West Country I Escaped to the Country

Making the move from city to countryside

is often a momentous step.

Never in a million years,

I would imagine I'd be seeing a house like this.

Never ever.

But for many years,

Escape To The Country has been helping countless people

on the hunt for a new home.

What do we think of this?

Oh, my!

Chocolate box!

We've travelled to the most picturesque pockets of Britain...

-Take a look at that killer view.

-That's amazing.

..to showcase thousands of exquisite country properties...

Oh, how pretty is that?

..that our buyers just couldn't resist.

Seriously, get your cheque-book out now.

Join us, as we catch up with those who bought their dream home...

-We waited six years to do this.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

..to find out how the move changed their lives

when they Escaped To The Country.

Today, I'm on the Devon-Somerset border

in the Blackdown Hills

and beside me is Culmstock Beacon.

Now, this intriguing beehive beacon hut

is thought to date back to the time of the Spanish Armada,

and was one in a chain of fire signals,

lit to warn of advancing enemy.

Up here on Culmstock Common,

there are incredible panoramic views of the Somerset countryside.

Over there and behind me, the Devon countryside.

And you can see why this part of the West Country

is so popular with our house-buyers.

And I'm delighted to be catching up with some of them

who bought their Escape house

and have made a new life for themselves here.

Over the years, the counties of Devon and Somerset

have proved to be two of the most popular destinations

for potential escapees.

Later on, I'll be catching up with Phil and Diane,

who bought one of our properties back in 2011.

They've now transformed their home and embraced village life.

This is a little gem, isn't it?

But first, I'll be visiting Lynn and Jonathan

and their daughter Ellie May,

who moved to Devon seven years ago to run a holiday-let business.

I'll be finding out if country life has lived up to their expectations.

Back in the autumn of 2009,

company secretary Jonathan and events organiser Lynn

were living in south-west London.

But the arrival of their daughter Ellie May

had made them rethink their future.

We'd like a change of...

Change of scenery, change of lifestyle.

Slightly different pace.

And surroundings.

But they weren't simply seeking out a place to live.

We're looking for a business as well as a home.

Holiday lets or B&Bs, or a combination of them.

We are probably looking at

a minimum of five or maybe six holiday cottages

to make it viable as a business.

As well as holiday units,

they wanted at least two bedrooms

and a couple of reception rooms for the main family residence.

Plus plenty of land, all set in a rural location.

And for this super-sized home-business combo,

they had a generous budget of £1.2 million.

We began our West-Country property search

by taking Jonathan and Lynn to the edge of the Exmoor National Park.

Dulverton was the closest small town, some eight miles away.

With Denise Nurse leading the way,

they viewed a Victorian farmhouse

that had a multitude of business opportunities.

What a place to have a holiday-let business.

-It's beautiful.

-Isn't it lovely?

-Yes. It's lovely.

-You may well also have noticed

as you walked down, the stables over there?

-Can you imagine that, riding...

-We did.

..out into Exmoor? And your guests could do that too.

But it's not just about the stables.

This property comes with 19 acres.

-Wow!

-Great.

Two holiday lets.

And this is the house.

Yes, it looks really hopeful.

Hopeful, excited?

-Yes.

-Let's have a look at the house.

Straight into the kitchen, the heart of the home,

which is lovely and warm, because of that beast over there.

The biggest range I've ever seen.

-Yeah, huge.

-Fantastic.

Fantastic. Really nicely done.

Lovely. Nice and open as well.

-Light.

-Yes.

And it does extend up here,

so you've also got plenty of dining space.

-Yes.

-There's a nice feel to it.

-Homely feel.

-Yes.

The finishing on this property is just fantastic, isn't it?

-Mm.

-Yes. Yes.

What a great room, isn't it?

Lovely. Yeah.

There was a further cosy reception room with a wood burner.

And upstairs, the farmhouse had five bedrooms,

giving Jonathan and Lynn the opportunity

to let some out for bed and breakfast.

Well, master bedroom,

which I think, looking at it,

looks about the same size as the guest room.

Yes.

But this one comes with an en-suite shower room just behind that door,

and behind here is all of your wardrobe space.

OK.

-Which is pretty deep.

-That's lovely.

-It's not bad.

-Yeah.

With the house working as a potential B&B,

Denise took our couple to explore

the holiday business options outside.

There were two separate up-and-running

self catering cottages that made around £25,000 a year.

So this is the smaller of the two holiday lets.

It still looks pretty spacious to me.

Yes. Absolutely does.

Yeah. It's very cosy.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Good size room.

Open-plan, two bedrooms, one twin, one double.

-And a nice size bathroom as well.

-Great.

In addition to the holiday lets,

there was also a stable block ripe for conversion.

After exploring some of the 19 acres, it was time to talk money.

How much do you think you have to pay for a property like this?

I'm going to take a wild guess.

Obviously, there's a lot here anyway.

But we need to reserve some of our budget

to convert the other cottages.

So... One million and 50,000?

Something like that?

I'd say slightly more than that. Right. I'd say probably about 1.2.

1.2. So right up there at the top of your budget.

-Yes.

-Well... You're the winner of this one.

-Good.

-Excellent.

-This property is on the market at £1 million exactly.

OK. It's actually under your budget,

which does leave you quite a bit of room to manoeuvre.

It seemed the converted farmhouse

with numerous holiday business options

had exceeded expectations.

There's a lot of potential

in terms of the outbuildings that could be converted.

And the land is fantastic, with the pond and the ducks.

It's really idyllic.

I think we can definitely see ourselves here as a family,

it's a lovely family home.

Denise then took our buyers over the border into Devon,

to the village of Bampton on the southern edge of Exmoor.

She showed them another rural property with lots of character.

This is the house, so this would be your main living accommodation.

But it comes with five ready-to-go holiday lets.

-Excellent.

-So it's right there with your criteria.

And it's bringing this huge smile out of you, Lynn.

Jonathan and Lynn seemed happy with the set-up,

so they headed inside the listed farmhouse

which dated back to the 16th century.

Come through to what I think is a pretty good-sized kitchen.

It's a nice big space.

It's got everything you need, obviously, hasn't it?

-And more probably.

-Nice being open into the next room as well.

Always quite like that, that feel.

-Yes.

-Let's have a walk down there and take a closer look.

Down here, this is an extension, as I think you can tell.

It's fairly sympathetically done.

What would you do with the space?

It looks like it could be a good playroom actually.

THEY LAUGH

What makes you think that? I think it's rather generous

for a playroom myself. Can I come and live with you?

But, yeah, certainly a nice room to spend...

Be in during the day with that great view.

There was also a cosy reception room

with an open fireplace and a separate dining room.

Upstairs there were four good-sized bedrooms,

including a generous space for our couple.

Welcome to the master suite.

-Wow!

-Mm. Yeah.

-Oh, yes!

-Again, lots of character, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And it's like a little adventure on this side

because from this room,

it leads through to a nursery.

-Oh!

-Ellie May would be just next door.

With the family taken care of,

Denise led them outside to explore the holiday business potential.

The property had five lets all ready to go,

in total, the cottages could sleep 22 people,

and were all in good decorative order.

Now, this holiday let used to be the old grain store.

It was converted in 1989, so a good 20 years ago.

-Great feel to it.

-Yes.

It feels like quality accommodation.

But that wasn't all.

There was also an outbuilding containing an indoor pool

and leisure facilities for their guests.

The up-and-running business was already bringing in £60,000 a year.

After taking in the view,

all that was left was to put a figure on the whole package.

So, how much do you think this property is worth?

-Starting with you, Lynn?

-I think it's probably just over a million,

perhaps up to 1.1 million.

Jonathan?

Lynn's probably stolen my guess,

but I'll hazard one million, 75,000.

You're both very close.

This was actually on the market originally at 125.

It's just come down to 1.15.

-That's good.

-OK.

-Good?

-Yes.

Good, big smile? What do you think, Jonathan?

Yeah, yeah, it's within the range, definitely.

Oh, you hold so much in!

THEY LAUGH

Fabulous location, five holiday lets, all good to go,

and pretty good house.

-It's good.

-Yes. It's good.

Coming in under budget, the second property appeared to be a good bet,

delivering on everything.

This is very near the dream.

It's exactly what we envisaged.

It is a business that's fully up and running

and operational and doing quite well.

We could move in and run the business as it is, I think.

Well, as Denise found,

Lynn and Jonathan were pretty impressed with those two properties.

Both had viable business options,

but they also provided a lovely family home

they could make their own.

Now, it's always great to see our house-hunters on a high

after the first day's search. But you can't assume anything,

as they still had the Mystery House to see.

For the final proposition,

they travelled to the tiny hamlet of Stawell in Somerset

to visit a mystery property with a number of challenging elements.

For once, it wasn't about pushing boundaries, but scaling them down.

This is the property.

Looks really interesting.

-It does.

-Interesting indeed.

It used to be the home of the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

There is some holiday-let potential here, these two properties here,

which are all part of it.

I'm keen to see inside.

You're intrigued. Well, there's plenty of intrigue in there.

It's a really great house to explore. Let's have a look.

Inside, the property was architecturally quirky.

-Come on in.

-This was the Mystery House, after all.

-Impressive, isn't it?

-It is for a hallway!

-Yes.

I mean, it becomes a room, doesn't it?

It's such a big entranceway to the property.

-Yeah.

-It's really big.

-Full of character.

OK, let's keep exploring.

Another huge room.

-It's huge, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It's an interesting shape as well, isn't it?

Yeah, it's not quite square.

It's got some kind of curved...

Not quite curved, slanted edges.

It's such a grand room.

If you did use it as a B&B, cracking room to serve your breakfasts in.

The kitchen was in need of a little updating,

but the living room was a real gem.

It's quite breathtaking, this room, isn't it?

The fireplace. The fireplace.

Yeah. It's almost a little room in itself, the fireplace, isn't it?

It is.

Upstairs, there were three bedrooms, including a spacious master suite.

Outside, there were two two-bedroom self-contained holiday lets,

as well as a stone garage that could have been converted into a third.

But there was far less land on offer here.

The whole plot amounted to just an acre.

How much do you think all of this is worth?

I'd say a maximum of 900,000.

-Jonathan?

-It's a difficult one to guess.

But...

I'll hazard 950.

Well, you can get your hands on this beautiful quirky property

for £625,000.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Wow indeed!

Surprise.

-That's a really good price.

-Yeah, that surprises me.

At nearly half their budget,

the listed farmhouse offered them a more manageable business start-up,

money left over and lots to think about.

If we started smaller...

..I think it would be a good thing for Ellie May.

Because obviously we have got a young baby to think about.

It's a different angle that we haven't really considered before.

Doing things on a smaller scale.

And leaving us with spare funds to do something further.

Hey, there. Right, that is it.

You've seen everything. Lots of options.

-Yes.

-Looking at the extension, Lynn, there is no more!

It's time for you to sit down and think it all over.

-BOTH:

-OK.

And there was plenty to consider.

The first property had given them bed and breakfast options

in the main house and two cottages outside.

The second option, that farmhouse with the pool,

already had five up-and-running holiday lets.

And finally, the mystery proposition had lots of potential

with money to spare to make changes.

So which one did they choose?

In the end, Lynn and Jonathan bought the house

that was closest to their dreams,

with a few extra features

that I expect most buyers wouldn't turn down.

They bought the house with the swimming pool.

And I can't wait to see how their lives have changed so much

as a family over the last eight years.

And it's immediately clear that since moving here in 2010,

they've invested a lot of time and money in the business.

When it comes to first impressions,

everyone knows the importance of making a good entrance.

Lynn and Jonathan, good to meet you.

-Welcome.

-Thank you.

-Very good to meet you.

-And it is an incredible welcome,

as you come down the driveway.

Thank you. I'm glad you like it.

Very impressive.

I want to see more now.

-Good.

-Come and see inside.

-Thank you.

Before I see the holiday cottages, I want to find out

what changes Jonathan and Lynn have made to their own home.

Back in 2009, the kitchen was in need of updating.

My goodness!

This room has been transformed from when we last saw it.

It has, yeah.

It's completely different.

We waited six years to do this.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

It is beautiful!

Basically, we spent the first six years

working outside on the cottages, mainly.

On bringing everything up to a certain level, really.

We had a guest staying here, a builder actually,

who got a bit restless after the first week.

And he offered to do it.

We had lots of beams and posts and things down there.

And a very old pub carpet.

So it was really nice to open it up and make the most of the view.

And open the two rooms up together, as well.

It is the most incredible space.

Beautifully done. I love it.

Still not really quite finished,

because we want some soft furnishings and things in there.

But again, it is just finding the time

to think about ourselves really.

Yeah, it's the balance, isn't it?

Running a successful business, but also creating your own home.

Now, I seem to remember you suggesting

that that could be Ellie May's playroom.

Has that happened or are you keeping it for yourselves?

Well, actually, usually,

it does have toys everywhere, but we have tidied up today.

Tidied up for us.

-Yes.

-Although they've renovated the kitchen and dining room,

parts of the listed property are over 400 years old,

and Lynn and Jonathan

have largely kept things as they were.

I love this room. Have you had to do much work to it?

We've redecorated

and we had a bit of a flood in here in the winter, as well.

-Did you?

-So we re-carpeted.

You're not near a stream or a river, though, are you?

Blocked drains and heavy rain.

Oh, no! And the moral of the story is?

-Check your drains.

-So it literally came under the door?

Exactly. Under the front door.

Down the drive, under the front door, and into here.

Took a big left-hand turn into the house.

It's beautiful. I absolutely love this room.

And have you done much more to the house?

We've changed Ellie May's room.

Her preferred colour and put her furniture in.

-She loves her room.

-Does she?

-Yeah.

-Her pride and joy.

-Yes.

-So you've done a certain amount of work here,

but you've really concentrated, haven't you, on the holiday lets?

-Yes.

-Are they all occupied at the moment?

No, there's a few of them that are free, so...

-I can have a little...

-We can show you.

-Can I?

Sneaky peek around.

I could be a future customer, couldn't I?

-Lovely.

-Which way?

-This way?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-Go ahead.

When we showed them around the property in 2009,

it came with an up-and-running holiday-let enterprise.

The books were busy back then.

But they've spent the last eight years

systematically updating each of the five cottages

and turnover has doubled.

No doubt helped by the bonus of the indoor pool

just across the courtyard from the accommodation.

-Come on in, Nicki.

-Oh, now, this has changed, hasn't it?

It has changed a fair bit.

Yes. We've renewed the flooring, renewed the furniture.

Updated the kitchen.

Renewed the bathrooms.

-So a fair bit.

-I can't imagine many places have those sort of facilities

right on the doorstep. The pool, the gym and a sauna as well.

-Are they popular?

-Yeah, we're lucky. That's quite a draw.

I mean, the pool, particularly. We're not near the coast.

So having the pool is really helpful and the sauna and the fitness room

and having outside space, play areas and so on.

That makes a big difference for families who come and stay here.

I'm interested, though, to find out this change of life,

what impact it's had,

because you must be living your life so differently

-than you did when we first met you.

-Yes.

Shall we go and have a cup of tea and a chat?

-Let's do that.

-Sure, let's.

When they first moved down to Devon,

Jonathan continued with his London job.

But he's since given up the long commute and works from home,

juggling consulting with running the holiday business.

This really is an idyllic spot, isn't it?

Is this where you have breakfast in the mornings?

-Not quite.

-You're too busy, aren't you, with all your guests?

So, tell me, how long did it take from start to finish,

from seeing the property to actually moving in?

I think probably about a year, actually.

It took quite a while. But we did buy the right place in the end.

We really thought it was the best one that we found.

So we are very pleased with it.

A little bit of a cheeky question.

It was on the market for 1.150.

£1,150,000.

Did you end up paying that for it?

I think in the end, we paid just under £1.1 million.

-Did you?

-Yes.

I suppose that money was handy

because you've reinvested it in the rest of the business.

Yes. Which left a bit for us to do some work on the cottages

and the grounds and so on.

So that was... That was handy.

So leaving London behind, kissing goodbye to the capital,

has Devon given you everything that you want?

I think so. It's been a big change in a lot of ways.

But we live in a lovely environment and it's a great place to raise...

For Ellie May to grow up in.

And we're our own boss as well, we've got our own business.

So, we're pleased.

It's a lovely community that we live in, as well.

And we've been made very welcome

and we very much feel more a part of the community

than we ever did before we moved.

Would it be fair to now call it home?

-Yeah, I think it is home, isn't it?

-I think it is, yeah.

Not just for the two of you,

but also for Ellie May because she was just such a big part

of this move, wasn't she?

That's right. A big part of the reason

for moving down here was Ellie May.

She was just coming up to one at the time.

So she's lived the first sort of six or seven years of her life here,

which is great.

Only a baby when she first moved here,

Ellie May is now eight years old.

Hello. You're good at that swing, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-Although she was born in London,

rural life is the only one she remembers.

So, what do you think the best thing is about living in the countryside,

-Ellie May?

-The village.

Is it? Why? What's so special about your village?

That I know all the people there.

Are they friendly?

-Yeah.

-Are there lots of children in the village?

-Yes, quite a few.

-And is that where you go to school?

Yeah.

Now, I've spotted a pond behind us.

What's in the pond?

-Fish.

-How many do we think are in the pond?

-100.

-100? Oh, my goodness.

That's a lot. And what else do you have behind us?

I've seen... Did I see chickens?

-Yeah.

-Did I? How many chickens have you got?

I think about five or six and we're going to have some chicks

because Betty, our chicken, has been sitting on them.

Aw! How many chicks do you think you're going to have?

Well, we're going to have four or five.

Daddy said they're going to hatch today or tomorrow.

Oh, my goodness! Are you going to be allowed to name them?

Yeah. One's going to be called...

-Nicki.

-Nicki.

Always a good name for a chick.

And we've got a cockerel called Keith the Cockerel.

And Betty the Bantam because she's a bantam.

If I gave you the choice, Ellie May,

of perhaps living in a town or living in a city or living here,

which would you choose?

Here. Because I always want to live here and I love it.

And when I'm a mummy, I'm going to live here as well.

Are you? Well, thank you, Ellie May, for inviting us back to your home.

I think you, Mummy and Daddy are very happy here.

-And Lily.

-And Lily the Cat.

And the chickens, ducks and fish.

And the chicken, the ducks and the fish.

-And the chicks.

-And the chicks.

And the cockerel. How could we forget?

So, it seems Ellie May and Lily and Keith and Betty

and with a bit of luck, Nicki, all seem happy here.

But was it the right decision for Mum and Dad?

I'm going to put you on the spot now,

if there was one sentence that can sum up what has happened to you,

the way you now live your lives, what would it be?

I think for me, it's very peaceful,

and it's quite uplifting to look out of the window

and have this view and this peace and the noise of the birds.

And to not...

Not to have traffic and lots of people around everywhere.

And public transport.

It feels as though it's quite good for the soul, really.

Over the years, our rural property journeys with our house-hunters

have covered the length and breadth of the British countryside.

They've all been armed with different budgets

and a desire to improve their quality of life

from a move to the country.

It's such a satisfying outcome when they make

that all-important offer on a house we've shown them

which goes on to be accepted.

It was in the spring of 2016, when I was in the Yorkshire Dales,

property shopping with Steve from Surrey,

who had brought his younger brother Richard along for support.

Steve had a healthy budget of £500,000

and was after a remote detached house overlooking woodland.

And we certainly fulfilled his wishes

with this waterside option that came with a fantastic view.

What a stunning position!

That's one heck of a swimming pool.

The former reservoir manager's house had been extended and renovated

and met many of Steve's requirements.

This is nice. Look at that cooker.

You've got your range.

One of the things was a range.

Was a hope, anyway, but absolutely.

So we have our kitchen, leading us into this modern extension,

which I think makes the downstairs of this property.

It's beautiful.

That is really nice.

The ground floor was also home to a classic reception room

overlooking the reservoir.

That is a view to die for.

-Yeah.

-You don't need a TV or anything in here, do you?

-You don't.

-You just look out the window.

There were three good-sized double bedrooms upstairs,

including a master that also took advantage of that view.

Outside, the grounds were extensive

and included areas of private woodland.

With Steve clearly charmed, we talked money.

How much would you say this house is on the market for?

OK.

-490.

-I was going to go with 485.

You're both very close.

The asking price, and it has just gone on the market,

is £495,000.

Very close. That's good.

That's really good news.

So good, in fact, that Steve put in an offer on the reservoir residence

which was accepted.

Another one of our memorable house-hunting highlights.

The prospect of starting a new life in the country

can seem like a leap into the unknown,

but for house-buyers Phil and Diane,

it was certainly worth going the distance.

They wanted to move back to the UK from Spain

and realise their plan of retiring to the West Country.

Back in the summer of 2010,

our couple were splitting their time

between properties in Spain and North London.

They wanted to simplify their life.

Maintaining two properties is very difficult.

We want to be closer to our family, as well.

We have been away, we've missed a few things about England,

and family is one of them.

While creative Phil was keen to take up painting and drawing

in his retirement, Diane had dreams of the good life.

I make a lot of jam and chutneys in Spain

and I'd certainly like to be doing that here.

I love picking blackberries from the hedgerows.

I like freebies.

We'd just love to have chickens, maybe a pig, if he'd let me.

Yes.

Top of their wish list was a property with inspiring views.

They wanted an older house with three bedrooms

and a large kitchen-diner.

As a former architect, Phil was happy to consider a project,

particularly if it involved building a man cave.

And they had a budget of £450,000 to spend.

With Jules Hudson leading the way,

we kicked off our West Country house-hunt

in the village of Stocklinch in Somerset,

where he presented a former worker's cottage with a panoramic view.

Right then, let's start with this one.

-What do you think?

-Fab.

-Looks good.

-Yeah? You don't get all of it.

-OK.

-It's a rural semi.

So you get that half on the right.

1900, Victorian, late Victorian,

so it's got lots of features in it as well.

-We like Victorian.

-Come and have a look.

Thank you.

Substantially extended, it offered three reception rooms,

the smallest of which was right at the front of the house.

Now then, Phil, we're going to start with what might be your den.

In terms of size and space, would this work?

For me.

So you probably wouldn't get a look in here.

No. That's fine. Maybe there's something for me.

Yeah, yeah, come and follow me through here.

Good.

There, Diane. What do you think?

-This is great.

-Isn't it?

The thing that really struck me when I first came in here was the floor.

-Yeah.

-Where else do you get flags like that?

Absolutely.

It's like my grandmother's flagstone kitchen floor.

-Really?

-Yeah. Fantastic.

The kitchen had been extended to include a living and dining space

with doors out onto the garden.

With positive reactions from both parties to the ground floor,

Jules took Phil and Diane upstairs

to show them the four bright and crisp double bedrooms.

This is currently designated as the master.

Again, another lovely window, with the view of the village beyond.

-Will it work?

-I think it...

It's bigger than the one we've got at the moment, isn't it?

It certainly is.

Outside, the south-facing garden might not have stretched to pigs,

but there was a ready-made chicken enclosure.

So, let's get down to the basics.

Let's talk about the money. Go on, Phil.

What do you think this is on the market for?

I'm thinking just below 400,000.

Yeah? OK.

-435.

-435.

Well, this is 357,500.

Right.

-Good. Yeah?

-That ticks an awful lot of boxes then!

Doesn't it just? I thought it might.

Nearly £100,000 under budget,

the semidetached period property was great value,

considering it met most of their requirements.

The price is amazing.

So impressed with that.

There's quite a lot of house here for the price it's offered.

And plenty of scope in the back garden.

And the views are to die for. They're lovely.

The next property was in the village of Barrington

in the Blackdown Hills,

where Jules showed our couple a characterful 19th-century farmhouse,

built from brick and local hamstone.

Right, guys. Well, here's our second property for you

to feast your eyes on.

-What do you think?

-Very interesting.

And it has been renovated to a very high standard.

-Great.

-Make less work for me.

Ah! Don't think you've got off lightly, mate.

I've got plenty for you to do.

-Come on.

-All right.

Externally, the pretty farmhouse had clearly made an impression.

They started the tour with the main sitting room.

That's a wood burner.

That is a wood burner.

Pretty special.

And quite a kind of contemporary feel, all this, I think.

It's very, very nice, that.

-That feels nice.

-Yeah?

-Feels nice.

Now then, Diane, is this going to work for you?

Can you rustle something up in here?

I think I could.

-I think I could.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. Yeah.

-You're really excited, aren't you?

Yeah, I know. He is.

He's going like...

And I'm just going... Mm.

With excitement brimming on the ground floor,

they explored the upstairs,

where there were three bedrooms, including a large double,

a good sized single, along with a generous family bathroom.

There you are. Right next door to that huge bathroom, you've got this.

-Lovely window.

-Yeah.

Yeah. Sweet, isn't it?

-Got the window...

-Out to the road.

-Fireplace there.

-Yeah?

-I think you're out of a job, Phil!

No work to do.

Ah, no, I've got plenty of work for you to do, mate.

-You keep saying that.

-Yeah.

It's outside. Come on.

-I'll show you.

-Oh, right. Let's go.

Immediately to the rear,

there was a large paved patio and a formal lawned area.

There was also a vegetable patch,

lots of fruit trees for Diane's jams and chutneys,

and some outbuildings for former architect Phil

to turn into a potential den.

Plus a whole lot more.

You also get this paddock.

-No! No!

-THEY LAUGH

You know, if you want to go down the pig routes, or chickens or whatever,

you've got plenty of space out there.

-So... Come on then, Diane, make me an offer.

-Oh!

I think it's going to be about 550,000.

I'm going to be cheeky and say 465.

It's on the market for 479,500.

So, I hope you will accept my apologies

for showing you something that is over the budget.

Am I forgiven?

-Yes.

-OK.

Good. Oh, look. Aw!

DIANE SOBS

Go on. Go and have a look around.

I'll catch you later.

The second property had clearly pulled on the heartstrings,

despite being over budget.

However, it came with everything our buyers specified and then some.

This house was amazing.

Loved it. All the way through. Every room.

I'm just blown away and to still have those projects outside.

It's fantastic.

I can't believe you've found a house like this for us, so perfect.

Jules showed Diane and Phil two great properties,

one even brought a tear to Diane's eye.

But they still had the Mystery House to see, and this time,

it seemed right to give them a modern take on their house-hunt.

Our final house was located in the historic village

of Abbotsbury in Dorset.

Right on the outstanding Jurassic coastline.

The mystery property was a semidetached thatched cottage,

but looks can be deceiving.

Right then, Diane.

Come here, Phil.

-There's the Mystery House.

-Beautiful.

Now, I was a bit worried about this one

-because you did say, "We don't want chocolate box..."

-Yeah.

-"And we don't want new-build..."

-Mm.

-And this is both.

-This is both.

-Wow!

-Come on, let's go and have a look.

-Right.

Right. In you come...

Let's start in here.

How about that for a kitchen-diner?

Wow! Show me more.

Show me more! Right, follow me through here.

Now, just off the kitchen, we've got you a really nice utility room.

Same sort of spec as the kitchen.

-And then this.

-Amazing.

-Can you see yourself...

You know, Sunday morning, I'm thinking, Phil,

cup of coffee with the papers.

-Definite.

-Whatever the weather.

-Yeah.

-That's the way.

-Relaxed life.

-Anything for an easy life. Yeah.

The ground floor also had a large and pristine sitting-room.

Upstairs, there were three double bedrooms

with one taking in the view of the chapel at Abbotsbury.

Whilst the terraced garden had no room for pigs or chickens,

it was beautifully done.

-Now then...

-Oh, wow!

-That's the view.

-Yeah.

Let's have a think about the money.

I think it's got to be just slightly over our budget.

-I think 460.

-460.

-Diane?

-I think I'm going to say about 425.

It's on the market for offers around or in excess of 420.

Wow!

Comfortably under budget by £30,000,

the stunning new-build thatched property

had the visual appeal of an older one.

This was actually, for me, a great surprise.

I could see myself living here.

I think...

I think it's very comfortable.

I think it's an absolutely gorgeous environment around here.

Phil and Diane had seen a range of West Country properties.

The first house, the worker's cottage,

had given them value for money and a panoramic view.

The second, that 19th-century farmhouse,

was over budget, but had everything they asked for and more.

And then of course, our Mystery House,

the thatched new-build.

But which one did they go for in the end?

When the first two house tours go so well,

it's a good opportunity to show our house-hunters

something completely different.

Something they may not consider for themselves.

And that's often why the Mystery House comes out on top.

However, I think Phil and Diane had already made up their minds,

even with that financial barrier.

Yes, I'm pleased to say they bought our second property,

and I'm keen to see what they've done to it.

And it seems that Diane is making good use of the fruit trees

in the back garden.

DOORBELL RINGS

Hello, Nicki.

-Hi. Lovely to see you.

-Do come in.

-Phil.

-This is Phil. Do come in.

Thanks.

So this is the kitchen.

The heart of the home.

-Would that be fair?

-Indeed.

So if you buy a house,

and it doesn't need any work because it's to your taste,

that's a bit of a win-win, isn't it?

Am I right in thinking you haven't had to change this at all?

No, it's as it was.

Because we loved it so much.

In fact, most of the house is exactly as it was.

It's just our furniture and a bit of colour here and there.

Yeah. This is a great-sized kitchen.

Very social.

And I'm thinking of you with your jams and your chutneys.

Yes. Many an hour.

-Yeah.

-Many an hour.

-But it works, doesn't it?

-Yeah, absolutely.

No, we've done quite a bit of cooking in this, haven't we?

You have. Not me.

Well, you wash up, don't you?

-That's your job.

-The washing up. The washing up.

But Phil hasn't just been doing the dishes.

The former architect was keen to get his hands on a project

when they retired to the country.

And the disused outbuildings provided him with a blank canvas.

Yeah, come in. This is our barn.

Back in 2010, the property was over their budget,

so they sold their place in Spain

which allowed them to convert the barn into accommodation

for visiting family.

There we go.

Here you are.

This is a little gem, isn't it?

It wasn't like this when you first saw it!

-No.

-And you did this yourself.

-You designed it...

-Yes.

We did say that we were looking for a project and this is it.

-Yeah.

-And it's worked out quite well, don't you think?

This is beautiful.

We wanted to keep the open aspect

because the original permission

was for a whole solid first floor.

You both have done such a splendid job.

Any more plans?

We're hoping to go and have a meeting with the planners quite soon

because there's actually a carport there, quite a large carport.

Which actually would give us ground floor accommodation

and attach it to here, so that would be our forever home,

but we would also keep all the fields

and the outbuildings and sell the house.

Clever.

So you'd actually move into here.

Indeed.

Sounds like a sensible plan for the future.

They'll be able to enjoy their retirement

without any financial worries,

but I want to find out how the north Londoners have adjusted to life

in the peaceful village of Barrington

and where better than over a cuppa and some cake?

Oh, look at this beauty!

Is this what you both dreamt of?

Has it lived up to your expectations?

Yes. Certainly has.

It's a lovely village.

-We love it here.

-Yes.

We do.

We do. Even our daughter is now thinking of moving down from London,

so that would really be fabulous if that happens.

-So...

-How has it been?

Has it been welcoming?

Generally, it was welcoming from the word go.

We had the vicar came...

-Do you remember that?

-Yes.

One Saturday morning.

Actually, when we had a friend over, didn't we, for lunch?

And the doorbell rang and it was the vicar, introducing himself,

which we thought was lovely.

He was new to the parish as well.

-Was he?

-Yes.

Well, we're all here looking at this wonderful cake.

Why don't you cut me... Ahem. Not too small a slice.

And I've got a final question for the two of you.

So I'll pass you my plate.

Would you do anything differently?

Any regrets?

-For me, no.

-No?

I have thoroughly enjoyed the time since we came here.

Yes.

-I think you're a lot fitter as well, actually.

-Thanks.

Yes, I think I am, generally.

I think you are. I certainly have no regrets either,

and maybe we could have done it earlier,

so we would have been longer here.

But no, I think it's a great village

and we've got a pretty good life as well.

Yeah. Love it here.

Phil and Diane have immersed themselves in village life.

They both run a produce market once a month,

plus they're on the organising committee for the annual fete.

They've made many new friends

and I've been invited along to one of their lunchtime get-togethers.

Hello. I'm Nicki.

Lovely to see you.

Good, good.

Paul Jessop and Marion Lewis run a pottery workshop in the village,

and first met our buyers within weeks of them moving in.

And is this where you often meet up?

Just once or twice a week.

THEY LAUGH

What do you think it is, Marion, about this county?

What is the appeal?

I think not only the countryside and everything else that's around it,

but I just think the people are so friendly, so welcoming,

and it's almost like it's 15 years behind the times,

-so everything's so relaxed as well.

-In a good way.

-In a good way.

-Yeah.

-I felt at home straightaway, as soon as we moved to the village.

First day. For me, this was what I'd always wanted.

-Yeah.

-And just to have the wake up

and hear the tractors going past the house

and all the postman and the milkman.

We have got a proper milkman that delivers and this sort of thing.

I just love it. It's just the perfect way to be, I think.

Well, here's to life in the country.

-Yes.

-May it never change.

No.

And we won't tell too many people.

THEY LAUGH

-ALL:

-Cheers.

Cheers, my dears.

It's so satisfying to see

how Diane and Phil have found a country property

they've been able to future-proof

and a community where they've forged lasting friendships.

And I really admired Jonathan and Lynn balancing family life

and the full-on commitment of running a holiday-let business,

but it's clearly a resounding success.

So I hope both our couples inspire others

who are looking to make their Escape To The Country.

If you dream of escaping to the country in Wales, Scotland,

England or Northern Ireland, and would also like our help,

why not apply online, at...