Arabella started off on Thursday looking at York – you can read that article here – while on Friday she took a look at Oxford.
Up for consideration now is Winchester, a city in miniature that's picturesque, tiny and well laid out – ideal for those who love a place where they can exist almost entirely on foot. ‘You can walk into the centre from wherever you choose to live,’ says George Clarendon of Knight Frank.
‘The main areas are all pedestrianised and there’s plenty on offer in terms of coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques.’
Beyond the cathedral lie the water meadows, where walkers can stroll beside the River Itchen and out into the surrounding fields. The 100-mile South Downs Way starts here and leads all the way to Eastbourne.
The city is perennially popular with downsizers, while an added level of competition comes in the form of couples in their fifties who move to the city to put their children through sixth-form college. And as if that weren’t enough, more and more people are discovering that the road and rail links are good enough to make it a viable commuter option – albeit a pricey one, at £5,300 for a season ticket to Waterloo.
You’ll need a budget of around £1 million to buy a three or four-bedroom house but if you can stretch that far you could get something central and beautiful such as this one, for sale at £925,000 via Charters.
If you can stretch further, some of the properties on the market are breathtaking, as this spectacular place for sale at £1.485 million via Jackson-Stops demonstrates:
As pretty as it is outside, it's arguably even finer inside:
You don't have to be a millionaire to enjoy the Winchester lifestyle, however. This four-bedroom townhouse is for sale at £600,000 via Winkworth, yet still boasts character, charm and a central location:
The best places to live for commuters: Hampshire
Overton, Winchester and Kingsclere offer a commutable country lifestyle.
The enchanting Hampshire home that hosted Henry V before he marched to Agincourt
During the Middle Ages, The Palace House was one of the finest residences of the Bishops of Winchester.
The man who created the 'Gun That Won the West' – and how he never lost a wink of sleep
BBC reporter Laura Trevelyan tells the story of her great-great-great grandfather - the man who brought the world the 'Winchester
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Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
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Exploring the countryside is essential for our wellbeing, but Right to Roam is going backwardsCampaigners in England often point to Scotland as an example of how brilliantly Right to Roam works, but it's not all it's cracked up to be, says Patrick Galbraith.
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Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
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380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
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A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
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A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
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A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
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Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow downThe glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
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A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heartStokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
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Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for saleThe five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
