Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Wiveliscombe lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Exmoor National Park begins 3.4 mi from the village’s edge. 20 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.1 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Wiveliscombe add up to 2.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Wiveliscombe grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Wiveliscombe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Wiveliscombe’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
Wiveliscombe grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wiveliscombe, 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.
Wiveliscombe is 18th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,200 to 2,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Wiveliscombe 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 | Radford Semele Warwickshire | A | 12.3 | 100% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 2 | Westcott Surrey | A | 1.8 | 86% | 5.5 | 78% |
| 3 | Harlington Bedfordshire | A− | 2.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 16% |
| 4 | Millbrook Cornwall | A− | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 19% |
| 5 | Picket Piece Hampshire | A− | 3.9 | 100% | 1.3 | 33% |
| 6 | Cannington Somerset | A− | 2.8 | 88% | 3.2 | 3% |
| 7 | Clare Suffolk | A− | 7.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 8 | Y Felinheli Gwynedd | B+ | 4.9 | 65% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 9 | Hall Green West Yorkshire | B+ | 7.5 | 82% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Tisbury Wiltshire | B+ | 1.5 | 86% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 11 | Bowness-on-Windermere Cumbria | B | 1.7 | 76% | 2.8 | 100% |
| 12 | Pen-y-fai Mid Glamorgan | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Creech St Michael Somerset | B− | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Dormansland Surrey | B− | 2.5 | 70% | 2.3 | 33% |
| 15 | Upper Halliford Surrey | B− | 5.1 | 44% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Bickershaw Greater Manchester | B− | 5 | 13% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Bassingbourn Cambridgeshire | B− | 3.8 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Wiveliscombe Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Debenham Suffolk | C+ | 1 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 20 | St Dennis Cornwall | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 21 | Osbaldwick North Yorkshire | C+ | 1.9 | 70% | 5 | 0% |
| 22 | Delph Greater Manchester | C+ | 0.7 | 72% | 3.9 | 17% |
| 23 | Padstow Cornwall | C+ | 0.6 | 33% | 2.5 | 37% |
| 24 | Bramford Suffolk | C+ | 3.2 | 76% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Mickleton Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 52% | 2.1 | 45% |
| 26 | Boughton under Blean Kent | C+ | 2.7 | 24% | 2.5 | 18% |
| 27 | Bishopsteignton Devon | C | 3 | 62% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Stanton Suffolk | C | 2.6 | 87% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Caistor Lincolnshire | C | 2.8 | 39% | 1.3 | 33% |
| 30 | Hawkesbury Warwickshire | C | 1 | 78% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Woolavington Somerset | C | 1.6 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Dearham Cumbria | C | 0.6 | 72% | 1.4 | 6% |
| 33 | West Rainton County Durham | C | 2.1 | 73% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Tatworth Somerset | C | 1.3 | 71% | 1.7 | 44% |
| 35 | Whaddon Wiltshire | C | 2.6 | 55% | 1.3 | 10% |
| 36 | Wardley Greater Manchester | C− | 0.6 | 88% | 3 | 0% |
| 37 | Stanford in the Vale Oxfordshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Credenhill Herefordshire | C− | 1.5 | 87% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 39 | Roche Cornwall | C− | 2.8 | 81% | 1 | 0% |
| 40 | Hathern Leicestershire | C− | 1.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Knowsley Merseyside | C− | 3.1 | 77% | 1 | 0% |
| 42 | Creigiau South Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 85% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Kings Sutton Northamptonshire | C− | 1.8 | 79% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Collingham West Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Reepham Norfolk | C− | 2.3 | 66% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Stilton Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.8 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Coates and Eastrea Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Goxhill Lincolnshire | C− | 1.5 | 69% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Usk Gwent | C− | 3.5 | 56% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 50 | Netherton (Wakefield) West Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 27% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Scholes (Leeds) West Yorkshire | D | 0 | 0% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 52 | St Stephen Cornwall | D | 1.2 | 88% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Bicknacre Essex | D | 1 | 56% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Belton Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 67% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Tattenhall Cheshire | D− | 1.8 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 56 | Ixworth Suffolk | D− | 1 | 73% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Hingham Norfolk | D− | 1.9 | 13% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Norton South Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Leven East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.2 | 64% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Isleham Cambridgeshire | D− | 0.2 | 71% | 0.8 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Wiveliscombe’s built-up area.
How close Wiveliscombe’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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 6 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 386 residents.
Exmoor and Quantock Hills both start about 5 miles from Wiveliscombe
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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Wiveliscombe scores 0% on it even though Exmoor National Park is 3.4 mi away. Exmoor National Park covers 693 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Wiveliscombe
20 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wiveliscombe and the kilometre around it, 2.1 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 regional route here is the West Deane Way.
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 Wiveliscombe: 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 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 121 | 91 | 80 | 69 | 67 | 67 | 73 | 76 | 71 | 118 | 127 | 134 |
June is the driest month (67 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 134 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 33 nights a year. The climate in Wiveliscombe →
6 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
Wiveliscombe 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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 6
Plus 6 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiveliscombe | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Milverton 2.8 mi | C− | 2.1 | 70% | 0% |
| Cotford St Luke 5.4 mi | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 6% |
| Rockwell Green 5.6 mi | B | 1.0 | 90% | 24% |
| Bishops Lydeard 5.6 mi | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 23% |
| Wellington 5.7 mi | A | 2.2 | 99% | 24% |
| Norton Fitzwarren 7.3 mi | C+ | 1.3 | 35% | 6% |
Wellington, 5.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 99% of its residents live within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Wiveliscombe
Is Wiveliscombe near a National Park?
Yes. Exmoor National Park begins 3.4 mi north of the village’s edge. It covers 693 km² and has been a National Park since 1954.
What are the best walks near Wiveliscombe?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the West Deane Way.
What is the nearest beach to Wiveliscombe?
Dunster Beach, 11 mi from the edge of the village, then Bossington Beach (17 mi). Wiveliscombe itself is inland.
How many people in Wiveliscombe 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 Wiveliscombe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Wiveliscombe good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 32% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 53% (2.3 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 Wiveliscombe’s overall grade.
Where Wiveliscombe’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.