Photo: Kelly · CC0Parks and walks in Lakenheath
Parks and playing fields in Lakenheath add up to 1.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 57% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Footpaths add up to 28 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.4 for every square kilometre. Lakenheath grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Lakenheath grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lakenheath, 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.
How Lakenheath compares with UK towns of 4,400 to 4,700
The 60 UK towns and cities of 4,400 to 4,700 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Lakenheath falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 51 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keswick Cumbria | A+ | 9.1 | 100% | 4.1 | 100% |
| 2 | Lawford Essex | A+ | 3.4 | 94% | 2.8 | 40% |
| 3 | Chipstead and Woodmansterne Surrey | A+ | 10.3 | 92% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 4 | Hamble-le-Rice Hampshire | A+ | 12.7 | 67% | 3.6 | 7% |
| 5 | Monkton Heathfield Somerset | A | 2.4 | 100% | 4.4 | 8% |
| 6 | Fortuneswell Dorset | A | 1.1 | 100% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 7 | Kimberley Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Stanton Hill and Skegby Nottinghamshire | A− | 16.1 | 83% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Cringleford Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 94% | 7.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Nantyglo Gwent | A− | 2.5 | 82% | 3.7 | 29% |
| 11 | Brampton South Yorkshire | A− | 4.4 | 100% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Wheathampstead Hertfordshire | A− | 3.1 | 93% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Hugglescote Leicestershire | B+ | 4.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 14 | Winscombe and Sandford Somerset | B+ | 3.5 | 52% | 3.6 | 38% |
| 15 | Kings Worthy Hampshire | B+ | 3.9 | 66% | 3 | 23% |
| 16 | Elmswell Suffolk | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire | B | 4.5 | 72% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Blackhall Colliery County Durham | B | 1.1 | 95% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Callington Cornwall | B | 2.1 | 100% | 1.1 | 21% |
| 20 | Whaley Bridge Derbyshire | B | 1.6 | 44% | 4.3 | 53% |
| 21 | Lyneham Wiltshire | B− | 1.5 | 94% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 22 | High Lane Greater Manchester | B− | 1.5 | 67% | 4.6 | 12% |
| 23 | Alderley Edge Cheshire | B− | 2.2 | 86% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Finedon Northamptonshire | B− | 3.9 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Bromham Bedfordshire | B− | 3.8 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Irchester Northamptonshire | B− | 8.2 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 27 | Cwmavon West Glamorgan | B− | 2.3 | 75% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Llay Clwyd | B− | 10.6 | 85% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Cleadon Tyne and Wear | B− | 2.1 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Toddington Bedfordshire | B− | 0.9 | 86% | 3.1 | 8% |
| 31 | Blaina Gwent | C+ | 2.1 | 53% | 3.1 | 13% |
| 32 | Loughor West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.1 | 70% | 1.2 | 6% |
| 33 | Stamford Bridge East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Brinsley and Underwood Nottinghamshire | C+ | 3.3 | 71% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Iwade Kent | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Kennington Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.1 | 58% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Howden East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 94% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 38 | Southminster Essex | C+ | 1.8 | 92% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Queen's Hills Norfolk | C | 0.4 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 40 | Backworth Tyne and Wear | C | 2 | 59% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Eccleston Lancashire | C | 2.4 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 42 | Clapham Bedfordshire | C | 1.3 | 94% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Kilburn and Horsley Woodhouse Derbyshire | C | 1.6 | 75% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 44 | Skelmanthorpe West Yorkshire | C | 1 | 88% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Makeney Derbyshire | C | 2.1 | 56% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Coxhoe County Durham | C | 1.4 | 66% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Kinver Staffordshire | C | 3.1 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Woodhall Spa Lincolnshire | C− | 1.9 | 61% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Wesham Lancashire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Preesall and Knott End-on-Sea Lancashire | C− | 0.7 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Bricket Wood Hertfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 43% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Stretton Staffordshire | C− | 3.7 | 49% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Crowland Lincolnshire | C− | 2.8 | 70% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Freckleton Lancashire | D | 0.4 | 73% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Linton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.1 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Welton Lincolnshire | D | 2 | 57% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Ynysybwl Mid Glamorgan | D | 2.3 | 60% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Lakenheath Suffolk | D | 1.1 | 57% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Broughton Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 39% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Elm and Emneth Norfolk | D | 2.2 | 45% | 0.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lakenheath’s built-up area.
6 in 10 Lakenheath 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 2,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 22 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 208 residents.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Lakenheath
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lakenheath and the kilometre around it, 2.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The regional route here is the Hereward Way.
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 Lakenheath: 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 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 50 | 35 | 38 | 37 | 45 | 65 | 63 | 59 | 53 | 59 | 54 | 54 |
February is the driest month (35 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 June, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Lakenheath →
22 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
Lakenheath 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
Nature reserves 2
Playgrounds 22
Plus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakenheath | D | 1.1 | 57% | 0% |
| Little Eriswell 1.9 mi | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 0% |
| Beck Row 3.3 mi | C | 5.3 | 76% | 0% |
| Hockwold cum Wilton 3.6 mi | D | 1.6 | 75% | 0% |
| Mildenhall 4.6 mi | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 0% |
| Brandon 4.7 mi | D | 0.8 | 39% | 0% |
| Feltwell 4.9 mi | D− | 1.1 | 63% | 0% |
Mildenhall, 4.6 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 91% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Beck Row has at least twice Lakenheath’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Lakenheath
Is Lakenheath near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Lakenheath.
What are the best walks near Lakenheath?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Hereward Way.
What is the nearest beach to Lakenheath?
The Beach, 4.8 mi from the edge of the town. Lakenheath itself is inland.
How many people in Lakenheath live near a park?
57% 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 Lakenheath?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Lakenheath good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 42% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 14% (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 Lakenheath’s overall grade.
Where Lakenheath’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.