Somerset Escape to the Country

What have a cat, a parson,

the devil and sunbathing all got in common?

I'll give you a clue,

they all have something to do with this prehistoric bridge behind me,

which is located in a county,

sometimes referred to as the "Land of Summer".

No idea?

Well, I'm not surprised

but I promise to reveal all in just a few moments.

On today's show, I'm house-hunting with an exacting expatriate couple

in search of a Great British retreat

and initially, they seem difficult to please.

Being very direct about it,

we wouldn't have even selected to come and see this place. No.

But in the end, it looks like the Mystery House works its magic.

At the moment, you sound like you're coming on board on this property.

It's lovely. So far, so good.

Great. Yeah, really like it.

Today, I'm in Somerset

and this prehistoric clapper bridge is known as the Tarr Steps.

Now, legend has it that the devil himself built this

and then duly claimed of all things, sunbathing rights over it

and promised to kill anybody that tried to use it.

Now the locals - obviously worried at this prospect -

convinced a stray cat to cross, which was duly vaporised,

closely followed by a rather brave parson

who managed to convince the devil to allow the locals to cross,

unless of course, the devil fancied sunbathing himself.

And on a day like today, with those clouds clearing,

I'd better make haste.

Somerset is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north

and Dorset and Devon to the south.

With just the two cities of Bath and Wells,

and a handful of towns within its border,

Somerset is primarily a rural county

featuring a stunning selection of landscapes,

including the undulating uplands of the Mendips,

the Quantocks and the Blackdown Hills,

the uncultivated highland of Exmoor

and the large, flat plains of the Somerset Levels.

Agriculture is a major business here,

particularly the farming of sheep for wool

and diary cattle for Somerset's renowned cheeses,

such as Exmoor Blue and, of course, cheddar.

Now, it wasn't so long ago that Somerset was deemed as rural,

when in fact it's as remote a county as one could get,

due in no small part to its... let's say, challenging access.

In truth, 20 years ago

the roads and rail links round here weren't that great,

but the more accessible the county has become,

the more popular it's proved with house buyers.

Now whilst Somerset is still cheaper

than its neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset,

the average price of a detached house here is still ?268,000.

That's ?12,000 above the national figure.

So, with that in mind, take a look at a selection of properties

that we've found currently on the market here.

This three-bedroom whitewashed stone cottage in Spaxton

could be yours for ?225,000.

It's packed with charm and original features,

including an inglenook fireplace and traditional beamed ceiling.

Outside there's a pretty garden with a cobbled patio.

?435,000 could buy you

this four-bedroom Grade II-listed barn conversion in Stawley.

Tastefully modernised, it maintains touches of country character

with a wood burner set within a brick fireplace.

The property comes with just over an acre of land, including an orchard.

And if your pockets are deep enough,

you could splash out on this four-bedroom medieval farmhouse

in Monksilver.

On the market at ?750,000,

it maintains the original beams throughout

and offers seven acres of attractive lawns and paddocks.

Some great Somerset properties there with three more coming up,

one of which, of course, is the Mystery House.

First off, let's meet today's buyers

who are looking to escape to the country,

although in their case, they need to escape FROM ONE first.

Expat Gerry's about to retire from his job as a manager

with an international drinks company in Bern, Switzerland,

where he, his wife Beverly and their two children

have lived for the past 12 years.

With a son at university in the UK

and daughter set to attend a school in Taunton,

they're planning a return to Britain.

But with no house to call home yet,

they're staying at this Somerset hotel.

We've decided to move now cos it fits the whole family framework

in terms of children and education.

'So, son to university and daughter to school in England.'

'We didn't anticipate being there for so long'

and so the time is just right now.

We've enjoyed it, certainly,

but 12 years and now we're ready to come home.

So, there's no place like home for Gerry and Beverly

and for them, Somerset is the place that has it all.

We'd like to move back to the West Country,

one - because of schooling for the family

and two - because we have quite a lot of friends

living down in this area

and Somerset's just a beautiful county.

And once back on British soil,

they're keen to experience all that countryside life has to offer.

We're most looking forward to coming back to the UK

so that we can live back in a village location

that has all the facilities like a pub.

I'd like to play some golf.

I'm also hoping that I might be able to start a small business.

I'm really interested in...

visiting antiques and maybe renovating some furniture.

That's what I'd like to do.

I love watching sport so rugby's a great hobby of mine.

I like golf.

I currently play in a band in Bern,

so I'm going to try and cultivate that interest in the local village

and just, you know, do some parties or whatever, so that's fun.

Well, that's a big list of different activities to keep them busy

and the wish list for their new property is equally as long.

A detached, period character house.

Four bedrooms, master en-suite, big country kitchen.

Nice stone-flagged floors, a lounge with an open fireplace.

Well-cultivated garden.

Yeah, and maybe possibly an annexe room for Gerry's music

or somewhere I can work from.

Their property in Switzerland is already sold

so they can move quickly and have all the finances in place.

Our budget is up to ?650,000

but for that, we'd want it to tick all of the boxes

in terms of our priorities, but we're happy to spend less.

Well, it's great news

that Beverly and Gerry have sold their house over in Switzerland

but likewise,

that certainly piles the pressure on us to find them a home and quickly.

Now, ?650,000 to find a four-bedroom detached property here in Somerset

sounds fairly straightforward

but I get the impression that today's buyers will be...

discerning, to say the least.

Gerry and Beverly would like us to concentrate our search

within 20 miles of the Taunton area of Somerset,

within easy reach of their daughter's boarding school.

We've found three stunning properties to tempt them with

and they'll have to guess the price of each before I reveal it.

The final property is our Mystery House,

which I think is one that will really push our buyers to the limit.

Good morning. BOTH: Good morning.

How are we? Fine, thank you.

Very different to the Swiss Alps, isn't it? Very much so.

We have a nice house that has Emmental in the foreground,

and Alps in the back,

so we get a combination of both.

That sounds like a wonderful landscape,

and a beautiful vista you wake up to each morning

that you're going to miss?

Yeah, absolutely.

That's one of the priorities in our checklist, that it must have a view.

A little birdie told me you've already looked

at a few houses over here?

Correct.

We think about 12. Roughly.

That's no small figure.

And, I have a selection of some of the houses you've looked at.

Some of these look lovely.

They are. What's been wrong with them, then?

You talked about our view of the Alps.

Yes.

What we got used to in Switzerland were two things.

A great view. The other thing is we want a traditional kind of house.

Typically, listed buildings have small windows.

We want a lot of light.

OK. I have a fair idea of what you're looking for.

We have ?650,000 to spend.

But we need to get that done quickly,

and find you a house.

I am slightly nervous.

Don't be. Really? Be kind.

Let's find out if I should be nervous. Thank you very much.

'For a maximum budget of ?650,000,

'there's quite a substantial wish list.

'They'd like a character property, with period features,

'such as flagstones and open fire.

'Four bedrooms, one with an en-suite,

'a large, traditional kitchen/diner,

'and annexe, or study room,

'and a well-cultivated garden,

'with countryside views.'

'We've travelled around 20 miles from Taunton to Meare.

'The nearest amenities, such as a church, pub,

'and shops, including a farm shop,

'can be found in the nearby village of Wedmore.

'Our first property is a former gatekeeper's house,

'which dates back to 1670.'

Beverly and Gerry.

Property number one.

Let's start from what I'd say is the weakest part of this house,

which is this road.

Yes. I'm really pushing my luck with this one, I appreciate.

What do you think of how the house looks?

It's beautiful stone. It looks very nice.

It looks like Gerry was taught if he hasn't anything nice to say,

say nothing at all?

Being very direct about it,

we wouldn't have selected to come and see this place,

because of the location.

I wouldn't bother going inside this house.

Right. It's a beautiful house.

It's someone's home. We respect that. It clearly won't be your home.

But, there might be other things where you can tell me,

"This is something else we're looking for",

or, "This is another thing we can't have on our home".

I think we should have a look, and we can cover those points.

OK.

'With the downside of this property well and truly considered,

'I'm hoping the charming interior might encourage them

'to give this house another chance.'

Just mind your step down here. Thanks.

Hopefully, the ceiling height's OK.

What are your thoughts?

It's a nice, light, bright room.

It has flagstone floors, which are really nice

and an open fire.

So, yeah, it's good.

And, the nice recessed windows.

It looks very nice.

If this was your main reception, would it be big enough?

As a living room, it's big enough, for sure.

Our furniture would fit in.

I think this will be a fairly brief house tour, so follow me. Fine.

You have a good-sized kitchen,

with a lower ceiling.

What about the ceiling height for you, Gerry?

Acceptable. But, the other thing I didn't mention is that,

medically, I'm claustrophobic.

Are you? Yes.

So, small rooms, dark rooms don't have a positive effect.

No, I bet. Which explains why you are keenly interested

how bright and light a house is inside, as well.

You wouldn't be comfortable in this ceiling height? No.

'With Gerry's claustrophobia to add to our list of property challenges,

'let's move swiftly on to the living space.'

The other reception room.

For me, a much more lived-in, cosy feel.

The fireplace is lovely, it's a feature.

It feels nice and light.

That kind of feature, there, is great.

The wood-burning stove.

And the exposed stone, as well.

It's really very nice.

'With lovely period features high on their shopping list

'going down well, I'll see if I can keep up the momentum upstairs,

in the largest of the bedrooms.'

I reckon this would be the master bedroom.

Would it be big enough, furniture-wise, for you guys?

Yes, I think so,

It's a decent-sized room.

This house has

six bedrooms on this level.

There are two bathrooms. I know you asked for an en-suite.

One of the bathrooms is next door.

You'd easily be able to go through here, to make this en suite.

Then you still have a separate bathroom.

You also have an annexe for this property on the ground floor,

which is one bed, with a shower room.

I thought that would maybe become your music room,

or somewhere you could concentrate on your business.

That works fine, doesn't it? OK.

'There are muted responses to what I think is a very nice property.

'Let's see if I can convince them of its merits, by showing them

'the attractively-landscaped grounds outside.'

The walled garden is a nice feature.

You also have nice little dining spaces,

a little place to come and sit.

There's lots of good features here.

Personally, I'd like it to be slightly larger.

But, given this in another location,

it's really nice.

OK. How much do you think this house is on the market for?

I think about ?595,000.

I'd say ?560,000.

OK. It's just come on the market at offers around ?630,000.

Have a good look around the whole property,

because you can't know too much about a property market,

and what's available at what price.

'Within budget, at ?630,000,

'this attractive, characterful property has a great deal

'of what they're looking for.

'There's a big, bright kitchen/diner.

'Six bedrooms. Enough space for the kids, and friends.

'Period features throughout, an annexe,

'and a beautifully-manicured garden.'

I was extremely disappointed when I first saw this house.

But, once you quieten down, you need to give it a chance.

The fact that it's traditional is nice.

It has a number of features which are good.

The house is very pretty.

Take this house, and put it in a different location,

I think we would really love it.

Let's chalk this one down to experience,

and hope we fare better with the second property.

OK, great. Thanks a lot.

Residents of Switzerland for the past 12 years,

it's been a long time since Gerry and Beverly

spent time in rural Britain.

We arranged a very British day out

in the heart of Somerset's beautiful countryside.

One of the most relaxing ways to see the area is by train.

The West Somerset Railway

is one of the busiest heritage lines in the UK.

Steam trains run regularly along a 20-mile route,

from Bishop's Lydeard to Minehead.

Our buyers are meeting general manager, Paul Conibeare,

who'll give them a look behind the scenes.

Right, guys, welcome to our traditional

Great Western Railway signal box which has been restored here

and now operates the trains that you'll be travelling on today.

The red levers are for the signals, the black levers are for the points,

the blue levers are for the bolts and the white ones are spares.

We are capturing the days when service was good,

you'll hopefully have a nice experience

and it encourages you to travel on the rail network.

Originally built as a country branch line,

the West Somerset Railway was closed in 1971 as part of government cuts

following a report by Dr Richard Beeching, the railway's chairman.

It finally reopened in 1976 and now runs ten locomotives -

the oldest dating back to the 1920s

and 30 carriages which date back to the '60s.

And how many departures on a day like this would you handle?

Now we're getting up to our peak service, we've got eight a day,

which is quite a lot for a country branch line. Yeah.

So there'll be three steam locomotives and a diesel train

running around today.

So what is the most popular stop?

Watchet is by far our most popular station. It's a harbour town,

so a lot of people get off, have a wander around,

look at the boats, have an ice cream and a cream tea on the seafront.

A popular local attraction,

the railway carries around 200,000 passengers a year.

Of the ten stops along the route,

the first four are within sight of the Quantock Hills

and the remaining six run through the stunning scenery

of the Somerset coast.

OK, guys, thank you for travelling on the West Somerset Railway,

have good time and good luck with the house-hunting.

Thank you very much. Goodbye. Goodbye.

Well, it's the end of the line for our buyers' railway journey,

but now it's time for them to get back on track with our house hunt.

We're travelling nine miles south-west of

the coastal resort of Minehead to Wheddon Cross,

which is still within 20 miles of Taunton.

It's one of the higher villages within the Exmoor National Park,

at 299 metres above sea level

and has plenty of amenities including a local pub

and even an antiques shop, which should please Beverley.

Our second property is a former mill house

dating back to the 1800s.

So, property number two,

there's a distinct lack of public highway nearby.

What do we think? It's beautiful, beautiful - I like it very much.

It's a lovely spot. All you can hear is the gurgling of the stream.

Certainly, from the outside it looks beautiful. Definitely.

I'd say yes to that. I'd just like to have a look inside.

'We're off to a flying start with this house,

'and I hope they're as taken with it

'once they step through the front door.'

So then, the first room, I think, certainly feels like

a bit of a later addition, a lean-to, but a nice, light room.

It is. Very nice, very bright, nice size.

A nice feel about it. Good.

Good entrance. It pours out wonderfully onto the garden there.

I didn't notice that, yes, that's lovely.

It looks like a bit of a stove over there. Yes.

Whether it's a working stove... It is a working stove, yes.

Must be, yes.

'We've already given them some of the period features

'they're after here, so let's see if we can

'build on that in the kitchen.'

Ah! Much more of a farmhouse-style kitchen I think, this time.

Absolutely. Yes, very nice. It's workable.

It's actually comfortable and cosy, somewhere to eat.

But it's not as big a kitchen as we'd envisaged. OK.

In terms of an ideal kitchen, which is the big country kitchen

with a central preparation area as well as a sitting area.

It's not a huge kitchen,

and if you had the idea of this huge central island,

and what have you, then...

This is an old mill, so done up,

it's more likely to look like an old farmhouse kitchen,

rather than something more contemporary.

I think they've made pretty good use of the space they've got.

Yes, good, comfortable. Excellent.

Very nice. Gerry, happy? Yeah. Happy-ish. Happy-ish!

It takes a lot to make me happy! I'm getting that impression! No!

'Well, I hope we can make Gerry happy with our next reception room.'

Now, then... Ah.

What are we thinking? Feels a little bit enclosed.

Yes, not quite as light as all the other rooms, I think.

I think this window is great. This is for the cosy nights in, isn't it?

And with that wonderful fireplace roaring away, yes. Yes.

OK. Yes, very nice fireplace. Good.

Right, let's go and take a peek at one of the bedrooms.

OK, right, thanks.

Upstairs, there are a total of three generously-sized bedrooms,

which should all be light enough to suit Gerry,

along with the family bathroom, plus, on the floor above,

there's another bedroom which could work as a music room or a study.

Time to find out what they think of the bedroom

that could be perfect for them, as it has its own en-suite.

This, I think is the master at the moment, simply because

you've got an en-suite, so do you want to poke your heads in there?

OK. Just behind you.

Oh, right, good. That's nice.

Size-wise...

It's a reasonable size for a bedroom, so I think that works.

For me, it's quite compact. Yeah.

Therefore, if there is a larger bedroom,

we may decide to use that as the number one room,

but certainly as a number two bedroom, or a guest bedroom,

it works extremely well. Great.

'With the bedroom surviving the Gerry test - just -

'it's time to head outside where there's a lot to see.

'As well as the boiler house and the manicured lawn, there's almost

'an acre and a half of paddocks currently used for grazing sheep.

'There's also an old stable which could be perfect for Beverley

'to fulfil her dream of restoring furniture.'

Is this of interest to you guys?

Yes, I mean it's a country view, isn't it?

It's fine. Well, not really for me, actually, to be blunt.

I'm looking for sweeping countryside, if at all feasible.

Right.

'Well, it might not be the Alps,

'but there is one more part of the garden that I've kept up my sleeve.'

This, for me, is my favourite part of the property,

just because of that lovely running water.

Yes, very nice. Great spot, isn't it? Lovely. Very nice.

What appeals to me is the fact that there are a real mix

of features here, it's not a bland house, it's not, you know...

Far from it.

I think the inside and the outside are pretty complementary.

So, how much is it?

?620,000. 620.

I think 610.

Right. Well, the estate agent, only a few weeks ago,

valued this house at ?695,000.

Now, the owners thought that was a little bit on the high side,

so they put it on the market a couple of weeks ago

at offers around 650.

Why don't you go and look round and have your tick list in your mind

and I'll catch you whenever you're ready.

OK, thank you very much. Thanks a lot.

Well, 100% improvement on the first house

and whilst I was a little bit worried that

this may be a bit isolated,

it gives them the peace and tranquillity

and although they didn't ask for it, I think that was a real winner.

I'm pretty happy with how it's gone this afternoon.

On the market for offers around ?650,000,

this property is a real step in the right direction for our buyers.

It has lots of original features,

an airy kitchen-diner,

three good-sized bedrooms,

additional space for a study or music room

and extensive grounds with lawns,

paddocks and outbuildings.

The property is really in an idyllic position -

a real mix of features, both inside and outside.

It has enough light inside, you know,

it certainly will feature quite strongly in our considerations.

I think it's a house I could find myself living in.

It's got very... It's comfortable inside, but interesting.

I do like the location,

and the more I'm sitting here, the more I'm warming to it!

Here we go. All done inside? Yes. Thanks.

Happy with all you've seen outside as well?

Yes. Indeed. Good. You seem a lot happier. We are. Good.

That's it for the day. Let's go.

We're going home, that's why we're happy!

As evening falls here in Somerset,

it marks the end of day one of our property search.

Expat Gerry is about to retire from his job in Switzerland,

and bring his wife Beverly and their two children back to live in the UK.

With strong ties to the West Country,

they've selected the Somerset countryside

to set up their new home.

So far, their reactions to our two property choices

have been like chalk and cheese,

but coming up, we might just have cracked it with the Mystery House.

Seeing that view would give you a good start to the day.

'And I catch up with some previous escapees,

'who've made a new life in the county.'

We're known as the egg people, aren't we?

I've heard worse nicknames!

I think that's all they say.

Now today, after I've finished my coffee, of course,

we're off to see the Mystery Property.

As ever, it's here to challenge the expectations of our buyers,

be it location, or even style of the property.

But one thing I know for sure is, if they don't like it,

I'm pretty sure they'll tell me.

We've got a bit of time to the next property.

It's not just around the corner, so prepare to be amazed,

or I'll prepare to be beaten over the head in disgust.

We're on the way now, we can't change it.

I'm hoping it will be more like yesterday afternoon's property

than yesterday morning's.

Good. We're looking forward to it.

I hope that's true,

as we're travelling over the border into Devon,

almost double the distance that they wanted to be from Taunton.

Our Mystery House is four miles from the market town of Crediton,

with the nearest amenities to be found in the village of Sandford.

Set in an idyllic rural location,

with fantastic countryside views, our mystery proposition is

a detached home dating back to the 18th century.

Now, as it's the Mystery House,

I wanted to do things a slightly different way round.

I want to start from the outside. Right. I know what you don't want,

but one thing you told me that you did want was a view,

and I'm hoping this here is said view.

Right. Really lovely, really different.

I mean, the whole range of features from what I can see here,

and different levels, everything from sky to grass

and things between, like lake and rushes.

Lots to fill the eye, really. Yeah, good.

You've also got quite a bit of land, you've got over five acres here.

Wow.

'Well, we seem to have met Gerry's exacting standards

'with the view and the land attached to this property.

'I hope the inside can make Beverly equally happy.'

Now, then...

Wow! Very nice. Very rustic.

It is very rustic, but that's sort of what we were hoping for.

It's an interesting kind of layout,

because you've got different features.

It's not a square room, and there's lots that you could

potentially do with this, in terms of furniture and decor. Yeah.

I think those are the things, painting, decoration,

we said we could easily do,

and that's what you think when you see this, it's simple things.

It's the first time we've talked about

what you would really want to do to a room.

And that's no detraction of what's here at the moment,

but when people start to talk in that manner it means

they're starting to envisage maybe themselves in that place.

Which is great news to me.

'With both Beverly and Gerry starting to picture themselves here,

'I'm going to show them

'the room which I think could really appeal to them.'

So, reception room number two has plenty of natural light. Yes.

This is a modern extension.

These are Cornish slate, these massive flagstones.

It's really nice, because it's totally in keeping with

the rest of the house, although it's modern.

You've got views either side.

You could actually see the horse in the top paddock, as well.

At the moment you really sound like you're coming on board.

Yeah, it's lovely. I think so far, so good.

Great. Yeah, really like it.

'Well, while we're on a roll, I'm taking them to see the kitchen.'

The kitchen, the smallest of all three properties I've shown you.

Now, you have the further reception room through there,

which is set out for formal dining, maybe even an office area.

So, you have this separation, but you don't have the massive kitchen.

No, I mean, it's a reasonable size,

but maybe not all of it is utilised as well as it could be.

I mean, you could actually put in units all the way round,

to make it more workable.

Yeah, I think that's what we would do with it.

The one thing that this allows is for you to adapt it again.

'Perhaps not their ideal kitchen, but I'm pleased they're seeing ways

'to change the space to suit their aspirations.

'There's definitely an air of positivity flowing through

'our buyers, which I hope continues upstairs.

'This house has five wonderfully spacious double bedrooms,

'some with original feature fireplaces.

'And there are two very generously sized bathrooms.

'But we're heading for the biggest of the bedrooms,

'which comes with plenty of features.'

The master suite starts here.

So, Beverly, you've got a dressing room there,

then you have a shower room and a loo there.

OK, that's nice. But I thought this bedroom was something else.

Very nice. It's lovely, isn't it?

It's big enough to fit whatever you want.

Waking up here in the morning

and hearing nothing other than the local wildlife,

and seeing the view out there, would give you a good start to the day.

It's great.

It is great, isn't it? It is great, I really like it. Good.

'I think we can safely say the Mystery Property

'has worked its magic, but how much do they think the house

'and those breathtaking views cost?'

Well, I don't think you'd ever grow tired of coming out here, would you?

No, there's always going to be something new,

every day, going on in the garden.

I know you asked for Somerset,

and going over to Devon, Devon is a more expensive county.

I don't know whether that was one of your

rationale behind choosing Somerset, but we're here,

and we've have managed to find this wonderful property.

How much do you think this place is on the market for?

I would think it's 650. I'd agree with 650.

OK. It's on the market for offers around ?625,000.

A good guess, but, you know, a bit cheaper. Yes.

BIRD CALLS Hear that? The sound of nature.

Well, that, that's better.

Go back inside, you've got plenty of time.

I'll catch you whenever you're ready.

OK, great, thank you very much. See you later. Bye.

HE SIGHS

This, this is the face of relief.

'So, within their budget, at offers around ?625,000,

'this property handsomely delivers on their demands.

'It's a character property with original period features,

'there's five bedrooms,

'so plenty of space for an office or music room,

'it has a reasonably sized kitchen/diner,

'plus five acres of land with stunning views.'

When we came through the gates at this house, I was so happy.

I just looked at the view and the Lakes,

which was something I just didn't expect, and I was bowled over.

It's really, really beautiful. Do I want to live here?

Yes.

I love it, I love it.

And, also because I can see one of the important things

is the family.

SHE SOBS

Oh, God, I don't get emotional!

It's funny, because you can have the best scorecard in the world,

but actually feeling in your heart,

in your heart in the first three or four minutes

is the critical element of it.

Quite frankly, if we can afford it, it's quite likely that

we'll think harder about putting in an offer for this property.

There's quite a bit to do here, but I don't think it's too dramatic,

too difficult, just a bit of hard work, and get some help.

We could get some help to do it.

You sorting out your staff? It's a great place to sit. Me, I think.

You're going to be busy in your retirement if you buy this place.

Yeah. It's a great place to sit down here,

a glass of wine in the evening, chat over what's gone on.

I think I need, maybe, to take you away from this place. No.

Well, I'm sorry, to have a good think about all we've seen,

and maybe, you know, to look at this objectively.

Let's go. We can always come back, can't we? Fine, let's.

So many times in Escape To The Country

we're asked by our viewers, "what happened next?"

Or, "we saw that your buyers made an offer,

"but did they actually go through with it?"

Well, as we're here in Somerset,

I've come to the village of Barrington,

where I'm meeting a couple that should answer

just such questions, because about a year ago they bought this house.

'Last year, ex-architect Phil

'and his wife Diane came to Somerset from London

'with one Jules Hudson, in search of a home to start their retirement.'

Here's our second property for you to feast your eyes on,

what do you think?

Very interesting. And different, I love the brick and the stone.

'And they were taken with this house almost immediately.

'Their dream property cost them ?470,000.'

Well, Diane and Phil, thank you for allowing me into your house.

A pleasure. First of all, congratulations.

One year in, blissful year or a stressful year?

Hard work, but fun, actually. Busy year.

Now, looking back at the show that you did with Jules,

good kitchen space is very important to you, and at the time

it seemed that you were rather excited about this particular room.

Yeah. 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.

You're really excited, aren't you? Yeah, I know.

It looks fab, doesn't it? Looks amazing.

Have you spent much time in here? All the time. All the time?

This is obviously a fruit of your labour. Well, yes, literally.

There's a village flower and veg show at the weekend,

and it's a specific recipe to enter the Victoria sponge competition.

So, you're competing. Yes!

This is it. Well, it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Well, there you go. Go on, get that cut! You're teasing me.

So, what about your day-to-day existence?

I mean, you've got time to bake cakes,

you're growing your own veg...

We had to start by forming a larger vegetable plot itself.

So, that was quite a lot of hard work when we first moved in. Right.

Then we decided we wanted to have some chickens. They're fantastic.

The first time they've laid eggs since we first got them.

Absolutely. Brilliant.

I think one the big advantages that we've had, certainly,

to integrate into the community, is the chickens, in a funny way.

Really? Well, when our kids were small,

you'd meet other parents at the school gate,

and this way, people who are meeting us at our gate, to buy the eggs!

It's been a real introduction.

We are known as the egg people, aren't we?

I've heard worse nicknames!

I think that's all they say.

I think the key to it is getting involved in the community.

You guys have clearly

had a very successful move to the countryside.

What advice would you give to anybody looking

to make their escape to the country?

I would say if you are thinking about doing it,

don't just think about, go ahead and do it.

Make it happen, because that's what we did, and it's well worth it.

'Outside, Phil and Diane have set up a veritable kitchen garden,

'growing courgettes, sprouts, leeks, carrots, squash, peas and beans.

'Diane's even found the time to make her own relish.'

Are you or could you be self-sufficient?

That's what we're hoping.

I'm contemplating whether to start breeding chickens to actually eat.

Wow! For us to eat. No-one else.

No more trips to the supermarket.

I make my own bread as well and the cakes, so...

How long are your days?

'And with Phil's DIY project

'to develop the outbuildings into residential accommodation,

'they really seem to be making the most of their retirement dream.'

Well, I'm so pleased for you.

I know Jules is over the moon for you both.

Lovely to meet you both. Good luck. Thanks a lot. Thanks for the cake.

It was great to meet Phil and Diane

and not only sample some of Diane's lovely baking,

but also hear about one of the many success stories

we have here on Escape to the Country.

Time now to catch up with Beverly and Gerry

to see if we've managed to chalk up another one.

Well, well, well. It's been a good morning, hasn't it?

Very good. Yeah, a good morning. Let's start at the beginning.

I know Property One didn't go according to plan.

It's for someone, but you didn't want the road.

And that's what put you off. It was a perfectly good house.

It was never going to hit the bull's-eye

because of its position right next to the road.

So the afternoon on day one, yesterday afternoon,

we went to the converted mill.

And I think when we drove up, it was a lovely location

and externally, it was very, very attractive.

It was in a really nice spot.

We had a good feeling as soon as we got there.

It was a very interesting property.

It was a little bit out on its own,

so we didn't particularly want that.

But we ended on a high, I think.

Positive things were being spoken about the second property.

Yeah. It was quite quirky. It had some really good features.

It was a comfortable property to be in.

Yes. So, today, a new day,

I was almost thinking I was starting with a clean slate.

I was hanging everything on the Mystery House.

The instant we saw that view, we knew this was something special.

The five acres and the general mix of features that you get,

in terms of different gradients, different looks,

reeds, lakes, that kind of thing, it's a really neat mix.

Good. And then, when we got inside, you still seemed very positive.

We think that it has the space, number one,

two, it has the infrastructure,

which allows us to actually put our own mark on it.

I know you were both very keen on the property

and I've also heard that things got quite emotional

when you had a bit of time there on your own.

I know. I've recovered now.

Don't recover too much. I don't mind that. It is a success.

But what's the next step for you?

We've already decided we're going to make an offer on it.

Really? Yes. Definitely. This is fantastic news.

I was worried we wouldn't get anywhere close to this decision.

You have to be positive.

If you feel that in your heart, it's the right thing to do,

you'll be comfortable living there

and the family will love coming there during the holidays.

Who wouldn't? If negotiations go well,

you could be in here within the next couple of weeks or months. October.

Christmas in your new house here in Devon.

How good is that? Fantastic. Great.

Good news all around. Yeah.

Congratulations. Thanks a lot.

When I found out that Gerry and Beverly had already looked at

and discarded 12 properties, I was more than a bit concerned.

I had a good look through some of the sales particulars they had

and in my opinion, a few of them looked like absolute crackers.

Certainly what they said they were looking for.

But that was when they were looking for a house.

When I showed them the Mystery Property,

they instantly started looking at that as a family home.

Why? Well, because they got that all-important feeling.

That feeling is nothing you can just write down on a wish list.

So I'm glad to report that we can indeed chalk this episode down

as another success story.

Because they've already submitted an offer

which they should be hearing about any minute now.

See you next time.

'And the good news is that Gerry and Beverly's offer has been accepted.

'So hopefully, it won't be too long

'before they're back in Britain for good.

'If you'd like to escape to the country in Scotland, Wales,

'Northern Ireland or England

'and need our help, please apply online at...'

A garden takes time to perfect.