Godstone’s biggest
Godstone Green
Playing field
4.4 ha (11 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
6 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Godstone
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Godstone · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Godstone
The Surrey Hills National Landscape reaches the edge of Godstone. Footpaths add up to 39 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.7 for every square kilometre. 52% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Godstone grades C+ for the outdoors: #50 of 65 in Surrey. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
52%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
39 km
3.7 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
18%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Surrey Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Godstone?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside both waysSurrey Hills starts 0.0 mi north-west, Kent Downs 4.6 mi east.On a National TrailThe North Downs Way passes through.Less park per person1.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Godstone’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by, followed by the North Downs Way. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Godstone grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Godstone, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C+
Better than 43% of UK towns#50 of 65 in Surrey · 28th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
34out of
100
100
A park within a walk52%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
15out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape18%of the land within 5 km
76out of
100
100
Footpaths3.7 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
75out 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.
Towns its size
Godstone is 28th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,500 to 2,800 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
Godstone3.7
Towns its size2.3
Surrey towns4.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Godstone1.7
Towns its size1.9
Surrey towns3.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Godstone52%
Towns its size81%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Godstone stands out most for path per km²: only 11 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 49 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petworth West Sussex | A+ | 29.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 93% |
| 2 | Ambleside Cumbria | A+ | 6.9 | 92% | 4.6 | 100% |
| 3 | Tywardreath Cornwall | A+ | 4.6 | 100% | 2.5 | 26% |
| 4 | Settle North Yorkshire | A+ | 6.4 | 100% | 3.6 | 73% |
| 5 | Downley Buckinghamshire | A+ | 9.5 | 76% | 7.6 | 71% |
| 6 | Hadston Northumberland | A+ | 5.8 | 100% | 2 | 1% |
| 7 | Yorkley and Whitecroft Gloucestershire | A | 3.3 | 74% | 6.4 | 1% |
| 8 | Hellingly East Sussex | A | 6.9 | 90% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 9 | Dolgellau Gwynedd | A | 3.6 | 100% | 1.9 | 100% |
| 10 | Darenth Kent | A− | 1.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 11 | Newington Kent | A− | 2.3 | 78% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 12 | Combe Martin Devon | A− | 1.8 | 88% | 1.5 | 37% |
| 13 | Newhey Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.4 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 14 | Avonmouth Bristol | B+ | 2.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 15 | Langold Nottinghamshire | B+ | 13 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 16 | Blofield Norfolk | B+ | 2.9 | 100% | 1.5 | 17% |
| 17 | Dipton County Durham | B | 3.2 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 18 | Farington Moss Lancashire | B | 5.9 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Prestbury Cheshire | B | 5.6 | 42% | 3.2 | 6% |
| 20 | Builth Wells Powys | B | 4.9 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 21 | Brynamman Dyfed | B | 1.7 | 100% | 1 | 51% |
| 22 | Mancetter and Witherley Warwickshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 23 | Cliffe Woods Kent | B− | 1.7 | 62% | 2.5 | 1% |
| 24 | Halton Lancashire | B− | 0.9 | 100% | 1.7 | 35% |
| 25 | Seer Green Buckinghamshire | B− | 1.7 | 38% | 3.8 | 35% |
| 26 | Grimsargh Lancashire | B− | 2.6 | 67% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 27 | Pucklechurch Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 64% | 4.2 | 20% |
| 28 | Godstone Surrey | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 3.7 | 18% |
| 29 | Ashington West Sussex | C+ | 1.3 | 86% | 2.3 | 21% |
| 30 | Hurworth-on-Tees County Durham | C+ | 4.5 | 93% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 31 | Snettisham Norfolk | C+ | 1.1 | 73% | 1.3 | 32% |
| 32 | Endon Staffordshire | C+ | 3 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 33 | Little Dunmow Essex | C+ | 1.1 | 89% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Dunchurch Warwickshire | C+ | 7.8 | 68% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Bosham West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 48% | 1.4 | 58% |
| 36 | Heage Derbyshire | C | 1.9 | 78% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Watlington Norfolk | C | 2.3 | 100% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 38 | South Brent Devon | C | 1.5 | 79% | 0.8 | 64% |
| 39 | Smallfield Surrey | C | 1.6 | 70% | 2.4 | 1% |
| 40 | Marham Norfolk | C | 3.5 | 85% | 0.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Shelley West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 81% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 42 | Wittering Cambridgeshire | C− | 3.1 | 83% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 43 | South Wonston Hampshire | C− | 1.6 | 42% | 2.6 | 7% |
| 44 | Wolston Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 89% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Higham Kent | C− | 0.5 | 0% | 1.8 | 18% |
| 46 | Codicote Hertfordshire | C− | 0.4 | 90% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Newick East Sussex | C− | 1.7 | 35% | 2.1 | 16% |
| 48 | Hardwick Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.5 | 82% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Costessey Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 12% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 50 | West Clyst Devon | C− | 0.6 | 59% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Saughall Cheshire | D | 2.5 | 27% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 52 | Christleton and Waverton Cheshire | D | 2.4 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Tonna West Glamorgan | D | 2.1 | 36% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 54 | Brierley South Yorkshire | D | 0.7 | 82% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 55 | Keele Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 0% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 56 | Watton at Stone Hertfordshire | D | 0.8 | 61% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | St Martins Shropshire | D | 0.6 | 59% | 0.8 | 2% |
| 58 | Swineshead Lincolnshire | D− | 1.2 | 73% | 0.7 | 0% |
| 59 | Manea Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.3 | 63% | 1 | 0% |
| 60 | Cranwell Lincolnshire | D− | 0.5 | 57% | 1.1 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Godstone’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 Godstone
The biggest is Godstone Green, 4.4 ha (11 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
5 in 10 Godstone 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).
Within 400 m (52%)Further (48%)
Godstone52%
Towns its size81%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
About 1,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 530 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Surrey Hills and Kent Downs both start about 5 miles from Godstone
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
At the edge north-west422 km²since 195818% of the land within 5 km
Official site18% of the land within 5 km of Godstone is National Park or National Landscape, more than 76% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Godstone is on the North Downs Way
39 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Godstone and the kilometre around it, 3.7 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
Greensand Way7.3 km
North Downs Way (Eastern)5.4 km
Caterham Circular Walk2.9 km
Woldingham Countryside Walk2.7 km
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Godstone. The regional route here is the Greensand Way.
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 Godstone: May to September
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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 85 | 64 | 48 | 52 | 50 | 51 | 55 | 60 | 58 | 89 | 90 | 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 90 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 43 nights a year. The climate in Godstone →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 5 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
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.
3Viewpoints3Hills and peaks1Nature reserves1Picnic sites5Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size
The nearest beaches
Godstone is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Kelson Beach17 mi from Godstone’s edge
DirectionsDock Beach18 mi from Godstone’s edge
DirectionsThe Hollows19 mi from Godstone’s edge
DirectionsHog Hole19 mi from Godstone’s edge
DirectionsAmity Beach22 mi from Godstone’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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 3
Tilburstow Hill0.4 mi from town
DirectionsWinders Hill0.6 mi from town
DirectionsTandridge Hill1.1 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Bay Pond Nature Reserve7.7 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds 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.
BletchingleySouth GodstoneWoldinghamChaldonCaterhamOxtedGodstone
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godstone | C+ | 1.7 | 52% | 18% |
| Bletchingley 1.7 mi | C | 0.5 | 10% | 18% |
| South Godstone 2.4 mi | B | 2.0 | 100% | 5% |
| Woldingham 2.5 mi | C− | 0.2 | 25% | 20% |
| Chaldon 2.6 mi | A− | 7.4 | 50% | 24% |
| Caterham 2.8 mi | A | 4.3 | 84% | 17% |
| Oxted 3.0 mi | B | 2.1 | 84% | 28% |
Caterham, 2.8 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 84% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Chaldon and Caterham have at least twice Godstone’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Godstone
What is the biggest park in Godstone?
Godstone Green, 4.4 ha (11 acres), with 0.7 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Godstone near a National Park?
It covers 422 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Godstone?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Greensand Way, North Downs Way (Eastern) and Caterham Circular Walk.
What is the nearest beach to Godstone?
Kelson Beach, 17 mi from the edge of the town, then Dock Beach (18 mi). Godstone itself is inland.
How many people in Godstone live near a park?
52% 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 Godstone?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Godstone good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.7 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 75% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 34% (1.7 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 Godstone’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Godstone’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.