Photo: David Weston · CC BY-SA 2.077% of Wem’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Footpaths add up to 22 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.5 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Wem add up to 1.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Wem grades D for the outdoors: #17 of 19 in Shropshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Wem grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wem, 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.
Wem is 52nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 6,000 to 6,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Wem falls furthest behind on path per km², where 52 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netley Hampshire | A+ | 16.3 | 100% | 4.1 | 4% |
| 2 | Stone Kent | A+ | 3.1 | 100% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 3 | Wingerworth Derbyshire | A | 9 | 86% | 4 | 0% |
| 4 | Shotton Clwyd | A | 4.5 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 5 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 6 | Bedwas Gwent | A | 4.4 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 7 | Broad Blunsdon Wiltshire | A− | 5.2 | 93% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Barnton Cheshire | A− | 10 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Marston Moretaine Bedfordshire | A− | 17.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 10 | Alcester Warwickshire | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 11 | Ackworth Moor Top West Yorkshire | A− | 4.6 | 91% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Whitfield Kent | A− | 2.3 | 79% | 2.5 | 32% |
| 13 | Paulton Somerset | A− | 2.1 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Burghfield Common Berkshire | A− | 2.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 8% |
| 15 | Broadbridge Heath West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 95% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 16 | Milford and Witley Surrey | B+ | 2.6 | 54% | 3.7 | 78% |
| 17 | Cawston Warwickshire | B+ | 3.6 | 98% | 3 | 0% |
| 18 | Little Chalfont Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 3.6 | 45% |
| 19 | Crofton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Axminster Devon | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 66% |
| 21 | Hindhead Surrey | B | 1.7 | 37% | 5.9 | 66% |
| 22 | Galleywood Essex | B | 10.3 | 61% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Throckley Tyne and Wear | B | 3.1 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 24 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 25 | Oundle Northamptonshire | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 26 | Bovey Tracey Devon | B− | 2.2 | 66% | 2.5 | 55% |
| 27 | Yapton West Sussex | B− | 1.8 | 63% | 2 | 15% |
| 28 | Upton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Danbury Essex | B− | 3.9 | 34% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Ushaw Moor and Bearpark County Durham | C+ | 1.6 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 31 | South Molton Devon | C+ | 2.2 | 96% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Denmead Hampshire | C+ | 1.4 | 72% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 33 | Annesley Woodhouse Nottinghamshire | C+ | 1.1 | 96% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Waltham Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.2 | 84% | 1.3 | 19% |
| 35 | Oakdale Gwent | C+ | 5.2 | 79% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Lower Willingdon East Sussex | C+ | 0.8 | 57% | 4.2 | 33% |
| 37 | Tetbury Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 66% | 2.6 | 88% |
| 38 | Malton North Yorkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 43% | 2.4 | 24% |
| 39 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 41 | Market Deeping Lincolnshire | C | 1.5 | 96% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Cross Hands and Pen-y-groes Dyfed | C | 9.7 | 70% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Lydiate Merseyside | C− | 1.5 | 90% | 2 | 0% |
| 44 | Gildersome West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Ashingdon Essex | C− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Great Shelford and Stapleford Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.6 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 47 | Weaverham Cheshire | C− | 0.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 48 | Boston Spa West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Cottenham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 86% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Washingborough and Heighington Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 66% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Staplehurst Kent | D | 1.3 | 70% | 1.4 | 1% |
| 52 | Wem Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Aintree Merseyside | D | 1.3 | 43% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Pontarddulais West Glamorgan | D | 1.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Selston Nottinghamshire | D | 0.9 | 61% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Broughton Clwyd | D− | 0.8 | 80% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Thurcroft South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
| 59 | Abercynon Mid Glamorgan | D− | 1.1 | 55% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Tadcaster North Yorkshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 1.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Wem’s built-up area.
How close Wem’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).
About 1,400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 449 residents.
The Shropshire Hills National Landscape is 14 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.
Bryniau Clwyd A Dyffryn Dyfrdwy/clwydian Range and Dee Valley
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Wem
22 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wem and the kilometre around it, 1.5 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 regional route here is the Shropshire Way - Wem to Whitchurch.
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 Wem: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 49 | 47 | 51 | 57 | 61 | 63 | 62 | 63 | 75 | 67 | 71 |
March is the driest month (47 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 75 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Wem →
14 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
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 14
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wem | D | 1.2 | 77% | 0% |
| Prees 3.7 mi | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 0% |
| Prees Higher Heath 5.0 mi | D− | 0.7 | 26% | 0% |
| Shawbury 5.4 mi | D− | 2.2 | 30% | 0% |
| Bomere Heath 6.3 mi | D− | 1.8 | 0% | 0% |
| Baschurch 7.1 mi | D | 2.3 | 72% | 0% |
| Whitchurch 7.9 mi | B− | 2.7 | 86% | 0% |
Whitchurch, 7.9 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 86% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Whitchurch has at least twice Wem’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Wem
Is Wem near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Shropshire Hills National Landscape, 14 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 808 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Wem?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Shropshire Way - Wem to Whitchurch, Shropshire Way - stage 12 and Shropshire Way - stage 11.
How many people in Wem live near a park?
77% 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 Wem?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Wem good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 17% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 19% (1.2 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 Wem’s overall grade.
Where Wem’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.