Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Robert Eva · CC BY-SA 2.0Parks and playing fields in Shepperton add up to 8.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 75 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.6 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 89% of residents. Shepperton grades A for the outdoors: #17 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.
Shepperton’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 Shepperton, 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 5,700 to 6,200 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Against towns its size, Shepperton stands out most for park space per resident: only 3 of the other 59 have more.
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfield and Langley Hampshire | A+ | 28.1 | 95% | 4.2 | 48% |
| 2 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea North Yorkshire | A | 4.7 | 92% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bagshot Surrey | A | 10.5 | 100% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 4 | Barrowford Lancashire | A | 4.2 | 82% | 5 | 22% |
| 5 | Wareham Dorset | A | 1.9 | 83% | 3.4 | 56% |
| 6 | Leiston Suffolk | A | 1.7 | 95% | 2.7 | 35% |
| 7 | Amble Northumberland | A | 2 | 100% | 2.2 | 5% |
| 8 | West Hallam Derbyshire | A | 4.8 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 9 | Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear | A | 5.3 | 95% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 10 | Menston West Yorkshire | A | 2.4 | 90% | 4.1 | 18% |
| 11 | Shepperton Surrey | A | 8.7 | 89% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 12 | Carnforth Lancashire | A− | 1.2 | 89% | 3 | 39% |
| 13 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A− | 2.2 | 100% | 3.4 | 1% |
| 14 | Botley Hampshire | A− | 14.6 | 70% | 3.6 | 2% |
| 15 | East Horsley Surrey | A− | 3.5 | 55% | 4.5 | 33% |
| 16 | Dodworth South Yorkshire | A− | 2.3 | 97% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 17 | Marchwood Hampshire | B+ | 2 | 87% | 1.3 | 38% |
| 18 | Moor Park Hertfordshire | B+ | 4.5 | 46% | 4.5 | 1% |
| 19 | Creswell Derbyshire | B+ | 2.7 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 20 | Thrybergh and Dalton South Yorkshire | B+ | 2.6 | 95% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Axminster Devon | B | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 66% |
| 22 | Garstang Lancashire | B | 2.4 | 89% | 2.3 | 15% |
| 23 | East Tilbury Essex | B | 2.3 | 92% | 2 | 0% |
| 24 | Wixams Bedfordshire | B | 5.3 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 25 | Shipston-on-Stour Warwickshire | B | 2.3 | 94% | 1.6 | 20% |
| 26 | Brixworth Northamptonshire | B | 3.8 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Northumberland | B | 2.2 | 77% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 28 | East Wittering West Sussex | B | 1.1 | 78% | 1.9 | 27% |
| 29 | Hemsby Norfolk | B | 2.5 | 51% | 1.4 | 22% |
| 30 | Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire | B | 3.4 | 100% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 31 | Cheddar Somerset | B− | 2.3 | 41% | 3 | 56% |
| 32 | Thirsk North Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 100% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 33 | Great Torrington Devon | B− | 2.6 | 88% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 34 | Kirby Cross Essex | C+ | 2.4 | 44% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Aylesham Kent | C+ | 0.3 | 76% | 3.4 | 33% |
| 36 | Bagillt Clwyd | C+ | 1.3 | 87% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Crawley Down West Sussex | C+ | 1.2 | 80% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 38 | Strensall North Yorkshire | C | 1.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Pontyclun Mid Glamorgan | C | 2.4 | 79% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 81% | 3 | 0% |
| 41 | Egremont Cumbria | C | 1.1 | 63% | 1.8 | 11% |
| 42 | Bracebridge Heath Lincolnshire | C | 1.1 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 43 | Undy and Magor Gwent | C | 0.9 | 86% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Red Lodge Suffolk | C | 1.5 | 100% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Ramsey Cambridgeshire | C | 2.5 | 72% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 46 | Ilminster Somerset | C− | 2.3 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 47 | Ottery St Mary Devon | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 1.7 | 34% |
| 48 | Studley Warwickshire | C− | 1.6 | 63% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 49 | Pembury Kent | C− | 1.1 | 45% | 2 | 58% |
| 50 | Stainforth South Yorkshire | C− | 2.2 | 80% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 51 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | C− | 0.9 | 64% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Cuddington Cheshire | C− | 1.5 | 66% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Withernsea East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 0.9 | 60% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Arlesey Bedfordshire | D | 0.9 | 51% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 55 | Finningley South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 65% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Werrington Staffordshire | D | 1.1 | 42% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 57 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | D | 1.5 | 71% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 58 | Sawtry Cambridgeshire | D | 1.3 | 40% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 59 | Burwell Cambridgeshire | D− | 1.5 | 44% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Thurcroft South Yorkshire | D− | 0.5 | 56% | 2 | 0% |
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Shepperton’s built-up area.
The biggest is Chertsey Meads, 71 ha (176 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
The two biggest, Chertsey Meads and Thames Meadow, are 84% of the named green space and carry 16 km of path between them.
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 600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 32 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 185 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.
75 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Shepperton and the kilometre around it, 4.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Shepperton. Close to home, the Weybridge to New Haw Lock Walk, River Wey Navigations has 6 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the Thames Path - alternate.
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 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 45 | 39 | 43 | 43 | 47 | 47 | 57 | 55 | 70 | 70 | 62 |
March is the driest month (39 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 70 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Shepperton →
0% of the area within 5 km of Shepperton is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
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.
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Plus 31 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 1 dog park 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shepperton | A | 8.7 | 89% | 0% |
| Upper Halliford 0.8 mi | B− | 5.1 | 44% | 0% |
| Shepperton Green 0.8 mi | D | 1.4 | 73% | 0% |
| Weybridge 1.6 mi | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 0% |
| Walton-on-Thames 1.8 mi | C | 1.6 | 81% | 0% |
| Ashford Common 1.9 mi | D | 0.8 | 62% | 0% |
| Sunbury-on-Thames 2.0 mi | C+ | 2.0 | 79% | 0% |
Shepperton grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Chertsey Meads, 71 ha (176 acres), with 15.5 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Thames Meadow (7.2 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
The nearest protected landscape is the Surrey Hills National Landscape, 7.9 mi south-east of the town’s edge. It covers 422 km² and was designated in 1958.
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Thames Path, European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England and Weybridge to New Haw Lock Walk, River Wey Navigations. Chertsey Meads alone has 15.5 km of path.
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%.
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: 4.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 89% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 95% (8.7 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 Shepperton’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.