Soham’s biggest
East Fen Common
Park or garden
21 ha (51 acres)2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
29 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: John Sutton · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Soham · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Soham lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 97% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Soham add up to 4.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 68 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.1 for every square kilometre. Soham grades A− for the outdoors: #3 of 50 in Cambridgeshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
4.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
97%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
68 km
4.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Soham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A park on every doorstep97% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam4.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 85% of UK towns.A town of footpaths4.1 km of path per km², more than 81% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.
Soham’s strongest suit is parks close to every home, followed by plenty of park space.
Outdoors grade
Soham grades A− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Soham, 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 83% of UK towns#3 of 50 in Cambridgeshire · 6th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space4.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
86out of
100
100
A park within a walk97%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
78out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths4.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
82out 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
Soham is 6th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 10,000 to 11,300 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
Soham4.1
Towns its size3.1
Cambridgeshire towns2.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Soham4.7
Towns its size1.8
Cambridgeshire towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Soham97%
Towns its size81%
Cambridgeshire towns79%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Soham 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 | West End Hampshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 2 | Brierfield Lancashire | A | 2.1 | 92% | 5.6 | 18% |
| 3 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 4 | Great Harwood Lancashire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 5 | Godalming Surrey | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 3.1 | 66% |
| 6 | Soham Cambridgeshire | A− | 4.7 | 97% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 7 | Platt Bridge and Abram Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 8 | Royston South Yorkshire | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Romiley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.9 | 80% | 3.8 | 1% |
| 10 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 11 | Padiham Lancashire | A− | 1.5 | 95% | 4.5 | 18% |
| 12 | Bingham Nottinghamshire | A− | 3.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 13 | Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire | A− | 4 | 85% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Chadwell St Mary Essex | A− | 3.2 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitwick Leicestershire | A− | 4.2 | 84% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Egglescliffe County Durham | A− | 4.9 | 94% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Tidworth Wiltshire | B+ | 3.7 | 90% | 2.3 | 8% |
| 19 | Pelsall West Midlands | B+ | 6.1 | 95% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 21 | Woodbridge Suffolk | B+ | 1.7 | 80% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 22 | Barnoldswick Lancashire | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 4 | 2% |
| 23 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Cranleigh Surrey | B | 2.5 | 20% | 4.3 | 38% |
| 25 | Corsham Wiltshire | B | 1.9 | 81% | 3 | 31% |
| 26 | Baldock Hertfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Great Dunmow Essex | B | 2 | 92% | 4 | 0% |
| 28 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 29 | Monmouth Gwent | B− | 1.5 | 69% | 3.1 | 45% |
| 30 | Oswaldtwistle Lancashire | B− | 1.1 | 94% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 31 | Filton Gloucestershire | B− | 3.3 | 40% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Baglan West Glamorgan | C+ | 2.5 | 69% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 34 | Liskeard Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 89% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 35 | Raunds Northamptonshire | C+ | 4.7 | 74% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Abertillery Gwent | C | 2.4 | 69% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Selsey West Sussex | C | 1.6 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 39 | Barnham West Sussex | C | 1.3 | 70% | 2.3 | 32% |
| 40 | Kippax West Yorkshire | C | 1.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 42 | Catshill Worcestershire | C | 1.4 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C− | 1.7 | 37% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Epping Essex | C− | 1.2 | 70% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Hexham Northumberland | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 2 | 9% |
| 46 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Polegate East Sussex | C− | 0.8 | 64% | 2.2 | 24% |
| 49 | Lutterworth Leicestershire | C− | 1.7 | 83% | 2 | 0% |
| 50 | West Moors Dorset | C− | 0.9 | 33% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 51 | New Ollerton and Ollerton Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.8 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 52 | Dinnington South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 55 | Haxby North Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Sherborne Dorset | D | 1.2 | 76% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 57 | Longton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Burton Latimer Northamptonshire | D | 0.9 | 62% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Pocklington East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 60 | Ponteland Northumberland | D− | 1.1 | 36% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Soham’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 Soham
The biggest is East Fen Common, 21 ha (51 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Qua Fen Common
Park or garden
21 ha (52 acres)2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
30 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Qua Fen Common
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Soham’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 (97%)Further (3%)
Soham97%
Towns its size81%
Cambridgeshire towns79%
All UK towns83%
About 300 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 town, about one for every 1,061 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Soham
68 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Soham and the kilometre around it, 4.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Soham; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Soham: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 46 | 36 | 34 | 36 | 44 | 51 | 56 | 56 | 47 | 57 | 54 | 51 |
March is the driest month (34 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 57 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Soham →
Things to do
10 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
Soham is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
The Beach13 mi from Soham’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
Nature reserves 1
Soham Meadow2.7 ha · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
FordhamIslehamBurwellStrethamExningElySoham
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Soham grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Soham
What is the biggest park in Soham?
East Fen Common, 21 ha (51 acres), with 2.5 km of path. Qua Fen Common (21 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Soham near a National Park?
No National Park or National Landscape is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Soham.
What is the nearest beach to Soham?
The Beach, 13 mi from the edge of the town. Soham itself is inland.
How many people in Soham live near a park?
97% 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 Soham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Soham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 82% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 86% (4.7 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 Soham’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Soham’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.