Where to move to?

That's the first time I've heard Slough called a gorgeous place! You need to think about which airport you would be flying from. Not all airports cater for all destinations. That should cut the possibilities down a bit. Then look at house prices on Rightmove (other websites are available) and that will cut out a few more possibilities. You also need to think about where your relatives are situated. You don't want to be too far away from them if you hope they will continue to visit often. Good luck with the househunt.

South Wales

North Wales isn't near an international airport so maybe not there.

Where do your family members live? Are they scattered all over the place like mine, in which case you’d hardly see them. If that’s not an issue I would look at the south coast as it has everything on your list. You definitely need to narrow your list down a bit before you start searching! Good luck, let us know how it goes.

How much do you want to spend?

Slough is indeed close to the airport, but gorgeous is not a word I'd use to describe it! Most places down the M4 corridor can access Heathrow, Bristol or Cardiff depending on where they are positioned. Have you considered parts of Surrey and West Sussex, the latter is not far from the coast. Lots of pretty places around Gatwick, which is large and very international as airports go.

Hard to be specific without more information. Hope you find somewhere that suits you.

As John Betjeman said

Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough
It isn't fit for humans now,
There isn't grass to graze a cow
Swarm over, Death!

Come, bombs, and blow to smithereens
Those air-conditioned, bright canteens,
Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans
Tinned minds, tinned breath.

Mess up the mess they call a town -
A house for ninety-seven down
And once a week for half-a-crown
For twenty years,

And get that man with double chin
Who'll always cheat and always win,
Who washes his repulsive skin
In women's tears,

And smash his desk of polished oak
And smash his hands so used to stroke
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell.

But spare the bald young clerks who add
The profits of the stinking cad;
It's not their fault that they are mad,
They've tasted Hell.

It's not their fault they do not know
The birdsong from the radio,
It's not their fault they often go
To Maidenhead

And talk of sports and makes of cars
In various bogus Tudor bars
And daren't look up and see the stars
But belch instead.

In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails.

Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.

Seriously, if you want paddocks, a large garden etc is that part of the Hone Counties really the best place to look?
How about Suffolk, Norfolk or Lincolnshire where certainly in the latter you should get more for your money?

...but if you have twenty answers you will have twenty different places You have to decide for yourself no one else can make that personal decision for you
Even if you have somewhere in mind and ask twenty people they will all give different pros and cons and you ll be no further forward

As you both work from home, make sure you check out broadband provision before making an offer on anything. Speeds in more rural areas are still lamentably slow in far too many places.

Agree with Scribbles about broadband provision. If you move to a more rural area, also consider if you intend to stay there long term, it might not be so good if you can’t drive. Also hospitals etc can be some distance away.

MawB My husband often goes into John Betjeman mode if we drive through Slough, which we do occasionally when we visit my son up on the Bucks/Oxford borders.

MawB ? Not one of his best I always thought, frightful old snob wasn’t he?He should see his home town of Wantage ( all the new houses!) he would turn in his grave, haha.

Miranda Not many paddocks in Slough.If you want to be near Heathrow/Gatwick then consider Surrey.You obviously have a large budget so you would be ok.

Herefordshire and the Wales borders are lovely - Birmingham airport not far away.

mirandel we are off to Middlewich in Cheshire in a couple of months. Good countryside and several nice towns to go to in different directions including North Wales nearish to Manchester airport but not on the flight path. Importantly we shall be near our daughter which was the main reason but we also recognised that we were in a rut and needed a new adventure and new challenges. Good Luck with your search.

Near me Teetime!

Happiness is Slough in my rearview mirror.

MawB...... you beat me to it with the poem.

You would get more for your money in Wales and it's gorgeous, but the advice about broadband is good. North Wales isn't that far from Manchester Airport.
Good luck in your search. How exciting it sounds for those of us with some gypsy in their soul.

What about Staffordshire, stunning scenery!

Before you decide on anywhere and just pick a place out of the hat, (as it seems that you plan to do), I'd suggest that at the very least go and spend some time in your chosen area or even rent somewhere before deciding.
Just think that some places can look to be a wonderful place to live in the summer, but in the winter are quite a different story!

North wales is handy for Liverpool airport.

Oxford is beautiful and has good connections for travel to London and airports.

I live on the South Coast near beautiful scenery and within 50 miles of Southampton, Gatwick and Heathrow Airports. A house up for sale at 1.5 million overlooks the Solent and IOW. It is glorious then you see all the parked cars for the beach below. Like someone else said, rent in different seasons, check out the broadband and if you drive, holiday traffic. Relying on buses to shop or hospital, forget it.

We used to live in London but moved out when we both retired 13 years ago. Time has passed, grandchildren have arrived, and we have decided to move back. Currently we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the country but this does not compensate for seeing our family less.

I suggest that you take account of where they live when you choose a house and do not choose to live in the middle of nowhere as you will need local facilities and more public transport when you are older.