Best commuter spots: Five beautiful towns and villages

If you are thinking of leaving London in search of a suburban paradise, here are five of the most beautiful towns and villages within an hour of the capital.

Bray, Berkshire

Famed as the tiny village on the Thames where two of the four British restaurants with three Michelin stars are to be found, Bray is a ten-minute drive from Maidenhead station. From there, commuters can reach Paddington in just 19 minutes.

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There may be other things to do in Bray besides eat but with two Heston Blumenthal restaurants in the village – the celebrated Fat Duck and the Hind's Head – as well as the rival three-star Waterside Inn, dining out is never boring.

Earls Colne, Essex

Essex is sometimes said to have less charm than the other home counties but its seascapes and flat fields have a beauty that inspired the artist John Constable. Earls Colne is one of the largest villages on the river Colne and popular with bankers and solicitors trying to reach the City of London each morning.

The village is a 17-minute drive from Marks Tey station, which is just under an hour from Liverpool Street. Suffolk is also easy to reach from Earls Colne.

Bucklebury, Berkshire

Selected as a superior commuter destination by both Country Life and the Duchess of Cambridge's parents, Bucklebury is a picturesque village which became famous – and a target of tabloid interest – when its best-known daughter married Prince William.

The village is set in an officially designated area of outstanding natural beauty and is near Douai Abbey, which holds regular concerts. A 13-minute drive will take you to Thatcham, from where trains to Paddington take just under an hour. But be warned: the Middletons have already taken the "best location in the village," a local estate agent told Country Life.

Dunchurch, Warwickshire

Further from London than many options, Dunchurch is a ten-minute drive from Rugby, from where Euston station is 50 minutes away. A large village sometimes thought of as a suburb, it is a conservation area because of its half-timbered houses, some of which date back to the 15th century.

Rugby town, the birthplace of the eponymous sport, is the location of one of England's most prestigious public schools. A street market is held in the town centre several days a week.

Farnham, Surrey

This market town's Castle Street has "picture perfect" Georgian architecture right out of Jane Austen, says Country Life. There may only be two trains an hour to London, but they take just under an hour to get to Waterloo.

As well as a castle, Farnham boasts a sculpture park, the Alice Holt forest, which is part of the South Downs National Park. The town has its own penguins at Birdworld, one of the largest bird parks in England.