Bassingbourn’s biggest
The Willmott Playing Field
Playing field
2.5 ha (6 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Bassingbourn
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: John Sutton · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Bassingbourn · parks, paths & countryside
85% of Bassingbourn’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Bassingbourn add up to 3.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 34 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.5 for every square kilometre. Bassingbourn grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
85%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
34 km
2.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Chilterns National Landscape
Outdoors grade
Bassingbourn grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Bassingbourn, 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 49% of UK towns16th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space3.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
80out of
100
100
A park within a walk85%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
56out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
44out 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.
Villages its size
Bassingbourn is 16th 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.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Bassingbourn2.5
Villages its size1.9
Cambridgeshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bassingbourn3.8
Villages its size1.9
Cambridgeshire towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bassingbourn85%
Villages its size85%
Cambridgeshire towns79%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Bassingbourn stands out most for park space per resident: only 9 of the other 59 have more.
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 | Radford Semele Warwickshire | A | 12.3 | 100% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 3 | St Margaret's at Cliffe Kent | A | 2.3 | 90% | 2.4 | 15% |
| 4 | Upton upon Severn Worcestershire | A− | 4.9 | 90% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 5 | Picket Piece Hampshire | A− | 3.9 | 100% | 1.3 | 33% |
| 6 | Tanfield Lea County Durham | A− | 3.8 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Cannington Somerset | A− | 2.8 | 88% | 3.2 | 3% |
| 8 | Y Felinheli Gwynedd | B+ | 4.9 | 65% | 1.9 | 10% |
| 9 | Hall Green West Yorkshire | B+ | 7.5 | 82% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Nant-y-moel Mid Glamorgan | B | 7 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Pen-y-fai Mid Glamorgan | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 12 | Stalbridge Dorset | B− | 3.3 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Narberth Dyfed | B− | 1.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 4% |
| 14 | Creech St Michael Somerset | B− | 1.2 | 88% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Upper Halliford Surrey | B− | 5.1 | 44% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Bassingbourn Cambridgeshire | B− | 3.8 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Riccall North Yorkshire | B− | 2.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Wiveliscombe Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 19 | Ashurst Hampshire | B− | 0.9 | 65% | 3.6 | 72% |
| 20 | St Dennis Cornwall | C+ | 2.4 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 21 | Osbaldwick North Yorkshire | C+ | 1.9 | 70% | 5 | 0% |
| 22 | Padstow Cornwall | C+ | 0.6 | 33% | 2.5 | 37% |
| 23 | Pentyrch South Glamorgan | C+ | 2.6 | 50% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Bramford Suffolk | C+ | 3.2 | 76% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Shelley Essex | C+ | 0.7 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Mickleton Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.2 | 52% | 2.1 | 45% |
| 27 | Witchford Cambridgeshire | C+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 28 | Coven Staffordshire | C+ | 3.6 | 87% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Lingwood Norfolk | C+ | 1.2 | 73% | 2.6 | 26% |
| 30 | Stanton Suffolk | C | 2.6 | 87% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Woolavington Somerset | C | 1.6 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 32 | Dearham Cumbria | C | 0.6 | 72% | 1.4 | 6% |
| 33 | West Rainton County Durham | C | 2.1 | 73% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Bletchingley Surrey | C | 0.5 | 10% | 3.9 | 18% |
| 35 | Stanford in the Vale Oxfordshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Credenhill Herefordshire | C− | 1.5 | 87% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Wilstead Bedfordshire | C− | 1.7 | 88% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Roche Cornwall | C− | 2.8 | 81% | 1 | 0% |
| 39 | Marshfield Gwent | C− | 1 | 85% | 0.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Hathern Leicestershire | C− | 1.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 41 | Knowsley Merseyside | C− | 3.1 | 77% | 1 | 0% |
| 42 | Creigiau South Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 85% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 43 | Kings Sutton Northamptonshire | C− | 1.8 | 79% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Collingham West Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 45 | Reepham Norfolk | C− | 2.3 | 66% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Stilton Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.8 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Coates and Eastrea Cambridgeshire | C− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Dinnington Tyne and Wear | C− | 1.6 | 89% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Brown Edge Staffordshire | C− | 1.1 | 88% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Goxhill Lincolnshire | C− | 1.5 | 69% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Usk Gwent | C− | 3.5 | 56% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Eastry Kent | D | 2 | 77% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Netherton (Wakefield) West Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 27% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 54 | St Stephen Cornwall | D | 1.2 | 88% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Fishburn County Durham | D | 1.5 | 76% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 56 | Burton upon Stather Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 75% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Belton Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 67% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Hingham Norfolk | D− | 1.9 | 13% | 1 | 0% |
| 59 | Norton South Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Leven East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.2 | 64% | 0.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Bassingbourn’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 Bassingbourn
The biggest is The Willmott Playing Field, 2.5 ha (6 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
How close Bassingbourn’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 (85%)Further (16%)
Bassingbourn85%
Villages its size85%
Cambridgeshire towns79%
All UK towns83%
About 400 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 235 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 13 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Bassingbourn
34 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Bassingbourn and the kilometre around it, 2.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Regional
Harcamlow Way7.7 km
Greenwich Meridian Trail2.3 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the Harcamlow Way and Greenwich Meridian Trail.
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 Bassingbourn: 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 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 51 | 37 | 32 | 39 | 45 | 47 | 58 | 57 | 47 | 56 | 55 | 48 |
March is the driest month (32 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 58 mm of rain falls in July, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Bassingbourn →
Things to do
10 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
Bassingbourn is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
The Beach20 mi from Bassingbourn’s edge
DirectionsStort Beach21 mi from Bassingbourn’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.
Up high. Limlow Hill, at 61 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Bassingbourn.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Limlow Hill61 m (200 ft) · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Keith Wood1.6 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 10
Plus 10 playgrounds 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.
RoystonMeldrethMelbournOrwellAshwellBarringtonBassingbourn
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Meldreth, 2.7 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 82% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Bassingbourn
What is the biggest park in Bassingbourn?
The Willmott Playing Field, 2.5 ha (6 acres), with 0.7 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Bassingbourn near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 13 mi south-west of the village’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Bassingbourn?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Harcamlow Way and Greenwich Meridian Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Bassingbourn?
The Beach, 20 mi from the edge of the village, then Stort Beach (21 mi). Bassingbourn itself is inland.
How many people in Bassingbourn live near a park?
85% 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 Bassingbourn?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Bassingbourn good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 44% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 80% (3.8 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 Bassingbourn’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Bassingbourn’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.