Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Alcester add up to 4.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 47 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.5 for every square kilometre. Alcester grades A− for the outdoors: #4 of 34 in Warwickshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Alcester’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Alcester, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 6,100 to 6,700 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Alcester stands out most for park space per resident: only 14 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netley Hampshire | A+ | 16.3 | 100% | 4.1 | 4% |
| 2 | Stone Kent | A+ | 3.1 | 100% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 3 | Filey North Yorkshire | A | 5.9 | 89% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 4 | Chalford Gloucestershire | A | 1.6 | 96% | 4.7 | 94% |
| 5 | Wingerworth Derbyshire | A | 9 | 86% | 4 | 0% |
| 6 | Shotton Clwyd | A | 4.5 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 7 | Bedwas Gwent | A | 4.4 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 8 | Broad Blunsdon Wiltshire | A− | 5.2 | 93% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Barnton Cheshire | A− | 10 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 10 | St Blazey Cornwall | A− | 2.4 | 78% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 11 | Marston Moretaine Bedfordshire | A− | 17.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 12 | Olney Buckinghamshire | A− | 6.3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Alcester Warwickshire | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 14 | Ackworth Moor Top West Yorkshire | A− | 4.6 | 91% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitfield Kent | A− | 2.3 | 79% | 2.5 | 32% |
| 16 | Paulton Somerset | A− | 2.1 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 17 | Burghfield Common Berkshire | A− | 2.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 8% |
| 18 | Broadbridge Heath West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 95% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 19 | Lightwater Surrey | B+ | 9.2 | 72% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Milford and Witley Surrey | B+ | 2.6 | 54% | 3.7 | 78% |
| 21 | Cawston Warwickshire | B+ | 3.6 | 98% | 3 | 0% |
| 22 | North Anston South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 23 | Cleator Moor Cumbria | B+ | 3.5 | 91% | 1.9 | 11% |
| 24 | Little Chalfont Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 3.6 | 45% |
| 25 | Groby Leicestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 96% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Peasedown St John Somerset | B+ | 1.5 | 88% | 4 | 9% |
| 27 | Hindhead Surrey | B | 1.7 | 37% | 5.9 | 66% |
| 28 | Braunton Devon | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.1 | 24% |
| 29 | Galleywood Essex | B | 10.3 | 61% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Throckley Tyne and Wear | B | 3.1 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Oundle Northamptonshire | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Bovey Tracey Devon | B− | 2.2 | 66% | 2.5 | 55% |
| 33 | Rishton Lancashire | B− | 2.2 | 94% | 3 | 0% |
| 34 | Yapton West Sussex | B− | 1.8 | 63% | 2 | 15% |
| 35 | Upton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Crigglestone and Durkar West Yorkshire | B− | 4.4 | 45% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Danbury Essex | B− | 3.9 | 34% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 38 | Ushaw Moor and Bearpark County Durham | C+ | 1.6 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 39 | South Molton Devon | C+ | 2.2 | 96% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Denmead Hampshire | C+ | 1.4 | 72% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 41 | Waltham Lincolnshire | C+ | 2.2 | 84% | 1.3 | 19% |
| 42 | Tetbury Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 66% | 2.6 | 88% |
| 43 | Malton North Yorkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 43% | 2.4 | 24% |
| 44 | Brampton Cambridgeshire | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Market Deeping Lincolnshire | C | 1.5 | 96% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Cross Hands and Pen-y-groes Dyfed | C | 9.7 | 70% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Lydiate Merseyside | C− | 1.5 | 90% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Gildersome West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Ashingdon Essex | C− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 50 | Weaverham Cheshire | C− | 0.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Boston Spa West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Washingborough and Heighington Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 66% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Wem Shropshire | D | 1.2 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Aintree Merseyside | D | 1.3 | 43% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Holmes Chapel Cheshire | D | 0.8 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 56 | Pontarddulais West Glamorgan | D | 1.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Selston Nottinghamshire | D | 0.9 | 61% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Broughton Clwyd | D− | 0.8 | 80% | 1 | 0% |
| 59 | Abercynon Mid Glamorgan | D− | 1.1 | 55% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Tadcaster North Yorkshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 1.7 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Alcester’s built-up area.
The biggest is River Arrow Local Nature Reserve, 8.9 ha (22 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, River Arrow Local Nature Reserve and Westbury Park, are 77% of the named green space and carry 3 km of path between them.
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).
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 643 residents.
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.
47 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Alcester and the kilometre around it, 3.5 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 E2 hiking trail Birmingham, a national route, passes Alcester. 3 regional routes pass through, including the Arden Way, Heart of England Way and Monarch's Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 45 | 45 | 50 | 59 | 57 | 66 | 63 | 49 | 71 | 68 | 61 |
March is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Alcester →
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.
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcester | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 0% |
| Studley 3.6 mi | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 0% |
| Bidford-on-Avon 3.7 mi | B | 3.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Astwood Bank 3.9 mi | C− | 0.9 | 79% | 0% |
| Inkberrow 4.7 mi | B− | 5.3 | 83% | 0% |
| Welford-on-Avon 5.3 mi | D− | 0.4 | 48% | 0% |
| Redditch 6.0 mi | A− | 4.1 | 84% | 0% |
Alcester grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
River Arrow Local Nature Reserve, 8.9 ha (22 acres), with 2.5 km of path. Westbury Park (1.2 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 8.1 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Arden Way, E2 hiking trail Birmingham and Heart of England Way. River Arrow Local Nature Reserve alone has 2.5 km of path.
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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
For paths, yes: 3.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 72% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 82% (4.1 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Alcester’s overall grade.
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.