The best places to pick up a cheap country property: Prices have fallen by 30% and sellers are desperate. From the village nicknamed 'Chelsea-on-Sea' to a Georgian market town and Britain's poshest hamlet, the bargains available NOW ⊕

There was a time when buying a slice of rural life came with a hefty price tag. The promise of open fields and quaint high streets was enough to keep prices buoyant in country towns and villages