Outdoors in Redbridge · parks, paths & countryside
Redbridge has more footpath per square kilometre than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
404 km of footpaths run through the borough and the kilometre around it, 4.5 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Redbridge add up to 3.0 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 76% of residents. Redbridge grades B for the outdoors: #17 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Redbridge’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Redbridge grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Redbridge, 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 59% of UK towns#17 of 33 in London · 21st of 39 UK boroughs its size
Public green space3.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
70out of 100
A park within a walk76%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
39out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
89out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 1.3% 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
Redbridge is 21st of 39 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 39 UK towns and cities of 217,000 to 418,000 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
Redbridge4.5
Boroughs its size4.6
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Redbridge3.0
Boroughs its size2.0
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Redbridge76%
Boroughs its size83%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against boroughs its size, Redbridge stands out most for park space per resident: only 2 of the other 38 have more.
8 in 10 Redbridge 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 (76%)Further (24%)
Redbridge76%
Boroughs its size83%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 76,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 246 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,258 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 12 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
404 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Redbridge and the kilometre around it, 4.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
RegionalLocal
Greenwich Meridian Trail14.0 km
Epping Forest Big Walk13.6 km
London LOOP (Section 20)9.8 km
Three Forests Way6.8 km
London LOOP (Section 19)6.4 km
FP 12.4 km
Green Link Walk (Section 1)2.0 km
FP 21.5 km
London LOOP (Section 18)1.2 km
FP 2740.9 km
FP 2770.4 km
LOOP Link to Chigwell Underground0.4 km
FP 2760.4 km
FP 2750.3 km
Close to home, the Epping Forest Big Walk has 14 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 7 regional routes pass through, including the Greenwich Meridian Trail, London LOOP (Section 20), Three Forests Way and London LOOP (Section 19).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
3 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 Redbridge’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Valentines Park
51 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 9 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Railings, Gates and Gatepiers to Valentines ParkII*Valentines MansionIICanal-Head GrottoIIDovecote and Attached Garden WallsIIGardener's CottageIIGate PiersIIGrottoIIHa-HaIISundial
Registered · Grade ICity of London Cemetery0.8 ha
Registered · Grade II*Wanstead Park7.5 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 Redbridge: 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)
58
44
37
41
46
52
49
56
51
68
65
60
March is the driest month (37 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 68 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 30 nights a year. The climate in Redbridge →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 246 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.
Chigwell Row, 3.5 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Chigwell Row has at least twice Redbridge’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Redbridge
What is the biggest park in Redbridge?
Hainault Forest Country Park, 367 ha (908 acres), with 34.3 km of path. Wanstead Flats (164 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Redbridge near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 12 mi south-east of the borough’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Redbridge?
14 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Greenwich Meridian Trail, Epping Forest Big Walk and London LOOP (Section 20). Hainault Forest Country Park alone has 34.3 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Redbridge?
Dock Beach, 3.5 mi from the edge of the borough, then Kelson Beach (4.7 mi). Redbridge itself is inland.
How many people in Redbridge live near a park?
76% 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 Redbridge?
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 Redbridge are historic?
City of London Cemetery (Grade I), Valentines Park (Grade II) and Wanstead Park (Grade II*) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Redbridge good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 89% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 70% (3.0 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 Redbridge’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: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0