Folkestone’s biggest
East Cliff and Warren Country Park
Park or garden
91 ha (225 acres)9.6 km of path
2 h 10 minto walk all 9.6 km of path
128 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Folkestone · parks, paths & countryside
Folkestone is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 41% of the area within 5 km. The Kent Downs National Landscape reaches the edge of Folkestone. Footpaths add up to 182 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.9 for every square kilometre. Folkestone grades A+ for the outdoors: #1 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
95%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
182 km
4.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
45%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
The sea
41%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Folkestone?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast41% of the area within 5 km is sea; 30 beaches mapped.A town of footpaths4.9 km of path per km², more than 92% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.A park on every doorstep95% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Protected countryside45% of the land within 5 km is Kent Downs National Landscape.
Folkestone’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Folkestone grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Folkestone, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A+
Better than almost every UK town#1 of 87 in Kent · 1st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
54out of
100
100
A park within a walk95%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
75out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape45%of the land within 5 km
90out of
100
100
Footpaths4.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
92out of
100
100
The sea41%of the area within 5 km
96out 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.
Towns its size
Folkestone is 1st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 45,100 to 60,000 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
Folkestone4.9
Towns its size3.5
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Folkestone2.3
Towns its size2.4
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Folkestone95%
Towns its size84%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Folkestone stands out most for path per km²: only 7 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Havant Hampshire | A+ | 3.6 | 84% | 5.8 | 30% |
| 3 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 4 | Scarborough North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 86% | 3.1 | 17% |
| 5 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 6 | Gravesend Kent | A | 1.4 | 84% | 6.4 | 14% |
| 7 | Salisbury Wiltshire | A | 2.7 | 94% | 3.9 | 22% |
| 8 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 10 | Wallsend Tyne and Wear | A | 6 | 93% | 5.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 12 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Eastleigh Hampshire | A− | 3 | 76% | 4.9 | 17% |
| 14 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 15 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 16 | Crosby Merseyside | A− | 4.6 | 89% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 18 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 22 | West Molesey Surrey | B+ | 4.4 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 23 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Bridgwater Somerset | B+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3.7 | 2% |
| 26 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 27 | Bebington Merseyside | B+ | 3 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Huyton with Roby Merseyside | B+ | 3.7 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Cwmbrân Gwent | B+ | 2.1 | 84% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 31 | Middleton Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.5 | 80% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Wokingham Berkshire | B | 4 | 84% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 34 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Leigh Greater Manchester | B | 5.3 | 77% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 37 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 39 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 40 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Castleford West Yorkshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Oldbury West Midlands | B− | 3 | 68% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Tipton West Midlands | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Hinckley Leicestershire | C+ | 1.8 | 87% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 52 | King's Lynn Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 53 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Kirkby Merseyside | C | 2.2 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Durham County Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 6 | 0% |
| 56 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Boston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Kidderminster Worcestershire | D | 1.2 | 72% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Folkestone’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 Folkestone
The biggest is East Cliff and Warren Country Park, 91 ha (225 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 15 named parks by size: 136 ha (336 acres) and 25 km of path
Parks & gardens 119 haPlaying fields 16 haPlay spaces 0.5 ha
The two biggest, East Cliff and Warren Country Park and Lower Leas Coastal Park, are 80% of the named green space and carry 18 km of path between them. 9 of the 15 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Lower Leas Coastal Park
Park or garden
18 ha (44 acres)8.7 km of path
1 h 55 minto walk all 8.7 km of path
25 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi southfrom the centre
Folkestone War Memorial Grade II* The Leas Lift, including waiting rooms, pump room, lower station tanks, track, cars, wheel houses, tank room, upper station tunnel and railings Grade II* +2 listedThe LeasThe Zig Zag PathThe Cow Path+1 path
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Radnor Park
Park or garden
7.9 ha (20 acres)2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
11 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Folkestone
Dog park
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Kingsnorth Gardens
Park or garden
1.2 ha (3 acres)1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Folkestone
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Le Quesne
Playing field
4.3 ha (11 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Morehall Recreation Ground
Playing field
4.5 ha (11 acres)0.2 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Stadium
Playing field
3.9 ha (10 acres)0.4 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Canterbury Road Recreation Ground
Playing field
1.8 ha (4 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 15 named parks and green spaces
East Cliff and Warren Country ParkPark or garden · 91 ha · 9.6 km of path
DirectionsLower Leas Coastal ParkPark or garden · 18 ha · 8.7 km of path
DirectionsRadnor ParkPark or garden · 7.9 ha · 2.9 km of path
DirectionsKingsnorth GardensPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsLe QuesnePlaying field · 4.3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsMorehall Recreation GroundPlaying field · 4.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsThe StadiumPlaying field · 3.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsCanterbury Road Recreation GroundPlaying field · 1.8 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsSandgate Recreation GroundPlaying field · 1.6 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsBrabner ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsFolkestone Garden of RemembrancePark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPayers ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsUpper Radnor Park Play AreaPlay space · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSandgate Community GardenPark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsF51Play space · 0.2 ha
DirectionsClose to home
Almost everyone in Folkestone 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).
Within 400 m (95%)Further (5%)
Folkestone95%
Towns its size84%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 2,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 49 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,061 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Folkestone
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 196845% of the land within 5 km
Official site45% of the land within 5 km of Folkestone is National Park or National Landscape, more than 90% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Folkestone is on the European walking route E9, Rye to Dover
182 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Folkestone and the kilometre around it, 4.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
European walking route E9, Rye to Dover15.6 km
Saxon Shore Way15.6 km
North Downs Way (Eastern)13.2 km
Elham Valley Way7.8 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Folkestone to Ramsgate6.8 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Camber to Folkestone4.8 km
Follow the kestrel to the Downs1.2 km
Corridors to the countryside0.7 km
The European walking route E9, Rye to Dover, a national route, passes Folkestone. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Saxon Shore Way and Elham Valley Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
History inside Folkestone’s parks
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Folkestone’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Lower Leas Coastal Park
18 ha. 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Folkestone War MemorialII*The Leas Lift, including waiting rooms, pump room, lower station tanks, track, cars, wheel houses, tank room, upper station tunnel and railingsIIBandstandIILeas Cliff Hall
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Folkestone: May to September
The town’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 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 79 | 61 | 47 | 47 | 51 | 54 | 55 | 66 | 62 | 95 | 99 | 93 |
March is the driest month (47 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 99 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 27 nights a year. The climate in Folkestone →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Folkestone
41% of the area within 5 km of Folkestone is sea. 30 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 8 with a name.
Sandgate Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsSunny Sands0.0 mi from town
DirectionsMermaid Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsThe Warren0.2 mi from town
DirectionsSeabrook Beach0.6 mi from town
DirectionsAbbot's Cliff Beach2.2 mi from town
DirectionsThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
11 viewpoints and 49 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
11Viewpoints5.9× towns its size7Hills and peaks3.7× towns its size4Picnic sites3.7× towns its size49Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size5Dog parks3Campsites3.5× towns its size
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 11
Plus 11 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 7
Cherry Garden Hill0.1 mi from town
DirectionsSugarloaf Hill0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCastle Hill126 m (413 ft) · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsRound Hill0.3 mi from town
DirectionsSummerhouse Hill148 m (486 ft) · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsTolsford Hill181 m (594 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 4
Plus 4 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 49
Buttermere Close Play Areain town
DirectionsKidz Planetin town
DirectionsFolkestone Beachside Play Area0.0 mi from town
DirectionsGrebe Close1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 45 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 5
Barking Rocksin town
DirectionsPet Exercise Areain town
DirectionsRadnor Park Dog Exercise Areain town
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 3
Little Switzerland0.1 mi from town
DirectionsFolkestone Camping and Caravan Club Site0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPete's Field1.1 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
HawkingeCapel-le-FerneHytheLymingeLympneDoverFolkestone
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Capel-le-Ferne, 2.3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 88% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Capel-le-Ferne has at least twice Folkestone’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Folkestone
What is the biggest park in Folkestone?
East Cliff and Warren Country Park, 91 ha (225 acres), with 9.6 km of path. Lower Leas Coastal Park (18 ha) is second. 15 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Folkestone near a National Park?
It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Folkestone?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the European walking route E9, Rye to Dover, Saxon Shore Way and North Downs Way (Eastern). East Cliff and Warren Country Park alone has 9.6 km of path.
How many people in Folkestone live near a park?
95% 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 Folkestone?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Folkestone good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 92% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 54% (2.3 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 Folkestone’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Folkestone’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.