West Malling’s biggest
Manor Park Country Park
Park or garden
21 ha (51 acres)3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
29 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in West Malling · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in West Malling lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in West Malling add up to 8.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Kent Downs National Landscape begins 0.1 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 49 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. West Malling grades A+ for the outdoors: #10 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
8.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
49 km
3.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
21%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is West Malling?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam8.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 94% of UK towns.Countryside close byThe Kent Downs National Landscape starts 0.1 mi north.
West Malling’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
West Malling grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is West Malling, 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 97% of UK towns#10 of 87 in Kent · 1st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space8.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
95out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape21%of the land within 5 km
79out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
68out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 0.5% sea, under the 5% that counts
42out 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
West Malling is 1st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,100 to 4,400 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
West Malling3.4
Towns its size2.5
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
West Malling8.7
Towns its size1.7
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
West Malling100%
Towns its size80%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, West Malling stands out most for park space per resident: only 6 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Malling Kent | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 3.4 | 21% |
| 2 | Telscombe Cliffs East Sussex | A+ | 3 | 58% | 5.1 | 42% |
| 3 | Great Denham Bedfordshire | A | 14.7 | 100% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 4 | Southbourne West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 92% | 3.3 | 64% |
| 5 | Denaby Main South Yorkshire | A | 10.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Milton Cambridgeshire | A | 10.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Overton Hampshire | A | 3.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 45% |
| 8 | Loftus North Yorkshire | A− | 1.9 | 90% | 2 | 31% |
| 9 | Arborfield Garrison Berkshire | A− | 10.4 | 95% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Stokenchurch Buckinghamshire | A− | 2.3 | 90% | 2.6 | 86% |
| 11 | Hunstanton Norfolk | A− | 3.7 | 71% | 1.4 | 31% |
| 12 | Fairford Gloucestershire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.8 | 17% |
| 13 | Lofthouse and Robin Hood West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 93% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Bearwood Dorset | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Ratby Leicestershire | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Bramley and Wonersh Surrey | B+ | 1.7 | 77% | 3.5 | 59% |
| 17 | Winchcombe Gloucestershire | B | 2.2 | 60% | 3 | 81% |
| 18 | Brampton Cumbria | B | 2 | 92% | 2.2 | 9% |
| 19 | Saltford Somerset | B | 1.6 | 75% | 3.6 | 24% |
| 20 | Bourton-on-the-Water Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 79% | 3.3 | 100% |
| 21 | Penrhyn Bay Clwyd | B− | 0.6 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Woodford Halse Northamptonshire | B− | 3.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Topsham Devon | B− | 1.9 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Easington Lane Tyne and Wear | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 25 | Wilton Wiltshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 26 | Tibshelf Derbyshire | B− | 1.4 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Ferndale Mid Glamorgan | B− | 3.6 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Woburn Sands Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Milford on Sea Hampshire | C+ | 1.2 | 50% | 2.1 | 21% |
| 30 | Kessingland Suffolk | C+ | 0.9 | 70% | 1.9 | 19% |
| 31 | Old Tupton Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 73% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Eaton Bray and Edlesborough Bedfordshire | C+ | 2.6 | 72% | 1.7 | 29% |
| 33 | Thorpe Hesley South Yorkshire | C+ | 1.8 | 80% | 4 | 0% |
| 34 | Backwell Somerset | C+ | 2.3 | 57% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Sandwich Kent | C+ | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Sible Hedingham Essex | C+ | 0.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Holmfield West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.8 | 74% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Knebworth Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 81% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Warton (Fylde) Lancashire | C | 1.3 | 92% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Meopham Kent | C | 1.3 | 53% | 2.5 | 35% |
| 41 | Uppingham Rutland | C | 2.2 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Branston Lincolnshire | C | 2.1 | 86% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Long Lawford Warwickshire | C | 1.2 | 91% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Llangennech Dyfed | C | 1.6 | 82% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Nelson Gwent | C | 2.1 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Cuffley Hertfordshire | C− | 13.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Ellesmere Shropshire | C− | 12.5 | 54% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Chudleigh Devon | C− | 0.3 | 83% | 1.4 | 15% |
| 49 | Epworth Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 75% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Doddington and Wimblington Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.5 | 73% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Great Ayton North Yorkshire | C− | 0.2 | 48% | 2.2 | 31% |
| 52 | West Kingsdown Kent | D | 0.8 | 28% | 1.6 | 52% |
| 53 | North Weald Bassett Essex | D | 1.4 | 67% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Shepperton Green Surrey | D | 1.4 | 73% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Blidworth Nottinghamshire | D | 0.5 | 23% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Kegworth Leicestershire | D | 0.4 | 54% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Llantrisant Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.6 | 42% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Wheatley Oxfordshire | D− | 0.2 | 34% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Warboys Cambridgeshire | D− | 0.4 | 67% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Pinchbeck Lincolnshire | D− | 1 | 49% | 1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is West Malling’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 West Malling
The biggest is Manor Park Country Park, 21 ha (51 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Leybourne Chase
Park or garden
7.2 ha (18 acres)2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Old County Ground
Playing field
2.6 ha (7 acres)0.1 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of West Malling
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close West Malling’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).
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
West Malling100%
Towns its size80%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 26 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 164 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 0.1 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
21% of the land within 5 km of West Malling is National Park or National Landscape, more than 79% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near West Malling
49 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in West Malling and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Scenic Green Trail Section 14.4 km
Wealdway1.1 km
The regional route here is the Wealdway.
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 West Malling: 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 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 71 | 54 | 46 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 45 | 60 | 54 | 79 | 80 | 75 |
July is the driest month (45 mm) and the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 80 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in West Malling →
Things to do
26 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
The nearest beaches
West Malling is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach10 mi from West Malling’s edge
DirectionsNorthfleet Beach11 mi from West Malling’s edge
DirectionsEgypt Bay Beach14 mi from West Malling’s edge
DirectionsSt Mary's Bay Beach14 mi from West Malling’s edge
DirectionsCoombe Point Beach14 mi from West Malling’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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
Nature reserves 1
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 26
Plus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite 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.
LarkfieldKings HillSnodlandWateringburyVigo VillageEcclesWest Malling
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Malling | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 21% |
| Larkfield 1.5 mi | A− | 5.6 | 75% | 27% |
| Kings Hill 1.8 mi | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 7% |
| Snodland 2.5 mi | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 44% |
| Wateringbury 3.1 mi | C− | 2.4 | 73% | 0% |
| Vigo Village 3.1 mi | A+ | 33.3 | 100% | 44% |
| Eccles 3.3 mi | A | 3.7 | 100% | 30% |
Snodland, 2.5 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 97% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Vigo Village has at least twice West Malling’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in West Malling
What is the biggest park in West Malling?
Manor Park Country Park, 21 ha (51 acres), with 3.6 km of path. Leybourne Chase (7.2 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is West Malling near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 0.1 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near West Malling?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Scenic Green Trail Section 1 and Wealdway. Manor Park Country Park alone has 3.6 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to West Malling?
The Beach, 10 mi from the edge of the town, then Northfleet Beach (11 mi). West Malling itself is inland.
How many people in West Malling live near a park?
100% 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 West Malling?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is West Malling good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 68% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 95% (8.7 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 West Malling’s overall grade.
Sources
Where West Malling’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.