Photo: Stacey Harris · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Kings Hill lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 2.0 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Kings Hill add up to 2.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 53 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.8 for every square kilometre. Kings Hill grades A− for the outdoors: #31 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Kings Hill?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Kings Hill’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by the Kent Downs National Landscape close by.
Kings Hill grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Kings Hill, 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.
Kings Hill is 11th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 9,300 to 10,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Kings Hill stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 38 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caldicot Gwent | A+ | 4.2 | 92% | 3 | 2% |
| 2 | South Merstham Surrey | A | 3.7 | 84% | 3.7 | 20% |
| 3 | Beccles Suffolk | A | 4.5 | 87% | 3.2 | 20% |
| 4 | Nuthall and Watnall Nottinghamshire | A | 6.3 | 97% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 5 | Bradford-on-Avon Wiltshire | A | 2.8 | 88% | 3.7 | 21% |
| 6 | Godalming Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 3.1 | 66% |
| 7 | Southborough Kent | A− | 2.8 | 94% | 2.5 | 57% |
| 8 | Thurmaston Leicestershire | A− | 10.4 | 89% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Platt Bridge and Abram Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Esher Surrey | A− | 6.9 | 86% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Kings Hill Kent | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 12 | Padiham Lancashire | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 4.5 | 18% |
| 13 | Bingham Nottinghamshire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Yarm North Yorkshire | A− | 3.3 | 96% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 18 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Corfe Mullen Dorset | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 3.5 | 13% |
| 20 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 21 | Sandiacre Derbyshire | B+ | 2.6 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 22 | Cranleigh Surrey | B | 2.5 | 20% | 4.3 | 38% |
| 23 | Shildon County Durham | B | 2.8 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Ludlow Shropshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 25 | North Wingfield and Holmewood Derbyshire | B | 2.7 | 84% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Great Dunmow Essex | B | 2 | 92% | 4 | 0% |
| 27 | Queensbury West Yorkshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Immingham Lincolnshire | B | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Pembroke Dock Dyfed | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 1.1 | 25% |
| 30 | Yaxley Cambridgeshire | B− | 2.6 | 90% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Caernarfon Gwynedd | B− | 1.7 | 83% | 1.4 | 14% |
| 32 | Horbury West Yorkshire | B− | 2.5 | 75% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Mildenhall Suffolk | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Monmouth Gwent | B− | 1.5 | 69% | 3.1 | 45% |
| 35 | Radstock Somerset | B− | 1.1 | 93% | 2.9 | 1% |
| 36 | Knottingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Whitchurch Shropshire | B− | 2.7 | 86% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Mold Clwyd | C+ | 1.9 | 86% | 1.6 | 17% |
| 39 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Brandon County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Crook County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Lydney Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.1 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Diss Norfolk | C | 1.5 | 80% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Barnham West Sussex | C | 1.3 | 70% | 2.3 | 32% |
| 47 | Kippax West Yorkshire | C | 1.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Shepton Mallet Somerset | C | 1.2 | 70% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 49 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Polegate East Sussex | C− | 0.8 | 64% | 2.2 | 24% |
| 52 | Lutterworth Leicestershire | C− | 1.7 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | West Moors Dorset | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Sherborne Dorset | D | 1.2 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Broughton Astley Leicestershire | D | 1 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Pocklington East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Pheasey West Midlands | D− | 0.9 | 40% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Kings Hill’s built-up area.
How close Kings Hill’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).
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 399 residents.
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 2.0 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.
7% of the land within 5 km of Kings Hill is National Park or National Landscape, more than 69% of UK towns.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Kings Hill
53 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Kings Hill and the kilometre around it, 2.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Close to home, the Scenic Green Trail Section 1 has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Medway Valley Walk.
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 Kings Hill: 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 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 69 | 54 | 46 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 45 | 60 | 54 | 79 | 80 | 75 |
July is the driest month (45 mm) and the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 80 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Kings Hill →
25 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
Kings Hill is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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
Nature reserves 2
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 25
Plus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Hill | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 7% |
| Wateringbury 1.4 mi | C− | 2.4 | 73% | 0% |
| West Malling 1.8 mi | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 21% |
| Larkfield 2.5 mi | A− | 5.6 | 75% | 27% |
| Yalding 3.4 mi | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 0% |
| East Peckham 4.2 mi | B− | 14.5 | 66% | 1% |
| Snodland 4.2 mi | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 44% |
Snodland, 4.2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 97% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. West Malling, Larkfield and Yalding have at least twice Kings Hill’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Kings Hill
Is Kings Hill near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 2.0 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Kings Hill?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Scenic Green Trail Section 1, Medway Valley Walk and Scenic Green Trail Stage 2.
What is the nearest beach to Kings Hill?
The Beach, 8.7 mi from the edge of the town, then Northfleet Beach (13 mi). Kings Hill itself is inland.
How many people in Kings Hill 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 Kings Hill?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Kings Hill good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 53% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 57% (2.4 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 Kings Hill’s overall grade.
Where Kings Hill’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.