Photo: My another account · Public domainParks and walks in Holt
The Cotswolds National Landscape begins 2.1 mi from the village’s edge. 45% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Holt add up to 1.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Holt grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Holt?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Holt’s strongest suit is the Cotswolds National Landscape close by, followed by its historic parks. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Holt grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Holt, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Holt is 50th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,600 to 1,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Holt falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 46 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pease Pottage West Sussex | A+ | 4.1 | 100% | 7.4 | 65% |
| 2 | Guston Kent | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 2.5 | 25% |
| 3 | Trimley St Martin Suffolk | A+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.9 | 43% |
| 4 | Penwithick Cornwall | A | 15 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 5 | Wroxall Isle of Wight | A | 1.2 | 84% | 4.6 | 33% |
| 6 | Eccles Kent | A | 3.7 | 100% | 2.4 | 30% |
| 7 | Hutton Somerset | A | 1.8 | 100% | 2.2 | 22% |
| 8 | Flimby Cumbria | A | 1.7 | 100% | 2.3 | 2% |
| 9 | Grain Kent | A | 13 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 10 | Southwell Dorset | A | 0.7 | 100% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Upchurch Kent | A | 4 | 76% | 2.3 | 7% |
| 12 | Wickwar Gloucestershire | A− | 2 | 100% | 3.5 | 15% |
| 13 | Lynemouth Northumberland | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 14 | Seascale Cumbria | A− | 2.1 | 81% | 2.2 | 27% |
| 15 | Clayhanger West Midlands | A− | 17.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Bathampton Somerset | A− | 1 | 85% | 5.5 | 62% |
| 17 | Ripley Surrey | A− | 15 | 64% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 18 | Harthill South Yorkshire | B+ | 3.6 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Appledore Devon | B+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1.6 | 16% |
| 20 | Starcross Devon | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 0.9 | 1% |
| 21 | Aldbourne Wiltshire | B+ | 3.2 | 84% | 1.8 | 100% |
| 22 | Kingsdown Kent | B+ | 1.1 | 67% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 23 | Blewbury Oxfordshire | B | 3.1 | 54% | 2.7 | 79% |
| 24 | Silkstone South Yorkshire | B | 1 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Bryn Dyfed | B− | 2.9 | 67% | 1.4 | 1% |
| 26 | Streethouse West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Flockton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Shaldon Devon | B− | 1.7 | 85% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Woodsetts South Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 30 | Allhallows Kent | B− | 3.2 | 76% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Summit Greater Manchester | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Trethomas Gwent | B− | 6.9 | 48% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Feniton Devon | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 17% |
| 34 | Langho Lancashire | C+ | 1.6 | 74% | 3 | 7% |
| 35 | Pilling Lancashire | C+ | 4.2 | 46% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Seahouses and North Sunderland Northumberland | C+ | 1.6 | 17% | 1.7 | 21% |
| 37 | Chipperfield Hertfordshire | C+ | 2.4 | 37% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 38 | Rocester Staffordshire | C+ | 15.2 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Harvington Worcestershire | C+ | 2.6 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Minsterley Shropshire | C+ | 1.1 | 77% | 2.4 | 38% |
| 41 | Leeming North Yorkshire | C− | 5 | 76% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 42 | West Thorney West Sussex | C− | 0.4 | 0% | 0.9 | 55% |
| 43 | Embsay North Yorkshire | C− | 0.9 | 38% | 2.5 | 47% |
| 44 | High Bentham North Yorkshire | C− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 45 | Lower Quinton Warwickshire | C− | 2 | 49% | 1.3 | 18% |
| 46 | Modbury Devon | C− | 1.7 | 39% | 1.2 | 41% |
| 47 | Higher Kinnerton Clwyd | C− | 0.7 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Whitehill County Durham | C− | 0.3 | 0% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Charminster Dorset | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 56% |
| 50 | Holt Wiltshire | D | 1.1 | 45% | 2.1 | 2% |
| 51 | Shrewton Wiltshire | D | 1.4 | 42% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Leverington Cambridgeshire | D | 2.8 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Dobwalls Cornwall | D | 1.4 | 28% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 54 | Tiddington Warwickshire | D | 0.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Point Clear Essex | D | 0.1 | 0% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Soughton Clwyd | D | 0.4 | 67% | 1.3 | 3% |
| 57 | Monk Fryston and Hillam North Yorkshire | D | 2.7 | 40% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Welford-on-Avon Warwickshire | D− | 0.4 | 48% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Swffryd Gwent | D− | 1.4 | 17% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Hambleton North Yorkshire | D− | 0.1 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Holt’s built-up area.
4 in 10 Holt 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).
About 900 people live further than that. 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 122 residents.
The Cotswolds National Landscape is 2.1 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.
2% of the land within 5 km of Holt is National Park or National Landscape, more than 64% of UK towns.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Holt
17 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Holt and the kilometre around it, 2.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
The regional route here is the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
A registered historic park in Holt
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Holt’s named parks.
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.
The best walking months in Holt: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 79 | 54 | 48 | 50 | 57 | 51 | 55 | 60 | 55 | 76 | 77 | 77 |
March is the driest month (48 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 79 mm of rain falls in January, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Holt →
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
Playgrounds 14
Plus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holt | D | 1.1 | 45% | 2% |
| Berryfield 2.3 mi | D− | 0.4 | 53% | 0% |
| Bradford-on-Avon 2.3 mi | A | 2.8 | 88% | 21% |
| Atworth 2.4 mi | C− | 1.5 | 62% | 13% |
| Trowbridge 2.6 mi | A− | 2.3 | 91% | 3% |
| Melksham 3.1 mi | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 0% |
| Bowerhill 3.2 mi | A− | 7.4 | 100% | 0% |
Bradford-on-Avon, 2.3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 88% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge and Melksham have at least twice Holt’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Holt
Is Holt near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 2.1 mi west of the village’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What are the best walks near Holt?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail.
How many people in Holt live near a park?
45% 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 Holt?
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 Holt are historic?
The Courts (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Holt good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 33% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 15% (1.1 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 Holt’s overall grade.
Where Holt’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.