Church of Saint Mary the Virgin · Photo: Simon Burchell · CC BY-SA 4.0Parks and walks in Maulden
The Chilterns National Landscape begins 3.6 mi from the village’s edge. Footpaths add up to 44 km in the village and the kilometre around it, 3.7 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Maulden add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Maulden grades D for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors village is Maulden?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Maulden’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Chilterns National Landscape close by. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Maulden grades D for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Maulden, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
100
100
100
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.
Maulden is 48th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,400 to 2,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Maulden stands out most for path per km²: only 10 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 57 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rawnsley Staffordshire | A+ | 17.7 | 100% | 3.7 | 36% |
| 2 | Shalford Surrey | A+ | 14.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 47% |
| 3 | Silloth Cumbria | A+ | 7.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 17% |
| 4 | Eton Berkshire | A | 22.9 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 5 | Lyndhurst Hampshire | A | 3.6 | 73% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 6 | Rowhedge Essex | A | 1.6 | 100% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Chopwell Tyne and Wear | A | 7.5 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Longford Gloucestershire | A | 11.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Little Clacton Essex | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 10 | Awsworth Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 11 | South Anston South Yorkshire | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Saundersfoot Dyfed | A− | 10.2 | 69% | 0.9 | 19% |
| 13 | Higher Folds Greater Manchester | A− | 2.8 | 90% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Sway Hampshire | B+ | 2.9 | 38% | 4 | 74% |
| 15 | Thornley County Durham | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Witton Gilbert County Durham | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Williton Somerset | B+ | 1.1 | 88% | 2.1 | 31% |
| 18 | Henlow Bedfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Farndon Nottinghamshire | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Oakley Bedfordshire | B | 3.2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 21 | Alresford Essex | B− | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Watlington Oxfordshire | B− | 2.3 | 67% | 2.4 | 55% |
| 23 | Redlynch and Woodfalls Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 34% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 24 | Pannal North Yorkshire | B− | 3.7 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 25 | Coundon and Leeholme County Durham | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 26 | Kelvedon Hatch Essex | B− | 7.3 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Timsbury Somerset | B− | 2.7 | 68% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Bishop's Itchington Warwickshire | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Llanrwst Clwyd | C+ | 2.2 | 75% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 30 | Crossways Dorset | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 22% |
| 31 | Shepley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Hendreforgan Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.7 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Widdrington Station Northumberland | C+ | 1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 34 | Ruspidge Gloucestershire | C+ | 2 | 46% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Steeple Claydon Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Whittington Staffordshire | C | 7.5 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Great Houghton South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Tycroes Dyfed | C | 3.5 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Laleham Surrey | C | 9.8 | 34% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Ash (Dover) Kent | C | 2.3 | 72% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Eggborough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.5 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 42 | Willaston (Cheshire West and Chester) Cheshire | C− | 4.2 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Upper Heyford Oxfordshire | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Aberfan Mid Glamorgan | C− | 4.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Loggerheads Staffordshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Cwm Gwent | C− | 2 | 12% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Cliffe Kent | C− | 1.1 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Maulden Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 55% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 49 | East Harling Norfolk | D | 1.7 | 85% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Lampeter Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 88% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 51 | Long Crendon Buckinghamshire | D | 1.4 | 86% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Llanhilleth Gwent | D | 1.3 | 71% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Mawsley Village Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 54 | Broughton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 45% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Long Itchington Warwickshire | D | 2.1 | 45% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire | D | 1.5 | 44% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Clophill Bedfordshire | D | 0.7 | 41% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Silverstone Northamptonshire | D | 1.1 | 0% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Nafferton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 56% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Shipdham Norfolk | D− | 1 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Maulden’s built-up area.
6 in 10 Maulden 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 1,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 12 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 207 residents.
The Chilterns National Landscape is 3.6 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.
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Maulden scores 0% on it even though the Chilterns National Landscape is 3.6 mi away.
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Maulden
44 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Maulden and the kilometre around it, 3.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Marston Vale Timberland Trail has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Greensand Ridge Walk and John Bunyan Trail.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Maulden: 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) | 8.2 | 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) | 55 | 44 | 37 | 46 | 49 | 50 | 48 | 59 | 58 | 67 | 59 | 56 |
March is the driest month (37 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 67 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Maulden →
Beaches near Maulden
0% of the area within 5 km of Maulden 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.
12 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
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 12
Plus 12 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.
Silsoe, 2.2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Ampthill, Silsoe and Houghton Conquest have at least twice Maulden’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Maulden
Is Maulden near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 3.6 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Maulden?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Greensand Ridge Walk, John Bunyan Trail and Marston Vale Timberland Trail.
How many people in Maulden live near a park?
55% 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 Maulden?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Maulden good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 76% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 9% (0.9 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 Maulden’s overall grade.
Where Maulden’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.