Andover’s biggest
Watermills Park
Park or garden
18 ha (44 acres)4.0 km of path
55 minto walk all 4 km of path
25 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi south-westfrom the centre
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: nick macneill · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Andover · parks, paths & countryside
Andover has more footpath per square kilometre than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 169 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 4.4 for every square kilometre. The North Wessex Downs National Landscape begins 0.5 mi from the town’s edge. 91% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Andover grades A for the outdoors: #20 of 76 in Hampshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
91%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
169 km
4.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
21%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North Wessex Downs National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Andover?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A town of footpaths4.4 km of path per km², more than 87% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe North Wessex Downs National Landscape starts 0.5 mi north-east.
Andover’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the North Wessex Downs National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Andover grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Andover, 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 92% of UK towns#20 of 76 in Hampshire · 4th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of
100
100
A park within a walk91%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
69out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape21%of the land within 5 km
79out of
100
100
Footpaths4.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
87out 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
Andover is 4th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 42,600 to 55,200 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
Andover4.4
Towns its size3.6
Hampshire towns3.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Andover2.7
Towns its size2.3
Hampshire towns2.8
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Andover91%
Towns its size83%
Hampshire towns80%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Andover stands out most for path per km²: only 11 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folkestone Kent | A+ | 2.3 | 95% | 4.9 | 45% |
| 2 | Havant Hampshire | A+ | 3.6 | 84% | 5.8 | 30% |
| 3 | Lancaster Lancashire | A+ | 2.4 | 96% | 3.5 | 22% |
| 4 | Andover Hampshire | A | 2.7 | 91% | 4.4 | 21% |
| 5 | Salisbury Wiltshire | A | 2.7 | 94% | 3.9 | 22% |
| 6 | Wrexham Clwyd | A | 3.8 | 92% | 3.9 | 2% |
| 7 | Wallsend Tyne and Wear | A | 6 | 93% | 5.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Sittingbourne Kent | A | 1.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 9 | Bexhill-on-Sea East Sussex | A | 1.7 | 83% | 3.4 | 13% |
| 10 | Banbury Oxfordshire | A | 2.6 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 11 | Bletchley Buckinghamshire | A | 4.1 | 91% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 12 | Eastleigh Hampshire | A− | 3 | 76% | 4.9 | 17% |
| 13 | Trowbridge Wiltshire | A− | 2.3 | 91% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 14 | Christchurch Dorset | A− | 2.1 | 70% | 3.3 | 14% |
| 15 | Crosby Merseyside | A− | 4.6 | 89% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent | A− | 2.2 | 93% | 2.7 | 73% |
| 17 | Washington Tyne and Wear | A− | 4.5 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 18 | Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester | A− | 3.1 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 19 | Cheshunt Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.8 | 79% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 20 | Carlton Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.9 | 82% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Bootle Merseyside | B+ | 2.1 | 93% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 22 | Canterbury Kent | B+ | 1.6 | 77% | 5.7 | 19% |
| 23 | West Molesey Surrey | B+ | 4.4 | 80% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 24 | Torquay Devon | B+ | 1.8 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Thundersley and South Benfleet Essex | B+ | 3.2 | 69% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 26 | Bridgwater Somerset | B+ | 1.9 | 86% | 3.7 | 2% |
| 27 | Yeovil Somerset | B+ | 2 | 90% | 3.2 | 2% |
| 28 | Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire | B+ | 2.7 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 29 | Batley West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.7 | 94% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Cwmbrân Gwent | B+ | 2.1 | 84% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 31 | Middleton Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.5 | 80% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Horsham West Sussex | B | 1.5 | 83% | 3.9 | 19% |
| 33 | Wokingham Berkshire | B | 4 | 84% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Leigh Greater Manchester | B | 5.3 | 77% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 35 | Beeston Nottinghamshire | B | 2.7 | 77% | 6 | 0% |
| 36 | Macclesfield Cheshire | B | 1.8 | 80% | 3.3 | 18% |
| 37 | Winchester Hampshire | B | 1.2 | 79% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 38 | Altrincham Greater Manchester | B | 2.2 | 91% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 39 | Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 80% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 40 | Castleford West Yorkshire | B | 2.3 | 92% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Bloxwich West Midlands | B− | 3.6 | 74% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Oldbury West Midlands | B− | 3 | 68% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Lytham St Anne's Lancashire | B− | 2.4 | 83% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Braintree Essex | B− | 1.7 | 89% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 45 | Tipton West Midlands | B− | 1.9 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Hinckley Leicestershire | C+ | 1.8 | 87% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Wellingborough Northamptonshire | C+ | 2.7 | 95% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Willenhall West Midlands | C+ | 3.4 | 66% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire | C+ | 1.5 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Kingswinford West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 71% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 51 | King's Lynn Norfolk | C+ | 1.3 | 80% | 2.2 | 23% |
| 52 | Clacton-on-Sea Essex | C | 1.7 | 73% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Kirkby Merseyside | C | 2.2 | 87% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Grays Essex | C | 1.2 | 83% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Durham County Durham | C | 1.1 | 68% | 6 | 0% |
| 56 | Keighley West Yorkshire | C | 1.6 | 73% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Boston Lincolnshire | C− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Worksop Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.3 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Grantham Lincolnshire | D | 0.9 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Bridgend Mid Glamorgan | D | 0.9 | 78% | 2 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Andover’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 Andover
The biggest is Watermills Park, 18 ha (44 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
9 in 10 Andover 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 (91%)Further (9%)
Andover91%
Towns its size83%
Hampshire towns80%
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; 58 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 836 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The North Wessex Downs National Landscape is 0.5 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
National Landscape
North Wessex Downs
0.5 mi north-east1,731 km²since 197221% of the land within 5 km
Official siteNational Landscape
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
16 mi south-west986 km²since 1983
Official site21% of the land within 5 km of Andover is National Park or National Landscape, more than 78% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Andover
169 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Andover and the kilometre around it, 4.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
The Brenda Parker Way7.8 km
River Anton Way6.6 km
Close to home, the River Anton Way has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the The Brenda Parker 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 Andover: 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 88 | 61 | 59 | 59 | 52 | 56 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 93 | 100 | 88 |
May is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 100 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Andover →
Things to do
58 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
Hills and peaks 4
Bere Hill127 m (417 ft) · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsBury Hill119 m (390 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsTinker's Hill120 m (394 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPiper's Hill92 m (302 ft) · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 58
Chalkhill Blue Playgroundin town
DirectionsMonkeys Playgroundin town
DirectionsPicket Twenty Playgroundin town
DirectionsPoppy Park Playgroundin town
DirectionsSaxon Fields playgroundin town
DirectionsTopazin town
DirectionsCharlton Sports Centre Playground0.1 mi from town
DirectionsBury Hill Close Playground0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 50 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.
CharltonPicket PieceAnna Valley and Upper ClatfordWhitchurchLudgershallPerham DownAndover
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | A | 2.7 | 91% | 21% |
| Charlton 1.2 mi | A+ | 5.6 | 87% | 19% |
| Picket Piece 1.6 mi | A− | 3.9 | 100% | 33% |
| Anna Valley and Upper Clatford 1.8 mi | C | 2.2 | 77% | 0% |
| Whitchurch 6.2 mi | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 43% |
| Ludgershall 6.7 mi | C− | 0.7 | 72% | 32% |
| Perham Down 7.2 mi | D | 0.8 | 42% | 17% |
Charlton, 1.2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 87% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Charlton has at least twice Andover’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Andover
What is the biggest park in Andover?
Watermills Park, 18 ha (44 acres), with 4 km of path. Common Acre (0.4 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Andover near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 9.8 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, 0.5 mi away.
What are the best walks near Andover?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the The Brenda Parker Way and River Anton Way. Watermills Park alone has 4 km of path.
How many people in Andover live near a park?
91% 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 Andover?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Andover good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.4 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 87% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 65% (2.7 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 Andover’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Andover’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.