DH and I are hoping to move a bit further out of London soon. We do lots of cycling, and generally like being surrounded by greenery rather than cars and people. We'll still need to be able to commute into London, though - so need a good train line.
We're still in the very early stages of researching different areas, and still trying to resolve our different ideas. In theory we could live in any direction from London - but DH's family are all in the midlands, so being N/NW of London rather than South would take an hour off our journey time when we go to see them (same for Wales, Peak District, etc - basically, most of the places we drive to). Travel to see my family won't be affected either way.
BUT... what I've seen of the countryside north of London just doesn't do it for me :( We tend to cycle in Surrey and Sussex, and I just love the countryside down here: beautiful forests; little lanes with vibrant, overgrown hedgerows and trees arching overhead to make a tunnel; rolling hills - but with twists and turns through trees so the scenery is always changing. I know other people love the scenery around Oxford, say - but to me it feels flat - not just the lack of hills, but also the colours somehow. It's all fields, and you can see too far so the view never changes.
I'm sure it's just that I haven't seen the right parts though! As I say, we always go south to cycle, since that's what is currently accessible to us. Can anyone help me with suggestions of countryside north of London that I can fall in love with?