Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Biddenden lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The High Weald National Landscape begins 1.1 mi from the village’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Biddenden add up to 4.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 16 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 1.9 for every square kilometre. Biddenden grades A− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Biddenden?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Biddenden’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Biddenden grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Biddenden, 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.
Biddenden is 9th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Biddenden stands out most for park space per resident: only 17 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 35 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Davids Dyfed | A+ | 5.2 | 84% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 2 | Pateley Bridge North Yorkshire | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 100% |
| 3 | Wolvercote Oxfordshire | A | 32 | 100% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 4 | Winsley Wiltshire | A | 12.4 | 79% | 4.2 | 38% |
| 5 | Crowmarsh Gifford Oxfordshire | A | 8 | 77% | 3.6 | 60% |
| 6 | Goldsithney Cornwall | A | 1.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 10% |
| 7 | Charmouth Dorset | A | 2.5 | 82% | 2.3 | 63% |
| 8 | Brinscall Lancashire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 9 | Biddenden Kent | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 20% |
| 10 | Cwmfelinfach Gwent | A− | 24.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Stoke sub Hamdon Somerset | A− | 25.1 | 81% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 12 | Upper Caldecote Bedfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Blean Kent | A− | 5.9 | 80% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 14 | Govilon Gwent | A− | 2.1 | 80% | 3.4 | 69% |
| 15 | Auckley South Yorkshire | B+ | 4.9 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Layer-de-la-Haye Essex | B+ | 9.5 | 79% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Mynydd Marian Clwyd | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Quintrell Downs Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Barleythorpe Rutland | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Abbots Bromley Staffordshire | B | 6.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Wymeswold Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 22 | Motcombe Dorset | B | 9.5 | 74% | 1.5 | 25% |
| 23 | Marazion Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 80% | 2 | 14% |
| 24 | Seven Sisters West Glamorgan | B | 7 | 82% | 0.5 | 19% |
| 25 | Cwmllynfell and Ystradowen West Glamorgan | B | 4.1 | 79% | 1 | 40% |
| 26 | Holymoorside Derbyshire | B− | 1.1 | 82% | 3.8 | 14% |
| 27 | Burton-in-Kendal Cumbria | B− | 0.6 | 100% | 2.4 | 23% |
| 28 | Narborough Norfolk | B− | 3.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Cockfield County Durham | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Burwash East Sussex | B− | 1.5 | 76% | 2.5 | 100% |
| 31 | St Merryn Cornwall | B− | 1.9 | 47% | 1.7 | 29% |
| 32 | Helmsley North Yorkshire | B− | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 73% |
| 33 | Mobberley Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Pensarn Clwyd | C+ | 13.1 | 45% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Morton Derbyshire | C+ | 18.3 | 66% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Littleton Panell Wiltshire | C+ | 5.3 | 39% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Stonnall Staffordshire | C+ | 11.5 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Stoke Gabriel Devon | C+ | 1.2 | 70% | 1.2 | 30% |
| 39 | East Hendred Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 29% | 2.8 | 47% |
| 40 | Harpole Northamptonshire | C | 2.3 | 81% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Moretonhampstead Devon | C | 0.6 | 81% | 1.2 | 100% |
| 42 | Seaton Burn Tyne and Wear | C | 3.3 | 36% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Winkleigh Devon | C | 1.9 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Walkern Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 52% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Cottingham and Middleton Northamptonshire | C− | 12.1 | 53% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Cowbit Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Northborough Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 68% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Ogmore-by-Sea South Glamorgan | C− | 0 | 0% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Butterwick Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Todwick South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Malpas Cheshire | D | 1.6 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | North Cave East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.5 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Staindrop County Durham | D | 1.4 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Longframlington Northumberland | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Bomere Heath Shropshire | D− | 1.8 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Brandesburton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 2.2 | 0% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Claypole Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Kilsby Northamptonshire | D− | 0.5 | 50% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Griston Norfolk | D− | 0.8 | 15% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Cock and End Suffolk | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Biddenden’s built-up area.
How close Biddenden’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.
The High Weald National Landscape is 1.1 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.
High Weald
20% of the land within 5 km of Biddenden is National Park or National Landscape, more than 78% of UK towns.
Footpaths in and around Biddenden
16 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Biddenden and the kilometre around it, 1.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Biddenden; 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 Biddenden: 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 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 79 | 57 | 45 | 47 | 51 | 47 | 46 | 55 | 53 | 87 | 88 | 86 |
March is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 88 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Biddenden →
2 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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
Biddenden 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 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biddenden | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 20% |
| Tenterden 3.7 mi | C− | 0.8 | 58% | 48% |
| Headcorn 3.8 mi | D− | 1.6 | 48% | 0% |
| Benenden 4.2 mi | C | 2.0 | 57% | 83% |
| Cranbrook 4.7 mi | A | 5.8 | 82% | 65% |
| Bethersden 5.0 mi | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Staplehurst 5.2 mi | D | 1.3 | 70% | 1% |
Cranbrook, 4.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 82% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Biddenden
Is Biddenden near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the High Weald National Landscape, 1.1 mi south-west of the village’s edge. It covers 1,462 km² and was designated in 1983.
What is the nearest beach to Biddenden?
The Beach, 8.6 mi from the edge of the village, then Camber Sands (14 mi). Biddenden itself is inland.
How many people in Biddenden 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 Biddenden?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Biddenden good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 27% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 83% (4.2 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 Biddenden’s overall grade.
Where Biddenden’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.