Colden Common

Colden Common is a commuter village doing a convincing impression of the middle of nowhere, close enough to the motorway and the airport to leave at speed, and close enough to Winchester to borrow the confidence without paying the prices. The most eventful thing that ever happened here was a stone age flint factory, and the residents have been quietly managing the excitement downward ever since. There is a slice of national park stapled to one edge, which comes up in conversation about as often as breathing does. It is dull with real commitment, and the people who live here would fight you to keep it that way.