Norwich has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 595 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 5.4 for every square kilometre. The Broads National Park reaches the edge of Norwich. Parks and playing fields in Norwich add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Norwich grades B+ for the outdoors: #14 of 51 in Norfolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Norwich’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Broads National Park close by.
Outdoors grade
Norwich grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Norwich, 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 68% of UK towns#14 of 51 in Norfolk · 24th of 45 UK cities its size
Public green space1.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
41out of 100
A park within a walk77%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
41out of 100
National Park or National Landscape4%of the land within 5 km
67out of 100
Footpaths5.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
95out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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.
Cities its size
Norwich is 24th of 45 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 45 UK towns and cities of 141,000 to 271,000 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
Norwich5.4
Cities its size4.3
Norfolk towns1.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Norwich1.9
Cities its size2.3
Norfolk towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Norwich77%
Cities its size85%
Norfolk towns73%
All UK towns83%
Against cities its size, Norwich stands out most for path per km²: only 15 of the other 44 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 28 of the others do better.
The biggest is Whitlingham Country Park, 94 ha (232 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 30 named parks by size: 295 ha (730 acres) and 53 km of path
Parks & gardens 222 haPlaying fields 73 ha
The two biggest, Whitlingham Country Park and Earlham Park, are 41% of the named green space and carry 19 km of path between them. 7 of the 30 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
8 in 10 Norwich 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).
Within 400 m (77%)Further (23%)
Norwich77%
Cities its size85%
Norfolk towns73%
All UK towns83%
About 46,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 193 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,040 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Norwich
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
National Park
the Broads
At the edge south302 km²since 19894% of the land within 5 km
4% of the land within 5 km of Norwich is National Park or National Landscape, more than 66% of UK towns. The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
31 waymarked walks pass through or near Norwich
595 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Norwich and the kilometre around it, 5.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Cross-Norfolk Trail19.5 km
Yare Valley Walk16.7 km
Cringleford, Keswick and Eaton Parish Walks16.6 km
Edith Cavell Pilgrimage10.8 km
Walsingham Way8.8 km
Costessey Circular8.6 km
Wherryman's Way8.5 km
Marriott's Way7.5 km
Cringleford’s River Crossings Trail7.1 km
Boudicca Way6.1 km
Olympic Torch Relay (Norwich)5.4 km
Bittern Line Walk 15.0 km
Norwich Heritage Walk4.1 km
Norfolk Showground Trail3.8 km
Whitlingham Circular3.6 km
Kett's Country Walk2.9 km
Plus 15 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Yare Valley Walk has 17 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 6 regional routes pass through, including the Walsingham Way, Wherryman's Way, Marriott's Way and Boudicca Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
12 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Norwich’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II*
Eaton Park
22 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II*). 10 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIBandstand at Eaton ParkIILily pond at Eaton ParkIIMain gates to Eaton ParkIIMock bridge at Eaton Park including attached steps, walls and piersIINorth east quadrant pavilion at Eaton ParkIINorth west quadrant pavilion at Eaton ParkIISouth west quadrant pavilion at Eaton ParkIISouth-east quadrant pavilion at Eaton ParkIIWater pavilion at Eaton ParkIIYachting pond at Eaton Park
Registered · Grade II*Catton Hall34 ha
Registered · Grade II*The Rosary Cemetery4.6 ha
Registered · Grade II*Waterloo Park7.4 haInside: Bandstand at Waterloo Park and 3 more
Registered · Grade IIChapelfield Gardens2.9 haInside: Boundary Wall and Gate Piers Between Number 12 and St Mary's Croft and 9 more
Registered · Grade IIEarlham Park33 haInside: Earlham Hall and Attached Outbuildings and 2 more
Registered · Grade IIGarden at Ketts Castle Villa0.2 ha
Registered · Grade IIHeigham Park2.4 ha
Registered · Grade IIMile Cross Gardens0.9 ha
Registered · Grade IINorwich City (Earlham Road) Cemetery34 ha
Show 5 more
Registered · Grade IIThe Plantation Garden1.2 ha
Registered · Grade IIWensum Park0.6 ha
Listed buildings insideCatton ParkGates and Gatepiers to Holiday House, Gates and Piers at South Lodge and Holiday House and 1 more
Listed buildings insideSt Bartholomew's ParkSt Bartholomew's Church, Heigham and Remains of Church of St Bartholomew
Listed buildings insideCastle GardensBridge over Castle Moat and 2 Entrance Lodges, Including Cast Iron Gates and Railings, La Rouen and Railings to East of Lodges to Bridge over Castle Moat and 2 more
Heritage walks
Norwich Heritage Walk 4.1 km
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Norwich: May to September
The city’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
23
22
19
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
55
48
47
40
46
60
56
64
57
70
70
63
April is the driest month (40 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 70 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Norwich →
Things to do
5 viewpoints, 193 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Cringleford, 3.2 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Norwich
What is the biggest park in Norwich?
Whitlingham Country Park, 94 ha (232 acres), with 11.2 km of path. Earlham Park (27 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Norwich near a National Park?
It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Norwich?
31 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Cross-Norfolk Trail, Yare Valley Walk and Cringleford, Keswick and Eaton Parish Walks. Whitlingham Country Park alone has 11.2 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Norwich?
Corton Sands, 18 mi from the edge of the city, then Corton Beach (18 mi). Norwich itself is inland.
How many people in Norwich live near a park?
77% 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 Norwich?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Norwich are historic?
Chapelfield Gardens (Grade II), Earlham Park (Grade II), Garden at Ketts Castle Villa (Grade II) and Heigham Park (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Norwich good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 95% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 41% (1.9 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 Norwich’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0