Felixstowe’s biggestHistoric park · Grade II
Cliff Gardens
Park or garden
2.7 ha (7 acres)2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Felixstowe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Martin Pettitt · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Felixstowe · parks, paths & countryside
Felixstowe is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 53% of the area within 5 km. The Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape reaches the edge of Felixstowe. Footpaths add up to 66 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.9 for every square kilometre. Felixstowe grades A− for the outdoors: #6 of 34 in Suffolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
88%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
66 km
1.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
28%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape
The sea
53%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Felixstowe?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast53% of the area within 5 km is sea; 13 beaches mapped.Protected countryside28% of the land within 5 km is Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.Historic parksCliff Gardens and Town Hall Garden is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Felixstowe’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep.
Outdoors grade
Felixstowe grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Felixstowe, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A−
Better than 83% of UK towns#6 of 34 in Suffolk · 13th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
45out of
100
100
A park within a walk88%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
62out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape28%of the land within 5 km
83out of
100
100
Footpaths1.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
26out of
100
100
The sea53%of the area within 5 km
99out 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.
Towns its size
Felixstowe is 13th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 22,400 to 26,300 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
Felixstowe1.9
Towns its size3.5
Suffolk towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Felixstowe2.0
Towns its size2.5
Suffolk towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Felixstowe88%
Towns its size82%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Felixstowe falls furthest behind on path per km², where 58 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | A+ | 5.7 | 96% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 2 | Stroud Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.6 | 79% | 5.8 | 70% |
| 3 | Falmouth Cornwall | A | 1.3 | 96% | 3.5 | 41% |
| 4 | Caterham Surrey | A | 4.3 | 84% | 4.3 | 17% |
| 5 | Newport Isle of Wight | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3.8 | 37% |
| 6 | Ash and Ash Vale Surrey | A | 4.3 | 72% | 5.4 | 20% |
| 7 | Huntingdon Cambridgeshire | A | 5.7 | 99% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Thornaby-on-Tees North Yorkshire | A | 5.4 | 92% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Larkfield Kent | A− | 5.6 | 75% | 3.4 | 27% |
| 10 | South Ockendon Essex | A− | 2.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Droylsden Greater Manchester | A− | 5.2 | 95% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Reigate Surrey | A− | 5.5 | 58% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 13 | Felixstowe Suffolk | A− | 2 | 88% | 1.9 | 28% |
| 14 | Heanor Derbyshire | A− | 4.2 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Gorleston-on-Sea Norfolk | A− | 1.4 | 81% | 3.2 | 17% |
| 16 | Hedge End Hampshire | A− | 5.5 | 87% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 17 | Little Hulton Greater Manchester | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 18 | Wilmslow Cheshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | Kempston Bedfordshire | A− | 4.9 | 88% | 4 | 0% |
| 20 | Newton-le-Willows Merseyside | A− | 5.2 | 99% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 21 | Ryde Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.6 | 19% |
| 22 | Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 74% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 23 | Ingleby Barwick North Yorkshire | B+ | 2.9 | 87% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Maldon Essex | B+ | 2.8 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Whitehaven Cumbria | B+ | 1.8 | 91% | 2 | 1% |
| 26 | Chesham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 64% |
| 27 | Herne Bay Kent | B+ | 2.3 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 28 | Thatcham Berkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 87% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 29 | Fleetwood Lancashire | B+ | 2.7 | 92% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Cheadle Hulme Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock Essex | B+ | 2.2 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Oadby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.7 | 92% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Bradley Stoke Gloucestershire | B+ | 2 | 93% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Seaford East Sussex | B+ | 0.8 | 73% | 2.8 | 52% |
| 35 | Orrell Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.1 | 77% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 36 | Swinton Greater Manchester | B | 3.9 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Newton Aycliffe County Durham | B | 2.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Rugeley Staffordshire | B | 1.2 | 94% | 2.7 | 37% |
| 39 | Broadstairs Kent | B | 1.7 | 76% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Sudbury Suffolk | B | 3.8 | 77% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Truro Cornwall | B | 1.6 | 84% | 2.9 | 21% |
| 42 | Hailsham East Sussex | B | 1.4 | 87% | 3.2 | 12% |
| 43 | Rawtenstall Lancashire | B | 1.9 | 83% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Royton Greater Manchester | B− | 2.8 | 71% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Thetford Norfolk | B− | 2.9 | 65% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 46 | St Austell Cornwall | B− | 1.2 | 71% | 2.5 | 7% |
| 47 | Bishop Auckland County Durham | B− | 2.7 | 85% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Chester-le-Street County Durham | C+ | 1.7 | 75% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Hindley Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.5 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Coseley West Midlands | C+ | 1.4 | 84% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Newquay Cornwall | C+ | 1.6 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Ashford Surrey | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Clifton Nottinghamshire | C+ | 1.5 | 76% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Market Harborough Leicestershire | C+ | 1.9 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Formby Merseyside | C+ | 1.4 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Ascot Berkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 56% | 3 | 0% |
| 57 | Potters Bar Hertfordshire | C | 1.6 | 71% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Golborne Greater Manchester | C | 3 | 66% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Wickersley and Bramley South Yorkshire | C | 1.7 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Retford Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.3 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Felixstowe’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 Felixstowe
The biggest is Cliff Gardens, 2.7 ha (7 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 6 named parks by size: 9 ha (23 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 9.3 ha
The two biggest, Cliff Gardens and Langer Park, are 62% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them. 3 of the 6 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Langer Park
Park or garden
3.1 ha (8 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Martello Park
Park or garden
2.1 ha (5 acres)0.4 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi southfrom the centre
Martello Tower P and Wireless Green monument +1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Allenby Park
Park or garden
1.1 ha (3 acres)0.4 km of path
0.5 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Town Hall Garden
Park or garden
0.2 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Felixstowe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Triangle
Park or garden
0.2 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Felixstowe
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Felixstowe 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 (88%)Further (13%)
Felixstowe88%
Towns its size82%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 3,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 23 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,053 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Felixstowe
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
National Landscape
Suffolk Coast & Heaths
At the edge north443 km²since 197028% of the land within 5 km
Official site28% of the land within 5 km of Felixstowe is National Park or National Landscape, more than 82% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Felixstowe is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
66 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Felixstowe and the kilometre around it, 1.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegional
King Charles III England Coast Path: Shotley Gate to Felixstowe Ferry18.3 km
Stour & Orwell Walk14.3 km
Suffolk Coast Path9.6 km
European walking route E2, UK, East of England7.4 km
Essex Way (Ramsey to Harwich)1.4 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Felixstowe. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Stour & Orwell Walk, Suffolk Coast Path and Essex Way (Ramsey to Harwich).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Felixstowe
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Felixstowe’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Cliff Gardens
2.7 ha. Part of Cliff Gardens and Town Hall Garden, a registered historic park (Grade II). 0 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
Listed buildings insideMartello ParkMartello Tower P and Wireless Green and Martello Tower P
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Felixstowe: 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 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 48 | 39 | 33 | 31 | 39 | 44 | 46 | 54 | 46 | 56 | 56 | 54 |
April is the driest month (31 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 56 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 20 nights a year. The climate in Felixstowe →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Felixstowe
53% of the area within 5 km of Felixstowe is sea. 13 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Trimley Shores1.2 mi from town
DirectionsThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
23 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Landguard Nature Reserve26 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 23
Adastral Close Play Areain town
DirectionsFarriers Went Swings0.3 mi from town
DirectionsKingsfleet Park1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 20 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways 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.
Trimley St MaryTrimley St MartinKirtonShotley GateHarwichMartlesham HeathFelixstowe
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | A− | 2.0 | 88% | 28% |
| Trimley St Mary 1.4 mi | A+ | 2.3 | 100% | 34% |
| Trimley St Martin 2.4 mi | A+ | 1.7 | 100% | 43% |
| Kirton 3.1 mi | A+ | 2.5 | 100% | 50% |
| Shotley Gate 3.5 mi | A− | 1.0 | 100% | 34% |
| Harwich 4.3 mi | A− | 1.7 | 95% | 20% |
| Martlesham Heath 7.4 mi | A− | 3.5 | 68% | 25% |
Trimley St Mary, 1.4 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Felixstowe
What is the biggest park in Felixstowe?
Cliff Gardens, 2.7 ha (7 acres), with 2.1 km of path. Langer Park (3.1 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Felixstowe near a National Park?
It covers 443 km² and was designated in 1970.
What are the best walks near Felixstowe?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Shotley Gate to Felixstowe Ferry, Stour & Orwell Walk and Suffolk Coast Path. Cliff Gardens alone has 2.1 km of path.
How many people in Felixstowe live near a park?
88% 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 Felixstowe?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Felixstowe are historic?
Cliff Gardens and Town Hall Garden (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Felixstowe good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 26% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 45% (2.0 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 Felixstowe’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Felixstowe’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.