Lowestoft’s biggest
Normanston Park
Park or garden
16 ha (39 acres)1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
22 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stavros1 · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Lowestoft · parks, paths & countryside
Lowestoft is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 39% of the area within 5 km. The Broads National Park and the Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape both begin about a mile from the town’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Lowestoft add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Lowestoft grades A− for the outdoors: #7 of 34 in Suffolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
79%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
158 km
3.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
17%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: the Broads National Park
The sea
39%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Lowestoft?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast39% of the area within 5 km is sea; 8 beaches mapped.Countryside both waysthe Broads starts 0.0 mi west, Suffolk Coast & Heaths 0.9 mi south-west.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.Less park per person1.8 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Lowestoft’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by two protected landscapes close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Lowestoft grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lowestoft, 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 82% of UK towns#7 of 34 in Suffolk · 22nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
37out of
100
100
A park within a walk79%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
45out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape17%of the land within 5 km
76out of
100
100
Footpaths3.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
61out of
100
100
The sea39%of the area within 5 km
95out 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
Lowestoft is 22nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 58,100 to 88,100 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
Lowestoft3.0
Towns its size3.7
Suffolk towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Lowestoft1.8
Towns its size2.4
Suffolk towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Lowestoft79%
Towns its size86%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Lowestoft falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 47 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Kent | A+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.6 | 23% |
| 2 | Burnley Lancashire | A+ | 3.4 | 95% | 5.7 | 7% |
| 3 | Dartford Kent | A | 3.9 | 72% | 5.1 | 1% |
| 4 | Runcorn Cheshire | A | 4.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 5 | Ashford Kent | A | 2.7 | 94% | 5.2 | 23% |
| 6 | Guildford Surrey | A | 2.8 | 86% | 6.1 | 31% |
| 7 | Cannock Staffordshire | A | 5.5 | 88% | 3.5 | 26% |
| 8 | Scarborough North Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 86% | 3.1 | 17% |
| 9 | Gravesend Kent | A | 1.4 | 84% | 6.4 | 14% |
| 10 | Chatham Kent | A | 1.6 | 78% | 6.4 | 26% |
| 11 | Barnsley South Yorkshire | A | 4.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Bracknell Berkshire | A | 3.7 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 13 | Gosport Hampshire | A | 3 | 85% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | South Shields Tyne and Wear | A | 2.4 | 80% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 15 | Farnborough Hampshire | A | 4 | 77% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 16 | Paignton Devon | A | 1.8 | 84% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 17 | Weston-super-Mare Somerset | A− | 1.2 | 87% | 3.7 | 8% |
| 18 | Tynemouth Tyne and Wear | A− | 2.2 | 85% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Chesterfield Derbyshire | A− | 2.7 | 86% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 20 | Hereford Herefordshire | A− | 2.6 | 92% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 21 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire | A− | 5.2 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Lowestoft Suffolk | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 3 | 17% |
| 23 | Aylesbury Buckinghamshire | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 9.5 | 5% |
| 24 | Carlisle Cumbria | A− | 3.2 | 91% | 3.1 | 4% |
| 25 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 95% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Dudley West Midlands | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Harrogate North Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 86% | 3.6 | 6% |
| 28 | Redditch Worcestershire | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Mansfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 93% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 30 | High Wycombe Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 5.4 | 67% |
| 31 | Dewsbury West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 92% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Maidenhead Berkshire | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 33 | Huyton with Roby Merseyside | B+ | 3.7 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | B | 2.8 | 90% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Widnes Cheshire | B | 3 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Taunton Somerset | B | 1.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 16% |
| 37 | Sale Greater Manchester | B | 2 | 86% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Corby Northamptonshire | B | 3.4 | 96% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Wallasey Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 90% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Rotherham South Yorkshire | B | 3.1 | 73% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Wigan Greater Manchester | B | 2.7 | 81% | 4 | 0% |
| 42 | Margate Kent | B | 1.8 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 43 | Hartlepool County Durham | B− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Rugby Warwickshire | B− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Tamworth Staffordshire | B− | 2.7 | 89% | 3 | 0% |
| 46 | Grimsby Lincolnshire | B− | 1.3 | 75% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 47 | Bury Greater Manchester | B− | 2.4 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Kettering Northamptonshire | B− | 2.1 | 90% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Stafford Staffordshire | B− | 1.9 | 70% | 3.1 | 11% |
| 50 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 2 | 83% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Halesowen West Midlands | C+ | 2.1 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Woking Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Shrewsbury Shropshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Walsall West Midlands | C+ | 2.5 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 55 | Bognor Regis West Sussex | C | 1.1 | 78% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Loughborough Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 73% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Scunthorpe Lincolnshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Crewe Cheshire | C | 1.6 | 88% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C− | 1.9 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lowestoft’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 Lowestoft
The biggest is Normanston Park, 16 ha (39 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 16 named parks by size: 69 ha (170 acres) and 14 km of path
Parks & gardens 53 haPlaying fields 16 ha
The biggest is Normanston Park, 16 ha (39 acres); no single park dominates.
Bond's Meadow
Park or garden
6.1 ha (15 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Pakefield Park
Park or garden
4.3 ha (11 acres)2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Nicholas Everitt Park
Park or garden
5.1 ha (13 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi north-westfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Carlton Meadow Park
Playing field
6.3 ha (16 acres)1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Kirkley Fen Park
Park or garden
4.8 ha (12 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi south-eastfrom the centre
PlaygroundRussell's Walk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Historic park · Grade II
Bellevue Park
Park or garden
2.7 ha (7 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.8 mi north-eastfrom the centre
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rosedale Park
Park or garden
3.0 ha (7 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 16 named parks and green spaces
Normanston ParkPark or garden · 16 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsBond's MeadowPark or garden · 6.1 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsPakefield ParkPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsNicholas Everitt ParkPark or garden · 5.1 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsCarlton Meadow ParkPlaying field · 6.3 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsKirkley Fen ParkPark or garden · 4.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsBellevue ParkPark or garden · 2.7 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsRosedale ParkPark or garden · 3.0 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsWellington GardensPark or garden · 2.2 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsWellington GardensPark or garden · 2.2 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsGreat Eastern Linear ParkPark or garden · 4.3 ha
DirectionsKensington GardensPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsDenes Recreation GroundPlaying field · 3.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsGunton ParkPlaying field · 3.8 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsBarnard's MeadowPlaying field · 2.4 ha
DirectionsPakefield GreenPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsClose to home
8 in 10 Lowestoft 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 (79%)Further (21%)
Lowestoft79%
Towns its size86%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 15,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 60 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,188 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
the Broads and Suffolk Coast & Heaths both start about a mile from Lowestoft
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
0.9 mi south-west443 km²since 19706% of the land within 5 km
Official site17% of the land within 5 km of Lowestoft is National Park or National Landscape, more than 75% of UK towns. The Broads National Park covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Lowestoft is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
158 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lowestoft and the kilometre around it, 3.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocalOther waymarked
Angles Way11.1 km
Via Beata9.8 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Lowestoft to Sea Palling8.6 km
Suffolk Coast Path6.7 km
Wherry Lines Walk 76.0 km
Waveney Valley Walks - Carlton Marshes5.5 km
Circular route1.2 km
Way Boy Walk0.9 km
Wherry Lines Walk 60.8 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Lowestoft. Close to home, the Wherry Lines Walk 7 has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Angles Way, Via Beata and Suffolk Coast Path.
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 Lowestoft
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Lowestoft’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Bellevue Park
2.7 ha. Part of Belle Vue Park, a registered historic park (Grade II). 2 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIJubilee BridgeIINaval War Memorial
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 Lowestoft: 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 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 51 | 44 | 41 | 35 | 46 | 49 | 55 | 60 | 53 | 66 | 64 | 59 |
April is the driest month (35 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 66 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 25 nights a year. The climate in Lowestoft →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Lowestoft
39% of the area within 5 km of Lowestoft is sea. 8 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 3 with a name.
Gunton Sands0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCorton Sands0.1 mi from town
DirectionsCorton Beach0.2 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
3 viewpoints and 60 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.
3Viewpointsabout the same as towns its size4Nature reserves1.7× towns its size2Picnic sites60Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size4Campsites4.4× towns its size6Slipways14.8× towns its size
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Ness Pointin town
DirectionsThe Octagon0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 4
Corton woods6.9 ha · in town
DirectionsGunton Meadow2.6 ha · in town
DirectionsGunton Warren19 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCarlton Marshes238 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Paul George Burgess Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 60
Fen Parkin town
DirectionsNightingale Road Play Areain town
DirectionsOakwood Road Community Fieldin town
DirectionsThe Bleachin town
DirectionsThirlmere Walk Play Areain town
DirectionsOh My Dog!0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 54 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Jaydene Touring Caravan Park0.4 mi from town
DirectionsThe Hollies0.7 mi from town
DirectionsWaveney River Centre Campground0.9 mi from town
DirectionsBroadland Sands Holiday Park1.0 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 6
Jet Adventures Lowestoft South Pierin town
DirectionsPlus 5 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.
CortonKessinglandHopton on SeaWorlinghamBecclesGorleston-on-SeaLowestoft
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowestoft | A− | 1.8 | 79% | 17% |
| Corton 3.3 mi | A+ | 4.4 | 100% | 5% |
| Kessingland 3.5 mi | C+ | 0.9 | 70% | 19% |
| Hopton on Sea 4.8 mi | A+ | 6.7 | 100% | 2% |
| Worlingham 5.8 mi | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 24% |
| Beccles 6.6 mi | A | 4.5 | 87% | 20% |
| Gorleston-on-Sea 7.2 mi | A− | 1.4 | 81% | 17% |
Corton, 3.3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Corton, Hopton on Sea and Beccles have at least twice Lowestoft’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Lowestoft
What is the biggest park in Lowestoft?
Normanston Park, 16 ha (39 acres), with 1.7 km of path. Bond's Meadow (6.1 ha) is second. 16 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Lowestoft near a National Park?
The Broads National Park reaches the edge of Lowestoft. It covers 302 km² and has been a National Park since 1989.
What are the best walks near Lowestoft?
9 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Angles Way, Via Beata and King Charles III England Coast Path: Lowestoft to Sea Palling.
How many people in Lowestoft live near a park?
79% 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 Lowestoft?
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 Lowestoft are historic?
Belle Vue Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Lowestoft 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 37% (1.8 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 Lowestoft’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Lowestoft’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.