diff --git a/routes/v1.js b/routes/v1.js
index 9ef95856..7345310c 100644
--- a/routes/v1.js
+++ b/routes/v1.js
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ var sanitisers = {
   autocomplete: require('../sanitiser/autocomplete'),
   place: require('../sanitiser/place'),
   search: require('../sanitiser/search'),
-  reverse: require('../sanitiser/reverse')
+  reverse: require('../sanitiser/reverse'),
+  nearby: require('../sanitiser/nearby')
 };
 
 /** ----------------------- middleware ------------------------ **/
@@ -101,6 +102,22 @@ function addRoutes(app, peliasConfig) {
       postProc.geocodeJSON(peliasConfig, base),
       postProc.sendJSON
     ]),
+    nearby: createRouter([
+      sanitisers.nearby.middleware,
+      middleware.calcSize(),
+      controllers.search(undefined, reverseQuery),
+      postProc.distances('point.'),
+      // reverse confidence scoring depends on distance from origin
+      //  so it must be calculated first
+      postProc.confidenceScoresReverse(),
+      postProc.dedupe(),
+      postProc.localNamingConventions(),
+      postProc.renamePlacenames(),
+      postProc.parseBoundingBox(),
+      postProc.normalizeParentIds(),
+      postProc.geocodeJSON(peliasConfig, base),
+      postProc.sendJSON
+    ]),
     place: createRouter([
       sanitisers.place.middleware,
       controllers.place(peliasConfig),
@@ -129,6 +146,7 @@ function addRoutes(app, peliasConfig) {
   app.get ( base + 'search',       routers.search );
   app.post( base + 'search',       routers.search );
   app.get ( base + 'reverse',      routers.reverse );
+  app.get ( base + 'nearby',       routers.nearby );
 
 }
 
diff --git a/sanitiser/nearby.js b/sanitiser/nearby.js
index a32fe002..109c1ef0 100644
--- a/sanitiser/nearby.js
+++ b/sanitiser/nearby.js
@@ -1,19 +1,11 @@
+var _ = require('lodash');
+var sanitizeAll = require('../sanitiser/sanitizeAll');
+var reverseSanitizers = require('./reverse').sanitiser_list;
 
-var type_mapping = require('../helper/type_mapping');
-var sanitizeAll = require('../sanitiser/sanitizeAll'),
-    sanitizers = {
-      quattroshapes_deprecation: require('../sanitiser/_deprecate_quattroshapes'),
-      singleScalarParameters: require('../sanitiser/_single_scalar_parameters'),
-      layers: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', type_mapping.layer_mapping),
-      sources: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('sources', type_mapping.source_mapping),
-      // depends on the layers and sources sanitisers, must be run after them
-      sources_and_layers: require('../sanitiser/_sources_and_layers'),
-      size: require('../sanitiser/_size')(/* use defaults*/),
-      private: require('../sanitiser/_flag_bool')('private', false),
-      geo_reverse: require('../sanitiser/_geo_reverse'),
-      boundary_country: require('../sanitiser/_boundary_country'),
-      categories: require('../sanitiser/_categories')
-    };
+// add categories to the sanitizer list
+var sanitizers = _.merge({}, reverseSanitizers, {
+  categories: require('../sanitiser/_categories')
+});
 
 var sanitize = function(req, cb) { sanitizeAll(req, sanitizers, cb); };
 
diff --git a/sanitiser/reverse.js b/sanitiser/reverse.js
index a32fe002..b994455a 100644
--- a/sanitiser/reverse.js
+++ b/sanitiser/reverse.js
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ var sanitizeAll = require('../sanitiser/sanitizeAll'),
       size: require('../sanitiser/_size')(/* use defaults*/),
       private: require('../sanitiser/_flag_bool')('private', false),
       geo_reverse: require('../sanitiser/_geo_reverse'),
-      boundary_country: require('../sanitiser/_boundary_country'),
-      categories: require('../sanitiser/_categories')
+      boundary_country: require('../sanitiser/_boundary_country')
     };
 
 var sanitize = function(req, cb) { sanitizeAll(req, sanitizers, cb); };
diff --git a/test/unit/run.js b/test/unit/run.js
index b6e40c71..d6c65b56 100644
--- a/test/unit/run.js
+++ b/test/unit/run.js
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ var tests = [
   require('./sanitiser/_tokenizer'),
   require('./sanitiser/_deprecate_quattroshapes'),
   require('./sanitiser/_categories'),
+  require('./sanitiser/nearby'),
   require('./src/backend'),
   require('./sanitiser/autocomplete'),
   require('./sanitiser/place'),
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/nearby.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/nearby.js
index b2d40b01..1441b903 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/nearby.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/nearby.js
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 
-// @todo: refactor this test, it's pretty messy, brittle and hard to follow
+var nearby  = require('../../../sanitiser/nearby');
+var defaults = require('../../../query/reverse_defaults');
+var sanitize = nearby.sanitize;
+var middleware = nearby.middleware;
 
-var reverse  = require('../../../sanitiser/reverse'),
-    sanitize = reverse.sanitize,
-    middleware = reverse.middleware,
-    defaults = require('../../../query/reverse_defaults'),
-    defaultError = 'missing param \'lat\'',
-    defaultClean =  { 'point.lat': 0,
+var defaultClean =  { 'point.lat': 0,
                       'point.lon': 0,
                       'boundary.circle.lat': 0,
                       'boundary.circle.lon': 0,
@@ -15,10 +13,6 @@ var reverse  = require('../../../sanitiser/reverse'),
                       private: false
                     };
 
-// these are the default values you would expect when no input params are specified.
-// @todo: why is this different from $defaultClean?
-var emptyClean = { private: false, size: 10 };
-
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
 module.exports.tests.interface = function(test, common) {
@@ -38,148 +32,11 @@ module.exports.tests.sanitisers = function(test, common) {
   test('check sanitiser list', function (t) {
     var expected = ['quattroshapes_deprecation', 'singleScalarParameters', 'layers',
       'sources', 'sources_and_layers', 'size', 'private', 'geo_reverse', 'boundary_country', 'categories'];
-    t.deepEqual(Object.keys(reverse.sanitiser_list), expected);
-    t.end();
-  });
-};
-
-module.exports.tests.sanitize_lat = function(test, common) {
-  var lats = {
-    invalid: [],
-    valid: [ 0, 45, 90, -0, '0', '45', '90', -181, -120, -91, 91, 120, 181 ],
-    missing: ['', undefined, null]
-  };
-  test('invalid lat', function(t) {
-    lats.invalid.forEach( function( lat ){
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': lat, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        t.equal(req.errors[0], 'invalid param \'point.lat\': must be >-90 and <90', lat + ' is an invalid latitude');
-        t.deepEqual(req.clean, emptyClean, 'clean only has default values set');
-      });
-    });
-    t.end();
-  });
-  test('valid lat', function(t) {
-    lats.valid.forEach( function( lat ){
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': lat, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        var expected_lat = parseFloat( lat );
-        t.deepEqual(req.errors, [], 'no errors');
-        t.equal(req.clean['point.lat'], expected_lat, 'clean set correctly (' + lat + ')');
-      });
-    });
-    t.end();
-  });
-  test('missing lat', function(t) {
-    lats.missing.forEach( function( lat ){
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': lat, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        t.equal(req.errors[0], 'missing param \'point.lat\'', 'latitude is a required field');
-        t.deepEqual(req.clean, emptyClean, 'clean only has default values set');
-      });
-    });
+    t.deepEqual(Object.keys(nearby.sanitiser_list), expected);
     t.end();
   });
 };
 
-module.exports.tests.sanitize_lon = function(test, common) {
-  var lons = {
-    valid: [ -360, -181, 181, -180, -1, -0, 0, 45, 90, '-180', '0', '180' ],
-    missing: ['', undefined, null]
-  };
-  test('valid lon', function(t) {
-    lons.valid.forEach( function( lon ){
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': lon } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        var expected_lon = parseFloat( lon );
-        t.deepEqual(req.errors, [], 'no errors');
-        t.equal(req.clean['point.lon'], expected_lon, 'clean set correctly (' + lon + ')');
-      });
-    });
-    t.end();
-  });
-  test('missing lon', function(t) {
-    lons.missing.forEach( function( lon ){
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': lon } };
-
-      // @todo: why is lat set?
-      var expected = { 'point.lat': 0, private: false, size: 10 };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        t.equal(req.errors[0], 'missing param \'point.lon\'', 'longitude is a required field');
-        t.deepEqual(req.clean, expected, 'clean only has default values set');
-      });
-    });
-    t.end();
-  });
-};
-
-module.exports.tests.sanitize_size = function(test, common) {
-  test('invalid size value', function(t) {
-    var req = { query: { size: 'a', 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-    sanitize(req, function(){
-      t.equal(req.clean.size, 10, 'default size set');
-      t.end();
-    });
-  });
-  test('below min size value', function(t) {
-    var req = { query: { size: -100, 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-    sanitize(req, function(){
-      t.equal(req.clean.size, 1, 'min size set');
-      t.end();
-    });
-  });
-  test('above max size value', function(t) {
-    var req = { query: { size: 9999, 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-    sanitize(req, function(){
-      t.equal(req.clean.size, 40, 'max size set');
-      t.end();
-    });
-  });
-};
-
-module.exports.tests.sanitize_private = function(test, common) {
-  var invalid_values = [null, -1, 123, NaN, 'abc'];
-  invalid_values.forEach(function(value) {
-    test('invalid private param ' + value, function(t) {
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0, 'private': value } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        t.equal(req.clean.private, false, 'default private set (to false)');
-        t.end();
-      });
-    });
-  });
-
-  var valid_values = ['true', true, 1, '1'];
-  valid_values.forEach(function(value) {
-    test('valid private param ' + value, function(t) {
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0, 'private': value } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        t.equal(req.clean.private, true, 'private set to true');
-        t.end();
-      });
-    });
-  });
-
-  var valid_false_values = ['false', false, 0];
-  valid_false_values.forEach(function(value) {
-    test('test setting false explicitly ' + value, function(t) {
-      var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0, 'private': value } };
-      sanitize(req, function(){
-        t.equal(req.clean.private, false, 'private set to false');
-        t.end();
-      });
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('test default behavior', function(t) {
-    var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0 } };
-    sanitize(req, function(){
-      t.equal(req.clean.private, false, 'private set to false');
-      t.end();
-    });
-  });
-};
-
 module.exports.tests.middleware_success = function(test, common) {
   test('middleware success', function(t) {
     var req = { query: { 'point.lat': 0, 'point.lon': 0 }};
@@ -195,7 +52,7 @@ module.exports.tests.middleware_success = function(test, common) {
 module.exports.all = function (tape, common) {
 
   function test(name, testFunction) {
-    return tape('SANTIZE /reverse ' + name, testFunction);
+    return tape('SANTIZE /nearby ' + name, testFunction);
   }
 
   for( var testCase in module.exports.tests ){
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js
index aabb84e9..089e1aaf 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ module.exports.tests.interface = function(test, common) {
 module.exports.tests.sanitisers = function(test, common) {
   test('check sanitiser list', function (t) {
     var expected = ['quattroshapes_deprecation', 'singleScalarParameters', 'layers',
-      'sources', 'sources_and_layers', 'size', 'private', 'geo_reverse', 'boundary_country', 'categories'];
+      'sources', 'sources_and_layers', 'size', 'private', 'geo_reverse', 'boundary_country'];
     t.deepEqual(Object.keys(reverse.sanitiser_list), expected);
     t.end();
   });