Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0Lea has more park space per resident than 8 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Lea add up to 4.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 6 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 0.8 for every square kilometre. 76% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Lea grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Lea?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Lea’s strongest suit is plenty of park space. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Lea grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lea, 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.
Lea is 42nd 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.
Against villages its size, Lea 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 55 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grove Dorset | A+ | 6 | 100% | 8.7 | 0% |
| 2 | Totternhoe Bedfordshire | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.9 | 26% |
| 3 | Winchelsea Beach East Sussex | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 45% |
| 4 | East Challow Oxfordshire | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 5 | Broadbottom Greater Manchester | A+ | 5 | 100% | 4.2 | 15% |
| 6 | Hawkesbury Upton Gloucestershire | A+ | 3.4 | 100% | 3 | 73% |
| 7 | Westwood Wiltshire | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 4.4 | 29% |
| 8 | Cemaes Gwynedd | A+ | 5 | 100% | 1.3 | 14% |
| 9 | Mawnan Smith Cornwall | A | 3.5 | 30% | 4 | 40% |
| 10 | Bellingham Northumberland | A | 8.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 57% |
| 11 | Waddington Lancashire | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 12 | Little Wymondley Hertfordshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Thurlstone South Yorkshire | A− | 0.9 | 100% | 4.5 | 13% |
| 14 | Wivelsfield Green East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 3 | 11% |
| 15 | North Chailey East Sussex | B+ | 4.5 | 48% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 16 | Langenhoe and Abberton Essex | B+ | 2.3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 17 | Leek Wootton Warwickshire | B+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Norton St Philip Somerset | B+ | 1.8 | 100% | 2.2 | 21% |
| 19 | Loddiswell Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 20 | Thornwood Common Essex | B+ | 6.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Clyst Honiton Devon | B+ | 8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Olveston Gloucestershire | B | 0.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Thornton Leicestershire | B | 13.7 | 50% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Whitwell Hertfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Levens Cumbria | B | 0.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 53% |
| 26 | Great Paxton Cambridgeshire | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Great Amwell Hertfordshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Beckington Somerset | B− | 2.7 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 29 | Laxfield Suffolk | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Winteringham Lincolnshire | B− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Hooley Surrey | B− | 1.7 | 67% | 3.4 | 18% |
| 32 | King's Bromley Staffordshire | B− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Derry Hill and Studley Wiltshire | C+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 1% |
| 34 | St Dogmaels Dyfed | C+ | 1.4 | 71% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 35 | Bethersden Kent | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Hill Ridware Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1.2 | 7% |
| 37 | Bempton East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.6 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Elmsett Suffolk | C | 3.4 | 82% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Clifton Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Scorton North Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Hurst Berkshire | C− | 5.1 | 68% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Lea Lincolnshire | C− | 4.3 | 76% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Swarthmoor Cumbria | C− | 0.2 | 79% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Llangeinor Mid Glamorgan | C− | 3.1 | 62% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Loxwood West Sussex | D | 0 | 0% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Sutton St James Lincolnshire | D | 0.1 | 100% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Marshland St James Norfolk | D | 3.5 | 0% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Besthorpe Norfolk | D | 1.5 | 72% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Barnack Cambridgeshire | D | 1.6 | 26% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Northop Clwyd | D | 1.6 | 70% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Shadoxhurst Kent | D | 1.8 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Overton Lancashire | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Wymington Bedfordshire | D | 0.3 | 0% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Sutton Norfolk | D− | 0 | 0% | 1 | 29% |
| 55 | Corby Glen Lincolnshire | D− | 2 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Wawne East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1 | 0% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Foulsham Norfolk | D− | 1.4 | 29% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Mendlesham Suffolk | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Stockton on the Forest North Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Prees Shropshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 0.6 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lea’s built-up area.
8 in 10 Lea 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 200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 11 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 91 residents.
The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape is 17 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.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Lea
6 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lea and the kilometre around it, 0.8 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 regional route here is the Trent Valley Way.
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 Lea: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 49 | 40 | 34 | 46 | 44 | 61 | 64 | 64 | 53 | 58 | 59 | 53 |
March is the driest month (34 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 64 mm of rain falls in July, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Lea →
11 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
Lea 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
Playgrounds 11
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea | C− | 4.3 | 76% | 0% |
| Gainsborough 2.1 mi | C− | 1.0 | 96% | 0% |
| Beckingham 3.6 mi | D | 2.6 | 28% | 0% |
| North Leverton with Habblesthorpe 4.1 mi | C− | 0.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Sturton by Stow 5.5 mi | D− | 1.7 | 41% | 0% |
| Misterton 5.9 mi | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 0% |
| Clarborough 6.6 mi | B | 4.0 | 100% | 0% |
Clarborough, 6.6 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Lea
Is Lea near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, 17 mi east of the village’s edge. It covers 559 km² and was designated in 1973.
What are the best walks near Lea?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the Trent Valley Way.
What is the nearest beach to Lea?
Sea Lions, 14 mi from the edge of the village, then Beach at Doncaster Lakeside (17 mi). Lea itself is inland.
How many people in Lea live near a park?
76% 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 Lea?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Lea good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 4% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 84% (4.3 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 Lea’s overall grade.
Where Lea’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.