50% of the land within 5 km of Bath is National Park or National Landscape
The Cotswolds National Landscape reaches the edge of Bath. 337 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 5.6 for every square kilometre. 89% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Bath grades A for the outdoors: #6 of 49 in Somerset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Bath’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Bath grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bath, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A
Better than 90% of UK towns#6 of 49 in Somerset · 10th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
40out of 100
A park within a walk89%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
64out of 100
National Park or National Landscape50%of the land within 5 km
92out of 100
Footpaths5.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
96out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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
Bath is 10th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 75,500 to 117,300 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
Bath5.6
Towns its size4.0
Somerset towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bath1.8
Towns its size2.5
Somerset towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bath89%
Towns its size86%
Somerset towns83%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Bath stands out most for path per km²: only 9 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 42 of the others do better.
9 in 10 Bath 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).
Within 400 m (89%)Further (12%)
Bath89%
Towns its size86%
Somerset towns83%
All UK towns83%
About 11,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 92 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,023 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Bath
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 Landscape
Cotswolds
At the edge south-east2,041 km²since 196650% of the land within 5 km
50% of the land within 5 km of Bath is National Park or National Landscape, more than 91% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Bath is on the Cotswold Way
337 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bath and the kilometre around it, 5.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail19.2 km
Limestone Link16.9 km
Cotswold Way10.0 km
Bath Skyline Walk9.3 km
River Avon Trail8.6 km
The Cotswold Way, a national route, passes Bath. Close to home, the Bath Skyline Walk has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail, Limestone Link and River Avon Trail.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
9 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Bath’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Sydney Gardens
3.9 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 16 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Bridge in Sydney GardensII*Bridge over RailwayII*Bridge over Railway in Sydney GardensII*Footbridge over Canal in Sydney GardensII*Kennet and Avon Canal Tunnel (Under Beckford Road)II*Retaining Wall East of Railway LineII*Retaining Wall and Balustrade West of Railway LineII*Sydney Gardens Footbridge (MLN110614)II'Minerva's Temple'IIGentlemen's Public Lavatories Approx 45M North of Holborne MuseumIILadies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie MuseumIILoggiaIIPavilionIISydney HouseIIWall, Railings and Gate to the West of the Kennet and Avon Canal
Registered · Grade IPrior Park14 ha
Registered · Grade IRoyal Victoria Park22 haInside: Jupiter Statue in the Botanical Gardens and 20 more
Registered · Grade IICrowe Hall2.4 ha
Registered · Grade IIGardens at Oakwood/Bathwick Tower and Smallcombe House2.3 ha
Registered · Grade IIHedgemead Park2.2 haInside: Bandstand and 13 more
Registered · Grade IILansdown Cemetery and Beckford's Tower0.4 ha
Registered · Grade IIParade Gardens1.1 haInside: Colonnades, Balustrading, Steps and Kiosk at Parade Gardens and 2 more
Registered · Grade IIWidcombe Manor1.1 ha
Listed buildings insideMagdalen GardensBoundary Walls, Railings and Piers with Urns to No. 88, Chapel of St Mary Magdalen and Piers, Gate and Quadrant Boundary Walls to Linsley House and Clarendon House and 3 more
Heritage walks
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail 19.2 km
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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bath: 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)
8.3
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.6
16.6
16.2
14.6
12.5
10.6
8.8
7.9
High (°C)
8
9
11
14
17
20
22
22
19
15
11
9
Rain (mm)
83
60
54
56
60
57
61
70
62
84
91
90
March is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 91 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 35 nights a year. The climate in Bath →
Things to do
14 viewpoints, 92 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.
Bathford, 3.5 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Bathford and Winsley have at least twice Bath’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Bath
What is the biggest park in Bath?
Royal Victoria Park, 23 ha (57 acres), with 5.8 km of path. Sydney Gardens (3.9 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Bath near a National Park?
It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What are the best walks near Bath?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail, Limestone Link and Cotswold Way. Royal Victoria Park alone has 5.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Bath?
Sugar Loaf Beach, 17 mi from the edge of the town, then Fossil Beach (19 mi). Bath itself is inland.
How many people in Bath live near a park?
89% 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 Bath?
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.
Which parks in Bath are historic?
Prior Park (Grade I), Royal Victoria Park (Grade I), Crowe Hall (Grade II) and Gardens at Oakwood/Bathwick Tower and Smallcombe House (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Bath good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 96% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 40% (1.8 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 Bath’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0