Sheerness’ biggest
Barton's Point
Park or garden
31 ha (77 acres)3.0 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
44 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Sheerness · parks, paths & countryside
Sheerness is on the coast
The sea makes up 53% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Sheerness add up to 3.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 35 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 1.7 for every square kilometre. Sheerness grades B− for the outdoors: #57 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
68%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
35 km
1.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
The sea
53%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Sheerness?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast53% of the area within 5 km is sea; 6 beaches mapped.Parks can be a walk away32% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Sheerness’ strongest suit is the sea. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Sheerness grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sheerness, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B−
Better than 47% of UK towns#57 of 87 in Kent · 32nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
69out of
100
100
A park within a walk68%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
28out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
23out of
100
100
The sea53%of the area within 5 km
99out 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
Sheerness is 32nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 12,600 to 14,000 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
Sheerness1.7
Towns its size3.1
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Sheerness3.0
Towns its size2.2
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Sheerness68%
Towns its size78%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Sheerness stands out most for park space per resident: only 13 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 51 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farncombe Surrey | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 3.8 | 54% |
| 2 | Sidmouth Devon | A | 2.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 3 | Newhaven East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 84% | 2.9 | 50% |
| 4 | Rhosllannerchrugog Clwyd | A | 3.5 | 98% | 2.8 | 31% |
| 5 | Abergavenny Gwent | A | 3.2 | 83% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 6 | Wellington Somerset | A | 2.2 | 99% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 7 | Wick West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 91% | 3 | 25% |
| 8 | Stoke Gifford Gloucestershire | A− | 5.7 | 87% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 9 | Addlestone Surrey | A− | 4.3 | 90% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Heckmondwike West Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Churchdown Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 92% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 12 | Wantage Oxfordshire | A− | 2.5 | 71% | 3.9 | 47% |
| 13 | Lees Greater Manchester | A− | 2.5 | 80% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 14 | Tavistock Devon | A− | 5.9 | 83% | 1.6 | 72% |
| 15 | Bacup Lancashire | A− | 2.5 | 94% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Audenshaw Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.6 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland | B+ | 2.5 | 62% | 2.7 | 1% |
| 18 | Verwood Dorset | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 3.9 | 13% |
| 19 | Ringwood Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 78% | 3.2 | 43% |
| 20 | Chorleywood Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.7 | 37% | 5.7 | 22% |
| 21 | Poulton-le-Fylde Lancashire | B+ | 3.6 | 85% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 22 | Chalfont St Peter Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 80% | 3.5 | 18% |
| 23 | Marple Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.4 | 64% | 3.8 | 5% |
| 24 | Poynton Cheshire | B+ | 2.2 | 79% | 3.7 | 14% |
| 25 | Royal Wootton Bassett Wiltshire | B+ | 1.6 | 98% | 3.1 | 10% |
| 26 | Enderby and Narborough Leicestershire | B | 1.9 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 27 | West Kirby Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 68% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Rushall and Shelfield West Midlands | B | 4.3 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Scawthorpe and Cusworth South Yorkshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Standish Greater Manchester | B− | 2.6 | 84% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Midsomer Norton Somerset | B− | 1.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Sheerness Kent | B− | 3 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Knutsford Cheshire | C+ | 2.6 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Thame Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.9 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Buckley Clwyd | C+ | 2.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Street Somerset | C+ | 0.7 | 96% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Flitwick Bedfordshire | C | 0.8 | 59% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 41 | Todmorden West Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 72% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Hersham Surrey | C | 2.5 | 73% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Syston Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Ferndown Dorset | C | 0.7 | 13% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Rhondda Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Brough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 47 | North Walsham Norfolk | C− | 1.3 | 69% | 2 | 10% |
| 48 | Porth Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Amesbury Wiltshire | D | 1.8 | 73% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Northallerton North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Driffield East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 75% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Mountsorrel Leicestershire | D | 0.9 | 56% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Flint Clwyd | D | 1 | 56% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 73% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Mountain Ash Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.4 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Wombourne Staffordshire | D | 0.8 | 78% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Balderton Nottinghamshire | D | 1.4 | 64% | 1.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sheerness’ 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 Sheerness
The biggest is Barton's Point, 31 ha (77 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 6 named parks by size: 35 ha (87 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 31 haPlaying fields 3.8 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Barton's Point and Festival Playing Field, are 97% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them. 4 of the 6 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Festival Playing Field
Playing field
2.9 ha (7 acres)0.4 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Sheerness
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Briton Court Fitness Area
Playing field
0.4 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
0.5 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Queenborough Park
Park or garden · 200 m outside town
0.2 ha (0 acres)0.2 km of path
1.6 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Vicents Gardens
Playing field
0.6 ha (2 acres)
Centralin the middle of Sheerness
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Briton Court Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
0.5 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Sheerness 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 (68%)Further (32%)
Sheerness68%
Towns its size78%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 4,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 19 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 698 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 7.0 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Sheerness
35 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sheerness and the kilometre around it, 1.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Sheerness; 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sheerness: 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 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 44 | 36 | 32 | 36 | 42 | 41 | 41 | 47 | 44 | 58 | 59 | 51 |
March is the driest month (32 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 59 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 18 nights a year. The climate in Sheerness →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Sheerness
53% of the area within 5 km of Sheerness is sea. 6 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
Cockleshell Hard1.0 mi from town
DirectionsGrain Beach1.4 mi from town
DirectionsSea: 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
19 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 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 3
Rushenden Hill0.7 mi from town
DirectionsBarrows Hill0.8 mi from town
DirectionsFurze Hill1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 19
Plus 19 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.
Halfway HousesQueenboroughMinster (Swale)GrainIwadeEastchurchSheerness
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheerness | B− | 3.0 | 68% | 0% |
| Halfway Houses 1.0 mi | C | 1.8 | 71% | 0% |
| Queenborough 1.6 mi | B | 1.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Minster (Swale) 2.1 mi | B | 2.5 | 89% | 0% |
| Grain 2.5 mi | A | 13.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Iwade 4.4 mi | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Eastchurch 4.9 mi | C | 1.9 | 72% | 0% |
Grain, 2.5 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Grain has at least twice Sheerness’ green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Sheerness
What is the biggest park in Sheerness?
Barton's Point, 31 ha (77 acres), with 3 km of path. Festival Playing Field (2.9 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Sheerness near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 7.0 mi south-west of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
How many people in Sheerness live near a park?
68% 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 Sheerness?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Sheerness good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 23% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 69% (3.0 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 Sheerness’ overall grade.
Sources
Where Sheerness’ 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.