Ashford’s biggest
Bedfont Lakes
Park or garden
106 ha (262 acres)22.3 km of path
4 h 55 minto walk all 22.3 km of path
148 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Viewpoint Nature reserve
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Ashford · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Ashford
Parks and playing fields in Ashford add up to 3.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 73% of residents. Footpaths add up to 57 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 2.9 for every square kilometre. Ashford grades C+ for the outdoors: #51 of 65 in Surrey. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
73%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
57 km
2.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Surrey Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Ashford?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam3.4 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 75% of UK towns.On a National TrailThe Thames Path passes through.
Ashford’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by the Thames Path.
Outdoors grade
Ashford grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Ashford, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C+
Better than 42% of UK towns#51 of 65 in Surrey · 47th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
76out of
100
100
A park within a walk73%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
35out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths2.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
57out 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
Ashford is 47th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 21,300 to 24,400 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
Ashford2.9
Towns its size3.6
Surrey towns4.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ashford3.4
Towns its size2.6
Surrey towns3.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ashford73%
Towns its size83%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Ashford stands out most for park space per resident: only 19 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 42 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | A+ | 5.7 | 96% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 2 | Chapeltown and High Green South Yorkshire | A+ | 4.9 | 94% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 3 | Falmouth Cornwall | A | 1.3 | 96% | 3.5 | 41% |
| 4 | Reddish Greater Manchester | A | 6.7 | 100% | 5 | 0% |
| 5 | Caterham Surrey | A | 4.3 | 84% | 4.3 | 17% |
| 6 | Hebburn Tyne and Wear | A | 6.6 | 99% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 7 | Ash and Ash Vale Surrey | A | 4.3 | 72% | 5.4 | 20% |
| 8 | Seaham County Durham | A | 2.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Thornaby-on-Tees North Yorkshire | A | 5.4 | 92% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 10 | South Ockendon Essex | A− | 2.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Droylsden Greater Manchester | A− | 5.2 | 95% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Reigate Surrey | A− | 5.5 | 58% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 13 | Felixstowe Suffolk | A− | 2 | 88% | 1.9 | 28% |
| 14 | Heanor Derbyshire | A− | 4.2 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Hedge End Hampshire | A− | 5.5 | 87% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 16 | Coalville Leicestershire | A− | 3.7 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 17 | Kempston Bedfordshire | A− | 4.9 | 88% | 4 | 0% |
| 18 | Ryde Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.6 | 19% |
| 19 | Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 74% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 20 | Whitefield Greater Manchester | A− | 4.7 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Ingleby Barwick North Yorkshire | B+ | 2.9 | 87% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 22 | Maldon Essex | B+ | 2.8 | 82% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 23 | Whitehaven Cumbria | B+ | 1.8 | 91% | 2 | 1% |
| 24 | Chesham Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 73% | 4 | 64% |
| 25 | Crowborough East Sussex | B+ | 3.2 | 68% | 2.6 | 91% |
| 26 | Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock Essex | B+ | 2.2 | 97% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 27 | Oadby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.7 | 92% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Seaford East Sussex | B+ | 0.8 | 73% | 2.8 | 52% |
| 29 | Ossett West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.8 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 30 | Orrell Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.1 | 77% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Swinton Greater Manchester | B | 3.9 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Great Bookham and Fetcham Surrey | B | 1.7 | 68% | 4.4 | 33% |
| 33 | Biggleswade Bedfordshire | B | 1.6 | 95% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Westhoughton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Old Trafford Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Sudbury Suffolk | B | 3.8 | 77% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Truro Cornwall | B | 1.6 | 84% | 2.9 | 21% |
| 38 | Hailsham East Sussex | B | 1.4 | 87% | 3.2 | 12% |
| 39 | Dorchester Dorset | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 40 | Rawtenstall Lancashire | B | 1.9 | 83% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Royton Greater Manchester | B− | 2.8 | 71% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Bingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.1 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 43 | St Austell Cornwall | B− | 1.2 | 71% | 2.5 | 7% |
| 44 | Staines-upon-Thames Surrey | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Bishop Auckland County Durham | B− | 2.7 | 85% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Chester-le-Street County Durham | C+ | 1.7 | 75% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 47 | Ashford Surrey | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Clifton Nottinghamshire | C+ | 1.5 | 76% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Sunbury-on-Thames Surrey | C+ | 2 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Kenilworth Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 51 | Market Harborough Leicestershire | C+ | 1.9 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Formby Merseyside | C+ | 1.4 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Ascot Berkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 56% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Potters Bar Hertfordshire | C | 1.6 | 71% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Normanton West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Stowmarket Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 50% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Retford Nottinghamshire | C− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 58 | Gainsborough Lincolnshire | C− | 1 | 96% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | March Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Darlaston West Midlands | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ashford’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 Ashford
The biggest is Bedfont Lakes, 106 ha (262 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 156 ha (385 acres) and 33 km of path
Parks & gardens 156 ha
The two biggest, Bedfont Lakes and Shortwood Common, are 81% of the named green space and carry 26 km of path between them.
Shortwood Common
Park or garden
20 ha (50 acres)4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Shortwood Common
Park or garden
20 ha (50 acres)4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Fordbridge Park
Park or garden
9.3 ha (23 acres)2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
13 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Echelforde Recreation Ground
Park or garden
0.4 ha (1 acres)
0.6 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Ashford 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 (73%)Further (27%)
Ashford73%
Towns its size83%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
About 6,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 35 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 652 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Surrey Hills National Landscape is 11 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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Ashford is on the Thames Path
57 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Ashford and the kilometre around it, 2.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalLocal
Thames Path3.4 km
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England3.4 km
Colne Valley Way0.8 km
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Ashford.
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 Ashford: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 63 | 45 | 39 | 43 | 45 | 50 | 43 | 55 | 51 | 67 | 69 | 60 |
March is the driest month (39 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 69 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 30 nights a year. The climate in Ashford →
The coast
Beaches near Ashford
0% of the area within 5 km of Ashford is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km.
Amity Beach2.0 mi from town
DirectionsSea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
35 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
Monolith Hill0.2 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Bedfont lakes nature reserve.2.6 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 35
Fordbridge Park Playgroundin town
DirectionsAlexandra Park Play Ground0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 33 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Slipways 2
Plus 2 slipways 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.
Ashford CommonStaines-upon-ThamesStanwellLalehamShepperton GreenSunbury-on-ThamesAshford
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 0% |
| Ashford Common 1.2 mi | D | 0.8 | 62% | 0% |
| Staines-upon-Thames 1.4 mi | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 0% |
| Stanwell 1.5 mi | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 0% |
| Laleham 1.7 mi | C | 9.8 | 34% | 0% |
| Shepperton Green 2.1 mi | D | 1.4 | 73% | 0% |
| Sunbury-on-Thames 2.4 mi | C+ | 2.0 | 79% | 0% |
Staines-upon-Thames, 1.4 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 67% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Laleham has at least twice Ashford’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Ashford
What is the biggest park in Ashford?
Bedfont Lakes, 106 ha (262 acres), with 22.3 km of path. Shortwood Common (20 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Ashford near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Surrey Hills National Landscape, 11 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 422 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Ashford?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Thames Path, European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England and Colne Valley Way. Bedfont Lakes alone has 22.3 km of path.
How many people in Ashford live near a park?
73% 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 Ashford?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Ashford good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 57% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 76% (3.4 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 Ashford’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Ashford’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.