Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0Seal is inside the Kent Downs National Landscape
Parks and playing fields in Seal add up to 3.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 18 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.1 for every square kilometre. Seal grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Seal?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Seal’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by the North Downs Way.
Seal grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Seal, 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.
Seal is 22nd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,500 to 1,700 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Seal 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 36 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portskewett Gwent | A+ | 10 | 100% | 2.9 | 3% |
| 2 | Melton Suffolk | A+ | 6.5 | 100% | 4.1 | 33% |
| 3 | Salcombe Devon | A+ | 2 | 100% | 3.3 | 65% |
| 4 | Wood Street Village Surrey | A+ | 25.7 | 81% | 4.9 | 18% |
| 5 | Ducklington Oxfordshire | A | 10.1 | 79% | 4.8 | 4% |
| 6 | Roydon Essex | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 7 | St Athan South Glamorgan | A | 2.2 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 8 | Sabden Lancashire | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 5 | 38% |
| 9 | Hale Bank Cheshire | A− | 9.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 10 | West Wellow Hampshire | A− | 3.6 | 82% | 2.7 | 51% |
| 11 | Shillington Bedfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 83% | 3.2 | 14% |
| 12 | Bean Kent | A− | 17 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Woodhouse Eaves Leicestershire | A− | 35.7 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Kewstoke Somerset | A− | 1.3 | 74% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 15 | Hampton Magna Warwickshire | A− | 6.8 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Sonning Berkshire | A− | 11.1 | 80% | 2.5 | 7% |
| 17 | Thorpe-le-Soken Essex | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 18 | East Dean and Friston East Sussex | B+ | 1.2 | 18% | 4.6 | 58% |
| 19 | Stithians Cornwall | B+ | 3.2 | 80% | 3.4 | 3% |
| 20 | Staining Lancashire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 21 | King's Cliffe Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Seal Kent | B+ | 3.3 | 78% | 2.1 | 77% |
| 23 | Littlebourne Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 3 | 9% |
| 24 | Farcet Cambridgeshire | B+ | 13.8 | 77% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 25 | Ardingly West Sussex | B | 1.7 | 53% | 4.1 | 83% |
| 26 | Abridge Essex | B | 3 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 27 | Mount Hawke Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 85% | 2 | 6% |
| 28 | Fence Lancashire | B | 1.3 | 62% | 6.2 | 32% |
| 29 | Edgworth Lancashire | B | 3.2 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Wick Gloucestershire | B− | 1.8 | 56% | 3.6 | 39% |
| 31 | Sibertswold Kent | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 2.2 | 38% |
| 32 | Whittington Shropshire | B− | 3.7 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 33 | South Witham Lincolnshire | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Evenwood County Durham | C+ | 3.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 35 | West Horndon Essex | C+ | 2.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Everton Hampshire | C+ | 1.3 | 58% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 37 | Norton (Norton Juxta Kempsey) Worcestershire | C+ | 0.9 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 38 | Clutton Somerset | C+ | 0.9 | 74% | 3.3 | 11% |
| 39 | Potterspury Northamptonshire | C | 1.4 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Blisworth Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Buxted East Sussex | C | 1.1 | 63% | 2.4 | 52% |
| 42 | Harden West Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 40% | 5 | 0% |
| 43 | Scawby Lincolnshire | C− | 25.7 | 68% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Higher Walton Lancashire | C− | 2.2 | 61% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Rawcliffe East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Horsmonden Kent | C− | 0.5 | 79% | 0.9 | 50% |
| 47 | Sywell and Overstone Northamptonshire | D | 3.1 | 62% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Thurcaston Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 33% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Ainsworth Greater Manchester | D | 0.4 | 64% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Whittlesford Cambridgeshire | D | 2.3 | 57% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Henstridge Somerset | D | 1.8 | 47% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Moulton Lincolnshire | D | 1.9 | 75% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Ketton Rutland | D | 2.1 | 56% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Balsham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 57% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | St Erme and Trispen Cornwall | D | 0.3 | 69% | 1.2 | 2% |
| 56 | Findern Derbyshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Woodborough Nottinghamshire | D− | 1 | 45% | 2 | 0% |
| 58 | Scarcroft West Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 15% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | School Aycliffe County Durham | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Fenton North Yorkshire | D− | 0.3 | 50% | 0.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Seal’s built-up area.
8 in 10 Seal 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 400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 7 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 231 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Seal
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
77% of the land within 5 km of Seal is National Park or National Landscape, more than 96% of UK towns.
Seal is on the North Downs Way
18 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Seal and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Seal. The regional route here is the Otford to Canterbury Cathedral.
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 Seal: May to September
The village’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 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 76 | 64 | 47 | 52 | 52 | 58 | 51 | 63 | 58 | 85 | 84 | 88 |
March is the driest month (47 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 88 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 50 nights a year. The climate in Seal →
3 viewpoints, 7 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Seal is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 7
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seal | B+ | 3.3 | 78% | 77% |
| Otford and Kemsing 1.5 mi | A− | 3.3 | 53% | 73% |
| Sevenoaks 1.8 mi | A | 8.1 | 76% | 70% |
| Dunton Green 2.2 mi | B− | 1.0 | 82% | 69% |
| Ightham 2.8 mi | C+ | 2.0 | 30% | 56% |
| Borough Green 3.9 mi | B+ | 2.5 | 93% | 50% |
| Wrotham 4.0 mi | B | 1.6 | 100% | 49% |
Sevenoaks, 1.8 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 76% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Sevenoaks has at least twice Seal’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Seal
What are the best walks near Seal?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Ightham Mote Circular Walk to Knole, Ightham Mote, North Downs Way (Eastern) and Otford to Canterbury Cathedral.
What is the nearest beach to Seal?
Northfleet Beach, 12 mi from the edge of the village, then Kelson Beach (17 mi). Seal itself is inland.
How many people in Seal 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 Seal?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Seal good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 34% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 74% (3.3 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 Seal’s overall grade.
Where Seal’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.