White Horse Inn · Photo: Brammers · CC BY-SA 3.0The Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape begins 0.5 mi from Capel St Mary
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 59% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Capel St Mary add up to 1.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 31 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.0 for every square kilometre. Capel St Mary grades C+ for the outdoors: #23 of 34 in Suffolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Capel St Mary?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Capel St Mary’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Capel St Mary grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Capel St Mary, 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.
Capel St Mary is 34th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,900 to 3,100 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Capel St Mary stands out most for path per km²: only 24 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 42 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rowlands Castle Hampshire | A+ | 26.1 | 100% | 5 | 48% |
| 2 | Halling Kent | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 4.6 | 54% |
| 3 | Arundel West Sussex | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 56% |
| 4 | Theale Berkshire | A+ | 5 | 100% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 5 | Cuxton Kent | A+ | 25.2 | 90% | 4 | 44% |
| 6 | Horton Heath Hampshire | A+ | 10 | 100% | 3.3 | 13% |
| 7 | Beaminster Dorset | A | 4.1 | 89% | 3.4 | 100% |
| 8 | Ebbsfleet Valley Kent | A | 9 | 77% | 8.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Downton Wiltshire | A | 4.3 | 100% | 2 | 59% |
| 10 | Langwith Derbyshire | A | 19.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Ellistown Leicestershire | A | 7.5 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Llangollen Clwyd | A | 3.5 | 91% | 2.5 | 76% |
| 13 | Mortimer Berkshire | A | 2.4 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Menai Bridge Gwynedd | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.4 | 7% |
| 15 | New Marske North Yorkshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Knighton Powys | A− | 2.7 | 81% | 3.4 | 34% |
| 17 | Seaton Sluice Northumberland | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | Rhodes Greater Manchester | B+ | 16.6 | 78% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Milton-under-Wychwood and Shipton-under-Wychwood Oxfordshire | B+ | 4.1 | 87% | 1.3 | 100% |
| 20 | Welham Green Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.5 | 93% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Almondsbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 7.9 | 77% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Wing Buckinghamshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 23 | Newton and Blackwell Derbyshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Camelford Cornwall | B | 2 | 100% | 1.5 | 33% |
| 25 | Newport Essex | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Denholme West Yorkshire | B | 1.6 | 100% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 27 | Weldon Northamptonshire | B | 8.2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Bugbrooke Northamptonshire | B− | 3.7 | 80% | 3 | 0% |
| 29 | Long Hanborough Oxfordshire | B− | 1.3 | 89% | 2.7 | 18% |
| 30 | Harwell Oxfordshire | B− | 1.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 42% |
| 31 | Crumbles East Sussex | B− | 0.3 | 44% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Henley-in-Arden Warwickshire | C+ | 4.6 | 58% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Etwall Derbyshire | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Capel St Mary Suffolk | C+ | 1.5 | 59% | 3 | 24% |
| 35 | Rolleston on Dove Staffordshire | C+ | 3.8 | 84% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Swillington West Yorkshire | C | 2.2 | 68% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Hendy and Fforest Dyfed | C | 2.1 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Sutton Courtenay Oxfordshire | C | 1.2 | 23% | 4 | 6% |
| 39 | Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll Gwynedd | C | 0.8 | 71% | 1.6 | 8% |
| 40 | Bottesford Leicestershire | C | 3.9 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Haddenham Cambridgeshire | C | 2.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Fenstanton Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.8 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 43 | Great Leighs Essex | C− | 1.5 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Lostwithiel Cornwall | C− | 1.6 | 67% | 1.5 | 11% |
| 45 | Burnopfield County Durham | C− | 1.5 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 46 | St Mary's Bay Kent | D | 0 | 0% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Cleobury Mortimer Shropshire | D | 0.8 | 64% | 2 | 2% |
| 48 | Kelsall Cheshire | D | 1 | 57% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 49 | Gamlingay Cambridgeshire | D | 2.1 | 32% | 2 | 0% |
| 50 | Scotter Lincolnshire | D | 2.6 | 61% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Gobowen Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 50% | 1.2 | 2% |
| 52 | Gilberdyke East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 90% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 53 | Thurston Suffolk | D | 1.6 | 39% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Bampton Oxfordshire | D | 1.1 | 63% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Hunmanby North Yorkshire | D | 0.3 | 33% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Queniborough Leicestershire | D | 1.4 | 48% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Kirton in Lindsey Lincolnshire | D− | 1.7 | 57% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Boroughbridge North Yorkshire | D− | 0.4 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 59 | Langstone Gwent | D− | 0.1 | 46% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Feltwell Norfolk | D− | 1.1 | 63% | 0.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Capel St Mary’s built-up area.
6 in 10 Capel St Mary 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).
About 1,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 997 residents.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Capel St Mary
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.
Suffolk Coast & Heaths
24% of the land within 5 km of Capel St Mary is National Park or National Landscape, more than 80% of UK towns.
Footpaths in and around Capel St Mary
31 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Capel St Mary and the kilometre around it, 3.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Capel St Mary; 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 Capel St Mary: May to 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) | 8.2 | 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 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 51 | 45 | 39 | 38 | 48 | 51 | 50 | 62 | 51 | 63 | 63 | 62 |
April is the driest month (38 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 October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 51 nights a year. The climate in Capel St Mary →
3 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
Capel St Mary is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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 3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capel St Mary | C+ | 1.5 | 59% | 24% |
| East Bergholt 2.1 mi | C | 1.9 | 26% | 46% |
| Brantham 2.8 mi | C+ | 1.0 | 27% | 42% |
| Manningtree 4.1 mi | A+ | 5.6 | 100% | 43% |
| Lawford 4.3 mi | A+ | 3.4 | 94% | 40% |
| Mistley 4.6 mi | A | 4.3 | 86% | 41% |
| Hadleigh 4.9 mi | B+ | 2.6 | 87% | 10% |
Manningtree, 4.1 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Manningtree, Lawford and Mistley have at least twice Capel St Mary’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Capel St Mary
Is Capel St Mary near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape, 0.5 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 443 km² and was designated in 1970.
What is the nearest beach to Capel St Mary?
Trimley Shores, 9.5 mi from the edge of the town, then Honolulu Beach (13 mi). Capel St Mary itself is inland.
How many people in Capel St Mary live near a park?
59% 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 Capel St Mary?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Capel St Mary good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 61% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 26% (1.5 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 Capel St Mary’s overall grade.
Where Capel St Mary’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.