Leatherhead’s biggest
Red House Recreation Ground
Park or garden
1.4 ha (3 acres)0.4 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Leatherhead
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Leatherhead · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Leatherhead
The Surrey Hills National Landscape reaches the edge of Leatherhead. 90 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Leatherhead add up to 1.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Leatherhead grades B− for the outdoors: #45 of 65 in Surrey. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
72%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
90 km
3.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
24%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Surrey Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Leatherhead?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Hills with a view8 mapped viewpoints, about 17× as many per resident as the typical town its size.A town of footpaths3.9 km of path per km², more than 78% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Countryside close byThe Surrey Hills National Landscape starts 0.0 mi south.Less park per person1.0 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Leatherhead’s strongest suit is its views, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Leatherhead grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Leatherhead, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B−
Better than 47% of UK towns#45 of 65 in Surrey · 39th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
13out of
100
100
A park within a walk72%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
33out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape24%of the land within 5 km
81out of
100
100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
79out 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
Leatherhead is 39th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 10,900 to 12,100 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
Leatherhead3.9
Towns its size3.0
Surrey towns4.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Leatherhead1.0
Towns its size1.9
Surrey towns3.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Leatherhead72%
Towns its size84%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Leatherhead stands out most for path per km²: only 18 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 50 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tring Hertfordshire | A+ | 5.7 | 95% | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2 | Snodland Kent | A+ | 7.7 | 97% | 4.4 | 44% |
| 3 | Chepstow Gwent | A+ | 1.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 30% |
| 4 | Minehead Somerset | A+ | 1.4 | 95% | 4.3 | 47% |
| 5 | Weybourne Surrey | A+ | 7.1 | 86% | 6.1 | 14% |
| 6 | Brockworth Gloucestershire | A+ | 2.5 | 95% | 5.1 | 46% |
| 7 | Waltham Cross Hertfordshire | A | 10.6 | 100% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 8 | Holyhead Gwynedd | A | 3.4 | 78% | 2.3 | 31% |
| 9 | Penryn Cornwall | A | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 31% |
| 10 | Emsworth Hampshire | A | 2.3 | 56% | 3.7 | 51% |
| 11 | Sandown Isle of Wight | A | 1.4 | 74% | 4.5 | 28% |
| 12 | Great Harwood Lancashire | A | 2.2 | 97% | 4.3 | 4% |
| 13 | Dawlish Devon | A | 2.1 | 93% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Bradwell Norfolk | A− | 2 | 80% | 2.7 | 31% |
| 15 | Matlock Derbyshire | A− | 2.9 | 76% | 4.7 | 20% |
| 16 | Conisbrough South Yorkshire | A− | 5.3 | 99% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 17 | Southwater West Sussex | A− | 3.4 | 82% | 3.7 | 3% |
| 18 | Barton-upon-Humber Lincolnshire | A− | 5.9 | 97% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 19 | Uppermill Greater Manchester | A− | 2.4 | 70% | 4.8 | 27% |
| 20 | Kearsley Greater Manchester | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 21 | Cleckheaton West Yorkshire | B+ | 3.3 | 98% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 22 | New Milton Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 75% | 1.9 | 38% |
| 23 | Blandford Forum Dorset | B+ | 2.1 | 90% | 2.2 | 72% |
| 24 | Haslemere Surrey | B+ | 1 | 78% | 5.1 | 80% |
| 25 | Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire | B+ | 1.9 | 76% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 26 | Worsley Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.7 | 86% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 27 | South Elmsall West Yorkshire | B+ | 9 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | Oxted Surrey | B | 2.1 | 84% | 2.8 | 28% |
| 29 | Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.4 | 70% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 30 | Buckhurst Hill Essex | B | 4.5 | 64% | 6.3 | 0% |
| 31 | Warmsworth South Yorkshire | B | 2.7 | 79% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 32 | Gillingham Dorset | B | 1.9 | 91% | 2.6 | 3% |
| 33 | Shirebrook Derbyshire | B | 1.8 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 34 | Sandbach Cheshire | B− | 2.5 | 87% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 35 | Helston Cornwall | B− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.7 | 21% |
| 36 | Ystrad Mynach Gwent | B− | 5.4 | 85% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 37 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 0.9 | 74% | 4.5 | 14% |
| 38 | Lymm Cheshire | B− | 3.6 | 89% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Leatherhead Surrey | B− | 1 | 72% | 3.9 | 24% |
| 40 | Cambourne Cambridgeshire | B− | 0.7 | 91% | 7.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Kingsteignton Devon | B− | 1.9 | 95% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Bolsover Derbyshire | C+ | 1.9 | 85% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Stanwell Surrey | C+ | 1.4 | 93% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Sandy Bedfordshire | C | 0.9 | 76% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Brimington Derbyshire | C | 1.2 | 72% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 46 | Ulverston Cumbria | C | 0.7 | 60% | 1.8 | 8% |
| 47 | Towcester Northamptonshire | C | 1.3 | 77% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 48 | Featherstone West Yorkshire | C | 2 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Attleborough Norfolk | C− | 1.8 | 93% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Cleveleys Lancashire | C− | 0.8 | 71% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Downham Market Norfolk | C− | 1.5 | 77% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 52 | Chatteris Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.4 | 94% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Cheadle Staffordshire | C− | 1.7 | 90% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 54 | Codsall Staffordshire | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 55 | Leominster Herefordshire | C− | 1.1 | 72% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Sarn Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 75% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 57 | Desborough Northamptonshire | D | 0.6 | 69% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Wetherby West Yorkshire | D | 0.5 | 14% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Tonyrefail Mid Glamorgan | D− | 0.7 | 48% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 60 | Watton Norfolk | D− | 0.5 | 28% | 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 Leatherhead’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 Leatherhead
The biggest is Red House Recreation Ground, 1.4 ha (3 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 5 ha (12 acres) and 1 km of path
Parks & gardens 3.0 haPlaying fields 1.9 ha
The two biggest, Red House Recreation Ground and King George V Memorial Gardens, are 41% of the named green space. 5 of the 5 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
King George V Memorial Gardens
Park or garden
0.6 ha (1 acres)0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Leatherhead
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Fortyfoot Recreation Ground
Playing field
1.9 ha (5 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Park Gardens
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.3 km of path
0.5 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Mansion Garden
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
0.4 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Leatherhead 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 (72%)Further (28%)
Leatherhead72%
Towns its size84%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
About 3,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 21 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 547 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Leatherhead
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 south422 km²since 195824% of the land within 5 km
Official site24% of the land within 5 km of Leatherhead is National Park or National Landscape, more than 80% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
16 waymarked walks pass through or near Leatherhead
90 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Leatherhead and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Thames Down Link7.3 km
Headley Heath to White Hill Walking Trail, Box Hill6.6 km
Mole Gap Trail6.2 km
The Box Hill Hike, Box Hill5.7 km
Headley Heath Circuit, Box Hill4.4 km
Norbury Park walk (SCC)3.6 km
Headley Heath Bluebell Walk, Box Hill3.1 km
Norbury Park Off Road Cycle & Walk (SCC)3.0 km
Headley Heath Second World War Walking Trail, Box Hill2.4 km
Headley Heath Lizard Trail, Box Hill2.3 km
Heathland Trail (Headley Heath NT)2.1 km
Headley Heath Military Trail, Box Hill1.8 km
Box Hill Juniper Top circular walk, Box Hill1.6 km
Headley Heath Butterfly Walk, Box Hill1.1 km
Box Hill Happy Valley circular walk, Box Hill1.1 km
Leith Hill Greenway0.7 km
Close to home, the Headley Heath to White Hill Walking Trail, Box Hill has 7 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Thames Down Link.
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 Leatherhead: 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 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 75 | 59 | 48 | 50 | 51 | 47 | 52 | 59 | 60 | 84 | 87 | 83 |
June is the driest month (47 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 87 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 58 nights a year. The climate in Leatherhead →
Things to do
8 viewpoints, 21 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.
8Viewpoints16.7× towns its size4Hills and peaks11Nature reserves11.2× towns its size3Picnic sites3.1× towns its size21Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size
The nearest beaches
Leatherhead is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Amity Beach9.6 mi from Leatherhead’s edge
DirectionsHog Hole12 mi from Leatherhead’s edge
DirectionsThe Hollows12 mi from Leatherhead’s edge
DirectionsKelson Beach19 mi from Leatherhead’s edge
DirectionsDock Beach20 mi from Leatherhead’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 8
London viewpoint0.9 mi from town
DirectionsRanmore Vista1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 6 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Hawk's Hill0.5 mi from town
DirectionsWhite Hill0.6 mi from town
DirectionsJuniper Hill0.7 mi from town
DirectionsTelegraph Hill1.1 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 11
Headley Heath194 ha · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 10 nature reserves without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 21
Red House Groundsin town
DirectionsPoppy Play1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 19 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.
AshteadGreat Bookham and FetchamLangley ValeCobhamEpsomBox HillLeatherhead
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leatherhead | B− | 1.0 | 72% | 24% |
| Ashtead 1.2 mi | B+ | 2.7 | 62% | 13% |
| Great Bookham and Fetcham 2.2 mi | B | 1.7 | 68% | 33% |
| Langley Vale 2.8 mi | C+ | 0.8 | 53% | 7% |
| Cobham 3.3 mi | B | 3.1 | 49% | 1% |
| Epsom 3.5 mi | A | 5.7 | 80% | 2% |
| Box Hill 3.7 mi | A | 35.9 | 12% | 39% |
Epsom, 3.5 miles away, grades A, the best next door: 80% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Ashtead, Cobham and Epsom have at least twice Leatherhead’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Leatherhead
What is the biggest park in Leatherhead?
Red House Recreation Ground, 1.4 ha (3 acres). King George V Memorial Gardens (0.6 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Leatherhead near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 18 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.
What are the best walks near Leatherhead?
16 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Thames Down Link, Headley Heath to White Hill Walking Trail, Box Hill and Mole Gap Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Leatherhead?
Amity Beach, 9.6 mi from the edge of the town, then Hog Hole (12 mi). Leatherhead itself is inland.
How many people in Leatherhead live near a park?
72% 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 Leatherhead?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Leatherhead good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 79% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 13% (1.0 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 Leatherhead’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Leatherhead’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.