At the end of the Metropolitan Line, 26 miles from London, is the farthest Tube station from the capital – Chesham. The pretty Buckinghamshire town is part of the London commuter belt and beloved by locals, who say it has “everything you need”.

Chesham is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmland next to the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Old Town and pedestrianised high street are very picturesque, having been featured in films and TV shows, including The Imitation Game, Black Mirror, Midsomer Murders, and more. The team at Gerry Martins, the local butcher, only have good things to say about their town. Steph, 64, has lived in the town for 27 years and told the Express she “loves it”. She said: “There’s not one single thing I’d say ‘I wish they’d change that’.” She said Chesham is “fabulous” and “people take care of each other”, adding that people even know everyone’s children: “When my kids started going out, I’d say: ‘Well, at least if they end up face down in a ditch, someone will bring them home’”

Jamie Woods, 31, has lived in the town for five years and echoes his colleague’s sentiments: “It has everything you need – access to London and the M40, a big and friendly community, lots of festivals, sports (football, rugby, and swimming), and countryside.

“Thousands of people come here to visit, lots of our customers are London commuters, so it’s clearly good for young families too. The only downside is it’s a bit of a through-town, so traffic is always bad.”

Paul Todd, 57, moved to the town 18 years ago from London. He said he “likes it very much” and was pulled to the town due to the low significant crime rate: “It’s nice not worrying about being murdered.” 

Paul added that Chesham is “about the same as it used to be”, with a few more homeless people and charity shops. He said that he wanted to live “somewhere reasonable” and “not a pile of rubbish” on his lower income while still having “a nice life”.

The town has an average house price of £496,920, according to Rightmove, and £484,179, according to Zoopla. The average UK house price is around £296,000. 

But Chesham’s prices are much better than nearby towns like Amersham, where the average house price is £723,426 over the last year. And those commuting to London can avoid the capital’s average of £663,189.

The local said he liked that Chesham was “more real” than its more expensive neighbour, Amersham, and that he didn’t worry about more people moving there as “it’s too far out” for commuters and the railway’s “unreliable”.

Frances Kneller, a Chesham Town Council and Buckinghamshire County Council councillor, said she “absolutely” thinks the town is a good place to live.

She said: “Other prices in Buckinghamshire are very high, so lots of people come here to downsize. There’s real camaraderie and a fantastic community here that’s incredibly welcoming. 

“And we’ve got so much going on in town, between 30 and 40 events over the year. The creative industries are well-nurtured, which makes a huge difference; it’s really important. We have the Chesham Fringe in May, which people travel from London for.“

Frances said of the state of the high street: “How many people are buying online now? We’re developing the town to bring people in, but people really do go into what’s here.”