Hythe’s biggest
Brockhill Country Park
Park or garden
22 ha (54 acres)4.8 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.8 km of path
30 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Hythe · parks, paths & countryside
Hythe is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 37% of the area within 5 km. The Kent Downs National Landscape reaches the edge of Hythe. Footpaths add up to 104 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.0 for every square kilometre. Hythe grades A+ for the outdoors: #8 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
76%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
104 km
4.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
31%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
The sea
37%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Hythe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast37% of the area within 5 km is sea; 16 beaches mapped.Protected countryside31% of the land within 5 km is Kent Downs National Landscape.A town of footpaths4.0 km of path per km², more than 79% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Room to roam3.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 78% of UK towns.
Hythe’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep.
Outdoors grade
Hythe grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Hythe, 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 98% of UK towns#8 of 87 in Kent · 2nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
79out of
100
100
A park within a walk76%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
39out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape31%of the land within 5 km
84out of
100
100
Footpaths4.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
80out of
100
100
The sea37%of the area within 5 km
95out 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
Hythe is 2nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 14,000 to 15,200 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
Hythe4.0
Towns its size3.4
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Hythe3.7
Towns its size2.8
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Hythe76%
Towns its size84%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Hythe stands out most for park space per resident: only 17 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 3 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 4 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 5 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 6 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 7 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 8 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 9 | Staveley Derbyshire | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 12 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Skipton North Yorkshire | A | 1.7 | 99% | 4.2 | 25% |
| 14 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 15 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 17 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Frimley Surrey | A− | 2.9 | 99% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 19 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 20 | Risca Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 25 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 26 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 27 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 28 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Somercotes and Swanwick Derbyshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 31 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 32 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 34 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Crowthorne Berkshire | B | 4.7 | 60% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 39 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 41 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 42 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 43 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 45 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 49 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 51 | Garforth West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 53 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Hythe’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 Hythe
The biggest is Brockhill Country Park, 22 ha (54 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 10 named parks by size: 53 ha (131 acres) and 12 km of path
Parks & gardens 26 haPlaying fields 27 haPlay spaces 0.4 ha
The two biggest, Brockhill Country Park and Eaton Lands, are 60% of the named green space and carry 8 km of path between them. 4 of the 10 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Eaton Lands
Playing field
9.9 ha (24 acres)3.0 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
14 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hythe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Green
Playing field
6.5 ha (16 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hythe
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Grove
Park or garden
2.1 ha (5 acres)1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hythe
Royal Military Canal, Town Bridge to Twiss Road Bridge monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
South Road Recreation Ground
Playing field
5.9 ha (15 acres)
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hythe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Le Quesne
Playing field · 250 m outside town
4.3 ha (11 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
2.1 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Holman's Field
Park or garden
1.4 ha (3 acres)0.4 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Hythe
Royal Military Canal, Scanlon's Bridge to Town Bridge monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Oaklands
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Hythe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 10 named parks and green spaces
Brockhill Country ParkPark or garden · 22 ha · 4.8 km of path
DirectionsEaton LandsPlaying field · 9.9 ha · 3.0 km of path
DirectionsThe GreenPlaying field · 6.5 ha · 1.0 km of path
DirectionsThe GrovePark or garden · 2.1 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsSouth Road Recreation GroundPlaying field · 5.9 ha
DirectionsLe QuesnePlaying field · 4.3 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsHolman's FieldPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsOaklandsPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsGrange Road Play ParkPlay space · 0.4 ha · just outside town
DirectionsMackeson SquarePark or garden · 0.1 ha
DirectionsClose to home
8 in 10 Hythe 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 (76%)Further (24%)
Hythe76%
Towns its size84%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 3,600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 25 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 585 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Hythe
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 196831% of the land within 5 km
Official site31% of the land within 5 km of Hythe is National Park or National Landscape, more than 83% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Hythe is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
104 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Hythe and the kilometre around it, 4.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegional
King Charles III England Coast Path: Camber to Folkestone12.6 km
European walking route E9, Rye to Dover6.7 km
Saxon Shore Way6.7 km
Elham Valley Way4.4 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Hythe. 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hythe: 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) | 75 | 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 28 nights a year. The climate in Hythe →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Hythe
37% of the area within 5 km of Hythe is sea. 16 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 6 with a name.
Seabrook Beach0.1 mi from town
DirectionsSandgate Beach0.5 mi from town
DirectionsMermaid Beach2.6 mi from town
DirectionsSunny Sands2.8 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
25 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.
1Viewpoints9Picnic sites9.3× towns its size25Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size2Dog parks2Campsites
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 9
Plus 9 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 25
Hythe Green Playgroundin town
DirectionsKidz Planet1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 23 playgrounds 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.
LympneFolkestoneLymingeDymchurchHawkingeBrabourne LeesHythe
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hythe | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 31% |
| Lympne 2.6 mi | A+ | 4.0 | 100% | 34% |
| Folkestone 3.8 mi | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 45% |
| Lyminge 4.0 mi | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 90% |
| Dymchurch 4.4 mi | C+ | 1.6 | 58% | 13% |
| Hawkinge 4.6 mi | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 74% |
| Brabourne Lees 6.0 mi | C | 0.9 | 0% | 34% |
Folkestone, 3.8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 95% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Hythe
What is the biggest park in Hythe?
Brockhill Country Park, 22 ha (54 acres), with 4.8 km of path. Eaton Lands (9.9 ha) is second. 10 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Hythe near a National Park?
It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Hythe?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Camber to Folkestone, European walking route E9, Rye to Dover and Saxon Shore Way. Brockhill Country Park alone has 4.8 km of path.
How many people in Hythe live near a park?
76% 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 Hythe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Hythe good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 80% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 79% (3.7 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 Hythe’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Hythe’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.