Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Chaldon add up to 7.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Surrey Hills National Landscape reaches the edge of Chaldon. 55 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 4.9 for every square kilometre. Chaldon grades A− for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Chaldon’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Chaldon, 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 1,400 to 1,500 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Chaldon stands out most for park space per resident: only 6 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 49 of the others do better.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Runton and Beeston Regis Norfolk | A+ | 25 | 100% | 4.8 | 34% |
| 2 | Trull Somerset | A+ | 5.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 20% |
| 3 | Sandridge Hertfordshire | A+ | 18.8 | 100% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 4 | Whiteshill and Randwick Gloucestershire | A | 4.5 | 60% | 7 | 64% |
| 5 | New Houghton Derbyshire | A | 33.8 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 6 | Penrhyndeudraeth Gwynedd | A | 2.5 | 100% | 1 | 68% |
| 7 | Balcombe West Sussex | A | 2.9 | 100% | 2.2 | 90% |
| 8 | Jump South Yorkshire | A | 5.1 | 100% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 9 | Sedbergh Cumbria | A | 1.9 | 83% | 5 | 92% |
| 10 | St Day Cornwall | A | 3.2 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 11 | Chaldon Surrey | A− | 7.4 | 50% | 4.9 | 24% |
| 12 | Heath and Reach Bedfordshire | A− | 3.3 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 13 | Five Oak Green Kent | A− | 3 | 100% | 2 | 30% |
| 14 | Llandovery Dyfed | A− | 13.3 | 100% | 1 | 22% |
| 15 | Hallow Worcestershire | A− | 3.7 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Wigginton North Yorkshire | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 17 | Grundisburgh Suffolk | B+ | 2.2 | 100% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 18 | Princetown Devon | B+ | 1.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 100% |
| 19 | Stanwell Moor Surrey | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 20 | Brookwood Surrey | B+ | 8.5 | 59% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Emley West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3 | 0% |
| 22 | Cowling North Yorkshire | B | 1.3 | 100% | 6 | 0% |
| 23 | Alconbury Cambridgeshire | B | 5.1 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 24 | Wedmore Somerset | B | 4.7 | 60% | 3.1 | 1% |
| 25 | Kelloe County Durham | B | 5.6 | 42% | 6 | 0% |
| 26 | Calvert Buckinghamshire | B | 3.3 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 27 | Abertysswg Gwent | B | 2.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 28 | Little Hallingbury Essex | B− | 1 | 100% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Brigstock Northamptonshire | B− | 8.2 | 84% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 30 | Bishop Sutton Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 64% | 2.5 | 36% |
| 31 | Orsett Essex | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 32 | Robertsbridge East Sussex | C+ | 2 | 38% | 2.7 | 100% |
| 33 | Ashton Keynes Wiltshire | C+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Gosfield Essex | C+ | 3.7 | 85% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Pirton Hertfordshire | C+ | 2.4 | 57% | 2.3 | 24% |
| 36 | Sutton Valence Kent | C+ | 5.6 | 71% | 1 | 1% |
| 37 | Gelligaer Gwent | C+ | 2.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Shortlanesend Cornwall | C+ | 1 | 100% | 1.7 | 2% |
| 39 | Castor and Ailsworth Cambridgeshire | C | 3.4 | 41% | 3 | 0% |
| 40 | Ryhall Rutland | C | 1.9 | 100% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Stewkley Buckinghamshire | C | 4.2 | 74% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 42 | Hurley Warwickshire | C | 2.8 | 75% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Salhouse Norfolk | C− | 1.9 | 71% | 1 | 17% |
| 44 | Patrington East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 3.6 | 79% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Blofield Heath Norfolk | C− | 2.5 | 43% | 0.9 | 17% |
| 46 | Mid Lavant West Sussex | C− | 1.3 | 33% | 1.8 | 62% |
| 47 | Thorrington Essex | C− | 1.2 | 65% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Shipton Bellinger Hampshire | D | 1.5 | 79% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Ranskill Nottinghamshire | D | 0.4 | 100% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 50 | Keadby Lincolnshire | D | 1.7 | 84% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Flore Northamptonshire | D | 1.6 | 62% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Westonzoyland Somerset | D | 3.1 | 30% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Blakedown Worcestershire | D | 0.8 | 79% | 2 | 0% |
| 54 | Gosberton Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 86% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Byram North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 19% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Barford Warwickshire | D | 2.1 | 58% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 57 | Markham Gwent | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Guilden Sutton Cheshire | D− | 0.3 | 56% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Shadwell West Yorkshire | D− | 0.3 | 25% | 2 | 0% |
| 60 | Easton Norfolk | D− | 1 | 0% | 1.2 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Chaldon’s built-up area.
The biggest is Queen's Park, 9.9 ha (24 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
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 700 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 13 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 111 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.
24% of the land within 5 km of Chaldon is National Park or National Landscape, more than 80% of UK towns.
55 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Chaldon 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 village.
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Chaldon. Close to home, the Caterham Circular Walk has 13 km of local walk within 2 km of the village. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Tandridge Border Path and London LOOP (Section 5).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 89 | 65 | 51 | 55 | 59 | 56 | 61 | 68 | 64 | 93 | 93 | 92 |
March is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 93 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Chaldon →
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.
Chaldon 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.
Plus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaldon | A− | 7.4 | 50% | 24% |
| Caterham 0.9 mi | A | 4.3 | 84% | 17% |
| Netherne on-the-Hill 1.8 mi | B− | 1.6 | 40% | 19% |
| Whyteleafe 2.2 mi | A+ | 16.3 | 100% | 15% |
| South Merstham 2.4 mi | A | 3.7 | 84% | 20% |
| Hooley 2.4 mi | B− | 1.7 | 67% | 18% |
| Godstone 2.6 mi | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 18% |
Whyteleafe, 2.2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Whyteleafe has at least twice Chaldon’s green space per resident.
Queen's Park, 9.9 ha (24 acres), with 1.5 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Six Brothers' Field (2.7 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
It covers 422 km² and was designated in 1958.
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Caterham Circular Walk, Tandridge Border Path and Downlands Circular Walk.
Kelson Beach, 15 mi from the edge of the village, then The Hollows (16 mi). Chaldon itself is inland.
50% 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: 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 93% (7.4 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 Chaldon’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.