Monmouthshire Escape to the Country

Today, we are in a county where, in the 12th and 13th century,

a huge number of these massive castles, 50 at the last count,

were built by English lords

trying to shore up their defences against local chieftains.

Find out where we are, in just a moment, on Escape To The Country.

Today, I'm searching for a rural home for a couple,

who want to swap their urban living for a taste of the good life in the countryside,

and we serve up some elegant properties.

This is modern enough, with the period detail in it as well.

This is really, really nice. This is the sort of kitchen we want.

Then there's our mystery house,

a property that offers much more than they bargained for.

-Is that good for you?

-Excellent, I like that. This is stunning, this is stunning.

Today, we are in Monmouthshire, a Welsh county that borders England,

which probably explains all those castles,

and this one behind me, Abergavenny Castle,

was the site of a very bloody massacre in 1175,

when the English Lord, William de Braose,

invited his Welsh enemies in for a reconciliatory Christmas dinner.

When they entered the castle and put down all their weapons

they were hacked to death,

earning William the title The Ogre Of Abergavenny.

Now, Monmouthshire has passed, like a hot potato, from England to Wales,

England to Wales, finally landing on the Welsh side in 1974.

It's not hard to understand why you would fight over this spectacular county,

which is bordered by Herefordshire

and Gloucestershire on the English side,

and Powys on the Welsh side.

The Wye Valley, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty,

stretches for 16 miles through the south of the county

and it's home to one of the great monastic ruins of Wales,

Tintern Abbey.

The county town of Monmouth is steeped in history

and features some great architectural examples,

such as the celebrated Monnow Bridge,

which is the only mediaeval fortified river bridge in Britain,

with the gate tower standing on top of it.

And Agincourt Square,

which has one of the finest Georgian shire halls in Wales.

It's the wonderful mix of unspoilt countryside

and splendid towns that make Monmouthshire an attractive proposition for tourists

and homebuyers alike.

Let's talk brass tacks.

The average price tag on a detached house in Monmouthshire is £242,000,

that's £15,000 less than the national average,

but value for money is not the only thing that brings people here.

It's an incredibly beautiful county and very rural,

there are no cities in Monmouthshire and yet, Bristol and Cardiff

are both easily commutable, which makes it a very attractive buy.

So let's take a look at what sort of properties are on the market.

For just under £380,000 there's

this three-bedroom stone farmhouse

outside Abergavenny.

The sitting room has a lovely woodburner, to keep you warm,

and the bedrooms benefit from period features like the exposed beams.

Outside there are stunning views of Blorenge Mountain.

Or this four-bedroom converted barn in Llangeview might be worth a look.

Priced at just under £600,000, there is a range cooker in the kitchen

and an elegant stone fireplace in the sitting room.

Finally, the beautiful lawned garden

is enclosed with hedges and mature borders.

And, if you have a bigger budget,

this five-bedroom converted barn near Usk could be just right.

Priced at a little under £800,000,

the stylish kitchen has beautiful granite finishes

and a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams.

The dining room is fit for a banquet

and there are stunning views over majestic countryside.

So many beautiful properties in amongst these beautiful hills.

Let's meet the lucky couple who are planning to move here.

Self-employed business analyst Keith

and trainee driving instructor Kevin are set to become civil partners in a few months' time.

They are keen to move away from suburban Milton Keynes

so they can enjoy a more peaceful, rural existence.

We'd like to move to the country to, obviously, start again together

and we'd like to be able to be self-sufficient,

grow our own stuff and settle down that way.

I think my dream lifestyle would be very much along the lines of waking up,

throwing open the curtains in the morning and

actually seeing the countryside, seeing nature and living with nature.

One of the key things we want to do, when we move to the country,

is grow lots of organic vegetables and become self-sufficient.

So the chance to grow their own is a major factor for the move

and they've already pinpointed the perfect location to achieve this rural dream.

The area I'd like to move to is Monmouthshire.

Absolutely, there are some very nice places over there

but the main thing about the area is you get good quality housing,

good value housing and you get some decent land.

We've been looking to move, I guess, for about the last six to eight months.

Keith is also a DJ

but the noise of his music has proved difficult to manage

in the close confines of their Milton Keynes estate.

He's hoping the move to a more remote setting will allow him

to enjoy his passion much more.

I like to create lots of noise, I like to create my own mixes

so I need lots of space

and lots of room to create as much noise as I like.

As well as space and room there's plenty of other requirements on their wish list.

What we want from a property, at least three bedrooms,

two reception rooms downstairs, must have a study,

ensuite bathroom would be nice,

big kitchen so we can actually have a table in the middle.

It has to be detached, I wouldn't consider a semi-detached

or a terraced house at all.

The outside, we want about half an acre to an acre of land.

Buying their first home together is a big change and it seems

they may not always sing from the same hymn sheet.

I think that the property that I will fall in love with

is probably slightly different to the property Kevin will fall in love with.

And I think I'm the decision-maker in the relationship, however

Kevin normally gets his own way.

Keith and Kevin are ready for the next chapter of their lives to begin

and they've nailed down the finances for their move.

The budget for the new property is £350,000.

If we found the most spectacular property in the world, we would push that.

With an upcoming wedding on the horizon

it's going to be a big move for Keith and Kevin.

They are going to try and start anew with the good life in the Welsh countryside,

and there's plenty of countryside to offer them,

but I'm a little worried that their requirements for a whole acre

is going to stretch their budget somewhat.

Still, I am very interested to see their reactions

to this beautiful part of the world, even though

Kevin's never actually been here.

Let's go and meet them.

Our buyers have asked us to search the countryside

around the central and southern areas of Monmouthshire.

We've got three fantastic Welsh homes for them to peruse

but I won't be revealing how much they cost until they've had a guess first.

As ever, our last property is the mystery house

and we've got a home that really has to be seen to be believed.

-Kevin and Keith, welcome to Monmouthshire.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-First impressions?

-Nice. Yeah.

-That's good.

-So far so good.

It would be terrible if you came here and you hated it.

In terms of, I know that you want some land for your garden.

Now, you want an acre. What's your budget?

350,000.

The Wye Valley, particularly, is a desirable place, although you can get great value for money,

but you want an acre and that might be a bit of a stretch.

-OK.

-Are you prepared to compromise on certain things,

-because you need space for your deejaying as well?

-I do, yes.

It depends on what we have to compromise

-but compromise and buying a property, the two things go together really.

-Sure.

You never get exactly what you want.

Because I know you quite like modern,

and you're more period, or you kind of like traditional as well?

I like traditional buildings but I do like them to be modern inside.

-0K.

-I'm not the greatest DIY person in the world.

-Right.

Do you have a problem with a bit of a period feel?

-No, but I do prefer modern.

-Right.

-Over older types.

-So you would go for a new build?

-Yes.

It's a great place to be property shopping.

-I'm looking forward to what we are going to show you.

-Lovely.

-Let's go.

Keith and Kevin have £350,000 to spend on finding a new home,

although they may be prepared to push their budget a little further for something spectacular.

They want:

We begin our house hunt

in the pretty village of Redbrook

which is split right down the middle

by the border between Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire.

Redbrook is in the Wye Valley and has an old railway bridge

which connects Wales on one side and England on the other.

The village has a small community of pretty terraced houses

and is serviced by two pubs, a post office and a local store.

My first property is a detached cottage,

dating back to the 19th century.

So slightly unusual approach to the first house,

coming up the side steps,

but here we get a really good view of it.

Your first property to view.

-Wow.

-What do you think?

-I like this.

It's a nice view.

It's from the 1800s originally, it was a wheelwright's workshop

but it also includes this coach house.

Oh, that could be useful.

Yes, I'm hearing DJ music coming from there.

What do think of the style, Kevin, because it's not new build?

It's not new but I do like this bit up here, actually.

There's lots of little bits and pieces. It's a jigsaw of a property.

Let's have a look inside.

Come in.

So, as you see, we come in through this door into the kitchen.

It's a slightly upside down house

with all the living space up top.

-OK.

-Thoughts?

I think, personally,

I'd like my kitchen to look more like a kitchen, it's very country.

I like modern clean but I also like some of the traditional features.

-I like Belfast sinks, for example.

-Sure.

Who does the cooking, do you both cook?

That's mainly my job.

And what's your taste in kitchens, the same?

Yeah, kind of clean lines.

-So you'd probably just make it a bit more smart and modern?

-Yeah.

It's a very light property.

Good, so this is the kitchen, let's go straight through into the sitting-room.

Oh, wow, this is quite nice.

-Nice high ceiling.

-Yeah.

This was, as I say,

it was originally a wheelwright's workshop downstairs,

and then he made a bit of money and built this stone and brick clad

sort of building on top with these rather ornate Georgian arched windows.

I like them windows.

This is actually a mezzanine space, there's a lovely sort of hidey-hole there.

You could have guests sleep in or you can turn it into reading room, or something.

-You can explore that later on.

-OK.

This is the main kind of living space,

is it big enough for you, guys?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it's a nice space.

Kevin, what do you think about this space,

you've got a sort of twinkle in your eyes?

I quite like it, actually.

I think the staircase thing in the middle is little bit different

but, yeah, I quite like it.

I quite like the head height and I like the windows

but there's just something that's not getting me at the moment

and I'm not sure what it is.

OK, well, maybe we can put our finger on it as we go around.

As I say, it is upside down, so your bedroom, at the moment, is up here.

Because the house is upside down,

on the lower floor there are two double bedrooms and a tiled wet room.

But I'm taking them to the main bedroom.

Of course, it's your choice, but they are using this as their master bedroom at the moment.

-OK.

-It's an extension, as well, a new part of the house.

-OK. Is there a bathroom up here?

-There is indeed. It's through here.

OK.

Not any old bathroom, quite a lovely bathroom.

-Oh, wow, this is a big size, isn't it?

-This is nice.

-I like the roof above, as well.

-Yeah.

It is very unusual to have a bathroom that's so drenched in daylight.

So, in terms of the two of you, is that sort of layout at the top all right?

Most of the time there is only the two of us going to be here

so having this up here would actually work quite well.

There's lots of space because those two rooms downstairs are a good size.

But you've also got this coach house I want to show you outside.

Keith wanted a room where he could work and make a lot of noise

and I think I've got the perfect spot for him in the coach house,

just across the courtyard.

This, I think, is a real opportunity for you guys

because it's the old coach house.

Got a log burner to keep you warm in the winter.

This can be your space.

Yes, I could set up my office and my DJ equipment up here.

Yes, quite.

The garden is the most important part for you guys,

so let's take a look at that.

Let's see if there's enough space

for Kevin to indulge his passion for self-sufficiency?

Quite a few steps but here we are,

overlooking your whole domain which is not huge.

No.

This is the end of your property as it stands at the moment.

So you've got this terraced area and then this terraced garden

and there's a little vegetable plot at the front of the house.

I think, for what we are looking for,

this is probably just a little bit too small.

-Kevin, what are your thoughts about the land?

-The same as Keith, really.

I was probably hoping for a little bit more, bigger garden,

not 100% sure it's what we are after.

-No.

-Right.

It is an unusual property, in the sense that it is quite sort of higgledy-piggledy,

but a beautiful location.

What do you think it is on the market for?

I'd say around 335.

I'd probably say a bit higher 340, 345?

-Well, you're spot on, it's actually on the market at 340.

-Excellent.

It's been on for about three months

-and the owners don't have a chain so they are keen to move.

-0K.

Have an explore, go and have a look at the rooms downstairs,

see if you can work your way around the layout and I'll see you at the front.

-OK.

-Lovely.

-Oh, this is a nice room.

-This is nice, isn't it?

This is probably better than the master bedroom.

The overall place, I think we'd move the master bedroom downstairs

and the outhouse is obviously a good place for Keith to have his office and DJ room.

It's an interesting property from the outside.

You can't see the house itself until you actually go up, very quirky.

I think it's something to consider

but let's wait and see what the other two houses are.

This is a real sun trap here, with a beautiful view over England.

-Don't get to say that very often. Hi, guys.

-Hi.

-All done?

-Yes, thank you.

Just pull the door to and we'll head off to the next house.

When Keith and Kevin make the move to Monmouthshire,

Chepstow, set on the River Wye,

will be an important place for them to know.

So, earlier in the week, we sent them to explore the town.

It sits on the border between Wales and England

and Chepstow's Norman castle is a testament to its strategic importance.

The mediaeval town gate, and much of the walls, still remain intact.

A few miles outside the town is Dewstow Gardens

which should really appeal to green-fingered Kevin.

The garden was commissioned by the owner of Dewstow House, Henry Oakley,

whose hobby was cultivating tropical flowers, ferns and plants.

Alongside this horticulture sits a magical array of ponds,

underground grottoes and tunnels.

It hasn't always been like this.

After the Second World War,

the garden was partly filled in and turned over to agriculture.

And in the 1960s, rubble from the M4 motorway construction

was also dumped here.

But, happily, the story doesn't end there

and today the gardens have been restored to their original state.

Head gardener Peter Lane is showing our househunters around.

Well, the pond can see behind me here

is one of the several ponds at Dewstow Gardens

that lay hidden for over 50 years.

How did you find the gardens again?

There was a step found up in the rock garden, obviously it led somewhere

and they just really started digging from that point, found a pond,

and just really, basically, carried on digging and finding more and more ponds

until, there's about 33 ponds on the site of all various sizes and shapes.

The labyrinth of grottoes, tunnels and sunken ferneries dotted around Dewstow

were created by the renowned Victorian landscapers James Pulham and Son,

who are also famous for their work on the gardens at Buckingham Palace.

This is one of the main grottoes at Dewstow.

This was discovered with the roof actually collapsed in.

Obviously it was excavated out

and it was in a real dire state of repair.

The grottoes here look incredibly natural

even though they are actually made from an artificial rock work, known as Pulhamite.

This is the lion grotto, so unusual, different to any other grotto.

You can imagination the amazement when we found this in 2000, 2001.

How did it feel coming across this?

Well, disbelief really because of the state of repair it was in,

all covered with brambles, filled in, the glass roof smashed in.

A real big project.

Well, now it's time to see if I can unearth a hidden gem for Keith and Kevin

as we get back to their house hunt.

Our second property is in the village of Grosmont,

which is nine miles north of Abergavenny.

It's been described, by one travel writer,

as the prettiest village in Wales.

An important medieval township,

the ruins of the 12th-century Grosmont Castle still stand in the village.

The house I am showing them is another 19th century cottage

but this one has been extended to provide very spacious accommodation.

It wouldn't be Monmouthshire without some slope and steps.

-But these are a bit more dog friendly, I should imagine.

-Yeah.

This is the house, you get all of it.

-It's both houses?

-Both houses.

-OK.

Again, extended quite substantially

but this a much more modern feeling property.

-Good.

-This is quite a big portion of garden as well.

They haven't done much with it, they've just made it terrace,

but you could actually lawn it and make it really lovely.

Then, we could have the top half for chickens and vegetables,

anything could go at the top half.

It's a question whether you can see yourself living inside? Let's go.

-OK.

-OK.

So I've done well with the exterior and I don't think the interior will disappoint either.

Straight into the living room.

-Do you see what I mean, it's a much more square...?

-Yeah.

..simpler layout.

I like the fireplace, that's quite nice, quite nice focal.

And wooden floors throughout. Engineered oak.

Yes, it's a nice room, this.

It's probably about the right size for our stuff as well.

Yeah, it is. And it's actually not too dark, as well.

Being cottagey, some cottages are quite dark but there's quite a lot of light in here.

A good vibe? Kevin, can you imagine kicking back in here?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I like this. I think the fireplace sets it off nicely.

I can see us in here with the fire on, roaring away.

Excellent, and unlike the other property this has a separate dining room.

I got the impression, from the last house,

that you'd like the idea of a separate dining area.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-It's got a low beam but once you're inside it's OK.

-That's quite a big dining room, as well.

-That's a nice room, that.

It's a sort of snuggly one, isn't it?

Yeah, you can see yourself sitting down at Christmas dinner

with the tree in the corner.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

It's amazing how many people decide on a house on the process of

how they're going to have their Christmas there.

Again, lots of light in this lean-to

and it leads you down into the kitchen.

-It's a brand new kitchen.

-Wow.

This is an extension

that has been put onto the original cottage.

-Wow, I like this.

-Is this more your style?

Yes, this is modern enough with the period detail in it, as well.

This is really, really nice. This is the sort of kitchen we like. I like the kitchen seat, as well.

Yeah, it's very charming because you can see who's coming up the road.

And I can sit there and read my paper while he cooks dinner.

I like that.

-You've got a nice double gas range.

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

The house has got two staircases, as often happened in cottages,

the one that we saw in the first room.

Let's have a look upstairs.

The kitchen has really put a smile on their faces, which is great news.

Let's see we can keep up the momentum on the first floor?

Here there are three bedrooms, one a potential guest room

and the other good sized single.

There's also a family bathroom.

Then, up a small flight of stairs, we come to the master bedroom.

Again, some very clever architectural work here

because this staircase takes you up to what, I guess,

would have been the hayloft or something.

It's been sort of reconditioned to the original floorboards

but it gives you an access point up to what's now your bedroom

and there's a nice little ensuite through there.

You could, of course, there are another two bedrooms at the other end, up that staircase.

So you could have this as an office maybe, or whatever,

but it makes sense that you have one end of the house which is yours

-and if you have guests they are at their end.

-Yeah.

I think we would put the guests down this end.

Well, I can let you sort out your sleeping arrangements later.

If you have a look at the other guest wing,

or maybe the master suite.

-But first, let's go outside and talk about the price.

-OK.

Let's take a look

and see if the space is big enough for their self-sufficiency ambitions?

I'm getting a good vibe from this house,

well, from you about this house.

-It's got potential.

-Yeah, it's nice.

The land's not too disappointing?

Not for me, no.

I think we can do everything that we want to do as far as growing goes, up there.

And it's got this bit down here which isn't grass,

so we can always do something with that if we wanted to.

The property seemed to really get ticks?

-It's got a lot of plus points, yes.

-Excellent.

Now, is the price going to be a plus point?

How much do you think it's on the market for?

I actually think this is less than the other one, I think it's about it 325, 330.

I will say about 347.

Up towards the top money?

Well, this property is actually on the market for 375.

Wow.

It has, however, been on the market for quite some time without a price reduction and,

of course, as you know, it's a sort of buyer's market at the moment.

But that is the price it's on for.

Well, as I say,

getting everything you wanted is probably a stretch, with the budget,

but why don't you have a look around because there is this outhouse,

which you could maybe think about converting.

There's a couple of rooms that we haven't looked at.

Have a look around the rest of the property.

I will see you at the front, we can proceed from there.

-OK.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Much more positive response, we like that.

In a way, this seems to offer them a lot more of the things

they are actually looking for.

And it's very, very beautiful, the spot.

Hopefully, if they can swallow the price

and think realistically about that, we'll be on to a winner.

This is nice.

Yes, this is a good size. Built-in cupboards, as well.

Make a good guest room.

It's got the modern look to it,

well, a bit more modern than the other property.

Yeah, overall, looks outside, as well as inside, is pretty good. Yeah.

The decoration and how it has been refitted out is really, really nice.

Very much to my taste,

this is how I would actually do a place out myself.

It's a stunning house, in a stunning location.

Come on, I have to drag you out of this one, that's a good sign.

So two houses down.

Let's rest and collect our thoughts.

As the evening draws in over Monmouthshire,

it marks the end of our first day's property search.

Business analyst Keith and trainee driving instructor Kevin

want to leave suburban Milton Keynes to find a rural home in Monmouthshire.

They've got a budget of £350,000 to buy a house that has an office

and a bit of land.

We've shown them two properties so far,

one of which certainly had them inspired.

I can see us in here with the fire on, roaring away.

Wow, I like this.

But, coming up,

we've got a mystery house which they definitely won't be expecting.

-Wow.

-Very nice, yeah.

-Wow.

-Wow.

And I get hijacked by a group of Morris dancers,

with attitude.

He's staying with us, we're not letting him go home, he's one of us now.

Swelteringly hot second day here in Monmouthshire

and I'm a little worried still about the land issue

because I'm not sure we can get an acre of land for their budget.

Although, interestingly, Kevin and Keith were happy

with the rather modest garden in the second property.

For the mystery house, we're going to take land out of the equation,

because it doesn't really have much,

and we're going to give them a lot of another thing that they like,

contemporary interiors.

Day two of our property search,

what do you think the mystery house is going to involve?

I don't know, we were talking about this yesterday,

and I think half of me thinks it might be a derelict barn

and the other half thinks it might be a converted church.

So I'm not entirely sure.

Those are pretty classic options,

can't you think more left-field than that, Kevin?

No, I don't really know what to expect, to be perfectly honest.

Well, it's certainly quirky.

For our mystery property we are heading south, over the border,

to the village of Christchurch, just outside Newport.

The village has many of the amenities Keith and Kevin are looking for,

including a pub.

Our mystery proposition is a very unusual house

that offers them a real slice of uber-modern living.

I'm going to love what you think about this.

Oh, wow.

-That's nice.

-Wow.

-It's zowie, uh?

-Mm.

And this is a very modern property.

-It doesn't give you everything you want.

-OK.

Largely, it doesn't give you much land, but it does give you

a lot of something you seem to like, which is contemporary interiors.

-OK.

-It's a very striking property.

Believe it or not, this was a two-bedroom cottage from the 1900s.

Very nice.

-Like?

-Mm. Very much.

You're either struck dumb or like horrified.

Let's look inside.

Well, if they are dumbstruck by the outside,

I can't wait till they get a glimpse of the interior.

This house makes me chuckle because it's so extreme.

Here we are, in this wonderful modernist space.

Lots of amazing features.

This very stylish diagonal maple wood parquet throughout

and there's the alcoves around the fire.

And then all this sort of hidden storage, this suede effect wall,

that's all cupboards.

-Thoughts, come on, unpack your thoughts.

-This is very nice.

This is stunning. This is stunning.

-You could imagine hanging out here?

-Yeah.

It's a very unusual property, very unusual, but super stylish.

Lovely light as well because this is essentially a walk-through,

it's like a conservatory.

-There's a disco ball.

-Yes.

-Here's your disco.

Put a spotlight on that and it will be perfect.

The attention to detail in this property is astonishing.

Take a look in here.

-Wow.

-Wow.

Now, you wanted a uniform fitted kitchen,

this is a uniform fitted kitchen.

Not sure what to say about that, that's nice.

The mirror just gives it so much more depth, as well,

it's a very, very good design.

It's great, isn't it? When I came in I thought it's a huge kitchen.

It's not, it's actually quite small kitchen, isn't it?

It's just mirrored.

The quality of the finish is very good, slate floor and this Maplewood floor throughout

and then you've got this very striking architectural feature of the breakfast bar

in the sort of hexagonal alcove.

-I could sit there and eat breakfast in the morning.

-Yeah.

-Are there thoughts about this?

-Wow.

Wow. We like wow.

It's a stunning kitchen.

Well, it goes on. Come through here.

It's quite a complicated space because it's sort of perforated

in lots of directions.

I mean there's light and windows and staircases

and ups and downs, every which way.

This is the sort of nerve centre of the house.

You've got a basement room downstairs, which you can explore later,

maybe for your music.

Here's a dining area

and round here is the rather fabulous workspace.

That's work sorted. Excellent.

-Is that good for you?

-That's excellent, I like that.

And lovely views because you've got windows, again, that look out over the gardens.

The windows in here and the light coming in is fantastic.

It is a bit quirky, the layout, it's not to everyone's taste.

-I can live with that.

-Yeah.

I want to show you one quirky feature of the bathroom here, wonderful.

I can guarantee this bathroom is a real showstopper.

I love this bathroom. It's very unusual.

Then, you've got a shower here.

-It's really nice.

-It is, isn't it?

-Very contemporary.

-Lots of clever things in this house.

Let's look upstairs.

On the first floor, the beautiful contemporary features continue

and this is the master.

It's a nice size.

Again with a rather splendid architectural feature there.

-Nice view.

-It's a spectacular view, isn't it?

And you've got a kind of quirky, sort of, ensuite wet room-cum-toilet.

-Oh, wow, a little quirky.

-Very different, isn't it?

So lots to look at, quite a lot to take in.

You can have a chance to look around.

Let's go outside and talk about price.

On this floor there is another attractively decorated double bedroom

and a single room, perfect for those guests that might be coming to stay.

In keeping with the rest of the property,

it's quite a quirky garden because you've got a little stone circle here

and then through there, there's another patch of lawn

and that, unbelievably, is on top of the double garage.

-Oh, wow.

-OK.

-So it's soundproofed on top.

You could definitely spin some discs down there if you wanted to.

OK, so it's quirky.

-Certainly very different.

-Very, yeah.

-But it might be your kind of quirky?

-It's a very nice house.

What do you think the price is?

It's got to be nearer 400,000.

Over budget, 405.

-405?

-Yeah.

-0K.

So this is on the market for 375.

It's over budget but not as over budget as you thought.

It's been on the market for quite a while, it's a unique property

so not everybody is going to want it but you seem to like it.

I'm sure you could talk to the vendor about getting it to your budget

or, if you thought it was worth it, putting in the asking price.

We always like that too.

It's a big complicated property and we haven't seen the room downstairs.

Go in and have a look, particularly down there, and see what you might do with that

-and I will see you at the front.

-Excellent.

-Thank you.

Now, with lots of other people this mystery house would be a huge gamble

but I think with these two it was a huge success.

-This is a nice room. I think we've made this the master bedroom.

-Yeah.

It's got built-in wardrobes as well.

The whole thing just flows perfectly.

I don't really like open plan but this house just works.

I quite like the up and down and different like hiding places and stuff.

It was nice, it's different, different layout

and quite modern and contemporary which is what we like.

Good thing about this house is, it's got so many windows

I can see the walking through with big smiles on their faces.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Nice and beaming, that's good.

Positive reviews?

-Let's go and regroup and then we can share our thoughts.

-Excellent.

Along this border territory, between Wales and England,

there's a unique dancing tradition

that is rooted in the life of the area's agricultural workers.

Border Morris is typified by a rowdy style of dancing that was first recorded in 1609

when a group, or side as they're known,

performed at the Hereford races.

Earlier in the week I met up with The Widders, from Chepstow,

who are keeping this traditional dance alive.

Border Morris is boisterous

and often involves the beating of sticks in the routine.

Early records show that the dancers often appeared in court

for non-payment of bills, or for being drunk and disorderly.

ALL CHEER

It's so anarchic.

It's like the dark side of Cotswolds' Morris.

Traditionally, the dance is performed in the winter both for fun

but also as a way of earning money.

Taking a break from the festivities is Mick Lewis, to tell us more.

Mick, it's awesome.

I was lucky enough to dance with a Morris side from the Cotswolds,

which is like hankies and light and love and you're sort of like, grrr.

-Punk rockers of the Morris world.

-Punk rockers, yeah.

Why the black face, for a start?

The originators of this type of dancing, they were poor people that lived off the land,

and this is a begging tradition, really.

Because they lived in small communities, they felt embarrassed about begging money

and so they used to black their faces up.

-It's a disguise?

-It's a disguise, yes.

-Right.

So the Mari Lwyd is very special, she's beautiful, isn't she?

A bit skinny.>

# Railwayman he works hard

# Shunting on a Bristol yard

# Cos the Severn Tunnel never, never fails

# Keeps the engine on the rails. #

The Mari Lwyd is a Welsh custom of first footing,

where a group, carrying a horse skull,

go from house to house to bring people good luck for the new year.

The dancers wear tattered clothes, a symbol of times past

when they wouldn't have been able to afford new outfits.

The Widders name itself comes from a rather unusual source.

Why Widders, is that to do with the spiders?

-It's to do with the spiders, yes.

-Black widows.

It's the black widows, yeah.

We like to be colourful, you know, we sort of evolved this style of our own

which is the Chepstow style, or the Wye Valley style.

I am, of course, itching to have a go.

In about a week, you'll be all right.

I've got to work tomorrow.

The dances are always about the area's events, or people,

and I'm performing a dance known as the Severn Tunnel Junction,

a place where many locals were employed on the Great Western Railway.

It's done in bars of eight.

The hazel sticks represent the shunting poles the railway workers used

to link the wagons together.

Humpah.

One, two, three, hurray.

Hey, he's staying with us.

I really enjoyed that but now it's time to wipe off the make up

and get back to the job in hand.

With all the madness of the Border Morris, I'd almost forgotten the matter at hand,

Kevin and Keith's move to the countryside and, if you remember,

we were on tenterhooks because the mystery house seemed

to have blown the whole project of land and gardens out of the water.

So let's go and find out what they've decided.

How was your first time in Monmouthshire?

It's been good, yeah, it's a nice place and Keith was right,

it's a nice part of the world.

It's a good neighbourhood, isn't it? It's a really beautiful landscape.

I hope that we showed you some houses that at least provoked some thoughts.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

The first house, what are your thoughts about it, in retrospect?

Nice house, a couple of things I did like about it.

I liked the living room's vaulted ceiling

and I liked the coach house.

It was a nice property and the garden is a nice garden

but I just don't think it's kind of practical for what we want, really.

The second house, that seemed to really chime with you, Kevin?

Yeah, the kitchen was an amazing kitchen

and that was, overall, the better one out of the two.

-Yeah, for me anyway.

-I liked house number two. It was very picturesque.

I think the only thing that really let it down for me

was the upstairs space.

I don't think there was enough room for us.

Tell me what your thinking is about the mystery house?

I thought it was an amazing property,

I liked the up and down of the stairs and the different levels.

All right, it didn't have the land that we were looking for, but the property was spectacular.

Lots of plus points. The living room was brilliant, I loved the fireplace.

Kitchen was nice. The office space worked well.

I think changing the master bedroom downstairs would work.

But, no, overall, lovely place.

What happens next? Are you thinking of revisiting any of the properties or...?

We need to go back and look at all of the options that we have.

We also want to look around the area as well.

-You're talking about the mystery house?

-Yes.

Does that mean you are going to take further steps

and look seriously at the mystery house?

I think what we're going to do is we're going to go back,

have a think about all of the things, maybe come back and visit it again.

And I think what we need to do is get the wedding out of the way

and then seriously come back and, if it's still available, it might be a serious contender.

It's been on the market for a while, it might well be.

Well, best of luck, good luck with the wedding.

Hope that all goes well and I hope you get to spend your honeymoon in Monmouthshire.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It's been great showing Kevin and Keith around Monmouthshire

and I think, particularly because the mystery house

gave them the confidence to go for what they really want,

rather than what they thought they should have,

because I don't think they were all that keen on being gentlemen farmers, ploughing the soil.

I think they wanted a nice comfortable, contemporary home,

with a rural twist, and I think we might have given it to them.

So if you've enjoyed our adventures in rural Britain

then do tune in next time for more Escape To The Country.

If you would like to Escape To The Country in Wales, Scotland,

Northern Ireland or England and need our help, please apply on line at:

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd