Beaconsfield

Two distinct halves make Beaconsfield feel like a tale of two towns. The old town, with its Georgian coaching inns and timber-framed buildings, sits at one end of the A40, while Beaconsfield New Town - really a Victorian creation - sprawls around the railway station at the other. It's this split personality that gives the place its particular charm.

The old town is where you'll want to spend most of your time. Proper pubs line the wide main street, and the Friday market still draws crowds from across the Chilterns. G.K. Chesterton lived here, as did Enid Blyton, and you can see why writers found inspiration in these quiet streets.

Getting here couldn't be easier - Beaconsfield station sits on the Chiltern Main Line, putting you 20 minutes from London Marylebone. That convenience means house prices that'll make your eyes water, but it also ensures decent shops and restaurants have stuck around when so many market towns have struggled.

The surrounding Chiltern Hills offer some of the best walking in southern England. Ancient beech woods stretch in every direction, crossed by footpaths that lead to historic sites like the Temple of Venus and the Obelisk - both intriguing remnants of 18th-century landscape gardening. Hedgerley Church ruins, just outside town, make for a lovely afternoon walk.

Staying at one of the holiday parks scattered around the area makes perfect sense. You're within easy reach of Windsor, Oxford, and London, yet surrounded by genuinely beautiful countryside. Penn Meadow Farm and the various glamping sites offer different ways to experience the Chilterns without the London commuter prices of staying in town itself.