Where to move to in England which has these features

[Chocguzel]

Help me narrow down places DH and I should house hunt. We have lived in London most of our adult lives but we’re both raised rurally. We will keep a flat in London.

it needs to be within two to three hours of London as kids will likely live here and I want to see them easily.

it needs to feel rural and be an area you can walk for miles without seeing lots of buildings

it needs to have a bit of cultural life relatively nearby: a theatre, some nice restaurants

a friendly community which doesn’t mind new comers and is open minded and OK that we are not both English by birth. Somewhere we could get involved with the community.

a place we can buy a really beautiful detached period rural four bed with garden for under £1.2 million. Preferably Victorian or Georgian as we are tall so low ceilings are difficult.

I was thinking of the train really.

Crewe to London can be 1 hour 37 mins so that might be a starting point.

Have a look at Stone in Staffordshiretoo as Stafford to London is around 1 hour 17 mins on the train.

I second Bath area

Bradford on avon
Frome
Corsham
Lacock
Marshfield

Most of southern England and the Midlands will fit into that category! Have you not visited anywhere that attracts you? Hampshire, Sussex, parts of Kent, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset all have beautiful rural areas. Also the Chilterns is pretty.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/157836482#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161216936#/?channel=RES_BUY

Chippenham Wiltshire area nice little market town
fast train to London
but you have Bristol & Bath Cheltenham with around 30Mins

Surrounding areas were posh enough for Camilla 😂

on price
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/157609499#/?channel=RES_BUY

under budget
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161120591#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160978556#/?channel=RES_BUY

Framlingham and surrounding villages?

What about somewhere on the outskirts of Wokingham, like Finchampsted, Barkham or Emmbrook? Both still full of green space but a drive takes you to Wokingham which has Everyman Theatre, Cantley Park, restaurants, pubs and at Elms Field there's always something on. We love it here.

Thank you for all these ideas. I’m looking them all up.

someone asked whether I had visited areas I like. Yes but the areas I love are too far away (North Devon or Dartmoor, Pembrokeshire, North Norfolk coast, Peak District).

areas like the Cotswolds feel a bit overrun with tourists when I go but maybe I’m going to the wrong parts.

Someone else said I would not find fully rural and miles of uninterrupted walks in Southern England. I am of course happy to walk though a village or two definitely, I just love that feel you get of being fully submerged in trees and fields.

i like the look of Frome and surrounding villages that have been suggested here.

Wellow is a lovely village outside of Bath https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153866852#/?channel=RES_BUY

This is not quite as rural as I had in mind but it’s totally stunning in the Frome area. I think I need to research that area more.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159115664#/?channel=RES_BUY

Rural Cambridgeshire? Go north of cam and you get access to Norfolk too.

Norfolk, close to Norwich. We live in a suburb and half a mile in most directions (apart from Norwich) is beautiful open countryside. It's not flat either (contrary to common belief!). You would get a beautiful house and garden with your budget.

Lots of the South West would fit your criteria if you could accept 2- 3 hrs by train rather than by car. Large expanses of countryside like the Mendips, Cotswolds, Exmoor and Dartmoor. Small cities with arts and culture. Beautiful coastal areas as well.

Theres beautiful villages and countryside around Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

All have great connections to London and not far from M25/M20

Places like Plaxtol, Shipbourne, Penshurst, Ightham, Kemsing, Wadhurst, Ide Hill.

Have I thought about Suffolk villages. Somewhere like woodebridge on the outskirts.

I adore the Dartmoor area but by the time I’d driven from a house on Dartmoor to a mainline train station and then got the train to London and travelled from Paddington to my kids I think it would be more like 4-5 hours which feels a bit too much to do really regularly.

carry on past the Cotswolds (I agree, far to busy and overcrowded) and head to the Malvern Hills or just beyond in Herefordshire?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159561821#/?channel=RES_BUY

We're in the Chilterns between London and Oxford. We live on the edge of our village and yet can walk to restaurants, bars and pubs in the village in 5 mins. 50min train to London. Lovely countryside walks. Theatre 20min in one direction, 30min in the other direction. Detached house £1.5m but we're a 5-bed so cheaper doable. We love it here. Best of both worlds.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159561821#/?channel=RES_BUY

Newark has a fast train to London and there are loads of villages in Lincolnshire

How about the area around Malvern? Malvern link to London Paddington is a direct train in less than 2.5hours. Beautiful scenery and a good community with a nice theatre and restaurants

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161548238

This for example is rural but not too far from Malvern, within budget and stunning

This is gorgeous. I love it. I think a day looking at houses around Stroud and Frome beckons.

How about this? It’s close to a thriving village (Colwall) and decent local town with good theatre (Malvern). Brilliant walking. Needs work though.
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/69997385/?search_identifier=bb08959cd32a071416097cbe7ade02b12479cdbd06837ccca62dd165f1fbebe1

Yep, if you live near York or similar you can get a direct train to Kings Cross in under 3 hours.
Harrogate nice too and virtually a Southern Outpost!