Chippenham’s biggest
Westmead Open Space
Park or garden
30 ha (74 acres)6.9 km of path
1 h 35 minto walk all 6.9 km of path
42 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Chippenham
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Derek Voller · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Chippenham · parks, paths & countryside
76% of Chippenham’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
The Cotswolds National Landscape begins 1.7 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 117 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.9 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Chippenham add up to 2.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Chippenham grades B+ for the outdoors: #12 of 30 in Wiltshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
76%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
117 km
3.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
7%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Cotswolds National Landscape
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Chippenham?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Countryside both waysCotswolds starts 1.7 mi west, North Wessex Downs 4.5 mi south-east.A town of footpaths3.9 km of path per km², more than 78% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.
Chippenham’s strongest suit is two protected landscapes close by, followed by dense footpaths.
Outdoors grade
Chippenham grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Chippenham, 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 72% of UK towns#12 of 30 in Wiltshire · 23rd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
65out of
100
100
A park within a walk76%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
39out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape7%of the land within 5 km
69out of
100
100
Footpaths3.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
78out 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
Chippenham is 23rd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 32,700 to 39,900 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
Chippenham3.9
Towns its size3.9
Wiltshire towns3.0
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Chippenham2.8
Towns its size2.5
Wiltshire towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Chippenham76%
Towns its size84%
Wiltshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
Chippenham falls furthest behind on homes near a park, where 48 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Locks Heath Hampshire | A+ | 3.5 | 91% | 3.7 | 4% |
| 2 | Great Malvern Worcestershire | A+ | 3.9 | 90% | 6 | 38% |
| 3 | Dover Kent | A+ | 3 | 86% | 2.9 | 29% |
| 4 | Hyde Greater Manchester | A | 4.3 | 91% | 3.9 | 1% |
| 5 | Epsom Surrey | A | 5.7 | 80% | 4.8 | 2% |
| 6 | Burgess Hill West Sussex | A | 2.4 | 87% | 5 | 27% |
| 7 | Aldershot Hampshire | A | 3.4 | 77% | 6.3 | 17% |
| 8 | Skelmersdale Lancashire | A | 7.8 | 91% | 5.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Merthyr Tydfil Mid Glamorgan | A | 3.3 | 89% | 3.2 | 29% |
| 10 | Ilkeston Derbyshire | A | 3.7 | 98% | 5 | 0% |
| 11 | Rustington West Sussex | A− | 2.1 | 78% | 2.7 | 25% |
| 12 | Dunstable Bedfordshire | A− | 2 | 78% | 8 | 29% |
| 13 | Sutton in Ashfield Nottinghamshire | A− | 4.3 | 94% | 4 | 0% |
| 14 | Caversham Berkshire | A− | 2.5 | 77% | 4.3 | 32% |
| 15 | Accrington Lancashire | A− | 2.6 | 79% | 5.6 | 0% |
| 16 | Chorley Lancashire | A− | 5 | 88% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 17 | Nelson Lancashire | A− | 1.8 | 85% | 5.2 | 15% |
| 18 | St Neots Cambridgeshire | A− | 3.5 | 91% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 19 | Didcot Oxfordshire | A− | 1.6 | 88% | 3.8 | 39% |
| 20 | Exmouth Devon | A− | 1.4 | 82% | 2.6 | 21% |
| 21 | Leyland Lancashire | B+ | 4.6 | 91% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 22 | Waterlooville Hampshire | B+ | 1 | 66% | 5.2 | 18% |
| 23 | Chippenham Wiltshire | B+ | 2.8 | 76% | 3.9 | 7% |
| 24 | Fulwood Lancashire | B+ | 3.5 | 87% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Swadlincote Derbyshire | B+ | 4.1 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 26 | Fleet Hampshire | B+ | 3.3 | 79% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 27 | Pudsey West Yorkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 94% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 28 | Hucknall Nottinghamshire | B+ | 3 | 87% | 4 | 0% |
| 29 | Aberdare Mid Glamorgan | B+ | 4.6 | 84% | 1.8 | 19% |
| 30 | Hitchin Hertfordshire | B+ | 1.5 | 83% | 4.4 | 10% |
| 31 | Rowley Regis West Midlands | B+ | 4.1 | 71% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 32 | West Bridgford Nottinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 86% | 7.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Brighouse West Yorkshire | B | 2.5 | 91% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 34 | Wigston Leicestershire | B | 2.9 | 88% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 35 | Billingham County Durham | B | 4.7 | 86% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear | B | 1.9 | 82% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 37 | Warwick Warwickshire | B | 3 | 85% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 38 | Denton Greater Manchester | B | 2.4 | 88% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 39 | Letchworth Hertfordshire | B | 2.2 | 85% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 40 | Loughton Essex | B | 2.9 | 74% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 41 | Abingdon-on-Thames Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 91% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 42 | Borehamwood Hertfordshire | B | 1.8 | 97% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 43 | Bicester Oxfordshire | B | 2.1 | 99% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 44 | Prescot Merseyside | B | 3.5 | 94% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 45 | Blyth Northumberland | B | 1.6 | 83% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 46 | Chadderton Greater Manchester | B | 1.9 | 87% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Caerphilly Gwent | B | 2.6 | 82% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 48 | Morecambe Lancashire | B− | 0.8 | 84% | 2.2 | 2% |
| 49 | Redcar North Yorkshire | B− | 2.6 | 79% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 50 | Canvey Island Essex | B− | 1.5 | 86% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 51 | Tonbridge Kent | B− | 2.1 | 65% | 2.6 | 38% |
| 52 | Camberley Surrey | C+ | 2 | 73% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 53 | Billericay Essex | C+ | 4.1 | 70% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Pontefract West Yorkshire | C+ | 2.6 | 84% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 55 | New Haw, West Byfleet and Sheerwater Surrey | C+ | 2.2 | 69% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 56 | Horndean Hampshire | C+ | 0.9 | 57% | 3.3 | 53% |
| 57 | Long Eaton Derbyshire | C | 1.8 | 74% | 3.6 | 0% |
| 58 | Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Bilston West Midlands | C− | 1.5 | 76% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 60 | Bromsgrove Worcestershire | C− | 1.4 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Chippenham’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 Chippenham
The biggest is Westmead Open Space, 30 ha (74 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 14 named parks by size: 90 ha (223 acres) and 13 km of path
Parks & gardens 65 haPlaying fields 25 haPlay spaces 0.2 ha
The two biggest, Westmead Open Space and Monkton Park, are 46% of the named green space and carry 8 km of path between them. 6 of the 14 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Monkton Park
Park or garden
12 ha (29 acres)0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Chippenham
Playground 1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Stanley Park Sports Ground
Playing field · 10 m outside town
15 ha (37 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
21 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.5 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
John Coles Park
Park or garden
6.0 ha (15 acres)1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi north-eastfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hilltop Park
Park or garden
6.6 ha (16 acres)1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi south-westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Baydons Meadow
Park or garden
5.4 ha (13 acres)0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
8 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.7 mi eastfrom the centre
2 nature reserves
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Chippenham Rugby Football Club
Playing field
11 ha (26 acres)0.2 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hardenhuish Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
All 14 named parks and green spaces
Westmead Open SpacePark or garden · 30 ha · 6.9 km of path
DirectionsMonkton ParkPark or garden · 12 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsStanley Park Sports GroundPlaying field · 15 ha · 0.8 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsJohn Coles ParkPark or garden · 6.0 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsHilltop ParkPark or garden · 6.6 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsBaydons MeadowPark or garden · 5.4 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsChippenham Rugby Football ClubPlaying field · 11 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsHardenhuish ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsKingsley Road Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsAudley Road Play AreaPlay space · 0.1 ha
DirectionsThe Arc Skateboard ParkPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsRowden Park Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsGypsy Lane Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsDeere Avenue Play AreaPlay space · 0.0 ha
DirectionsClose to home
How close Chippenham’s homes are to 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 (76%)Further (24%)
Chippenham76%
Towns its size84%
Wiltshire towns86%
All UK towns83%
About 9,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 34 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,061 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
Cotswolds and North Wessex Downs both start about 5 miles from Chippenham
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
7% of the land within 5 km of Chippenham is National Park or National Landscape, more than 68% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Footpaths in and around Chippenham
117 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Chippenham and the kilometre around it, 3.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0).
No named walking route is mapped within 2 km of Chippenham; its footpaths are on the map above.
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 Chippenham: 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 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 79 | 57 | 52 | 52 | 56 | 53 | 60 | 66 | 55 | 78 | 83 | 80 |
March is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 83 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 52 nights a year. The climate in Chippenham →
Things to do
34 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.
1Viewpoints1Hills and peaks5Nature reserves2.4× towns its size5Picnic sites4.9× towns its size34Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size
The nearest beaches
Chippenham is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Fossil Beach24 mi from Chippenham’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.
Up high. Lan Hill, at 129 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Chippenham.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Lan Hill129 m (423 ft) · 1.0 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 5
Vincients Wood7.9 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsBaydon's Wood1.3 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsBaydons Meadow2.0 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsBirds Marsh21 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 5
Plus 5 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 34
Audley Road Play Areain town
DirectionsBarrow Green Play Areain town
DirectionsBlackwellhams Play Areain town
DirectionsGascelyn Park Play Areain town
DirectionsGypsy Lane Play Areain town
DirectionsHilltop Parkin town
DirectionsJohn Coles Park Play Areain town
DirectionsLarkham Rise Play Areain town
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds 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.
Derry Hill and StudleyCorshamSutton BengerRudloeCalneAtworthChippenham
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippenham | B+ | 2.8 | 76% | 7% |
| Derry Hill and Studley 3.1 mi | C+ | 1.2 | 100% | 1% |
| Corsham 3.7 mi | B | 1.9 | 81% | 31% |
| Sutton Benger 3.9 mi | B | 2.7 | 100% | 0% |
| Rudloe 4.8 mi | A+ | 7.3 | 91% | 45% |
| Calne 5.4 mi | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 33% |
| Atworth 5.5 mi | C− | 1.5 | 62% | 13% |
Rudloe, 4.8 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 91% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Rudloe has at least twice Chippenham’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Chippenham
What is the biggest park in Chippenham?
Westmead Open Space, 30 ha (74 acres), with 6.9 km of path. Monkton Park (12 ha) is second. 14 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Chippenham near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cotswolds National Landscape, 1.7 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 2,041 km² and was designated in 1966.
What is the nearest beach to Chippenham?
Fossil Beach, 24 mi from the edge of the town. Chippenham itself is inland.
How many people in Chippenham live near a park?
76% 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 Chippenham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Chippenham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 78% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 65% (2.8 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 Chippenham’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Chippenham’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.