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
-
Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
-
Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
-
Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country Life
Sometimes bigger really is better.
-
Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North DownsA contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
