Let's move to Downe, Biggin Hill and the London Downs, Kent and Surrey

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/apr/11/lets-move-downe-biggin-hill-london-downs

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What's going for it? You turn off the dual carriageway at Locksbottom and, after a swerve here, a junction there, the branches clear and you're through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia. When politicians say, "We must build on the green belt", I fancy taking them here. It could be Dorset. London has countryside. It's squeezed between Barratt Homes' latest and the M25, getting smaller by the day, but it's there, often in "edgelands" – gritty scrapyards and sewage works – which have their own charm. But sometimes it's in the form of drop-dead gorgeous. Like the London Downs: hills so steep, valleys so narrow, they create a sense of enclosure – claustrophobic for some, comforting for others. The burbs and the hum of the M25 are kept at bay. You can see why Charles Darwin moved his family here: close to the capital, but a universe away. Practically the Galapagos. It's where he wrote On The Origin Of Species.

The case against Those lanes sure are pretty, until they're backed up with commuters, or Mr Toad roars past you: loads of rat runs for boy and girl racers. Watch the aircraft noise from Biggin Hill. Not cheap.

Well connected? Trains: prime commuter belt. Eastwards there's the line from Knockholt to Charing Cross (43 minutes, half-hourly) and Sevenoaks (eight minutes, half-hourly); west the Woldingham line to Victoria (33 minutes, half-hourly) and East Grinstead (22 minutes, half-hourly). The M25 is at the end of the lane. Private jet? Biggin Hill.

Schools Primaries: Pratts Bottom, St Katharine's Knockholt CofE, Downe, Cudham CofE, Oaklands and Tatsfield are all "good", Ofsted says; Farnborough and Keston are "outstanding". Secondaries: Biggin Hill's Charles Darwin is "good"; Darrick Wood in Locksbottom and Newstead Wood are "outstanding".

Hang out at… Chapter One in Locksbottom has long been a fixture.

Where to buy There are seriously pricey homes in Locksbottom and around Rushmore Hill in Knockholt, but you can find more affordable cottages in the old lanes, especially in unspoilt villages such as Downe. Biggin Hill is more suburban and affordable, and less magical.

Market values Large detacheds, £750,000-£5m. Detacheds, £350,000-£750,000. Semis, £250,000-£500,000. Flats, £200,000-£500,000. Terraces, £250,000-£325,000. Rentals: one-bed flats, £600-£850pcm; three-bed houses, £1,100-£1,600.

Bargain of the week It's no country idyll, but this three-bed 60s/70s end-of-terrace in Biggin Hill is affordable, at £245,000, with bairstoweves.co.uk.

From the steets

Michelle Collins "Locksbottom high street is tiny but perfect. We have cardmakers, barbers, wine shops… We're spoilt for individuality."

Joe Hirst "You can see Canary Wharf from Biggin Hill, but head south and you're into the Garden of England. You can sit in your garden and hear Spitfires taking off. The roads are named after pilots killed in service. Everywhere you look there's history."

• Live in Downe, Biggin Hill and the London Downs? Join the debate below.

Do you live in Whipsnade, Aldbury and the north Chilterns, Hertfordshire? Do you have a favourite haunt or a pet hate? If so, please email lets.move@theguardian.com by Tuesday 15 April.