Photo: David from Colorado Springs, United States · CC BY 2.0Parks and walks in Griston
Footpaths add up to 4 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 0.5 for every square kilometre. 15% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Griston add up to 0.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Griston grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Griston grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Griston, 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 Griston compares with UK villages of 1,300 to 1,400
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Griston falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 54 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Davids Dyfed | A+ | 5.2 | 84% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 2 | Tatsfield Surrey | A+ | 7.5 | 100% | 3.1 | 34% |
| 3 | Pateley Bridge North Yorkshire | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 100% |
| 4 | Winsley Wiltshire | A | 12.4 | 79% | 4.2 | 38% |
| 5 | Chilton Oxfordshire | A | 5.4 | 88% | 2.8 | 70% |
| 6 | Cowfold West Sussex | A | 2.6 | 100% | 3.6 | 15% |
| 7 | Gomshall Surrey | A | 1.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 87% |
| 8 | Goldsithney Cornwall | A | 1.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 10% |
| 9 | West Horsley Surrey | A | 3 | 74% | 5.2 | 40% |
| 10 | Maresfield East Sussex | A | 2.3 | 100% | 2.7 | 44% |
| 11 | Biddenden Kent | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 20% |
| 12 | Distington Cumbria | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 13 | Cwmfelinfach Gwent | A− | 24.6 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 14 | Stoke sub Hamdon Somerset | A− | 25.1 | 81% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 15 | Bradwell Derbyshire | A− | 1.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 16 | Mynydd Marian Clwyd | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Quintrell Downs Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Barleythorpe Rutland | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Appleton Thorn Cheshire | B+ | 5.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 20 | Wymeswold Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Motcombe Dorset | B | 9.5 | 74% | 1.5 | 25% |
| 22 | Marazion Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 80% | 2 | 14% |
| 23 | Seven Sisters West Glamorgan | B | 7 | 82% | 0.5 | 19% |
| 24 | Cwmllynfell and Ystradowen West Glamorgan | B | 4.1 | 79% | 1 | 40% |
| 25 | Cefn Cribwr Mid Glamorgan | B | 6.5 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Sampford Peverell Devon | B− | 3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 27 | Holymoorside Derbyshire | B− | 1.1 | 82% | 3.8 | 14% |
| 28 | Narborough Norfolk | B− | 3.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Cockfield County Durham | B− | 2.3 | 81% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 30 | Kingswood Kent | B− | 3.8 | 23% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 31 | St Merryn Cornwall | B− | 1.9 | 47% | 1.7 | 29% |
| 32 | Helmsley North Yorkshire | B− | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 73% |
| 33 | Steeple Bumpstead Essex | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Mobberley Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Houghton Cambridgeshire | C+ | 2.2 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Launton Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 37 | Great Waldingfield Suffolk | C | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 38 | East Hendred Oxfordshire | C | 1.4 | 29% | 2.8 | 47% |
| 39 | Great Bardfield Essex | C | 2 | 81% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Harpole Northamptonshire | C | 2.3 | 81% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Ringstead Northamptonshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Winterley Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Chelford Cheshire | C | 1.8 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Seaton Burn Tyne and Wear | C | 3.3 | 36% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Walkern Hertfordshire | C− | 2.4 | 52% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Cottingham and Middleton Northamptonshire | C− | 12.1 | 53% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Newton St Loe Somerset | C− | 0 | 0% | 3.5 | 17% |
| 48 | Cowbit Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Ogmore-by-Sea South Glamorgan | C− | 0 | 0% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Penrhyn-coch Dyfed | D | 0.7 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Butterwick Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Todwick South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Malpas Cheshire | D | 1.6 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | North Cave East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.5 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Skelton (York) North Yorkshire | D | 1.4 | 77% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Longframlington Northumberland | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Bomere Heath Shropshire | D− | 1.8 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Claypole Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Griston Norfolk | D− | 0.8 | 15% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Cock and End Suffolk | D− | 0 | 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 Griston’s built-up area.
1 in 10 Griston 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 1,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 7 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 194 residents.
The Broads National Park is 18 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.
The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Griston
4 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Griston and the kilometre around it, 0.5 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 Griston: May to July and 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) | 8.2 | 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 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 49 | 49 | 42 | 47 | 64 | 56 | 67 | 58 | 69 | 68 | 64 |
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 69 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 50 nights a year. The climate in Griston →
7 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
Griston 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
Nature reserves 1
Picnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 7
Plus 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griston | D− | 0.8 | 15% | 0% |
| Watton 1.6 mi | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 0% |
| Saham Toney 3.2 mi | D | 3.0 | 18% | 0% |
| Ashill 4.9 mi | C+ | 3.7 | 82% | 0% |
| Shipdham 5.6 mi | D− | 1.0 | 59% | 0% |
| Hingham 5.6 mi | D− | 1.9 | 13% | 0% |
| Attleborough 7.0 mi | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 0% |
Ashill, 4.9 miles away, grades C+, the best next door: 82% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Saham Toney, Ashill and Hingham have at least twice Griston’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Griston
Is Griston near a National Park?
Yes. the Broads National Park begins 18 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 Griston?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the The Great Eastern Pingo Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Griston?
The Beach, 14 mi from the edge of the village, then Snettisham Scalp (27 mi). Griston itself is inland.
How many people in Griston live near a park?
15% 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 Griston?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Griston good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 2% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 8% (0.8 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 Griston’s overall grade.
Where Griston’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.