Photo: PAUL FARMER · CC BY-SA 2.0Sandy has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 79 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 5.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Sandy add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 76% of residents. Sandy grades C for the outdoors: #26 of 33 in Bedfordshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
What kind of outdoors town is Sandy?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Sandy’s strongest suit is dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Sandy grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sandy, 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.
Sandy is 41st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 10,800 to 11,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Sandy stands out most for path per km²: only 3 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 52 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 2 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 3 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 4 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 5 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 6 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 7 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 8 | Great Harwood Lancashire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 9 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 11 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Romiley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.9 | 80% | 3.8 | 1% |
| 13 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 14 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 15 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 16 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 17 | New Milton Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 1.9 | 38% |
| 18 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 19 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 20 | Barnoldswick Lancashire | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 4 | 2% |
| 21 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 22 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 23 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 24 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 25 | Corsham Wiltshire | B | 1.9 | 81% | 3 | 31% |
| 26 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 27 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 28 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 31 | Ystrad Mynach Gwent | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 33 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 35 | Filton Gloucestershire | B− | 3.3 | 40% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 36 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Liskeard Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 89% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 38 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 44 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 46 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Hexham Northumberland | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 2 | 9% |
| 48 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Dinnington South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Codsall Staffordshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Sarn Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Longton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sandy’s built-up area.
8 in 10 Sandy 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 2,700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 7 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,625 residents.
The Chilterns National Landscape is 11 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.
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Sandy
79 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sandy and the kilometre around it, 5.4 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 Kingfisher Way has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the North Bedfordshire Heritage Trail and Greensand Ridge Walk.
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 Sandy: 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 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 50 | 37 | 34 | 39 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 56 | 54 | 61 | 55 | 51 |
March is the driest month (34 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 61 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Sandy →
2 viewpoints, 7 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.
The nearest beaches
Sandy is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Clon Hill, at 68 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Sandy.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Nature reserves 3
Plus 1 nature reserve more.
Picnic sites 3
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 7
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite 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.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy | C | 0.9 | 76% | 0% |
| Blunham 1.7 mi | C | 2.2 | 77% | 0% |
| Upper Caldecote 2.4 mi | A− | 3.7 | 100% | 0% |
| Great Barford 3.1 mi | D− | 1.4 | 45% | 0% |
| Potton 3.2 mi | D | 1.3 | 77% | 0% |
| Biggleswade 3.4 mi | B | 1.6 | 95% | 0% |
| Gamlingay 4.4 mi | D | 2.1 | 32% | 0% |
Upper Caldecote, 2.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Blunham, Upper Caldecote and Gamlingay have at least twice Sandy’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Sandy
Is Sandy near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 11 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Sandy?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Kingfisher Way, North Bedfordshire Heritage Trail and Greensand Ridge Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Sandy?
The Beach, 12 mi from the edge of the town, then Stort Beach (28 mi). Sandy itself is inland.
How many people in Sandy live near a park?
76% 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 Sandy?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Sandy good for walking?
For paths, yes: 5.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 95% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 11% (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 Sandy’s overall grade.
Where Sandy’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.