Charing’s biggest
Charing Alderbed Meadow
Park or garden
2.7 ha (7 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Charing
Nature reserve
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Charing · parks, paths & countryside
56% of the land within 5 km of Charing is National Park or National Landscape
The Kent Downs National Landscape reaches the edge of Charing. Parks and playing fields in Charing add up to 2.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 28 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 2.1 for every square kilometre. Charing grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
85%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
28 km
2.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
56%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Charing?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside56% of the land within 5 km is Kent Downs National Landscape.On a National TrailThe North Downs Way passes through.
Charing’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by the North Downs Way.
Outdoors grade
Charing grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Charing, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 71% of UK towns16th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of
100
100
A park within a walk85%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
56out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape56%of the land within 5 km
93out of
100
100
Footpaths2.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
35out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
100
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.
Villages its size
Charing is 16th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,100 to 2,300 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Charing2.1
Villages its size2.2
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Charing2.7
Villages its size2.3
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Charing85%
Villages its size83%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Charing stands out most for park space per resident: only 22 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mullion Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 64% |
| 2 | Broughton Buckinghamshire | A+ | 8 | 100% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Brockham Surrey | A+ | 7.4 | 94% | 4.4 | 38% |
| 4 | Bestwood Village Nottinghamshire | A | 43.8 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 5 | Deepcut Surrey | A | 8.4 | 100% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Springwell Tyne and Wear | A | 5 | 100% | 6.7 | 0% |
| 7 | Smalley Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Streethay Staffordshire | A− | 10.1 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 9 | Gilwern Gwent | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 2 | 83% |
| 10 | Newstead Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Woodcote Oxfordshire | B+ | 1.6 | 84% | 3.5 | 99% |
| 12 | Hanslope Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Church Warsop Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.1 | 85% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Chiddingfold Surrey | B+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.5 | 68% |
| 15 | Wells-next-the-Sea Norfolk | B+ | 2 | 70% | 1.9 | 65% |
| 16 | Charing Kent | B+ | 2.7 | 85% | 2.1 | 56% |
| 17 | Brimscombe and Thrupp Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 12% | 5.9 | 89% |
| 18 | Sharlston West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.9 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 19 | Gamston (Rushcliffe) Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 86% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Holbrook Suffolk | B+ | 1.1 | 74% | 2.7 | 52% |
| 21 | Banwell Somerset | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 38% |
| 22 | Yarnfield Staffordshire | B | 6.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Longtown Cumbria | B | 4.3 | 100% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Wheelock Cheshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Trowell Nottinghamshire | B | 7.7 | 56% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Evercreech Somerset | B | 3.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 27 | Rayne Essex | B− | 4.3 | 64% | 4 | 0% |
| 28 | Resolven West Glamorgan | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 29 | East Peckham Kent | B− | 14.5 | 66% | 2 | 1% |
| 30 | Hutton Lancashire | B− | 6.6 | 90% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Swanton Morley Norfolk | C+ | 3.5 | 94% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Burgh le Marsh Lincolnshire | C+ | 3.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 7% |
| 33 | Hook Norton Oxfordshire | C+ | 2 | 70% | 2 | 28% |
| 34 | Luddenden Foot West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.2 | 68% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Machynlleth Powys | C+ | 2.6 | 45% | 2 | 29% |
| 36 | Huncote Leicestershire | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Trimsaran Dyfed | C | 2.4 | 31% | 1 | 2% |
| 38 | Linton Derbyshire | C | 1.8 | 76% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Mitcheldean Gloucestershire | C | 1.5 | 80% | 1.9 | 1% |
| 40 | Barwick in Elmet West Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Llanidloes Powys | C | 2.4 | 89% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Aspatria Cumbria | C− | 3.1 | 60% | 0.8 | 1% |
| 43 | Great Blakenham Suffolk | C− | 3.6 | 70% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Rudgwick West Sussex | C− | 2.5 | 16% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Meriden West Midlands | C− | 1.8 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Lanner Cornwall | C− | 1.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Hatfield Woodhouse South Yorkshire | C− | 0.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Long Bennington Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Underwood Gwent | C− | 1.9 | 87% | 1 | 0% |
| 50 | Wickham Hampshire | D | 0.8 | 26% | 2 | 13% |
| 51 | Thurlby Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 54% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Morton Lincolnshire | D | 0.2 | 28% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Mattishall Norfolk | D− | 1.4 | 58% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Misterton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Billinghay Lincolnshire | D− | 1.8 | 41% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Bozeat Northamptonshire | D− | 1.3 | 13% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Shenstone Staffordshire | D− | 1 | 55% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Cilfrew West Glamorgan | D− | 0.8 | 44% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Aslockton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1 | 11% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Ipplepen Devon | D− | 0.8 | 42% | 1.1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Charing’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Charing
The biggest is Charing Alderbed Meadow, 2.7 ha (7 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The Arthur Baker Playing Field
Playing field
3.0 ha (7 acres)0.1 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Charing
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Charing 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).
Within 400 m (85%)Further (15%)
Charing85%
Villages its size83%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 300 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 village, about one for every 434 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Charing
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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
Kent Downs
At the edge north879 km²since 196856% of the land within 5 km
Official site56% of the land within 5 km of Charing is National Park or National Landscape, more than 93% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Charing is on the North Downs Way
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Charing and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
NationalRegional
North Downs Way (Eastern)5.5 km
Otford to Canterbury Cathedral5.5 km
Stour Valley Walk0.8 km
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Charing. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Otford to Canterbury Cathedral and Stour Valley Walk.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Charing: May to July and 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 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 73 | 56 | 45 | 47 | 50 | 46 | 50 | 66 | 53 | 85 | 81 | 81 |
March is the driest month (45 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Charing →
Things to do
5 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
Charing is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
The Beach7.0 mi from Charing’s edge
DirectionsSouth Shellness Beach12 mi from Charing’s edge
DirectionsShellness Beach12 mi from Charing’s edge
DirectionsShellbeach12 mi from Charing’s edge
DirectionsCockleshell Hard16 mi from Charing’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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
Nature reserves 1
Charing Alderbed Meadow2.7 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCampsites 1
Plus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
ChallockLenham and HarrietshamAshfordBethersdenWyeKingswoodCharing
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charing | B+ | 2.7 | 85% | 56% |
| Challock 3.6 mi | B− | 3.0 | 62% | 88% |
| Lenham and Harrietsham 5.2 mi | B− | 1.4 | 88% | 47% |
| Ashford 5.7 mi | A | 2.7 | 94% | 23% |
| Bethersden 6.1 mi | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Wye 6.4 mi | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 71% |
| Kingswood 7.2 mi | B− | 3.8 | 23% | 11% |
Wye, 6.4 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Charing
What is the biggest park in Charing?
Charing Alderbed Meadow, 2.7 ha (7 acres), with 0.7 km of path. The Arthur Baker Playing Field (3.0 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Charing near a National Park?
It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Charing?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the North Downs Way (Eastern), Otford to Canterbury Cathedral and Stour Valley Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Charing?
The Beach, 7.0 mi from the edge of the village, then South Shellness Beach (12 mi). Charing itself is inland.
How many people in Charing live near a park?
85% 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 Charing?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Charing good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 35% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 65% (2.7 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 Charing’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Charing’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.