Photo: Josh Tilley · CC BY-SA 4.0Bridge is inside the Kent Downs National Landscape
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 60% of residents. 22 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.7 for every square kilometre. Bridge grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Bridge?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Bridge’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by the Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Bridge grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bridge, 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.
Bridge is 22nd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,500 to 1,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Bridge stands out most for path per km²: only 20 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 45 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairlight East Sussex | A+ | 39.6 | 50% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 2 | Ewhurst Surrey | A | 4.3 | 76% | 4.6 | 46% |
| 3 | Newfield County Durham | A | 8.3 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 4 | Haverigg Cumbria | A | 4.7 | 67% | 2.5 | 11% |
| 5 | North Bradley Wiltshire | A | 3.4 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 6 | Middle Winterslow Wiltshire | A | 7 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 7 | Collett's Green Worcestershire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Llanrug Gwynedd | A− | 1.7 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 9 | Longwick Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2 | 100% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 10 | Temple Cloud Somerset | B+ | 2.6 | 77% | 3.9 | 15% |
| 11 | Blackhall Mill County Durham | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Kimpton Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Castleside County Durham | B+ | 0.9 | 100% | 3 | 42% |
| 14 | Ambergate Derbyshire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Caer-went Gwent | B+ | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 8% |
| 16 | Ramsbury Wiltshire | B+ | 3.9 | 62% | 2.3 | 100% |
| 17 | Kensworth Bedfordshire | B | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 59% |
| 18 | Tideswell Derbyshire | B | 1.5 | 100% | 1.6 | 97% |
| 19 | Burford Oxfordshire | B | 3.5 | 84% | 1.2 | 53% |
| 20 | Potterne Wiltshire | B | 1.3 | 77% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 21 | South Godstone Surrey | B | 2 | 100% | 1.8 | 5% |
| 22 | Bridge Kent | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 23 | Mundford Norfolk | B− | 3.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Foxhole Cornwall | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Gotham Nottinghamshire | B− | 3.9 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 26 | Collingtree and Milton Malsor Northamptonshire | B− | 4.9 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Carharrack Cornwall | C+ | 0.7 | 80% | 4.2 | 2% |
| 28 | Gilfach Goch Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Mylor Bridge Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 63% | 1.2 | 49% |
| 30 | Langley Vale Surrey | C+ | 0.8 | 53% | 5.5 | 7% |
| 31 | Gretton Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Rufford Lancashire | C | 2.8 | 70% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Anna Valley and Upper Clatford Hampshire | C | 2.2 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Sibsey Lincolnshire | C | 2.4 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Kingsley Cheshire | C | 3.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Flitton Bedfordshire | C | 1.4 | 49% | 3.3 | 6% |
| 37 | Geddington Northamptonshire | C | 3 | 82% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Freeland Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 53% | 2.6 | 17% |
| 39 | Waresley Worcestershire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 40 | Glapwell Derbyshire | C− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Haslingfield Cambridgeshire | C− | 2 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Yalding Kent | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Sandleheath Hampshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.6 | 52% |
| 44 | Tidbury Green West Midlands | C− | 2.4 | 49% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Dalston Cumbria | C− | 3.4 | 66% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Greens Norton Northamptonshire | C− | 1.2 | 66% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Braunston Northamptonshire | D | 1.8 | 50% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Croft Cheshire | D | 1.1 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Heighington County Durham | D | 2.6 | 64% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Tetney Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Broadclyst Devon | D | 1.4 | 78% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Wood End (North Warwickshire) Warwickshire | D | 1.1 | 74% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Camblesforth North Yorkshire | D | 0.3 | 81% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Aberford West Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 22% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Burton Green Warwickshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Gayton Norfolk | D− | 1.6 | 62% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Edgmond Shropshire | D− | 1.7 | 33% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Leasingham Lincolnshire | D− | 1.3 | 50% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 59 | South Broomhill Northumberland | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Great Bricett Suffolk | D− | 1.2 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bridge’s built-up area.
6 in 10 Bridge 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 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Bridge
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.
Kent Downs
44% of the land within 5 km of Bridge is National Park or National Landscape, more than 89% of UK towns.
Bridge is on the Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain
22 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bridge and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain, a national route, passes Bridge. Close to home, the Canterbury Outer Ring Walk has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. The regional route here is the Elham Valley Way.
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 Bridge: 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) | 8.3 | 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 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 74 | 56 | 42 | 45 | 53 | 50 | 49 | 59 | 57 | 87 | 85 | 83 |
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 87 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Bridge →
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
Bridge 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
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 44% |
| Littlebourne 2.7 mi | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 9% |
| Canterbury 3.2 mi | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 19% |
| Aylesham 3.5 mi | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 33% |
| Sturry 4.0 mi | B+ | 2.7 | 80% | 1% |
| Wingham 4.3 mi | C− | 2.2 | 53% | 0% |
| Chartham 4.5 mi | B | 2.3 | 67% | 44% |
Littlebourne, 2.7 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Bridge
What are the best walks near Bridge?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Elham Valley Way, Canterbury Outer Ring Walk and Via Francigena - 01 part Great Britain.
What is the nearest beach to Bridge?
Herne Bay Beach, 8.4 mi from the edge of the village, then The Warren (11 mi). Bridge itself is inland.
How many people in Bridge live near a park?
60% 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 Bridge?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bridge good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 51% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 51% (2.2 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 Bridge’s overall grade.
Where Bridge’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.