Photo: Bernd Jatzwauk Pommes104 · CC BY-SA 3.061% of the land within 5 km of Freethorpe is National Park or National Landscape
The Broads National Park begins 0.4 mi from the village’s edge. 6 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 0.7 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 26% of residents. Freethorpe grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Freethorpe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Freethorpe’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Freethorpe grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Freethorpe, 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.
Freethorpe is 38th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Freethorpe falls furthest behind on path per km², where 55 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lizard Cornwall | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 2 | Uplyme Devon | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 61% |
| 3 | Blagdon Somerset | A | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 62% |
| 4 | Colney Heath Hertfordshire | A | 8.7 | 100% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 5 | Abingworth West Sussex | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 27% |
| 6 | Newnham Gloucestershire | A | 4.2 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 7 | Aberaeron Dyfed | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Shorne Kent | A | 28.3 | 23% | 3.4 | 24% |
| 9 | Silverdale Lancashire | A | 2.3 | 46% | 3.9 | 76% |
| 10 | Misterton Somerset | A | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 11 | North Curry Somerset | A | 6.2 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Godshill Isle of Wight | A | 2.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 53% |
| 13 | Chedgrave Norfolk | A− | 3 | 100% | 1.7 | 26% |
| 14 | Plumpton Green East Sussex | A− | 4.6 | 54% | 3.6 | 37% |
| 15 | Ardleigh Essex | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.5 | 21% |
| 16 | Hyde Heath Buckinghamshire | B+ | 5.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 81% |
| 17 | Crowlas Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 73% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 18 | Llangynidr Powys | B+ | 2.4 | 65% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 19 | Five Ash Down East Sussex | B+ | 2.8 | 0% | 4.1 | 43% |
| 20 | Avening Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 97% |
| 21 | Morchard Bishop Devon | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 22 | Flamstead Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 82% | 2.7 | 33% |
| 23 | Llanymynech Shropshire | B | 2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Minley Hampshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 25 | High Shincliffe County Durham | B− | 0.5 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Ettington Warwickshire | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Carleton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | C+ | 0.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 10% |
| 28 | St Newlyn East Cornwall | C+ | 3 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Little Waltham Essex | C+ | 2.3 | 63% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Weston Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1 | 4% |
| 31 | Simister Greater Manchester | C | 16.6 | 0% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Warmington Northamptonshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 33 | Little Melton Norfolk | C | 4.2 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 34 | Hilton Cambridgeshire | C | 6.8 | 70% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Huby (Hambleton) North Yorkshire | C | 2.4 | 75% | 1.5 | 2% |
| 36 | Upper Bucklebury Berkshire | C | 0.1 | 0% | 4 | 48% |
| 37 | Elswick Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Freethorpe Norfolk | C− | 2.3 | 26% | 0.7 | 61% |
| 39 | Kimbolton Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Ansley Warwickshire | C− | 1.8 | 64% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Ewyas Harold Herefordshire | C− | 2.1 | 55% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Hoylandswaine South Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Stebbing Essex | C− | 2.4 | 70% | 2 | 0% |
| 44 | Marchwiel Clwyd | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 45 | Castle Hedingham Essex | C− | 1.7 | 52% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | C− | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Surfleet Lincolnshire | C− | 4.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Scole Norfolk | C− | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 49 | New Quay Dyfed | D | 1.2 | 30% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Skidby East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.8 | 56% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Snitterfield Warwickshire | D | 2.4 | 63% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Crundale Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 57% | 0.5 | 5% |
| 53 | Napton on the Hill Warwickshire | D | 0.4 | 69% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Hevingham Norfolk | D | 1.8 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Horsham St Faith Norfolk | D | 0.9 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Henham Essex | D | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Methwold Norfolk | D− | 1.8 | 61% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Pencader Dyfed | D− | 1.2 | 30% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Wainfleet St Mary Lincolnshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Leeming Bar North Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Freethorpe’s built-up area.
3 in 10 Freethorpe 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).
About 800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 350 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Freethorpe
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.
61% of the land within 5 km of Freethorpe is National Park or National Landscape, more than 94% of UK towns. The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Freethorpe
6 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Freethorpe and the kilometre around it, 0.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The regional route here is the Weavers’ Way.
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 Freethorpe: May to September
The village’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 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 45 | 40 | 38 | 42 | 54 | 48 | 55 | 52 | 66 | 65 | 59 |
April is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 66 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Freethorpe →
3 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Freethorpe is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
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
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 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.
Chedgrave, 4.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Freethorpe
Is Freethorpe near a National Park?
Yes. the Broads National Park begins 0.4 mi east of the village’s edge. It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Freethorpe?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Wherry Lines Walk 2 and Weavers’ Way.
What is the nearest beach to Freethorpe?
Corton Sands, 9.7 mi from the edge of the village, then Corton Beach (9.8 mi). Freethorpe itself is inland.
How many people in Freethorpe live near a park?
26% 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 Freethorpe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Freethorpe good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 3% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 53% (2.3 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 Freethorpe’s overall grade.
Where Freethorpe’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.