Outdoors in Salisbury · parks, paths & countryside
94% of Salisbury’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape begins 0.7 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 162 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Salisbury add up to 2.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Salisbury grades A for the outdoors: #4 of 30 in Wiltshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Salisbury’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Salisbury grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Salisbury, 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 91% of UK towns#4 of 30 in Wiltshire · 5th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of 100
A park within a walk94%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
73out of 100
National Park or National Landscape22%of the land within 5 km
80out of 100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
79out 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
Salisbury is 5th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 42,000 to 53,800 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
Salisbury3.9
Towns its size3.6
Wiltshire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Salisbury2.7
Towns its size2.3
Wiltshire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Salisbury94%
Towns its size83%
Wiltshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Salisbury stands out most for park space per resident: only 20 of the other 59 have more.
The biggest is Castle Hill Country Park, 43 ha (107 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 13 named parks by size: 68 ha (169 acres) and 18 km of path
Parks & gardens 65 haPlaying fields 3.3 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Castle Hill Country Park and Churchill Gardens, are 77% of the named green space and carry 15 km of path between them. 8 of the 13 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
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 (94%)Further (6%)
Salisbury94%
Towns its size83%
Wiltshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
About 3,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 42 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,135 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs and New Forest both start about 5 miles from Salisbury
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
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
0.7 mi south986 km²since 198322% of the land within 5 km
22% of the land within 5 km of Salisbury is National Park or National Landscape, more than 79% of UK towns. New Forest National Park covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
6 waymarked walks pass through or near Salisbury
162 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Salisbury 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.
Regional
Old Sarum Way16.7 km
Sarsen Way7.5 km
Avon Valley Path6.2 km
Cranborne Droves Way5.4 km
Clarendon Way4.4 km
Monarch's Way3.0 km
6 regional routes pass through, including the Old Sarum Way, Sarsen Way, Avon Valley Path and Cranborne Droves 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
3 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Salisbury’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
The Green
0.3 ha. 6 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Screen Wall, Rails, Piers, Gates and Overthrow in Front of Mompesson House (Grade I).
IScreen Wall, Rails, Piers, Gates and Overthrow in Front of Mompesson HouseIIBoundary Wall and Gate to Nos 57, 57A and 57BIIBoundary Wall to Pavement and Gates of No 56CIIGarden Wall and Gate in Front of No 54IIK6 Telephone KioskIIWall and Gates with Rails in Front of 56A and 56B
Registered · Grade IIBourne Hill House Gardens2.1 ha
Registered · Grade IISalisbury Crematorium3.9 ha
Registered · Grade IIThe North Canonry, Cathedral Close0.7 ha
Listed buildings insideGreen Croft14-17, The Greencroft and 18-24, The Greencroft
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 Salisbury: 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)
8.4
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.5
16.5
16.1
14.5
12.5
10.6
8.8
7.9
High (°C)
8
9
11
14
18
20
22
22
19
15
11
9
Rain (mm)
92
65
61
57
52
54
49
63
63
93
99
97
July is the driest month (49 mm) and the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 99 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Salisbury →
Things to do
2 viewpoints, 42 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.
Downton, 6.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Middle Winterslow has at least twice Salisbury’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Salisbury
What is the biggest park in Salisbury?
Castle Hill Country Park, 43 ha (107 acres), with 14 km of path. Churchill Gardens (9.4 ha) is second. 13 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Salisbury near a National Park?
Yes. New Forest National Park begins 5.0 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 567 km² and has been a National Park since 2006. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape, 0.7 mi away.
What are the best walks near Salisbury?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Old Sarum Way, Sarsen Way and Avon Valley Path. Castle Hill Country Park alone has 14 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Salisbury?
Brockenhurst Beach, 18 mi from the edge of the town, then Avon Beach (22 mi). Salisbury itself is inland.
How many people in Salisbury live near a park?
94% 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 Salisbury?
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 Salisbury are historic?
Bourne Hill House Gardens (Grade II), Salisbury Crematorium (Grade II) and The North Canonry, Cathedral Close (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Salisbury 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 65% (2.7 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 Salisbury’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Michael Garlick · CC BY-SA 2.0