Merton has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 357 km in the borough and the kilometre around it, 5.5 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Merton add up to 3.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 89% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Merton grades A− for the outdoors: #7 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Merton’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Merton grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Merton, 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 79% of UK towns#7 of 33 in London · 14th of 45 UK boroughs its size
Public green space3.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
74out of 100
A park within a walk89%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
66out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths5.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
96out 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
Merton is 14th of 45 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 45 UK towns and cities of 150,000 to 290,000 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
Merton5.5
Boroughs its size4.9
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Merton3.3
Boroughs its size2.3
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Merton89%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against boroughs its size, Merton stands out most for park space per resident: only 6 of the other 44 have more.
9 in 10 Merton 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 (89%)Further (11%)
Merton89%
Boroughs its size84%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 23,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 193 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,114 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Surrey Hills National Landscape is 6.6 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
357 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Merton and the kilometre around it, 5.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Wandle Trail15.0 km
Capital Ring (Section 05)7.6 km
Capital Ring (Section 06)5.6 km
Beverley Brook Walk4.1 km
Hogsmill Valley Walk3.8 km
Capital Ring (Section 04)3.6 km
London LOOP (Section 8)3.2 km
Thames Down Link3.2 km
A suburban oasis: Morden Hall Park walk, Morden3.0 km
Tamsin Trail - hiking2.0 km
Tooting Common parkrun1.8 km
link to Beverley Brook Walk1.2 km
LOOP link to Malden Manor station0.4 km
Close to home, the Wandle Trail has 15 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 6 regional routes pass through, including the Capital Ring (Section 05), Capital Ring (Section 06), Capital Ring (Section 04) and London LOOP (Section 8).
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 Merton’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Morden Hall Park
41 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 11 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBridge to Rear of Morden HallIIGates and Gatepiers to Main Entrance to East of Morden Hall,Including Attached Wall to NorthIIMorden CottageIIMorden HallIIMorden LodgeIIPedestal and Statue of Neptune 10 Yards to South East of Walled GardenIIPedestal and Statue of Venus and Cupid 50 Yards North of Morden CottageIISnuff Mills (Eastern Block)IISnuff Mills (Western Block)IIWalls of Walled Garden to South of Morden HallIIWhite Cottage
Registered · Grade II*Cannizaro Park2.9 ha
Registered · Grade II*Wimbledon Park6.4 ha
Registered · Grade IISouth Park Gardens2.2 ha
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 Merton: 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
9
12
15
18
21
23
23
20
16
11
9
Rain (mm)
59
44
38
43
46
49
47
56
51
67
67
60
March is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 67 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 30 nights a year. The climate in Merton →
Things to do
9 viewpoints, 193 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.
Ewell, 4.8 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 89% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Worcester Park and Stoneleigh and Ewell have at least twice Merton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Merton
What is the biggest park in Merton?
Wimbledon Common, 290 ha (717 acres), with 63.1 km of path. Mitcham Common (187 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Merton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Surrey Hills National Landscape, 6.6 mi south of the borough’s edge. It covers 422 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Merton?
13 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Wandle Trail, Capital Ring (Section 05) and Capital Ring (Section 06). Wimbledon Common alone has 63.1 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Merton?
The Hollows, 4.3 mi from the edge of the borough, then Hog Hole (4.4 mi). Merton itself is inland.
How many people in Merton live near a park?
89% 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 Merton?
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 Merton are historic?
Morden Hall Park (Grade II), South Park Gardens (Grade II), Cannizaro Park (Grade II*) and Wimbledon Park (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Merton good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 96% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 74% (3.3 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 Merton’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: Images George Rex · CC BY-SA 2.0