Heather’s biggest
Sence Valley Forest Park
Park or garden
64 ha (158 acres)6.8 km of path
1 h 30 minto walk all 6.8 km of path
90 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Heather
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Peter Wood · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Heather · parks, paths & countryside
Heather has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Heather add up to 16.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. 34 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 4.7 for every square kilometre. Heather grades A for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
16.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
34 km
4.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Heather?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam16.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 98% of UK towns.A village of footpaths4.7 km of path per km², more than 90% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.
Heather’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Heather grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Heather, 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 94% of UK towns10th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space16.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
98out 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 Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths4.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
90out 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
Heather is 10th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,100 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
Heather4.7
Villages its size2.5
Leicestershire towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Heather16.9
Villages its size2.4
Leicestershire towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Heather100%
Villages its size78%
Leicestershire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Heather stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 59 has more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giggleswick North Yorkshire | A+ | 14.2 | 100% | 4.1 | 75% |
| 2 | Lympne Kent | A+ | 4 | 100% | 2.7 | 34% |
| 3 | Uplyme Devon | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 61% |
| 4 | Frampton on Severn Gloucestershire | A+ | 11 | 100% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 5 | Bromham Wiltshire | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 6 | Blagdon Somerset | A | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 62% |
| 7 | Colney Heath Hertfordshire | A | 8.7 | 100% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Alston Cumbria | A | 5.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 100% |
| 9 | Newnham Gloucestershire | A | 4.2 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 10 | Heather Leicestershire | A | 16.9 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Blockley Gloucestershire | A | 2.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 86% |
| 12 | Silverdale Lancashire | A | 2.3 | 46% | 3.9 | 76% |
| 13 | North Curry Somerset | A | 6.2 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 14 | Furness Vale Derbyshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 5 | 36% |
| 15 | Old Langho Lancashire | A− | 7.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 20% |
| 16 | Chedgrave Norfolk | A− | 3 | 100% | 1.7 | 26% |
| 17 | Plumpton Green East Sussex | A− | 4.6 | 54% | 3.6 | 37% |
| 18 | Winford Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 0% | 4.4 | 39% |
| 19 | Cwmgwrach West Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 20 | Calver Derbyshire | B+ | 2.2 | 44% | 4.8 | 99% |
| 21 | Groombridge East Sussex | B+ | 2.3 | 77% | 2.8 | 92% |
| 22 | Crowlas Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 73% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 23 | Blackfordby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Five Ash Down East Sussex | B+ | 2.8 | 0% | 4.1 | 43% |
| 25 | Avening Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 97% |
| 26 | Flamstead Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 82% | 2.7 | 33% |
| 27 | Fishtoft Lincolnshire | B | 2.3 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Pentre Halkyn Clwyd | B | 1.3 | 59% | 3.6 | 3% |
| 29 | Nanpean Cornwall | B | 4.4 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Sharnford Leicestershire | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Tackley Oxfordshire | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Twyning Gloucestershire | B− | 1 | 100% | 2.5 | 10% |
| 33 | Ettington Warwickshire | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 34 | South Wingfield Derbyshire | B− | 5.4 | 75% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Coopersale Essex | B− | 1.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Carleton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | C+ | 0.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 10% |
| 37 | Chillington Devon | C+ | 0.6 | 78% | 1.3 | 55% |
| 38 | Milford Derbyshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Draycott Somerset | C+ | 2.1 | 68% | 2.1 | 46% |
| 40 | Sutterton Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.8 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Upper Basildon Berkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 0% | 2 | 97% |
| 42 | Weston Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1 | 4% |
| 43 | Simister Greater Manchester | C | 16.6 | 0% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Huby (Hambleton) North Yorkshire | C | 2.4 | 75% | 1.5 | 2% |
| 45 | Kimbolton Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Pattishall and Astcote Northamptonshire | C− | 2.9 | 39% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Stebbing Essex | C− | 2.4 | 70% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | North Leverton with Habblesthorpe Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.5 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | C− | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Gorefield Cambridgeshire | D | 2.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Snitterfield Warwickshire | D | 2.4 | 63% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Crundale Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 57% | 0.5 | 5% |
| 53 | Napton on the Hill Warwickshire | D | 0.4 | 69% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Aberporth Dyfed | D | 0.6 | 38% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Wisbech St Mary Cambridgeshire | D | 1.8 | 69% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Hockliffe Bedfordshire | D− | 1.2 | 49% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 57 | South Hykeham Lincolnshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Pencader Dyfed | D− | 1.2 | 30% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Netheravon Wiltshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Leeming Bar North Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Heather’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 Heather
The biggest is Sence Valley Forest Park, 64 ha (158 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
Everyone in Heather lives 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Heather100%
Villages its size78%
Leicestershire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 134 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Heather
34 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Heather and the kilometre around it, 4.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Regional
National Forest Way4.6 km
The regional route here is the National Forest 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 Heather: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 57 | 47 | 46 | 51 | 51 | 70 | 67 | 63 | 62 | 71 | 67 | 64 |
March is the driest month (46 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Heather →
Things to do
8 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
Heather is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
library12 mi from Heather’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
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 8
Plus 8 playgrounds 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.
IbstockRavenstoneHugglescoteEllistownMeashamCoalvilleHeather
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heather | A | 16.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Ibstock 1.1 mi | A | 8.5 | 96% | 0% |
| Ravenstone 2.1 mi | A− | 5.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Hugglescote 2.5 mi | B+ | 4.2 | 91% | 0% |
| Ellistown 2.6 mi | A | 7.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Measham 3.5 mi | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 0% |
| Coalville 3.5 mi | A− | 3.7 | 94% | 0% |
Heather grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Heather
What is the biggest park in Heather?
Sence Valley Forest Park, 64 ha (158 acres), with 6.8 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Heather near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Heather.
What are the best walks near Heather?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the National Forest Way. Sence Valley Forest Park alone has 6.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Heather?
library, 12 mi from the edge of the village. Heather itself is inland.
How many people in Heather 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 Heather?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Heather good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 90% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 98% (16.9 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 Heather’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Heather’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.