Commuting to London: 25 towns and villages with top schools and fast routes into the capital

Londoners wanting more space for their money and first time buyers wanting to avoid the capital's sky-high property prices are increasingly considering moving out to one of the many towns within an hour of the city.

The choice of commuter hotspots ranges from picturesque country villages to buzzy cathedral cities, with many offering good-value homes, first-rate schools, green space and speedy commutes that will get you to your desk faster than colleagues travelling from Zone 3.

Slough satellite village Burnham, in Buckinghamshire, has an average property price of nearly £335,000 — up 49 per cent in the last five years. Trains get you to Paddington in 41 minutes but come 2019, it will have its own Crossrail station.

St Albans in Hertfordshire is hard to beat for its 19-minute commute into St Pancras. Schools here are among the best in the country, with a huge number of primaries rated "outstanding" by Ofsted, though houses are pricier at an average of just over £565,000.

Buyers interested in Kent may be tempted by coastal Broadstairs or bustling Sevenoaks. Train routes into London are quickest from Sevenoaks, taking less than 40 minutes, but house prices are cheaper in Broadstairs, where you can bag a four-bedroom Edwardian home for as little as £450,000 — £200,000 less than the London average.

Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire all boast numerous commuter towns, but houses in the most desirable are expensive. There are bargains to be found in Cottesbrooke in Northamptonshire, where a two to three-bedroom cottage will set you back between £250,000 and £350,000, and Rochford in Essex, where new two-bedroom flats can be found for £200,000.

Flick through the gallery above for the need-to-know details on 25 of the best places for commuters to live.