For those who don't want to live in London, commuting is a necessary evil. Dinner parties in town are set alight on the topic, for which the shorthand is ‘doing the BM' (the Big Move).
‘These days, when both parents often work, the move to the country is more complicated,' explains Belinda Aspinall, who set up the website lifeafterlondon.com, on which people can share advice and tips on where and when to move. ‘It's not easy to juggle school runs with both parents doing long commutes.'
The good news is that it's perfectly possible to find rural (and cultural) idylls within an hour's radius of a London terminus.
For the purpose of this exercise, we've picked out the most attractive and convivial villages, towns and small cities that boast a fast and regular train service to the capital - that is, a choice of more than two trains taking less than an hour between 7am and 8am on weekdays - or amenities that simply can't be beaten.
We've taken on board an assumption that no one wants to drive for much more than 15 minutes from home to the station and have only included places that aren't just commuter dormitories, but which boast enough of a community spirit to support a village shop.
Season-ticket prices are for the journey to the London terminus only and are for standard travel (some routes have high-speed services that attract a higher rate).
The best places to live near London: Surrey
Discover the charm of Haslemere, Farnham, Chobham, Dunsfold, Windlesham, Frensham and Shamley Green.
The best places to live near London: West Sussex
Lindfield and Lurgashall offer a commuter idyll.
The best places to live near London: Kent
We delight in Langton Green, Cranbrook, Aldington, Penshurst, Westerham and Otford.
The best places to live near London: Essex
There is much to enjoy in Great Waltham, Stock, Terling, Earls Colne, Saffron Walden and Clavering.
The best places to live near London: Suffolk
East Bergholt and Nayland boast the best amenities here.
The best places to live near London: Cambridgeshire
Discover the charm of Grantchester, Cambridge and Brampton.
The best places to live near London: Hertfordshire
Much Hadham, Barley, Ashwell, Harpenden and Aldbury offer a commuter idyll.
The best places to live near London: Warwickshire
We adore Dunchurch.
The best places to live in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire
We delight in Amersham, Long Crendon and Haddenham.
The best places to live near London: Oxfordshire
Sutton Courtney, Dorchester-on-Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Sonning, Stratton Audley, Great Milton, Hethe and Blewbury are the dream locations in this county.
The best places to live near London: Berkshire
There is much to enjoy in Bucklebury, Bray, and Yattendon.
The best places to live near London: Hampshire
Overton, Winchester and Kingsclere offer a commutable country lifestyle.
* Search for the best country houses for sale in these areas.
The best places to live for commuters: West Sussex
Two villages in West Sussex have been selected for our list of the best places to live near London for
The best places to live for commuters: Cambridgeshire
Country Life selects the best places to live in Cambridgeshire based on quality of life and an easy commute into
The best places to live for commuters: Suffolk
There are two places in Suffolk on our list of the best villages and towns close to London.
The best places to live for commuters: Essex
Good trains from Essex into Liverpool Street mean the county has five spots on the Country Life list of the
The best places to live for commuters: Warwickshire
Just one village in Warwickshire made it onto our list as commutable by train within an hour to London -
The best places to live for commuters: Oxfordshire
There are a good number of villages and towns in Oxfordshire on our list of the best places to live
The best places to live for commuters: Berkshire
Country Life has identified the best places to live in Berkshire within easy reach of London for commuters.
The best places to live for commuters: Hampshire
Overton, Winchester and Kingsclere offer a commutable country lifestyle.
The best places to live for commuters: Kent
There are six villages and towns in Kent which made the list of our best places to live for commuters,
The best places to live for commuters: Hertfordshire
Here's our list of the most attractive villages in Hertfordshire which boast an easy commute into London.
The best places to live for commuters: Bedfordshire / Buckinghamshire
Country Life has identified the best towns and villages in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire for commuters looking for an easy journey
-
‘Lots of books, Scrabble, a pack of cards and James Norton. Oh, and some wine’: Alison Weir’s consuming passionsThe Sunday Times bestselling author, 74, on her literary hero, her collection of jigsaw puzzles that she never has time to do and her celebrity crush.
-
Robert Redford's Oscar and this week's unique royal funeral: Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 17, 2025One of Hollywood's greats is remembered in Wednesday's quiz.
-
A perfect country house in 'the most beautiful and unspoilt town in the Cotswolds'Penny Churchill takes a look at the wonderful Kingcombe, on the outskirts of the charming town of Chipping Campden.
-
The dream home that never was for one of Britain's greatest film stars, back on the market for the first time in half a centuryAnna White takes a look at the beautiful Wallers Mead, in the Buckinghamshire village full of links to Hollywood movies from James Bond to Star Wars.
-
A 500-year-old cottage in West Sussex that's as beautiful as you could ever hope to see, with a pool ringed by flowers, stables and a croquet lawnJames Fisher was in need of some balm for the soul when he came across Woodshill House.
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 millionMoving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
-
Six superb homes, from chocolate box cottages to grand Tudor mansions, as seen in Country LifeOur regular round-up includes charming home counties houses and superb grand country house in Ireland.
-
A billionaire's thatched cottage is for sale in Surrey, once owned by the oil magnate J. Paul GettyChestnut Cottage is a joyous little home — albeit one with the most unusual bedrooms to acreage to price balances we've ever seen. Toby Keel takes a look inside.
-
Medieval Italian? 19th century French? 16th century German? You're spoilt for choice if you're looking to buy a gorgeous continental castleFrom hills of Italy to a Bavarian palace, Toby Keel takes a look at three of the finest castles for sale across Europe today.
-
How to buy a house at auctionBuying at auction can mean you secure your dream property for a bargain price, but preparation is the key
