Photo: The Voice of Hassocks · CC079% of Blindley Heath’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The High Weald National Landscape and the Surrey Hills National Landscape both begin about 3 miles from the village’s edge. Parks and playing fields in Blindley Heath add up to 3.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 28 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.2 for every square kilometre. Blindley Heath grades B− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Blindley Heath grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Blindley Heath, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
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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.
Blindley Heath is 22nd of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,200 to 1,400 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Blindley Heath stands out most for park space per resident: only 17 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hightown Hampshire | A+ | 15.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 58% |
| 2 | Rough Common Kent | A+ | 11 | 100% | 9.2 | 1% |
| 3 | Box Wiltshire | A+ | 3.8 | 100% | 3.9 | 56% |
| 4 | Aldington Kent | A+ | 4.6 | 100% | 3.8 | 11% |
| 5 | Holybourne Hampshire | A+ | 12.2 | 100% | 2.7 | 23% |
| 6 | Pwll Dyfed | A | 21.6 | 64% | 2.6 | 19% |
| 7 | Amberley Gloucestershire | A | 13.7 | 0% | 6.3 | 87% |
| 8 | Box Hill Surrey | A | 35.9 | 12% | 6 | 39% |
| 9 | Cliffs End Kent | A | 6.9 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Compton Hampshire | A− | 18.8 | 61% | 3.6 | 28% |
| 11 | South Heath Buckinghamshire | A− | 20.4 | 0% | 3 | 85% |
| 12 | Exton Devon | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 0.6 | 7% |
| 13 | Westfield East Sussex | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 1.9 | 83% |
| 14 | New Brancepeth County Durham | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Baddesley Ensor Warwickshire | B+ | 18.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 16 | Marshfield Gloucestershire | B+ | 4.9 | 42% | 2.7 | 99% |
| 17 | Farningham Kent | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 33% |
| 18 | Lidlington Bedfordshire | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Beer Devon | B | 1.6 | 50% | 2.2 | 43% |
| 20 | Weir Lancashire | B | 0.6 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 21 | Codmore Hill West Sussex | B− | 3.5 | 0% | 2.7 | 46% |
| 22 | Blindley Heath Surrey | B− | 3.2 | 79% | 2.2 | 1% |
| 23 | Blakeney Gloucestershire | B− | 2.1 | 68% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 24 | Fowlmere Cambridgeshire | B− | 4.5 | 100% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Marlpit Hill Kent | B− | 2.5 | 0% | 2.9 | 35% |
| 26 | Burham Kent | C+ | 1.4 | 77% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 27 | Perranarworthal Cornwall | C+ | 2.5 | 76% | 1.6 | 19% |
| 28 | Gaerwen Gwynedd | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 0.4 | 7% |
| 29 | Weobley Herefordshire | C+ | 1.6 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 30 | North Duffield North Yorkshire | C | 2.6 | 100% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Biddulph Moor Staffordshire | C | 8.4 | 43% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Silkstone Common South Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Nefyn Gwynedd | C | 0 | 0% | 2 | 24% |
| 34 | Foxton Cambridgeshire | C | 2.3 | 84% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 35 | Atworth Wiltshire | C− | 1.5 | 62% | 2.2 | 13% |
| 36 | Ninfield East Sussex | C− | 1.8 | 50% | 1.4 | 50% |
| 37 | Spratton Northamptonshire | C− | 2.3 | 85% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Weeley Essex | C− | 7.5 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Langthorpe North Yorkshire | C− | 0.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Aldbrough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 2.1 | 26% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 41 | Wooden Dyfed | D | 0.1 | 0% | 0.4 | 18% |
| 42 | Yardley Gobion Northamptonshire | D | 1.2 | 47% | 3 | 0% |
| 43 | East Markham Nottinghamshire | D | 2.2 | 46% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Bampton Devon | D | 1.5 | 22% | 1.6 | 5% |
| 45 | Pagham West Sussex | D | 0.3 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| 46 | Heddon-on-the-Wall Northumberland | D | 0.6 | 70% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 47 | Colsterworth Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 67% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 48 | Hockwold cum Wilton Norfolk | D | 1.6 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Garsington Oxfordshire | D | 0.4 | 65% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 50 | Fleet Hargate Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 76% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Appleby Magna Leicestershire | D | 1.7 | 46% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Saham Toney Norfolk | D | 3 | 18% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Croeserw West Glamorgan | D | 1.3 | 33% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 54 | Byfield Northamptonshire | D | 1.9 | 48% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Hadham Cross Hertfordshire | D | 0 | 0% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Elvington North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 0% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Felton Northumberland | D− | 1.7 | 50% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Deeping St Nicholas Lincolnshire | D− | 0.7 | 80% | 0 | 0% |
| 59 | Hunger Hill Greater Manchester | D− | 0 | 0% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Witheridge Devon | D− | 0.5 | 36% | 1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Blindley Heath’s built-up area.
How close Blindley Heath’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).
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 3 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 430 residents.
High Weald and Surrey Hills both start about 3 miles from Blindley Heath
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.
South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Blindley Heath
28 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Blindley Heath and the kilometre around it, 2.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Close to home, the Harewoods Lodge Farm Walk, Harewoods has 8 km of local walk within 2 km of the village.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
The best walking months in Blindley Heath: May to September
The village’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 | 16.5 | 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) | 84 | 60 | 48 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 62 | 61 | 91 | 88 | 87 |
March is the driest month (48 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 91 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Blindley Heath →
3 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Blindley Heath is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
The outdoors in nearby towns
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindley Heath | B− | 3.2 | 79% | 1% |
| South Godstone 1.5 mi | B | 2.0 | 100% | 5% |
| Lingfield 2.1 mi | A | 3.5 | 100% | 16% |
| Smallfield 3.3 mi | C | 1.6 | 70% | 1% |
| Dormansland 3.5 mi | B− | 2.5 | 70% | 33% |
| Bletchingley 3.6 mi | C | 0.5 | 10% | 18% |
| Godstone 3.8 mi | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 18% |
Lingfield, 2.1 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Blindley Heath
Is Blindley Heath near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 17 mi south of the village’s edge. It covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the High Weald National Landscape, 2.7 mi away.
What are the best walks near Blindley Heath?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Harewoods Lodge Farm Walk, Harewoods and Horencourt Wood Spring Walk, Harewoods.
What is the nearest beach to Blindley Heath?
Kelson Beach, 20 mi from the edge of the village, then Dock Beach (21 mi). Blindley Heath itself is inland.
How many people in Blindley Heath live near a park?
79% 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 Blindley Heath?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Blindley Heath good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 36% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 72% (3.2 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 Blindley Heath’s overall grade.
Where Blindley Heath’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.