Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: SuzanneKn at en.wikipedia · Public domainParks and playing fields in Lightwater add up to 9.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 73 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 5.6 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 72% of residents. Lightwater grades B+ for the outdoors: #30 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.
Lightwater’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Lightwater, 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 6,300 to 6,800 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Lightwater stands out most for park space per resident: only 4 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netley Hampshire | A+ | 16.3 | 100% | 4.1 | 4% |
| 2 | Stone Kent | A+ | 3.1 | 100% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 3 | Filey North Yorkshire | A | 5.9 | 89% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 4 | Chalford Gloucestershire | A | 1.6 | 96% | 4.7 | 94% |
| 5 | East Boldon and West Boldon Tyne and Wear | A | 3.4 | 96% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 6 | Wingerworth Derbyshire | A | 9 | 86% | 4 | 0% |
| 7 | Shotton Clwyd | A | 4.5 | 100% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 8 | Barton on Sea Hampshire | A | 4.9 | 50% | 2.8 | 22% |
| 9 | Bedwas Gwent | A | 4.4 | 100% | 4 | 0% |
| 10 | Broad Blunsdon Wiltshire | A− | 5.2 | 93% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 11 | St Blazey Cornwall | A− | 2.4 | 78% | 2.8 | 17% |
| 12 | Marston Moretaine Bedfordshire | A− | 17.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 13 | Olney Buckinghamshire | A− | 6.3 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 14 | Alcester Warwickshire | A− | 4.1 | 100% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 15 | Whitfield Kent | A− | 2.3 | 79% | 2.5 | 32% |
| 16 | Paulton Somerset | A− | 2.1 | 96% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 17 | Whitworth Lancashire | B+ | 2.5 | 96% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 18 | Broadbridge Heath West Sussex | B+ | 1.6 | 95% | 4.3 | 3% |
| 19 | Lightwater Surrey | B+ | 9.2 | 72% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 20 | Milford and Witley Surrey | B+ | 2.6 | 54% | 3.7 | 78% |
| 21 | Cawston Warwickshire | B+ | 3.6 | 98% | 3 | 0% |
| 22 | North Anston South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 23 | Cleator Moor Cumbria | B+ | 3.5 | 91% | 1.9 | 11% |
| 24 | Little Chalfont Buckinghamshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 3.6 | 45% |
| 25 | Groby Leicestershire | B+ | 2.1 | 96% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 26 | Peasedown St John Somerset | B+ | 1.5 | 88% | 4 | 9% |
| 27 | Hindhead Surrey | B | 1.7 | 37% | 5.9 | 66% |
| 28 | Braunton Devon | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.1 | 24% |
| 29 | Galleywood Essex | B | 10.3 | 61% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 30 | Hartford Cheshire | B | 2.2 | 95% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Rishton Lancashire | B− | 2.2 | 94% | 3 | 0% |
| 32 | Yapton West Sussex | B− | 1.8 | 63% | 2 | 15% |
| 33 | Wincanton Somerset | B− | 1.4 | 88% | 2.8 | 7% |
| 34 | Upton West Yorkshire | B− | 2.2 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 35 | Crigglestone and Durkar West Yorkshire | B− | 4.4 | 45% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Ushaw Moor and Bearpark County Durham | C+ | 1.6 | 82% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 37 | Chiswell Green Hertfordshire | C+ | 4 | 54% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Denmead Hampshire | C+ | 1.4 | 72% | 2.8 | 35% |
| 39 | Tetbury Gloucestershire | C+ | 1.2 | 66% | 2.6 | 88% |
| 40 | Malton North Yorkshire | C+ | 2.3 | 43% | 2.4 | 24% |
| 41 | Rawdon West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.7 | 67% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 42 | Bolton-le-Sands Lancashire | C+ | 1.1 | 58% | 1.6 | 23% |
| 43 | Brampton Cambridgeshire | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 44 | Market Deeping Lincolnshire | C | 1.5 | 96% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Farnham Common and Farnham Royal Buckinghamshire | C | 1 | 55% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 46 | Cross Hands and Pen-y-groes Dyfed | C | 9.7 | 70% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 47 | Rhoose South Glamorgan | C | 2 | 43% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 48 | Great Wakering Essex | C | 1.1 | 47% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 49 | Lydiate Merseyside | C− | 1.5 | 90% | 2 | 0% |
| 50 | Ashingdon Essex | C− | 1.3 | 61% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 51 | Culcheth Cheshire | C− | 1.7 | 67% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Boston Spa West Yorkshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 53 | Washingborough and Heighington Lincolnshire | D | 1.8 | 66% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Holmes Chapel Cheshire | D | 0.8 | 72% | 2 | 0% |
| 55 | Pontarddulais West Glamorgan | D | 1.9 | 67% | 0.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Coleshill Warwickshire | D | 1.3 | 69% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | Broughton Clwyd | D− | 0.8 | 80% | 1 | 0% |
| 58 | Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook Staffordshire | D− | 1.6 | 49% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 59 | Abercynon Mid Glamorgan | D− | 1.1 | 55% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 60 | Tadcaster North Yorkshire | D− | 0.6 | 58% | 1.7 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lightwater’s built-up area.
The biggest is Lightwater Country Park, 65 ha (160 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
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 1,900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 385 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.
South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
73 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Lightwater and the kilometre around it, 5.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
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 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 73 | 51 | 43 | 48 | 46 | 49 | 49 | 55 | 54 | 75 | 76 | 68 |
March is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 76 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Lightwater →
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.
Lightwater 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 5 hills and peaks more.
Plus 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightwater | B+ | 9.2 | 72% | 0% |
| Bagshot 1.2 mi | A | 10.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Windlesham 1.6 mi | D | 2.0 | 57% | 0% |
| West End and Chobham 1.6 mi | B− | 3.3 | 65% | 0% |
| Bisley 2.2 mi | A | 8.0 | 92% | 0% |
| Camberley 2.7 mi | C+ | 2.0 | 73% | 0% |
| Deepcut 3.0 mi | A | 8.4 | 100% | 0% |
Deepcut, 3 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Lightwater Country Park, 65 ha (160 acres), with 11.7 km of path. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 12 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, 7.7 mi away.
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Lightwater Country Park Purple and Lightwater Country Park orange. Lightwater Country Park alone has 11.7 km of path.
Amity Beach, 7.0 mi from the edge of the town, then Penguin Beach (13 mi). Lightwater itself is inland.
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%.
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
For paths, yes: 5.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 96% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 95% (9.2 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 Lightwater’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.