Yalding’s biggest
Yalding Organic Gardens
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent. · CC BY 2.5C−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Yalding · parks, paths & countryside
Yalding has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Yalding add up to 7.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The High Weald National Landscape and the Kent Downs National Landscape both begin about 5 miles from the village’s edge. 21% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Yalding grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
7.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
21%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
15 km
1.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
High Weald starts 4.1 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Yalding?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam7.1 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 92% of UK towns.Countryside both waysHigh Weald starts 4.1 mi south, Kent Downs 4.9 mi west.Few mapped footpaths1.5 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
Yalding’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Yalding grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Yalding, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C−
Better than 19% of UK towns43rd of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space7.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
93out of
100
100
A park within a walk21%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
4out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · High Weald begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
18out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
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.
Villages its size
Yalding is 43rd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,500 to 1,600 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
Yalding1.5
Villages its size2.4
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Yalding7.1
Villages its size2.2
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Yalding21%
Villages its size80%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Yalding stands out most for park space per resident: only 4 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 56 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanhope County Durham | A+ | 7.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 86% |
| 2 | Finberry Kent | A+ | 4 | 100% | 5.1 | 2% |
| 3 | Fairlight East Sussex | A+ | 39.6 | 50% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 4 | Dobcross Greater Manchester | A+ | 2.8 | 100% | 4.8 | 22% |
| 5 | Crockenhill Kent | A+ | 5.2 | 100% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 6 | Newfield County Durham | A | 8.3 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 7 | Haverigg Cumbria | A | 4.7 | 67% | 2.5 | 11% |
| 8 | North Bradley Wiltshire | A | 3.4 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 9 | Middle Winterslow Wiltshire | A | 7 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 10 | Collett's Green Worcestershire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Oakenshaw West Yorkshire | A− | 7.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 12 | Llanrug Gwynedd | A− | 1.7 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 13 | Longwick Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2 | 100% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 14 | Blackhall Mill County Durham | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Kimpton Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Castleside County Durham | B+ | 0.9 | 100% | 3 | 42% |
| 17 | Ambergate Derbyshire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 18 | Caer-went Gwent | B+ | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 8% |
| 19 | Ramsbury Wiltshire | B+ | 3.9 | 62% | 2.3 | 100% |
| 20 | Tideswell Derbyshire | B | 1.5 | 100% | 1.6 | 97% |
| 21 | Burford Oxfordshire | B | 3.5 | 84% | 1.2 | 53% |
| 22 | Potterne Wiltshire | B | 1.3 | 77% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 23 | South Godstone Surrey | B | 2 | 100% | 1.8 | 5% |
| 24 | Bridge Kent | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 25 | Mundford Norfolk | B− | 3.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Foxhole Cornwall | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 27 | Gotham Nottinghamshire | B− | 3.9 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Carharrack Cornwall | C+ | 0.7 | 80% | 4.2 | 2% |
| 29 | High Harrington Cumbria | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Gilfach Goch Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Mylor Bridge Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 63% | 1.2 | 49% |
| 32 | Bacton and Cotton Suffolk | C+ | 4.4 | 70% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Rufford Lancashire | C | 2.8 | 70% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Anna Valley and Upper Clatford Hampshire | C | 2.2 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 35 | Kingsley Cheshire | C | 3.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Stock Essex | C | 2.2 | 62% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Flitton Bedfordshire | C | 1.4 | 49% | 3.3 | 6% |
| 38 | Geddington Northamptonshire | C | 3 | 82% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Waresley Worcestershire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 40 | Arksey South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Glapwell Derbyshire | C− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Haslingfield Cambridgeshire | C− | 2 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Yalding Kent | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Sandleheath Hampshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.6 | 52% |
| 45 | Tidbury Green West Midlands | C− | 2.4 | 49% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Dalston Cumbria | C− | 3.4 | 66% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 47 | Greens Norton Northamptonshire | C− | 1.2 | 66% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 48 | Baston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.3 | 78% | 1 | 0% |
| 49 | Heighington County Durham | D | 2.6 | 64% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Tetney Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Broadclyst Devon | D | 1.4 | 78% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Wood End (North Warwickshire) Warwickshire | D | 1.1 | 74% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Camblesforth North Yorkshire | D | 0.3 | 81% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Aberford West Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 22% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Burton Green Warwickshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Gayton Norfolk | D− | 1.6 | 62% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Edgmond Shropshire | D− | 1.7 | 33% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Walpole St Peter and Walpole St Andrew Norfolk | D− | 1.7 | 52% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Leasingham Lincolnshire | D− | 1.3 | 50% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 60 | South Broomhill Northumberland | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.5 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Yalding’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 Yalding
The biggest is Yalding Organic Gardens, 5.2 ha (13 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
2 in 10 Yalding 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 (21%)Further (79%)
Yalding21%
Villages its size80%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 1,200 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 221 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
High Weald and Kent Downs both start about 5 miles from Yalding
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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Yalding scores 0% on it even though the High Weald National Landscape is 4.1 mi away.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Yalding
15 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Yalding and the kilometre around it, 1.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
RegionalLocal
Medway Valley Walk7.6 km
Greensand Way6.9 km
Scenic Green Trail Stage 21.9 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Medway Valley Walk and Greensand Way.
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 Yalding: 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 66 | 49 | 42 | 45 | 47 | 45 | 43 | 52 | 50 | 75 | 74 | 72 |
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 75 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Yalding →
Things to do
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
Yalding is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
The Beach8.4 mi from Yalding’s edge
DirectionsNorthfleet Beach17 mi from Yalding’s edge
DirectionsEgypt Bay Beach18 mi from Yalding’s edge
DirectionsSt Mary's Bay Beach18 mi from Yalding’s edge
DirectionsCoombe Point Beach18 mi from Yalding’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
Playgrounds 7
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 6
Whitewater Action Medway0.2 mi from town
DirectionsRiver View0.4 mi from town
DirectionsOrchard View Park0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 3 campsites 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.
WateringburyEast PeckhamCoxheathKings HillPaddock WoodHadlowYalding
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yalding | C− | 7.1 | 21% | 0% |
| Wateringbury 2.0 mi | C− | 2.4 | 73% | 0% |
| East Peckham 2.2 mi | B− | 14.5 | 66% | 1% |
| Coxheath 3.0 mi | D | 1.2 | 48% | 0% |
| Kings Hill 3.4 mi | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 7% |
| Paddock Wood 3.8 mi | C+ | 1.7 | 78% | 28% |
| Hadlow 4.2 mi | C− | 1.7 | 61% | 11% |
Kings Hill, 3.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. East Peckham has at least twice Yalding’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Yalding
What is the biggest park in Yalding?
Yalding Organic Gardens, 5.2 ha (13 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Yalding near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the High Weald National Landscape, 4.1 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 1,462 km² and was designated in 1983.
What are the best walks near Yalding?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Medway Valley Walk, Greensand Way and Scenic Green Trail Stage 2.
What is the nearest beach to Yalding?
The Beach, 8.4 mi from the edge of the village, then Northfleet Beach (17 mi). Yalding itself is inland.
How many people in Yalding live near a park?
21% 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 Yalding?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Yalding good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 18% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 93% (7.1 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 Yalding’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Yalding’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.