Outdoors in Maidstone · parks, paths & countryside
81% of Maidstone’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Kent Downs National Landscape reaches the edge of Maidstone. 235 km of footpaths run through the city and the kilometre around it, 3.5 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Maidstone add up to 2.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Maidstone grades A− for the outdoors: #32 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Maidstone’s strongest suit is the Kent Downs National Landscape close by, followed by the North Downs Way.
Outdoors grade
Maidstone grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Maidstone, 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 79% of UK towns#32 of 87 in Kent · 22nd of 60 UK cities its size
Public green space2.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
68out of 100
A park within a walk81%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
48out of 100
National Park or National Landscape20%of the land within 5 km
78out of 100
Footpaths3.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
70out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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.
Cities its size
Maidstone is 22nd of 60 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 78,200 to 143,400 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
Maidstone3.5
Cities its size4.1
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Maidstone2.9
Cities its size2.4
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Maidstone81%
Cities its size86%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against cities its size, Maidstone stands out most for park space per resident: only 18 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 42 of the others do better.
The biggest is Mote Park, 174 ha (431 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 21 named parks by size: 283 ha (700 acres) and 35 km of path
Parks & gardens 266 haPlaying fields 17 haPlay spaces 0.5 ha
The two biggest, Mote Park and Vinters Park, are 70% of the named green space and carry 22 km of path between them. 11 of the 21 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
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 (81%)Further (19%)
Maidstone81%
Cities its size86%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 21,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 102 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,074 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Maidstone
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 196820% of the land within 5 km
20% of the land within 5 km of Maidstone is National Park or National Landscape, more than 78% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Maidstone is on the North Downs Way
235 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Maidstone and the kilometre around it, 3.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
NationalRegionalLocalOther waymarked
Medway Valley Walk14.9 km
Scenic Green Trail Stage 412.2 km
Augustine Camino11.9 km
Otford to Canterbury Cathedral10.1 km
North Downs Way (Eastern)10.1 km
Len Valley Walk8.4 km
Scenic Green Trail Section 58.2 km
Scenic Green Trail Stage 38.2 km
Scenic Green Trail Stage 27.1 km
Greensand Way4.5 km
KCC Centenary Walk1.7 km
Scenic Green Trail Section 61.2 km
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Maidstone. Close to home, the Scenic Green Trail Stage 4 has 12 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 4 regional routes pass through, including the Medway Valley Walk, Augustine Camino, Otford to Canterbury Cathedral and Greensand 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
A historic park in the middle of Maidstone
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Maidstone’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Palace Gardens
1.5 ha. 11 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including The Archbishop's Palace (Grade I).
IThe Archbishop's PalaceSMLen Bridge, Mill StreetSMThe 'Gatehouse', Palace Gardens, Mill StreetII*The Dungeons at the Archbishop's PalaceII*The Masters HouseIIGateway and Wall to Palace GardensIIThe Gate House at the Archbishop's PalaceIIThe Len BridgeIIWall to East of Archbishop's PalaceIIWall to North West of Archbishop's PalaceIIWall to North and West of All Saints Church
Registered · Grade IIMote Park7.6 haInside: Farm Cottages and 1 more
Listed buildings insideBrenchley GardensThe Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Cenotaph, Finial from the House of Commons Debating Chamber and Statue Set on Stone Plinth and 3 more
Listed buildings insideOtham Village GreenElizabethan Lodge and Tudor Cottage and Garden Wall Terminating About 4 Metres East of South Gable End of Madam Taylors
Heritage walks
Otford to Canterbury Cathedral 10.1 km
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 Maidstone: May to September
The city’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
45
47
50
48
45
61
56
83
82
77
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 83 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Maidstone →
The coast
Beaches near Maidstone
0% of the area within 5 km of Maidstone is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 1 beach is mapped within 5 km.
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
102 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Eccles, 4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Maidstone
What is the biggest park in Maidstone?
Mote Park, 174 ha (431 acres), with 18.5 km of path. Vinters Park (24 ha) is second. 21 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Maidstone near a National Park?
It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Maidstone?
12 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Medway Valley Walk, Scenic Green Trail Stage 4 and Augustine Camino. Mote Park alone has 18.5 km of path.
How many people in Maidstone live near a park?
81% 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 Maidstone?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Maidstone are historic?
Mote Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Maidstone good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 70% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 68% (2.9 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 Maidstone’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0