82% of Slough’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Chilterns National Landscape begins 3.4 mi from the city’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Slough add up to 1.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 194 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 2.8 for every square kilometre. Slough grades C for the outdoors: #26 of 30 in Berkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Slough’s strongest suit is the Chilterns National Landscape close by, followed by the Thames Path.
Outdoors grade
Slough grades C for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Slough, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C
Better than 32% of UK towns#26 of 30 in Berkshire
Public green space1.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
40out of 100
A park within a walk82%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
51out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · Chilterns begins just past 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths2.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
53out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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.
Cities its size
How Slough compares with UK cities of 117,000 to 225,000
The 42 UK towns and cities of 117,000 to 225,000 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
Slough2.8
Cities its size4.5
Berkshire towns3.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Slough1.9
Cities its size2.5
Berkshire towns2.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Slough82%
Cities its size85%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Slough falls furthest behind on path per km², where 39 of the 41 others do better.
The biggest is The Orangery Cottage, 123 ha (303 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 29 named parks by size: 407 ha (1,005 acres) and 30 km of path
Parks & gardens 360 haPlaying fields 46 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, The Orangery Cottage and Dorney Common, are 46% of the named green space and carry 15 km of path between them. 10 of the 29 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
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 (82%)Further (18%)
Slough82%
Cities its size85%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
About 30,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 98 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,703 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 3.4 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
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Slough scores 0% on it even though the Chilterns National Landscape is 3.4 mi away.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Slough is on the Thames Path
194 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Slough and the kilometre around it, 2.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
NationalRegionalLocalOther waymarked
Thames Path15.9 km
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England15.9 km
Jubilee River Path10.7 km
Shakespeare's Way9.5 km
Beeches Way9.4 km
Maidenhead Boundary Walk8.7 km
Colne Valley Trail8.0 km
Grand Union Canal (Slough Arm) Walk6.4 km
Cliveden Gold Walking Trail, Cliveden4.4 km
Cliveden Green Walking Trail, Cliveden3.5 km
Cliveden Woodland Walking Trail, Cliveden3.4 km
Colne Valley Way3.4 km
Cliveden Blue Walking Trail, Cliveden3.0 km
Maidenhead Millennium Walk1.7 km
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Slough. Close to home, the Beeches Way has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Shakespeare's Way and Grand Union Canal (Slough Arm) Walk.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
4 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Slough’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
War Memorial Gardens
2.8 ha. 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Baylis House Including Forecourt Walls and Pavilions Adjoining to North East (Grade I).
IBaylis House Including Forecourt Walls and Pavilions Adjoining to North EastIIWall adjoining south-east forecourt wall and pavilion to Baylis HouseIIWall, Gatepiers and Gates Adjoining Baylis House to South EastIIWall, Gatepiers and Gates Adjoining South East Forecourt Wall to Baylis House to South East
Registered · Grade IIDitton Park1.8 ha
Registered · Grade IIHuntercombe Manor1.9 ha
Registered · Grade IIStoke Park3.9 ha
Registered · Grade IIStoke Place0.5 ha
Listed buildings insideBurnham ParkBurnham War Memorial, Garibaldi Public House and 9,11, And 11A, High Street
Listed buildings insideBaylis GroundsWall and Gatepiers Adjoining Baylis House to North West and Wall, Gatepiers and Gates Adjoining Baylis House to South East
Listed buildings insideMemorial GroundLangley War Memorial, Slough and Wall Adjoining Langley Hall
Heritage walks
Grand Union Canal (Slough Arm) Walk 6.4 km
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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Slough: May to September
The city’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
12
15
18
21
23
23
20
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
62
47
41
46
45
46
45
56
51
70
71
62
March is the driest month (41 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Slough →
Things to do
7 viewpoints, 98 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Eton, 1.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Eton, Eton Wick and Datchet have at least twice Slough’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Slough
What is the biggest park in Slough?
The Orangery Cottage, 123 ha (303 acres), with 12.7 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Dorney Common (66 ha) is second. 29 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Slough near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 3.4 mi north of the city’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Slough?
14 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Thames Path, European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England and Jubilee River Path. The Orangery Cottage alone has 12.7 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Slough?
Amity Beach, 5.6 mi from the edge of the city, then Hog Hole (10.0 mi). Slough itself is inland.
How many people in Slough live near a park?
82% 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 Slough?
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 Slough are historic?
Ditton Park (Grade II), Huntercombe Manor (Grade II), Stoke Park (Grade II) and Stoke Place (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Slough good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 53% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 40% (1.9 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 Slough’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0