Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: David Hallam-Jones · CC BY-SA 2.053 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.8 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Sandiacre add up to 2.6 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Sandiacre grades B+ for the outdoors: #26 of 59 in Derbyshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sandiacre, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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.
The 60 UK towns and cities of 8,900 to 9,900 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Sandiacre stands out most for path per km²: only 15 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swanage Dorset | A+ | 6.9 | 95% | 4.2 | 47% |
| 2 | Caldicot Gwent | A+ | 4.2 | 92% | 3 | 2% |
| 3 | Brynteg Clwyd | A | 8.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 4 | Ilfracombe Devon | A | 2 | 86% | 3 | 28% |
| 5 | Bordon Hampshire | A | 8.6 | 54% | 6.7 | 49% |
| 6 | Killamarsh Derbyshire | A | 10.6 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 7 | Linthwaite and Slaithwaite West Yorkshire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 8 | New Mills Derbyshire | A | 2.4 | 84% | 5.1 | 34% |
| 9 | Beccles Suffolk | A | 4.5 | 87% | 3.2 | 20% |
| 10 | Nuthall and Watnall Nottinghamshire | A | 6.3 | 97% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Greasby Merseyside | A | 5.9 | 74% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Southborough Kent | A− | 2.8 | 94% | 2.5 | 57% |
| 13 | Whiteley Hampshire | A− | 3 | 52% | 4.4 | 2% |
| 14 | Thurmaston Leicestershire | A− | 10.4 | 89% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 15 | Hetton-le-Hole Tyne and Wear | A− | 7.8 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 16 | Esher Surrey | A− | 6.9 | 86% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 17 | Shelf and Northowram West Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 88% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Billingshurst West Sussex | A− | 2.9 | 95% | 3.1 | 3% |
| 19 | Thurnscoe South Yorkshire | A− | 9.4 | 100% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Shaftesbury Dorset | A− | 2.8 | 92% | 2.3 | 44% |
| 21 | Aveley Essex | A− | 3.4 | 84% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 22 | Shanklin Isle of Wight | A− | 1.4 | 33% | 4.5 | 29% |
| 23 | Irthlingborough Northamptonshire | A− | 4.7 | 94% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Yarm North Yorkshire | A− | 3.3 | 96% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Frodsham Cheshire | B+ | 2.5 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 26 | Sandiacre Derbyshire | B+ | 2.6 | 94% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Hayle Cornwall | B+ | 1.4 | 72% | 3.4 | 6% |
| 28 | Pontllanfraith Gwent | B | 3.7 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Shildon County Durham | B | 2.8 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Hemsworth West Yorkshire | B | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Gatley Greater Manchester | B | 5.7 | 66% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 32 | North Wingfield and Holmewood Derbyshire | B | 2.7 | 84% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 33 | Queensbury West Yorkshire | B | 2.6 | 91% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Tiptree Essex | B | 2.7 | 90% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Immingham Lincolnshire | B | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 36 | Perton Staffordshire | B | 2.4 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 37 | Yaxley Cambridgeshire | B− | 2.6 | 90% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 38 | Pembroke Dock Dyfed | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 1.1 | 25% |
| 39 | Mildenhall Suffolk | B− | 2.1 | 91% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 40 | Knottingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.7 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Hook Hampshire | B− | 2.4 | 80% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Caister-on-Sea Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 58% | 2.1 | 21% |
| 43 | Wideopen Tyne and Wear | C+ | 2.1 | 75% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Okehampton Devon | C+ | 0.9 | 85% | 2.2 | 37% |
| 45 | Brandon County Durham | C+ | 2.2 | 72% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 46 | Crook County Durham | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Lydney Gloucestershire | C+ | 2.1 | 52% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Barwell Leicestershire | C | 1.7 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Diss Norfolk | C | 1.5 | 80% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Milnrow Greater Manchester | C | 2.9 | 58% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Kinmel Bay Clwyd | C | 1.8 | 76% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Shepton Mallet Somerset | C | 1.2 | 70% | 2.8 | 1% |
| 53 | Totnes Devon | C | 0.4 | 65% | 3.3 | 11% |
| 54 | Pencoed Mid Glamorgan | C− | 2.8 | 52% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Sileby Leicestershire | C− | 1 | 80% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Shifnal Shropshire | D | 1 | 89% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Broughton Astley Leicestershire | D | 1 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 58 | Brandon Suffolk | D | 0.8 | 39% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 59 | Littleport Cambridgeshire | D | 1 | 71% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Pheasey West Midlands | D− | 0.9 | 40% | 2.4 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sandiacre’s built-up area.
The biggest is Toton Fields Open Space, 23 ha (57 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Toton Fields Open Space and Stoney Clouds Nature Reserve, are 93% of the named green space and carry 11 km of path between them.
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).
About 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 27 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 347 residents.
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.
Peak District National Park covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
53 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sandiacre and the kilometre around it, 3.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Close to home, the Erewash Valley Trail has 10 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Derby Nomad Way and Midshires Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 55 | 45 | 43 | 46 | 46 | 63 | 65 | 60 | 55 | 68 | 62 | 63 |
March is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 68 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Sandiacre →
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.
Sandiacre is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Plus 5 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map.
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandiacre | B+ | 2.6 | 94% | 0% |
| Stapleford 1.1 mi | A | 3.5 | 95% | 0% |
| Trowell 1.9 mi | B | 7.7 | 56% | 0% |
| Long Eaton 2.1 mi | C | 1.8 | 74% | 0% |
| Breaston and Draycott 2.2 mi | C− | 1.1 | 73% | 0% |
| Beeston 2.6 mi | B | 2.7 | 77% | 0% |
| Borrowash 3.4 mi | B− | 2.8 | 85% | 0% |
Stapleford, 1.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 95% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Trowell has at least twice Sandiacre’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Toton Fields Open Space, 23 ha (57 acres), with 8.1 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Stoney Clouds Nature Reserve (9.4 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. Peak District National Park begins 17 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,438 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Erewash Valley Trail, Derby Nomad Way and Midshires Way. Toton Fields Open Space alone has 8.1 km of path.
The Beach, 19 mi from the edge of the town. Sandiacre itself is inland.
94% 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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
For paths, yes: 3.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 78% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 61% (2.6 ha per 1,000 residents).
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 Sandiacre’s overall grade.
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.