Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Marden
The High Weald National Landscape begins 1.9 mi from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Marden add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 71% of residents. Marden grades C for the outdoors: #69 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Marden?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Marden’s strongest suit is the High Weald National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Marden grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Marden, 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.
Marden is 40th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 3,400 to 3,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Marden falls furthest behind on path per km², where 40 of the 59 others do better.
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 | Bishopston West Glamorgan | A | 3 | 47% | 3.1 | 41% |
| 7 | Kingsbury Warwickshire | A− | 17.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Shenley Hertfordshire | A− | 6.1 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Elsenham Essex | A− | 3 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Westward Ho! Devon | A− | 12.3 | 63% | 1.7 | 18% |
| 11 | Taff's Well Mid Glamorgan | A− | 2.3 | 100% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 12 | Grassmoor Derbyshire | A− | 6.8 | 85% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Church Stretton Shropshire | A− | 2.2 | 68% | 4.7 | 92% |
| 14 | Essington Staffordshire | B+ | 6.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Blaenau Ffestiniog Gwynedd | B+ | 3.6 | 70% | 2.5 | 78% |
| 16 | St Asaph Clwyd | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 9% |
| 17 | Water Orton Warwickshire | B+ | 5.3 | 82% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 18 | Hartley Wintney Hampshire | B+ | 6.1 | 82% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Chartham Kent | B | 2.3 | 67% | 3.3 | 44% |
| 20 | Whalley Lancashire | B | 1.2 | 88% | 3.5 | 23% |
| 21 | Roade Northamptonshire | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Brockenhurst Hampshire | B | 1.8 | 63% | 3.3 | 98% |
| 23 | Llanfairfechan Clwyd | B | 1 | 48% | 2.9 | 38% |
| 24 | Sturminster Newton Dorset | B | 1.4 | 85% | 3.6 | 5% |
| 25 | Sunniside Tyne and Wear | B | 2.1 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 26 | Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel Cornwall | B− | 2.5 | 64% | 2.3 | 66% |
| 27 | Ruabon Clwyd | B− | 3.8 | 69% | 1.9 | 20% |
| 28 | Burtonwood Cheshire | B− | 3.3 | 93% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Theydon Bois Essex | B− | 2.4 | 70% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Castle Cary Somerset | B− | 2.2 | 91% | 3 | 0% |
| 31 | Pilsley and Lower Pilsley Derbyshire | B− | 1.9 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Bembridge Isle of Wight | B− | 1.5 | 50% | 2.3 | 7% |
| 33 | Kirkheaton West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 92% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Broomfield Essex | C+ | 2.7 | 45% | 5 | 0% |
| 35 | Fishguard Dyfed | C+ | 0.8 | 64% | 2.1 | 23% |
| 36 | Woodstock Oxfordshire | C+ | 1 | 80% | 3 | 11% |
| 37 | Boreham Essex | C+ | 1.1 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Thorpe Willoughby North Yorkshire | C | 0.4 | 92% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Cosby Leicestershire | C | 1.6 | 93% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Marden Kent | C | 1.8 | 71% | 2.1 | 3% |
| 41 | Upper Poppleton North Yorkshire | C | 2.9 | 82% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Alvechurch Worcestershire | C | 2.2 | 84% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Nettleham Lincolnshire | C | 4.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Goff's Oak Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 41% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Holsworthy Devon | C− | 2.7 | 84% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Lytchett Matravers Dorset | C− | 1.2 | 83% | 1.2 | 5% |
| 47 | Tylorstown and Pontygwaith Mid Glamorgan | C− | 2.3 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Willand Devon | C− | 0.9 | 88% | 0.6 | 1% |
| 49 | Snaith East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.2 | 89% | 2 | 0% |
| 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 | Lanchester County Durham | D | 1.4 | 70% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Bilsthorpe Nottinghamshire | D | 0.7 | 88% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Metheringham Lincolnshire | D | 0.8 | 44% | 3 | 0% |
| 56 | Cherry Willingham Lincolnshire | D | 1 | 79% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Spixworth Norfolk | D | 0.6 | 59% | 1.2 | 5% |
| 58 | Wollaston Northamptonshire | D− | 1.2 | 11% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Barlby North Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Bawtry South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Marden’s built-up area.
7 in 10 Marden 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).
About 1,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 4 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 872 residents.
The High Weald National Landscape is 1.9 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.
3% of the land within 5 km of Marden is National Park or National Landscape, more than 65% of UK towns.
Footpaths in and around Marden
22 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Marden and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Marden; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Marden: 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 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 49 | 43 | 43 | 50 | 45 | 42 | 56 | 49 | 78 | 75 | 74 |
July is the driest month (42 mm) and the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 78 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Marden →
4 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
Marden 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
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marden | C | 1.8 | 71% | 3% |
| Staplehurst 2.6 mi | D | 1.3 | 70% | 1% |
| Horsmonden 3.5 mi | C− | 0.5 | 79% | 50% |
| Coxheath 4.1 mi | D | 1.2 | 48% | 0% |
| Yalding 4.4 mi | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 0% |
| Paddock Wood 4.5 mi | C+ | 1.7 | 78% | 28% |
| Goudhurst 4.5 mi | B | 1.5 | 100% | 65% |
Goudhurst, 4.5 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Yalding has at least twice Marden’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Marden
Is Marden near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the High Weald National Landscape, 1.9 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 1,462 km² and was designated in 1983.
What is the nearest beach to Marden?
The Beach, 7.3 mi from the edge of the town, then Cockleshell Hard (20 mi). Marden itself is inland.
How many people in Marden live near a park?
71% 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 Marden?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Marden good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 33% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 39% (1.8 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 Marden’s overall grade.
Where Marden’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.