Cheshire but down south?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow , you'll need to visit Luton again. You're probably getting it mixed with Milton Keynes.

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!

Summertown in Oxford is a bit like Altrincham/Hale. There are also cute little streets with independent shops within walking distance.

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.

I’ll take your word for it. I’m too young to remember.

St Albans would be in the circle, just, but it's a city.
Newbury would be just in the circle too.

I'd be looking at Tring, Berkhamstead, Henley, Marlow, Beaconsfield.

Berkhamsted maybe? I don't live there. and I don't know Alderley edge either. But my friend lives there and the way she describes it sounds like what you're after

I live in a village at the north end of your circled area, and it's bloody lovely. Close to 3 towns, and well placed for the M1.

Have a look at Pangbourne, Goring, Henley - as well as Thame as already suggested. All lovely areas.

I don’t think St Albans is quite in the red ‘circle’?
& it’d barely scrape into having rural feeling anyway.

@Elbowpatch , Slough has already been suggested.

Sir John Betjemen even wrote a poem about it.
The opening line is "Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough"
That stopped being funny about 60 years ago.

If Luton is on the table then so should Slough. Excellent rail and airport accessibility. Sir John Betjemen even wrote a poem about it.

The opening line is "Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough"

Good train line from Twyford.

Harpenden may suit you but pricey.

Wallingford, Abingdon, Chippenham, Florence Park area of Oxford, Stroud (not quite sure how far that circle extends), Wantage?

I miss the laughing reaction!

Luton 😂(but it does have an airport)

Amersham, Chalfont St Giles, Beaconsfield, Chorleywood. I think your biggest challenge is a nice village with lively restaurants and amenities + not an eyewatering house price ( if you live in or near Alderley they won't be as much of a shock). Many places will be just a bit quieter.

In this area, I don't think there is an exact match for Alderley/ the golden triangle. On the upside the weather is warmer down here. I find Oxford over rated and just awkward to navigate. Leamington is nice but there not much around it unlike some of the other villages people have mentioned.

If you have family up North it might be worth thinking about motorway and train networks for visiting family. Also Airports - Heathrow is really handy for some of these villages.

But snobby for me and full of artisan bakers and gastropubs.

Henley is lovely but the traffic can be horrendous.

St Albans, Harpenden, Hitchin, Tunbridge Wells, Seven Oaks and Berkhampstead may all fit the bill.

😂😂

Beaconsfield is rather more than " reasonably affluent" though, it regularly tops the list of most expensive towns in the UK. Gerrards Cross isn't that far behind, as is the rest of South Bucks. If budget is no object, Amersham sounds like a perfect fit; it's in the Chilterns AONB, with miles of walks in all directions. It has a very beautiful old town, and a very useful newer town (Amersham on the Hill) with every convenience you're likely to need day to day including both Waitrose and M&S Foodhall, several independent boutiques, loads of hairdressers, and an absolutely absurd number of coffee shops. Last count was 14 within 5 minutes walk, though they've recently opened a gelato brunch place so might be more. There's also a train station which had Chiltern line trains to London in 34 minutes, and the Metropolitan (tube) line in 50-something. Best bit is you only pay underground prices whether you take the train or the tube, so it's about half the price of Beaconsfield or Gerrards Cross. Also marginally cheaper to buy houses, at least up top. They are building an Aldi down the bottom though, which you may appreciate, or not...!

Little Chalfont down the road is cheaper, and also has the cheap station. And an amazingly good bakery. Less quaint though, and fewer walks. Berkhamstead might also be a good fit, everyone I know who's lived there absolutely loved it, but I'm not sure on prices. Chesham ok, but bit 'rougher'. Chalfont St Peter good, but no train station. Slough, Aylesbury and High Wycombe much cheaper - for a reason! Thame and Wendover are lovely, but quieter and further from town. Marlow's nice but very 'polished' these days, and very busy in summer. Traffic's hideous on the bypass though, and about to get much worse. Useless station only goes to Maidenhead though, so getting in and out of London is a pain. Henley similar, though I personally think it has a better vibe than Marlow. Both also extremely expensive.

Wallingford, Amersham, Harpenden

Tell that to GX residents.

A few miles apart is close…