Builth Wells’ biggest
Thomas Lant Playing Fields
Playing field
11 ha (27 acres)1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Builth Wells
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Builth Wells · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Builth Wells lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Builth Wells add up to 4.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 16 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 1.6 for every square kilometre. Builth Wells grades B for the outdoors: #3 of 7 in Powys. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
16 km
1.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Brecon Beacons National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Builth Wells?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam4.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 86% of UK towns.Few mapped footpaths1.6 km of path per km²; the typical UK town has 3.0.
Builth Wells’ strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Builth Wells grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Builth Wells, 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 58% of UK towns#3 of 7 in Powys · 22nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space4.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
86out 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
Footpaths1.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
19out 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
Builth Wells is 22nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,500 to 2,700 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
Builth Wells1.6
Towns its size2.3
Powys towns1.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Builth Wells4.9
Towns its size2.4
Powys towns2.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Builth Wells100%
Towns its size83%
Powys towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Builth Wells stands out most for park space per resident: only 10 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 46 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petworth West Sussex | A+ | 29.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 93% |
| 2 | Ambleside Cumbria | A+ | 6.9 | 92% | 4.6 | 100% |
| 3 | Tywardreath Cornwall | A+ | 4.6 | 100% | 2.5 | 26% |
| 4 | Downley Buckinghamshire | A+ | 9.5 | 76% | 7.6 | 71% |
| 5 | Hopton on Sea Norfolk | A+ | 6.7 | 100% | 1.6 | 2% |
| 6 | Yorkley and Whitecroft Gloucestershire | A | 3.3 | 74% | 6.4 | 1% |
| 7 | Hellingly East Sussex | A | 6.9 | 90% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 8 | Dolgellau Gwynedd | A | 3.6 | 100% | 1.9 | 100% |
| 9 | Binley Woods Warwickshire | A | 5.5 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 10 | Hawley Hampshire | A | 6.9 | 92% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Maple Cross Hertfordshire | A | 3.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 12 | Darenth Kent | A− | 1.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 13 | Drybrook Gloucestershire | A− | 3.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 10% |
| 14 | Avonmouth Bristol | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Langold Nottinghamshire | B+ | 13 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Porthmadog Gwynedd | B+ | 0.9 | 94% | 2 | 41% |
| 17 | Blofield Norfolk | B+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 17% |
| 18 | Dipton County Durham | B | 3.2 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 19 | Craven Arms Shropshire | B | 1.3 | 87% | 2.9 | 59% |
| 20 | Prestbury Cheshire | B | 5.6 | 42% | 3.2 | 6% |
| 21 | Barlestone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Builth Wells Powys | B | 4.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Brynamman Dyfed | B | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 51% |
| 24 | Mancetter and Witherley Warwickshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Halton Lancashire | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 35% |
| 26 | Seer Green Buckinghamshire | B− | 1.7 | 38% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 27 | Grimsargh Lancashire | B− | 2.6 | 67% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 28 | Ash Green Warwickshire | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 29 | Godstone Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 3.7 | 18% |
| 30 | Ashington West Sussex | C+ | 1.3 | 86% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 31 | Hurworth-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 4.5 | 93% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Endon Staffordshire | C+ | 3 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Little Dunmow Essex | C+ | 1.1 | 89% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Dunchurch Warwickshire | C+ | 7.8 | 68% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Stratton Gloucestershire | C | 0.7 | 46% | 3.3 | 70% |
| 36 | Heage Derbyshire | C | 1.9 | 78% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Watlington Norfolk | C | 2.3 | 100% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 38 | South Brent Devon | C | 1.5 | 79% | 0.8 | 64% |
| 39 | Smallfield Surrey | C | 1.6 | 70% | 2.4 | 1% |
| 40 | Llandybie Dyfed | C | 2.6 | 59% | 1.2 | 13% |
| 41 | Marham Norfolk | C | 3.5 | 85% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Wittering Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.1 | 83% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 43 | South Wonston Hampshire | C− | 1.6 | 42% | 2.6 | 7% |
| 44 | Higham Kent | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 1.8 | 18% |
| 45 | Codicote Hertfordshire | C− | 0.4 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Hardwick Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Hatton Derbyshire | C− | 3.3 | 61% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Costessey Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 12% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 49 | West Clyst Devon | C− | 0.6 | 59% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Probus Cornwall | C− | 0.6 | 75% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 51 | Saughall Cheshire | D | 2.5 | 27% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Christleton and Waverton Cheshire | D | 2.4 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Tonna West Glamorgan | D | 2.1 | 36% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Keele Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 0% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Fordham Cambridgeshire | D | 2.3 | 35% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Watton at Stone Hertfordshire | D | 0.8 | 61% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Swineshead Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 73% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Manea Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 1 | 0% |
| 59 | Rhos West Glamorgan | D− | 1 | 58% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Cranwell Lincolnshire | D− | 0.5 | 57% | 1.1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Builth Wells’ 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 Builth Wells
The biggest is Thomas Lant Playing Fields, 11 ha (27 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Builth Wells’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%)
Builth Wells100%
Towns its size83%
Powys towns80%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 4 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 655 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Brecon Beacons National Park is 12 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
National Park
Brecon Beacons
12 mi south-east1,350 km²since 1955
Brecon Beacons National Park covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Builth Wells
16 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Builth Wells and the kilometre around it, 1.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Wye Valley Walk7.2 km
Heart of Wales Line Trail6.4 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Wye Valley Walk and Heart of Wales Line Trail.
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 Builth Wells: 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 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 129 | 99 | 81 | 70 | 71 | 67 | 69 | 79 | 77 | 122 | 119 | 138 |
June is the driest month (67 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 138 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 52 nights a year. The climate in Builth Wells →
Things to do
4 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Caer Fawr1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 4
Plus 4 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.
Llandrindod WellsRhayaderBuilth Wells
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builth Wells | B | 4.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Llandrindod Wells 6.6 mi | B− | 4.5 | 88% | 0% |
| Rhayader 11.6 mi | B | 5.5 | 100% | 0% |
Rhayader, 11.6 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Builth Wells
What is the biggest park in Builth Wells?
Thomas Lant Playing Fields, 11 ha (27 acres), with 1.8 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Builth Wells near a National Park?
Yes. Brecon Beacons National Park begins 12 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,350 km² and has been a National Park since 1955.
What are the best walks near Builth Wells?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Wye Valley Walk and Heart of Wales Line Trail.
How many people in Builth Wells 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 Builth Wells?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Builth Wells good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 19% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 86% (4.9 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 Builth Wells’ overall grade.
Sources
Where Builth Wells’ 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.