Outdoors in Royal Sutton Coldfield · parks, paths & countryside
Royal Sutton Coldfield has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Royal Sutton Coldfield add up to 6.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 64% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Footpaths add up to 218 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.0 for every square kilometre. Royal Sutton Coldfield grades B− for the outdoors: #15 of 35 in West Midlands. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Royal Sutton Coldfield’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by its views. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Royal Sutton Coldfield grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Royal Sutton Coldfield, 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 47% of UK towns#15 of 35 in West Midlands · 47th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space6.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
91out of 100
A park within a walk64%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
24out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths3.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
60out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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
Royal Sutton Coldfield is 47th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 75,500 to 117,300 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
Royal Sutton Coldfield3.0
Towns its size4.0
West Midlands towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Royal Sutton Coldfield6.1
Towns its size2.5
West Midlands towns2.7
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Royal Sutton Coldfield64%
Towns its size86%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Royal Sutton Coldfield stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 57 of the others do better.
Parks to walk in, in and around Royal Sutton Coldfield
The biggest is Sutton Park, 872 ha (2,155 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 13 named parks by size: 1,067 ha (2,637 acres) and 96 km of path
Parks & gardens 1,046 haPlaying fields 21 ha
The two biggest, Sutton Park and Newhall Valley Country Park, are 90% of the named green space and carry 88 km of path between them. 5 of the 13 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Royal Sutton Coldfield’s biggestHistoric park · Grade II
Sutton Park
Park or garden
872 ha (2,155 acres)77.8 km of path
17 h 15 minto walk all 77.8 km of path
1,221 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Royal Sutton Coldfield
Viewpoint Nature reserve 2 playgrounds Peak Medieval deerpark and other archaeological remains in Sutton Park monumentIcknield StreetThe Forty Bridges
6 in 10 Royal Sutton Coldfield 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 (64%)Further (36%)
Royal Sutton Coldfield64%
Towns its size86%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 34,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 50 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,868 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape is 6.5 mi away
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
Royal Sutton Coldfield is on the E2 hiking trail Birmingham
218 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Royal Sutton Coldfield 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.
NationalRegionalLocal
5km walk: Sutton Park4.9 km
Sutton Park Archeology Walk 3: Banners Gate4.1 km
Sutton Park Archeology Walk 1: Streetly Gate3.9 km
The Tame Way - Canal Route3.7 km
Sutton Park Archeology Walk 2: Town Gate3.5 km
Sutton Park Archeology Walk 4: Boldmere Gate2.0 km
Beacon Way1.8 km
2km walk: Sutton Park1.7 km
Sutton Park Archeology Walk 5: Blackroot Bistro1.7 km
Sutton Park Archeology Walk 6: Bracebridge Pool1.5 km
E2 hiking trail Birmingham1.0 km
Heart of England Way1.0 km
The E2 hiking trail Birmingham, a national route, passes Royal Sutton Coldfield. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Beacon Way and Heart of England Way.
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 Royal Sutton Coldfield
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Royal Sutton Coldfield’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Sutton Park
872 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 1 listed structure stands inside it or at its edge, including Medieval deerpark and other archaeological remains in Sutton Park (a scheduled monument).
SMMedieval deerpark and other archaeological remains in Sutton Park
Heritage walks
The Tame Way - Canal Route 3.7 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 Royal Sutton Coldfield: 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
16.4
14.7
12.6
10.5
8.6
7.7
High (°C)
7
8
10
14
17
20
22
21
19
14
10
8
Rain (mm)
66
50
50
51
58
68
59
63
58
71
69
71
February is the driest month (50 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 December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Royal Sutton Coldfield →
Things to do
7 viewpoints, 50 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.
Water Orton, 5.1 miles away, grades B+, the best next door: 82% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Royal Sutton Coldfield
What is the biggest park in Royal Sutton Coldfield?
Sutton Park, 872 ha (2,155 acres), with 77.8 km of path. Newhall Valley Country Park (84 ha) is second. 13 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Royal Sutton Coldfield near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 6.5 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Royal Sutton Coldfield?
12 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the 5km walk: Sutton Park, Sutton Park Archeology Walk 3: Banners Gate and Sutton Park Archeology Walk 1: Streetly Gate. Sutton Park alone has 77.8 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Royal Sutton Coldfield?
library, 13 mi from the edge of the town. Royal Sutton Coldfield itself is inland.
How many people in Royal Sutton Coldfield live near a park?
64% 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 Royal Sutton Coldfield?
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 Royal Sutton Coldfield are historic?
Sutton Park (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Royal Sutton Coldfield good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 60% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 91% (6.1 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 Royal Sutton Coldfield’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Royal Sutton Coldfield’s outdoors figures come from
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Bill Boaden · CC BY-SA 2.0