We may be slap bang in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis but who says we can’t dream of being able to afford one of these gorgeous houses?
Just look at this selection of country piles. All of them are so close to Bedford, you can imagine hiring your staff of cooks, cleaners and gardeners while still being close enough to the hubbub of town and your mates.
Hell, if you had that type of cash, you could always buy new mates (only kidding).
I’ll leave you to looks around these beauties while I search down the back of the sofa for that missing winning lottery ticket...
5. Shelton - offers over £2,800,000
Lodge Farm is a property. If you bought this, you'd access your own private grounds with a large pond via electric gates. The accommodation comprises of an old farmhouse and adjacent barn that have been lovingly restored and extended. There's eight bedrooms, plenty of natural light thanks to the floor to ceiling windows, plus seven stables. Call Keller Williams Oxygen, Maidenhead - 0203 8352573 Photo: Keller Williams Oxygen, Maidenhead
6. Aspley Guise - £2,500,000
Back in The Avenue (there must be something about this road), and this four-storey property is another stunner. It's Grade II listed, has five bedrooms and boasts a rather groovy exposed brick cellar which has been converted into cinema and games rooms. In the past it has also been a linen factory and a nursing home and was transformed back into a private residence in the 1990s. Call Chewton Rose, Milton Keynes - 01908 103293 Photo: Chewton Rose, Milton Keynes
7. Greys Manor - £2,450,000
This manor house in Podington as got a lot going for it. Not only are there five bedrooms, but there's also a leisure wing (yes, a leisure wing), with a sauna, studio and gym/party barn. And if all that wasn't enough for you, Greys Manor even boasts two self-contained studio apartments. All this in about 1.9 acres. Call Jackson-Stops, Northampton - 01604 632991 Photo: Jackson-Stops, Northampton
8. Wootton - £1,600,000
What a gorgeous dining room and believe me, the rest of this house in Tithe Road, Wood End is just as impressive. A Grade II listed Georgian country house, it's been sympathetically modernised and totally refurbished. There are four bedrooms, three reception rooms, four bathrooms, outbuildings, purpose built stables and a tack room adjoining two paddocks. Call Hamptons, Harpenden - 01582 377929 Photo: Hamptons, Harpenden