Photo: Rodw · CC0Blagdon is inside the Mendip Hills National Landscape
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 100% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Blagdon add up to 3.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Blagdon grades A for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Blagdon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Blagdon’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by parks close to every home.
Blagdon grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Blagdon, 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.
Blagdon is 5th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Blagdon stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lizard Cornwall | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 2 | Uplyme Devon | A+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 61% |
| 3 | Frampton on Severn Gloucestershire | A+ | 11 | 100% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 4 | Bromham Wiltshire | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 5 | Blagdon Somerset | A | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 62% |
| 6 | Colney Heath Hertfordshire | A | 8.7 | 100% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Newnham Gloucestershire | A | 4.2 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 8 | Heather Leicestershire | A | 16.9 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Blockley Gloucestershire | A | 2.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 86% |
| 10 | Silverdale Lancashire | A | 2.3 | 46% | 3.9 | 76% |
| 11 | North Curry Somerset | A | 6.2 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Furness Vale Derbyshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 5 | 36% |
| 13 | Chedgrave Norfolk | A− | 3 | 100% | 1.7 | 26% |
| 14 | Plumpton Green East Sussex | A− | 4.6 | 54% | 3.6 | 37% |
| 15 | Ardleigh Essex | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.5 | 21% |
| 16 | Cwmgwrach West Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 17 | Hyde Heath Buckinghamshire | B+ | 5.4 | 68% | 2.1 | 81% |
| 18 | Crowlas Cornwall | B+ | 3.3 | 73% | 1.1 | 23% |
| 19 | Blackfordby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Five Ash Down East Sussex | B+ | 2.8 | 0% | 4.1 | 43% |
| 21 | Avening Gloucestershire | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.3 | 97% |
| 22 | Flamstead Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 82% | 2.7 | 33% |
| 23 | Minley Hampshire | B− | 5.7 | 0% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Sharnford Leicestershire | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 25 | High Shincliffe County Durham | B− | 0.5 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Ettington Warwickshire | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Coopersale Essex | B− | 1.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Carleton-in-Craven North Yorkshire | C+ | 0.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 10% |
| 29 | Draycott Somerset | C+ | 2.1 | 68% | 2.1 | 46% |
| 30 | Sutterton Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.8 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Weston Staffordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1 | 4% |
| 32 | Simister Greater Manchester | C | 16.6 | 0% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Warmington Northamptonshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 34 | Little Melton Norfolk | C | 4.2 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 35 | Hilton Cambridgeshire | C | 6.8 | 70% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Huby (Hambleton) North Yorkshire | C | 2.4 | 75% | 1.5 | 2% |
| 37 | Elswick Lancashire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Freethorpe Norfolk | C− | 2.3 | 26% | 0.7 | 61% |
| 39 | Kimbolton Cambridgeshire | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Ansley Warwickshire | C− | 1.8 | 64% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Stebbing Essex | C− | 2.4 | 70% | 2 | 0% |
| 42 | Castle Hedingham Essex | C− | 1.7 | 52% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | C− | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Surfleet Lincolnshire | C− | 4.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Gorefield Cambridgeshire | D | 2.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 46 | New Quay Dyfed | D | 1.2 | 30% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Skidby East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.8 | 56% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Snitterfield Warwickshire | D | 2.4 | 63% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Crundale Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 57% | 0.5 | 5% |
| 50 | Napton on the Hill Warwickshire | D | 0.4 | 69% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Wisbech St Mary Cambridgeshire | D | 1.8 | 69% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Horsham St Faith Norfolk | D | 0.9 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Henham Essex | D | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Methwold Norfolk | D− | 1.8 | 61% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Hockliffe Bedfordshire | D− | 1.2 | 49% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 56 | South Hykeham Lincolnshire | D− | 0.2 | 0% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Pencader Dyfed | D− | 1.2 | 30% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Wainfleet St Mary Lincolnshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Netheravon Wiltshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Leeming Bar North Yorkshire | D− | 0.7 | 0% | 0.9 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Blagdon’s built-up area.
Everyone in Blagdon lives 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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Blagdon
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.
Mendip Hills
62% of the land within 5 km of Blagdon is National Park or National Landscape, more than 94% of UK towns.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Blagdon
25 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Blagdon and the kilometre around it, 2.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
3 regional routes pass through, including the Limestone Link, The Butcombe Trail and The Mendip Trail.
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 Blagdon: May to July and 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 142 | 90 | 83 | 79 | 77 | 86 | 90 | 108 | 91 | 133 | 135 | 129 |
May is the driest month (77 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 142 mm of rain falls in January, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Blagdon →
2 viewpoints 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
Blagdon is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Wireless Station, at 312 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Blagdon.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blagdon | A | 3.3 | 100% | 62% |
| Wrington 3.1 mi | A | 3.2 | 100% | 20% |
| Churchill 3.1 mi | A | 2.8 | 84% | 39% |
| Shipham 3.4 mi | B− | 1.2 | 63% | 55% |
| Cheddar 4.2 mi | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 56% |
| Congresbury 4.7 mi | A− | 8.5 | 67% | 10% |
| Winscombe and Sandford 5.0 mi | B+ | 3.5 | 52% | 38% |
Blagdon grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. Congresbury has at least twice Blagdon’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Blagdon
What are the best walks near Blagdon?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Limestone Link, The Butcombe Trail and The Mendip Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Blagdon?
Clevedon Beach, 9.5 mi from the edge of the village, then Ladye Bay (9.9 mi). Blagdon itself is inland.
How many people in Blagdon 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 Blagdon?
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.
Is Blagdon good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 56% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 75% (3.3 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 Blagdon’s overall grade.
Where Blagdon’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.