Marlow’s biggest
Riley Recreation Ground
Playing field
2.1 ha (5 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Marlow
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Bill Boaden · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Marlow · parks, paths & countryside
39% of the land within 5 km of Marlow is National Park or National Landscape
The Chilterns National Landscape reaches the edge of Marlow. 75 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.0 for every square kilometre. 73% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Marlow grades B+ for the outdoors: #20 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
73%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
75 km
4.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
39%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Chilterns National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Marlow?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside39% of the land within 5 km is Chilterns National Landscape.A town of footpaths4.0 km of path per km², more than 80% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.On a National TrailThe European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England passes through.
Marlow’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Marlow grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Marlow, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 69% of UK towns#20 of 39 in Buckinghamshire · 30th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
42out of
100
100
A park within a walk73%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
35out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape39%of the land within 5 km
88out of
100
100
Footpaths4.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
81out 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
Marlow is 30th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 14,000 to 15,200 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
Marlow4.0
Towns its size3.4
Buckinghamshire towns3.2
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Marlow1.9
Towns its size2.8
Buckinghamshire towns2.4
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Marlow73%
Towns its size84%
Buckinghamshire towns74%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Marlow stands out most for path per km²: only 21 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 40 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lymington Hampshire | A+ | 2.8 | 89% | 3.3 | 56% |
| 2 | Hythe Kent | A+ | 3.7 | 76% | 4 | 31% |
| 3 | Otley West Yorkshire | A+ | 5.8 | 93% | 4.4 | 26% |
| 4 | Tadley Hampshire | A+ | 11.4 | 96% | 4.2 | 9% |
| 5 | Llandudno Clwyd | A+ | 2.1 | 83% | 4.9 | 3% |
| 6 | Kesgrave Suffolk | A | 3.3 | 97% | 4.7 | 14% |
| 7 | Petersfield Hampshire | A | 3.2 | 93% | 3.2 | 100% |
| 8 | Yeadon West Yorkshire | A | 3.5 | 94% | 4.6 | 2% |
| 9 | Staveley Derbyshire | A | 6.6 | 100% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 10 | Cheadle Greater Manchester | A | 6.5 | 96% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Penzance Cornwall | A | 1.6 | 96% | 2.3 | 34% |
| 12 | Stapleford Nottinghamshire | A | 3.5 | 95% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Skipton North Yorkshire | A | 1.7 | 99% | 4.2 | 25% |
| 14 | Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint West Sussex | A− | 1.9 | 84% | 4.7 | 42% |
| 15 | Yateley Hampshire | A− | 14.9 | 85% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Honley West Yorkshire | A− | 2.1 | 87% | 5.1 | 8% |
| 17 | Blaydon Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.9 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Frimley Surrey | A− | 2.9 | 99% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 19 | Tredegar Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 78% | 2.8 | 20% |
| 20 | Risca Gwent | A− | 6.9 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 21 | Thornbury Gloucestershire | A− | 2.5 | 97% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 22 | Chertsey Surrey | A− | 6.2 | 84% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Birstall Leicestershire | A− | 6 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 24 | Tewkesbury Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.2 | 84% | 4 | 6% |
| 25 | Ilkley West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.6 | 76% | 5.7 | 37% |
| 26 | Uckfield East Sussex | B+ | 2.9 | 47% | 4.9 | 22% |
| 27 | Neston Cheshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 28 | Buckingham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 3.4 | 96% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 29 | Somercotes and Swanwick Derbyshire | B+ | 3.6 | 95% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Marlow Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 39% |
| 31 | Ashtead Surrey | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 4.3 | 13% |
| 32 | Armthorpe South Yorkshire | B+ | 6.4 | 92% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Humberston and New Waltham Lincolnshire | B+ | 4.1 | 44% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 34 | Tilbury Essex | B | 1.4 | 98% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Crowthorne Berkshire | B | 4.7 | 60% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 36 | Morpeth Northumberland | B | 3.7 | 80% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Blaby and Whetstone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 79% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 38 | Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire | B− | 4.9 | 78% | 1.8 | 6% |
| 39 | Newport Shropshire | B− | 3.3 | 95% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Chard Somerset | B− | 1.6 | 94% | 1.9 | 34% |
| 41 | Hawarden Clwyd | B− | 3.7 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 42 | Gorseinon West Glamorgan | B− | 3.7 | 83% | 1.3 | 2% |
| 43 | Aberystwyth Dyfed | B− | 1.8 | 51% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Cowes Isle of Wight | C+ | 1.1 | 50% | 2.2 | 15% |
| 45 | Herne Kent | C+ | 1.2 | 54% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 78% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Darton South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.5 | 86% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.9 | 57% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 49 | Byfleet Surrey | C+ | 3.1 | 59% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Kidlington Oxfordshire | C+ | 0.9 | 81% | 3 | 2% |
| 51 | Garforth West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Milford Haven Dyfed | C | 0.8 | 70% | 0.9 | 30% |
| 53 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire | C | 1.1 | 90% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 54 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 73% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 67% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Pyle Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1 | 78% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Cottingham East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 73% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 58 | Middlewich Cheshire | D | 1.4 | 81% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Shepshed Leicestershire | D | 1.1 | 69% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 60 | Church Village Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.7 | 72% | 1.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Marlow’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 Marlow
The biggest is Riley Recreation Ground, 2.1 ha (5 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 3 ha (8 acres)
Parks & gardens 1.2 haPlaying fields 2.1 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Riley Recreation Ground and Rookery Gardens, are 96% of the named green space. 3 of the 4 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Rookery Gardens
Park or garden
1.1 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Marlow
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The May Balfour Garden
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Marlow
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Campbell Road Play Area
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
0.6 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Marlow 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).
Within 400 m (73%)Further (27%)
Marlow73%
Towns its size84%
Buckinghamshire towns74%
All UK towns83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 14 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,046 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Marlow
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
National Landscape
Chilterns
At the edge north-west838 km²since 199039% of the land within 5 km
Official site39% of the land within 5 km of Marlow is National Park or National Landscape, more than 87% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Marlow is on the European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England
75 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Marlow and the kilometre around it, 4.0 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
The Long Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead9.4 km
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England9.2 km
Thames Path9.2 km
The Chiltern Way9.1 km
Shakespeare's Way8.2 km
The Chiltern Way Berkshire Loop5.2 km
The Short Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead5.0 km
Maidenhead Millennium Walk Marlow Link3.4 km
Cookham and Cock Marsh Walk, Maidenhead0.9 km
The European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England, a national route, passes Marlow. Close to home, the The Long Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead has 9 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 3 regional routes pass through, including the The Chiltern Way, Shakespeare's Way and The Chiltern Way Berkshire Loop.
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 Marlow: 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 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 71 | 59 | 52 | 55 | 54 | 58 | 57 | 68 | 62 | 84 | 90 | 78 |
March is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 90 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 49 nights a year. The climate in Marlow →
Things to do
14 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.
1Viewpoints3Nature reserves2.9× towns its size1Picnic sites14Playgrounds0.6× towns its size3Slipways
The nearest beaches
Marlow is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Amity Beach15 mi from Marlow’s edge
DirectionsHog Hole21 mi from Marlow’s edge
DirectionsThe Hollows21 mi from Marlow’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 1
Winter Hill0.4 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 3
Winter Hill6.2 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsBisham Woods119 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsSpade Oak Local Nature Reserve35 ha · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 14
Campbell Road Playgroundin town
DirectionsNewfield Gardens Playgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 3
Temple Lock Boat Rollers0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 2 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.
Marlow BottomCookhamHurleyBourne EndFlackwell Heath and Wooburn GreenHigh WycombeMarlow
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlow | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 39% |
| Marlow Bottom 1.1 mi | C | 0.5 | 40% | 50% |
| Cookham 2.3 mi | A+ | 8.3 | 96% | 19% |
| Hurley 2.6 mi | A | 3.1 | 100% | 36% |
| Bourne End 2.8 mi | A | 2.9 | 87% | 19% |
| Flackwell Heath and Wooburn Green 3.4 mi | A− | 1.7 | 90% | 30% |
| High Wycombe 3.9 mi | B+ | 1.6 | 68% | 67% |
Cookham, 2.3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 96% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Cookham has at least twice Marlow’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Marlow
What is the biggest park in Marlow?
Riley Recreation Ground, 2.1 ha (5 acres), with 0.5 km of path. Rookery Gardens (1.1 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Marlow near a National Park?
It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Marlow?
9 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the The Long Wind in the Willows Walk, Maidenhead, European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England and Thames Path.
What is the nearest beach to Marlow?
Amity Beach, 15 mi from the edge of the town, then Hog Hole (21 mi). Marlow itself is inland.
How many people in Marlow live near a park?
73% 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 Marlow?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Marlow good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 81% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 42% (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 Marlow’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Marlow’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.