Langford, Bedfordshire

Langford is named for a long ford and has spent the centuries since living up to the first word: a village strung out along the Ivel so far that people at one end know the other end mainly by reputation. The East Coast Main Line runs straight through it without stopping, which is the railway's way of telling you the commute starts in Biggleswade. The Knights Templar once ran the place. Now the wind turbines and the solar farm handle the green credentials, which leaves the residents free to drive everywhere.