Cornwall Escape to the Country

Today, I'm in a county home to this,

one of the best-preserved Tudor manor houses in the country,

and a place that the last five centuries seem to have passed by.

So which undisturbed corner of the country am I in?

Find out in just a moment.

Today we're under starter's orders to find dream pads with paddocks

for a couple wanting to gallop into the countryside.

And the competition is fierce.

-Pressure's on, Frank, isn't it? Up your game.

-Oh, boy.

We may even back a winner.

-This is what I've always wanted.

-This is it.

Today I'm in Cornwall, and this is Cotehele House,

home to the same family from 1485 to 1947.

Like many of us, they didn't get round to many home improvements.

But that's our gain, as what you see is an immaculately preserved medieval building,

just flaunting its history.

But what makes this place so special isn't just the ancient bricks and mortar.

The entire estate is on the east bank of the River Tamar,

whose valley forms a fertile border between Devon and Cornwall.

As you travel deeper into the Cornish county,

you'll find it's one that delights and inspires

at every twist and every turn.

Set in the extreme southwest corner of England,

Cornwall has a real sense of seclusion from the rest of the country,

sharing just one county border, with Devon.

Historically, Cornwall lays claim to a strong Celtic heritage

that developed when ancient Britons were pushed to the country's edges

by the invading Romans.

Mining was the main occupation of the Cornish people for centuries,

and the remains of its industrial past can be found across the landscape.

But Cornish riches aren't limited to those underground.

The lush, dramatic scenery is pounded by more than 300 miles of captivating coastline,

dotted with fishing villages tucked into the cliffs

and creating perfect locations for a once-infamous smuggling trade.

But the smugglers who once harried the coves are long gone,

leaving some five million tourists who come to enjoy this fascinating county every year.

For most of the UK, the property market kicks off in springtime.

But here in Cornwall, with the highest proportion of second homes in the UK, eight per cent,

things are quite different. In the autumn,

second homes flood onto the market,

their owners having spent one last holiday here before moving the house on.

Some are in prime locations, just like this.

So, as the leaves begin to fall,

now is a fantastic time to start a property search,

especially since house prices down here are just five per cent above the national average.

With that in mind, take a look at these fantastic properties currently on the market.

If you can stretch your budget to £599,000,

you can get your hands on this grand four-bedroom, 18th-century farmhouse in St Neot.

Or in the small hamlet of Lower Treween,

this listed four-bed cottage is on the market for £450,000.

Lastly, £250,000 is the price of the central terrace

of this two-bed barn conversion

in Ludgvan.

With Cornwall's enticing mix of stunning coast and inland scenery,

it's little wonder why few are able to resist its charms.

The county certainly has its hooks firmly in today's buyers.

After 14 years of marriage, Frank and Sue are desperate to break free

not from each other, but from

their busy town life in Christchurch, Dorset.

They're focused on finding some rural harmony in the Cornish countryside,

together with their dogs and two horses, Chad and Tear.

Now is a good time for us to move.

We're a rural couple struggling to cope in an urban environment.

I'm finding it difficult to split my time between the horses

and the dogs and my work.

We go to Cornwall four times a year and people remember you.

I've lived in Christchurch for 65 years and I can walk through the town on market day

and I don't see anybody I know.

So what's the missing element they're hoping to discover in Cornwall?

Our move is driven by our requirement for two acres of land

to keep our animals.

The horses are a few miles away from home

so we don't get to spend much time with them.

Chad is 32 years old now. He deserves a happy retirement.

No doubt land for the horses is a top priority,

but what about the house?

What we need from the house is a minimum of two bedrooms,

kitchen, bathroom, living room

and we wouldn't mind open-plan living.

I would like a barn conversion or a traditional cottage.

I wouldn't mind something more modern,

-but we are prepared to compromise.

-Yes.

We'd never buy a thatched property.

We're not looking for anything where there would be complete renovation.

We're prepared to do some work,

and we would like a property that has some outbuildings with potential.

Outbuildings would be a bonus, as they're hoping a change of scene will spark new opportunities.

When we move, I hope to set up my dog-grooming business again

and also provide a pet-sitting service for the locals.

We'd like to buy another horse

so that Frank can come out riding with me, and we'd like to walk the dogs together.

And I would like to do a bit more research into the possibility

of having alpacas.

With a host of four-legged friends to cater for,

will it be the house or the land that ranks the highest?

To me, the land is the most important,

and I realise we may have to make compromises due to our budget.

They've just accepted an offer of £275,000 on their current house.

So what is their final figure for freedom?

If the property ticks all our boxes we would pay up to £350,000.

So, Frank and Sue want to escape their urban coop for some free-range living,

not just for themselves but for their horses too.

I think it's a smart move leaving pricey Dorset for Cornwall,

especially if they're after some land.

And I'm happy to hear they're prepared to compromise,

as they seem to want an awful lot for a fairly limited budget of £350,000.

Let's see what we can find them.

Property prices in Cornwall are significantly cheaper inland.

So for the best chance of finding what our buyers want,

we're going to focus our search on the quiet villages inland,

from Launceston in the east to Truro in the west.

I'll be showing Frank and Sue round some great homes to suit them,

their horses and their hounds.

But I won't reveal the price

until they've had a chance to take everything in.

Finally, there's the mystery property, which will take them right out of their comfort zone.

Welcome to a misty morning in Cornwall.

So, a house with land...

We all want that, especially if we're going to make this big escape to the country.

But land comes at a premium when it's attached to a house.

What's the most important thing for you?

House, or the land for the horses?

Suitable land for the horses, because we can always do alterations to the house.

Oh, to be a horse! Horse lovers always put the horses first, don't they?

Yeah, you have to be dedicated.

You've been here many times. Have you got a favourite area?

Near Bodmin would be fine, or the Luxulyan Valley.

How far west can you go?

No further west than Truro.

-It starts to get a bit remote when you go further west than Truro.

-OK.

The first property's lined up. Let's take a look.

-Great.

-Lovely.

-Follow me.

For a top budget of £350,000,

we're on a hunt for a two-bedroom country property.

The jury's out on its style, as Sue likes modern and Frank prefers traditional.

But they're both agreed on a rural setting.

Room to house Sue's dog-grooming business would be a plus.

Land is the key factor as they need two acres for their horses.

I won't ask who wears the trousers,

but who's most likely to get excited in a house out of you two?

In the house it'll probably be me. Outside the house, it'll be Sue.

Right, OK.

He would like a nice kitchen.

-He does a lovely roast-beef dinner.

-Ooh!

We kick off our search in east Cornwall.

We're heading five miles northwest of Launceston

to the village of North Petherwin.

Surrounded by open country and fields with cattle grazing,

North Petherwin is a small village with a thatched pub and a grand parish church,

parts of which date back to the Norman period.

About three miles outside the village is our first property,

a late-Victorian cottage that lies on a quiet country lane.

I like the look. It's traditional. It looks up together.

Good. Up together sounds like something good.

-Yeah.

-Not a lot of work.

One thing I want to point out. This shows how rural the area is.

They sell their own eggs here.

They just have an honesty box.

-Good idea. We'd like to keep that up, wouldn't we?

-Yeah.

-Good.

-You have to keep some chickens.

-Yeah, that'd be good.

-Alpacas don't lay eggs.

-Well...

-No, that's true.

-Is that news to you?

-That's true.

-Let's look inside.

-OK.

In a wonderfully rural location,

this cottage was built in 1881,

with a modern extension added in the '90s.

Okey-doke, come right in.

So, living room first off.

A meeting of old and maybe new dimensions.

What do you think?

It's a good-size room.

Yes, spacious room

-and it's got the wood burner you've always wanted.

-That's right.

It's so old, this cottage is,

but you've got a good-size room in here.

It's a good-size room, I like it.

It's got this olde-worlde look about it

but it's nice and bright.

There's planning permission to knock down the storeroom

and build a large, single-storey extension,

very useful for Sue's dog-grooming business.

But next up is the most important room for Frank.

OK, now the kitchen, I'm hoping, will certainly be

big enough for you. Frank?

It's wonderful. I love the range and the island unit.

Four ovens. What are you going to cook on there?

More than I'm cooking now.

-Pressure's on, Frank, isn't it? Up your game.

-Oh, boy.

One reason there's so much space in here

is because you've got a utility, so all the white goods are out of the way,

which is a real bonus.

It's bigger than what we've got. This could work for me.

As we walk through, we're coming back to the future.

That was built in 1881, this is 1995.

This next bit is 2007. Follow me.

It's very nice, isn't it?

Nice south-facing position.

-A real addition to a house, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It'll be nice to have all our friends round.

-Brilliant.

It's great to see Sue and Frank picturing themselves living here.

Let's see if they'll be at home on the first floor.

Upstairs, the bright, modern family bathroom serves two of the bedrooms -

a single room and a perfectly pink-decorated double room.

This is the master bedroom.

Initially it doesn't seem as big because downstairs is bigger.

Yeah. Plenty of room in here, though.

-Good enough for a double bed.

-Yeah, and I notice

-it's got the en-suite bathroom.

-Nice view out the window of the countryside.

All very positive.

-So... so far...

-So good, yeah.

I like it. I can see ourselves in here.

I'd have no problem living here.

So, a resounding thumbs-up for the property.

But Sue's focus is the land, so let's see if it's up to scratch.

The extensive back garden is mostly laid to lawn,

with a vegetable patch, a chicken coop and an original stone piggery.

As for the horses, will two tree-lined paddocks surrounded by fields be suitable?

-What do we think?

-Wonderful.

-Do we?

-Yeah. I love the way it slopes away from you,

because the horses will hang around by the gate waiting for their food.

It's best if it drains away, or they trash the ground

and end up up to the knees in mud, so I like that about it.

You've got, all in all, a plot size of around two-and-a-half acres.

-It goes right down... See the tree line?

-Yes.

-Right down to the bottom of those trees.

-Oh.

-Wow.

We've had pretty good reactions all round the house,

and now outside on the land.

-Yeah.

-Yes. We've definitely got a good feel for it.

I'm getting good vibes from both of you guys.

-Let's have a go at guessing the price.

-Oh.

How much do you think this house is on the market for, Sue?

355,000.

-OK.

-I'll go more than that.

I think it's going to be about 380.

Well, it's split the camp.

When this property came on the market, it came on at 385.

But it's now been reduced to offers around £365,000.

-So in your haggle zone if you like.

-It's certainly worth considering.

I wouldn't mind having a second viewing.

There we go, then.

-That's promising, isn't it?

-It's a good start.

-Yeah.

-First property, big tick.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Just over budget at £365,000,

this residential small holding has got us off to a great start,

comprising of a late-19th-century 3-bed cottage

with a large kitchen/breakfast room.

Outside, the grounds cover some 2.5 acres with two paddocks,

which makes one apiece for the horses.

-The dogs could have a good run.

-Yeah, it's all nicely enclosed.

They could be out here all day with us.

I thought it was lovely. I liked the location.

I need to do some homework,

find out what sort of off-road riding there is around here

and then maybe give it a second viewing.

My favourite bit of the house was the kitchen. Could I do some baking!

-Are these satisfied faces I see?

-Pleasantly surprised.

-Good, as I am with your reactions. Shall we go?

-Yeah.

With its breathtaking coastline and stunning scenery,

Cornwall attracts four million tourists every year.

But away from the delights of the surf and turf,

this county was once home to a much tougher industry, mining,

providing the majority of the country's tin and copper.

During the week, Frank and Sue headed to Carclaze Mine

near St Austell,

once the largest open tin mine in the world.

Mining expert Ivor Bowditch was on hand to tell them more

about the wealth beneath the soil.

We know over the long history of concentrated mining,

probably somewhere in the order of 200 years,

some thousands of tons were produced.

The sheer value of the mined material, at today's value, half a billion pounds,

that's a lot of money's worth of metal.

What were the working conditions like for the miners?

Extremely poor by today's standards.

The mines were dangerous, very damp.

The workers worked long hours

with little light.

The average life

of a miner was pretty grim.

You didn't get much past your mid-30s in the early days.

By the mid-19th century, cheaper ores from abroad

sent Cornish metal mines into massive decline.

However, Carclaze was found to contain huge quantities of China clay,

so from the 1860s, clay mining took over as the area's principal industry.

By 1860, 65,000 tons of white clay were being mined each year.

The village and port of Charlestown in St Austell Bay was purpose-built

to serve the new thriving industry,

exporting the product throughout the world.

-What is China clay used for?

-50 per cent goes into paper,

30 per cent to our oldest industry, ceramics,

everything from fine porcelain to industrial applications,

and the rest into products like paint, rubber, plastics, sealants, adhesives, medicines.

Every day we probably either touch something or take something that contains China clay.

White clay was first used in China more than 10,000 years ago

to make fine porcelain, which was highly sought-after in Europe.

So the Cornish discovery in the mid-1700s of a similar clay product

by the Quaker pharmacist William Cookworthy

was a real breakthrough for the county economy.

Remarkably, Charlestown has largely escaped development,

and remains a working port

with tall ships regularly at anchor in the Grade-II-listed harbour.

And as one of the most preserved places on the Cornish coast,

visitors can transport themselves back in time

a couple of hundred years.

For our next house,

we're travelling to Roche in the centre of the county.

The village gets its name from Roche Rock, a granite outcrop

featuring the ruins of a 15th-century chapel precariously perched on top.

Roche also has a parish church with medieval tower.

But it's the neighbouring Goss Moor National Nature Reserve that should excite our buyers,

covering nearly 500 hectares of mostly flat moorland,

ideal for horseriding.

The property is part of an agricultural community,

and is rurally situated on the outskirts of the village.

I think from this garden, you get a better look at the house,

and how quite attractive it is, as well.

-Wow, it's really nice.

-Yes. It looks sort of

as if it's fairly modern, built in a traditional style.

I hope it will please you both.

I like the granite lintels over the windows.

Well, the majority of the house is some 300-odd years old.

But it's been vastly modernized and extended

to what you see today.

So you get your old cottage, and you get your modern interiors.

Let's go inside, come on.

Right, first things first.

This house is obviously unfurnished, it's empty,

-so I'll need you to use your imaginations when we walk around here.

-OK.

Our first room we come to is a little ante-room or snug.

You've got an open fireplace there,

which leads into a much bigger room just through here.

-Oh, I like this.

-Is this the lounge?

-If you want it to be, yeah.

-Then that could be the dining room.

-OK, that works, doesn't it?

-Either way, yeah.

-I think we could cope quite well in here.

-Yeah, yeah.

It seems to have a homely feel.

That's good, because it's difficult to put that into someone's mind in an empty property.

But you're feeling a vibe here.

Yeah. It's a tidy-looking place, yet it's olde-worlde as well.

Great stuff. Let's see what you make of the kitchen, through here.

You've got a utility room through there and a ground-floor bathroom next door. Now Frank,

this is your domain. What do you think?

I like it. It's a lovely kitchen. Not as big as the last one we saw,

but it's workable.

I could even get Sue interested in doing the washing-up,

because she's always wanted to see the horses out the kitchen window, and what better view could she get?

-You could feed them a carrot over the sink.

-Certainly could.

You get a very different style to this house.

-It feels connected with the outside a bit more, doesn't it?

-Yes.

Is there anything in this house on the downstairs that you'd like to see that you haven't yet seen?

Somewhere you can kick off your boots and hang your coat.

-You want that in the country.

-Yeah.

-You've got a boot room there.

Stable door, another part of the extension.

It's got heating, so you get your muddy boots off there,

into the rest of the house.

That wraps up the ground floor and I think we're hitting all the right notes.

In the corner of the lounge, the stairs lead up to the sleeping quarters,

where there are two light double rooms, one with built-in wardrobes

and down the landing is the third bedroom.

So the master bedroom, like the first property, is en-suite.

-That's rather nice, isn't it?

-Mm.

Nice bright room.

I'm just visualizing our pine furniture here.

Pine would certainly go with this home.

What does that smirk mean?

I... I just like the place, that it's all up together.

We could spend time outside. We could be straight in.

That's one happy customer mentally packing his bags to move in.

Which just leaves Sue, and I've got the perfect place for pet pampering,

back outside in the garden.

Just want to have a quick peek in here.

It's laid out as an office at the moment.

-Dogs?

-Yeah, this would make a superb dog-grooming workshop.

Which means you don't have to encroach on your own living space.

With the pooches sorted, it's just the horses left,

and they'll be well catered for here,

as this place comes with its own stable yard.

There are three timber stables and a feed store,

alongside three hedged and fenced paddocks, as well as two field shelters.

Now I'm hoping for both of you, this is your equestrian dream.

-I mean, look around.

-Yeah.

-This is what I've always wanted.

-This is it.

It's fantastic.

-Just under two acres this time.

-Mm-hm.

But maybe slightly better configured.

Yes, I...

-That's our compromise.

-Yeah.

I think we could manage it if we made use of the stables.

After seeing the first property,

how much would you like to pay for this one?

360,000.

-Frank?

-Bit lower than that, 340.

It's on the market for 350.

So you're there or thereabouts. What do you think?

Pretty good. We might need a second viewing.

That's two second viewings.

-Excellent.

-I could really feel at home here.

-Yeah.

Have a think about

not only the land, but what you could do with these stables and how you could make it work.

Catch you later on.

Bang on budget at £350,000,

our second offering is right on the money when it comes to Sue and Frank's wish list.

The delightful 3-bedroom house offers modern living

packaged up in a traditional building.

The grounds extend to just under two acres,

and include three paddocks and a stable yard.

I thought it was lovely. It looked like a nice, bright, cheerful little house.

I can imagine all our bits and pieces all around. It really felt like home.

I can see myself living in this house.

All we would have to do is bring our furniture and personal possessions,

and I know exactly where they would go.

I think the land here is perfectly adequate.

Not as much of it as the first place.

But it's got some lovely stables and it's got two shelters.

So...

-You're the one who's going to have to deal with it. I do the cooking.

-Yeah.

-Here they are. All done in there?

-Yes, thank you.

So, successful day?

Yes. It's got better as the day's gone on, and it started well.

It feels like it's gone pretty well. I'm quite chuffed.

Let's get out of here and find somewhere for a chat.

With the moon rising over the Cornish landscape,

the first day of our house quest ends on a real high.

On a budget of £350,000,

we're on a hunt for a remote Cornish home

to unite Dorset-based Frank and Sue with their two horses.

So far, they've seen two great equestrian properties.

Pretty good. We might need a second viewing.

That's two second viewings.

Still to come, we'll be sweetening them up with the mystery house.

I can just tap on the window and get him to bring my hot chocolate up.

You may have noticed yesterday

that although Frank and Sue said it was the land that was important, not the houses,

once inside, I got some fantastic reactions, especially in the second property.

They used their imagination, even though the house was completely empty.

So today, let's hope they're equally open-minded,

because they'll need to be, for the mystery house.

Do we have to keep our eyes closed?

-I know my way around here well.

-Do you?

-Tell me when you're out of your comfort zone.

-We've got a way to go to Truro.

We've got plenty of petrol in the tank, so wait and see.

I hope Frank and Sue are sitting comfortably,

as we're travelling into southern Cornwall,

where our final destination is Carn Entral,

quite a bit further west than they had anticipated.

Our mystery house presents a slice of rural Cornwall at its best,

with green, rolling hills in one direction

and incredible, far-reaching views out to the north coast

and St Ives in the other.

Carn Entral is home to some of the best bridal ways in the county,

and for the ultimate Cornish trek, Gwithian Beach is nearby,

with miles of golden sand to ride on.

So far we've found enough land for the horses, but not Frank's alpacas,

so we're hoping that heading out west will offer the solution.

And the house itself is an old Victorian miner's cottage.

What are your thoughts?

-I like the look of that.

-It looks good from outside.

Is it all up together, Frank?

It looks good from here.

-Can't wait to see the inside.

-Let's do just that.

This typical Cornish cottage is chock-full of character,

and dates back to the late 1800s.

We're starting the tour in the kitchen.

Quite a different kind of kitchen than we've seen so far.

Yeah, I like it, actually. It's quite quirky, isn't it?

We are standing in what used to be the outside of the house.

So there is the old outside wall, you can see the old window.

-It's stone. High ceilings, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It is different. All very workable.

-Yeah.

But we're not using superlatives

for this kitchen at the moment.

What do you think, Sue? What's going through your mind?

I quite like it, actually. It's erm...

It's got plenty of storage space. and everything, and erm...

It's quite a pretty little kitchen.

All right. This is a muted start, I think.

Let's see what you think of the living room.

Hopefully things will get better there. Follow me.

The living room, by the looks of it, used to be maybe two rooms.

What's your thoughts?

-It's lovely.

-It's lovely, this.

-Yeah.

-Spacious.

-I like the stone walls and the beams.

-Yeah.

-All done very tastefully.

-Feels solid this house, doesn't it?

-Look at these walls!

-Stand for 1,000 years.

-Really impressive, isn't it?

-Yeah, oh, gosh.

It's lovely, very homely-looking.

Next to the sitting room is a cosy conservatory overlooking the back garden and water feature.

The ground floor also has a second reception room,

referred to as the third bedroom, as well as a handsome navy-tiled family bathroom.

That's the ground floor, so it's back to the kitchen

to take the stairs up to the other two bedrooms.

So up on the first floor, they've cleverly used the eaves for the dog's bedroom.

Oh, that's clever.

Two bedrooms on this level. This is the master.

-Nice, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's really nice, actually.

Nice cosy little room.

-I like the exposed stone.

-Yeah.

It feels quirky. For a bog-standard miner's cottage, what they've done,

I like the storage space, almost like a minstrel gallery,

and the window into the kitchen. Shout your orders through, Sue.

Yeah, I can just tap on the window

and get him to bring my hot chocolate up.

There you go.

Across the hallway is another characterful double bedroom.

That's the house tour complete. Time to size up what's outside.

You've got a selection of outbuildings.

I don't know how you like to arrange these.

You've got a decent-size stable, a lean-to

and you've got that shed, so you tell me

what you'd use those for.

I'd use that as the dog-grooming workshop.

-Would it be big enough?

-Yeah, it would.

It doesn't have to be that big.

That takes care of business. Let's finish up with the land.

Now you've got a whole arrangement of paddocks here

looking down over this valley, if you like.

We've got a paddock across the driveway, a paddock here which is yours.

Next door as well, but also going up, and it flattens out up there.

Now the owner has something like four horses,

-so easy enough for two.

-Yeah.

Or maybe alpacas. They could cope with this terrain.

They're used to a bit of mountain climbing.

Yes, quite.

What's your thoughts?

Erm... It's a nice lot of land. Erm...

But it's quite steep.

I'm worried my 32-year-old might go for a roll

and go rolling right down the hill.

These horses here are getting on a bit as well.

It's flatter up there, but that's something to bear in mind, of course.

But you do have just under four acres of land here.

Yeah. That's a useful amount of ground.

You can certainly rest some of it and use other bits of it.

-You'd rotate these paddocks.

-Yeah.

So, with that in mind, the just under four acres of land,

and the character property,

how much do you think this mystery house might be on the market for?

355,000.

-OK. Frank?

-I'll go a bit lower at 345.

HE SUCKS HIS TEETH

Right. Well...

You maybe haven't taken into account the price of land.

This place is on the market for offers around £385,000.

Go and walk the land, look at the quality of the keep here

and the terrain, and when you get back in the house, look at the rooms you've not seen.

Catch you in a bit.

Not the reactions we had in the first two properties.

But it's a different option with more land.

I'm glad they saw it.

At £385,000,

the mystery property is a stone-built Victorian miner's cottage

with three potential bedrooms and space for Sue's business.

Plus there's space for the horses and Frank's alpaca enterprise with grounds that cover four acres.

But will the land here be too much of an uphill struggle?

It's all right for alpacas, but we've got to think about the horses.

We need somewhere where they're gonna see their days out.

Yeah.

I wasn't particularly keen on the view,

but the house itself is lovely, it's full of character.

If I could pick this house up and plonk it somewhere else, it would be perfect.

The location, I feel, is too far west.

The property is beautifully presented.

The living room is exceptional.

The kitchen is very quirky,

and it would have been nice to have had an en-suite upstairs.

So, have we seen enough?

-Yes, I think we have.

-Good.

Now you need to have a chat amongst yourselves.

-Then we can have a recap.

-Fine.

-This way.

We've given Frank and Sue time to weigh up their options.

Now it's time to find out if we've struck gold.

Let's concentrate on these houses.

The first property we went to see.

What do you remember about it?

I noticed it had a lovely sunny aspect.

Fantastic kitchen.

Lovely view.

-There was also a project element to it.

-Yeah.

-You had the ability to build on to the gable end for your dog business.

-Yes.

How did you find the layout to the land there?

The paddocks were nice. The only thing against it was

-that you couldn't see the horses from the house.

-OK. Fair enough.

So the second property, completely empty,

you had to use your imaginations. What's your thoughts now there?

I like going into an empty property because straightaway I could

see where to put our furniture. It looked like home to me.

A very tidy house,

well maintained.

Lots of extra things that we hadn't even asked for,

like the stable block and the shelters,

and the wonderful office workshop for the dog grooming.

Yep. And also,

you just mentioned the first house, you couldn't see your horses on the land.

The second house, you could wash up while having a conversation with them.

It was Sue's dream of moving to the country

to be at the kitchen window and see the horses with their heads over the paddock fence.

And well,

-that did it.

-Pretty close to the dream, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So because we'd got so close to the dream,

the mystery house was to find something completely different.

And we thought that something different would be an area

way outside your target area.

-You didn't want to be further west than...

-Truro.

What do you think about it now we've come back to base?

I really liked the house.

The lounge was absolutely gorgeous.

It had been so tastefully decorated.

A really beautiful place.

But I wasn't so keen on the view.

The paddocks I didn't think were ideal for our two old horses.

They were very steep. The property was wonderfully presented,

but there was something that didn't do it for me.

So out of all three houses that we've seen,

have you agreed on a favourite?

-Yes.

-Yes. Straightaway, yes.

-The one at Roche, the second one.

-Number two.

-Yeah.

-No big surprise there.

-We've compromised, because

it hasn't got as much land as we originally wanted.

But I think Sue

thinks she can manage that well for her horses.

Yeah. With the stables, if I make use of the stables,

I'll be able to manage.

Between you you've got a great balance of head versus heart.

I'm sure you'll find some middle ground. The best of luck.

-Please let us know how you've got on.

-We will.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

After trying to escape to Cornwall for so long,

Frank and Sue may well have finally found what they were looking for.

The second property does give them exactly what they asked for -

a great house with a wonderful kitchen for Frank,

and all that land for the horses.

So fingers crossed the second viewing goes according to plan. See you next time.

It was property two that worked its magic on our buyers.

They had a second viewing and put in an offer of £330,000,

and I'm thrilled to say it's been accepted.

So we wish them and their horses all the best

for their new life in the Cornish countryside.

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