Photo: Alan Hughes · CC BY-SA 2.075% of Sarn’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Footpaths add up to 28 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.6 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Sarn add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Sarn grades D for the outdoors: #19 of 32 in Mid Glamorgan. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Sarn grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sarn, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
How Sarn compares with UK towns of 11,300 to 12,500
The 60 UK towns and cities of 11,300 to 12,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Sarn falls furthest behind on path per km², where 52 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tring Hertfordshire | A+ | 5.7 | 95% | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 3 | Chepstow Gwent | A+ | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 4 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 5 | Brockworth Gloucestershire | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 5.1 | 46% |
| 6 | Waltham Cross Hertfordshire | A | 10.6 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 7 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 8 | Southwick West Sussex | A | 1.1 | 100% | 2.6 | 34% |
| 9 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 10 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 11 | Killingworth Tyne and Wear | A | 4.7 | 97% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 14 | Matlock Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 76% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 15 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Bridport Dorset | A− | 0.9 | 75% | 3.7 | 71% |
| 17 | Flackwell Heath and Wooburn Green Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.7 | 90% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 18 | Guiseley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.5 | 75% | 5.7 | 6% |
| 19 | Barton-upon-Humber Lincolnshire | A− | 5.9 | 97% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 21 | New Milton Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 1.9 | 38% |
| 22 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 23 | Haslemere Surrey | B+ | 1 | 78% | 5.1 | 80% |
| 24 | Bentley South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Worsley Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.7 | 86% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 26 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 27 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 28 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Littleborough Greater Manchester | B | 5 | 85% | 3 | 0% |
| 30 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Stotfold Bedfordshire | B | 2.1 | 96% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 34 | Ystrad Mynach Gwent | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Honiton Devon | B− | 1.3 | 90% | 2 | 73% |
| 36 | Chigwell Essex | B− | 2.9 | 64% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 38 | Wells Somerset | B− | 1.7 | 65% | 3.4 | 26% |
| 39 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 41 | Ince-in-Makerfield Greater Manchester | B− | 2 | 74% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Kingsteignton Devon | B− | 1.9 | 95% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Huntington North Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Bridgnorth Shropshire | C− | 2.4 | 66% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Haverfordwest Dyfed | C− | 1 | 85% | 1.4 | 8% |
| 50 | Oakham Rutland | C− | 1.8 | 86% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Market Drayton Shropshire | C− | 1.5 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Codsall Staffordshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Sarn Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Desborough Northamptonshire | D | 0.6 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 58 | Thorne South Yorkshire | D− | 1.6 | 65% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sarn’s built-up area.
How close Sarn’s homes are to 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).
About 2,900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 34 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 349 residents.
The Brecon Beacons National Park 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.
Brecon Beacons
Gower
Brecon Beacons National Park covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
Footpaths in and around Sarn
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sarn and the kilometre around it, 1.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Sarn; its footpaths are on the map above.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Sarn: May to September
The town’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 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 156 | 114 | 104 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 113 | 127 | 114 | 166 | 166 | 170 |
April is the driest month (85 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 170 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Sarn →
2 viewpoints, 34 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Sarn is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. Natural Resources Wales tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 34
Plus 34 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarn | D | 1.8 | 75% | 0% |
| Pen-y-fai 1.2 mi | B | 3.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Bettws 1.9 mi | D− | 0.7 | 71% | 0% |
| Llangeinor 2.2 mi | C− | 3.1 | 62% | 0% |
| Bridgend 2.4 mi | D | 0.9 | 78% | 0% |
| Cefn Cribwr 2.9 mi | B | 6.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Pont Rhyd-y-cyff 3.6 mi | B | 4.9 | 100% | 0% |
Pont Rhyd-y-cyff, 3.6 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Pen-y-fai, Cefn Cribwr and Pont Rhyd-y-cyff have at least twice Sarn’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Sarn
Is Sarn near a National Park?
Yes. Brecon Beacons National Park begins 13 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
What is the nearest beach to Sarn?
Traeth yr Afon, 4.9 mi from the edge of the town, then Hardy’s Bay (5.3 mi). Sarn itself is inland.
How many people in Sarn live near a park?
75% 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 Sarn?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Sarn good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 20% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 39% (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 Sarn’s overall grade.
Where Sarn’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik, 16 October 2026.
- Historic parks, listed buildings and monuments: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: ONS Census 2021 output areas.
- Grade: TownRatings’ Outdoors Grade, ranked against UK towns only.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.