Outdoors in Stoke sub Hamdon · parks, paths & countryside
Stoke sub Hamdon has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Stoke sub Hamdon add up to 25.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 39 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 4.7 for every square kilometre. The Dorset National Landscape begins 5.1 mi from the village’s edge. Stoke sub Hamdon grades A− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Stoke sub Hamdon’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Stoke sub Hamdon grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Stoke sub Hamdon, 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 81% of UK towns14th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space25.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
99out of 100
A park within a walk81%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
50out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Dorset begins just past 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
90out 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.
Villages its size
Stoke sub Hamdon is 14th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,300 to 1,400 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
Stoke sub Hamdon4.7
Villages its size2.4
Somerset towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Stoke sub Hamdon25.1
Villages its size2.2
Somerset towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Stoke sub Hamdon81%
Villages its size82%
Somerset towns83%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Stoke sub Hamdon stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 59 has more.
8 in 10 Stoke sub Hamdon 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 (81%)Further (19%)
Stoke sub Hamdon81%
Villages its size82%
Somerset towns83%
All UK towns83%
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 9 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 151 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Dorset National Landscape is 5.1 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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Stoke sub Hamdon scores 0% on it even though the Dorset National Landscape is 5.1 mi away.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Stoke sub Hamdon
39 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Stoke sub Hamdon and the kilometre around it, 4.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Regional
River Parrett Trail9.9 km
Monarch's Way5.3 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the River Parrett Trail and Monarch's Way.
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 Stoke sub Hamdon: 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)
8.4
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.5
16.5
16.1
14.5
12.5
10.6
8.8
7.9
High (°C)
8
9
11
14
17
20
22
21
19
15
11
9
Rain (mm)
82
61
58
54
54
59
51
59
60
94
95
89
July is the driest month (51 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 95 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Stoke sub Hamdon →
Things to do
4 viewpoints, 9 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.
Stoke sub Hamdon grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Stoke sub Hamdon
What is the biggest park in Stoke sub Hamdon?
Ham Hill Country Park, 139 ha (345 acres), with 18.5 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Stoke sub Hamdon near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Dorset National Landscape, 5.1 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 1,129 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Stoke sub Hamdon?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the River Parrett Trail and Monarch's Way. Ham Hill Country Park alone has 18.5 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Stoke sub Hamdon?
Seatown Beach, 16 mi from the edge of the village, then East Beach (17 mi). Stoke sub Hamdon itself is inland.
How many people in Stoke sub Hamdon live near a park?
81% 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 Stoke sub Hamdon?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Stoke sub Hamdon good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 90% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 99% (25.1 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 Stoke sub Hamdon’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Stoke sub Hamdon’s outdoors figures come from
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0