Melton’s biggest
Melton Riverside
Park or garden
3.8 ha (9 acres)1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Adrian Cable · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Melton · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Melton lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape reaches the edge of Melton. Parks and playing fields in Melton add up to 6.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 43 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 4.1 for every square kilometre. Melton grades A+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
6.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
43 km
4.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
33%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Melton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam6.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 91% of UK towns.Protected countryside33% of the land within 5 km is Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape.A village of footpaths4.1 km of path per km², more than 83% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.
Melton’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Melton grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Melton, 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 almost every UK town3rd of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space6.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
91out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape33%of the land within 5 km
85out of
100
100
Footpaths4.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
83out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 3.1% sea, under the 5% that counts
42out 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.
Villages its size
Melton is 3rd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,500 to 1,700 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
Melton4.1
Villages its size2.5
Suffolk towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Melton6.5
Villages its size2.0
Suffolk towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Melton100%
Villages its size80%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Melton stands out most for park space per resident: only 11 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portskewett Gwent | A+ | 10 | 100% | 2.9 | 3% |
| 2 | Stanhope County Durham | A+ | 7.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 86% |
| 3 | Melton Suffolk | A+ | 6.5 | 100% | 4.1 | 33% |
| 4 | Salcombe Devon | A+ | 2 | 100% | 3.3 | 65% |
| 5 | Wood Street Village Surrey | A+ | 25.7 | 81% | 4.9 | 18% |
| 6 | Ducklington Oxfordshire | A | 10.1 | 79% | 4.8 | 4% |
| 7 | Roydon Essex | A | 3.5 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 8 | St Athan South Glamorgan | A | 2.2 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 9 | Sabden Lancashire | A− | 0.8 | 100% | 5 | 38% |
| 10 | Hale Bank Cheshire | A− | 9.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 11 | West Wellow Hampshire | A− | 3.6 | 82% | 2.7 | 51% |
| 12 | Shillington Bedfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 83% | 3.2 | 14% |
| 13 | Bean Kent | A− | 17 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Woodhouse Eaves Leicestershire | A− | 35.7 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Kewstoke Somerset | A− | 1.3 | 74% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 16 | Hampton Magna Warwickshire | A− | 6.8 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Sonning Berkshire | A− | 11.1 | 80% | 2.5 | 7% |
| 18 | Thorpe-le-Soken Essex | A− | 4.2 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 19 | East Dean and Friston East Sussex | B+ | 1.2 | 18% | 4.6 | 58% |
| 20 | Stithians Cornwall | B+ | 3.2 | 80% | 3.4 | 3% |
| 21 | Staining Lancashire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 22 | King's Cliffe Northamptonshire | B+ | 3.3 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 23 | Seal Kent | B+ | 3.3 | 78% | 2.1 | 77% |
| 24 | Littlebourne Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 100% | 3 | 9% |
| 25 | Farcet Cambridgeshire | B+ | 13.8 | 77% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Mount Hawke Cornwall | B | 1.4 | 85% | 2 | 6% |
| 27 | Fence Lancashire | B | 1.3 | 62% | 6.2 | 32% |
| 28 | Wick Gloucestershire | B− | 1.8 | 56% | 3.6 | 39% |
| 29 | Sibertswold Kent | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 2.2 | 38% |
| 30 | Whittington Shropshire | B− | 3.7 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 31 | South Witham Lincolnshire | B− | 2.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 32 | High Harrington Cumbria | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Evenwood County Durham | C+ | 3.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Everton Hampshire | C+ | 1.3 | 58% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 35 | Norton (Norton Juxta Kempsey) Worcestershire | C+ | 0.9 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 36 | Clutton Somerset | C+ | 0.9 | 74% | 3.3 | 11% |
| 37 | Four Lanes Cornwall | C | 0.6 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Potterspury Northamptonshire | C | 1.4 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Blisworth Northamptonshire | C | 2.2 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Buxted East Sussex | C | 1.1 | 63% | 2.4 | 52% |
| 41 | Harden West Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 40% | 5 | 0% |
| 42 | Scawby Lincolnshire | C− | 25.7 | 68% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Higher Walton Lancashire | C− | 2.2 | 61% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Arksey South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Rawcliffe East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Horsmonden Kent | C− | 0.5 | 79% | 0.9 | 50% |
| 47 | Baston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.3 | 78% | 1 | 0% |
| 48 | Sywell and Overstone Northamptonshire | D | 3.1 | 62% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Ainsworth Greater Manchester | D | 0.4 | 64% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Whittlesford Cambridgeshire | D | 2.3 | 57% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Henstridge Somerset | D | 1.8 | 47% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Moulton Lincolnshire | D | 1.9 | 75% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Ketton Rutland | D | 2.1 | 56% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Balsham Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 57% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | St Erme and Trispen Cornwall | D | 0.3 | 69% | 1.2 | 2% |
| 56 | Findern Derbyshire | D | 1.8 | 40% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Scarcroft West Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 15% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Walpole St Peter and Walpole St Andrew Norfolk | D− | 1.7 | 52% | 0.2 | 0% |
| 59 | School Aycliffe County Durham | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Fenton North Yorkshire | D− | 0.3 | 50% | 0.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Melton’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 Melton
The biggest is Melton Riverside, 3.8 ha (9 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Melton’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).
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
Melton100%
Villages its size80%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 115 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Melton
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 south-east443 km²since 197033% of the land within 5 km
Official site33% of the land within 5 km of Melton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 85% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
10 waymarked walks pass through or near Melton
43 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Melton and the kilometre around it, 4.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
RegionalLocal
Sandlings Walk6.8 km
Marshes, Mudflats and Woodbridge Circular Walk, Kyson Hill2.3 km
River View Walk (Green Route), Sutton Hoo2.2 km
Kyson Hill and Kyson Point Walk, Kyson Hill2.2 km
Valley Walk (Red Route), Sutton Hoo2.1 km
Accessible Route to the Royal Burial Ground (Yellow Route), Sutton Hoo1.9 km
Pinewood Walk (Blue Route), Sutton Hoo1.9 km
Route to the Royal Burial Ground and Viewing Tower (Purple Route), Sutton Hoo1.7 km
The Tide Mill Walk1.4 km
Fynn Valley Walk1.1 km
The regional route here is the Sandlings Walk.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Melton: 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 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 46 | 40 | 37 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 57 | 54 | 66 | 64 | 64 |
April is the driest month (37 mm) and July 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 35 nights a year. The climate in Melton →
The coast
Beaches near Melton
3% of the area within 5 km of Melton is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Honolulu Beach0.2 mi from town
DirectionsSea: 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 14 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Foxburrow Farm Nature Reserve50 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 14
Melton Playing Fields Playgroundin town
DirectionsKingston Field Play Area1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 3
Sutton Hoo Campsite0.6 mi from town
DirectionsSutton Hoo Holidays Campsite0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 6
Plus 6 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.
WoodbridgeSutton CommonMartleshamGrundisburghWickham MarketMartlesham HeathMelton
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melton | A+ | 6.5 | 100% | 33% |
| Woodbridge 1.1 mi | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 30% |
| Sutton Common 2.9 mi | C+ | 0.8 | 51% | 85% |
| Martlesham 3.3 mi | B | 2.1 | 69% | 24% |
| Grundisburgh 3.4 mi | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 3% |
| Wickham Market 3.6 mi | C | 2.5 | 64% | 7% |
| Martlesham Heath 3.9 mi | A− | 3.5 | 68% | 25% |
Melton grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Melton
What is the biggest park in Melton?
Melton Riverside, 3.8 ha (9 acres), with 1.8 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Melton near a National Park?
It covers 443 km² and was designated in 1970.
What are the best walks near Melton?
10 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Sandlings Walk, Marshes, Mudflats and Woodbridge Circular Walk, Kyson Hill and River View Walk (Green Route), Sutton Hoo.
How many people in Melton 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 Melton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Melton good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 83% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 91% (6.5 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 Melton’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Melton’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.