Outdoors in Hillingdon · parks, paths & countryside
Hillingdon has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 857 km in the borough and the kilometre around it, 4.9 for every square kilometre. The Chilterns National Landscape begins 1.5 mi from the borough’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Hillingdon add up to 2.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Hillingdon grades A for the outdoors: #2 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Hillingdon’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by the Chilterns National Landscape close by.
Outdoors grade
Hillingdon grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Hillingdon, 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 87% of UK towns#2 of 33 in London · 5th of 40 UK boroughs its size
Public green space2.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
68out of 100
A park within a walk86%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
59out of 100
National Park or National Landscape2%of the land within 5 km
65out of 100
Footpaths4.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
92out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 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.
Boroughs its size
Hillingdon is 5th of 40 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 40 UK towns and cities of 215,000 to 415,000 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
Hillingdon4.9
Boroughs its size4.7
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Hillingdon2.9
Boroughs its size2.0
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Hillingdon86%
Boroughs its size83%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against boroughs its size, Hillingdon stands out most for park space per resident: only 5 of the other 39 have more.
9 in 10 Hillingdon 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 (86%)Further (14%)
Hillingdon86%
Boroughs its size83%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 44,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 264 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 1,163 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Chilterns National Landscape is 1.5 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
Chilterns
1.5 mi north-west838 km²since 19902% of the land within 5 km
2% of the land within 5 km of Hillingdon is National Park or National Landscape, more than 64% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
25 waymarked walks pass through or near Hillingdon
857 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Hillingdon and the kilometre around it, 4.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Hillingdon Trail29.9 km
Colne Valley Trail26.0 km
Grand Union Canal Walk19.8 km
Celandine Route17.9 km
London LOOP (Section 11)11.7 km
Shakespeare's Way10.1 km
Willow Tree Wander9.1 km
London LOOP (Section 12)7.8 km
London LOOP (Section 13)7.7 km
Grand Union Canal (Paddington Arm) Walk7.1 km
South Bucks Way6.9 km
Colne Valley Way6.5 km
London LOOP (Section 14)6.2 km
Beeches Way6.1 km
London LOOP (Section 10)6.0 km
Dog Rose Ramble4.6 km
Plus 9 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Hillingdon Trail has 30 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 16 regional routes pass through, including the Grand Union Canal Walk, London LOOP (Section 11), Shakespeare's Way and London LOOP (Section 12).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
2 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Hillingdon’s named parks.
Park with listed buildings
Cranford Park
55 ha. 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
II*Church of St DunstanIICranford House StablesIICurved Wall to South of West End of StablesIIWall to South of East End of Stables
Registered · Grade IIBroadwater Park2.7 ha
Registered · Grade IIStockley Park: Business park Phases I and II, and country park and golf course140 ha
Listed buildings insideCranford ParkChurch of St Dunstan, Cranford House Stables and Curved Wall to South of West End of Stables and 1 more
Listed buildings insideThe ClosesWall Running South from the Old Gatehouse and West Along Front of Gatehouse Nurseries, Avenue Cottage Avenue House (Flats 1-4) and Barn to South of Avenue Cottage and 1 more
Listed buildings insideBarra Hall ParkChurch of St Mary and Hayes Town Hall
Heritage walks
Grand Union Canal Walk 19.8 km Grand Union Canal (Paddington Arm) Walk 7.1 km Grand Union Canal (Slough Arm) Walk 2.5 km
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hillingdon: May to September
The borough’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)
8.3
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.6
16.6
16.2
14.6
12.6
10.5
8.8
7.8
High (°C)
8
9
12
15
18
21
23
23
20
16
11
9
Rain (mm)
63
48
42
46
48
50
46
57
52
70
72
63
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 72 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. The climate in Hillingdon →
Things to do
19 viewpoints, 264 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the borough in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK borough its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
New Denham, 2.7 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. New Denham and Iver Heath have at least twice Hillingdon’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Hillingdon
What is the biggest park in Hillingdon?
Harmondsworth Moor, 86 ha (213 acres), with 18.6 km of path. Harmondsworth Moor (86 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Hillingdon near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Chilterns National Landscape, 1.5 mi north-west of the borough’s edge. It covers 838 km² and was designated in 1990.
What are the best walks near Hillingdon?
25 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Hillingdon Trail, Colne Valley Trail and Grand Union Canal Walk. Harmondsworth Moor alone has 18.6 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Hillingdon?
Amity Beach, 4.0 mi from the edge of the borough, then Hog Hole (4.4 mi). Hillingdon itself is inland.
How many people in Hillingdon live near a park?
86% 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 Hillingdon?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Hillingdon are historic?
Broadwater Park (Grade II) and Stockley Park: Business park Phases I and II, and country park and golf course (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Hillingdon good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 92% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 68% (2.9 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 Hillingdon’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Swakeleys · Photo: Harrison49 · CC BY-SA 3.0