Where to buy for beautiful rolling english countryside and lots of dog walking options

[PoodlenotDoodle]

Hello this is my first post on Mumsnet! We are recent empty nesters and starting to thinking about our next and final house move. Here is a basic list of our requirements. I am hoping for some advice on areas and villages that we should consider and any thoughts are most welcome:

1. Around a 2 hour or less train commute to London
2. Beautiful rolling english countryside
3. Away from large towns
4. Away from major airport/flight path
5. Areas with pretty villages and nice housing stock
6. Great dog walking options in local vicinity is a key
7. Budget around £2m (or less!)

I expect you will all say "The Cotswolds" and we do love the Cotswolds but we also want to consider other areas that might be less on the tourist trail and still come with a similar offer. I have read that the "Notswolds" (Northamptionshire/Rutland etc) area is worth a look but have not actually been to this area (we know the Gloucestershire/Somerset area well) so any thoughts most welcome on this area as well as any others we should consider. Thanks in advance.

Have a look at North Worcestershire - lots of small villages, surrounded by countryside. If you drive for half an hour to Birmingham international train station, it’s about an hour and a quarter to Euston.

Would you consider Kent coast? Folkestone for example (my home town). Loads of great walking on both the coast and inland. London is an hour on the fast train and European mainland just a channel crossing away. You'll get loads of house for your budget.

Dont want a mansion - too expensive to heat! Just want a lovely house within its own grounds with some outbuildings but with amazing walks from the door and no major roads nearby (or planes flying over too low)!

Lechlade Bibury, Stanford in the Vale, villages around Winey, Hanney. Been to Highworth today, and the views were amazing.

Oxenholme, kendal is 2.45hr on the train to London. With 2 million you'd get pretty much your pick in the lakes. Plus it's a stunning place for holidays. I'd look around the edges of the lakes to avoid tourists. Silverdale, Ulverston, Arnside, Grange Over Sands too. Probably too far, but worth a look.

I'm in East Kent, near Folkestone and qas going to say the same. Ticks all the boxes listed

I'd suggest the Meon Valley in Hampshire. Beautiful and far less busy/touristy than the likes of the new forest.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchLocation=Grange-Over-Sands%2C+Cumbria&useLocationIdentifier=true&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E566&radius=5.0&minBedrooms=3&_includeSSTC=on

Here you are, loads of stunners for well within budget!

The areas north and south of Gatwick (so parallel to the runway) could be good. As you’ll never get flight noise. So Reigate, Bletchingley, Oxted, Riverhead, Sevenoaks, Ightham, Plaxtol. That kind of line if you draw a line out on that trajectory.

I agree with this. Absolutely beautiful, not touristy and not that far from London.

Buxton. Cheaper. Great food. Great theatre. Loads to do and fabulous outdoor lifestyle. 25 mins to Macc and 1hr40 to London Euston.

Yes Yorkshire definitely an option and far superior to all others imo (as you can see I'm an annoying smug stereotype)

I'm in the Dales and can leave my local station at 0600, be at KX at 0900 and my desk in London office 0930. That's via Leeds - if you're York side that's quicker at 1.54 hrs direct.

However you probably won't need to go to London much as your kids will soon want to move up too.

I live in the Fens so don’t tick the rolling countryside box. I wouldn’t recommend going further north in the county for The Wolds, as beautiful as they are it adds so much travelling time to stations because of the road network.
I can’t recommend any particular villages, but areas around Grantham and Newark would be worth checking out. And possibly Lincoln too. It’s a short enough drive to Newark from there.

One thing I would check is internet connection. Some villages are still really behind in this (only half my tiny village can access fibre!) don’t take it for granted you will get decent speeds

Henley in Arden is lovely if you want somewhere a bit bigger with shops and restaurants.
Charlecote
Hampton Lucy
Loxley
Lighthorne
Ashorne
Lapworth
Eathorpe
Ettington
Kineton
Moreton Paddox
Ilmington
Welford on avon
Snitterfield

All worth a look, my fave is welford and ilmington I think. There are loads more too, my mind has just gone blank!

good info thanks

South Downs - around the Goodwood estate north of Chichester. Or towards Arundel or Midhurst. Gives you a bit of everything. Chichester has amazing theatre.

Villages around Haddenham Buckinghamshire. Haddenham is 50 mins by train to Marylebone. Thame is a lovely market town, and villages around, Long Crendon, Chearsley, Moreton, Meadle etc…. have good walks and good access to the Chiltern Hills and Ashridge. 30 minute drive to Oxford. It’s a nice place to be

We live just outside the Rutland border, in a village called Castle Bytham (Lincolnshire). I would recommend visiting Stamford for an afternoon mooching around and take a drive through some of the beautiful villages and Countryside we have around this area. Oakham is nice too. There and Stamford would give you an idea of the local towns and then villages/countryside will show you where you may want to live. Also we are only about an hour train ride from London. I’m biased because I’m here but it’s a beautiful part of the country!

South Downs national park in Hampshire - beautiful and endless walks

Or new forest?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162110876

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162353342

very keen to explore this area as it sounds like the Cotswolds with honey coloured stone but without the crowds and slightly cheaper!

What do you actually want to do, in your retirement? Sailing, walking, theatre, art galleries? It depends a lot on that.

We very much enjoy dog walking and it is a big part of what we do on weekends at the moment. We dont play golf. My husband likes to cycle (on traffic free routes) . We would definitely look at sailing and/or rowing if we had a lake etc nearby. We are very active. We like going to the pub for meals but don't really frequent expensive restaurants or the theatre or art galleries so these are not key to our hunt.

What @doubleshift said. Loads of towns and villages around Chichester, with decent links to London. Coast and South Downs,