Grain’s biggest
Isle of Grain Coastal Park
Park or garden
20 ha (49 acres)4.5 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.5 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Grain
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Grain · parks, paths & countryside
Grain is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 59% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Grain add up to 13.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 12 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.1 for every square kilometre. Grain grades A for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
13.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
12 km
1.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
The sea
59%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Grain?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast59% of the area within 5 km is sea; 8 beaches mapped.Room to roam13.0 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 97% of UK towns.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Few mapped footpaths1.1 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
Grain’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by plenty of park space. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Grain grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Grain, 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 87% of UK towns10th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space13.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
97out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
8out of
100
100
The sea59%of the area within 5 km
100out 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
Grain is 10th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,600 to 1,800 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
Grain1.1
Villages its size2.2
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Grain13.0
Villages its size1.8
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Grain100%
Villages its size82%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Grain stands out most for park space per resident: only 5 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 50 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wanborough Wiltshire | A+ | 6 | 100% | 2.7 | 45% |
| 2 | Trimley St Martin Suffolk | A+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.9 | 43% |
| 3 | Penwithick Cornwall | A | 15 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 4 | Wroxall Isle of Wight | A | 1.2 | 84% | 4.6 | 33% |
| 5 | Woodbury Devon | A | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 26% |
| 6 | Eccles Kent | A | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 30% |
| 7 | Malvern Wells Worcestershire | A | 10.8 | 37% | 5.3 | 57% |
| 8 | Elstree Hertfordshire | A | 22 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 9 | Flimby Cumbria | A | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 2% |
| 10 | Grain Kent | A | 13 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 11 | Southwell Dorset | A | 0.7 | 100% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Upchurch Kent | A | 4 | 76% | 2.3 | 7% |
| 13 | Wickwar Gloucestershire | A− | 2 | 100% | 3.5 | 15% |
| 14 | Hamstreet Kent | A− | 2.3 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Seascale Cumbria | A− | 2.1 | 81% | 2.2 | 27% |
| 16 | Clayhanger West Midlands | A− | 17.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Ripley Surrey | A− | 15 | 64% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 18 | Ingleton North Yorkshire | B+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.5 | 54% |
| 19 | Harthill South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.6 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Appledore Devon | B+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 16% |
| 21 | Criccieth Gwynedd | B | 2.9 | 75% | 1.3 | 4% |
| 22 | Blewbury Oxfordshire | B | 3.1 | 54% | 2.7 | 79% |
| 23 | Denby Bottles Derbyshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 24 | South Hiendley West Yorkshire | B | 13.4 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 25 | Great Bentley Essex | B− | 6.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Bryn Dyfed | B− | 2.9 | 67% | 1.4 | 1% |
| 27 | Flockton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Shaldon Devon | B− | 1.7 | 85% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Winkfield Row Berkshire | B− | 11 | 80% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Summit Greater Manchester | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Trethomas Gwent | B− | 6.9 | 48% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Feniton Devon | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 17% |
| 33 | Dunvant West Glamorgan | C+ | 4.3 | 36% | 1.8 | 30% |
| 34 | Langho Lancashire | C+ | 1.6 | 74% | 3 | 7% |
| 35 | Pilling Lancashire | C+ | 4.2 | 46% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | North Leigh Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.3 | 56% | 2.4 | 26% |
| 37 | Sharnbrook Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 38 | Harvington Worcestershire | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Minsterley Shropshire | C+ | 1.1 | 77% | 2.4 | 38% |
| 40 | Bury Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 41 | Billington Lancashire | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 3.9 | 14% |
| 42 | Poyle Berkshire | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 43 | Leeming North Yorkshire | C− | 5 | 76% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 44 | West Thorney West Sussex | C− | 0.4 | 0% | 0.9 | 55% |
| 45 | Embsay North Yorkshire | C− | 0.9 | 38% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 46 | High Bentham North Yorkshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 47 | Higher Kinnerton Clwyd | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Sudbrooke Lincolnshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Croft Leicestershire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Charminster Dorset | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 56% |
| 51 | Holt Wiltshire | D | 1.1 | 45% | 2.1 | 2% |
| 52 | Shrewton Wiltshire | D | 1.4 | 42% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Glinton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 79% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Frizington Cumbria | D | 1.4 | 52% | 0.9 | 15% |
| 55 | Houghton on the Hill Leicestershire | D | 1.8 | 60% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Point Clear Essex | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Monk Fryston and Hillam North Yorkshire | D | 2.7 | 40% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Necton Norfolk | D− | 1.5 | 17% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Swffryd Gwent | D− | 1.4 | 17% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Hambleton North Yorkshire | D− | 0.1 | 52% | 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 Grain’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 Grain
The biggest is Isle of Grain Coastal Park, 20 ha (49 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
St James Park
Playing field
2.6 ha (6 acres)
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Grain
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St James Park
Playing field
2.6 ha (6 acres)
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Grain
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
Everyone in Grain 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Grain100%
Villages its size82%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 7.6 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Grain is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
12 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Grain and the kilometre around it, 1.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
National
King Charles III England Coast Path: Grain to Woolwich3.5 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Iwade to Grain0.3 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Grain.
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 Grain: 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 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 41 | 36 | 32 | 35 | 35 | 41 | 40 | 46 | 41 | 55 | 63 | 43 |
March is the driest month (32 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 63 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 19 nights a year. The climate in Grain →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Grain
59% of the area within 5 km of Grain is sea. 8 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 3 with a name.
Grain Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCockleshell Hard0.2 mi from town
DirectionsYantlet Beach1.9 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
Viewpoints, hills and nature near Grain
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.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway 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.
SheernessAllhallowsQueenboroughHalfway HousesMinster (Swale)IwadeGrain
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain | A | 13.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Sheerness 2.5 mi | B− | 3.0 | 68% | 0% |
| Allhallows 3.1 mi | B− | 3.2 | 76% | 0% |
| Queenborough 3.2 mi | B | 1.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Halfway Houses 3.4 mi | C | 1.8 | 71% | 0% |
| Minster (Swale) 4.6 mi | B | 2.5 | 89% | 0% |
| Iwade 5.5 mi | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 0% |
Grain grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Grain
What is the biggest park in Grain?
Isle of Grain Coastal Park, 20 ha (49 acres), with 4.5 km of path. St James Park (2.6 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Grain near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 7.6 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Grain?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Grain to Woolwich and King Charles III England Coast Path: Iwade to Grain. Isle of Grain Coastal Park alone has 4.5 km of path.
How many people in Grain 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 Grain?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Grain good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 8% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 97% (13.0 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 Grain’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Grain’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.