Some house hunters might be hankering for more property for their purchasing pounds or a smaller community with maybe more connection to rural surroundings than Cardiff can offer.
Many might think that crossing the capital city boundary and changing location can stretch the budget whereas people looking to splash the cash will find a home with more space and more land than they will probably get for the same price tag in Cardiff.
According to property portal Rightmove, the overall average price of property in Cardiff was £293,509 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Cardiff over the last year were 5% up on the previous year and 16% up on the 2020 peak of £253,883.
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The majority of sales in Cardiff during the last year were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £260,631. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £325,196, with flats fetching £166,179 and detached houses hovering around £492,223.
To find a new home that has access to the centre of the capital so you can enjoy the best of both worlds - city facilities and amenities but life in a potentially less busy village environment can be tricky if your budget is really tight, or open a world of possibilities if your budget is big.
If a thirty minute drive time into Cardiff is the geographic cut off point for a new home there are a variety of villages waiting to welcome you to their postcode.
However, if you are commuting for work into the centre of the capital then you'd better try the journey in rush hour before making an offer - the M4, A470, A3242 or A48 may have a different time to a Cardiff city centre destination than Google when they are laden with traffic.
1. Pontyclun and Miskin: RCT
Distance from Cardiff: 13.1 miles
Drive time: 29 minutes
If there are no major hold ups, the travelling distance between this collection of villages is around 23 minutes according to Google and offers two main routes - the M4 and Manor Way through Whitchurch or through the lanes to the east via Hensol.
Pontyclun has a railway station that offers direct rail link to Cardiff, Newport, Chepstow, Gloucester and the ability to change at Cardiff Central for links to the rest of the UK.
The area can offer a major retail hub at Talbot Green Shopping Park as well as Giles Gallery and The Vintage Country Market in Pontyclun. There's a spa and gym at Miskin Manor and the Tribe spa at Lanelay Hall Hotel plus a council owned leisure centre at Llantrisant. Popular local pubs with food include Boars Head, The Windsor and Pipeworks Bar.
Properties in Pontyclun area had an overall average price of £289,475 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Pontyclun over the last year were 13% up on the previous year and 35% up on the 2020 peak of £215,046.
2. Church Village and Tonteg: RCT
Distance from Cardiff: 10.9 miles
Drive time: 25 minutes
Within the Taff Ely area of the county of Rhondda Cynon Taf the area around Church Village and Llantwit Fadre can offer a range of properties as well as the A470 nearby to travel south to Cardiff, taking around 26 minutes, or north towards Pontypridd and on to Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil.
The train from the closest station - Treforest Estate - takes around 25 minutes and a bus can be caught with the stop at Church Village or Tonteg bus stop but research the timetable before setting out.
Church Village is a collection of former rural villages that have more less been amalgamated into one and can offer sports and community club, children's park, rugby club, supermarkets, chapels and churches and the popular Canolfan Garth Olwg Centre that is one of the social and activity hubs of the village.
The village offers takeaways and cafes including the Tripadvisor excellent rated Café Rana plus popular pubs such as Farmers Arms and Fagins in the village and Bush Inn in nearby Llantwit Fardre.
Properties in Church Village had an overall average price of £249,197 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Church Village over the last year were 8% up on the previous year and 22% up on the 2020 peak of £203,712.
3. Gwaloed-y-garth and Taffs Well: RCT
Distance from Cardiff: 7.2 miles
Drive time: 20 minutes
Located at the foot of the Garth, a distinctive hill that can offer stunning views over the valleys once the eight kilometre climb has been conquered, and within the Taff Valley along with its close neighbour Taffs Well.
The village can offer open-spaces including a playing field and rugby club, a village primary school and supermarket in Taffs Well as well as an Indian restaurant and the Gwaelod Y Garth pub.
The Taff Trail meanders through Taffs Well offering a direct cycle into Cardiff, with regular buses and the nearest railway station in Trefforest.
Properties in Gwaelod-Y-Garth had an overall average price of £258,576 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Gwaelod-Y-Garth over the last year were 15% up on the previous year and 15% up on the 2019 peak of £224,446.
4. Llanbradach: Caerphilly County
Distance from Cardiff: 11.7 miles
Drive time: 25 minutes
If Caerphilly is still too busy to tempt you then a little further north is the village of Llanbradach but you will have to factor in Caerphilly's rush hour traffic as well as north Cardiff. The village has a railway station with direct access to Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central.
The village offers a hotel with sports bar, community centre, social club, local shops and facilities in adjacent Caerphilly and playing fields found behind the war memorial as well as the stunning Llanbradach Forestry and Bluebells woods offering peaceful walks through the surrounding countryside.
Properties in Llanbradach had an overall average price of £182,102 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Llanbradach over the last year were 20% up on the previous year and 21% up on the 2018 peak of £151,004.
Being further away from Cardiff appears to have dropped the average house price with the average detached property costing around £271,600 compared to £492,223 in the capital.
5. Bonvilston: Vale of Glamorgan
Distance from Cardiff: 11.4 miles
Drive time: 23 minutes
For the fastest commute into Cardiff from some of the quietest places, and so not including Barry or Penarth, the area south of the M4 and east of the A4232 is worth investigating, especially with a healthy property budget. But if you want a bargain, this county might not be your best hunting ground for a village within a 30 minute commuter zone.
If the buying budget is more flexible and sizeable, there are some hidden hot spots of loveliness in Vale of Glamorgan that can offer the rural or village good life.
There's easy road access to Cardiff from the village of Bonvilston as the A48 trundles through it, there's no getting away from that, but the community can offer a tick list of classic amenities, from a quaint, historic church called St Mary's to the popular pub The Red Lion to the local café called the Old Village Shop Café that claims to offer the best breakfast in Wales.
But Bonvilston can also offer a village hall with a unique history. Called The Reading Room, the building was gifted to the village around 1900 by Arabella MacIntosh wife of The Mackintosh of Mackintosh who lived for part of the year in Cottrell House, according to community website Bonvilston Village.
In 1982 the building was the subject of a major renovation that saved it for the future use of the community, who can book it for private events and celebrations.
There are numerous public countryside footpaths around the village to enjoy, the Glamorgan coast heritage path is found further south, and if you like golf the pretty and popular Cottrell Resort is nestled within the countryside on the edge of the village.
Properties in Bonvilston had an overall average price of £190,000 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Bonvilston over the last year were 76% down on the previous year and 69% down on the 2017 peak of £605,357.
6. Marshfield: Newport
Distance from Cardiff: 7.6 miles
Drive time: 21 minutes
One of the most unique areas close to the capital and yet maybe less well-known are the Gwent Levels, a flat area of land between Cardiff and Newport to the east that is a very special Welsh location.
The Gwent levels are a historic and unique area of land situated between the two south Wales cities, an area of low-lying, flat coastal plains featuring abundant wetland environments that stretch to the Severn Estuary.
According to website livinglevels.org.uk the Gwent levels as we know them today were largely created in the Middle Ages by the monks of Goldcliff Priory south of Newport and Tintern Abbey. The area is teeming with a wealth of rare wildlife around the drainage channels, known as reens, and can boast at least six Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSIs).
One of the largest communities to be found on the levels is the village of Marshfield that as well as offering two pubs, The Masons Arms and Y Maerun, the community has an array of mainly more recently built properties reflecting its growth within the last five decades.
The community has a village hall, St Mary's Church, a shop, post office and pharmacy, children's playground and a village café. Just outside the village can be found Peterstone Lakes Gold Club and Walnut Tree Farm Park, a rural family attraction that mixes tractor rides and go-karting with meeting farm animals and rare breeds.
Properties in Marshfield had an overall average price of £419,457 over the last year. Overall, sold prices in Marshfield over the last year were 27% up on the previous year and 26% up on the 2019 peak of £332,283.
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