Brackley’s biggest
Brackley Park
Park or garden
1.2 ha (3 acres)0.1 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Brackley · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Brackley lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Brackley add up to 2.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 42 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.6 for every square kilometre. Brackley grades B for the outdoors: #4 of 31 in Northamptonshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
42 km
2.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cotswolds National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Brackley grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Brackley, 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 62% of UK towns#4 of 31 in Northamptonshire · 25th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
48out 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
Brackley is 25th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 15,300 to 17,100 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
Brackley2.6
Towns its size3.3
Northamptonshire towns2.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Brackley2.7
Towns its size2.4
Northamptonshire towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Brackley100%
Towns its size84%
Northamptonshire towns83%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Brackley stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 47 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saltash Cornwall | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 2 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 3 | Conwy Clwyd | A+ | 2.9 | 82% | 3.6 | 13% |
| 4 | Swanscombe Kent | A+ | 3.3 | 90% | 8.5 | 0% |
| 5 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 6 | Hadfield Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 91% | 4.5 | 36% |
| 7 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 9 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Bedlington Northumberland | A | 5.1 | 94% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Lewes East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 83% | 4.6 | 75% |
| 13 | Kidsgrove Staffordshire | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 14 | Porthcawl Mid Glamorgan | A− | 3.5 | 82% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Hessle East Riding of Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 96% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Worcester Park and Stoneleigh Surrey | B+ | 7.3 | 76% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 17 | South Woodham Ferrers Essex | B+ | 7.8 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 18 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Peacehaven East Sussex | B+ | 1.1 | 51% | 3.6 | 44% |
| 20 | Weybridge Surrey | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 22 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Whickham Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.9 | 77% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Swinton South Yorkshire | B+ | 3 | 97% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Brackley Northamptonshire | B | 2.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Tyldesley Greater Manchester | B | 2.3 | 97% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Haydock Merseyside | B | 6.8 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 29 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Haslingden Lancashire | B | 1.8 | 89% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 32 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 33 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 34 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 36 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Redruth Cornwall | B− | 1.5 | 78% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 38 | Hoyland South Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Knaresborough North Yorkshire | B− | 2.3 | 87% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Mexborough South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 97% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Teignmouth Devon | B− | 1.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | South Normanton and Pinxton Derbyshire | C+ | 1.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Elland West Yorkshire | C+ | 2 | 69% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 47 | South Hayling Hampshire | C+ | 1 | 65% | 1.4 | 26% |
| 48 | Aldridge West Midlands | C+ | 3 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Hockley and Hawkwell Essex | C+ | 1.6 | 85% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 51 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | C | 1.2 | 54% | 3.3 | 21% |
| 52 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 53 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 54 | Nailsea Somerset | C | 1.1 | 65% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Alsager Cheshire | C | 1.2 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 58 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Brackley’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 Brackley
The biggest is Brackley Park, 1.2 ha (3 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Brackley’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).
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
Brackley100%
Towns its size84%
Northamptonshire towns83%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 12 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,348 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cotswolds National Landscape is 11 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Brackley
42 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Brackley and the kilometre around it, 2.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Brackley; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Brackley: 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 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 66 | 50 | 46 | 55 | 61 | 54 | 55 | 62 | 57 | 78 | 77 | 71 |
March is the driest month (46 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 78 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 53 nights a year. The climate in Brackley →
Things to do
12 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
Brackley is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Leys Park22 mi from Brackley’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
Playgrounds 12
Falcon Way Play Areain town
DirectionsPoppyfields Playgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds 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.
CroughtonKings SuttonMiddleton CheneySilverstoneAdderbury and TwyfordBodicoteBrackley
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brackley | B | 2.7 | 100% | 0% |
| Croughton 3.5 mi | C | 3.6 | 73% | 0% |
| Kings Sutton 5.3 mi | C− | 1.8 | 79% | 0% |
| Middleton Cheney 5.7 mi | D | 0.9 | 70% | 0% |
| Silverstone 6.5 mi | D | 1.1 | 0% | 0% |
| Adderbury and Twyford 7.0 mi | C | 1.7 | 89% | 0% |
| Bodicote 7.4 mi | B+ | 10.2 | 86% | 0% |
Bodicote, 7.4 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Bodicote has at least twice Brackley’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Brackley
What is the biggest park in Brackley?
Brackley Park, 1.2 ha (3 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Brackley near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 11 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What is the nearest beach to Brackley?
The Leys Park, 22 mi from the edge of the town. Brackley itself is inland.
How many people in Brackley 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 Brackley?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Brackley good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 48% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 65% (2.7 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 Brackley’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Brackley’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.