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.

Meant to say that it's drivable to Colchester or Sudbury for cinemas/theatres and lots of restaurants around

Rutland (where I live), it’s lovely 😊

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160027256

I’m confused - is the journey time to “see the kids” now, as in, you will be living and working in London but your DH and DC will be living elsewhere?

Or is this in the future?

Both seem a bit mad to me. Why wouldn’t you live with your children? And you can’t possibly know where your children will end up.

Meon Valley in Hampshire. Drive to Winchester/Portsmouth/Southampton etc for restaurants. Not too far from the coast and more local stuff in Petersfield. Easy access to London

Saddleworth...
Train from Manchester to London is just over 2 hours and Saddleworth is 35 mins drive from Manchester City centre. There are also trains.

Open county side but nice restaurants and bars/pubs and there's even a theatre!

Chiltern line… solihull Warwickshire

If rail transport is key - look for places close to main train lines and larger towns/ cities as you are more likely get more frequent, faster trains (e.g Winchester only takes an hour to Waterloo).

You can't tell if there are miles of rural walking unless you look at national parks, walking trails, forests, downlands, rivers etc. You can walk for miles through woods and on downs in Surrey, for example, but you're never that far from a main road or motorway (but that doesn't mean there's constant traffic noise). Whereas e.g Bedfordshire seems to be all farmland.

What about Rutland? Not too far from Peterborough, which is an easy train journey into London. And if you're dead set on driving, it's not too bad that way either, but of course traffic is a law unto itself.

Oh have a look at this one, it's gorgeous
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159315647

I see Stamford/Rutland has finally got a mention.
I'd add anywhere in the Vale of Belvoir area. Used to live near there and loved it. So quick to get to London by road or rail. In the west of the area you are close to Nottingham/Leicester/M1 and towards the East you have Grantham/Stamford/Peterborough for trains and the A1. Cambridge is only 1 hr away from Stamford.
The East Midlands is like the Cotswolds but without the tourists. Beautiful villages plus Rutland Water and pretty rural but well connected to just about anywhere.

Parts of Berkshire and Surrey are nice, Ascot for example has Swinley Forest nearby and you can walk for miles in there. Windsor/Eton/Old Windsor you have the river and the Great Park. You have restaurants, pubs, theatre in Windsor. All are easy to get into London. You have Pangbourne as well.

Surrey you have the South Downs etc. Then you have Marlow in Buckinghamshire.

There are some pretty villages in Oxfordshire.

Look at Leicestershire, fast trains to London from Leicester/ Market Harborough. Very rural to the South of the country and houses cheaper than the Home Counties, Cotswolds or SE.

I live in Farnham, Surrey and it's very similar to what you've described.

I live about an hour away from London and have just come back from a 3 miles walk through fields. I passed 3 farmhouses but that was it. Also didn't see another person the whole walk.

Tenterden , Kent

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161831441#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161447090#/?channel=RES_BUY

Near Tunbridge Wells, backs onto farmland

Have you thought of Buckinghamshire?
Lovely rural walks and hills. Really nice towns and villages which are well connected and close to London

Rye and surrounding areas. Just over an hour to St Pancras and coast very close by. Lovely restaurants and art galleries etc. long walks and places to cycle

Cheltenham/Cotswolds

How future proof do you want to be @Chocguzel?

Do you need to factor in what happens if you don’t drive? How far the Doctors, Dentist and Train Station are?

If you are keeping a London flat have you considered thinking outside the box and going to the close continent? You could get somewhere rural and idyllic in Normandy or Pas de Calais and journey time to London would be doable too!

Orford
Framlingham
Syleham
Ufford
Tunstall
Sutton

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161628863#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159613487#/?channel=RES_BUY

This is a lovely Cotswold village, near to Stratford for culture and restaurants. Lovely countryside to walk around and good quality pubs. Nice restaurant’s in Shipston on Stour which is about a 10 min drive away. Trains to London from Morton-in-Marsh

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/158706164#/?channel=RES_BUY