Babergh Hall · Photo: Sandy Gerrard · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Acton lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Dedham Vale National Landscape begins 4.8 mi from the village’s edge. 19 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.8 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Acton add up to 1.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Acton grades C for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Acton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Acton’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by the Dedham Vale National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Acton grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Acton, 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.
Acton is 38th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,600 to 1,700 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Acton stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 41 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 | Hutton Somerset | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.2 | 22% |
| 7 | Lynemouth Northumberland | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Hemyock Devon | A− | 3.2 | 100% | 1.3 | 82% |
| 9 | Bean Kent | A− | 17 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Clayhanger West Midlands | A− | 17.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 11 | Harrold Bedfordshire | A− | 19.1 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Bathampton Somerset | A− | 1 | 85% | 5.5 | 62% |
| 13 | Hampton Magna Warwickshire | A− | 6.8 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 14 | Starcross Devon | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 15 | Aldbourne Wiltshire | B+ | 3.2 | 84% | 1.8 | 100% |
| 16 | Kingsdown Kent | B+ | 1.1 | 67% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 17 | Great Kingshill Buckinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 55% | 2.9 | 84% |
| 18 | Abridge Essex | B | 3 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Ardingly West Sussex | B | 1.7 | 53% | 4.1 | 83% |
| 20 | Silkstone South Yorkshire | B | 1 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Edgworth Lancashire | B | 3.2 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Normandy Surrey | B− | 3.2 | 23% | 3.1 | 26% |
| 23 | Streethouse West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Eynsford Kent | B− | 2.1 | 81% | 1.9 | 46% |
| 25 | Woodsetts South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 26 | Allhallows Kent | B− | 3.2 | 76% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 27 | Onley Northamptonshire | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 28 | West Horndon Essex | C+ | 2.2 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 29 | Pilling Lancashire | C+ | 4.2 | 46% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Seahouses and North Sunderland Northumberland | C+ | 1.6 | 17% | 1.7 | 21% |
| 31 | Chipperfield Hertfordshire | C+ | 2.4 | 37% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 32 | Bartestree Herefordshire | C+ | 2.1 | 81% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 33 | Rocester Staffordshire | C+ | 15.2 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Templecombe Somerset | C+ | 2 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 35 | New Arley Warwickshire | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 36 | High Littleton Somerset | C+ | 1 | 58% | 4.9 | 1% |
| 37 | Potterspury Northamptonshire | C | 1.4 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Acton Suffolk | C | 1.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Stonesfield Oxfordshire | C | 1.9 | 60% | 1.8 | 38% |
| 40 | Earith Cambridgeshire | C | 1.2 | 78% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Wylam Northumberland | C− | 1.1 | 74% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Thorney Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.4 | 74% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Lower Quinton Warwickshire | C− | 2 | 49% | 1.3 | 18% |
| 44 | Modbury Devon | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 1.2 | 41% |
| 45 | Creunant West Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 79% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Pensilva Cornwall | C− | 1.6 | 60% | 1.3 | 15% |
| 47 | Whitehill County Durham | C− | 0.3 | 0% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Sywell and Overstone Northamptonshire | D | 3.1 | 62% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Upper Arncott Oxfordshire | D | 3.1 | 59% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Thurcaston Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 33% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Leverington Cambridgeshire | D | 2.8 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Dobwalls Cornwall | D | 1.4 | 28% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 53 | Tiddington Warwickshire | D | 0.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Soughton Clwyd | D | 0.4 | 67% | 1.3 | 3% |
| 55 | Skirlaugh East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1 | 85% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Woodborough Nottinghamshire | D− | 1 | 45% | 2 | 0% |
| 57 | Ulceby Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 72% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Scarcroft West Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 15% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Welford-on-Avon Warwickshire | D− | 0.4 | 48% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Fenton North Yorkshire | D− | 0.3 | 50% | 0.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Acton’s built-up area.
How close Acton’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; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 333 residents.
The Dedham Vale National Landscape is 4.8 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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Acton scores 0% on it even though the Dedham Vale National Landscape is 4.8 mi away.
13 waymarked walks pass through or near Acton
19 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Acton and the kilometre around it, 1.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the St Edmund Way and Stour Valley Path part 2.
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 Acton: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 55 | 45 | 39 | 40 | 47 | 52 | 51 | 65 | 49 | 65 | 65 | 60 |
March is the driest month (39 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 65 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Acton →
5 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
Acton 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
Nature reserves 1
Plus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acton | C | 1.6 | 100% | 0% |
| Great Waldingfield 1.1 mi | C | 2.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Long Melford 2.0 mi | B+ | 6.9 | 87% | 0% |
| Sudbury 2.3 mi | B | 3.8 | 77% | 0% |
| Lavenham 3.1 mi | C | 4.2 | 59% | 0% |
| Glemsford 4.6 mi | C− | 1.1 | 84% | 0% |
| Bures 6.6 mi | A | 5.4 | 100% | 14% |
Bures, 6.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Long Melford, Sudbury and Lavenham have at least twice Acton’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Acton
Is Acton near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Dedham Vale National Landscape, 4.8 mi south-east of the village’s edge. It covers 91 km² and was designated in 1970.
What are the best walks near Acton?
13 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the St Edmund Way, Melford Hall to Sudbury Mill Walk, Melford Hall and Countryside Walk, Melford Hall.
What is the nearest beach to Acton?
The Beach, 22 mi from the edge of the village, then Trimley Shores (22 mi). Acton itself is inland.
How many people in Acton 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 Acton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Acton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 25% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 32% (1.6 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 Acton’s overall grade.
Where Acton’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.