Page 2 | Cheshire but down south?

Cheshirequestions · 2026-02-10T12:36:39+00:00

Hi all, posted here for traffic. We (couple in our 30s plus DCs under 5), currently live in Cheshire and absolutely love it here. We’re close to Alderley Edge high street and I love that we live somewhere that feels fairly rural whilst also having so much within walking distance. We have a lovely mixture of chain and independent restaurants/cafes, and have a local train station. Plus we’re only 20 minutes away from Manchester. I know it’s not to everybody’s taste, but we love the vibe here and are really sad to be leaving. We need to be somewhere in this circle ideally. We are completely newbies when it comes to this area - are there any places here that are like Cheshire?!

PropertyD · 10/02/2026 22:45

Still no mention of a budget….we could all be wasting our time here. If OP is looking for a 4 bed we could be talking about 1 million plus in some of the areas mentioned.

Of course that could be their budget too!

NamingNoNames · 10/02/2026 22:42

@Treylime , I haven't been to Alderley Edge for a long time but it's a village and not a big one, but with a good high street.

Henley, Marlow and Beaconsfield are towns. Tring is probably what I'd say was
nearest. Cookham might be a fit.

I can't comment on Market Harborough. It's probably great but I don't know it and have never been there. I have been to Thame but only to a site visit.

If you are in the area, Henley has a rowing (boating not arguing ) museum, and Beaconsfield has a delightful model village. Tring has the canals and reservoirs. Cookham has the Stanley Spencer Gallery. All are good.

Treylime · 10/02/2026 22:18

ERthree · 10/02/2026 15:52

Goring and Pangborne are lovely and both have a train station with a line that goes straight into London Paddington and Reading is 20 mins away. Benson and Wallingford are both close to Cholsey which also has a direct line to Paddington. If i had to choose i would go to Pangbourne.

Some of the places above are quite small.

I would say Henley, marlow, Stratford Market Harborough, Beaconsfield

District66 · 10/02/2026 21:53

Leamington is a shit hole with a major drug problem and a reform run council

DinoLil · 10/02/2026 21:40

Down south?? That's the Midlands!!

B1anche · 10/02/2026 21:40

InveterateWineDrinker · 10/02/2026 12:56

Luton is exactly like Alderley Edge, maybe a little more cosmopolitan, and the houses are cheaper too. Good access to highly rated international airport, just like you're used to. You'll love it there!

Edited

🤭

CarefullyCuratedFurniture · 10/02/2026 21:34

shimasu · 10/02/2026 13:20

Not a very good one if the OP spends hours looking through the internet at properties on the back of what she thinks is a genuine post.

God forbid, eh? Honestly, perhaps you should unclench a little. Maybe take a trip to Luton, it's very relaxed and you can get a lovely curry lunch.

NamingNoNames · 10/02/2026 21:32

Marlow is also lovely but shit if you need to commute to London
Not shit but not great either.

PotatoBreadForTheWin · 10/02/2026 21:09

Another vote for beaconsfield/ GX, but the former rather than the latter if you want the nice high st. I have lived in both beaconsfield and Alderey edge and I would say they have a very similar vibe.

Marlow is also lovely but shit if you need to commute to London

HappyFace2025 · 10/02/2026 16:19

InveterateWineDrinker · 10/02/2026 12:56

Luton is exactly like Alderley Edge, maybe a little more cosmopolitan, and the houses are cheaper too. Good access to highly rated international airport, just like you're used to. You'll love it there!

Edited

Luton like Alderley Edge? Blow me down with a feather!

I agree with pp suggestions of Beaconsfield and Gerrard's Cross.

SorcererGaheris · 10/02/2026 16:07

jeaux90 · 10/02/2026 12:40

I live in a Market town called Thame. It’s the perfect balance between rural and city life. Can get into Oxford by bus really easily and our high street has a fabulous mix of independent and chains. There is a station 1 mile away. My advice, which is what I did when moving out from London, get a short list and just visit them.

@jeaux90

Ah, Thame! Just wanted to mention that I've visited Thame because I'm a big fan of the Bee Gees and (as you're probably aware) that's where Bee Gee Robin Gibb primarily resided until his death in 2012. The Thame Museum now has a Robin Gibb Exhibit.

stollenisthebest · 10/02/2026 16:03

There are loads of places in Oxfordshire/the Cotswolds like the smart bits of Cheshire - Witney, Burford, Chipping Norton for example.

Do you need to be near a particular train station?

JudgeJ · 10/02/2026 15:54

InveterateWineDrinker · 10/02/2026 12:56

Luton is exactly like Alderley Edge, maybe a little more cosmopolitan, and the houses are cheaper too. Good access to highly rated international airport, just like you're used to. You'll love it there!

Edited

I do hope this post is a joke!!!

ERthree · 10/02/2026 15:52

Goring and Pangborne are lovely and both have a train station with a line that goes straight into London Paddington and Reading is 20 mins away. Benson and Wallingford are both close to Cholsey which also has a direct line to Paddington. If i had to choose i would go to Pangbourne.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 10/02/2026 15:51

Market Harborough is nice, neighbours moved up there. Luton is vile.

Nosejobnelly · 10/02/2026 15:45

InveterateWineDrinker · 10/02/2026 12:56

Luton is exactly like Alderley Edge, maybe a little more cosmopolitan, and the houses are cheaper too. Good access to highly rated international airport, just like you're used to. You'll love it there!

Edited

😹

KaleidoscopeSmile · 10/02/2026 15:36

Princejoffyjaffur · 10/02/2026 12:45

Loads of lovely places in your circle and much nicer than Cheshire IMO

"....but I'm not going to tell you which they are...."

AnneofBohemia · 10/02/2026 15:30

Have a look at Olney in Buckinghamshire- it has a lovely high street with lots of independent shops and cafes.

Theseventhmagpie · 10/02/2026 15:27

Nourishinghandcream · 10/02/2026 13:12

Luton.........🤔

Ohhhh, you fibber!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Show quote history

That’s just what I was thinking! 😂

Elbowpatch · 10/02/2026 15:26

NamingNoNames · 10/02/2026 15:04

Me too. I doubt that many remember JB - he died over 40 years ago, and that line gets trotted out on almost every post that mentions Slough.

Quite the feat for a poet few remember.

PropertyD · 10/02/2026 15:24

Have we got a budget from the OP. Do they need to be in grammar school area?

Basquervill · 10/02/2026 15:22

berkhamstead is a good shout. Goring & streatly is tiny and nothing much there, stroud is awful, very down at heel and hippie ish, Luton is…. Useful for the airport!

rbe78 · 10/02/2026 15:18

Olney, Ampthill - both nice little towns in the Beds/Bucks bit of your map. Olney the nice, but pricier, of the two.

WaddesdonWanderer · 10/02/2026 15:15

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 10/02/2026 15:09

How can Luton and Alderley Edge be the same?!

Alderley Edge is proper posh and countrified. I mean proper posh. Full of footballers. It’s one of the wealthiest areas outside London.

I don’t get that vibe from Luton!

Show quote history

PP was joking. Luton and AE are poles apart!

WaddesdonWanderer · 10/02/2026 15:14

Hi OP! Fellow Cheshire person here, I’m from Macclesfield, and I now live in Aylesbury. I wouldn’t recommend Aylesbury though! It’s more like Macc than AE. Of the suggestions so far I think Thame and Berkhamsted are probably the most similar. Also Old Amersham (not the new part on the hill, but the train station is in the new part). Leamington Spa is lovely but a bit bigger than AE. You could look at Marlow and Beaconsfield too. None of these places are cheap though! Although you’ll be used to that…

Another factor to consider is that we have grammar schools in Buckinghamshire and the 11+. The grammar schools are very good but the non-grammar not so much, which means the schooling is rather unequal.