Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.029% of the land within 5 km of Sutton is National Park or National Landscape
The Broads National Park reaches the edge of Sutton. 8 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.0 for every square kilometre. No park or playing field is mapped within a 5-minute walk of homes in Sutton. Sutton grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Sutton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Sutton’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Sutton grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sutton, 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.
Sutton is 54th 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.
Sutton falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 46 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grove Dorset | A+ | 6 | 100% | 8.7 | 0% |
| 2 | Totternhoe Bedfordshire | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.9 | 26% |
| 3 | Winchelsea Beach East Sussex | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 45% |
| 4 | East Challow Oxfordshire | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 5 | Cemaes Gwynedd | A+ | 5 | 100% | 1.3 | 14% |
| 6 | Abingworth West Sussex | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 27% |
| 7 | Bellingham Northumberland | A | 8.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 57% |
| 8 | Aberaeron Dyfed | A | 6.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 9 | Shorne Kent | A | 28.3 | 23% | 3.4 | 24% |
| 10 | Misterton Somerset | A | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 11 | Godshill Isle of Wight | A | 2.1 | 100% | 2.7 | 53% |
| 12 | Ardleigh Essex | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.5 | 21% |
| 13 | Wivelsfield Green East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 3 | 11% |
| 14 | Langenhoe and Abberton Essex | B+ | 2.3 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 15 | Llangynidr Powys | B+ | 2.4 | 65% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 16 | Loddiswell Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 1.3 | 53% |
| 17 | Thornwood Common Essex | B+ | 6.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Clyst Honiton Devon | B+ | 8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Morchard Bishop Devon | B | 2.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Olveston Gloucestershire | B | 0.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Thornton Leicestershire | B | 13.7 | 50% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Whitwell Hertfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 23 | Levens Cumbria | B | 0.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 53% |
| 24 | Llanymynech Shropshire | B | 2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Minley Hampshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Great Amwell Hertfordshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Winteringham Lincolnshire | B− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 28 | Hooley Surrey | B− | 1.7 | 67% | 3.4 | 18% |
| 29 | King's Bromley Staffordshire | B− | 3.4 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Derry Hill and Studley Wiltshire | C+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 1% |
| 31 | St Newlyn East Cornwall | C+ | 3 | 100% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 32 | St Dogmaels Dyfed | C+ | 1.4 | 71% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 33 | Hill Ridware Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1.2 | 7% |
| 34 | Little Waltham Essex | C+ | 2.3 | 63% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Bempton East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.6 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Upper Bucklebury Berkshire | C | 0.1 | 0% | 4 | 48% |
| 37 | Clifton Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Scorton North Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Hurst Berkshire | C− | 5.1 | 68% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Ewyas Harold Herefordshire | C− | 2.1 | 55% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Hoylandswaine South Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 60% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Marchwiel Clwyd | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 43 | Swarthmoor Cumbria | C− | 0.2 | 79% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Surfleet Lincolnshire | C− | 4.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Scole Norfolk | C− | 2.1 | 51% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Llangeinor Mid Glamorgan | C− | 3.1 | 62% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 47 | Loxwood West Sussex | D | 0 | 0% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Sutton St James Lincolnshire | D | 0.1 | 100% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Marshland St James Norfolk | D | 3.5 | 0% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Northop Clwyd | D | 1.6 | 70% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Hevingham Norfolk | D | 1.8 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Waltham on the Wolds Leicestershire | D | 2 | 23% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Overton Lancashire | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Sutton Norfolk | D− | 0 | 0% | 1 | 29% |
| 55 | Wawne East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1 | 0% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Foulsham Norfolk | D− | 1.4 | 29% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Mendlesham Suffolk | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Stockton on the Forest North Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Ranby Nottinghamshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Prees Shropshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 0.6 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sutton’s built-up area.
Few Sutton 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 1,000 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 147 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Sutton
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
29% of the land within 5 km of Sutton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 82% 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 Sutton
8 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sutton 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.
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 Sutton: 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 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 55 | 46 | 46 | 38 | 42 | 56 | 55 | 65 | 59 | 71 | 70 | 64 |
April is the driest month (38 mm) and August 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 29 nights a year. The climate in Sutton →
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
Sutton 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 7
Plus 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | D− | 0.0 | 0% | 29% |
| Stalham 0.8 mi | B− | 1.9 | 85% | 23% |
| Martham 5.6 mi | B | 1.7 | 74% | 45% |
| Hoveton and Wroxham 6.0 mi | D | 1.4 | 65% | 18% |
| North Walsham 7.3 mi | C− | 1.3 | 69% | 10% |
| Coltishall and Horstead 7.4 mi | C− | 2.1 | 57% | 8% |
| Salhouse 7.7 mi | C− | 1.9 | 71% | 17% |
Martham, 5.6 miles away, grades B, the best next door: 74% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Stalham, Martham and Hoveton and Wroxham have at least twice Sutton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Sutton
Is Sutton near a National Park?
It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Sutton?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Weavers’ Way and Stalham Staithe Circular.
What is the nearest beach to Sutton?
Corton Sands, 19 mi from the edge of the village, then Corton Beach (19 mi). Sutton itself is inland.
How many people in Sutton live near a park?
0% 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 Sutton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Sutton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 7% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 0% (0.0 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 Sutton’s overall grade.
Where Sutton’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.