Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and walks in Flitwick
The Chilterns National Landscape begins 2.0 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 56 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Flitwick add up to 0.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Flitwick grades C for the outdoors: #27 of 33 in Bedfordshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Flitwick?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Flitwick’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Chilterns National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Flitwick grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Flitwick, 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.
Flitwick is 46th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 13,000 to 14,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Flitwick stands out most for path per km²: only 13 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 56 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farncombe Surrey | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 3.8 | 54% |
| 2 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 3 | Sidmouth Devon | A | 2.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 4 | Abergavenny Gwent | A | 3.2 | 83% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 5 | Wellington Somerset | A | 2.2 | 99% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 6 | Wick West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 91% | 3 | 25% |
| 7 | Stoke Gifford Gloucestershire | A− | 5.7 | 87% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 8 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 9 | Addlestone Surrey | A− | 4.3 | 90% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Heckmondwike West Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 12 | Churchdown Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 92% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 13 | Wantage Oxfordshire | A− | 2.5 | 71% | 3.9 | 47% |
| 14 | Bacup Lancashire | A− | 2.5 | 94% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Audenshaw Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.6 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland | B+ | 2.5 | 62% | 2.7 | 1% |
| 18 | Verwood Dorset | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 3.9 | 13% |
| 19 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Chalfont St Peter Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 80% | 3.5 | 18% |
| 21 | Poynton Cheshire | B+ | 2.2 | 79% | 3.7 | 14% |
| 22 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Gomersal and Birkenshaw West Yorkshire | B | 3.2 | 83% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 25 | Enderby and Narborough Leicestershire | B | 1.9 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 26 | West Kirby Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 68% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 27 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 29 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 31 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 32 | Scawthorpe and Cusworth South Yorkshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 34 | Midsomer Norton Somerset | B− | 1.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Sheerness Kent | B− | 3 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Knutsford Cheshire | C+ | 2.6 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 40 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 41 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Buckley Clwyd | C+ | 2.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire | C+ | 4 | 91% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 45 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Flitwick Bedfordshire | C | 0.8 | 59% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 47 | Syston Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Ferndown Dorset | C | 0.7 | 13% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Rhondda Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Brough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Uttoxeter Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Porth Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Northallerton North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Driffield East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 75% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 58 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 73% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Flitwick’s built-up area.
6 in 10 Flitwick 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 5,500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 804 residents.
The Chilterns National Landscape is 2.0 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.
Chilterns
3% of the land within 5 km of Flitwick is National Park or National Landscape, more than 66% of UK towns.
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Flitwick
56 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Flitwick 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.
Close to home, the Katherine’s Walk has 12 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the John Bunyan 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 Flitwick
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Flitwick’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 Flitwick: 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 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 42 | 38 | 46 | 50 | 50 | 48 | 53 | 54 | 66 | 63 | 57 |
March is the driest month (38 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 66 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Flitwick →
Beaches near Flitwick
0% of the area within 5 km of Flitwick is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 1 beach is mapped within 5 km.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
17 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 2
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 17
Plus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park 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.
Silsoe, 3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Ampthill, Harlington and Silsoe have at least twice Flitwick’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Flitwick
Is Flitwick near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 2.0 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Flitwick?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the John Bunyan Trail, Katherine’s Walk and Flit Valley Walk.
How many people in Flitwick live near a park?
59% 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 Flitwick?
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 Flitwick are historic?
Flitwick Manor (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Flitwick 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 9% (0.8 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 Flitwick’s overall grade.
Where Flitwick’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.