Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0Farningham is inside the Kent Downs National Landscape
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 100% of residents. Footpaths add up to 18 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 2.0 for every square kilometre. Farningham grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Farningham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Farningham’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Farningham grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Farningham, 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.
Farningham is 14th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,200 to 1,300 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Farningham stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 37 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hightown Hampshire | A+ | 15.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 58% |
| 2 | Rough Common Kent | A+ | 11 | 100% | 9.2 | 1% |
| 3 | Box Wiltshire | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 3.9 | 56% |
| 4 | Aldington Kent | A+ | 4.6 | 100% | 3.8 | 11% |
| 5 | Box Hill Surrey | A | 35.9 | 12% | 6 | 39% |
| 6 | Cliffs End Kent | A | 6.9 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 7 | Harlech Gwynedd | A− | 1.9 | 36% | 3.5 | 67% |
| 8 | South Heath Buckinghamshire | A− | 20.4 | 0% | 3 | 85% |
| 9 | Exton Devon | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 0.6 | 7% |
| 10 | Westfield East Sussex | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 83% |
| 11 | New Brancepeth County Durham | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Baddesley Ensor Warwickshire | B+ | 18.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Marshfield Gloucestershire | B+ | 4.9 | 42% | 2.7 | 99% |
| 14 | Farningham Kent | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 33% |
| 15 | Bunbury Cheshire | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Lidlington Bedfordshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Minster Lovell Oxfordshire | B | 3.6 | 79% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 18 | Sutton Benger Wiltshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Beer Devon | B | 1.6 | 50% | 2.2 | 43% |
| 20 | Weir Lancashire | B | 0.6 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 21 | Codmore Hill West Sussex | B− | 3.5 | 0% | 2.7 | 46% |
| 22 | Potten End Hertfordshire | B− | 2.4 | 73% | 2.2 | 44% |
| 23 | Blindley Heath Surrey | B− | 3.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 24 | Fowlmere Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.5 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Marlpit Hill Kent | B− | 2.5 | 0% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 26 | Burham Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 77% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 27 | Sutton Common Suffolk | C+ | 0.8 | 51% | 3.9 | 85% |
| 28 | Gaerwen Gwynedd | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 0.4 | 7% |
| 29 | Weobley Herefordshire | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Biddulph Moor Staffordshire | C | 8.4 | 43% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Stoke Hampshire | C | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 32% |
| 32 | Silkstone Common South Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Ponthir Gwent | C | 2.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Coedhirwaun West Glamorgan | C | 2 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Nefyn Gwynedd | C | 0 | 0% | 2 | 24% |
| 36 | Foxton Cambridgeshire | C | 2.3 | 84% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Atworth Wiltshire | C− | 1.5 | 62% | 2.2 | 13% |
| 38 | Ninfield East Sussex | C− | 1.8 | 50% | 1.4 | 50% |
| 39 | Spratton Northamptonshire | C− | 2.3 | 85% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Weeley Essex | C− | 7.5 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Langthorpe North Yorkshire | C− | 0.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Aldbrough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 26% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Blyth Nottinghamshire | D | 2.5 | 76% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Burton on the Wolds Leicestershire | D | 2.5 | 31% | 2 | 0% |
| 45 | Yardley Gobion Northamptonshire | D | 1.2 | 47% | 3 | 0% |
| 46 | East Markham Nottinghamshire | D | 2.2 | 46% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Bampton Devon | D | 1.5 | 22% | 1.6 | 5% |
| 48 | Pagham West Sussex | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 49 | Heddon-on-the-Wall Northumberland | D | 0.6 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Dishforth North Yorkshire | D | 2.3 | 68% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Colsterworth Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 67% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Garsington Oxfordshire | D | 0.4 | 65% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Fleet Hargate Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 76% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Saham Toney Norfolk | D | 3 | 18% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Croeserw West Glamorgan | D | 1.3 | 33% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Hadham Cross Hertfordshire | D | 0 | 0% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Elvington North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Felton Northumberland | D− | 1.7 | 50% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Deeping St Nicholas Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 80% | 0 | 0% |
| 60 | Hunger Hill Greater Manchester | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Farningham’s built-up area.
Everyone in Farningham lives 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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 4 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 320 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Farningham
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
33% of the land within 5 km of Farningham is National Park or National Landscape, more than 85% of UK towns.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Farningham
18 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Farningham and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Darent Valley Path has 8 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. The regional route here is the Southwark Cathedral to Otford.
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 Farningham: 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 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 70 | 57 | 44 | 48 | 50 | 48 | 45 | 54 | 53 | 78 | 78 | 77 |
March is the driest month (44 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 78 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 57 nights a year. The climate in Farningham →
4 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
Farningham 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.
Up high. Broom Hill, at 93 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Farningham.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Hills and peaks 1
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farningham | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 33% |
| Eynsford 0.8 mi | B− | 2.1 | 81% | 46% |
| Horton Kirby 1.5 mi | B | 5.9 | 78% | 21% |
| South Darenth and Sutton at Hone 2.1 mi | C | 1.8 | 43% | 10% |
| West Kingsdown 2.6 mi | D | 0.8 | 28% | 52% |
| Crockenhill 2.6 mi | A+ | 5.2 | 100% | 27% |
| Swanley 2.6 mi | B+ | 1.8 | 78% | 20% |
Crockenhill, 2.6 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Horton Kirby and Crockenhill have at least twice Farningham’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Farningham
What are the best walks near Farningham?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Darent Valley Path and Southwark Cathedral to Otford.
What is the nearest beach to Farningham?
Northfleet Beach, 6.8 mi from the edge of the village, then Dock Beach (12 mi). Farningham itself is inland.
How many people in Farningham 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 Farningham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Farningham good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 32% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 34% (1.7 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 Farningham’s overall grade.
Where Farningham’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.