Norfolk
Fritton Lake sits in the centre of Wild East, a thousand-acre rewilding project close to the Suffolk border. If a mix of total privacy within easy reach of the amenities of a hotel appeals, snap up a Koto-designed prefabricated cabin off plan. This three-bedroom Ki — Japanese for tree — cabin has a light-filled, open-plan kitchen/dining/living room with bespoke cabinetry and huge windows, as well as a deck for soaking in the sunsets. There’s an on-site restaurant celebrating local produce, plus paddleboarding, wild swimming, a floating sauna and a heated pool. Haddiscoe is the nearest railway station, three miles away.
Air pollution 8.7mcg/m³, 1.3mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside It comes furnished with stylish Scandi brands.
Downside Ground rent is £7,100 per year.
Price £337,500
Contact frittonlake.co.uk
London NW3
This fixer-upper in Hampstead won’t hang around for long. The ground-floor studio flat on Pond Street measures a dinky 279 sq ft — there’s a main living/sleeping room, separate kitchen, entrance hall and bathroom big enough for a tub — but it’s waiting for someone to transform into a slinky pied-a-terre. All the bones are there — high, corniced ceilings, a bay window (complete with a window seat) and marble fireplace. The best bit? You have a private terrace, and the heath is within a five-minute walk.
Air pollution 14.7mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 4.7mcg/m³ above the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside The tiptop location.
Downside The renovation will require someone with imagination and enough cash.
Price £350,000
Contact knightfrank.co.uk
Lincolnshire
Tired of feeling cooped up? Greenfields is a four-bedroom L-shaped cottage measuring 3,230 sq ft in Swinstead, a pretty village nine miles north of Stamford. The house needs work, but it has a new kitchen with an original fireplace and separate utility room, plus two reception rooms, both with double doors leading out into the south-facing garden. There are two bathrooms, and two of the bedrooms have en suite bathrooms. Outside, there’s a well, an old pig pen, a patio and two detached outbuildings ripe for conversion to a home office, annexe or Airbnb.
Air pollution 8.8mcg/m³, 1.2mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Bags of potential.
Downside Two of the bedrooms are single-bed sized.
Price £350,000
Contact mrandmrsclarke.com
West Yorkshire
This cute end-of-terrace house in Burley in Wharfedale lies within a 13-minute drive of either Otley or Ilkley. The Victorian property has been updated to make the most of every floor: the cellar has been fully tanked and fitted with cupboards, a sink and plumbing for a washing machine; the ground floor comprises the kitchen/diner and a reception room; and on the upper two floors, you’ll find two bedrooms (one of which has an en suite bathroom), a main bathroom and a third attic bedroom or home office. There’s a small patio garden to the back. You have a railway station, several pubs, cafés, a butcher and park all within a few minutes’ walk.
Air pollution 6.6mcg/m³, 3.4mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside No chain.
Downside On-street parking only.
Price £350,000
Contact dacres.co.uk
Greater London
Fancy a slice of Willy Wonka-inspired loft living? Nestles Avenue is a development housed within a converted chocolate factory in Hayes — the first factory outside Switzerland to manufacture Nestlé’s Milkybar. This third-floor apartment has soaring 3m-tall ceilings throughout 602 sq ft of living space: a hall, utility cupboard, one bedroom and bathroom. The open-plan kitchen/dining/reception room has an enormous window, with views over Sandown Yard. If you reserve now, Barratt Homes is offering £10,000 worth of home furnishings. Parking is not included, but is available. Hayes & Harlington is the nearest railway station, eight minutes’ walk away.
Air pollution 13.9mcg/m³, 3.9mcg/m³ above the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Help to Buy is available.
Downside It won’t be ready until spring next year.
Price £351,000
Contact barratthomes.co.uk
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Glasgow
This spacious flat in the south side of Glasgow sits over the top two floors of a traditional sandstone townhouse. The four-bedroom home on Queen Square in buzzy Strathbungo has lots of period features, including cornicing and ceiling roses. It’s flooded with light from large windows and a stained-glass skylight in the hall. The living room has a bay window, wooden floors and a marble fireplace. Also on the first floor are the large kitchen, two bedrooms and modern shower room. A winding staircase leads to the upper level where there are two more bedrooms and a bathroom that wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel. Strathbungo has coffee shops, bars and restaurants and nearby Queen’s Park offers green space. It’s only a short journey into Glasgow city centre by bus or train.
Air pollution 6.3mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 3.7mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Bright and roomy flat.
Downside No outdoor space.
Price Offers over £325,000
Contact corumproperty.co.uk
East Lothian
If you’re after village life, this pretty, detached stone cottage in Gifford in East Lothian could be just perfect. One-bedroom Rose Cottage is decorated in neutral colours and its kitchen and dining room has wooden beams and units. The sitting room has an electric wood-burner to stay cosy on winter nights and doors leading out to the terrace and garden. The double bedroom has a charming fireplace. In the garden there’s a pond, greenhouse and home office, or studio. The popular village of Gifford has a primary school, country pubs and there are golf courses near by. It’s about a 35-minute drive to Edinburgh, and the nearest train stations are about 15 minutes away in Drem and Longniddry.
Air pollution 5.6mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 4.4mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Lovely cottage in a popular village.
Downside Gifford doesn’t have its own train station.
Price Offers over £330,000
Contact espc.com
Edinburgh
Trinity, a family-friendly neighbourhood in the north of the Scottish capital, is where you’ll find this light-filled two-bedroom flat. Set on the first floor of a Victorian terrace on Newhaven Road, it features intricate ceiling cornicing and polished floorboards in the living room and a stylish kitchen with duck-egg blue splashbacks. Both bedrooms are southwest facing, as is the pretty walled garden, which is shared only with the flat above. The outside space, with a lawn, borders, a shed and a small patio, is accessed via a back lane. The bars and independent shops of Leith are less than a mile east, and the extended tram line connecting Newhaven with the city centre (less than three miles south) will be completed in 2023.
Air pollution 7mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 3mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Parking is free and plentiful on the street.
Downside No garage.
Price Offers over £325,000
Contact espc.com
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Bid adieu to the rat race at your own private idyll in Grayssas, a small village in the Lot-et-Garonne department. The bucolic region is known for its gastronomy, orchards and fertile lands. Comprising 2,885 sq ft of accommodation, this four-bedroom farmhouse features rustic beams, exposed stone walls and fabulous glazing. The house is set in close to an acre of grounds, including an outdoor pool and a barn with scope for conversion into gites. For larger towns, hop in the car for a half-hour journey to Moissac or Agen. The nearest train station is three miles away, or it’s an hour-long drive to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.
Upside A splendid rural retreat.
Downside Reduced head height in some rooms.
Price £332,325
Contact sextantproperties.com
