What buyers consider a rural property is changing. Ten years ago it meant living in the Outer Hebrides, now it’s more like Surrey, agents say.
“Everyone thinks they want the rural dream, but when they really think about it, it’s a bit scary,” says Emma Seaton of Prime Purchase, the buying agency. “They want a phone signal, somewhere that isn’t too far from a pint of milk and good schools. There are very few people who want total isolation.”
The village-edge home typifies what buyers want — nice and quiet, but not too remote. With this in mind, we list four places that fulfil the brief, without being overly expensive.
West of York
The commuter villages west of York, such as Bishopthorpe, Copmanthorpe and Colton, all a 15-minute drive from York on a good day, are worth a look, says Louise Hirst, an associate partner at Carter Jonas estate agency in York.
“A lot of people who work in Leeds don’t want to live in a densely populated area,” she says. “They want the leafy Yorkshire villages where the schools are good and there is a better quality of life. These old, pretty villages are desirable and it’s an easy to drive to York and Leeds for work.”
Advertisement
Colton, a hamlet with a church, and Bishopthorpe, which is slightly bigger with three pubs and two primary schools, are similar in price. In both places a two-bedroom cottage is about £200,000 and a four-bedroom house between £450,000 and £600,000. In Copmanthorpe a four-bedroom new-build on the resale market costs £300,000. Bishopthorpe is more expensive because there is less development. “Prices are 10 per cent higher — there are more shops and pubs and less new-build housing. It’s more aspirational to live here,” Hirst says.
Families often move from York because the homes are often slender townhouses, not so good for family living. The typical size of these village houses is 1,400 sq ft, with off-street parking and good-sized gardens. All three villages are in the catchment area for Tadcaster, a popular grammar school.
Pewsey Vale, Wiltshire
Charlie Wellbelove, a prime and country house sales director at Hamptons International, recommends the area between Newbury, Hungerford and Pewsey Vale for pretty villages, with thatched cottages, streams, good pubs and a slow pace of life.
In Pewsey Vale a three or four-bedroom cottage costs between£400,000 and £500,000. The nicest villages are Woodborough, Manningford Bruce and Wilcot. The fastest trains from Pewsey station to London Paddington take 57 minutes, but most take between 68 and 77 minutes. The extra minutes of travelling are, however, offset by the hundreds of thousands of pounds saved in house prices. In Beechingstoke there is a grade II listed, four-bedroom detached house built in 1820 that has just gone under offer. “It is the classic doll’s house,” says Wellbelove, “and it’s under offer at £875,000. If the property was close to Newbury, it would be more like £1 million; Newbury to Paddington takes 42 minutes at best.”
Hampshire
Candover Valley, between Winchester and Basingstoke in mid-Hampshire, is where you will find undulating hills, sheep-dotted farmland, good schools and homes with an easy commute to London. The village of Preston Candover has thatched cottages, an outstanding school and lovely pubs. Emma Seaton, a director of Prime Purchase, says that prospective house-hunters should start their search here and the surrounding villages; farther west you’ll find hamlets, such as Upper Wield, for people seeking something more rural. A two or three-bedroom house in any of these places start at £500,000; a four-bedroom house costs £650,000 to £700,000. Trains from Basingstoke to London Waterloo take 45 minutes.
Advertisement
Pembrokeshire
The market in Pembrokeshire is strong, says Carol Peet of West Wales Property Finders. “While homes with exceptional sea views have always been in demand, run-of-the-mill properties are selling too,” she says. “Large country homes that have been sitting on the market since stamp duty went up are now selling. Auction properties have also been going for way above guide price. In 13 years of being a buyers’ agent here, I’ve never known the market so hot.”
Traditionally in Pembrokeshire buyers have gone for Tenby or the seaside spots, but properties a short drive from the sea are less pricey. Peet recommends homes along the “secret waterway” that is the Cleddau River, in south and mid-Pembrokeshire — estuary villages such as Llangwm, a ten-minute drive from Haverfordwest, or Landshipping are “extremely good value”, she says.
A three-bedroom barn conversion in Landshipping is on the market for £237,000 with the agency HouseSimple, while in Llangwm a three-bedroom house with a garden that leads down to the river is on for £265,000 through Coasty estate agency. A larger, five-bedroom house on the Cleddau, with a one-acre garden and outbuildings, is on sale for £595,000 with Town Coast & Country.
Haverfordwest is four and a half miles away and it is a ten-minute drive to the village of Narberth, which has good restaurants, shops and the Grove, a hotel where Hollywood actors stay when filming in Pembrokeshire. Buyers include local people buying investment properties and people from outside Wales moving to the country.
