Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Thurlton lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Broads National Park reaches the edge of Thurlton. 5 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 0.7 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Thurlton add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Thurlton grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Thurlton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Thurlton’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Thurlton grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Thurlton, 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.
Thurlton is 22nd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,100 to 1,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Thurlton stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 52 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corton Suffolk | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 3 | 5% |
| 2 | Bathford Somerset | A+ | 4.8 | 100% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 3 | Upton St Leonards Gloucestershire | A+ | 5.2 | 80% | 7.5 | 43% |
| 4 | Halmer End and Alsagers Bank Staffordshire | A | 33.2 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 5 | Ovingham Northumberland | A | 6.5 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Dove Holes Derbyshire | A | 5.1 | 100% | 1.5 | 52% |
| 7 | Wenvoe South Glamorgan | A− | 5.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Rock Cornwall | A− | 3.2 | 39% | 2.5 | 37% |
| 9 | Camber East Sussex | A− | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 5% |
| 10 | Gotherington Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.7 | 72% | 3.7 | 33% |
| 11 | St Erth Cornwall | B+ | 0.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 4% |
| 12 | Walton Somerset | B+ | 3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Slinfold West Sussex | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 14 | Oakley Buckinghamshire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 15 | High Pittington County Durham | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Huntley Gloucestershire | B | 2.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Acomb Northumberland | B | 2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | Curdworth Warwickshire | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Bishop Middleham County Durham | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Plaxtol Kent | B− | 2.6 | 57% | 2.5 | 40% |
| 21 | Kelly Bray Cornwall | B− | 1.2 | 100% | 1.8 | 22% |
| 22 | Thurlton Norfolk | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 0.7 | 39% |
| 23 | Romsley Worcestershire | B− | 1.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 24 | Latchingdon Essex | B− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Grovesend West Glamorgan | C+ | 3.5 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Child Okeford Dorset | C+ | 1.7 | 45% | 3.3 | 42% |
| 27 | Grampound Road Cornwall | C+ | 3.6 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Gainford County Durham | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Lacey Green and Loosley Row Buckinghamshire | C+ | 2.1 | 27% | 2.4 | 82% |
| 30 | Wadworth South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.7 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 31 | St Cleer Cornwall | C | 3 | 29% | 1.6 | 32% |
| 32 | Hunston West Sussex | C | 1.8 | 65% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 33 | Three Legged Cross Dorset | C | 1.5 | 77% | 2.6 | 1% |
| 34 | Stoke Hammond Buckinghamshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Llanerchymedd Gwynedd | C | 4.2 | 64% | 0.6 | 4% |
| 36 | Cold Norton Essex | C | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Swindon Staffordshire | C | 2.5 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Mannings Heath West Sussex | C | 1 | 71% | 1.9 | 44% |
| 39 | Hordle Hampshire | C− | 0 | 0% | 1.6 | 41% |
| 40 | North Newbald East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.7 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Maiden Newton Dorset | C− | 1.1 | 27% | 2 | 100% |
| 42 | Wetheral Cumbria | C− | 3.8 | 51% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Owston Ferry Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Crowle Worcestershire | C− | 2.4 | 34% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Eastrington East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 3 | 65% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Guilsfield Powys | C− | 3.6 | 71% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Fochriw Gwent | C− | 1 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Capel Hendre Dyfed | D | 0.8 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Long Whatton Leicestershire | D | 2.8 | 63% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Ullesthorpe Leicestershire | D | 1.5 | 75% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Benwick Cambridgeshire | D | 0.3 | 100% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Orwell Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | Ramsey Island Essex | D | 1.4 | 39% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Pelynt Cornwall | D | 0 | 0% | 0.6 | 13% |
| 55 | Chawley Oxfordshire | D | 0.3 | 0% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Great Doddington Northamptonshire | D | 1.3 | 69% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | High Legh Cheshire | D− | 1.9 | 50% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Austrey Warwickshire | D− | 1.7 | 0% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | East Keswick West Yorkshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Clipsham Rutland | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Thurlton’s built-up area.
How close Thurlton’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.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Thurlton
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.
39% of the land within 5 km of Thurlton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 87% of UK towns. The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Thurlton
5 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Thurlton and the kilometre around it, 0.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Wherry Lines Walk 5 has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. The regional route here is the Wherryman's 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 Thurlton: 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) | 8.2 | 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 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 46 | 42 | 37 | 46 | 53 | 55 | 58 | 54 | 67 | 64 | 59 |
April is the driest month (37 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 67 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 41 nights a year. The climate in Thurlton →
2 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
Thurlton 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 2
Plus 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurlton | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 39% |
| Chedgrave 3.4 mi | A− | 3.0 | 100% | 26% |
| Loddon 3.4 mi | B− | 2.4 | 77% | 18% |
| Freethorpe 4.1 mi | C− | 2.3 | 26% | 61% |
| Belton 5.1 mi | B− | 1.5 | 77% | 48% |
| Beccles 5.4 mi | A | 4.5 | 87% | 20% |
| Worlingham 5.7 mi | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 24% |
Beccles, 5.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 87% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Beccles has at least twice Thurlton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Thurlton
Is Thurlton near a National Park?
It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Thurlton?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Wherry Lines Walk 5, Wherryman's Way and Cross-Norfolk Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Thurlton?
Corton Sands, 8.0 mi from the edge of the village, then Corton Beach (8.1 mi). Thurlton itself is inland.
How many people in Thurlton 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 Thurlton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Thurlton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 0.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 3% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 28% (1.5 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 Thurlton’s overall grade.
Where Thurlton’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.