Carshalton

Drop-dead gorgeous village that could be a hundred miles from central London, but is actually under ten miles away in the London Borough of Sutton. Why all this incredible enthusiasm, I hear you say? For a start, the setting - two lovely ponds at its heart with an Italianate bridge, surrounded by trees such as weeping willows, fine period buildings including a museum and a Grade II listed church. Next a very pretty high street popular with local hipsters for its stylish independent coffee houses, trendy art and gift shops and its small theatre, the Charles Cryer Theatre. I could go on about its museum, its ecology centre, its conservation areas, the fact that it's home to one of CAMRA's favourite pubs in the whole of Britain and that it's only 25 minutes by Southern Rail from London Victoria train station; but I suggest you just visit it for yourself and have a lovely day out.