Istead Rise’s biggest
Lewis Road Recreation Ground
Playing field
1.0 ha (2 acres)
Centralin the middle of Istead Rise
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: David Anstiss · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Istead Rise · parks, paths & countryside
82% of Istead Rise’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 1.4 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Istead Rise add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 24 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 2.7 for every square kilometre. Istead Rise grades B− for the outdoors: #52 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
82%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
24 km
2.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
15%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Istead Rise grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Istead Rise, 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 54% of UK towns#52 of 87 in Kent · 23rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
41out of
100
100
A park within a walk82%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
51out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape15%of the land within 5 km
74out of
100
100
Footpaths2.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
52out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 3.1% sea, under the 5% that counts
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.
Towns its size
Istead Rise is 23rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 3,300 to 3,600 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
Istead Rise2.7
Towns its size2.5
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Istead Rise1.9
Towns its size1.9
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Istead Rise82%
Towns its size82%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Istead Rise stands out most for path per km²: only 25 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minchinhampton Gloucestershire | A+ | 5.6 | 91% | 5.3 | 90% |
| 2 | Lane End Buckinghamshire | A+ | 3.1 | 92% | 4.7 | 90% |
| 3 | Silsoe Bedfordshire | A+ | 6.6 | 100% | 3.8 | 2% |
| 4 | Goring Oxfordshire | A+ | 3 | 100% | 3.2 | 98% |
| 5 | Talke and Talke Pits Staffordshire | A | 16.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 6 | Broadwell and Coalway Gloucestershire | A | 2.8 | 72% | 5.5 | 38% |
| 7 | Elsenham Essex | A− | 3 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Westward Ho! Devon | A− | 12.3 | 63% | 1.7 | 18% |
| 9 | Birdwell South Yorkshire | A− | 3.6 | 90% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Essington Staffordshire | B+ | 6.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Newlyn Cornwall | B+ | 1.5 | 67% | 3.2 | 24% |
| 12 | Blaenau Ffestiniog Gwynedd | B+ | 3.6 | 70% | 2.5 | 78% |
| 13 | St Asaph Clwyd | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 9% |
| 14 | Mickletown West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 93% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Water Orton Warwickshire | B+ | 5.3 | 82% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Hartley Wintney Hampshire | B+ | 6.1 | 82% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Whalley Lancashire | B | 1.2 | 88% | 3.5 | 23% |
| 18 | Fishbourne West Sussex | B | 1.9 | 38% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 19 | Westerham Kent | B | 1.9 | 61% | 3.5 | 66% |
| 20 | Brockenhurst Hampshire | B | 1.8 | 63% | 3.3 | 98% |
| 21 | Hemingford Grey Cambridgeshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Sunniside Tyne and Wear | B | 2.1 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 23 | Istead Rise Kent | B− | 1.9 | 82% | 2.7 | 15% |
| 24 | Ruabon Clwyd | B− | 3.8 | 69% | 1.9 | 20% |
| 25 | Burtonwood Cheshire | B− | 3.3 | 93% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Castle Cary Somerset | B− | 2.2 | 91% | 3 | 0% |
| 27 | Stalham Norfolk | B− | 1.9 | 85% | 2 | 23% |
| 28 | Pilsley and Lower Pilsley Derbyshire | B− | 1.9 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Kirkheaton West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 92% | 3 | 0% |
| 30 | Broomfield Essex | C+ | 2.7 | 45% | 5 | 0% |
| 31 | Fishguard Dyfed | C+ | 0.8 | 64% | 2.1 | 23% |
| 32 | Highley Shropshire | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Pegswood Northumberland | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Leadgate County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 91% | 1.9 | 1% |
| 35 | Thorpe Willoughby North Yorkshire | C | 0.4 | 92% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Marlow Bottom Buckinghamshire | C | 0.5 | 40% | 3.4 | 50% |
| 37 | Ashburton Devon | C | 1.7 | 74% | 1 | 60% |
| 38 | Somersham Cambridgeshire | C | 2.7 | 81% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Earls Colne Essex | C | 1.4 | 91% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Marden Kent | C | 1.8 | 71% | 2.1 | 3% |
| 41 | Alvechurch Worcestershire | C | 2.2 | 84% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Adderbury and Twyford Oxfordshire | C | 1.7 | 89% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Eastchurch Kent | C | 1.9 | 72% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Nettleham Lincolnshire | C | 4.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 45 | Goff's Oak Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 41% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Holsworthy Devon | C− | 2.7 | 84% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Bishopthorpe North Yorkshire | C− | 3.2 | 51% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Lytchett Matravers Dorset | C− | 1.2 | 83% | 1.2 | 5% |
| 49 | Willand Devon | C− | 0.9 | 88% | 0.6 | 1% |
| 50 | Witham St Hughs Lincolnshire | D | 0.7 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Wadhurst East Sussex | D | 0.9 | 19% | 1.2 | 100% |
| 52 | Chapel St Leonards Lincolnshire | D | 0.4 | 53% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Messingham Lincolnshire | D | 3.4 | 46% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Eglwys-Brewis South Glamorgan | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Bilsthorpe Nottinghamshire | D | 0.7 | 88% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Cherry Willingham Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 79% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Spixworth Norfolk | D | 0.6 | 59% | 1.2 | 5% |
| 58 | Heckington Lincolnshire | D | 1.4 | 68% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Barlby North Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Bawtry South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 49% | 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 Istead Rise’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 Istead Rise
The biggest is Lewis Road Recreation Ground, 1.0 ha (2 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Istead Rise’s homes are to 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 (82%)Further (18%)
Istead Rise82%
Towns its size82%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 24 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 142 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 1.4 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
National Landscape
Kent Downs
1.4 mi south-east879 km²since 196815% of the land within 5 km
Official site15% of the land within 5 km of Istead Rise is National Park or National Landscape, more than 74% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Istead Rise
24 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Istead Rise and the kilometre around it, 2.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
1066 Harold's Way6.3 km
Wealdway5.8 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the 1066 Harold's Way and Wealdway.
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 Istead Rise: 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) | 8.3 | 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) | 60 | 48 | 40 | 44 | 48 | 49 | 42 | 54 | 52 | 71 | 70 | 63 |
March is the driest month (40 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Istead Rise →
Things to do
24 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
The nearest beaches
Istead Rise is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Northfleet Beach3.7 mi from Istead Rise’s edge
DirectionsEgypt Bay Beach10 mi from Istead Rise’s edge
DirectionsSt Mary's Bay Beach11 mi from Istead Rise’s edge
DirectionsCoombe Point Beach12 mi from Istead Rise’s edge
DirectionsThorney Bay Beach12 mi from Istead Rise’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
Hills and peaks 1
Pepper Hill1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 24
Plus 24 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.
MeophamGravesendNorthfleetLongfield, New Ash Green and HartleyEbbsfleet ValleyBeanIstead Rise
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Istead Rise | B− | 1.9 | 82% | 15% |
| Meopham 1.9 mi | C | 1.3 | 53% | 35% |
| Gravesend 2.1 mi | A | 1.4 | 84% | 14% |
| Northfleet 2.1 mi | A | 2.0 | 85% | 4% |
| Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley 2.2 mi | C | 1.2 | 54% | 21% |
| Ebbsfleet Valley 2.9 mi | A | 9.0 | 77% | 0% |
| Bean 3.2 mi | A− | 17.0 | 72% | 0% |
Northfleet, 2.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 85% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Ebbsfleet Valley and Bean have at least twice Istead Rise’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Istead Rise
What is the biggest park in Istead Rise?
Lewis Road Recreation Ground, 1.0 ha (2 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Istead Rise near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 1.4 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Istead Rise?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the 1066 Harold's Way and Wealdway.
What is the nearest beach to Istead Rise?
Northfleet Beach, 3.7 mi from the edge of the town, then Egypt Bay Beach (10 mi). Istead Rise itself is inland.
How many people in Istead Rise live near a park?
82% 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 Istead Rise?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Istead Rise good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 52% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 41% (1.9 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 Istead Rise’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Istead Rise’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.