After living in Windsor for several years, and then later Beaconsfield, I was sad to pack up and leave it all behind. Little did I know that the village I now call home in Buckinghamshire would feel like I’d lived here for years. Muddy Stilettos recently released its top places to live in 2026, featuring cities, towns and villages across the UK.
They are recognised by their schools, shopping opportunities and pubs, as well as house prices, and the village I’ve recently moved to has made the list. Close to London but with a countryside feel, Buckinghamshire is famous for its Chiltern landscape, market towns and a relaxed pace of life. It’s home to some of the best grammar schools in the country, and it’s easy to see why celebrities are drawn here.
Muddy Stilettos shared eight top Buckinghamshire towns and villages to live in, including Amersham, Marlow, Taplow, The Chalfonts and Bourne End.
Having moved to Bourne End in the last two years, it’s easy to see why people love it so much. Don’t get it confused with Bourne End in Hertfordshire either; this Buckinghamshire village is very different.
The village offers riverside living, plenty of walks and is close to pricier Marlow, without the extortionate price tag.
Muddy Stilettos claims Bourne End is one of the “best places to live” in South Bucks, with great connections into London and beautiful open countryside that inspired Sir Stanley Spencer and Enid Blyton.
With its own marina home to a delicious tapas restaurant, plenty of pubs to find a great Sunday lunch, and antique shops, Bourne End has something for everyone.
Up the road is also Cliveden House, a National Trust which has been used as a filming location for decades. It’s known for its role as a centre for political and literary society, but these days serves a mean afternoon tea and has spectacular hotel rooms.
I’ve spent many days exploring Cliveden, wondering how I got so lucky to have this on my doorstep. It offers rolling views over Bucks, woodland walks and riverside picnic areas.
Bourne End has a real community feel to it with regular street markets, a busy local library and an annual Christmas fair. You can even pop up to The Hedsor Bar, a locals’ social club with a huge beer garden.
It’s also the starting point for some beautiful walks, and I’ll regularly walk along the river into Cookham, but you can also stroll into Marlow or even Henley if you’re a keen walker.
Just outside of the village, there’s Home Barn, an interiors shop that lures interior designers out of London, and it’s incredibly impressive.
However, living in the village doesn’t come cheap, with house prices averaging £587,038 in the last year, according to Rightmove.
Home to Riversdale, a grand riverside road, and The Abbotsbrook, a sought-after private estate in the village, the house price average remains high. Houses in these locations don’t tend to go for sale under the £1.5million mark.
Riverside Manor, a mansion sitting on the Thames in Bourne End, also went on sale last year for a whopping £36million. Complete with its 200-capacity ballroom, home cinema and spa complex, it gets the local residents talking.
I’m yet to come across locals Shakin’ Stevens and Lorraine Kelly, but I couldn’t recommend Bourne End enough.
