Photo: Martin Pearman · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Gayton
The Norfolk Coast National Landscape begins 3.4 mi from the village’s edge. 7 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 0.8 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 62% of residents. Gayton grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Gayton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Gayton’s strongest suit is the Norfolk Coast National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Gayton grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Gayton, 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 Gayton compares with UK villages of 1,400 to 1,600
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,400 to 1,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Gayton falls furthest behind on path per km², where 54 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chambercombe Devon | A+ | 8.7 | 100% | 2.8 | 29% |
| 2 | Ashurst Wood West Sussex | A+ | 4 | 100% | 3.4 | 81% |
| 3 | Ewhurst Surrey | A | 4.3 | 76% | 4.6 | 46% |
| 4 | Newfield County Durham | A | 8.3 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 5 | Gargrave North Yorkshire | A | 5.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 41% |
| 6 | Collett's Green Worcestershire | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 7 | Hale Cheshire | A− | 4.8 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Littleton Hampshire | A− | 7.8 | 100% | 1.1 | 10% |
| 9 | Llanrug Gwynedd | A− | 1.7 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 10 | Longwick Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2 | 100% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 11 | Temple Cloud Somerset | B+ | 2.6 | 77% | 3.9 | 15% |
| 12 | Blackhall Mill County Durham | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Kimpton Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 14 | Castleside County Durham | B+ | 0.9 | 100% | 3 | 42% |
| 15 | Caer-went Gwent | B+ | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 8% |
| 16 | Great Bowden Leicestershire | B+ | 6.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 17 | Ramsbury Wiltshire | B+ | 3.9 | 62% | 2.3 | 100% |
| 18 | Offenham Worcestershire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Kensworth Bedfordshire | B | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 59% |
| 20 | Burford Oxfordshire | B | 3.5 | 84% | 1.2 | 53% |
| 21 | Sturminster Marshall Dorset | B | 2 | 100% | 1.4 | 30% |
| 22 | Potterne Wiltshire | B | 1.3 | 77% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 23 | South Godstone Surrey | B | 2 | 100% | 1.8 | 5% |
| 24 | Wingrave Buckinghamshire | B− | 3.7 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Kingstone Herefordshire | B− | 3.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Kibblesworth Tyne and Wear | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Bridge Kent | B− | 2.2 | 60% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 28 | Foxhole Cornwall | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Collingtree and Milton Malsor Northamptonshire | B− | 4.9 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Carharrack Cornwall | C+ | 0.7 | 80% | 4.2 | 2% |
| 31 | Gilfach Goch Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Trinant Gwent | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Mylor Bridge Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 63% | 1.2 | 49% |
| 34 | Langley Vale Surrey | C+ | 0.8 | 53% | 5.5 | 7% |
| 35 | Gretton Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Nether Heyford Northamptonshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Bassingham Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.2 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Sibsey Lincolnshire | C | 2.4 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Flitton Bedfordshire | C | 1.4 | 49% | 3.3 | 6% |
| 40 | Geddington Northamptonshire | C | 3 | 82% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Horndon on the Hill Essex | C | 3.5 | 81% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Freeland Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 53% | 2.6 | 17% |
| 43 | Waresley Worcestershire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 44 | Alveley Shropshire | C− | 5.4 | 51% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Haslingfield Cambridgeshire | C− | 2 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Silverton Devon | C− | 1 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Sandleheath Hampshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.6 | 52% |
| 48 | Greens Norton Northamptonshire | C− | 1.2 | 66% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Dalston Cumbria | C− | 3.4 | 66% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Cawood North Yorkshire | D | 1.9 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Braunston Northamptonshire | D | 1.8 | 50% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Croft Cheshire | D | 1.1 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Heighington County Durham | D | 2.6 | 64% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Tetney Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Stockton Warwickshire | D | 1.5 | 44% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Newton-with-Scales Lancashire | D | 1.4 | 76% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Gayton Norfolk | D− | 1.6 | 62% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Tilney St Lawrence Norfolk | D− | 1.5 | 53% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 59 | South Broomhill Northumberland | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Great Bricett Suffolk | D− | 1.2 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Gayton’s built-up area.
6 in 10 Gayton 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 600 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 507 residents.
The Norfolk Coast National Landscape is 3.4 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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Gayton scores 0% on it even though the Norfolk Coast National Landscape is 3.4 mi away.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Gayton
7 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Gayton and the kilometre around it, 0.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
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 Gayton: 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 | 15.8 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 47 | 44 | 43 | 50 | 61 | 63 | 66 | 59 | 71 | 67 | 64 |
April is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Gayton →
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
Gayton 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.
Campsites 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gayton | D− | 1.6 | 62% | 0% |
| Narborough 4.3 mi | B− | 3.8 | 100% | 0% |
| King's Lynn 5.6 mi | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 23% |
| Marham 5.9 mi | C | 3.5 | 85% | 0% |
| West Winch 6.2 mi | D | 1.5 | 73% | 0% |
| Dersingham 7.4 mi | A− | 3.1 | 76% | 39% |
| Watlington 8.3 mi | C | 2.3 | 100% | 0% |
Dersingham, 7.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 76% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Narborough and Marham have at least twice Gayton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Gayton
Is Gayton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Norfolk Coast National Landscape, 3.4 mi north-west of the village’s edge. It covers 446 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Gayton?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the Leziate Circular.
What is the nearest beach to Gayton?
Snettisham Scalp, 9.3 mi from the edge of the village, then West Sands (16 mi). Gayton itself is inland.
How many people in Gayton live near a park?
62% 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 Gayton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Gayton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 4% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 32% (1.6 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 Gayton’s overall grade.
Where Gayton’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.