Robert Jackman

The best commuter boltholes within 90 minutes of London

Haseley Manor near Warwick has been redeveloped into homes

With flexible working set to increase after the coronavirus, more Londoners will be in the market for a commuter bolthole.

While the likes of Guildford have been drawing in commuters for decades, experts predict that we’ll see new hotspots emerge in coming years.

‘With the adoption of new working practices, people are realising how easy it is to work from home,’ says Philip Harvey, a senior partner with the consultancy Property Vision.

‘As a result the “golden hour” – the name given to the old commute – has been pushed to 90 minutes, or even two hours,’ he says, predicting that the Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire borders will be increasingly popular.

Here are eight places well worth a look if you’re looking for quick access to the capital:

Winchester

Winchester, Hampshire

Winchester, Hampshire

Hailed last year – by London’s leading newspaper no less – as the best commuter town for families, cathedral city Winchester is a destination on the up.

London exiles fed up with cramped streets will relish its abundance of green space, as well as the access to nearby South Downs national park and the New Forest. Best of all, the town’s slightly under-the-radar status means that commuters can look forward to that rarest of all things: a regular seat on the train.

While finding a city centre property isn’t easy, Berkeley Homes’s newKnights Quarter development offers 200 units, complete with private gardens, off-street parking, and a residents’ gym.

Average property value: £504,936

Four-bedroom house close to city centre

Oxford

Oxford city centre

As a city that matches London when it comes to history, Oxford is hardly reliant on the property press to sing its praises and it shows in the prices which are not far off those in London. Even so, few places will offer that same all-round buzz of culture, heritage and a thriving economy that Londoners are used to.

With the university still going from strength-to-strength, the city has attracted a number of new developments aimed at providing homes for the burgeoning life sciences industry.

Mosaics, a new development in Oxford

Mosaics, a large development by Hill, is one of the latest.

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