Folkestone, #1 on this list · Photo: Unknown author · CC BY 2.0

Kent rankings · Outdoors

Best towns for the outdoors in Kent

Folkestone ranks first on outdoors among Kent’s 87 towns of 2,500+; 34 of the 87 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Folkestone

51,987 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#9 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Hawkinge

8,499 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#13 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Halling

2,926 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#18 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 87 towns, ranked

Outdoors grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Kent →

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87 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Folkestone51,987 peopleA⁺#9 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

2Hawkinge8,499 peopleA⁺#13 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

3Halling2,926 peopleA⁺#18 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

4Snodland11,820 peopleA⁺#25 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

5Hextable4,100 peopleA⁺#27 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

6Rochester67,279 peopleA⁺#35 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

7Cuxton3,039 peopleA⁺#36 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

T8Hythe14,613 peopleA⁺#39 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

T8Stone6,438 peopleA⁺#39 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

10West Malling4,251 peopleA⁺#49 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

11Dover36,349 peopleA⁺#68 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 96% of UK towns

12Swanscombe15,462 peopleA⁺#93 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns

13Dartford69,131 peopleA#101 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns

14Northfleet29,892 peopleA#107 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

15Gillingham108,485 peopleA#113 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

16Ashford82,143 peopleA#114 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

17Ebbsfleet Valley2,989 peopleA#118 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

18Sevenoaks26,474 peopleA#126 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

19Faversham20,941 peopleA#137 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

20Gravesend58,105 peopleA#165 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

21Chatham76,956 peopleA#172 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

22Cranbrook3,962 peopleA#210 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns

23Sittingbourne54,385 peopleA#247 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

24Bearsted8,349 peopleA#268 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

25Larkfield26,147 peopleA⁻#350 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

26Southborough9,632 peopleA⁻#357 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns

27Joyden's Wood4,912 peopleA⁻#361 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns

28Darenth2,588 peopleA⁻#364 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns

29Whitfield6,509 peopleA⁻#412 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns

30Royal Tunbridge Wells51,215 peopleA⁻#447 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

31Kings Hill9,963 peopleA⁻#455 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

32Maidstone109,503 peopleA⁻#509 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

33Newington2,691 peopleA⁻#547 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns

34Otford and Kemsing7,332 peopleA⁻#569 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

35Borough Green4,712 peopleB⁺#652 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

36Herne Bay24,873 peopleB⁺#680 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

37Canterbury55,107 peopleB⁺#705 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns

38Swanley17,209 peopleB⁺#745 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

39Deal28,992 peopleB⁺#747 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

40Hildenborough4,943 peopleB⁺#757 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 68% of UK towns

41Sturry4,857 peopleB⁺#788 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns

42Chartham3,569 peopleB#852 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns

43Queenborough3,915 peopleB#897 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns

44Edenbridge7,903 peopleB#900 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns

45Westerham3,390 peopleB#954 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

46Ramsgate42,031 peopleB#996 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 59% of UK towns

47Rusthall and Langton Green7,783 peopleB#1,002 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

48Broadstairs25,780 peopleB#1,010 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

49Minster (Swale)16,735 peopleB#1,063 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns

50Margate63,315 peopleB#1,072 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns

51Lenham and Harrietsham4,763 peopleB⁻#1,111 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 54% of UK towns

52Istead Rise3,398 peopleB⁻#1,114 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 54% of UK towns

53Dunton Green3,241 peopleB⁻#1,193 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

54Cliffe Woods2,689 peopleB⁻#1,217 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

55Tonbridge36,136 peopleB⁻#1,221 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

56Whitstable32,185 peopleB⁻#1,231 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

57Sheerness13,253 peopleB⁻#1,242 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns

58New Romney3,870 peopleC⁺#1,322 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns

59Hoo St Werburgh8,758 peopleC⁺#1,334 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns

60Aylesham5,788 peopleC⁺#1,386 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

61Herne14,874 peopleC⁺#1,391 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

62Iwade4,533 peopleC⁺#1,414 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

63Paddock Wood7,616 peopleC⁺#1,426 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

64Sandwich4,258 peopleC⁺#1,468 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns

65Dymchurch3,097 peopleC⁺#1,493 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

66Halfway Houses4,396 peopleC#1,517 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 35% of UK towns

67Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley16,077 peopleC#1,548 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

68South Darenth and Sutton at Hone4,091 peopleC#1,619 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns

69Marden3,489 peopleC#1,630 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

70Meopham4,349 peopleC#1,659 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

71Teynham3,128 peopleC#1,663 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

72Minster (Thanet)4,739 peopleC#1,667 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

73Eastchurch3,381 peopleC#1,715 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns

74Ash (Dover)2,529 peopleC#1,725 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns

75Hadlow3,168 peopleC⁻#1,754 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

76Higham2,642 peopleC⁻#1,797 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 22% of UK towns

77Hawkhurst3,683 peopleC⁻#1,811 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

78Pembury5,783 peopleC⁻#1,815 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

79Lydd3,911 peopleC⁻#1,851 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 19% of UK towns

80Tenterden7,775 peopleC⁻#1,869 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 18% of UK towns

81Littlestone-on-Sea5,271 peopleC⁻#1,870 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 18% of UK towns

82Cliffe2,531 peopleC⁻#1,888 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

83St Mary's Bay2,966 peopleD#1,929 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

84Staplehurst6,181 peopleD#1,941 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

85West Kingsdown4,306 peopleD#1,957 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 13% of UK towns

86Coxheath8,453 peopleD#2,063 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns

87Headcorn3,293 peopleD⁻#2,124 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Kent is best for the outdoors?

Folkestone ranks first on outdoors among 87 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Hawkinge and Halling follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Kent’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Kent is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Kent lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Kent rankings →

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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.