Ealing has more footpath per square kilometre than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 418 km in the borough and the kilometre around it, 4.3 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Ealing add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 87% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Ealing grades B− for the outdoors: #21 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Ealing’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Thames Path. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Ealing grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ealing, 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 52% of UK towns#21 of 33 in London · 22nd of 34 UK boroughs its size
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
37out of 100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
86out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 0.8% sea, under the 5% that counts
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
Ealing is 22nd of 34 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 34 UK towns and cities of 257,000 to 496,000 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
Ealing4.3
Boroughs its size4.9
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ealing1.8
Boroughs its size1.9
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ealing87%
Boroughs its size86%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Ealing falls furthest behind on path per km², where 23 of the 33 others do better.
9 in 10 Ealing 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 (87%)Further (13%)
Ealing87%
Boroughs its size86%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 47,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 315 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,166 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 8.4 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
418 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ealing and the kilometre around it, 4.3 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
Grand Union Canal (Paddington Arm) Walk18.1 km
Brent River Park footpath11.7 km
Grand Union Canal Walk11.6 km
Hillingdon Trail10.8 km
Thames Path - northern bank9.9 km
Capital Ring (Section 08)8.1 km
Capital Ring (Section 09)7.5 km
Thames Path6.1 km
Dog Rose Ramble4.6 km
Thames Path Kew Gardens diverted due to bank collapse3.9 km
London LOOP (Section 10)3.7 km
Long Estate Walk, Osterley3.6 km
Capital Ring (Section 07)3.5 km
Osterley Trail, Osterley3.0 km
Barnes Trail Extension2.7 km
Remarkable Trees at Kew2.5 km
Plus 9 more waymarked walks on the map.
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Ealing. Close to home, the Brent River Park footpath has 12 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 13 regional routes pass through, including the Grand Union Canal (Paddington Arm) Walk, Grand Union Canal Walk, Thames Path - northern bank and Capital Ring (Section 08).
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 Ealing’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Walpole Park
13 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 10 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Entrance Archway and Gates at Pitzhanger Manor at North East End of Park (Grade I).
IEntrance Archway and Gates at Pitzhanger Manor at North East End of ParkIPitzhanger Manor HouseII*Bridge at Northern End of Walpole ParkIIBench at Northern End of Walpole ParkIIEaling War MemorialIIGates and Railings to St MarysIILodge at Pitzhanger Manor at North East End of ParkIIMorgan House, Wrexham Lodge and Willow HouseIINorth Boundary Wall to Walpole Park Fronting Mattock Lane from the Entrance Archway at Pitzhanger Manor to the Public ConveniencesIIPine Cottage and Thorpe Cottage
Registered · Grade II*Osterley Park13 ha
Registered · Grade IICity of Westminster Cemetery, Hanwell9.2 ha
Registered · Grade IIRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell6.3 ha
Listed buildings insideBelvue ParkChurch of St Mary and Northolt Manor, moated site
Listed buildings insideGunnersbury ParkNorth Entrance Gateway of Gunnersbury Park and North Lodge of Gunnersbury Park
Heritage walks
Grand Union Canal (Paddington Arm) Walk 18.1 km Grand Union Canal Walk 11.6 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 Ealing: 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
8.8
7.8
High (°C)
8
9
12
15
18
21
24
23
20
16
11
9
Rain (mm)
62
47
41
45
46
50
47
56
54
68
72
62
March is the driest month (41 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 72 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 35 nights a year. The climate in Ealing →
The coast
Beaches near Ealing
1% of the area within 5 km of Ealing is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 44 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 3 with a name.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
11 viewpoints and 315 playgrounds
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.
Hillingdon, 4.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Richmond upon Thames has at least twice Ealing’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Ealing
What is the biggest park in Ealing?
Osterley Park, 105 ha (260 acres), with 11.3 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Gunnersbury Park (75 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Ealing near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 8.4 mi north-west of the borough’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Ealing?
25 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Grand Union Canal (Paddington Arm) Walk, Brent River Park footpath and Grand Union Canal Walk. Osterley Park alone has 11.3 km of path.
How many people in Ealing live near a park?
87% 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 Ealing?
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 Ealing are historic?
City of Westminster Cemetery, Hanwell (Grade II), Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell (Grade II), Walpole Park (Grade II) and Osterley Park (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Ealing good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 86% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 37% (1.8 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 Ealing’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: P.g.champion · CC BY 2.0 uk