Photo: Charlesdrakew · Public domainChiddingfold is inside the Surrey Hills National Landscape
87% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. 26 km of footpaths run through the village and the kilometre around it, 2.5 for every square kilometre. Chiddingfold grades B+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Chiddingfold grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Chiddingfold, 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.
Chiddingfold is 14th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,100 to 2,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against villages its size, Chiddingfold stands out most for path per km²: only 26 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mullion Cornwall | A+ | 3.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 64% |
| 2 | Broughton Buckinghamshire | A+ | 8 | 100% | 6.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Charlton Hampshire | A+ | 5.6 | 87% | 5.2 | 19% |
| 4 | Bestwood Village Nottinghamshire | A | 43.8 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 5 | Deepcut Surrey | A | 8.4 | 100% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 6 | Springwell Tyne and Wear | A | 5 | 100% | 6.7 | 0% |
| 7 | Eton Wick Berkshire | A | 17.4 | 100% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Carlton South Yorkshire | A | 23.1 | 87% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 9 | Streethay Staffordshire | A− | 10.1 | 100% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 10 | Gilwern Gwent | A− | 1.9 | 100% | 2 | 83% |
| 11 | Woodcote Oxfordshire | B+ | 1.6 | 84% | 3.5 | 99% |
| 12 | Hanslope Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.9 | 100% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 13 | Church Warsop Nottinghamshire | B+ | 4.1 | 85% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Chiddingfold Surrey | B+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.5 | 68% |
| 15 | Wells-next-the-Sea Norfolk | B+ | 2 | 70% | 1.9 | 65% |
| 16 | Charing Kent | B+ | 2.7 | 85% | 2.1 | 56% |
| 17 | Brimscombe and Thrupp Gloucestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 12% | 5.9 | 89% |
| 18 | Sharlston West Yorkshire | B+ | 4.9 | 93% | 3 | 0% |
| 19 | Gamston (Rushcliffe) Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.7 | 86% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Holbrook Suffolk | B+ | 1.1 | 74% | 2.7 | 52% |
| 21 | Banwell Somerset | B+ | 1.7 | 100% | 2 | 38% |
| 22 | Carnon Downs and Devoran Cornwall | B+ | 0.3 | 87% | 2.5 | 36% |
| 23 | Yarnfield Staffordshire | B | 6.6 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 24 | Longtown Cumbria | B | 4.3 | 100% | 0.1 | 0% |
| 25 | Wheelock Cheshire | B | 2.4 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Ellington Northumberland | B | 2.5 | 86% | 2 | 0% |
| 27 | Trowell Nottinghamshire | B | 7.7 | 56% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Evercreech Somerset | B | 3.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Rayne Essex | B− | 4.3 | 64% | 4 | 0% |
| 30 | Resolven West Glamorgan | B− | 2.4 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 31 | East Peckham Kent | B− | 14.5 | 66% | 2 | 1% |
| 32 | Hutton Lancashire | B− | 6.6 | 90% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Swanton Morley Norfolk | C+ | 3.5 | 94% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 34 | Burgh le Marsh Lincolnshire | C+ | 3.2 | 74% | 1.3 | 7% |
| 35 | Hook Norton Oxfordshire | C+ | 2 | 70% | 2 | 28% |
| 36 | Luddenden Foot West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.2 | 68% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Machynlleth Powys | C+ | 2.6 | 45% | 2 | 29% |
| 38 | Huncote Leicestershire | C+ | 0.8 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 39 | Trimsaran Dyfed | C | 2.4 | 31% | 1 | 2% |
| 40 | Linton Derbyshire | C | 1.8 | 76% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Mitcheldean Gloucestershire | C | 1.5 | 80% | 1.9 | 1% |
| 42 | Barwick in Elmet West Yorkshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Llanidloes Powys | C | 2.4 | 89% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 44 | Aspatria Cumbria | C− | 3.1 | 60% | 0.8 | 1% |
| 45 | Great Blakenham Suffolk | C− | 3.6 | 70% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Rudgwick West Sussex | C− | 2.5 | 16% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 47 | Lanner Cornwall | C− | 1.3 | 65% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Long Bennington Lincolnshire | C− | 1.6 | 82% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Underwood Gwent | C− | 1.9 | 87% | 1 | 0% |
| 50 | Wickham Hampshire | D | 0.8 | 26% | 2 | 13% |
| 51 | Thurlby Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 54% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 52 | Preston East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.6 | 52% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 53 | Morton Lincolnshire | D | 0.2 | 28% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Misterton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1.4 | 47% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Billinghay Lincolnshire | D− | 1.8 | 41% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Bozeat Northamptonshire | D− | 1.3 | 13% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Shenstone Staffordshire | D− | 1 | 55% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Cilfrew West Glamorgan | D− | 0.8 | 44% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Aslockton Nottinghamshire | D− | 1 | 11% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 60 | Ipplepen Devon | D− | 0.8 | 42% | 1.1 | 0% |
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Chiddingfold’s built-up area.
9 in 10 Chiddingfold 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).
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
National Parks and National Landscapes around Chiddingfold
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.
Surrey Hills
68% of the land within 5 km of Chiddingfold is National Park or National Landscape, more than 95% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Chiddingfold
26 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Chiddingfold and the kilometre around it, 2.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
2 regional routes pass through, including the Greensand Way and Sussex Border Path.
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 Chiddingfold: 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 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 104 | 69 | 57 | 56 | 53 | 50 | 52 | 64 | 66 | 95 | 102 | 99 |
June is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 104 mm of rain falls in January, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 52 nights a year. The climate in Chiddingfold →
Viewpoints, hills and nature near Chiddingfold
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
Chiddingfold 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
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint 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.
Elstead, 5.6 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Godalming has at least twice Chiddingfold’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Chiddingfold
Is Chiddingfold near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 1.2 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 Surrey Hills National Landscape, at the edge of the village.
What are the best walks near Chiddingfold?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Greensand Way, Winkworth to Oakhurst Wonder Walk, Winkworth and Sussex Border Path.
What is the nearest beach to Chiddingfold?
Penguin Beach, 9.8 mi from the edge of the village, then Amity Beach (20 mi). Chiddingfold itself is inland.
How many people in Chiddingfold live near a park?
87% 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 Chiddingfold?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Chiddingfold good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 44% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 51% (2.2 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 Chiddingfold’s overall grade.
Where Chiddingfold’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.