop Clwyd | D | 1.6 | 70% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Shadoxhurst Kent | D | 1.8 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Overton Lancashire | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Wymington Bedfordshire | D | 0.3 | 0% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Sutton Norfolk | D− | 0 | 0% | 1 | 29% |
| 55 | Corby Glen Lincolnshire | D− | 2 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Wawne East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1 | 0% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Foulsham Norfolk | D− | 1.4 | 29% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Mendlesham Suffolk | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Stockton on the Forest North Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Prees Shropshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 0.6 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bethersden’s built-up area.
How close Bethersden’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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
High Weald and Kent Downs both start about 4 miles from Bethersden
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 Bethersden scores 0% on it even though the High Weald National Landscape is 3.5 mi away.
Footpaths in and around Bethersden
11 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bethersden and the kilometre around it, 1.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Bethersden; 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.
The best walking months in Bethersden: 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 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 73 | 56 | 44 | 45 | 38 | 45 | 45 | 59 | 55 | 78 | 93 | 82 |
May is the driest month (38 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 93 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Bethersden →
Viewpoints, hills and nature near Bethersden
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
Bethersden is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Campsites 3
Plus 1 campsite 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethersden | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Shadoxhurst 3.2 mi | D | 1.8 | 44% | 0% |
| Woodchurch 3.8 mi | B | 2.3 | 78% | 12% |
| Tenterden 4.5 mi | C− | 0.8 | 58% | 48% |
| Biddenden 5.0 mi | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 20% |
| Ashford 5.1 mi | A | 2.7 | 94% | 23% |
| Charing 6.1 mi | B+ | 2.7 | 85% | 56% |
Ashford, 5.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Bethersden
Is Bethersden near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the High Weald National Landscape, 3.5 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 1,462 km² and was designated in 1983.
What is the nearest beach to Bethersden?
The Beach, 9.4 mi from the edge of the village, then Camber Sands (13 mi). Bethersden itself is inland.
How many people in Bethersden live near a park?
100% 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 Bethersden?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bethersden good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 13% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 56% (2.4 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 Bethersden’s overall grade.
Where Bethersden’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.