Thetford’s biggest
Barnham Cross Common
Park or garden
79 ha (196 acres)13.8 km of path
3 h 5 minto walk all 13.8 km of path
111 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
1 listedFir Walk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Michael Garlick · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Thetford · parks, paths & countryside
Thetford has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 124 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 5.1 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Thetford add up to 2.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 65% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Thetford grades B− for the outdoors: #21 of 51 in Norfolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
65%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
124 km
5.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Thetford?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths5.1 km of path per km², more than 93% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Parks can be a walk away35% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Thetford’s strongest suit is dense footpaths. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Thetford grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Thetford, 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 53% of UK towns#21 of 51 in Norfolk · 45th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
68out of
100
100
A park within a walk65%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
25out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths5.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
94out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
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.
Towns its size
Thetford is 45th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 23,500 to 27,600 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
Thetford5.1
Towns its size3.4
Norfolk towns1.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Thetford2.9
Towns its size2.4
Norfolk towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Thetford65%
Towns its size82%
Norfolk towns73%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Thetford stands out most for path per km²: only 6 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 56 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | A+ | 5.7 | 96% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 2 | Stroud Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.6 | 79% | 5.8 | 70% |
| 3 | Falmouth Cornwall | A | 1.3 | 96% | 3.5 | 41% |
| 4 | Sevenoaks Kent | A | 8.1 | 76% | 3.8 | 70% |
| 5 | Stalybridge Greater Manchester | A | 5 | 82% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 6 | Newport Isle of Wight | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3.8 | 37% |
| 7 | Ash and Ash Vale Surrey | A | 4.3 | 72% | 5.4 | 20% |
| 8 | Huntingdon Cambridgeshire | A | 5.7 | 99% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Larkfield Kent | A− | 5.6 | 75% | 3.4 | 27% |
| 10 | Rickmansworth Hertfordshire | A− | 2.9 | 81% | 4.4 | 11% |
| 11 | Ewell Surrey | A− | 7.5 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Droylsden Greater Manchester | A− | 5.2 | 95% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Reigate Surrey | A− | 5.5 | 58% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 14 | Felixstowe Suffolk | A− | 2 | 88% | 1.9 | 28% |
| 15 | Tadworth and Epsom Downs Surrey | A− | 3.4 | 65% | 5.3 | 16% |
| 16 | Heanor Derbyshire | A− | 4.2 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Gorleston-on-Sea Norfolk | A− | 1.4 | 81% | 3.2 | 17% |
| 18 | Little Hulton Greater Manchester | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 19 | East Grinstead West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 87% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 20 | Wilmslow Cheshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Newton-le-Willows Merseyside | A− | 5.2 | 99% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Ryde Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.6 | 19% |
| 23 | Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 74% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 24 | Chesham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 64% |
| 25 | Herne Bay Kent | B+ | 2.3 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Portishead Somerset | B+ | 2 | 82% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Haverhill Suffolk | B+ | 2.4 | 91% | 5 | 0% |
| 28 | Longbenton Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.3 | 80% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Thatcham Berkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 87% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 30 | Fleetwood Lancashire | B+ | 2.7 | 92% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Cheadle Hulme Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock Essex | B+ | 2.2 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Bradley Stoke Gloucestershire | B+ | 2 | 93% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Oadby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.7 | 92% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Seaford East Sussex | B+ | 0.8 | 73% | 2.8 | 52% |
| 36 | Newton Aycliffe County Durham | B | 2.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Rugeley Staffordshire | B | 1.2 | 94% | 2.7 | 37% |
| 38 | Witham Essex | B | 1.9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Broadstairs Kent | B | 1.7 | 76% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B | 3.8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Rhyl Clwyd | B | 1 | 84% | 2.2 | 7% |
| 42 | Sudbury Suffolk | B | 3.8 | 77% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Rawtenstall Lancashire | B | 1.9 | 83% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Droitwich Spa Worcestershire | B | 2.5 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Thetford Norfolk | B− | 2.9 | 65% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 46 | St Austell Cornwall | B− | 1.2 | 71% | 2.5 | 7% |
| 47 | Ashton-in-Makerfield Greater Manchester | B− | 2.6 | 93% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Hindley Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.5 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Coseley West Midlands | C+ | 1.4 | 84% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Newquay Cornwall | C+ | 1.6 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Horley Surrey | C+ | 1.9 | 84% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Market Harborough Leicestershire | C+ | 1.9 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Ascot Berkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 56% | 3 | 0% |
| 55 | Walton-on-Thames Surrey | C | 1.6 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Golborne Greater Manchester | C | 3 | 66% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Wickersley and Bramley South Yorkshire | C | 1.7 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Wickford Essex | C | 2.4 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Retford Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Wisbech Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Thetford’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Thetford
The biggest is Barnham Cross Common, 79 ha (196 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 90 ha (222 acres) and 16 km of path
Parks & gardens 90 ha
The two biggest, Barnham Cross Common and Castle Meadow, are 94% of the named green space and carry 15 km of path between them.
Castle Meadow
Park or garden
5.6 ha (14 acres)1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Thetford
Peak Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Melford Common
Park or garden
4.5 ha (11 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Thetford
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
School Plain
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Thetford
Priory of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre and part of Saxon town monument
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Thetford 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 (65%)Further (35%)
Thetford65%
Towns its size82%
Norfolk towns73%
All UK towns83%
About 9,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 13 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,962 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
15 waymarked walks pass through or near Thetford
124 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Thetford and the kilometre around it, 5.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
St Edmund Way11.2 km
Icknield Way Path6.5 km
London to Walsingham - stage 065.7 km
London to Walsingham - stage 075.5 km
Little Ouse Path5.2 km
The Brecks5.1 km
The River Trail4.8 km
Angles Way4.5 km
Thetford Architecture Trail4.0 km
Thetford River Trails - Red Route (East)2.9 km
Abbey Heath Circular Walk2.6 km
Thetford Heritage Trail2.2 km
Fir Trail2.1 km
Thetford River Trails - Purple Route (West)1.4 km
Thetford River Trails - Gold Route (Town Centre)1.0 km
Close to home, the London to Walsingham - stage 06 has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the St Edmund Way, Icknield Way Path and Angles Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Thetford: May to September
The town’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 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 45 | 44 | 40 | 47 | 62 | 57 | 65 | 55 | 65 | 64 | 61 |
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 65 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 62 nights a year. The climate in Thetford →
Things to do
13 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
1Hills and peaks6Nature reserves5.9× towns its size13Playgrounds0.4× towns its size1Dog parks2Slipways
The nearest beaches
Thetford is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach3.3 mi from Thetford’s edge
DirectionsHonolulu Beach32 mi from Thetford’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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
Hills and peaks 1
Castle Hillin town
DirectionsNature reserves 6
Jubilee Wildlife Area0.3 ha · in town
DirectionsNunnery Lakes Nature Reserve65 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsThetford Heath95 ha · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 3 nature reserves without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 13
Bergamot Close Play Areain town
DirectionsCanons' Walk Play Areain town
DirectionsEdinburgh Way Play Areain town
DirectionsElm Road Play Areain town
DirectionsFairfields Play Areain town
DirectionsHarriet Martineau Play Areain town
DirectionsJosiah Drive Play Areain town
DirectionsMaine Street Play Areain town
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Dog Exercise Area0.0 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
BrandonWeetingMundfordEast HarlingStantonIxworthThetford
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Thetford grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Thetford
What is the biggest park in Thetford?
Barnham Cross Common, 79 ha (196 acres), with 13.8 km of path. Castle Meadow (5.6 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Thetford near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Thetford.
What are the best walks near Thetford?
15 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the St Edmund Way, Icknield Way Path and London to Walsingham - stage 06. Barnham Cross Common alone has 13.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Thetford?
The Beach, 3.3 mi from the edge of the town, then Honolulu Beach (32 mi). Thetford itself is inland.
How many people in Thetford live near a park?
65% 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 Thetford?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Thetford good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 94% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 68% (2.9 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 Thetford’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Thetford’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.