Shalford’s biggest
Shalford Common
Park or garden
34 ha (84 acres)1.7 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
48 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Shalford
FP 266aFP 267a
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Alan Hunt · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Shalford · parks, paths & countryside
Shalford has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 UK towns
Parks and playing fields in Shalford add up to 14.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The Surrey Hills National Landscape reaches the edge of Shalford. 48 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.8 for every square kilometre. Shalford grades A+ for the outdoors: #2 of 65 in Surrey. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
14.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
89%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
48 km
4.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
47%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Surrey Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Shalford?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam14.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 98% of UK towns.A town of footpaths4.8 km of path per km², more than 91% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Protected countryside47% of the land within 5 km is Surrey Hills National Landscape.On a National TrailThe North Downs Way passes through.
Shalford’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Shalford grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Shalford, 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 almost every UK town#2 of 65 in Surrey · 2nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space14.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
98out of
100
100
A park within a walk89%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
66out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape47%of the land within 5 km
91out of
100
100
Footpaths4.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
91out 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
Shalford is 2nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 2,400 to 2,600 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
Shalford4.8
Towns its size2.2
Surrey towns4.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Shalford14.9
Towns its size2.2
Surrey towns3.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Shalford89%
Towns its size82%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Shalford stands out most for park space per resident: only 3 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rawnsley Staffordshire | A+ | 17.7 | 100% | 3.7 | 36% |
| 2 | Shalford Surrey | A+ | 14.9 | 89% | 4.8 | 47% |
| 3 | Silloth Cumbria | A+ | 7.3 | 100% | 1.4 | 17% |
| 4 | Eton Berkshire | A | 22.9 | 100% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 5 | Lyndhurst Hampshire | A | 3.6 | 73% | 4.3 | 100% |
| 6 | Rowhedge Essex | A | 1.6 | 100% | 6.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Chopwell Tyne and Wear | A | 7.5 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Longford Gloucestershire | A | 11.9 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Little Clacton Essex | A− | 3.6 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 10 | South Anston South Yorkshire | A− | 3.5 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 11 | Stewartby Bedfordshire | A− | 21 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 12 | Saundersfoot Dyfed | A− | 10.2 | 69% | 0.9 | 19% |
| 13 | Thornley County Durham | B+ | 3.2 | 100% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 14 | Witton Gilbert County Durham | B+ | 2.1 | 100% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 15 | Craven Arms Shropshire | B | 1.3 | 87% | 2.9 | 59% |
| 16 | Barlestone Leicestershire | B | 3 | 100% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Farndon Nottinghamshire | B | 3.8 | 100% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 18 | Oakley Bedfordshire | B | 3.2 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 19 | Alresford Essex | B− | 1.3 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 20 | Pannal North Yorkshire | B− | 3.7 | 77% | 3 | 0% |
| 21 | Coundon and Leeholme County Durham | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 1 | 0% |
| 22 | Brewood Staffordshire | B− | 3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Kelvedon Hatch Essex | B− | 7.3 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 24 | Ash Green Warwickshire | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 25 | Timsbury Somerset | B− | 2.7 | 68% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 26 | Bishop's Itchington Warwickshire | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Llanrwst Clwyd | C+ | 2.2 | 75% | 1.6 | 45% |
| 28 | Crossways Dorset | C+ | 0.5 | 100% | 1.8 | 22% |
| 29 | Shepley West Yorkshire | C+ | 1.6 | 87% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Widdrington Station Northumberland | C+ | 1 | 88% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 31 | Caton Lancashire | C+ | 1.2 | 72% | 2.2 | 67% |
| 32 | Steeple Claydon Buckinghamshire | C+ | 1.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 33 | Whittington Staffordshire | C | 7.5 | 77% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 34 | Stratton Gloucestershire | C | 0.7 | 46% | 3.3 | 70% |
| 35 | Great Houghton South Yorkshire | C | 1.8 | 100% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 36 | Tycroes Dyfed | C | 3.5 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 37 | Llandybie Dyfed | C | 2.6 | 59% | 1.2 | 13% |
| 38 | Laleham Surrey | C | 9.8 | 34% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Ash (Dover) Kent | C | 2.3 | 72% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Willaston (Cheshire West and Chester) Cheshire | C− | 4.2 | 60% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 41 | Upper Heyford Oxfordshire | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Hatton Derbyshire | C− | 3.3 | 61% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Loggerheads Staffordshire | C− | 1.2 | 86% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 44 | Cwm Gwent | C− | 2 | 12% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 45 | Cliffe Kent | C− | 1.1 | 55% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Probus Cornwall | C− | 0.6 | 75% | 1.5 | 15% |
| 47 | Maulden Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 55% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 48 | East Harling Norfolk | D | 1.7 | 85% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Lampeter Dyfed | D | 1.5 | 88% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Long Crendon Buckinghamshire | D | 1.4 | 86% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Mawsley Village Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 2 | 0% |
| 52 | Fordham Cambridgeshire | D | 2.3 | 35% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 53 | Broughton Lancashire | D | 1.7 | 45% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Long Itchington Warwickshire | D | 2.1 | 45% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 55 | Clophill Bedfordshire | D | 0.7 | 41% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Silverstone Northamptonshire | D | 1.1 | 0% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Nafferton East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.3 | 56% | 0.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Holme upon Spalding Moor East Riding of Yorkshire | D− | 1.5 | 41% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Shipdham Norfolk | D− | 1 | 59% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Rhos West Glamorgan | D− | 1 | 58% | 0.8 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Shalford’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 Shalford
The biggest is Shalford Common, 34 ha (84 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Shalford Park
Playing field · 110 m outside town
8.5 ha (21 acres)0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
12 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
9 in 10 Shalford 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 (89%)Further (11%)
Shalford89%
Towns its size82%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 15 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 167 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Shalford
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-east422 km²since 195847% of the land within 5 km
Official site47% of the land within 5 km of Shalford is National Park or National Landscape, more than 90% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Shalford is on the North Downs Way
48 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Shalford and the kilometre around it, 4.8 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
Wey-South Path6.3 km
Scholar's Trail5.9 km
Downs Link4.7 km
The Fox Way4.6 km
North Downs Way (Eastern)3.5 km
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England1.9 km
North Downs Way (Western)1.9 km
Tillingbourne at work (short) (SCC)0.4 km
The North Downs Way, a national route, passes Shalford. Close to home, the Scholar's Trail has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Wey-South Path and Downs 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 Shalford: 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 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) | 83 | 59 | 50 | 53 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 62 | 62 | 88 | 90 | 84 |
March is the driest month (50 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 47 nights a year. The climate in Shalford →
Things to do
10 viewpoints, 15 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.
10Viewpoints5Hills and peaks1Nature reserves1Picnic sites15Playgrounds1.9× towns its size1Dog parks1Campsites
The nearest beaches
Shalford is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Penguin Beach12 mi from Shalford’s edge
DirectionsAmity Beach13 mi from Shalford’s edge
DirectionsHog Hole22 mi from Shalford’s edge
DirectionsThe Hollows22 mi from Shalford’s edge
DirectionsKelson Beach31 mi from Shalford’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 10
High Ball0.5 mi from town
DirectionsCastle0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 8 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 5
St Catherine's Hill0.3 mi from town
DirectionsChinthurst Hill121 m (397 ft) · 0.5 mi from town
DirectionsPewley Hill0.8 mi from town
DirectionsWhinny Hill0.9 mi from town
DirectionsFarley Hill1.1 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Shalford Water Meadows41 ha · 0.1 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 15
Natural Play Area0.5 mi from town
DirectionsWestnye Playground0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Dog training park0.8 mi from town
DirectionsCampsites 1
Chantry Wood Campsite0.8 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
ChilworthBramley and WonershFarncombeGuildfordShamley GreenGodalmingShalford
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shalford | A+ | 14.9 | 89% | 47% |
| Chilworth 1.1 mi | A+ | 10.8 | 80% | 59% |
| Bramley and Wonersh 1.4 mi | B+ | 1.7 | 77% | 59% |
| Farncombe 2.3 mi | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 54% |
| Guildford 2.4 mi | A | 2.8 | 86% | 31% |
| Shamley Green 2.6 mi | A | 2.9 | 100% | 69% |
| Godalming 3.1 mi | A− | 4.6 | 73% | 66% |
Shalford grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Shalford
What is the biggest park in Shalford?
Shalford Common, 34 ha (84 acres), with 1.7 km of path. Shalford Park (8.5 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Shalford near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 8.4 mi south 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 Shalford?
8 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Wey-South Path, Scholar's Trail and Downs Link.
What is the nearest beach to Shalford?
Penguin Beach, 12 mi from the edge of the town, then Amity Beach (13 mi). Shalford itself is inland.
How many people in Shalford live near a park?
89% 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 Shalford?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Shalford good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.8 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 91% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 98% (14.9 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 Shalford’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Shalford’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.