Guest, Sign inJoin
Houses above the A22, Whyteleafe (geograph 2309246)Whyteleafe, #1 on this list · Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Surrey rankings · Outdoors

Best towns for the outdoors in Surrey

Whyteleafe ranks first on outdoors among Surrey’s 65 towns of 2,500+; 28 of the 65 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

#1

Whyteleafe

3,174 people
A+

Better than almost every UK town·#16 of 2,156 in England and Wales

#2

Shalford

2,508 people
A+

Better than almost every UK town·#25 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 65 towns, ranked

Outdoors grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Surrey →

65 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns
1Whyteleafe3,174 peopleA+#16 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town
2Shalford2,508 peopleA+#25 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town
3Chipstead and Woodmansterne4,523 peopleA+#51 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns
4Farncombe13,247 peopleA+#57 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns
5Weybourne11,241 peopleA+#66 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 96% of UK towns
6Dorking17,463 peopleA#98 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns
7Bagshot5,930 peopleA#120 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns
8Guildford77,870 peopleA#126 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns
9Caterham22,757 peopleA#153 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns
10Lingfield3,622 peopleA#189 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns
11Farnham20,499 peopleA#197 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns
12Epsom35,857 peopleA#202 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns
13Warlingham8,918 peopleA#225 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 89% of UK towns
14Ash and Ash Vale24,284 peopleA#230 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 89% of UK towns
15South Merstham9,953 peopleA#251 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns
16Bisley4,045 peopleA#261 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns
17Shepperton5,917 peopleA#326 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns
18Godalming10,450 peopleA−#350 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns
19Redhill32,516 peopleA−#354 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns
20Ewell27,509 peopleA−#370 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns
21Reigate23,774 peopleA−#383 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns
22Addlestone13,748 peopleA−#408 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns
23Esher9,484 peopleA−#414 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns
24Tadworth and Epsom Downs27,095 peopleA−#446 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns
25Frimley15,101 peopleA−#466 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns
26East Horsley5,843 peopleA−#485 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns
27Kingswood3,757 peopleA−#509 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns
28Chertsey14,558 peopleA−#557 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns
29Worcester Park and Stoneleigh15,851 peopleB+#611 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns
30Lightwater6,539 peopleB+#616 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns
31Milford and Witley6,489 peopleB+#697 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns
32Haslemere11,897 peopleB+#716 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns
33West Molesey47,144 peopleB+#720 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns
34Weybridge15,918 peopleB+#732 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns
35Ashtead14,830 peopleB+#747 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns
36Banstead8,929 peopleB+#791 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns
37Bramley and Wonersh4,193 peopleB+#809 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns
38Oxted11,491 peopleB#847 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns
39Cranleigh10,430 peopleB#870 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 64% of UK towns
40Hindhead6,444 peopleB#889 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns
41Great Bookham and Fetcham21,655 peopleB#897 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns
T42Cobham17,505 peopleB#982 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 59% of UK towns
T42Egham28,003 peopleB#982 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 59% of UK towns
44Virginia Water5,185 peopleB#1,072 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns
T45Leatherhead11,482 peopleB−#1,252 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns
T45Staines-upon-Thames21,327 peopleB−#1,252 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns
47West End and Chobham8,877 peopleB−#1,301 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns
48Camberley36,787 peopleC+#1,306 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns
49Send4,094 peopleC+#1,332 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns
50Godstone2,648 peopleC+#1,334 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns
51Ashford22,823 peopleC+#1,355 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 42% of UK towns
52Horley27,067 peopleC+#1,361 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 42% of UK towns
53Wrecclesham7,312 peopleC+#1,402 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns
54New Haw, West Byfleet and Sheerwater33,035 peopleC+#1,411 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns
55Woking75,655 peopleC+#1,416 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns
56Sunbury-on-Thames21,476 peopleC+#1,420 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
57Byfleet14,187 peopleC+#1,439 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
58Stanwell11,728 peopleC+#1,505 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
59Walton-on-Thames27,016 peopleC#1,549 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns
60Smallfield2,613 peopleC#1,643 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns
61Hersham12,622 peopleC#1,669 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns
62Laleham2,521 peopleC#1,680 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns
63Windlesham3,706 peopleD#1,941 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns
64Shepperton Green4,358 peopleD#2,028 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns
65Ashford Common8,333 peopleD#2,051 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 8% of UK towns
Not ranked

Not on this list

1 military garrison town or university campus keeps its grade but isn’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Surrey is best for the outdoors?

Whyteleafe ranks first on outdoors among 65 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Shalford and Chipstead and Woodmansterne follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Outdoors Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): green space per resident, parks within 400 m, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths and the coast. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Surrey’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Surrey is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Surrey lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Surrey rankings →
Best places to live65 towns · #1 WreccleshamBest small towns27 towns · #1 WreccleshamMost affordable towns65 towns · #1 WhyteleafeSafest towns65 towns · #1 WreccleshamTowns with the best schools65 towns · #1 East Horsley and FarnhamHealthiest towns65 towns · #1 East HorsleyBest towns for jobs & income65 towns · #1 AshteadMost walkable towns65 towns · #1 EpsomTowns with the lowest flood risk65 towns · #1 Banstead and 10 moreMost historic towns65 towns · #1 FarnhamTowns with the most civic life65 towns · #1 Bramley and WonershTowns with the highest household incomes66 towns · #1 EsherDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest council tax66 towns · #1 Addlestone and 3 moreDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters66 towns · #1 Ashford and 2 moreDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers66 towns · #1 West MoleseyDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers66 towns · #1 AshteadDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts66 towns · #1 Sunbury-on-ThamesDescribed, no lettersDriest towns66 towns · #1 Stanwell and West MoleseyDescribed, no lettersWettest towns66 towns · #1 HaslemereDescribed, no letters
County by county

Best towns for the outdoors, county by county

BedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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.