Woodbridge’s biggest
Fen Meadow
Park or garden
2.9 ha (7 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Woodbridge
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: David Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Woodbridge · parks, paths & countryside
30% of the land within 5 km of Woodbridge is National Park or National Landscape
The Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape reaches the edge of Woodbridge. Footpaths add up to 70 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Woodbridge add up to 1.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Woodbridge grades B+ for the outdoors: #13 of 34 in Suffolk. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
80%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
70 km
3.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
30%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Woodbridge?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside30% of the land within 5 km is Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape.A town of footpaths3.9 km of path per km², more than 78% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Historic parksWoodbridge Cemetery is a registered historic park (Grade II).Less park per person1.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Woodbridge’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Woodbridge grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Woodbridge, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 69% of UK towns#13 of 34 in Suffolk · 23rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
37out of
100
100
A park within a walk80%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
47out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape30%of the land within 5 km
84out of
100
100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
79out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 3.5% 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.
Towns its size
Woodbridge is 23rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 9,500 to 10,800 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
Woodbridge3.9
Towns its size3.1
Suffolk towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Woodbridge1.7
Towns its size2.1
Suffolk towns2.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Woodbridge80%
Towns its size84%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Woodbridge stands out most for path per km²: only 12 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 36 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caldicot Gwent | A+ | 4.2 | 92% | 3 | 2% |
| 2 | Brierfield Lancashire | A | 2.1 | 92% | 5.6 | 18% |
| 3 | South Merstham Surrey | A | 3.7 | 84% | 3.7 | 20% |
| 4 | Beccles Suffolk | A | 4.5 | 87% | 3.2 | 20% |
| 5 | Nuthall and Watnall Nottinghamshire | A | 6.3 | 97% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 6 | Bradford-on-Avon Wiltshire | A | 2.8 | 88% | 3.7 | 21% |
| 7 | Godalming Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 3.1 | 66% |
| 8 | Southborough Kent | A− | 2.8 | 94% | 2.5 | 57% |
| 9 | Soham Cambridgeshire | A− | 4.7 | 97% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Platt Bridge and Abram Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Royston South Yorkshire | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Kings Hill Kent | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 13 | Padiham Lancashire | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 4.5 | 18% |
| 14 | Bingham Nottinghamshire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Chadwell St Mary Essex | A− | 3.2 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Yarm North Yorkshire | A− | 3.3 | 96% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Tidworth Wiltshire | B+ | 3.7 | 90% | 2.3 | 8% |
| 21 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Corfe Mullen Dorset | B+ | 3.1 | 72% | 3.5 | 13% |
| 23 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 24 | Cranleigh Surrey | B | 2.5 | 20% | 4.3 | 38% |
| 25 | Baldock Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Shildon County Durham | B | 2.8 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Ludlow Shropshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 28 | Great Dunmow Essex | B | 2 | 92% | 4 | 0% |
| 29 | Queensbury West Yorkshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Immingham Lincolnshire | B | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Pembroke Dock Dyfed | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 1.1 | 25% |
| 32 | Caernarfon Gwynedd | B− | 1.7 | 83% | 1.4 | 14% |
| 33 | Horbury West Yorkshire | B− | 2.5 | 75% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Mildenhall Suffolk | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 35 | Monmouth Gwent | B− | 1.5 | 69% | 3.1 | 45% |
| 36 | Radstock Somerset | B− | 1.1 | 93% | 2.9 | 1% |
| 37 | Whitchurch Shropshire | B− | 2.7 | 86% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 38 | Mold Clwyd | C+ | 1.9 | 86% | 1.6 | 17% |
| 39 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Crook County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Lydney Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.1 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Selsey West Sussex | C | 1.6 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Diss Norfolk | C | 1.5 | 80% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Barnham West Sussex | C | 1.3 | 70% | 2.3 | 32% |
| 47 | Kippax West Yorkshire | C | 1.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Shepton Mallet Somerset | C | 1.2 | 70% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 49 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 51 | Epping Essex | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Polegate East Sussex | C− | 0.8 | 64% | 2.2 | 24% |
| 53 | Lutterworth Leicestershire | C− | 1.7 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 54 | West Moors Dorset | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Sherborne Dorset | D | 1.2 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Broughton Astley Leicestershire | D | 1 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Pocklington East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Woodbridge’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 Woodbridge
The biggest is Fen Meadow, 2.9 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 (22 acres) and 2 km of path
Parks & gardens 5.5 haPlaying fields 3.1 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Fen Meadow and Elmhurst Park, are 52% of the named green space. 4 of the 6 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Elmhurst Park
Park or garden
1.7 ha (4 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Woodbridge
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Kingston Field
Playing field
3.1 ha (8 acres)0.3 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Woodbridge
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Houchells Meadow
Park or garden
0.9 ha (2 acres)0.2 km of path
0.5 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Longwood Fields Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
0.8 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Fitzgerald Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Woodbridge
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Woodbridge 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 (80%)Further (20%)
Woodbridge80%
Towns its size84%
Suffolk towns80%
All UK towns83%
About 2,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 18 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 564 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Woodbridge
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 197030% of the land within 5 km
Official site30% of the land within 5 km of Woodbridge is National Park or National Landscape, more than 83% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
10 waymarked walks pass through or near Woodbridge
70 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Woodbridge and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Sandlings Walk10.1 km
Fynn Valley Walk6.6 km
Marshes, Mudflats and Woodbridge Circular Walk, Kyson Hill6.2 km
Kyson Hill and Kyson Point Walk, Kyson Hill3.6 km
River View Walk (Green Route), Sutton Hoo2.2 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
Close to home, the Fynn Valley Walk has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 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.
History along the way
A registered historic park in Woodbridge
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Woodbridge’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IIWoodbridge Cemetery1.9 ha
Listed buildings insideFitzgerald Green24,25, Sun Lane and 26,27, Sun Lane
Heritage walks
The Tide Mill Walk 1.4 km
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 Woodbridge: 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 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 61 | 44 | 39 | 36 | 44 | 49 | 55 | 56 | 52 | 62 | 63 | 60 |
April is the driest month (36 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 63 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Woodbridge →
The coast
Beaches near Woodbridge
4% of the area within 5 km of Woodbridge 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 18 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.
3Viewpoints4Nature reserves8.5× towns its size3Picnic sites18Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size2Campsites7Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 4
Broomheath1.7 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsKyson Hill National Trust1.3 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsFoxburrow Farm Nature Reserve50 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsMartlesham Wilds Nature Reserve116 ha · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 18
Kingston Field Play Areain town
DirectionsMelton Playing Fields Playground0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Sutton Hoo Campsite0.9 mi from town
DirectionsSutton Hoo Holidays Campsite0.9 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 7
Plus 7 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.
MeltonMartleshamMartlesham HeathGrundisburghSutton CommonKesgraveWoodbridge
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbridge | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 30% |
| Melton 1.1 mi | A+ | 6.5 | 100% | 33% |
| Martlesham 2.1 mi | B | 2.1 | 69% | 24% |
| Martlesham Heath 2.8 mi | A− | 3.5 | 68% | 25% |
| Grundisburgh 2.9 mi | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 3% |
| Sutton Common 3.2 mi | C+ | 0.8 | 51% | 85% |
| Kesgrave 3.7 mi | A | 3.3 | 97% | 14% |
Melton, 1.1 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Melton and Martlesham Heath have at least twice Woodbridge’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Woodbridge
What is the biggest park in Woodbridge?
Fen Meadow, 2.9 ha (7 acres), with 0.6 km of path. Elmhurst Park (1.7 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Woodbridge near a National Park?
It covers 443 km² and was designated in 1970.
What are the best walks near Woodbridge?
10 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Sandlings Walk, Fynn Valley Walk and Marshes, Mudflats and Woodbridge Circular Walk, Kyson Hill.
How many people in Woodbridge live near a park?
80% 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 Woodbridge?
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 Woodbridge are historic?
Woodbridge Cemetery (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Woodbridge good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 79% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 37% (1.7 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 Woodbridge’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Woodbridge’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.