Dereham’s biggest
Neatherd Moor
Park or garden
20 ha (50 acres)6.4 km of path
1 h 25 minto walk all 6.4 km of path
29 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Back LaneQueen Mothers Avenue
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: habiloid · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Dereham · parks, paths & countryside
90% of Dereham’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Footpaths add up to 86 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Dereham add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Dereham grades B− for the outdoors: #23 of 51 in Norfolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
90%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
86 km
3.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: the Broads National Park
Outdoors grade
Dereham grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Dereham, 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 47% of UK towns#23 of 51 in Norfolk · 44th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
38out of
100
100
A park within a walk90%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
68out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
70out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
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.
Towns its size
Dereham is 44th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 19,400 to 22,000 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
Dereham3.4
Towns its size3.6
Norfolk towns1.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Dereham1.8
Towns its size2.1
Norfolk towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Dereham90%
Towns its size85%
Norfolk towns73%
All UK towns83%
Dereham falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 39 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camborne Cornwall | A+ | 2.2 | 93% | 4 | 8% |
| 2 | Dronfield Derbyshire | A+ | 3.2 | 97% | 5.3 | 9% |
| 3 | Buxton Derbyshire | A | 3.5 | 86% | 3.8 | 61% |
| 4 | Faversham Kent | A | 2 | 88% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 5 | Hebburn Tyne and Wear | A | 6.6 | 99% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Quedgeley and Hardwicke Gloucestershire | A | 2.1 | 99% | 4.7 | 21% |
| 7 | Farnham Surrey | A | 5.1 | 73% | 4.3 | 35% |
| 8 | Hazlemere Buckinghamshire | A | 2.5 | 81% | 4.7 | 68% |
| 9 | Stratton St Margaret Wiltshire | A | 3.3 | 82% | 5.1 | 5% |
| 10 | Seaham County Durham | A | 2.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Harwich Essex | A− | 1.7 | 95% | 2.1 | 20% |
| 12 | Peterlee County Durham | A− | 2.3 | 85% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Workington Cumbria | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Dukinfield Greater Manchester | A− | 4 | 95% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Ebbw Vale Gwent | A− | 2 | 92% | 3.3 | 29% |
| 16 | Coalville Leicestershire | A− | 3.7 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 17 | Rothwell West Yorkshire | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Mansfield Woodhouse Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.8 | 94% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Devizes Wiltshire | A− | 1.8 | 91% | 3.2 | 38% |
| 20 | Crowborough East Sussex | B+ | 3.2 | 68% | 2.6 | 91% |
| 21 | Kirkby-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 93% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 22 | Hythe and Dibden Purlieu Hampshire | B+ | 0.8 | 49% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 23 | Ossett West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.8 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Sandhurst Berkshire | B+ | 5.1 | 79% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Hazel Grove Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.9 | 62% | 4.2 | 3% |
| 26 | Brownhills West Midlands | B | 11 | 80% | 2 | 2% |
| 27 | Great Bookham and Fetcham Surrey | B | 1.7 | 68% | 4.4 | 33% |
| 28 | Mirfield West Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 90% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Ripley Derbyshire | B | 2.4 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 30 | Irlam Greater Manchester | B | 3.1 | 95% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Biggleswade Bedfordshire | B | 1.6 | 95% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Westhoughton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Penwortham Lancashire | B | 2.9 | 91% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Old Trafford Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Dorchester Dorset | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 36 | Stourport-on-Severn Worcestershire | B | 3.1 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Romsey Hampshire | B− | 1.2 | 82% | 4.5 | 2% |
| 38 | Ware Hertfordshire | B− | 2 | 81% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Bingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.1 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 40 | Calne Wiltshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 2.4 | 33% |
| 41 | Berkhamsted Hertfordshire | B− | 1 | 69% | 3.6 | 56% |
| 42 | Staines-upon-Thames Surrey | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Wednesbury West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Dereham Norfolk | B− | 1.8 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Failsworth Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.8 | 77% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Clevedon Somerset | C+ | 1.1 | 69% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Sunbury-on-Thames Surrey | C+ | 2 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Bideford Devon | C+ | 0.9 | 83% | 1 | 11% |
| 49 | Spennymoor County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Normanton West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Horwich Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 67% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Maghull Merseyside | C− | 1.6 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Skegness Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Stowmarket Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 50% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Gainsborough Lincolnshire | C− | 1 | 96% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | March Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Goole East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.7 | 81% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Stamford Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 64% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Tiverton Devon | D | 1.5 | 59% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Darlaston West Midlands | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dereham’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Dereham
The biggest is Neatherd Moor, 20 ha (50 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Queen Elizabeth II Field
Park or garden
0.8 ha (2 acres)0.1 km of path
0.8 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Queen Mother's Garden
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Dereham
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Dereham’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).
Within 400 m (90%)Further (10%)
Dereham90%
Towns its size85%
Norfolk towns73%
All UK towns83%
About 2,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 24 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 866 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Broads National Park is 14 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
The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Dereham
86 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Dereham and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Platinum Jubilee Trails - The Wendling Way4.6 km
Cross-Norfolk Trail4.0 km
Wensum Way4.0 km
Hoe via Hoe Rough Circular Walk3.2 km
The regional route here is the Platinum Jubilee Trails - The Wendling Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Dereham: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 52 | 49 | 42 | 51 | 65 | 64 | 69 | 59 | 73 | 76 | 69 |
April is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 76 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Dereham →
Things to do
24 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
Dereham is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Holkham Naturist Beach21 mi from Dereham’s edge
DirectionsThe Beach22 mi from Dereham’s edge
DirectionsSnettisham Scalp24 mi from Dereham’s edge
DirectionsWest Sands25 mi from Dereham’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 3
Scarning Fen3.1 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsRush Meadow16 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsLolly Moor2.2 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 24
Plus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Swanton MorleyShipdhamMattishallNorth ElmhamHinghamNectonDereham
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dereham | B− | 1.8 | 90% | 0% |
| Swanton Morley 3.2 mi | C+ | 3.5 | 94% | 0% |
| Shipdham 3.7 mi | D− | 1.0 | 59% | 0% |
| Mattishall 3.8 mi | D− | 1.4 | 58% | 0% |
| North Elmham 4.8 mi | C− | 4.7 | 71% | 0% |
| Hingham 6.9 mi | D− | 1.9 | 13% | 0% |
| Necton 7.2 mi | D− | 1.5 | 17% | 0% |
Dereham grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. Swanton Morley and North Elmham have at least twice Dereham’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Dereham
What is the biggest park in Dereham?
Neatherd Moor, 20 ha (50 acres), with 6.4 km of path. Queen Elizabeth II Field (0.8 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Dereham near a National Park?
Yes. the Broads National Park begins 14 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Dereham?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Platinum Jubilee Trails - The Wendling Way, Cross-Norfolk Trail and Wensum Way. Neatherd Moor alone has 6.4 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Dereham?
Holkham Naturist Beach, 21 mi from the edge of the town, then The Beach (22 mi). Dereham itself is inland.
How many people in Dereham live near a park?
90% 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 Dereham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Dereham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 70% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 38% (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 Dereham’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Dereham’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.