Best of the bunch: Dorking property guide with house prices, journey time to London, best schools and more

The steady exodus of families and young buyers out of London is continually creating new property hotspots, from seaside resorts to modern commuter dormitories and from affluent riverside enclaves to historic market towns.

We reveal the 20 locations — all within an hour’s commute of the centre of the capital — that have recorded the strongest price growth over the past year.

Take a tour through our gallery above for the top 20 performers, or read on to find out more about the top commuter spot.

TOP SPOT: DORKING, SURREY

Good-looking, surrounded by gorgeous countryside, sprinkled with great schools and offering an easy journey to London, Dorking is named top home counties commuter hotspot of the last year.

Add to those attributes some fine dining, a busy and interesting high street and lashings of rural charm, and it’s easy to see why.

The Surrey market town saw outstanding property price growth of 15 per cent, according to research by Hamptons International comparing the performance of every commuter town and village within an hour of London.

It is not as posh or expensive as other Surrey commuter hotspots such as Oxshott or Guildford but it hits the sweet spot of affordability and quality.

“We are quite a lucky town in that we have a village feel, a community spirit, and a really quaint town centre with a good variety of shops, really close to London,” says Marc Cox-Muggridge, branch manager of Barnard Marcus.

Dorking is certainly geographically blessed, set at the east of the Surrey Hills close to the cyclists’ favourite, Box Hill — also something of a mecca for Jane Austen fans as the location of the pivotal picnic scene in Emma.

But you don’t have to be an aficionado of Austen novels to enjoy Box Hill’s walks and amazing panorama. Mountain bikers come from far and wide to the Surrey Hills.

Vaughan Williams was inspired to compose The Lark Ascending while walking on Leith Hill, near his family home Leith Hill Place in countryside near Dorking.

“I think it’s the countryside as much as anything that attracts people to Dorking,” says Alan King, senior partner at estate agent Jackson-Stops.

“Dorking is ring-fenced by countryside and very pretty villages, much of it protected, so there is no urban sprawl.”

THE PROPERTY STOCK

In the Rose Hill conservation area in the centre of Dorking are streets of Victorian properties, ranging from large villas to sweet two-bedroom cottages.

A cottage would cost £350,000-£400,000. A detached, five-bedroom house could cost up to £1.8 million.

Cox-Muggridge’s London clients tend to be in their thirties and forties, with a young family in tow, seeking a family home with three or four bedrooms.

A three-bedroom Victorian house close to the high street would cost £550,000-£575,000, he says, while a little further out a four-bedroom Thirties home would be £600,000-£700,000.

There’s not a sink school to be found in the town, and Dorking Nursery School and St Paul’s CofE (Aided) Primary School are both rated “outstanding” by Ofsted.

There is a choice of two state senior schools, both with “good” reports from the watchdog.

The high street is famed for its antiques and vintage shops and chichi little boutiques, and there is a good leisure centre and pool.

Cinema and theatre are found at Dorking Halls, which runs an annual arts festival plus regular live music and comedy nights, and an annual choral music festival.

Dorking offers good gastropubs, while restaurants range from modern fine dining at Sorrel, recently opened by Michelin-star chef Steve Drake in a lovely 300-year-old building, to Gorgeous Gerties, which does a mean Sunday brunch.

Out of town are plenty of nice village pubs to explore, and Denbies Wine Estate, England’s largest, offers meals, tasting and tours.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL

Jackson-Stops’ Alan King says the influx of Londoners keeps them on their toes.

“We are still a traditional town, but we are not stuffy. West Street has always been a bit of an antiques centre but these have been slowly changing into more art-led shops.”

Whether Dorking can maintain its price growth remains to be seen. But Cox-Muggridge of Barnard Marcus hopes the recent abolition of stamp duty for first-time buyer homes worth less than £300,000 will stimulate the market this year, which he feels will be strong “but not record breaking”.

He thinks that next year will be steady, not spectacular.

Dorking price growth this past year was boosted by strong sales at Vista, where two-bedroom flats sold at £280,000-plus.

The scheme is 80 per cent sold, proving an appetite for flats as well as family homes in the town.

“I think there are too many question marks over Brexit and the economy to predict anything more this year,” he adds.

“On the other hand, Dorking’s limited supply will underpin prices.”