Photo: Trevor Harris · CC BY-SA 2.0Almost everyone in Bildeston lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Dedham Vale National Landscape begins 5.7 mi from the village’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Bildeston add up to 0.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 8 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.3 for every square kilometre. Bildeston grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Bildeston?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Bildeston’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.
Bildeston grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bildeston, 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.
Bildeston is 48th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,000 to 1,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Bildeston 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 55 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giggleswick North Yorkshire | A+ | 14.2 | 100% | 4.1 | 75% |
| 2 | Illogan Cornwall | A+ | 3 | 100% | 3.2 | 7% |
| 3 | Polgooth Cornwall | A+ | 7 | 100% | 2 | 13% |
| 4 | Chagford Devon | A+ | 4.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 98% |
| 5 | Masham North Yorkshire | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 3 | 44% |
| 6 | Alston Cumbria | A | 5.8 | 100% | 2.1 | 100% |
| 7 | Tolvaddon Cornwall | A | 11.9 | 24% | 4.5 | 9% |
| 8 | Leigh Kent | A | 3 | 100% | 2.6 | 49% |
| 9 | Moston Cheshire | A | 7.8 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Charnock Richard Lancashire | A | 29.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Barns Green West Sussex | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 12 | Mayfield Staffordshire | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 13 | Winford Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 0% | 4.4 | 39% |
| 14 | Llanddulas Clwyd | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | North Thoresby Lincolnshire | B+ | 3.7 | 100% | 0.8 | 21% |
| 16 | Bethel Gwynedd | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 1.4 | 10% |
| 17 | Grassington North Yorkshire | B+ | 1.3 | 79% | 4.1 | 100% |
| 18 | Groombridge East Sussex | B+ | 2.3 | 77% | 2.8 | 92% |
| 19 | South Bents Tyne and Wear | B+ | 4.9 | 62% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Borth Dyfed | B | 3.1 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Upperthong West Yorkshire | B | 1.7 | 65% | 4.7 | 26% |
| 22 | Fishtoft Lincolnshire | B | 2.3 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 23 | Barwick and Stoford Somerset | B | 6.4 | 71% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 24 | Holt Clwyd | B | 0.9 | 100% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Milborne St Andrew Dorset | B | 3.3 | 71% | 2.1 | 33% |
| 26 | Pentre Halkyn Clwyd | B | 1.3 | 59% | 3.6 | 3% |
| 27 | Nanpean Cornwall | B | 4.4 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Bedlinog Mid Glamorgan | B | 4.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 29 | Goudhurst Kent | B | 1.5 | 100% | 1.2 | 65% |
| 30 | Challock Kent | B− | 3 | 62% | 2 | 88% |
| 31 | Twyning Gloucestershire | B− | 1 | 100% | 2.5 | 10% |
| 32 | Shipham Somerset | B− | 1.2 | 63% | 4 | 55% |
| 33 | South Wingfield Derbyshire | B− | 5.4 | 75% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Roydon (South Norfolk) Norfolk | B− | 4.3 | 50% | 4 | 0% |
| 35 | Beeford East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 3.9 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Milford Derbyshire | C+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Easton on the Hill Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Castlethorpe Buckinghamshire | C+ | 3.5 | 72% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Lower Shiplake Oxfordshire | C+ | 3 | 0% | 2 | 28% |
| 40 | Ashchurch Gloucestershire | C | 2 | 59% | 2.2 | 21% |
| 41 | Bow Street Dyfed | C | 3.1 | 33% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Woodhouses Greater Manchester | C | 2.6 | 40% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Charlton Marshall Dorset | C | 0.5 | 78% | 2 | 50% |
| 44 | Glazebury Cheshire | C− | 5.1 | 58% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Milverton Somerset | C− | 2.1 | 70% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Pattishall and Astcote Northamptonshire | C− | 2.9 | 39% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | North Leverton with Habblesthorpe Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.5 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Bildeston Suffolk | C− | 0.5 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Farmborough Somerset | C− | 2 | 38% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Cawston Norfolk | D | 2.7 | 71% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Broad Oak (Wealden) East Sussex | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.4 | 96% |
| 52 | Wattstown Mid Glamorgan | D | 3.1 | 26% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Landrake Cornwall | D | 0.9 | 0% | 0.6 | 38% |
| 54 | Aberporth Dyfed | D | 0.6 | 38% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Reawla Cornwall | D | 0.2 | 0% | 2 | 3% |
| 56 | Stickney Lincolnshire | D | 2.4 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
| 57 | Berryfield Wiltshire | D− | 0.4 | 53% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Pilton Somerset | D− | 1.2 | 28% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 59 | Great Horwood Buckinghamshire | D− | 0.8 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Whaplode Lincolnshire | D− | 0.4 | 0% | 0.2 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bildeston’s built-up area.
How close Bildeston’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.
The Dedham Vale National Landscape is 5.7 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 Bildeston scores 0% on it even though the Dedham Vale National Landscape is 5.7 mi away.
Footpaths in and around Bildeston
8 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bildeston and the kilometre around it, 1.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Bildeston; 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.
The best walking months in Bildeston: 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 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 50 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 50 | 52 | 53 | 62 | 53 | 62 | 62 | 58 |
April 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 62 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Bildeston →
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
Bildeston 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
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bildeston | C− | 0.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Great Bricett 2.8 mi | D− | 1.2 | 0% | 0% |
| Elmsett 4.2 mi | C | 3.4 | 82% | 0% |
| Lavenham 4.7 mi | C | 4.2 | 59% | 0% |
| Hadleigh 4.7 mi | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 10% |
| Great Waldingfield 6.5 mi | C | 2.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Stowmarket 6.7 mi | C− | 0.8 | 50% | 0% |
Hadleigh, 4.7 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 87% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Great Bricett, Elmsett and Lavenham have at least twice Bildeston’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Bildeston
Is Bildeston near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Dedham Vale National Landscape, 5.7 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 91 km² and was designated in 1970.
What is the nearest beach to Bildeston?
Trimley Shores, 18 mi from the edge of the village, then Honolulu Beach (18 mi). Bildeston itself is inland.
How many people in Bildeston 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 Bildeston?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bildeston good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 12% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 4% (0.5 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 Bildeston’s overall grade.
Where Bildeston’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.