Wild ponies graze on the green in this small but big-hearted village. Woodgreen sits on the north westerly tip of the New Forest where it almost touches the vast Cranbourne Chase National Landscape, a special spot between two special landscapes. This hospitable village has a hall, a church, a community-run store, a (rescued and repurposed) red phone box which is now a local information point and a virtual 'welcome pack' online for new residents. But at the centre of it all is the pub. The Horse Pub is a welcoming venue in all seasons with cosy log fires; it’s little surprise it features in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. In the summer the garden comes into its own, there's a pizza oven and a horsebox serving Gin cocktails. In the autumn is the conker championship, and the Six Nations is on show on the big screens this spring. There are cottages around the green and the bigger houses and estates are tucked away in the woodland. Strutt & Parker recently sold a four-bedroom, detached, family house for £1,050,000. 

Sarah Cull, Senior Associate Director in Salisbury

From the side terrace of The Duke of Cumberland pub are stunning views which stretch across the Surrey Hills to Blackdown – the highest point of the South Downs National Park. On a clear day patrons can also spy Leith Hill in the distance. The gardens include the pub's own well-plundered vegetable patch. Inside the 16th century inn is the regulars' bar, with characterful low ceilings and plenty of atmosphere, leading to the much larger, light-flooded restaurant. This is a true destination pub, bringing plenty of foodie visitors to the hamlet of Henley. The larger village of Fernhurst is nearby, offering more housing stock to choose from and plenty of amenities too. At the centre of the village is the picturesque green with a community-funded pavilion serving coffee, cake and pizzas in the summer as villagers watch cricket matches. There's a mini high street too with a popular fruit and vegetable store (Crossways) a doctor's surgery and primary school. It is a five-minute drive to Haslemere railway station. 

Jen Soulsby, Head of Haslemere office

Just inland from the coastal and connected villages of Elie and Earlsferry, which look out over the Firth of Forth in Fife, is the community of Kilconquhar. This small village sits on the Kilconquhar Loch and is home to the 17th century Kinneuchar Inn, a popular haunt on the East Neuk coastline. In 2023 the team scooped the Best Local Restaurant in Scotland award from the Good Food Guide with ingredients sourced from the nearby Balcaskie Estate and the East Neuk Market Garden and, of course, the seafood is as local as it gets. Kinneuchar Inn hosts supper clubs and themed days – such as fried chicken burgers on bank holidays which sell out. Kilconquhar is rural and historic, a classic East Neuk village within a conservation area, and surrounded by golf courses and stunning landscape. Property prices are higher than the area average but cheaper than the larger hotspots of Elie or St Andrews. Houses range from £300,000 for a village cottage with the largest houses topping out at £800,000. Edinburgh is 40 miles away. 

Annabel Blackett, Senior Associate Director in National Country House Department, covering North & Scotland

Penelewey is a hamlet in the parish of Feock, surrounded by breathtaking countryside and with some of the finest sailing waters in Britain nearby. Here hungry sailors will find the Punchbowl & Ladle, a 15^th century, thatched pub, with a thick-set wooden bar and serving traditional food. It is dog-friendly, with open fires and a beer garden. Another favourite haunt is the Linden Hey Garden Tea Rooms with homemade treats served on classic china. There is a range of properties scattered throughout and around Penelewey and the next-door village of Come-To-Good, starting with charming modest cottages around £600,000, up to large, modern homes which can exceed the £1 million mark. The hamlet’s proximity to Carrick Roads and Loe Beach make it a popular spot for keen sailors, but without the water frontage price tags. The ultimate trophy homes can be found on the water, with Restronguet Point in Feock being one of the most desirable addresses in the region. In fact, Strutt & Parker is selling Bodennick, a five-bedroom home here on the 'deep water' side with a private slipway, boat winch, boat store and a garage. The garden runs down to the water's edge with panoramic views across the Carrick Roads. 

Alex Taylor, Associate Director in Cornwall 

The Dabbling Duck is on the bucket list for those visiting Norfolk, with a reputation which exists far outside the county boundaries. It is both a community and a destination pub sitting on the green and plugged into the wider food scene. The husband-and-wife- (and Labrador) -team make their own gin (the Mucky Duck), serve wood-fired pizza from the barn, and host a seafood festival in November, timed with the start of the Norfolk mussels and oyster season. With self-catering accommodation and hotel rooms, it is a thriving business and brand. On the outskirts of Great Massingham is a very well stocked Country Store called Lings which has pet supplies, a butcher and a farm shop on site. There is also a village store, a primary school and a park with tennis courts. It is also a short drive to the Norfolk Coast National Landscape. Aside from its amenities, this is considered to be one of the prettiest villages in Norfolk, with flint and cobbled cottages positioned around the ponds which date back to the 11^th century when they were a feature of the grounds of an Augustine monastery. There are some lovely houses around the green, but they do not come on sale often. A five-bedroom period house with a garden in the village will fetch around £1,250,000 but there are some charming cottages for around £500,000. 

Ian Parsons, Senior Associate Director in Norfolk

The small village of Maiden's Green sits between Bracknell, Windsor and Ascot. This is racing country with the local hotel named the Stirrups and the village pub is called The Winning Post. With an ornate antique rocking horse in the restaurant, this place embraces local culture. During Ascot week the pub lays on a free taxi service for regulars. In a characterful 18th century building, the pub has roaring log fires in the winter and cosy nooks, with the original flagstone flooring, and is well-renowned for having a wide selection of wine. There is carol singing on Christmas Eve and BBQs in the summer. Commuters fan out this way, now using the Elizabeth Line for quick passage into London. The closest station is at Maidenhead (three-to-four miles away) and the quickest train into London, Bond Street, takes 36 minutes. The proximity to good local schools is also a strong selling point. There are several secondary state schools rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by OFSTED in Bracknell, such as Ranelagh School. On the doorstep of Maiden's Green is the well-respected Lambrook Prep School. Strutt & Parker recently sold a house so close to The Winning Post that the pub’s card machine works on the doorstep should the householders wish to order-in.

Emma Creffield, Senior Associate Director in Ascot & Sunningdale 

The Bolney Stage is an institution in these parts. The monochrome, Grade II listed, timber-framed building dates to around 1500 and was originally a house. Today it welcomes locals and travellers into its cosy rooms with exposed timber beams running across the ceilings and the original flagstone flooring underfoot. Large inglenook fireplaces are a blaze in the winter. This pub provides a busy social scene with organised pub walks and live music and pizza nights. The village of Bolney sits on the main road between Crawley and Brighton, as it cuts through the National Trust's Devil's Dyke, and at the most southerly-western tip of the High Weald National Landscape. There's a primary school here, connected to St Mary Magdalen church (parts of which date back to the mid-12th century), village hall and another pub, the Eight Bells of Bolney. Its other claim to fame is Bolney Wine Estate which specialises in English Sparkling Wine and draws tourists to the area for tours. Grand country piles are hidden down the lanes on the outskirts of the village, along with glorious period homes, such as the Georgian Park Farmhouse. At the other end of the market are charming, semi-detached cottages with three bedrooms that start from £375,000 in the heart of Bolney and a short stumble from both pubs. 

Ken Roberts, Head of Guildford & Horsham office

The Royal Standard of England has been serving ale for 900 years and originated in the backroom of cottage of an alewife, the best brewer in the village. With crooked beams, stained glass, leaded windows and fireplaces a priest could hide inside, the pub has survived wars, invasions, plane crashes and witches. Potentially, the odd ghost is still hanging around with folk booking the pub to carry out paranormal investigations. The Royal Standard is a star in its own right. Hollywood films such as The Theory of Everything and Hot Fuzz were filmed here, as well as the TV shows Afterlife and Midsomer Murders. Author Terry Pratchett lived down the road and would wander the lanes for inspiration and frequent the bar. Forty Green is a hamlet connected to the highly desirable commuter town of Beaconsfield – with a direct train to London Marylebone taking just over 20 minutes. The hamlet is known for its pretty cottages, Grade II listed church, friendly community and the pub of course. Semi-detached homes start from just over £500,000 whereas family-sized, detached houses with a decent garden will go for more than £1,000,000. The closer to the centre of Beaconsfield and the train station, the greater the price tag. 

Eleanor Coles, Buckinghamshire, Strutt & Parker 

The small village of Aldworth can be found in the Thames golden corridor that runs west from Henley-on-Thames, skips past Reading, onto Pangbourne and up to Goring. The West Berkshire hollow sits on the ridgeway of the Berkshire Downs. Also known as the M4 wealth belt, this unspoilt part of rural Britain has attracted many a famous homeowner, such as George Clooney in Sonning. Despite its popular foodie attractions – The Fat Duck in Bray or The Hand and Flowers in Marlow – there are plenty of spots for a quiet drink. The no-frills The Bell Inn in Aldworth, which was built as a manor house in the 1400s, is one such place and was named last year by the Evening Standard as 'country pub of the week' and has scooped the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Pub of the Year twice (most recently in 2020). It is the only pub in the county with Grade II listed interiors and has been run by the same family for 255 years. Aldworth has a village hall with views of the cricket pitch and a 12^th century church. It is a stone's throw from Goring, the Goring & Streatley Golf Club and the 18th century Palladian mansion and grounds at Basildon Park, run and maintained by the National Trust. Homes within the tiny community are rare to the market, but there’s plenty to peruse in the surrounding towns and villages. 

Dominic Scully, Berkshire, Strutt & Parker