Cookham’s biggest
Cookham Dean Common
Park or garden
18 ha (44 acres)3.5 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.5 km of path
25 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Rob Neild · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Cookham · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Cookham lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
96% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Cookham add up to 8.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 88 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.3 for every square kilometre. Cookham grades A+ for the outdoors: #2 of 30 in Berkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
8.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
96%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
88 km
4.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
19%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Chilterns National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Cookham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep96% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam8.3 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 94% of UK towns.A town of footpaths4.3 km of path per km², more than 85% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe Chilterns National Landscape starts 0.9 mi north.
Cookham’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Cookham grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Cookham, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A+
Better than 98% of UK towns#2 of 30 in Berkshire · 1st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space8.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
94out of
100
100
A park within a walk96%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
76out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape19%of the land within 5 km
78out of
100
100
Footpaths4.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
86out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
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.
Towns its size
Cookham is 1st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 5,000 to 5,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Cookham4.3
Towns its size2.7
Berkshire towns3.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Cookham8.3
Towns its size2.2
Berkshire towns2.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Cookham96%
Towns its size74%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Cookham stands out most for park space per resident: only 6 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cookham Berkshire | A+ | 8.3 | 96% | 4.3 | 19% |
| 2 | Weston Dorset | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 7.6 | 0% |
| 3 | Whitehill Hampshire | A+ | 10.2 | 74% | 5.1 | 58% |
| 4 | Hungerford Berkshire | A+ | 9.1 | 85% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 5 | Budleigh Salterton Devon | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 6 | Edwinstowe Nottinghamshire | A− | 5.6 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 7 | Overseal and Castle Gresley Derbyshire | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Hoylake Merseyside | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 9 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A− | 3 | 94% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 10 | Northam Devon | A− | 6.8 | 43% | 2 | 16% |
| 11 | Highbridge Somerset | B+ | 2.9 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Huthwaite Nottinghamshire | B+ | 8.1 | 75% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Sonning Common Oxfordshire | B+ | 2.6 | 60% | 3.7 | 74% |
| 14 | Llantwit Major South Glamorgan | B+ | 3.2 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Drighlington West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.1 | 92% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Whitchurch Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 3.3 | 43% |
| 17 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 94% | 2.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Waverley and Catcliffe South Yorkshire | B+ | 8.8 | 65% | 5 | 0% |
| 19 | Shrivenham and Watchfield Oxfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 96% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 20 | Long Ashton Somerset | B+ | 10.2 | 66% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 21 | Dartmouth Devon | B+ | 2.1 | 71% | 1.8 | 45% |
| 22 | Newent Gloucestershire | B+ | 3 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Battle East Sussex | B+ | 1.7 | 64% | 4.3 | 84% |
| 24 | Fremington Devon | B+ | 1.4 | 88% | 2.1 | 10% |
| 25 | Grimethorpe South Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Benson Oxfordshire | B | 6 | 44% | 2.3 | 50% |
| 27 | Longstanton and Northstowe Cambridgeshire | B | 4.3 | 86% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 28 | Rowlands Gill Tyne and Wear | B | 4.9 | 84% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Redbourn Hertfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 3.2 | 11% |
| 30 | Iver Heath Buckinghamshire | B | 28.9 | 53% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Virginia Water Surrey | B | 14.5 | 72% | 3 | 0% |
| 32 | Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire | B− | 1.6 | 84% | 7.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Abercarn Gwent | B− | 3 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Whitburn Tyne and Wear | B− | 2.5 | 46% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Midhurst West Sussex | C+ | 0.3 | 28% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 36 | Brynmawr Gwent | C+ | 1.2 | 68% | 2.9 | 45% |
| 37 | Sacriston County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 72% | 4 | 0% |
| 38 | Helsby Cheshire | C+ | 1.4 | 66% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Oakley Hampshire | C | 1.7 | 56% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 40 | Havercroft and Ryhill West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 81% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Bovingdon Hertfordshire | C | 1.4 | 55% | 2.3 | 26% |
| 42 | Shevington Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Odiham Hampshire | C | 1.9 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Waterbeach Cambridgeshire | C | 1.5 | 94% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Looe Cornwall | C− | 0.1 | 47% | 1.7 | 6% |
| 46 | Long Stratton Norfolk | C− | 1 | 89% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Jaywick Essex | C− | 1.1 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Bayston Hill Shropshire | C− | 1.8 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Llangefni Gwynedd | C− | 1.8 | 95% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Measham Leicestershire | C− | 1.3 | 83% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Littlestone-on-Sea Kent | C− | 1.4 | 37% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Long Sutton Lincolnshire | D | 2.2 | 81% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Potton Bedfordshire | D | 1.3 | 77% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Blackrod Greater Manchester | D | 1 | 83% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 55 | Moorends South Yorkshire | D | 2.2 | 39% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Winslow Buckinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 59% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Harleston Norfolk | D− | 0.2 | 42% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Appley Bridge Greater Manchester | D− | 0.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Ravenshead Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Somerton Somerset | D− | 0.6 | 48% | 1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Cookham’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Cookham
The biggest is Cookham Dean Common, 18 ha (44 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 7 named parks by size: 33 ha (82 acres) and 6 km of path
Parks & gardens 24 haPlaying fields 8.9 ha
The two biggest, Cookham Dean Common and The Alfred Major Recreation Ground, are 76% of the named green space and carry 4 km of path between them. 3 of the 7 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
The Alfred Major Recreation Ground
Playing field
7.2 ha (18 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
10 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Cookham
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Cookham Moor
Park or garden
2.7 ha (7 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Odney Common
Park or garden · 10 m outside town
2.9 ha (7 acres)0.4 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Cricket Club
Playing field
1.7 ha (4 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Cookham
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Tugwood Common
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hardings Green
Park or garden
0.3 ha (1 acres)
0.6 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Cookham’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).
Within 400 m (96%)Further (4%)
Cookham96%
Towns its size74%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
About 200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 20 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 261 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 0.9 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.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
19% of the land within 5 km of Cookham is National Park or National Landscape, more than 77% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Cookham is on the European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England
88 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Cookham and the kilometre around it, 4.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England13.2 km
Thames Path13.2 km
The Chiltern Way Berkshire Loop12.0 km
Shakespeare's Way10.5 km
The Long Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead9.4 km
Maidenhead Millennium Walk8.8 km
Maidenhead Boundary Walk8.4 km
Cookham and Cock Marsh Walk, Maidenhead8.0 km
The Short Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead5.0 km
Cookham Wetland and Wildlife Trial, Maidenhead4.6 km
Cliveden Gold Walking Trail, Cliveden4.4 km
Maidenhead Millennium Walk Marlow Link4.2 km
Maidenhead Commons Trail, Maidenhead4.0 km
Cliveden Woodland Walking Trail, Cliveden3.6 km
Cliveden Green Walking Trail, Cliveden3.5 km
Cliveden Blue Walking Trail, Cliveden3.0 km
Plus 1 more waymarked walk on the map.
The European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England, a national route, passes Cookham. Close to home, the The Long Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the The Chiltern Way Berkshire Loop and Shakespeare's Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Cookham: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.8 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 59 | 42 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 61 | 64 | 52 | 82 | 82 | 78 |
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 82 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Cookham →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 20 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
Cookham is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Amity Beach13 mi from Cookham’s edge
DirectionsHog Hole18 mi from Cookham’s edge
DirectionsThe Hollows18 mi from Cookham’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
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
Viewpoints 3
Winter Hill0.0 mi from town
DirectionsCliveden Southern Viewpoint1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 3
Winter Hill6.2 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsBisham Woods119 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsSpade Oak Local Nature Reserve35 ha · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 20
Newfield Gardens Playground0.9 mi from town
DirectionsStorybook Play Den0.9 mi from town
DirectionsCampbell Road Playground1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 3
Plus 3 slipways without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Bourne EndMarlowMaidenheadFlackwell Heath and Wooburn GreenMarlow BottomHurleyCookham
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookham | A+ | 8.3 | 96% | 19% |
| Bourne End 1.7 mi | A | 2.9 | 87% | 19% |
| Marlow 2.3 mi | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 39% |
| Maidenhead 2.5 mi | B+ | 1.8 | 83% | 3% |
| Flackwell Heath and Wooburn Green 3.0 mi | A− | 1.7 | 90% | 30% |
| Marlow Bottom 3.3 mi | C | 0.5 | 40% | 50% |
| Hurley 3.6 mi | A | 3.1 | 100% | 36% |
Cookham grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Cookham
What is the biggest park in Cookham?
Cookham Dean Common, 18 ha (44 acres), with 3.5 km of path. The Alfred Major Recreation Ground (7.2 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Cookham near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 0.9 mi north of the town’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Cookham?
17 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England, Thames Path and The Chiltern Way Berkshire Loop. Cookham Dean Common alone has 3.5 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Cookham?
Amity Beach, 13 mi from the edge of the town, then Hog Hole (18 mi). Cookham itself is inland.
How many people in Cookham live near a park?
96% 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 Cookham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Cookham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.3 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 86% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 94% (8.3 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 Cookham’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Cookham’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.