Northfleet’s biggest
Woodlands Park
Park or garden
5.8 ha (14 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent. · CC BY 2.5AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Northfleet · parks, paths & countryside
Northfleet is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 9% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 194 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 7.7 for every square kilometre. The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 2.1 mi from the town’s edge. Northfleet grades A for the outdoors: #14 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
85%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
194 km
7.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
4%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
The sea
9%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Northfleet?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast9% of the area within 5 km is sea; 14 beaches mapped.A town of footpaths7.7 km of path per km², more than 99% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe Kent Downs National Landscape starts 2.1 mi south-east.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.
Northfleet’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Northfleet grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Northfleet, 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 94% of UK towns#14 of 87 in Kent · 3rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
45out of
100
100
A park within a walk85%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
57out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape4%of the land within 5 km
67out of
100
100
Footpaths7.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
99out of
100
100
The sea9%of the area within 5 km
86out 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
Northfleet is 3rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 27,400 to 32,600 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
Northfleet7.7
Towns its size3.2
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Northfleet2.0
Towns its size2.1
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Northfleet85%
Towns its size84%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Northfleet stands out most for path per km²: none of the other 59 has more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yate Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 99% | 6.8 | 11% |
| 2 | Jarrow Tyne and Wear | A+ | 5.3 | 90% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Northfleet Kent | A | 2 | 85% | 7.7 | 4% |
| 4 | Ashington Northumberland | A | 5.6 | 83% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 5 | Penarth South Glamorgan | A | 3.5 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 6 | Witney Oxfordshire | A | 2.5 | 88% | 4.6 | 19% |
| 7 | Woodley Berkshire | A | 5 | 81% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 8 | Lancing and Sompting West Sussex | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3 | 37% |
| 9 | Prestwich Greater Manchester | A | 9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Totton Hampshire | A | 1.6 | 94% | 4.4 | 50% |
| 11 | Burntwood Staffordshire | A− | 5.3 | 81% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 12 | Redhill Surrey | A− | 2.2 | 91% | 4.3 | 14% |
| 13 | Ewell Surrey | A− | 7.5 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Chandler's Ford Hampshire | A− | 2.7 | 80% | 5.3 | 6% |
| 15 | Stretford Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 92% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Great Yarmouth Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.2 | 18% |
| 17 | Cleethorpes Lincolnshire | A− | 3 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Daventry Northamptonshire | A− | 4.1 | 99% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Eston North Yorkshire | B+ | 2.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 20 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 84% | 2.9 | 2% |
| 21 | Cramlington Northumberland | B+ | 2.3 | 91% | 6.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Deal Kent | B+ | 1 | 86% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 23 | Farnworth Greater Manchester | B+ | 3 | 85% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Chichester West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 89% | 3 | 40% |
| 25 | Pontypool Gwent | B+ | 3.6 | 93% | 1.8 | 7% |
| 26 | Brierley Hill West Midlands | B+ | 3.1 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Colwyn Bay Clwyd | B+ | 1.9 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Windsor Berkshire | B | 5.5 | 83% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Shipley West Yorkshire | B | 2.1 | 87% | 6 | 0% |
| 30 | Consett County Durham | B | 1.7 | 87% | 3.1 | 19% |
| 31 | Darwen Lancashire | B | 2.2 | 89% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Egham Surrey | B | 4.1 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Bushey Hertfordshire | B | 3.1 | 77% | 4 | 0% |
| 34 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B | 3.8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Evesham Worcestershire | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 36 | Stanford-le-Hope Essex | B− | 2.6 | 84% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Radcliffe Greater Manchester | B− | 1.7 | 86% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Whitstable Kent | B− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Kendal Cumbria | C+ | 0.9 | 67% | 4 | 33% |
| 41 | Winsford Cheshire | C+ | 1.3 | 92% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Newton Abbot Devon | C+ | 2.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 6% |
| 43 | Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 84% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Newark-on-Trent Nottinghamshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 2 | 0% |
| 45 | Bedworth Warwickshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Barnstaple Devon | C | 1.6 | 92% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Frome Somerset | C | 1.3 | 78% | 2.4 | 9% |
| 48 | Rayleigh Essex | C | 2 | 71% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.7 | 92% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Wickford Essex | C | 2.4 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Sedgley West Midlands | C | 1.5 | 65% | 4 | 0% |
| 52 | Congleton Cheshire | C | 1.7 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Hertford Hertfordshire | C | 0.9 | 65% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Rushden Northamptonshire | C− | 1.5 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Heywood Greater Manchester | C− | 1.3 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Heswall Merseyside | C− | 1.1 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Port Talbot West Glamorgan | C− | 1.3 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Ormskirk Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Spalding Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 85% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Pontypridd Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.5 | 70% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Northfleet’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 Northfleet
The biggest is Woodlands Park, 5.8 ha (14 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 6 named parks by size: 14 ha (36 acres) and 3 km of path
Parks & gardens 8.2 haPlaying fields 6.3 ha
The two biggest, Woodlands Park and Wombwell Park, are 70% of the named green space and carry 2 km of path between them. 4 of the 6 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Wombwell Park
Playing field
4.3 ha (11 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Penn Green Park
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
0.7 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bat and Ball Cricket Ground
Playing field · 290 m outside town
2.0 ha (5 acres)0.1 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Shears Green
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)
0.5 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Brightlands Open Space
Park or garden
0.6 ha (1 acres)0.1 km of path
0.8 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Northfleet 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).
Within 400 m (85%)Further (15%)
Northfleet85%
Towns its size84%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 87 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 344 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 2.1 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
2.1 mi south-east879 km²since 19684% of the land within 5 km
Official site4% of the land within 5 km of Northfleet is National Park or National Landscape, more than 67% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Northfleet is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
194 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Northfleet and the kilometre around it, 7.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalOther waymarked
King Charles III England Coast Path: Grain to Woolwich11.2 km
Wealdway6.7 km
1066 Harold's Way6.7 km
Thames Estuary Path3.3 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Tilbury to Southend-on-Sea1.6 km
Saxon Shore Way1.6 km
Hoo Peninsula Path1.5 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Northfleet. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Wealdway, 1066 Harold's Way and Saxon Shore 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 registered historic park in Northfleet
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Northfleet’s named parks.
Registered · Grade II*Gravesend Cemetery0.5 ha
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 Northfleet: 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 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 38 | 33 | 36 | 43 | 45 | 40 | 51 | 45 | 57 | 60 | 53 |
March is the driest month (33 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 60 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 30 nights a year. The climate in Northfleet →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Northfleet
9% of the area within 5 km of Northfleet is sea. 14 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Northfleet Beach0.0 mi from town
DirectionsThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
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
2 viewpoints and 87 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
Viewpoints 2
River Thames Viewpoint0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Pepper Hillin town
DirectionsWindmill Hill52 m (169 ft) · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 87
Children's Play Area - Fountain Walkin town
DirectionsHuntley Avenue Play Areain town
DirectionsChildren's Play Area - Glover Close0.3 mi from town
DirectionsChildren's Play Area - Castle Hill Park0.5 mi from town
DirectionsChildren's Play Area - Christabel Close0.7 mi from town
DirectionsChildren's Play Area - St. Patricks Gardens1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPankhurst Play Area1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 80 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway 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.
GravesendEbbsfleet ValleyIstead RiseTilburySwanscombeBeanNorthfleet
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfleet | A | 2.0 | 85% | 4% |
| Gravesend 1.6 mi | A | 1.4 | 84% | 14% |
| Ebbsfleet Valley 1.6 mi | A | 9.0 | 77% | 0% |
| Istead Rise 2.1 mi | B− | 1.9 | 82% | 15% |
| Tilbury 2.2 mi | B | 1.4 | 98% | 0% |
| Swanscombe 2.4 mi | A+ | 3.3 | 90% | 0% |
| Bean 2.6 mi | A− | 17.0 | 72% | 0% |
Swanscombe, 2.4 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 90% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Ebbsfleet Valley and Bean have at least twice Northfleet’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Northfleet
What is the biggest park in Northfleet?
Woodlands Park, 5.8 ha (14 acres), with 1.2 km of path. Wombwell Park (4.3 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Northfleet near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 2.1 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Northfleet?
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Grain to Woolwich, Wealdway and 1066 Harold's Way.
How many people in Northfleet live near a park?
85% 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 Northfleet?
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 Northfleet are historic?
Gravesend Cemetery (Grade II*) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Northfleet good for walking?
For paths, yes: 7.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 99% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 45% (2.0 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 Northfleet’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Northfleet’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.