Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.078% of Newington’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 1.0 mi from the town’s edge. The sea makes up 11% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 25 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.3 for every square kilometre. Newington grades A− for the outdoors: #33 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Newington grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Newington, 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.
Newington is 7th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,600 to 2,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Newington stands out most for park space per resident: only 22 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindford Hampshire | A+ | 17.1 | 100% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 2 | Settle North Yorkshire | A+ | 6.4 | 100% | 3.6 | 73% |
| 3 | Downley Buckinghamshire | A+ | 9.5 | 76% | 7.6 | 71% |
| 4 | Hadston Northumberland | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 2 | 1% |
| 5 | Yorkley and Whitecroft Gloucestershire | A | 3.3 | 74% | 6.4 | 1% |
| 6 | Martlesham Heath Suffolk | A− | 3.5 | 68% | 4.6 | 25% |
| 7 | Newington Kent | A− | 2.3 | 78% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 8 | Combe Martin Devon | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 9 | Newhey Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 10 | Avonmouth Bristol | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Blofield Norfolk | B+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 17% |
| 12 | Buckfastleigh Devon | B+ | 2.9 | 89% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 13 | Broadway Worcestershire | B | 2 | 65% | 3.6 | 56% |
| 14 | Dipton County Durham | B | 3.2 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Farington Moss Lancashire | B | 5.9 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Boverton South Glamorgan | B | 4.3 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Ormesby St Margaret Norfolk | B | 2.1 | 79% | 0.8 | 21% |
| 18 | Brynamman Dyfed | B | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 51% |
| 19 | Sutton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 20 | Mancetter and Witherley Warwickshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Alltwen West Glamorgan | B− | 4.2 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Cliffe Woods Kent | B− | 1.7 | 62% | 2.5 | 1% |
| 23 | Halton Lancashire | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 35% |
| 24 | Denby Dale West Yorkshire | B− | 0.7 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 25 | Pucklechurch Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 64% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 26 | Godstone Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 3.7 | 18% |
| 27 | Shevington Moor Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Ashington West Sussex | C+ | 1.3 | 86% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 29 | Hurworth-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 4.5 | 93% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Snettisham Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 73% | 1.3 | 32% |
| 31 | Endon Staffordshire | C+ | 3 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Little Dunmow Essex | C+ | 1.1 | 89% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Bosham West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 48% | 1.4 | 58% |
| 34 | Lostock Gralam Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Catterick North Yorkshire | C | 3.6 | 89% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Badsey Worcestershire | C | 2.8 | 54% | 1.9 | 5% |
| 37 | South Brent Devon | C | 1.5 | 79% | 0.8 | 64% |
| 38 | Shelley West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Wittering Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.1 | 83% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 40 | South Wonston Hampshire | C− | 1.6 | 42% | 2.6 | 7% |
| 41 | Swavesey Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.8 | 80% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Wolston Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Cheswick Green West Midlands | C− | 1 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Higham Kent | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 1.8 | 18% |
| 45 | Codicote Hertfordshire | C− | 0.4 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Newick East Sussex | C− | 1.7 | 35% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 47 | Hardwick Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen West Glamorgan | C− | 1.1 | 80% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 49 | Tarvin Cheshire | C− | 1.2 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 50 | West Clyst Devon | C− | 0.6 | 59% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Saughall Cheshire | D | 2.5 | 27% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Christleton and Waverton Cheshire | D | 2.4 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Tonna West Glamorgan | D | 2.1 | 36% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Willington Derbyshire | D | 1.8 | 67% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Brierley South Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Larkhill Wiltshire | D | 1.1 | 68% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Ambrosden Oxfordshire | D | 1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | St Martins Shropshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 0.8 | 2% |
| 59 | Swineshead Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 73% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Manea Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Newington’s built-up area.
How close Newington’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).
About 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 449 residents.
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 1.0 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.
Kent Downs
21% of the land within 5 km of Newington is National Park or National Landscape, more than 78% of UK towns.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Newington
25 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Newington and the kilometre around it, 2.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The regional route here is the Saxon Shore Way.
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 Newington: 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 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 57 | 48 | 40 | 45 | 49 | 47 | 42 | 52 | 49 | 70 | 73 | 69 |
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 73 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 33 nights a year. The climate in Newington →
Newington is near the sea
11% of the area within 5 km of Newington is sea. 1 beach is mapped within 5 km, 0 with a name.
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.
6 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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 2
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 6
Plus 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newington | A− | 2.3 | 78% | 21% |
| Lower Halstow 1.5 mi | A− | 1.5 | 100% | 4% |
| Upchurch 1.8 mi | A | 4.0 | 76% | 7% |
| Iwade 3.2 mi | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Sittingbourne 3.2 mi | A | 1.9 | 93% | 17% |
| Gillingham 4.3 mi | A | 1.6 | 86% | 23% |
| Queenborough 5.7 mi | B | 1.6 | 100% | 0% |
Gillingham, 4.3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Newington
Is Newington near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 1.0 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Newington?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Saxon Shore Way.
How many people in Newington live near a park?
78% 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 Newington?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Newington good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 40% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 55% (2.3 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 Newington’s overall grade.
Where Newington’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.