Barnet has more footpath per square kilometre than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 568 km in the borough and the kilometre around it, 4.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Barnet add up to 2.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 82% of residents. Barnet grades B− for the outdoors: #23 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Barnet’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Barnet grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Barnet, 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 51% of UK towns#23 of 33 in London · 23rd of 29 UK boroughs its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
46out of 100
A park within a walk82%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
52out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
86out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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.
Boroughs its size
Barnet is 23rd of 29 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 29 UK towns and cities of 272,000 to 525,000 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
Barnet4.4
Boroughs its size4.9
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Barnet2.0
Boroughs its size2.2
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Barnet82%
Boroughs its size85%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Barnet falls furthest behind on path per km², where 20 of the 28 others do better.
8 in 10 Barnet 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 (82%)Further (18%)
Barnet82%
Boroughs its size85%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 68,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 270 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,439 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 7.9 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
568 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Barnet and the kilometre around it, 4.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
RegionalLocal
London LOOP (Section 16)18.0 km
Dollis Valley Greenwalk17.1 km
Pymmes Brook Trail11.1 km
Capital Ring (Section 11)8.5 km
London LOOP (Section 15)7.6 km
Capital Ring (Section 10)7.3 km
Composers Park & Beyond5.3 km
Hampstead Circular Walk, Fenton House4.6 km
Yellow Route3.9 km
London LOOP (Section 17)3.6 km
Dollis Valley Greenwalk link3.4 km
New River Path3.3 km
Red Route3.2 km
Parkfields & Beyond3.0 km
Belsize Walk2.3 km
Bentley Priory Circular Trail2.0 km
Plus 16 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Dollis Valley Greenwalk has 17 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 14 regional routes pass through, including the London LOOP (Section 16), Capital Ring (Section 11), London LOOP (Section 15) and Capital Ring (Section 10).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
5 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Barnet’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Hampstead Heath
316 ha. 14 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*WyldesIICasa Maria the Chantry and White HouseIIGarden Wall to Evergreen HillIIKenwood West Lodge with Flanking Gates and Gate PiersIINumbers 1 to 24 and Attached Railings and PorchesIINumbers 2 to 10 and Attached Wood RailingsIIThe Great WallIIToll Gate HouseIIWyldes Close Corner and Motor House
Registered · Grade IGolders Green Crematorium4.6 ha
Registered · Grade II*East Finchley Cemetery (Formerly St Marylebone Cemetery)15 ha
Registered · Grade II*St Pancras and Islington Cemetery2.6 ha
Registered · Grade IIAvenue House Grounds4.4 ha
Registered · Grade IIHoop Lane Jewish Cemetery3.2 ha
Listed buildings insideKenwoodGarden Wall to Evergreen Hill, Kenwood West Lodge with Flanking Gates and Gate Piers and Toll Gate House
Listed buildings insideKing George's FieldHadley Cote and The Old Cottage
Heritage walks
Bentley Priory Circular Trail 2.0 km
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Barnet: May to September
The borough’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
12.6
10.5
8.7
7.8
High (°C)
8
9
11
14
18
21
23
23
20
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
70
52
42
47
49
56
52
61
55
76
75
68
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 76 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Barnet →
Things to do
15 viewpoints, 270 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the borough in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK borough its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Elstree, 4.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Elstree has at least twice Barnet’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Barnet
What is the biggest park in Barnet?
Hampstead Heath, 316 ha (782 acres), with 73.9 km of path. Trent Park (196 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Barnet near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 7.9 mi west of the borough’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Barnet?
32 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the London LOOP (Section 16), Dollis Valley Greenwalk and Pymmes Brook Trail. Hampstead Heath alone has 73.9 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Barnet?
The Hollows, 5.5 mi from the edge of the borough, then Hog Hole (5.7 mi). Barnet itself is inland.
How many people in Barnet live near a park?
82% 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 Barnet?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Barnet are historic?
Golders Green Crematorium (Grade I), Avenue House Grounds (Grade II), Hoop Lane Jewish Cemetery (Grade II) and East Finchley Cemetery (Formerly St Marylebone Cemetery) (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Barnet good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 86% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 46% (2.0 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 Barnet’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Trevor Harris · CC BY-SA 2.0