Sandbach’s biggest
Church Lane Playground
Playing field
0.7 ha (2 acres)0.3 km of path
0.8 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Bill Boaden · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Sandbach · parks, paths & countryside
87% of Sandbach’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
59 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Sandbach add up to 2.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Sandbach grades B− for the outdoors: #17 of 46 in Cheshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
87%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
59 km
3.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Peak District National Park
Outdoors grade
Sandbach grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sandbach, 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 55% of UK towns#17 of 46 in Cheshire · 30th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
59out of
100
100
A park within a walk87%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
61out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
69out 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
Sandbach is 30th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 10,700 to 11,900 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
Sandbach3.4
Towns its size3.0
Cheshire towns2.5
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Sandbach2.5
Towns its size1.9
Cheshire towns1.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Sandbach87%
Towns its size81%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Sandbach stands out most for park space per resident: only 15 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 2 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 3 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 4 | West End Hampshire | A | 9.1 | 100% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 5 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 6 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 7 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 8 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 9 | Great Harwood Lancashire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 10 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 12 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 13 | Royston South Yorkshire | A− | 7.9 | 97% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Romiley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.9 | 80% | 3.8 | 1% |
| 15 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 16 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 17 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 18 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 20 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 21 | Barnoldswick Lancashire | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 4 | 2% |
| 22 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 23 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 24 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 25 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Corsham Wiltshire | B | 1.9 | 81% | 3 | 31% |
| 27 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 28 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 29 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 32 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 33 | Oswaldtwistle Lancashire | B− | 1.1 | 94% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 35 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 36 | Filton Gloucestershire | B− | 3.3 | 40% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Liskeard Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 89% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 39 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 41 | Earl Shilton Leicestershire | C | 1.5 | 98% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 45 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Hexham Northumberland | C− | 1.5 | 64% | 2 | 9% |
| 49 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Dinnington South Yorkshire | C− | 1.1 | 81% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 54 | New Ollerton and Ollerton Nottinghamshire | C− | 0.8 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Newtown Powys | D | 2.3 | 65% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Longton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 60% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 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 Sandbach’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 Sandbach
The biggest is Church Lane Playground, 0.7 ha (2 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 4 named parks by size: 1 ha (4 acres)
Parks & gardens 0.7 haPlaying fields 0.7 haPlay spaces 0.1 ha
The two biggest, Church Lane Playground and The Park, are 86% of the named green space. 4 of the 4 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
The Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Sandbach
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Saxon Place
Park or garden
0.2 ha (0 acres)0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Sandbach
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Newall Avenue Playground
Play space
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Sandbach
Playground
Directionsto the park
Close to home
How close Sandbach’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 (87%)Further (13%)
Sandbach87%
Towns its size81%
Cheshire towns82%
All UK towns83%
About 1,500 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 30 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 376 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Peak District National Park is 10 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
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Sandbach
59 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sandbach and the kilometre around it, 3.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalOther waymarked
South Cheshire Market Towns Trail11.7 km
Cheshire Ring Canal Walk8.2 km
South Cheshire Way3.3 km
2 regional routes pass through, including the South Cheshire Market Towns Trail and South Cheshire 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 Sandbach: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 51 | 48 | 50 | 54 | 65 | 67 | 73 | 65 | 79 | 70 | 77 |
March is the driest month (48 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 79 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Sandbach →
Things to do
30 playgrounds
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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 30
Bramley Wood Play Areain town
DirectionsNewall Avenue Playgroundin town
DirectionsTreasure Island0.3 mi from town
DirectionsSaxon Lea Play Area0.3 mi from town
DirectionsElworth Hall Farm Play Area0.3 mi from town
DirectionsHeathlands Play Area0.4 mi from town
DirectionsRookery Close Playground0.5 mi from town
DirectionsWheelock Farm Playground0.6 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 22 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.
WheelockElworthWinterleyHaslingtonRode HeathHolmes ChapelSandbach
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbach | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 0% |
| Wheelock 1.2 mi | B | 2.4 | 100% | 0% |
| Elworth 1.3 mi | C | 1.8 | 83% | 0% |
| Winterley 2.3 mi | C | 0.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Haslington 3.4 mi | D | 1.8 | 41% | 0% |
| Rode Heath 3.6 mi | C | 0.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Holmes Chapel 3.9 mi | D | 0.8 | 72% | 0% |
Wheelock, 1.2 miles away, grades B, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Sandbach
What is the biggest park in Sandbach?
Church Lane Playground, 0.7 ha (2 acres). The Park (0.5 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Sandbach near a National Park?
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 10 mi east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Sandbach?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the South Cheshire Market Towns Trail, Cheshire Ring Canal Walk and South Cheshire Way.
How many people in Sandbach live near a park?
87% 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 Sandbach?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Sandbach good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 69% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 59% (2.5 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 Sandbach’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Sandbach’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.