Elstead’s biggest
Burford Lodge Recreation Ground
Playing field
3.3 ha (8 acres)0.1 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Elstead · parks, paths & countryside
Elstead is inside the Surrey Hills National Landscape
100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Elstead add up to 2.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Elstead grades A for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
30 km
2.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
82%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Surrey Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Elstead?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Inside the Surrey Hills National LandscapeElstead sits inside it: 422 km² of protected landscape.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.
Elstead’s strongest suit is a protected landscape all round, followed by parks close to every home.
Outdoors grade
Elstead grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Elstead, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A
Better than 90% of UK towns4th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space2.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
59out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape82%of the land within 5 km
97out of
100
100
Footpaths2.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
49out 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.
Villages its size
Elstead is 4th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,200 to 2,400 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
Elstead2.6
Villages its size2.3
Surrey towns4.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Elstead2.5
Villages its size1.8
Surrey towns3.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Elstead100%
Villages its size71%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Elstead stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 59 has more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limpsfield Surrey | A+ | 2.9 | 100% | 3.7 | 41% |
| 2 | Tanyfron Clwyd | A | 7.4 | 100% | 2.6 | 13% |
| 3 | Radford Semele Warwickshire | A | 12.3 | 100% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 4 | Elstead Surrey | A | 2.5 | 100% | 2.6 | 82% |
| 5 | Westcott Surrey | A | 1.8 | 86% | 5.5 | 78% |
| 6 | Hapton Lancashire | A | 2.6 | 87% | 6.1 | 2% |
| 7 | Harlington Bedfordshire | A− | 2.7 | 100% | 2.7 | 16% |
| 8 | Great Horkesley Essex | A− | 4.7 | 78% | 3.3 | 25% |
| 9 | Millbrook Cornwall | A− | 2 | 100% | 1.1 | 19% |
| 10 | Arnside Cumbria | A− | 1.3 | 65% | 4.1 | 75% |
| 11 | Merlin's Bridge Dyfed | A− | 3.3 | 100% | 2 | 11% |
| 12 | Berrow and Brean Somerset | A− | 3.6 | 75% | 1.7 | 1% |
| 13 | Clare Suffolk | A− | 7.7 | 100% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 14 | Acle Norfolk | B+ | 1.6 | 89% | 3.1 | 43% |
| 15 | Tisbury Wiltshire | B+ | 1.5 | 86% | 2.9 | 100% |
| 16 | Woodford Greater Manchester | B+ | 5.9 | 80% | 2.3 | 5% |
| 17 | Bowness-on-Windermere Cumbria | B | 1.7 | 76% | 2.8 | 100% |
| 18 | Crick Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 19 | Pen-y-fai Mid Glamorgan | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 20 | Mayfield East Sussex | B− | 3.3 | 61% | 1.9 | 99% |
| 21 | Loddon Norfolk | B− | 2.4 | 77% | 2.5 | 18% |
| 22 | Dormansland Surrey | B− | 2.5 | 70% | 2.3 | 33% |
| 23 | Park Street and Frogmore Hertfordshire | B− | 4.5 | 63% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Bickershaw Greater Manchester | B− | 5 | 13% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 25 | Debenham Suffolk | C+ | 1 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 26 | Bere Alston Devon | C+ | 1.4 | 64% | 1.3 | 93% |
| 27 | Delph Greater Manchester | C+ | 0.7 | 72% | 3.9 | 17% |
| 28 | Hermitage Berkshire | C+ | 0.6 | 58% | 3.4 | 82% |
| 29 | Boughton under Blean Kent | C+ | 2.7 | 24% | 2.5 | 18% |
| 30 | Cold Ash Berkshire | C+ | 1.5 | 7% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 31 | Berkeley Gloucestershire | C+ | 0.9 | 49% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 32 | Farndon Cheshire | C+ | 1.2 | 82% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Bishopsteignton Devon | C | 3 | 62% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Wickham Market Suffolk | C | 2.5 | 64% | 1.7 | 7% |
| 35 | Caistor Lincolnshire | C | 2.8 | 39% | 1.3 | 33% |
| 36 | Hawkesbury Warwickshire | C | 1 | 78% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 37 | Tatworth Somerset | C | 1.3 | 71% | 1.7 | 44% |
| 38 | Whaddon Wiltshire | C | 2.6 | 55% | 1.3 | 10% |
| 39 | Wardley Greater Manchester | C− | 0.6 | 88% | 3 | 0% |
| 40 | Stanford in the Vale Oxfordshire | C− | 1.3 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Wateringbury Kent | C− | 2.4 | 73% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Stoke Prior Worcestershire | C− | 2.6 | 67% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 43 | Coleford Somerset | C− | 1.2 | 51% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 44 | Creigiau South Glamorgan | C− | 1.7 | 85% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 45 | Coltishall and Horstead Norfolk | C− | 2.1 | 57% | 1.3 | 8% |
| 46 | Woldingham Surrey | C− | 0.2 | 25% | 3.1 | 20% |
| 47 | St Osyth Essex | C− | 1.5 | 54% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 48 | Scholes (Leeds) West Yorkshire | D | 0 | 0% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 49 | Comberton Cambridgeshire | D | 1.6 | 71% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 50 | Bicknacre Essex | D | 1 | 56% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Kineton Warwickshire | D | 0.2 | 0% | 1.8 | 5% |
| 52 | Belton Lincolnshire | D | 1.5 | 67% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 53 | Great Barford Bedfordshire | D− | 1.4 | 45% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 54 | Tattenhall Cheshire | D− | 1.8 | 28% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Bettws Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 71% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Ixworth Suffolk | D− | 1 | 73% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Hingham Norfolk | D− | 1.9 | 13% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Norton South Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Isleham Cambridgeshire | D− | 0.2 | 71% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Puriton Somerset | D− | 0.1 | 0% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Elstead’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 Elstead
The biggest is Burford Lodge Recreation Ground, 3.3 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Elstead Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Elstead
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Church Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Elstead
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
Everyone in Elstead lives 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Elstead100%
Villages its size71%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
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 754 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Elstead
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
National Landscape
Surrey Hills
Elstead is inside it422 km²since 195882% of the land within 5 km
Official site82% of the land within 5 km of Elstead is National Park or National Landscape, more than 97% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Elstead
30 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Elstead and the kilometre around it, 2.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
Local
Heath Trail3.5 km
Medieval Waverley (SCC)2.7 km
Dragonfly Trail1.9 km
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 Elstead: 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 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 83 | 59 | 50 | 56 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 60 | 56 | 85 | 90 | 82 |
May is the driest month (48 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 90 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 51 nights a year. The climate in Elstead →
Things to do
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
Elstead is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the village.
Penguin Beach5.7 mi from Elstead’s edge
DirectionsAmity Beach17 mi from Elstead’s edge
DirectionsPrinsted Beach25 mi from Elstead’s edge
DirectionsBosham Foreshore26 mi from Elstead’s edge
DirectionsHog Hole27 mi from Elstead’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Shrike Hill, at 71 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Elstead.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 2
Shrike Hill71 m (233 ft) · 0.7 mi from town
DirectionsYagden Hill70 m (230 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 5
Thundry Meadows15 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsBagmoor Common15 ha · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsBritty Wood64 ha · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsThursley Common National Nature Reserve268 ha · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site 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.
Milford and WitleyGodalmingBadshot LeaFarncombeFarnhamNormandyElstead
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elstead | A | 2.5 | 100% | 82% |
| Milford and Witley 2.7 mi | B+ | 2.6 | 54% | 78% |
| Godalming 3.8 mi | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 66% |
| Badshot Lea 4.1 mi | A+ | 25.9 | 100% | 25% |
| Farncombe 4.1 mi | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 54% |
| Farnham 4.2 mi | A | 5.1 | 73% | 35% |
| Normandy 4.7 mi | B− | 3.2 | 23% | 26% |
Badshot Lea, 4.1 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Badshot Lea, Farncombe and Farnham have at least twice Elstead’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Elstead
What is the biggest park in Elstead?
Burford Lodge Recreation Ground, 3.3 ha (8 acres). Elstead Green (0.1 ha) is second. 3 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Elstead near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 4.9 mi west 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 Elstead?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Heath Trail, Medieval Waverley (SCC) and Dragonfly Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Elstead?
Penguin Beach, 5.7 mi from the edge of the village, then Amity Beach (17 mi). Elstead itself is inland.
How many people in Elstead live near a park?
100% 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 Elstead?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Elstead good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 49% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 59% (2.5 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 Elstead’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Elstead’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.