Yeovil’s biggest
Yeovil Country Park
Park or garden
62 ha (153 acres)13.8 km of path
3 h 5 minto walk all 13.8 km of path
87 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Mr Eugene Birchall · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Yeovil · parks, paths & countryside
90% of Yeovil’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Dorset National Landscape begins 2.3 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 122 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.2 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Yeovil add up to 2.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Yeovil grades B+ for the outdoors: #22 of 49 in Somerset. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
90%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
122 km
3.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
2%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Dorset National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Yeovil grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Yeovil, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 66% of UK towns#22 of 49 in Somerset · 27th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
46out of
100
100
A park within a walk90%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
67out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape2%of the land within 5 km
64out of
100
100
Footpaths3.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
64out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
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
Yeovil is 27th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 43,700 to 57,000 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
Yeovil3.2
Towns its size3.5
Somerset towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Yeovil2.0
Towns its size2.3
Somerset towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Yeovil90%
Towns its size84%
Somerset towns83%
All UK towns83%
Yeovil falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 40 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Havant Hampshire | A+ | 3.6 | 84% | 5.8 | 30% |
| 3 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 4 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 5 | Salisbury Wiltshire | A | 2.7 | 94% | 3.9 | 22% |
| 6 | Wrexham Clwyd | A | 3.8 | 92% | 3.9 | 2% |
| 7 | Barry South Glamorgan | A | 2.9 | 94% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Weymouth Dorset | A | 2.6 | 55% | 3.5 | 35% |
| 9 | Wallsend Tyne and Wear | A | 6 | 93% | 5.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 11 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Bletchley Buckinghamshire | A | 4.1 | 91% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Eastleigh Hampshire | A− | 3 | 76% | 4.9 | 17% |
| 14 | Trowbridge Wiltshire | A− | 2.3 | 91% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 15 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 16 | Crosby Merseyside | A− | 4.6 | 89% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 18 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 23 | West Molesey Surrey | B+ | 4.4 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Bridgwater Somerset | B+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3.7 | 2% |
| 27 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 28 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Batley West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.7 | 94% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Cwmbrân Gwent | B+ | 2.1 | 84% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 31 | Middleton Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.5 | 80% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 33 | Wokingham Berkshire | B | 4 | 84% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Leigh Greater Manchester | B | 5.3 | 77% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 36 | Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria | B | 2 | 91% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 38 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 39 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Castleford West Yorkshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Brentwood Essex | B− | 3.9 | 69% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Oldbury West Midlands | B− | 3 | 68% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 45 | Tipton West Midlands | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Smethwick West Midlands | C+ | 2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Hinckley Leicestershire | C+ | 1.8 | 87% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 50 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 51 | King's Lynn Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 52 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Kirkby Merseyside | C | 2.2 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Grays Essex | C | 1.2 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Durham County Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 6 | 0% |
| 56 | Stourbridge West Midlands | C | 1.9 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Boston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Grantham Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Yeovil’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Yeovil
The biggest is Yeovil Country Park, 62 ha (153 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 13 named parks by size: 272 ha (673 acres) and 62 km of path
Parks & gardens 265 haPlaying fields 6.9 haPlay spaces 0.5 ha
The two biggest, Yeovil Country Park and Yeovil Country Park, are 46% of the named green space and carry 28 km of path between them. 4 of the 13 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Yeovil Country Park
Park or garden
62 ha (153 acres)13.8 km of path
3 h 5 minto walk all 13.8 km of path
87 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Yeovil Country Park
Park or garden
62 ha (153 acres)13.8 km of path
3 h 5 minto walk all 13.8 km of path
87 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Yeovil Country Park
Park or garden
62 ha (153 acres)13.8 km of path
3 h 5 minto walk all 13.8 km of path
87 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Oak Tree Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)2.0 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Birchfield Park
Park or garden
4.8 ha (12 acres)1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.4 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Pen Hill Park
Park or garden
4.4 ha (11 acres)1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Milford Recreation Ground
Playing field
4.3 ha (11 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 13 named parks and green spaces
Yeovil Country ParkPark or garden · 62 ha · 13.8 km of path
DirectionsYeovil Country ParkPark or garden · 62 ha · 13.8 km of path
DirectionsYeovil Country ParkPark or garden · 62 ha · 13.8 km of path
DirectionsYeovil Country ParkPark or garden · 62 ha · 13.8 km of path
DirectionsOak Tree ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 2.0 km of path
DirectionsBirchfield ParkPark or garden · 4.8 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsPen Hill ParkPark or garden · 4.4 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsMilford Recreation GroundPlaying field · 4.3 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSidney GardensPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsPreston ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsYew Tree ParkPlaying field · 2.6 ha
DirectionsRiverside Play TrailPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsMilford Adventure ParkPlay space · 0.5 ha
DirectionsClose to home
How close Yeovil’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).
Within 400 m (90%)Further (10%)
Yeovil90%
Towns its size84%
Somerset towns83%
All UK towns83%
About 5,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 54 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 929 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Dorset National Landscape is 2.3 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
National Landscape
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
13 mi north-east986 km²since 1983
Official site2% of the land within 5 km of Yeovil is National Park or National Landscape, more than 64% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Yeovil
122 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Yeovil and the kilometre around it, 3.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Regional
Monarch's Way22.8 km
The regional route here is the 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 Yeovil: 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) | 8.4 | 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) | 85 | 61 | 60 | 58 | 56 | 56 | 55 | 75 | 66 | 95 | 101 | 92 |
July is the driest month (55 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 101 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Yeovil →
Things to do
54 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.
The nearest beaches
Yeovil is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
East Beach15 mi from Yeovil’s edge
DirectionsSeatown Beach16 mi from Yeovil’s edge
DirectionsHive Beach16 mi from Yeovil’s edge
DirectionsChurch Cliff Beach18 mi from Yeovil’s edge
DirectionsMonmouth Beach19 mi from Yeovil’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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
Nature reserves 1
Hardington Moor National Nature Reserve10 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 54
Mudford Wreck Play Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 53 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Barwick and StofordIlchesterStoke sub HamdonSherborneMartockMerriottYeovil
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeovil | B+ | 2.0 | 90% | 2% |
| Barwick and Stoford 2.1 mi | B | 6.4 | 71% | 5% |
| Ilchester 4.7 mi | C− | 3.5 | 40% | 0% |
| Stoke sub Hamdon 4.9 mi | A− | 25.1 | 81% | 0% |
| Sherborne 5.1 mi | D | 1.2 | 76% | 0% |
| Martock 5.9 mi | B− | 2.9 | 85% | 0% |
| Merriott 7.2 mi | D | 1.1 | 39% | 0% |
Stoke sub Hamdon, 4.9 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 81% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Barwick and Stoford and Stoke sub Hamdon have at least twice Yeovil’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Yeovil
What is the biggest park in Yeovil?
Yeovil Country Park, 62 ha (153 acres), with 13.8 km of path. Yeovil Country Park (62 ha) is second. 13 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Yeovil near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Dorset National Landscape, 2.3 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 1,129 km² and was designated in 1959.
What are the best walks near Yeovil?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Monarch's Way. Yeovil Country Park alone has 13.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Yeovil?
East Beach, 15 mi from the edge of the town, then Seatown Beach (16 mi). Yeovil itself is inland.
How many people in Yeovil live near a park?
90% 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 Yeovil?
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 Yeovil good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 64% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 46% (2.0 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 Yeovil’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Yeovil’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.