Trowbridge’s biggest
Southwick Country Park
Park or garden
54 ha (133 acres)9.3 km of path
2 h 5 minto walk all 9.3 km of path
75 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi south-westfrom the centre
2 playgrounds
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: David Gearing · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Trowbridge · parks, paths & countryside
Trowbridge has more footpath per square kilometre than 8 in 10 UK towns
136 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.3 for every square kilometre. The Cotswolds National Landscape begins 1.4 mi from the town’s edge. 91% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Trowbridge grades A− for the outdoors: #9 of 30 in Wiltshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
91%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
136 km
4.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
3%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cotswolds National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Trowbridge?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths4.3 km of path per km², more than 84% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe Cotswolds National Landscape starts 1.4 mi north-west.Historic parksTrowbridge General Cemetery is a registered historic park (Grade II).
Trowbridge’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Cotswolds National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Trowbridge grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Trowbridge, 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 83% of UK towns#9 of 30 in Wiltshire · 14th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
55out of
100
100
A park within a walk91%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
69out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape3%of the land within 5 km
66out of
100
100
Footpaths4.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
85out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
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
Trowbridge is 14th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 38,700 to 50,300 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
Trowbridge4.3
Towns its size3.7
Wiltshire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Trowbridge2.3
Towns its size2.4
Wiltshire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Trowbridge91%
Towns its size83%
Wiltshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Trowbridge stands out most for path per km²: only 15 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Havant Hampshire | A+ | 3.6 | 84% | 5.8 | 30% |
| 2 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 3 | Wrexham Clwyd | A | 3.8 | 92% | 3.9 | 2% |
| 4 | Salisbury Wiltshire | A | 2.7 | 94% | 3.9 | 22% |
| 5 | Aldershot Hampshire | A | 3.4 | 77% | 6.3 | 17% |
| 6 | Wallsend Tyne and Wear | A | 6 | 93% | 5.7 | 0% |
| 7 | Merthyr Tydfil Mid Glamorgan | A | 3.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 29% |
| 8 | Haywards Heath West Sussex | A | 2.4 | 84% | 4.2 | 44% |
| 9 | Bexhill-on-Sea East Sussex | A | 1.7 | 83% | 3.4 | 13% |
| 10 | Ilkeston Derbyshire | A | 3.7 | 98% | 5 | 0% |
| 11 | Bletchley Buckinghamshire | A | 4.1 | 91% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Eastleigh Hampshire | A− | 3 | 76% | 4.9 | 17% |
| 13 | Llanelli Dyfed | A− | 2.3 | 85% | 2.4 | 18% |
| 14 | Trowbridge Wiltshire | A− | 2.3 | 91% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 15 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 16 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Chorley Lancashire | A− | 5 | 88% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 18 | Bamber Bridge Lancashire | A− | 6.4 | 88% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Hoddesdon Hertfordshire | A− | 6.5 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Leyland Lancashire | B+ | 4.6 | 91% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Cheshunt Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.8 | 79% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Newbury Berkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 81% | 3.3 | 50% |
| 23 | Hatfield Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.8 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 24 | West Molesey Surrey | B+ | 4.4 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 25 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Bridgwater Somerset | B+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3.7 | 2% |
| 27 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 28 | Rowley Regis West Midlands | B+ | 4.1 | 71% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Batley West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.7 | 94% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Cwmbrân Gwent | B+ | 2.1 | 84% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 31 | Middleton Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.5 | 80% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 33 | Leigh Greater Manchester | B | 5.3 | 77% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Arnold Nottinghamshire | B | 3 | 81% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Bishop's Stortford Hertfordshire | B | 2.3 | 80% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Ramsgate Kent | B | 1.2 | 89% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Borehamwood Hertfordshire | B | 1.8 | 97% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 38 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 39 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Prescot Merseyside | B | 3.5 | 94% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Blyth Northumberland | B | 1.6 | 83% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Castleford West Yorkshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Fareham Hampshire | B | 1.1 | 48% | 4 | 2% |
| 44 | Bury St Edmunds Suffolk | B− | 3 | 78% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Oldbury West Midlands | B− | 3 | 68% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Eccles Greater Manchester | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Lytham St Anne's Lancashire | B− | 2.4 | 83% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Braintree Essex | B− | 1.7 | 89% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Tipton West Midlands | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Urmston Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.7 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 53 | King's Lynn Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 54 | Neath West Glamorgan | C | 2 | 80% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Kirkby Merseyside | C | 2.2 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Grays Essex | C | 1.2 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Boston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Worksop Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.3 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 60 | Grantham Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Trowbridge’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 Trowbridge
The biggest is Southwick Country Park, 54 ha (133 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 11 named parks by size: 85 ha (210 acres) and 13 km of path
Parks & gardens 74 haPlaying fields 10 haPlay spaces 0.5 ha
The two biggest, Southwick Country Park and Biss Meadows, are 80% of the named green space and carry 11 km of path between them. 6 of the 11 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Biss Meadows
Park or garden
15 ha (36 acres)1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
20 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Trowbridge
Cuckoo Walk
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Trowbridge Park
Park or garden
5.9 ha (15 acres)2.0 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Trowbridge
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Trowbridge Rugby Football Club
Playing field · 100 m outside town
8.3 ha (20 acres)
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.8 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Stallard Recreation Field
Playing field
2.1 ha (5 acres)0.1 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Trowbridge
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Trowbridge Park Play Area
Play space
0.2 ha (1 acres)
Centralin the middle of Trowbridge
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Thomas Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Trowbridge
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Foxglove Drive Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
1.2 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 11 named parks and green spaces
Southwick Country ParkPark or garden · 54 ha · 9.3 km of path
DirectionsBiss MeadowsPark or garden · 15 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsTrowbridge ParkPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 2.0 km of path
DirectionsTrowbridge Rugby Football ClubPlaying field · 8.3 ha · just outside town
DirectionsStallard Recreation FieldPlaying field · 2.1 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsTrowbridge Park Play AreaPlay space · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSt Thomas Play AreaPlay space · 0.1 ha
DirectionsFoxglove Drive Play AreaPlay space · 0.1 ha
DirectionsOld Farm Road Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsWestfield Close Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsMarina Drive Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsClose to home
9 in 10 Trowbridge 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 (91%)Further (9%)
Trowbridge91%
Towns its size83%
Wiltshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 83 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 527 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cotswolds National Landscape is 1.4 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
National Landscape
Cotswolds
1.4 mi north-west2,041 km²since 19663% of the land within 5 km
Official site3% of the land within 5 km of Trowbridge is National Park or National Landscape, more than 66% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Trowbridge
136 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Trowbridge and the kilometre around it, 4.3 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
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail7.8 km
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.
History along the way
A registered historic park in Trowbridge
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Trowbridge’s named parks.
Registered · Grade IITrowbridge General Cemetery3.9 ha
Listed buildings insideTrowbridge ParkWar Memorial and 6 and 7, Polebarn Road
Heritage walks
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail 7.8 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 Trowbridge: 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) | 8.3 | 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) | 78 | 56 | 51 | 52 | 56 | 53 | 56 | 65 | 59 | 80 | 85 | 83 |
March is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Trowbridge →
Things to do
83 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.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Green Lane Wood40 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 83
Millards Closein town
DirectionsPaxcroft Mead Playgroundin town
DirectionsSt. Thomas Play Areain town
DirectionsStourton Park Play Areain town
DirectionsWoodpecker Meadowsin town
DirectionsAdventure Play0.2 mi from town
DirectionsQuiet Play0.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 76 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
West Wiltshire Scouts Jubilee Wood Campsite0.4 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway 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.
North BradleySouthwickBradford-on-AvonHoltWestwoodBerryfieldTrowbridge
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trowbridge | A− | 2.3 | 91% | 3% |
| North Bradley 1.7 mi | A | 3.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Southwick 2.0 mi | A+ | 22.2 | 100% | 1% |
| Bradford-on-Avon 2.6 mi | A | 2.8 | 88% | 21% |
| Holt 2.6 mi | D | 1.1 | 45% | 2% |
| Westwood 3.2 mi | A+ | 2.6 | 100% | 29% |
| Berryfield 3.8 mi | D− | 0.4 | 53% | 0% |
Southwick, 2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Southwick has at least twice Trowbridge’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Trowbridge
What is the biggest park in Trowbridge?
Southwick Country Park, 54 ha (133 acres), with 9.3 km of path. Biss Meadows (15 ha) is second. 11 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Trowbridge near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 1.4 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What are the best walks near Trowbridge?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the town, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail. Southwick Country Park alone has 9.3 km of path.
How many people in Trowbridge live near a park?
91% 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 Trowbridge?
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 Trowbridge are historic?
Trowbridge General Cemetery (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Trowbridge good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 85% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 55% (2.3 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 Trowbridge’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Trowbridge’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.