Photo: john bristow · CC BY-SA 2.029% of the land within 5 km of Machynlleth is National Park or National Landscape
Snowdonia National Park begins 0.1 mi from the village’s edge. 45% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Machynlleth add up to 2.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Machynlleth grades C+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Machynlleth?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Machynlleth’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by the Glyndŵr's Way. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Machynlleth grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Machynlleth, 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.
Machynlleth is 37th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,100 to 2,300 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Machynlleth falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 49 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mullion Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 64% |
| 2 | Broughton Buckinghamshire | A+ | 8 | 100% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bestwood Village Nottinghamshire | A | 43.8 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Deepcut Surrey | A | 8.4 | 100% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 5 | Springwell Tyne and Wear | A | 5 | 100% | 6.7 | 0% |
| 6 | Eton Wick Berkshire | A | 17.4 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 7 | Carlton South Yorkshire | A | 23.1 | 87% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Smalley Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 9 | Streethay Staffordshire | A− | 10.1 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Gilwern Gwent | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 2 | 83% |
| 11 | Woodcote Oxfordshire | B+ | 1.6 | 84% | 3.5 | 99% |
| 12 | Hanslope Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Church Warsop Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.1 | 85% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Chiddingfold Surrey | B+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.5 | 68% |
| 15 | Wells-next-the-Sea Norfolk | B+ | 2 | 70% | 1.9 | 65% |
| 16 | Charing Kent | B+ | 2.7 | 85% | 2.1 | 56% |
| 17 | Brimscombe and Thrupp Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 12% | 5.9 | 89% |
| 18 | Sharlston West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.9 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 19 | Gamston (Rushcliffe) Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 86% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Holbrook Suffolk | B+ | 1.1 | 74% | 2.7 | 52% |
| 21 | Banwell Somerset | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 38% |
| 22 | Carnon Downs and Devoran Cornwall | B+ | 0.3 | 87% | 2.5 | 36% |
| 23 | Yarnfield Staffordshire | B | 6.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Longtown Cumbria | B | 4.3 | 100% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Wheelock Cheshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Ellington Northumberland | B | 2.5 | 86% | 2 | 0% |
| 27 | Trowell Nottinghamshire | B | 7.7 | 56% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Evercreech Somerset | B | 3.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Rayne Essex | B− | 4.3 | 64% | 4 | 0% |
| 30 | Resolven West Glamorgan | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | East Peckham Kent | B− | 14.5 | 66% | 2 | 1% |
| 32 | Hutton Lancashire | B− | 6.6 | 90% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Swanton Morley Norfolk | C+ | 3.5 | 94% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Burgh le Marsh Lincolnshire | C+ | 3.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 7% |
| 35 | Hook Norton Oxfordshire | C+ | 2 | 70% | 2 | 28% |
| 36 | Luddenden Foot West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.2 | 68% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Machynlleth Powys | C+ | 2.6 | 45% | 2 | 29% |
| 38 | Huncote Leicestershire | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Trimsaran Dyfed | C | 2.4 | 31% | 1 | 2% |
| 40 | Linton Derbyshire | C | 1.8 | 76% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Mitcheldean Gloucestershire | C | 1.5 | 80% | 1.9 | 1% |
| 42 | Barwick in Elmet West Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Llanidloes Powys | C | 2.4 | 89% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Aspatria Cumbria | C− | 3.1 | 60% | 0.8 | 1% |
| 45 | Great Blakenham Suffolk | C− | 3.6 | 70% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Rudgwick West Sussex | C− | 2.5 | 16% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Lanner Cornwall | C− | 1.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Long Bennington Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Underwood Gwent | C− | 1.9 | 87% | 1 | 0% |
| 50 | Wickham Hampshire | D | 0.8 | 26% | 2 | 13% |
| 51 | Thurlby Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 54% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Preston East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Morton Lincolnshire | D | 0.2 | 28% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Misterton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Billinghay Lincolnshire | D− | 1.8 | 41% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Bozeat Northamptonshire | D− | 1.3 | 13% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Shenstone Staffordshire | D− | 1 | 55% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Cilfrew West Glamorgan | D− | 0.8 | 44% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Aslockton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1 | 11% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Ipplepen Devon | D− | 0.8 | 42% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Machynlleth’s built-up area.
4 in 10 Machynlleth 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 1,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Machynlleth
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.
Snowdonia
29% of the land within 5 km of Machynlleth is National Park or National Landscape, more than 83% of UK towns. Snowdonia National Park covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Machynlleth is on the Glyndŵr's Way
22 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Machynlleth and the kilometre around it, 2.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The Glyndŵr's Way, a national route, passes Machynlleth. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Ceredigion Coast Path and Wales Coast Path (Meirionnydd).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
A registered historic park in Machynlleth
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Machynlleth’s named parks.
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
The best walking months in Machynlleth: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 197 | 181 | 152 | 127 | 117 | 142 | 153 | 171 | 178 | 228 | 215 | 272 |
May is the driest month (117 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 272 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Machynlleth →
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
Machynlleth is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. Natural Resources Wales tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Foel-y-Ffridd, at 168 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Machynlleth.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 3
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.
Dolgellau, 10.5 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Machynlleth
Is Machynlleth near a National Park?
Yes. Snowdonia National Park begins 0.1 mi north of the village’s edge. It covers 2,140 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Machynlleth?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Glyndŵr's Way, Ceredigion Coast Path and Wales Coast Path (Meirionnydd).
What is the nearest beach to Machynlleth?
Borth Sands, 9.3 mi from the edge of the village, then Aberdovey Bar (10.0 mi). Machynlleth itself is inland.
How many people in Machynlleth live near a park?
45% 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 Machynlleth?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Machynlleth are historic?
Plas Machynlleth (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Machynlleth good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 30% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 62% (2.6 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 Machynlleth’s overall grade.
Where Machynlleth’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.