Staines-upon-Thames’ biggest
Shortwood Common
Park or garden
20 ha (50 acres)4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Staines-upon-Thames
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Stefan Czapski · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Staines-upon-Thames · parks, paths & countryside
Parks and walks in Staines-upon-Thames
Parks and playing fields in Staines-upon-Thames add up to 3.4 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. 108 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 3.6 for every square kilometre. 67% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Staines-upon-Thames grades B− for the outdoors: #45 of 65 in Surrey. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
67%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
108 km
3.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Surrey Hills National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Staines-upon-Thames?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Room to roam3.4 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 75% of UK towns.On a National TrailThe Thames Path passes through.Parks can be a walk away33% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Staines-upon-Thames’ strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by the Thames Path. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Outdoors grade
Staines-upon-Thames grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Staines-upon-Thames, 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 · 41st of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space3.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
75out of
100
100
A park within a walk67%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
27out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
73out 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
Staines-upon-Thames is 41st of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 19,900 to 22,900 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
Staines-upon-Thames3.6
Towns its size3.6
Surrey towns4.3
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Staines-upon-Thames3.4
Towns its size2.5
Surrey towns3.1
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Staines-upon-Thames67%
Towns its size85%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Staines-upon-Thames stands out most for park space per resident: only 14 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 53 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapeltown and High Green South Yorkshire | A+ | 4.9 | 94% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 2 | Camborne Cornwall | A+ | 2.2 | 93% | 4 | 8% |
| 3 | Dronfield Derbyshire | A+ | 3.2 | 97% | 5.3 | 9% |
| 4 | Buxton Derbyshire | A | 3.5 | 86% | 3.8 | 61% |
| 5 | Reddish Greater Manchester | A | 6.7 | 100% | 5 | 0% |
| 6 | Faversham Kent | A | 2 | 88% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 7 | Caterham Surrey | A | 4.3 | 84% | 4.3 | 17% |
| 8 | Hebburn Tyne and Wear | A | 6.6 | 99% | 5.8 | 0% |
| 9 | Quedgeley and Hardwicke Gloucestershire | A | 2.1 | 99% | 4.7 | 21% |
| 10 | Farnham Surrey | A | 5.1 | 73% | 4.3 | 35% |
| 11 | Hazlemere Buckinghamshire | A | 2.5 | 81% | 4.7 | 68% |
| 12 | Stratton St Margaret Wiltshire | A | 3.3 | 82% | 5.1 | 5% |
| 13 | Seaham County Durham | A | 2.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Harwich Essex | A− | 1.7 | 95% | 2.1 | 20% |
| 15 | South Ockendon Essex | A− | 2.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 16 | Workington Cumbria | A− | 3 | 97% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 17 | Dukinfield Greater Manchester | A− | 4 | 95% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 18 | Coalville Leicestershire | A− | 3.7 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | Rothwell West Yorkshire | A− | 3.4 | 91% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 20 | Kempston Bedfordshire | A− | 4.9 | 88% | 4 | 0% |
| 21 | Whitefield Greater Manchester | A− | 4.7 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Crowborough East Sussex | B+ | 3.2 | 68% | 2.6 | 91% |
| 23 | Kirkby-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 93% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 24 | Ossett West Yorkshire | B+ | 2.8 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 25 | Sandhurst Berkshire | B+ | 5.1 | 79% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Hazel Grove Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.9 | 62% | 4.2 | 3% |
| 27 | Brownhills West Midlands | B | 11 | 80% | 2 | 2% |
| 28 | Swinton Greater Manchester | B | 3.9 | 81% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 29 | Great Bookham and Fetcham Surrey | B | 1.7 | 68% | 4.4 | 33% |
| 30 | Ripley Derbyshire | B | 2.4 | 91% | 3.7 | 0% |
| 31 | Biggleswade Bedfordshire | B | 1.6 | 95% | 5.2 | 0% |
| 32 | Westhoughton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 100% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 33 | Penwortham Lancashire | B | 2.9 | 91% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Old Trafford Greater Manchester | B | 2.5 | 79% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Hailsham East Sussex | B | 1.4 | 87% | 3.2 | 12% |
| 36 | Dorchester Dorset | B | 1.6 | 78% | 2.9 | 53% |
| 37 | Stourport-on-Severn Worcestershire | B | 3.1 | 79% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Romsey Hampshire | B− | 1.2 | 82% | 4.5 | 2% |
| 39 | Bingley West Yorkshire | B− | 2.1 | 80% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 40 | Berkhamsted Hertfordshire | B− | 1 | 69% | 3.6 | 56% |
| 41 | Staines-upon-Thames Surrey | B− | 3.4 | 67% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 42 | Wednesbury West Midlands | B− | 2.7 | 93% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 43 | Dereham Norfolk | B− | 1.8 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Failsworth Greater Manchester | C+ | 1.8 | 77% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 45 | Ashford Surrey | C+ | 3.4 | 73% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 46 | Clevedon Somerset | C+ | 1.1 | 69% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 47 | Sunbury-on-Thames Surrey | C+ | 2 | 79% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 48 | Kenilworth Warwickshire | C+ | 2.7 | 75% | 3 | 0% |
| 49 | Formby Merseyside | C+ | 1.4 | 63% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 50 | Spennymoor County Durham | C+ | 2.1 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 51 | Normanton West Yorkshire | C | 1.2 | 88% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 52 | Horwich Greater Manchester | C | 1.8 | 67% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 53 | Maghull Merseyside | C− | 1.6 | 86% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 54 | Skegness Lincolnshire | C− | 0.9 | 58% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 55 | Stowmarket Suffolk | C− | 0.8 | 50% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 56 | Gainsborough Lincolnshire | C− | 1 | 96% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 57 | March Cambridgeshire | C− | 1.7 | 87% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Goole East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 1.7 | 81% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 59 | Stamford Lincolnshire | D | 1.3 | 64% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 60 | Darlaston West Midlands | D | 1.3 | 78% | 1.9 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Staines-upon-Thames’ 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 Staines-upon-Thames
The biggest is Shortwood Common, 20 ha (50 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 8 named parks by size: 69 ha (171 acres) and 14 km of path
Parks & gardens 64 haPlaying fields 5.5 ha
The two biggest, Shortwood Common and Shortwood Common, are 58% of the named green space and carry 8 km of path between them.
Shortwood Common
Park or garden
20 ha (50 acres)4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
28 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Staines-upon-Thames
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Fordbridge Park
Park or garden · 60 m outside town
9.3 ha (23 acres)2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
13 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Staines Park
Park or garden
6.5 ha (16 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Staines-upon-Thames
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Lammas Park
Park or garden
6.2 ha (15 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi north-westfrom the centre
2 playgrounds 1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Greenfield Recreation Ground
Playing field
4.8 ha (12 acres)1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Moor
Park or garden
1.3 ha (3 acres)0.3 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.6 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Staines Lane Recreation Ground
Playing field · 90 m outside town
0.6 ha (2 acres)
2.2 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Staines-upon-Thames 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 (67%)Further (33%)
Staines-upon-Thames67%
Towns its size85%
Surrey towns75%
All UK towns83%
About 7,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 51 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 418 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Surrey Hills National Landscape is 9.8 mi away
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
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Staines-upon-Thames is on the Thames Path
108 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Staines-upon-Thames and the kilometre around it, 3.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalLocal
Thames Path10.3 km
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England9.9 km
Colne Valley Way3.4 km
Circular Route2.5 km
Egham to Runnymede Countryside Circular Walk, Runnymede2.3 km
The Park Circular Walk at Ankerwycke0.6 km
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Staines-upon-Thames.
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 Staines-upon-Thames: 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 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 64 | 46 | 41 | 44 | 46 | 50 | 41 | 62 | 53 | 67 | 71 | 62 |
March is the driest month (41 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 71 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 34 nights a year. The climate in Staines-upon-Thames →
The coast
Beaches near Staines-upon-Thames
0% of the area within 5 km of Staines-upon-Thames is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km.
Amity BeachIn town
DirectionsSea: 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.
Things to do
3 viewpoints and 51 playgrounds
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.
3Viewpoints3.1× towns its size1Hills and peaks1Nature reserves51Playgrounds1.7× towns its size1Dog parks1Campsites3Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
St Ann's Hill0.1 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Staines Moor106 ha · 0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 51
Play Areain town
DirectionsSummer playgroundin town
DirectionsWendover Play Area0.3 mi from town
DirectionsFordbridge Park Playground0.3 mi from town
DirectionsHythe Park Play Area0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 46 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Laleham Camping Club0.7 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 3
Plus 3 slipways 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.
LalehamAshfordStanwellThorpeStanwell MoorEghamStaines-upon-Thames
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Thorpe, 2.2 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Laleham has at least twice Staines-upon-Thames’ green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Staines-upon-Thames
What is the biggest park in Staines-upon-Thames?
Shortwood Common, 20 ha (50 acres), with 4.1 km of path. Shortwood Common (20 ha) is second. 8 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Staines-upon-Thames near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Surrey Hills National Landscape, 9.8 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 422 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Staines-upon-Thames?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Thames Path, European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England and Colne Valley Way. Shortwood Common alone has 4.1 km of path.
How many people in Staines-upon-Thames live near a park?
67% 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 Staines-upon-Thames?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Staines-upon-Thames good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 73% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 75% (3.4 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 Staines-upon-Thames’ overall grade.
Sources
Where Staines-upon-Thames’ 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.