Thinking man's country: Amersham

Nestling in the foothills of the Chilterns, Amersham is the gateway to the English countryside.

Who lives here?
Residents include Jeremy Paxman, Ozzy Osbourne, Noel Gallagher and Sir John Mortimer. Chequers is just down the road.

How many stops to civilisation?
14 to Baker Street, 17 to King's Cross.

House prices?
Among the highest in the UK outside Central London. Think close to £500,000 for a nice family house, with flats hovering around the £150,000-£200,000 mark.

What's good?
Pretty and leafy. Old Amersham is a charming mix of Georgian and semi-timbered buildings. Good hospitals and schools, and a distinctly un-London crime rate.

What's bad?
See above. It may be on the Tube, but the 17 stops to King's Cross take almost an hour.

What do they say? 'The fact that this unspoilt pocket of rural England is now between two motorways which get you to London in just over an hour has added, I suppose hugely, to the value of property. But I have no idea of the value of my house and no desire ever to sell it.' Sir John Mortimer