Rocester’s biggest
Robert's Green
Playing field
2.2 ha (5 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: AtticTapestry · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Rocester · parks, paths & countryside
Rocester has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Rocester add up to 15.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Peak District National Park begins 5.4 mi from the village’s edge. 58% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Rocester grades C+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
15.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
58%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
27 km
2.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Peak District starts 5.4 mi out, past the 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Rocester?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam15.2 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 98% of UK towns.Countryside close byThe Peak District National Park starts 5.4 mi north.Parks can be a walk away42% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Rocester’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by the Peak District National Park close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Rocester grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Rocester, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C+
Better than 40% of UK towns35th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space15.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
98out of
100
100
A park within a walk58%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
18out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Peak District begins just past 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
46out 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.
Villages its size
Rocester is 35th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,600 to 1,800 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
Rocester2.5
Villages its size2.1
Staffordshire towns2.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Rocester15.2
Villages its size2.1
Staffordshire towns2.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Rocester58%
Villages its size81%
Staffordshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Rocester stands out most for park space per resident: only 2 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 45 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pease Pottage West Sussex | A+ | 4.1 | 100% | 7.4 | 65% |
| 2 | Manningtree Essex | A+ | 5.6 | 100% | 2.5 | 43% |
| 3 | Guston Kent | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 2.5 | 25% |
| 4 | Llansanffraid Glan Conwy Clwyd | A+ | 10.8 | 100% | 1.6 | 8% |
| 5 | Pen-clawdd West Glamorgan | A | 4 | 100% | 0.5 | 42% |
| 6 | Penwithick Cornwall | A | 15 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 7 | Wroxall Isle of Wight | A | 1.2 | 84% | 4.6 | 33% |
| 8 | Eccles Kent | A | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 30% |
| 9 | Hutton Somerset | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.2 | 22% |
| 10 | Southwell Dorset | A | 0.7 | 100% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Wickwar Gloucestershire | A− | 2 | 100% | 3.5 | 15% |
| 12 | Lynemouth Northumberland | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 13 | Hemyock Devon | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.3 | 82% |
| 14 | Seascale Cumbria | A− | 2.1 | 81% | 2.2 | 27% |
| 15 | Clayhanger West Midlands | A− | 17.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Harrold Bedfordshire | A− | 19.1 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Bathampton Somerset | A− | 1 | 85% | 5.5 | 62% |
| 18 | Starcross Devon | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 19 | Aldbourne Wiltshire | B+ | 3.2 | 84% | 1.8 | 100% |
| 20 | Kingsdown Kent | B+ | 1.1 | 67% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 21 | Blewbury Oxfordshire | B | 3.1 | 54% | 2.7 | 79% |
| 22 | Great Kingshill Buckinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 55% | 2.9 | 84% |
| 23 | Abridge Essex | B | 3 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Silkstone South Yorkshire | B | 1 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Edgworth Lancashire | B | 3.2 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Normandy Surrey | B− | 3.2 | 23% | 3.1 | 26% |
| 27 | Streethouse West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Eynsford Kent | B− | 2.1 | 81% | 1.9 | 46% |
| 29 | Woodsetts South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 30 | Allhallows Kent | B− | 3.2 | 76% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Onley Northamptonshire | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Pilling Lancashire | C+ | 4.2 | 46% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Seahouses and North Sunderland Northumberland | C+ | 1.6 | 17% | 1.7 | 21% |
| 34 | Chipperfield Hertfordshire | C+ | 2.4 | 37% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 35 | Rocester Staffordshire | C+ | 15.2 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Bartestree Herefordshire | C+ | 2.1 | 81% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 37 | Templecombe Somerset | C+ | 2 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 38 | New Arley Warwickshire | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 39 | High Littleton Somerset | C+ | 1 | 58% | 4.9 | 1% |
| 40 | Acton Suffolk | C | 1.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Stonesfield Oxfordshire | C | 1.9 | 60% | 1.8 | 38% |
| 42 | Earith Cambridgeshire | C | 1.2 | 78% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Wylam Northumberland | C− | 1.1 | 74% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | High Bentham North Yorkshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 45 | Thorney Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.4 | 74% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Lower Quinton Warwickshire | C− | 2 | 49% | 1.3 | 18% |
| 47 | Modbury Devon | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 1.2 | 41% |
| 48 | Creunant West Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 79% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Pensilva Cornwall | C− | 1.6 | 60% | 1.3 | 15% |
| 50 | Whitehill County Durham | C− | 0.3 | 0% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Upper Arncott Oxfordshire | D | 3.1 | 59% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Holt Wiltshire | D | 1.1 | 45% | 2.1 | 2% |
| 53 | Leverington Cambridgeshire | D | 2.8 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Dobwalls Cornwall | D | 1.4 | 28% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 55 | Tiddington Warwickshire | D | 0.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Point Clear Essex | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Soughton Clwyd | D | 0.4 | 67% | 1.3 | 3% |
| 58 | Skirlaugh East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1 | 85% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Ulceby Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 72% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Welford-on-Avon Warwickshire | D− | 0.4 | 48% | 1.5 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rocester’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 Rocester
The biggest is Robert's Green, 2.2 ha (5 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
6 in 10 Rocester 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 (58%)Further (42%)
Rocester58%
Villages its size81%
Staffordshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
About 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 7 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 240 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 5.4 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 Rocester scores 0% on it even though the Peak District National Park is 5.4 mi away. Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Rocester
27 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Rocester and the kilometre around it, 2.5 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
Staffordshire Way (Rushton Spencer - Cannock Chase)7.5 km
Limestone Way3.0 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Staffordshire Way (Rushton Spencer - Cannock Chase) and Limestone 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 Rocester: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 71 | 61 | 59 | 57 | 58 | 68 | 72 | 70 | 66 | 85 | 80 | 88 |
April is the driest month (57 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 88 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Rocester →
Things to do
7 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 7
Plus 7 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.
DoveridgeUttoxeterMayfieldUpper TeanAshbourneCheadleRocester
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Mayfield, 4.7 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Rocester
What is the biggest park in Rocester?
Robert's Green, 2.2 ha (5 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Rocester near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 5.4 mi north of the village’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Rocester?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Staffordshire Way (Rushton Spencer - Cannock Chase) and Limestone Way.
How many people in Rocester live near a park?
58% 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 Rocester?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Rocester good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 46% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 98% (15.2 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 Rocester’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Rocester’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.