How Bench Scores work
Anyone signed in can give a Bench Score from 0 to 10, with decimals. The Bench Score is the view and nothing else, because that is what you came for. Everything else is rated to help the next person plan. Every submitted score is averaged, so a bench's Bench Score moves as more people sit on it. Nobody hands out an official number.
The View
100% of the Bench ScoreWhat you can actually see from the seat, and how good it is when you look up. This is the whole point of a bench, so it is the entire Bench Score.
Setting a Bench Score, strictly
One bench sits above the Grand Canyon, another above a Welsh ridge, another above a Hawaiian sea cliff. They all get judged on the same yardstick, so use these bands and be hard to please. A 10 should feel almost impossible to give.
World wonder
One of the great views on earth. Grand Canyon rim, Trolltunga, a Hawaiian sea cliff. You would fly for it. Perhaps 1 in 200 benches.
Once in a lifetime
Unforgettable and unmistakable. You would plan a whole trip around sitting here.
Worth a long detour
A genuinely special outlook. Worth a two-hour drive from anywhere nearby.
Excellent local view
The best view for miles, and the one you would show a visitor. Not world-famous.
Pleasant
A nice place to stop and eat a sandwich. Nothing you would travel for.
Modest
Something to look at, but hedges, houses or car parks are doing a lot of the work.
Little to see
The bench is the most interesting thing here.
Trail intel
Shared by walkers to plan the day, never to change the Bench Score
These three Trail intel details matter as much as the Bench Score — they are how a family decides whether today is the day, and how a solo walker knows what they are walking into. They just are not a judgement on the view, so they stay out of the Bench Score.
Local charm
The character of the spot and the region around it — often the reason to go at all. Shown on every bench, but it is not a reflection on the bench, so it never moves the Bench Score.
10 = the village, coast or valley around it is a reason to visit on its own. 5 = ordinary surroundings.
Hike difficulty
How much you had to earn it. Useful for planning, but a 100m stroll can still be the best bench in the world, so it never counts.
0 = step out of the car. 5 = a couple of hours on good paths. 10 = a serious mountain day with scrambling or exposure.
Accessibility
How reachable it is: parking, public transport, step-free paths, families with buggies. Rated to help people plan, never used against the bench.
10 = step-free, buses nearby, fine with a pushchair. 5 = a car and decent shoes. 0 = experienced walkers only.
The rules of a good Bench Score
- Only rate benches you have actually sat on.
- One Bench Score per person per bench. You can change yours any time.
- A 10 is for a view that competes with the Grand Canyon. Almost nothing is a 10.
- Score the bench and the spot, not the weather on the day you went.
- We no longer score sky visibility — a brilliant overlook can sit under thick tree cover.
- An easy, short walk is never penalised. The view is the only thing being judged.