Enfield has more footpath per square kilometre than 8 in 10 UK towns
460 km of footpaths run through the borough and the kilometre around it, 4.1 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Enfield 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. Enfield grades B− for the outdoors: #26 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Enfield’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Enfield grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Enfield, 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 49% of UK towns#26 of 33 in London · 30th of 38 UK boroughs its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
47out of 100
A park within a walk82%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
51out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out 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
Enfield is 30th of 38 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 38 UK towns and cities of 231,000 to 445,000 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
Enfield4.1
Boroughs its size4.9
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Enfield2.0
Boroughs its size2.0
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Enfield82%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Enfield falls furthest behind on path per km², where 29 of the 37 others do better.
8 in 10 Enfield 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%)
Enfield82%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 60,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 229 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,440 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 13 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
460 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Enfield 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.
RegionalLocal
Pymmes Brook Trail19.4 km
New River Path17.7 km
London LOOP (Section 17)13.3 km
London to Walsingham - stage 0112.3 km
Hertfordshire Chain Walk - Walk 110.5 km
Greenwich Meridian Trail6.8 km
London LOOP (Section 16)6.6 km
Lea Valley Walk6.2 km
London LOOP (Section 18)6.0 km
Hertfordshire Way5.7 km
London to Walsingham - stage 025.3 km
Hertfordshire Chain Walk - Walk 24.3 km
Yellow Route3.9 km
New River Link3.9 km
Red Route3.2 km
Yellow Trail2.4 km
Plus 7 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Pymmes Brook Trail has 19 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 12 regional routes pass through, including the New River Path, London LOOP (Section 17), Hertfordshire Chain Walk - Walk 1 and Greenwich Meridian Trail.
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 Enfield’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Broomfield Park
21 ha. Part of Broomfield House, a registered historic park (Grade II). 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Broomfield House Broomfield ParkII*East Wall of Broomfield Park Including Attached Garden House and Stable BlockIISouth Walls of Broomfield Park and Inner Garden WallsIIWest Walls and North Wall to Broomfield Park
Registered · Grade II*Grovelands Park48 haInside: The Cottage, Woodside Cottages and 2 more
Registered · Grade IIForty Hall0.9 ha
Registered · Grade IIMyddelton House1.7 ha
Registered · Grade IITrent Park20 haInside: Orangery with front terrace and wall with sphinxes at Trent Park and 3 more
Listed buildings insideHilly Fields ParkClay Hill House Lodge and The Rose and Crown Public House
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 Enfield: 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
12
15
18
21
23
23
20
16
11
9
Rain (mm)
64
49
40
45
48
54
51
59
52
71
70
65
March is the driest month (40 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °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 29 nights a year. The climate in Enfield →
Things to do
12 viewpoints, 229 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.
Waltham Cross, 3.9 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Waltham Cross, Cheshunt and Waltham Abbey have at least twice Enfield’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Enfield
What is the biggest park in Enfield?
Trent Park, 196 ha (484 acres), with 44.5 km of path. Gunpowder Park (88 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Enfield near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 13 mi west of the borough’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Enfield?
23 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Pymmes Brook Trail, New River Path and London LOOP (Section 17). Trent Park alone has 44.5 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Enfield?
Dock Beach, 7.3 mi from the edge of the borough, then Kelson Beach (7.8 mi). Enfield itself is inland.
How many people in Enfield 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 Enfield?
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 Enfield are historic?
Broomfield House (Grade II), Forty Hall (Grade II), Myddelton House (Grade II) and Trent Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Enfield 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 47% (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 Enfield’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: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0