Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0The Surrey Hills National Landscape reaches the edge of Dorking. 158 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 7.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Dorking add up to 4.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Dorking grades A for the outdoors: #6 of 65 in Surrey. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Dorking’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by dense footpaths.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Dorking, 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 16,300 to 18,700 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Dorking stands out most for path per km²: only 1 of the other 59 has more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 47 of the others do better.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cirencester Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 95% | 4.1 | 48% |
| 2 | Prestatyn Clwyd | A+ | 3.3 | 92% | 2.9 | 14% |
| 3 | Dorking Surrey | A | 4.4 | 75% | 7 | 57% |
| 4 | Clitheroe Lancashire | A | 3 | 98% | 3.1 | 59% |
| 5 | Brixham Devon | A | 3.1 | 76% | 2.5 | 30% |
| 6 | Waltham Abbey Essex | A | 11.9 | 92% | 6.7 | 0% |
| 7 | Shiney Row and Penshaw Tyne and Wear | A | 9.6 | 98% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 8 | Bishop's Cleeve Gloucestershire | A | 1.9 | 100% | 3.9 | 35% |
| 9 | Connah's Quay Clwyd | A | 5.8 | 97% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Northwich Cheshire | A | 8.8 | 92% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 11 | Clifton Greater Manchester | A | 10 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Abbots Langley and Kings Langley Hertfordshire | A | 3.8 | 88% | 3.6 | 3% |
| 13 | Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester | A | 4.8 | 94% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 14 | Euxton Lancashire | A− | 3.7 | 98% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Alton Hampshire | B+ | 2.6 | 82% | 3 | 27% |
| 16 | Wath upon Dearne South Yorkshire | B+ | 5.5 | 85% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 17 | Glossop Derbyshire | B+ | 1.5 | 78% | 4.2 | 60% |
| 18 | Walkden Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.4 | 92% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Wombwell South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.4 | 92% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 20 | Burnham-on-Sea Somerset | B+ | 2.1 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 21 | Swanley Kent | B+ | 1.8 | 78% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 22 | Warminster Wiltshire | B+ | 1.7 | 86% | 3 | 44% |
| 23 | Liversedge West Yorkshire | B+ | 2 | 98% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 24 | Westbury Wiltshire | B | 1.4 | 97% | 3.3 | 1% |
| 25 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | B | 1.8 | 62% | 3.7 | 64% |
| 26 | Patchway Gloucestershire | B | 2.5 | 80% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 27 | Cobham Surrey | B | 3.1 | 49% | 4 | 1% |
| 28 | Wimborne Minster Dorset | B | 2.7 | 51% | 3.6 | 17% |
| 29 | Penrith Cumbria | B | 1.6 | 91% | 2.9 | 9% |
| 30 | Bangor Gwynedd | B | 0.9 | 79% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 31 | Wymondham Norfolk | B | 2.8 | 97% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 32 | Shaw Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 96% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Minster (Swale) Kent | B | 2.5 | 89% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Bramhall Greater Manchester | B− | 4.7 | 71% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 35 | St Ives Cambridgeshire | B− | 1.7 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Biddulph Staffordshire | B− | 3.3 | 86% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 37 | Guisborough North Yorkshire | B− | 1.5 | 80% | 2.6 | 35% |
| 38 | Baildon West Yorkshire | B− | 2 | 71% | 7.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Heysham Lancashire | B− | 1.4 | 83% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 40 | Carterton Oxfordshire | B− | 2.1 | 82% | 2 | 13% |
| 41 | Ramsbottom Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.1 | 74% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Maesteg Mid Glamorgan | C+ | 2 | 94% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Melksham Wiltshire | C+ | 2.2 | 87% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Royston Hertfordshire | C+ | 1.3 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Adwick le Street South Yorkshire | C+ | 2.8 | 89% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Bodmin Cornwall | C+ | 1.1 | 87% | 2.4 | 3% |
| 47 | Streetly West Midlands | C | 7.5 | 58% | 2 | 0% |
| 48 | Bourne Lincolnshire | C | 1.3 | 70% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 49 | Ripon North Yorkshire | C | 1 | 75% | 2.4 | 17% |
| 50 | Sleaford Lincolnshire | C | 1.7 | 93% | 2 | 0% |
| 51 | Tonypandy Mid Glamorgan | C | 1.5 | 85% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Maltby South Yorkshire | C− | 1.8 | 78% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 53 | Hale Greater Manchester | C− | 2.4 | 50% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 54 | Stone Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | North Hykeham Lincolnshire | C− | 2.4 | 60% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Saffron Walden Essex | C− | 1.1 | 63% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Louth Lincolnshire | C− | 0.6 | 76% | 1.3 | 47% |
| 58 | Oswestry Shropshire | C− | 1.3 | 88% | 2 | 0% |
| 59 | Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire | C− | 1.5 | 60% | 1.6 | 3% |
| 60 | Carmarthen Dyfed | D | 1.6 | 76% | 1.6 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dorking’s built-up area.
The biggest is Box Hill, 265 ha (655 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Box Hill and Meadowbank, are 99% of the named green space and carry 37 km of path between them.
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 4,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 30 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 582 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.
57% of the land within 5 km of Dorking is National Park or National Landscape, more than 93% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
158 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Dorking and the kilometre around it, 7.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Plus 7 more waymarked walks on the map.
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Dorking. Close to home, the Leith Hill Greenway has 11 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Greensand Way and Thames Down Link.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Dorking’s named parks.
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.
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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.6 | 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) | 90 | 67 | 53 | 54 | 53 | 50 | 55 | 64 | 64 | 91 | 95 | 94 |
June is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 95 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 61 nights a year. The climate in Dorking →
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.
Dorking is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
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 7 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 5 nature reserves without a name on the map.
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Plus 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorking | A | 4.4 | 75% | 57% |
| Westcott 1.7 mi | A | 1.8 | 86% | 78% |
| Brockham 2.0 mi | A+ | 7.4 | 94% | 38% |
| Box Hill 2.7 mi | A | 35.9 | 12% | 39% |
| Beare Green 3.3 mi | B | 1.6 | 70% | 30% |
| Great Bookham and Fetcham 4.4 mi | B | 1.7 | 68% | 33% |
| Leatherhead 5.1 mi | B− | 1.0 | 72% | 24% |
Brockham, 2 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Box Hill has at least twice Dorking’s green space per resident.
Box Hill, 265 ha (655 acres), with 35.9 km of path. Meadowbank (7.9 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 15 mi south-west of the town’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 town.
23 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Leith Hill Greenway, Greensand Way and Denbies Hillside Train Walk, North Downs West. Box Hill alone has 35.9 km of path.
Amity Beach, 13 mi from the edge of the town, then Hog Hole (16 mi). Dorking itself is inland.
75% 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.
The Deepdene (including Chart Park) (Grade II*) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
For paths, yes: 7.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 99% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 84% (4.4 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 Dorking’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.