Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Watton
Parks and playing fields in Watton add up to 0.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 28% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Footpaths add up to 31 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.4 for every square kilometre. Watton grades D− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Watton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Watton’s strongest suit is the Peddars Way. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Watton grades D− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Watton, 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.
How Watton compares with UK towns of 11,000 to 12,100
The 60 UK towns and cities of 11,000 to 12,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Watton falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 58 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tring Hertfordshire | A+ | 5.7 | 95% | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 3 | Chepstow Gwent | A+ | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 4 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 5 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 6 | Brockworth Gloucestershire | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 5.1 | 46% |
| 7 | Waltham Cross Hertfordshire | A | 10.6 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 9 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 10 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 11 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 12 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 14 | Matlock Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 76% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 15 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 17 | Barton-upon-Humber Lincolnshire | A− | 5.9 | 97% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 19 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 21 | New Milton Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 1.9 | 38% |
| 22 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 23 | Haslemere Surrey | B+ | 1 | 78% | 5.1 | 80% |
| 24 | Bentley South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Worsley Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.7 | 86% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 26 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 28 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 29 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 34 | Ystrad Mynach Gwent | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 36 | Wells Somerset | B− | 1.7 | 65% | 3.4 | 26% |
| 37 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 39 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Kingsteignton Devon | B− | 1.9 | 95% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 46 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Haverfordwest Dyfed | C− | 1 | 85% | 1.4 | 8% |
| 51 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Market Drayton Shropshire | C− | 1.5 | 88% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Codsall Staffordshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Sarn Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Desborough Northamptonshire | D | 0.6 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Watton’s built-up area.
3 in 10 Watton 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 8,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 679 residents.
The Broads National Park is 18 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.
The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
Watton is on the Peddars Way
31 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Watton and the kilometre around it, 1.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The Peddars Way, a national route, passes Watton.
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 Watton: May to July and 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 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 51 | 49 | 49 | 42 | 47 | 64 | 56 | 67 | 58 | 69 | 68 | 64 |
April is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 69 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Watton →
17 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.
The nearest beaches
Watton is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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
Nature reserves 1
Picnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 17
Plus 16 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.
Ashill, 3.3 miles away, grades C+, the best next door: 82% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Saham Toney, Ashill and Necton have at least twice Watton’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Watton
Is Watton near a National Park?
Yes. the Broads National Park begins 18 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Watton?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Peddars Way, London to Walsingham - stage 07 and London to Walsingham - stage 08.
What is the nearest beach to Watton?
The Beach, 14 mi from the edge of the town, then Snettisham Scalp (25 mi). Watton itself is inland.
How many people in Watton live near a park?
28% 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 Watton?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Watton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 15% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 5% (0.5 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 Watton’s overall grade.
Where Watton’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.