So - we have a tiny window to move next year when DS is in Y5 (ie, before we need to decide on senior schools) so my plan (subject to Covid) is to rent for a year, so that if my ideas of countryside living aren't realistic/ don't suit the whole family, we can go back to London.
I think I want to live in a village (with a shop and a pub and possibly a school/ near a decent primary school)
Have a view (doesn't seem much point in moving to stare at more houses)
From which I can commute by train to London (3 days a week - happy to drive to a train station for 15-20 mins)
It doesn't have to be our forever location, but I guess ideally it would be near it so we can make an informed decision, and so that DS is settled if we do stay. Which means it needs to be near a decent state secondary school too - ideally with loads of sport options.
When we come to buy, we'll have up to £800k for 4 beds, but I'd be happy to spend less. And when we're renting, ideally we'd spend £2k a month for similar, although I recognise that we might need to spend a little more.
Please help me! I'm starting at rightmove maps and school vacancies and I'm so confused.