Photo: G1MFG at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.088% of Wilstead’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
18 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 1.8 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Wilstead add up to 1.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Wilstead grades C− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Wilstead grades C− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Wilstead, 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.
Wilstead is 44th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,300 to 2,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Wilstead falls furthest behind on path per km², where 42 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reydon Suffolk | A+ | 3.5 | 93% | 3.6 | 49% |
| 2 | Wolsingham County Durham | A+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.9 | 55% |
| 3 | Aldeburgh Suffolk | A | 2.3 | 88% | 2.3 | 41% |
| 4 | St Margaret's at Cliffe Kent | A | 2.3 | 90% | 2.4 | 15% |
| 5 | Old Stratford Northamptonshire | A | 9.8 | 100% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Awsworth Nottinghamshire | A− | 2.4 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 7 | Upton upon Severn Worcestershire | A− | 4.9 | 90% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 8 | Colerne Wiltshire | A− | 3.1 | 86% | 2.4 | 84% |
| 9 | West Wick Somerset | A− | 1.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 16% |
| 10 | Tanfield Lea County Durham | A− | 3.8 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Higher Folds Greater Manchester | A− | 2.8 | 90% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Sway Hampshire | B+ | 2.9 | 38% | 4 | 74% |
| 13 | Kington Herefordshire | B+ | 3.9 | 89% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 14 | Williton Somerset | B+ | 1.1 | 88% | 2.1 | 31% |
| 15 | Cotford St Luke Somerset | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 6% |
| 16 | Henlow Bedfordshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 17 | Nant-y-moel Mid Glamorgan | B | 7 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 18 | Chattenden Kent | B | 1.4 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 19 | Middlestown and Overton West Yorkshire | B− | 1.5 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 20 | Stalbridge Dorset | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 21 | Watlington Oxfordshire | B− | 2.3 | 67% | 2.4 | 55% |
| 22 | Narberth Dyfed | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 4% |
| 23 | Wootton (Vale of White Horse) Oxfordshire | B− | 3.4 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Redlynch and Woodfalls Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 34% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 25 | Bassingbourn Cambridgeshire | B− | 3.8 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Riccall North Yorkshire | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 27 | Ashurst Hampshire | B− | 0.9 | 65% | 3.6 | 72% |
| 28 | St Dennis Cornwall | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Renishaw Derbyshire | C+ | 0.6 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 30 | Pentyrch South Glamorgan | C+ | 2.6 | 50% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 31 | Shelley Essex | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Hendreforgan Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2.7 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Witchford Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Grendon Warwickshire | C+ | 8.1 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 35 | Coven Staffordshire | C+ | 3.6 | 87% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Ruspidge Gloucestershire | C+ | 2 | 46% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Lingwood Norfolk | C+ | 1.2 | 73% | 2.6 | 26% |
| 38 | Pontycymer Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.2 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 39 | South Milford North Yorkshire | C | 1.7 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Bletchingley Surrey | C | 0.5 | 10% | 3.9 | 18% |
| 41 | Bugle Cornwall | C− | 1.8 | 92% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Hambleton Lancashire | C− | 2.3 | 14% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Eggborough North Yorkshire | C− | 1.5 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 44 | Wilstead Bedfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 88% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Marshfield Gwent | C− | 1 | 85% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Aberfan Mid Glamorgan | C− | 4.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Cornforth County Durham | C− | 1.9 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Collingham West Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Stilton Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.8 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Dinnington Tyne and Wear | C− | 1.6 | 89% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Brown Edge Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Eastry Kent | D | 2 | 77% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Llanhilleth Gwent | D | 1.3 | 71% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Leyburn North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 22% | 2 | 16% |
| 55 | Fishburn County Durham | D | 1.5 | 76% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Parbold Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 36% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 57 | Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire | D | 1.5 | 44% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Burton upon Stather Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 75% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Myerscough Smithy Lancashire | D | 0.5 | 45% | 3 | 0% |
| 60 | Garden City Clwyd | D− | 1.5 | 58% | 1.4 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Wilstead’s built-up area.
How close Wilstead’s homes are to 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 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 18 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 134 residents.
The Chilterns National Landscape is 7.1 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.
1 waymarked walk passes through or near Wilstead
18 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Wilstead and the kilometre around it, 1.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
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.
The best walking months in Wilstead: 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) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 49 | 40 | 36 | 43 | 50 | 50 | 49 | 59 | 54 | 64 | 58 | 52 |
March is the driest month (36 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 64 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Wilstead →
18 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
The nearest beaches
Wilstead is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 18
Plus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilstead | C− | 1.7 | 88% | 0% |
| Wixams 1.2 mi | B | 5.3 | 100% | 0% |
| Houghton Conquest 1.7 mi | C+ | 1.8 | 100% | 0% |
| Shortstown 2.3 mi | C | 2.4 | 82% | 0% |
| Stewartby 2.7 mi | A− | 21.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Kempston 3.4 mi | A− | 4.9 | 88% | 0% |
| Maulden 3.5 mi | D | 0.9 | 55% | 0% |
Kempston, 3.4 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: 88% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Wixams, Stewartby and Kempston have at least twice Wilstead’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Wilstead
Is Wilstead near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 7.1 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Wilstead?
1 waymarked walking route passes within 2 km of the village, including the John Bunyan Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Wilstead?
The Beach, 5.0 mi from the edge of the village, then Stort Beach (31 mi). Wilstead itself is inland.
How many people in Wilstead live near a park?
88% 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 Wilstead?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Wilstead good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 1.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 24% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 37% (1.7 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 Wilstead’s overall grade.
Where Wilstead’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.