It’s the thing Home Counties fantasies are made of — a conclusive reprieve from loud London neighbours, with a whizzy commuter line close by.
Surrounded by fields, creeks and winding lanes (and, crucially, not much else), these homes for sale offer rural seclusion without being quite so sealed off as they first appear. All are actually within a ten minute drive of a practical commuter station that connects to the capital within an hour.
Here are our picks for the 10 best semi-rural showstoppers in Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
Salfords, Surrey
£510,000
A chain-free renovated cottage overlooking fields in the Cross Oak Lane Conservation Area. There are two bedrooms, plus a host of practical extras including a study, utility room and downstairs WC.
Purple Bricks, 020 3834 8221
Graveney, Kent
£695,000
This quirky five-bedroom house is in a prime spot on creek near Faversham. It comes with a separate workshop and a beautifully converted boathouse, currently used as an artist’s studio.
Unique Property Company, 020 3987 1739
Great Hampden, Buckinghamshire
£695,000
This two-bedroom thatched cottage is set in carefully tended gardens surrounded by hedging. Further perks include a separate study or single bedroom, an external store and built-in storage.
Knight Frank, 01494 341329
Haslemere, West Sussex
£1.75 million
This family home sits on five acres at the highest point of the South Downs, so expect sensational panoramic views. There are five bedrooms, plus a pretty separate cottage.
Strutt & Parker, 01428 771214
Rotherfield, East Sussex
£1.295 million
A thatched house, once two cottages, on the rural outskirts of sleepy Rotherfield – a short drive from Wadhurst station. There are three bedrooms, plus an appealing separate thatched studio.
Inigo, 020 3687 3071
Knatts Valley, Kent
£800,000
A curious fusion of 17th-century and Victorian architecture in need of some updates, with five bedrooms and three receptions. It’s on the market without a chain.
Dan Thomas & Co, 01474 551308
Grazeley, Berkshire
£800,000
This four-bedroom red-brick farmhouse is in need of a total overhaul, though it offers a unique proposition with a stables complex and 2.35 acres of land. There’s no onward chain.
Keller Williams, 020 3835 2573
Udimore, East Sussex
£1.35 million
A beautifully styled 15th-century farmhouse near Rye, with almost 3,800 square feet of space. Outside there’s an orchard and rewilded areas, plus a rather lovely Derek Jarman-inspired treehouse.
Inigo, 020 3687 3071
Luddenham, Kent
£800,000
A distinctive former pub with original signage, now a smart four-bedroom home with three receptions, a garden office, spacious utility room and wraparound garden.
Miles & Barr, 01227 532478
Caterham, Surrey
£3.5 million
A vast six-bedroom country home set in 11 acres of gardens and mature woodland, but only just over a mile from Caterham station for speedy trains into London Bridge.