Barrow’s biggest
Barrow Green
Park or garden
0.2 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Barrow
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0C−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Barrow · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Barrow lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Barrow add up to 1.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 14 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.6 for every square kilometre. Barrow grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
14 km
1.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Barrow?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Less park per person1.1 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Barrow’s strongest suit is parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Barrow grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Barrow, 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 23% of UK towns43rd of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space1.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
16out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths1.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
18out 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
Barrow is 43rd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,900 to 2,000 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
Barrow1.6
Villages its size2.1
Suffolk towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Barrow1.1
Villages its size2.3
Suffolk towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Barrow100%
Villages its size74%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Barrow 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 48 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westbourne West Sussex | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 57% |
| 2 | Capel-le-Ferne Kent | A+ | 21.8 | 88% | 4 | 52% |
| 3 | Colyton Devon | A+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 79% |
| 4 | Ditchingham Norfolk | A+ | 17.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 13% |
| 5 | Bournmoor County Durham | A | 11 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 6 | Upper Rissington Gloucestershire | A | 6.2 | 100% | 1.2 | 100% |
| 7 | Churchill Somerset | A | 2.8 | 84% | 3.9 | 39% |
| 8 | Wrington Somerset | A | 3.2 | 100% | 2.6 | 20% |
| 9 | Machen Gwent | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Y Bala Gwynedd | A | 4 | 100% | 1.4 | 67% |
| 11 | Ickleford Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 82% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 12 | South Nutfield Surrey | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 13 | Little Haywood Staffordshire | A− | 1.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 34% |
| 14 | Kirkby Lonsdale Cumbria | B+ | 9.2 | 74% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 15 | Pontesbury Shropshire | B+ | 3.1 | 63% | 3.8 | 28% |
| 16 | Polesworth Warwickshire | B+ | 13.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 17 | Wingates Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Ingoldmells Lincolnshire | B+ | 2.8 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Southgate West Glamorgan | B+ | 1.1 | 21% | 3.7 | 56% |
| 20 | Martlesham Suffolk | B | 2.1 | 69% | 3.8 | 24% |
| 21 | Wrotham Kent | B | 1.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 49% |
| 22 | Welsh Bicknor Gloucestershire | B | 2.7 | 31% | 3.3 | 45% |
| 23 | Beare Green Surrey | B | 1.6 | 70% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 24 | Wheaton Aston Staffordshire | B− | 2.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 25 | Dilton Marsh Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 67% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 26 | Hutton Cranswick East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 5 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Wooler Northumberland | B− | 3.3 | 81% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 28 | Barmouth Gwynedd | B− | 0.5 | 60% | 2 | 53% |
| 29 | Northleach Gloucestershire | B− | 1.5 | 68% | 2.6 | 100% |
| 30 | Leeswood Clwyd | C+ | 4 | 83% | 0.7 | 2% |
| 31 | Audley Staffordshire | C+ | 3.4 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Wickham Bishops Essex | C+ | 3.4 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Axbridge Somerset | C+ | 1.3 | 72% | 2.8 | 51% |
| 34 | Stratton Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 23% | 3 | 8% |
| 35 | Whitchurch Somerset | C+ | 2.3 | 47% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 36 | High Spen Tyne and Wear | C+ | 3.3 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 37 | Hatton Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 38 | Ramsden Heath Essex | C | 2.3 | 82% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Presteigne Powys | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 40 | West Haddon Northamptonshire | C | 2.3 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Sleights North Yorkshire | C | 0.9 | 30% | 1.5 | 80% |
| 42 | Longrock Cornwall | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.2 | 26% |
| 43 | Barrow Suffolk | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Chivenor and Wrafton Devon | C− | 0.6 | 0% | 1.7 | 17% |
| 45 | Black Notley Essex | C− | 1.6 | 36% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Pool-in-Wharfedale West Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 44% | 1.6 | 7% |
| 47 | Ashwell Hertfordshire | C− | 3 | 52% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Stocksfield Northumberland | C− | 2.2 | 40% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Briston Norfolk | D | 2.7 | 69% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Broughton Northamptonshire | D | 2.7 | 70% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Cookley Worcestershire | D | 2.3 | 52% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Hutton Rudby North Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 35% | 1.1 | 13% |
| 53 | Morda Shropshire | D | 0.7 | 84% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Greylees Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Shawbury Shropshire | D− | 2.2 | 30% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Wheldrake North Yorkshire | D− | 1.4 | 72% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Tollerton Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Rossett Clwyd | D− | 0.3 | 55% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Goostrey Cheshire | D− | 0.3 | 42% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Bottisham Cambridgeshire | D− | 0 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Barrow’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 Barrow
The biggest is Barrow Green, 0.2 ha (0 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Burthorpe Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
0.5 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Barrow’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 (100%)Further (0%)
Barrow100%
Villages its size74%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Barrow
14 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Barrow and the kilometre around it, 1.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Barrow; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Barrow: 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 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 55 | 41 | 39 | 39 | 48 | 55 | 54 | 63 | 49 | 59 | 59 | 56 |
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 63 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 38 nights a year. The climate in Barrow →
Things to do
2 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
Barrow is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
The Beach10 mi from Barrow’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
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 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.
KentfordBury St EdmundsRed LodgeNewmarketCock and EndMildenhallBarrow
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 0% |
| Kentford 4.2 mi | D− | 1.9 | 0% | 0% |
| Bury St Edmunds 5.5 mi | B− | 3.0 | 78% | 0% |
| Red Lodge 5.6 mi | C | 1.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Newmarket 7.6 mi | C+ | 1.9 | 91% | 0% |
| Cock and End 7.8 mi | D− | 0.0 | 0% | 0% |
| Mildenhall 7.9 mi | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 0% |
Bury St Edmunds, 5.5 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 78% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Bury St Edmunds has at least twice Barrow’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Barrow
What is the biggest park in Barrow?
Barrow Green, 0.2 ha (0 acres). Burthorpe Green (0.1 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Barrow near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Barrow.
What is the nearest beach to Barrow?
The Beach, 10 mi from the edge of the village. Barrow itself is inland.
How many people in Barrow 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 Barrow?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Barrow good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 18% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 16% (1.1 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 Barrow’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Barrow’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.