Bromley has more footpath per square kilometre than 8 in 10 UK towns
776 km of footpaths run through the borough and the kilometre around it, 4.1 for every square kilometre. The Kent Downs National Landscape and the Surrey Hills National Landscape both begin about a mile from the borough’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Bromley add up to 3.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Bromley grades A− for the outdoors: #3 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Bromley’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Outdoors grade
Bromley grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bromley, 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 85% of UK towns#3 of 33 in London · 7th of 38 UK boroughs its size
Public green space3.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
72out of 100
A park within a walk81%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
49out of 100
National Park or National Landscape18%of the land within 5 km
76out of 100
Footpaths4.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
82out 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
Bromley is 7th of 38 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 38 UK towns and cities of 228,000 to 439,000 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
Bromley4.1
Boroughs its size4.9
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bromley3.1
Boroughs its size2.0
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bromley81%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against boroughs its size, Bromley stands out most for park space per resident: only 1 of the other 37 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 28 of the others do better.
8 in 10 Bromley 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 (81%)Further (19%)
Bromley81%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 62,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 299 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,089 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Kent Downs and Surrey Hills both start about a mile from Bromley
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
National Landscape
Kent Downs
At the edge south-east879 km²since 196814% of the land within 5 km
18% of the land within 5 km of Bromley is National Park or National Landscape, more than 76% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
44 waymarked walks pass through or near Bromley
776 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bromley and the kilometre around it, 4.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
NationalRegionalLocalOther waymarked
Greenwich Meridian Trail23.6 km
Tandridge Border Path14.0 km
Capital Ring (Section 03)13.5 km
London LOOP (Section 3)13.4 km
Berry's Green Circular Walk12.8 km
Southwark Cathedral to Otford12.1 km
Cudham Circular Walk11.8 km
Biggin Hill Circular Walk11.4 km
Leaves Green Circular Walk11.2 km
London LOOP (Section 2)8.9 km
North Downs Way (Eastern)8.5 km
Three Commons8.1 km
Green Chain Walk section 87.6 km
Green Chain Walk section 9A7.3 km
Green Chain Walk section 106.6 km
London LOOP (Section 4)6.1 km
Plus 28 more waymarked walks on the map.
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Bromley. Close to home, the Berry's Green Circular Walk has 13 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 28 regional routes pass through, including the Greenwich Meridian Trail, Tandridge Border Path, Capital Ring (Section 03) and London LOOP (Section 3).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
4 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 Bromley’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II*
Crystal Palace Park
59 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II*). 6 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Subway, Vestibule, Terrace and Stairs to the Crystal PalaceIIBase of the southern water tower to the Crystal Palace including attached low walls, brick-lined trenches and pipeworkIIBust of Sir Joseph Paxton at Crystal Palace ParkIICast-iron column from the Crystal PalaceIICrystal Palace Lower Level StationIIThe Upper and Lower Terrace of the Crystal Palace Gardens
Registered · Grade IIHolwood Park1.7 ha
Registered · Grade IIPriory Gardens, Orpington6.1 ha
Registered · Grade IISundridge Park2.3 ha
Listed buildings insidePriory GardensThe Priory and Two Garden Walls 30 Yards North of the Priory
Listed buildings insideChislehurst CommonChislehurst War Memorial, K6 Telephone Kiosk and Norman Cottage and 9 more
Listed buildings insideChurch House GardensChurch of St Peter and St Paul and Bromley (St Peter and St Paul's) War Memorial
Heritage walks
Southwark Cathedral to Otford 12.1 km Literary Heritage Trail 3.3 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 Bromley: 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
12.5
10.6
8.8
7.9
High (°C)
8
8
11
14
18
21
23
22
20
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
70
55
44
48
52
52
49
60
57
76
76
74
March is the driest month (44 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 37 nights a year. The climate in Bromley →
Things to do
9 viewpoints, 299 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.
Crockenhill, 5.8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Bromley
What is the biggest park in Bromley?
Scadbury Park, 133 ha (329 acres), with 12.4 km of path. Scadbury Park (133 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Bromley near a National Park?
The Kent Downs National Landscape reaches the edge of Bromley. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Bromley?
44 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Greenwich Meridian Trail, Tandridge Border Path and Capital Ring (Section 03). Scadbury Park alone has 12.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Bromley?
Kelson Beach, 3.8 mi from the edge of the borough, then Dock Beach (4.4 mi). Bromley itself is inland.
How many people in Bromley live near a park?
81% 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 Bromley?
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 Bromley are historic?
Holwood Park (Grade II), Priory Gardens, Orpington (Grade II), Sundridge Park (Grade II) and Crystal Palace Park (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Bromley good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 82% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 72% (3.1 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 Bromley’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.