Rural Village with good schools

[sleepingfish]

Hello all,

Really need help with this. Have been around Surrey, high Wycombe, Newbury etc. We are in our late 30s and early 40s with a 1 year old looking to get away from london for

• A small friendly scenic rural village, sheep in field behind house etc.
• Walking distance to good primary and secondary school (both state and private), activities.

-Safe area

• 3 bed detached £750k max budget, big garden for home office,
• 2 hour-ish away from london. We don’t need to commute but have friends in london.
• Cannot stand traffic and would like to avoid small minded people, really looking for a relaxed slow pace living.

Thank you all :)

In Surrey Shere, Ripley ( near Guildford) Headley ( near Epsom)

😂

How about Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan? It's technically a tiny market town but has both primary and secondary schools, a quaint High Street with lots going on for all ages. Half an hour's drive/bus to either Cardiff Central or Bridgend train stations which are in turn around 2 hours from Paddington. Gorgeous, rolling countryside all around and plenty of sheep... it is Wales, after all!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143011178?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149556116?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Why don’t you look at the villages that surround Farnham? Good primary schools, can either walk or quickly bus to good secondary schools, plenty for children to do and an hour into London on the train if you need it.

You might need to reassess your budget or compromise what you are looking for, and you’ll have to accept deer over sheep but it’s a lovely area.

High wycombe (especially Booker, HP12) would definitely be a good option- relaxed/woodlands/Booker common is nice, easy access to Marlow as well. Booker hill school is known as quite a good one. Catchment for good local grammar schools as well as non-grammar one. You can get spacious 3 or 4 bed detached with garden and driveway parking with 750k.

Bedfordshire?

My village in south Derbyshire ticks all those criteria bar the walkable secondary school (bus service provided instead). You’d get a nice detached 4 bed for less than £600k and East Midlands Parkway is 15 mins drive away and gets you in to London in 1h 30mins.

Laxfield in Suffolk. Outstanding Primary School. Recently voted one of the best villages in the country!

If this is still live (I note the OP was in June 2024), have a look at villages around HD8. Those on the east side of the postcode (around Denby Dale) hit the sweet spot of being walk or short bus to Shelley College* (high school) and < 30 mins drive to Wakefield Westgate train station for the train to LKX which is fractionally over or fractionally under 2 hours depending on how many stops it makes.

*it's a three tier first, middle (Y6-Y8)?high school system + sixth form, of which all schools are Good or Outstanding.