Evesham

EVESHAM Though not a great many people would choose to commute daily from Evesham, many might consider part-time commuting. Its tree-lined walks, lawns along the Avon and some wonderful old buildings give it obvious charm. It also has two golf clubs. Property prices are lower here than up in the Cotswolds. A three-bedroom Victorian terrace might sell for £180,000; a three-bedroom modern detached house on an estate for £230,000. Two-bedroom cottages can be found in the surrounding villages for £225,000, with older four-bedroom detached houses at over £400,000.

The Pershore side is particularly pretty, with picturesque black-and-white villages such as Charlton, Cropthorne and Fladbury (where the celebrated canoe club has sent members to the Olympics). Fladbury tends to attract Birmingham rather than London commuters. The three new housing developments draw a constant flow of people. It has an award-winning butcher, a sports pavilion for football and cricket enthusiasts, and a church primary school for five- to eight-year-olds. The middle school is in the neighbouring village of Pinvin, and secondary students tend to go to Pershore High School. Further north of Evesham is another black-and-white village, Norton. It was once ruined by traffic on the A435, but has now been rescued with a bypass. The Lenches (Church and Atch) are also popular on this northern flank.

For truly grand landscape you should look to the west, in the villages beneath Bredon Hill. The Combertons (Little and Great) are especially lovely. Great Comberton has a heady mix of half-timbered farmhouses and thatched cottages, while Little Comberton has a village dovecote with walls over one metre thick and more than 500 nesting holes. The red-brick dovecote in Great Comberton is even bigger, with 1,425 nesting holes.