Photo: Nigel Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Rackheath lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Broads National Park begins 1.2 mi from the village’s edge. 13 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Rackheath add up to 2.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Rackheath grades B for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Rackheath?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Rackheath’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by the Broads National Park close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Rackheath grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rackheath, 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.
Rackheath is 18th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,700 to 1,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Rackheath stands out most for park space per resident: only 21 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 53 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Llanbadarn Fawr Dyfed | A+ | 14.7 | 82% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 2 | Wanborough Wiltshire | A+ | 6 | 100% | 2.7 | 45% |
| 3 | Woodbury Devon | A | 3.3 | 100% | 0.9 | 26% |
| 4 | Malvern Wells Worcestershire | A | 10.8 | 37% | 5.3 | 57% |
| 5 | Elstree Hertfordshire | A | 22 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 6 | Scalby North Yorkshire | A | 5.9 | 70% | 2 | 43% |
| 7 | New Hartley Northumberland | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Hamstreet Kent | A− | 2.3 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Wembdon Somerset | A− | 7.4 | 88% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Heslington North Yorkshire | A− | 6.3 | 80% | 9.2 | 0% |
| 11 | Ingleton North Yorkshire | B+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.5 | 54% |
| 12 | Compton Berkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 100% |
| 13 | Pendlebury Greater Manchester | B+ | 18.5 | 74% | 4 | 0% |
| 14 | Trimdon Colliery County Durham | B+ | 4.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 15 | Eight Ash Green Essex | B+ | 8.2 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Criccieth Gwynedd | B | 2.9 | 75% | 1.3 | 4% |
| 17 | Denby Bottles Derbyshire | B | 1.4 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 18 | Rackheath Norfolk | B | 2.6 | 100% | 1 | 14% |
| 19 | South Hiendley West Yorkshire | B | 13.4 | 87% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 20 | North Benfleet Essex | B | 11 | 56% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | East Bridgford Nottinghamshire | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Great Bentley Essex | B− | 6.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 23 | Llandeilo Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 88% | 2.3 | 22% |
| 24 | Delabole Cornwall | B− | 1.1 | 76% | 2 | 35% |
| 25 | Blaengarw Mid Glamorgan | B− | 5 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Winkfield Row Berkshire | B− | 11 | 80% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Much Wenlock Shropshire | B− | 2.4 | 13% | 3.6 | 20% |
| 28 | North Tawton Devon | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Great Chesterford Essex | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Cheddington Buckinghamshire | C+ | 2.2 | 35% | 3.1 | 16% |
| 31 | North Leigh Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.3 | 56% | 2.4 | 26% |
| 32 | Sharnbrook Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Kedington Suffolk | C+ | 3.3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Bury Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 35 | Duckmanton Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Great Broughton and Little Broughton Cumbria | C | 1.2 | 85% | 2.3 | 1% |
| 37 | Doveridge Derbyshire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Bodelwyddan Clwyd | C | 1.9 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Shireoaks Nottinghamshire | C | 1.5 | 78% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Billington Lancashire | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 3.9 | 14% |
| 41 | Poyle Berkshire | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 42 | Deddington Oxfordshire | C− | 3.6 | 53% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Middle Barton Oxfordshire | C− | 1.9 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Shilbottle Northumberland | C− | 1.8 | 49% | 1.9 | 7% |
| 45 | Elmstead Market Essex | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Pattingham Staffordshire | C− | 2 | 80% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 47 | Sudbrooke Lincolnshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Croft Leicestershire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Hatfield Heath Essex | D | 1.3 | 76% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Glinton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 79% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Frizington Cumbria | D | 1.4 | 52% | 0.9 | 15% |
| 52 | Aiskew North Yorkshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Houghton on the Hill Leicestershire | D | 1.8 | 60% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Richings Park Buckinghamshire | D | 1 | 72% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Thorp Arch West Yorkshire | D | 2.6 | 29% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Johnston Dyfed | D | 1.4 | 55% | 0.6 | 5% |
| 57 | St Clears Dyfed | D− | 2 | 31% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Bramham West Yorkshire | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Necton Norfolk | D− | 1.5 | 17% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Tockwith North Yorkshire | D− | 0.4 | 14% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rackheath’s built-up area.
How close Rackheath’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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 8 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 220 residents.
The Broads National Park is 1.2 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.
14% of the land within 5 km of Rackheath is National Park or National Landscape, more than 73% of UK towns. The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Rackheath
13 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rackheath and the kilometre around it, 1.0 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 Rackheath: 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 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 55 | 49 | 47 | 40 | 41 | 55 | 53 | 62 | 57 | 70 | 70 | 63 |
April is the driest month (40 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 70 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Rackheath →
8 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
Rackheath 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 8
Plus 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rackheath | B | 2.6 | 100% | 14% |
| Thorpe End 1.1 mi | B− | 0.7 | 100% | 10% |
| Salhouse 1.6 mi | C− | 1.9 | 71% | 17% |
| Little Plumstead 1.9 mi | D | 0.6 | 64% | 16% |
| Blofield Heath 2.8 mi | C− | 2.5 | 43% | 17% |
| Spixworth 2.8 mi | D | 0.6 | 59% | 5% |
| Hoveton and Wroxham 3.4 mi | D | 1.4 | 65% | 18% |
Rackheath grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Rackheath
Is Rackheath near a National Park?
Yes. the Broads National Park begins 1.2 mi north-west of the village’s edge. It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Rackheath?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the Bittern Line Walk 2.
What is the nearest beach to Rackheath?
Corton Sands, 18 mi from the edge of the village, then Corton Beach (18 mi). Rackheath itself is inland.
How many people in Rackheath live near a park?
100% 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 Rackheath?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rackheath good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 8% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 62% (2.6 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 Rackheath’s overall grade.
Where Rackheath’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.