Gloucestershire Escape to the Country

Locals here will tell you this temple, and stunning folly gardens,

was built as the illicit love nest of a local reverend.

In the 1700s and 1800s, follies were an important part

of English garden design.

But, in which county is this one?

On today's show, I'm helping a professional couple

find a convenient, commuter-friendly hideaway.

There's an unexpected treat in one property.

What a surprise! I didn't expect this to be up here, at all!

Then, the mystery house leaves them lost for words.

I'm speechless!

Today, I'm in Gloucestershire.

This is the rather quirky temple and folly gardens of Stancombe Park,

designed by the Reverend David Purnell-Edwards

in the 19th century.

Local legend has it that, aided by his wife's large dowry,

he built the temple for secret trysts with a beautiful gypsy girl.

To ensure his wife didn't catch him,

apparently he also built a series of tunnels and steep paths

that were too narrow for his rather portly wife to squeeze through.

Whether he was successful in this rather devious ploy is unknown.

But, one thing's for sure. He certainly achieved his vision

of creating a breathtaking landscape in this county,

which has plenty more fantastic views on offer.

Lying in the southwest of England,

Gloucestershire shares a border with Wales, Worcestershire,

Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.

The region includes part of the flat, fertile valley

of the River Severn,

and the entire Forest of Dean.

Gloucestershire is perhaps best known as the heart of the Cotswolds,

with two-thirds of the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

within its boundary.

In the 18th century, after William Gilpin's book,

"Observations On The River Wye",

the county's Wye Valley region

became a hotspot for British tourism.

'Today, visitors from all over the world

'still flock to this picture-postcard part of England.'

All this beauty comes at a price.

The average cost of a detached house in Gloucestershire

is just under ?287,000.

That's ?31,000 more than the national average.

Searching in the villages around Stroud, to the south of the county,

or the Forest of Dean out west, WILL make your money go a bit further.

However, if it's the sought-after Cotswolds villages

you'd like to call home,

expect to pay up to 10 to 15 per cent more

than in the rest of the county.

So, let's see what's currently on the market.

For ?345,000,

you could own this four-bedroom. Grade II listed property

in Slimbridge.

This historic farmhouse, set in walled gardens,

has a real rustic feel inside,

and plenty of space to entertain.

Offered for sale at ?595, 000,

this four-bedroom timber-framed house in Upton St Leonards

comes complete with a wealth of original features,

such as thumb-latched doors and exposed timbers.

Outside, there's around an acre of landscaped gardens.

And, if you have deep pockets, you could buy this five-bedroom mill

in Alvington, priced at a shade under ?800,000.

Dating back to the 17th century,

and set within 15 acres of land, it boasts huge reception rooms,

as well as an adjoining four bedroom cottage.

A lovely selection, there.

Time to meet today's buyers, and find out why they're ready

to escape to the country.

IT project manager, Steve, and his head teacher wife, Sue,

have lived in their five-bedroom house in Bristol

for the past 24 years.

But, now their two daughters have flown the nest,

they're planning the move to the country Steve's been yearning for.

For the last 20 years, I've been trying to convince Sue

we should move to the country, and she's been stalling me.

I was a country girl. I was born in Herefordshire, in a village.

So, I moved into the city, and loved it.

Steve's a city boy, and would love to go to the country.

I've had my way, so it's his turn now. Now, it's my time.

This house is not ideal for us any more,

because our girls have grown up.

So, it's too big for us.

And, it's the middle of town, and we want to move.

They're aiming for rural Gloucestershire,

within 50 minutes' commuting distance of Bristol.

They have definite ideas what they'll get up to

when they find the right place.

We both like animals.

I want to keep chickens, maybe ducks.

I want to keep goats. I want to have some land,

where I can potter around

in some outbuildings and sheds.

That would be fantastic for me.

I'm fine, just watching him do that.

We'd like to get more horses,

because we need to keep a companion horse for Reuben,

the daughters' horse, when he's staying with us.

So, the outside of a property will need land for our buyers.

And they know what they want inside, too.

We're looking for a house with three bedrooms.

Or possibly two.

At least one good-sized reception room.

house that's light and airy.

A kitchen/diner would be lovely.

Doors from the kitchen, leading out to the garden, would be fantastic.

Outside, we're looking for a minimum of half an acre.

We fall in love with things very quickly.

When we go into a house, we either love it or hate it straightaway.

Probably not hate it. We always know if we love something.

I know whether I hate things.

I know as soon as I walk in. If I hate it, I hate it.

Love it or hate it,

one thing's for sure,

and that's the finances.

Our budget for this move is a maximum of ?500,000.

Sue and Steve have lived in the same house in Bristol for 24 years.

Having brought up their family there,

the house has served its purpose

and they're ready to start a new life in the country,

a move Steve seems to have wanted to make for some time.

They are self-confessed love-it-or-hate-it people,

who will know in an instant whether a property is for them.

That makes me a little bit nervous.

I'm just hoping we can manage to get them through the front door

of the properties we've found.

Within our search area, in Gloucestershire,

Steve and Sue need a location with a manageable commute to Bristol,

for work and family reasons.

We've found three intriguing properties for them to consider.

I'll ask them to guess the price of each before I reveal it.

'The last option is our mystery house,

'which aims to take them somewhere completely unexpected.'

Morning, Steve and Sue. Thanks for bringing me to Gloucestershire.

We've not travelled very far, have we, for the two of you?

No. We need to stay within commutable distance to Bristol.

Why are you passionate about this move?

I've always lived in Bristol,

but I've always loved the countryside.

I think it's time to move, get some chickens and goats, and some space.

That's a big change?

What are the top three things you have to have

in the property to make you make this move?

A house that's light and airy. I really like light and space.

Location away from a really busy road.

If I'm going to move out from the city, I want something quieter.

For me, I've got to have some land,

I've got to have some outbuildings, and some space.

None of that sounds too difficult.

It all sounds quite easy to do.

I've got three lovely houses to show you.

One of them's a mystery house. Great.

'So, Steve and Sue's wish list for their ?500,000

'is a relatively small one.

'Three bedrooms, and a kitchen/diner.

'But it's the outside that has to be big,

'with a shed and outbuildings for Steve,

'at least half an acre of garden,

'with room for chickens, ducks or goats,

'and a paddock, either in the grounds, or somewhere nearby.

For our first property, we've crossed the old Severn Bridge,

heading to the pretty village of Brockweir,

close to the border with Monmouthshire.

Nestled in the Wye Valley,

Brockweir has many amenities that will appeal to our buyers,

with a village store and a charming local pub.

'House number one is a recently renovated country cottage,

'which dates back to the 19th century.'

Here we are. Our first property,

and I'm pleased that you're smiling.

What do YOU think of it?

I think it's beautiful, too.

I think the house looks very much all together,

and the garden's big.

Beautiful setting.

The only thing that worries me is the slope.

Having had a house built on a slope,

that's the only thing at the moment worrying me.

But I'm really looking forward to looking inside the house.

Shall we have a look? Yes, please. Come on!

'While Sue's not sure about the garden,

'I think when she sees the kitchen/diner inside this house,

'it could be a very different story.'

So, come on through.

What do you think? I love it.

Yeah, I think it's a really lovely kitchen. Very new, very clean.

Light. Yes, light. That magic word. I love it!

The table, so that you can eat in here,

and it's a very sociable place.

And doors out to the garden.

That was just what you asked for, wasn't it?

First impressions, very nice.

Down here, you also have

a downstairs shower room, toilet,

and, of course, there's a living room to settle in

on cosy winter's evenings, or even summer's days, like today. Come on!

'With the kitchen definitely a hit,

'let's see how they rate the lounge area.'

Right, so this

would be your living room.

Again, you have doors, slightly smaller,

but leading out on to the garden.

It's a nice bit of space.

You also have the wood burner over there,

bringing in a touch of the rustic. Yeah, we like the wood burner.

It's funny, the ceiling feels lower.

Well, we're now in the original cottages.

But you have that big space, there.

How do you guys live? Often people spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

That's where you're sitting, having meals,

and then you come for your snug time.

It's cosier. Yeah.

I think that's how we do live.

If we're in the kitchen/diner at the moment,

then into the front room, and the garden.

I think it would be good to have another space.

I'm not convinced we need another room.

It's just the two of us now, basically.

The younger daughter's away at college most of the time.

I think two rooms is enough.

'There may just be two main rooms downstairs,

'but they ARE very large ones.

'However, the upstairs is surprisingly spacious,

'with a family bathroom, and four bedrooms,

'which are all quite generous in size,

'and are perfect space for the girls, when they stay.

'But we're taking a look at the main bedroom.'

I want to bring you down to this one, because..

SHE KNOCKS

Stud wall there, and another smaller room,

which has two singles in it, behind.

So, I was thinking, this could be one big master suite.

I think that's a good idea.

Take that down. Take that wall out...

And you have a really big space.

I don't think we need four bedrooms,

so having a large master bedroom is much better.

Let's look in that other space.

Then we can talk more clearly about what you can do with it. OK.

So, finally the smallest of the four bedrooms.

As I said, they managed to fit two singles in,

but not much else. What's important to you is the outside space.

We touched on it at the start.

Let's go back out there, and talk about how much land you get,

and how much this would cost. Brilliant. After you. Thank you.

'We know Steve loves his space,

'so it's crucial this property

'has enough room to build his shed,

'and keep some animals.

'Let's see if we can make his dreams come true.'

It's so pretty out here, isn't it?

Beautiful. Really gorgeous.

All in all, you get half an acre here.

OK.

If you're looking for space for the horse, which I know you are,

you'd have to rent some land nearby. There are fields nearby.

You get half an acre.

You get this beautiful house,

but it all comes at a price. Ah!

So, I'm going to start with...

You, Sue.

Right. We haven't been looking in this area of Gloucestershire,

so I'm not quite sure,

but I'll go for ?435,000?

I'll go a bit higher.

I'll go for ?465,000.

Your guesses aren't too bad.

Neither of you were right, of course.

It's on the market at ?449,000. So, somewhere in-between.

Plenty of food for thought.

Go, think about it.

Then tell me your thoughts later on, OK? OK.

All right. See you later. Thank you.

There you go. A good reaction to our first property.

Sue clearly wants to focus on the house,

and needs some more space.

But I'm very pleased Steve was happy with the half acre of land,

and they were looking at how they could make this their home.

'So, well within their budget, at a shade under ?450,000,

'this property has the large and airy kitchen/diner Sue wanted,

'four bedrooms, so there's enough room for their daughters to stay,

'garden access from the downstairs rooms,

'and half an acre of land for Steve.'

My first impressions of the property were very good.

From the outside, it looks up-to-date.

It looks clean and tidy.

That was borne out when we went inside the property.

They've done a lot of work on it.

When we arrived, I was a bit alarmed

at the steepness of the drive.

I'm imagining myself in the winter,

needing crampons to actually get to the house.

But, the house is beautiful.

It looks beautiful. It's very picturesque.

It's set amongst woodland, and it's beautiful.

Feeling good? Yeah. Had a good look around, thank you.

Lovely. Are you happy with that start? A very good start.

But it IS the just the start.

We have another property to see, so let's hit the road. BOTH: OK!

As Steve is interested in keeping chickens and ducks,

and both our buyers are keen on wildlife, while in Gloucestershire,

we've arranged for them to visit a special nature reserve.

They're shown round by the reserve's manager,

Dave Paynter.

Welcome to Slimbridge.

Slimbridge is the headquarters

of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust,

founded in 1946 by Peter Scott,

son of Scott of the Antarctic.

That's the connection there.

Peter's idea was to get people interested in conservation.

What you'll see in the middle of the centre, the collection

of captive birds from all over the world

we used as a way to try and draw people to come in here.

For that reason,

he's been talked of as the father of modern conservation.

I'll kit you out properly, first.

If you want to take a pair of binoculars each... Thank you.

If you want to join me,

we'll head out and start exploring the wetlands. Lovely.

Thank you.

Encompassing 325 hectares,

Slimbridge is the largest of the charity's nine wetland centres,

and provides a safe home for the world's largest collection

of swans, ducks, flamingos and geese.

Around 70,000 in all.

Many of the species here are rare or endangered.

The centre is involved in research, breeding,

and conservation programmes

to protect these species and their habitats.

Lots of hides scattered round here,

and different wetlands. Some of them created,

like this one, just flooded. We control the water levels here,

to try and optimise the habitat for birds.

A few things scattered around here at the moment.

Flocks of black-tailed godwits feeding away out there.

If you have a look with the binoculars,

you can see them

probing the mud with their bills, looking for food.

Looking for tiny midge larvae in the mud, there.

But the real special one...

You see the big white bird,

just sat there at the back. That's something quite special.

That's actually a spoonbill.

And that's a very rare visitor? That's quite a rare one.

It's increasing. We're seeing a few these days.

But it's still a special day when we see one.

But hides aren't the only way to see the wildlife here.

Four years ago, the centre opened one kilometre of water channels,

that you can explore by canoe.

With the chance to get closer to warblers, dragonflies, ducks

and maybe even a water vole.

The canoe trail is open to the public. It's great fun.

It's also a great way of seeing some of the wildlife

that's rather more difficult to see in other situations.

Just look ahead. See the family of little, tiny baby moorhens there.

Just getting close to stuff like that

is absolutely fantastic.

In the last century, over half of the world's wetlands

have been lost through land drainage,

mostly due to housing and business developments.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust aims to address that balance,

by creating their own protected areas,

while educating visitors about the importance

of saving the ones we already have.

But now, after all that bird-watching,

it's time to resume our property search,

and find Steve and Sue somewhere to make a nest of their very own.

We've travelled to the edge of the Forest of Dean,

close to the village of Blakeney,

which has a large range of amenities.

It's also still within commutable distance to Bristol.

'Our second house is in the hamlet

'of Brain's Green, and was built in the 1820s,

'originally as a tabernacle church.

Our second property of the day.

You have fabulous views again into the valley. Beautiful.

Pretty spectacular. And a gorgeous cottage.

What do you think?

Well, the setting is amazing, isn't it? The fields around it.

I think the setting, the views are great.

I love the look of the house from the outside.

Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, definitely.

The first property we saw was very modern inside, in the interior.

I would say this one is much more rustic,

it's got a much more country feeling.

Do you like those sort of properties?

Yeah.

Yeah, I do.

And certainly if things need updating

or anything then that's grand.

That's grand! For Jackie to do it!

'Well, that's the spirit, Steve, cos I think they'll find

'there's plenty of potential inside this property.'

Right.

I said rustic. I think it delivers.

You've got this as a feature fireplace although the flue isn't open

so you won't actually be able to light that,

but I think it adds character. And this is just the entrance.

Certainly lovely floor.

Yeah, it's characterful.

If that's a word!

Yeah!

'With the large entrance hall passing the test,

'I'm looking forward to seeing Sue's reaction to what's probably

'the best room in the house.'

Right. Oh, wow.

First of all you come through here.

I got a "wow" there. Yeah. That's good, a "wow" is good.

ALL LAUGH

No, it is. This is a lovely space.

I like it, yeah. First impressions, it's very good.

I like the fact that Sue likes it.

That's a good start.

The ceiling height is good.

I like the beam and the fact there's a little burner.

Now, that's electric, like the other side, not in use but again, a lovely little feature,

and there's actually quite a lot of space in here, isn't there?

You could open that flue up as well.

You could look into opening that up, yeah. Make something of that. You'd have, to I think.

Yeah, have a nice log burner in there.

Yeah, it's a waste without it, isn't it?

So get the mind whirring.

But this leads through into what I really want to show you.

Now, Sue, you wanted space.

Oh, it's lovely.

That is really nice.

Yeah, I love the way it goes right the way through and you've got all the views.

It's a great kitchen. It's big, it's interesting.

It's again got character, a nice range.

There's also a flow with the downstairs, it flows round. A bit of energy.

Whereas the previous place didn't.

You can feel the energy flowing through. Yeah.

Well, let's keep flowing through cos there's more to show you.

'They seem really impressed by the downstairs of this rustic property

which also boasts a lovely, sunny conservatory,

a useful utility room and a cloakroom.

But we're heading to the first floor where I'm sure

they'll appreciate the size and space of the three double bedrooms

and single guestroom, as well as the family bathroom.

Now, time to check out where they would sleep.

This bedroom is the master. Oh! Oh, indeed.

With an en-suite.

Gosh, what a surprise! I didn't expect this to be up here at all.

I'm not sure about not having a door on the bathroom.

Me neither.

You could always change that.

But it is nice that the plumbing's all done and you have got the en-suite.

Yeah, they've thought about it. And another project for you, Steve. Another project? That's fine.

What are your thoughts and feelings overall?

I like the feel of it.

The deciding factor may well be the land, I guess. I think so. Yeah?

OK, let me finally put you out of your misery

and take you outside to talk about the land. Fabulous.

With the inside passing the test,

outside is where it all counts for Steve.

And I think he's going to love what I'm about to show him.

Well, we can start with half an acre of garden.

OK. It's on a slope.

Oh, yeah.

But hopefully, you'll be cheered by the other two acres

of land that come with this property.

Oh...OK. So you get that sort of field, paddocky area just there.

Oh, wow, perfect.

Lots of space for a horse.

Plus...outbuildings.

Now, that sounds really good.

Yeah, three good concrete structures,

so you've got a workshop, garage, but really good solid spaces.

Plus some wooden structures, three of those, stable...

BOTH: Oh!

I think that sounds perfect for you? It sounds absolutely perfect for me. So the all-important question.

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

And this time, I'm going to start with you, Steve.

OK...I would say 450,000.

OK.

Erm, I'll go above him this time,

cos of the acreage and the land I'm going to go 475.

475.

You are much closer, my dear. Yes!

It's on the market at ?480,000. OK.

So very close. But it has been on for nine months.

Why don't you wander off that way?

Have a look at the acreage, the outbuildings,

tell me what you think later on. OK?

OK, thanks.

I think they quite like this one.

They looked a bit lukewarm, there at the end, but Sue, we got a "wow"

and she loves the size and I think she can really see the potential.

And what more could Steve want? He gets his outbuildings.

On the market at ?480,000,

this property really seems to have hit the mark.

All these outbuildings, you won't know what to do with them.

I know, all these sheds and outbuildings.

You'd be in seventh heaven, wouldn't you? I would. You've got a pen

for, well, goats? Livestock, yeah.

Leading onto the paddock

which has really good grazing.

Fantastic grazing, that paddock, for the horse. Fantastic.

The house had lots of character,

and huge potential, although it already had a really nice feel to it.

Particularly the kitchen leading on to the extension, the sun extension,

sun room, and that was lovely.

Fantastic.

I could live here.

I like the situation, I like the house, I like the garden.

I'm just concerned about the location generally,

whether that would suit us having to commute back to Bristol.

Hello. Made yourselves at home in there?

Yeah, we have, very much so. Oh, what did you think of the outbuildings?

I thought they were great - stables, sheds, a workshop, everything I wanted.

Suitably impressed, but that was just day one.

We have still got more to see.

As the evening falls over Gloucestershire,

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

Steve has been trying to persuade his wife Sue to move

to the country for nearly 20 years.

Now their two daughters have grown up,

she has finally given her blessing for a move to Gloucestershire.

So far we've given them plenty to think about with our first two properties.

But coming up, our mystery house could be the one

they've been waiting for.

Oh, what have you done?!

Oh! We've atually really got you, haven't we?

Yeah, beautiful.

And I take my life in my hands and join the circus.

Whatever you do, don't do that!

After years of persuasion by Steve, it does seem that Sue is

finally ready to move out of Bristol.

But one thing's for sure after yesterday -

whilst for Steve the outside land is the most important,

for Sue we have got to get the house just right.

Now, I do think the mystery property can deliver for both of them.

The thing is to make them both happy

we're going to have to push them just that little bit further.

We've got a bit of journey to get to our mystery house - how are you feeling about that?

Erm...interested again. We seem to be going across the bridge again.

SHE LAUGHS

Across the water. I feel I've got to come to terms with that.

Are we going too far?

As long as you've got good road access for commuting back,

you know, every day, I think that's fine.

I think it really surprised me yesterday how quick

we got back from The Forest of Dean.

We are making progress.

ALL LAUGH

We've crossed the Severn bridge and hopped over the border

into Monmouthshire, pushing their commute to Bristol to the limit.

We're close to the town of Usk, which was a thriving market town in the Victorian era.

The mystery property is situated in the small hamlet of Coed-y-paen

and is an converted barn.

I think you were very brave letting me bring you over the border into Wales.

But it was all so we could deliver this property to you.

Oh, it's fabulous. It is beautiful, really, really nice. Gorgeous!

Oh, what've you done?!

Oh! We've actually really got you, haven't we?

Yeah! Beautiful.

Absolutely gorgeous and the setting is just amazing.

It's taken your breath away.

It has. It's made me quite emotional! Good!

Well, we've had the perfect result on your initial reactions.

I think it's time we looked inside and see how it delivers there. Yes, please. Come on.

'If there was ever a response I want to a mystery property, that was it.

'Let's see if they feel the same on the inside.'

Step on in.

Oh, wow.

Another wow and big intake of breath!

This is really, really nice.

I can't speak. I'm speechless.

Yay! Yeah, it's beautiful and the fireplace is such a centrepiece.

What do you think about the structure?

I think it's absolutely wonderful.

They've kept the main beam structure of the old barn,

it's really impressive. It's just grand to hold that.

Well, they're still under the spell of this house and the next area

should be just what Sue is looking for.

It's actually quite a big kitchen up here.

Well designed, I think.

It's lovely. It's a lovely kitchen. I love the floor.

Lots of work surfaces. And that lovely door out into the garden...

Yeah. ..which is great. And they've even created a little breakfast bar.

I think it's well designed so you can sit up here and get another aspect on your living area.

Yeah, I know, it's beautiful. Lovely.

You've done well. Yes!

Very well. I know you've said quite a few times,

"House...yeah. "It's more about the land." But this one...

I love this, I love this. The barn conversion is just fantastic.

It's really what I was looking for.

Despite what we said about wanting to do work, it is nice that it is actually done.

And you can just move in.

You could just move in.

I could move in tomorrow.

Wow! Did you hear that? Did you though?! I did, yeah.

You'd better sell that house quickly. I know!

So Sue's definitely sold on the downstairs for this stunning conversion.

But they'll find there's a lot less going on upstairs, which is

where we're heading to have a look at the master bedroom.

So this is the only bedroom on the upper level.

And I'm guessing it would be yours. Yeah. With view like that to wake up to.

Definitely. It's a good size as well.

And again, it's retained the beams up here.

You've got the beams, the ceiling height for the grandeur. Yeah.

I can feel you relaxing.

Gosh, to come home to this would just be fantastic, wouldn't it?

At the end of the day, a busy day, to come home and just relax.

Yeah, it's just gorgeous. And feed your chickens.

Feed your chickens, the horse, and maybe have a relaxing bath.

Oh, nice! Lovely!

Have a look in there. It's a nice en-suite. It's lovely.

There area further three good-sized rustic-style bedrooms on the ground floor of this property.

It would be ideal for the girls' visits.

And there's also a shower room, which doubles as a boot room with garden access.

Great for cleaning up after feeding the livestock.

But how much of that vital space is there outside for those goats,

chickens and horses?

We're about to find out.

From back here you get another look at this house

and I think it's just beautiful.

Yes, it is.

Now, this is about an acre that you've got here. Right.

And you've of course got the outbuildings on the other side of the property, stables.

How do you feel about this amount of land? Is that enough for you? Yeah, that's enough.

An acre's just enough.

Here's the deal, with this property you do just get the one acre,

however, the owner also owns another nine acres just down there,

a meadow, and that's up for negotiation.

So you could buy another nine acres,

at around about 6,000 an acre or you could rent.

She's willing to rent so you could see how it goes, see how much you need.

Yeah, sounds perfect. It's all meadow land at the moment, perfect for the horse.

Good grazing.

Now we have to consider how much it'll cost you to live this dream.

OK, the house, an acre of land, I'd say 490.

OK. 490. Do you know what?

Because it's over here in Usk, it's a lovely place,

I'm going to go lower, ?475.

Oh, Steve.

Nooo... You haven't got any better at this!

You win again. Yeah!

This is on the market at ?495,000 so you were very close.

Well, I think you should enjoy this sunshine.

Go indulge your senses wandering around this wonderful property

and I'll see you later on when you've had some time to mull it all over.

OK, thank you.

Huh! What a cracking result. I've got to say I'm a bit shocked.

It just goes to show the right house,

despite the slightly further location,

could help them to achieve their dream.

Just within their budget at ?495,

this property gives Steve and Sue

everything they've ever dreamed of.

So that's the land.

That's the meadow that's on offer.

Just knowing that you've got all that land, or some of it,

that you can either rent or buy, is fantastic, perfect.

The location really appeals.

It's quite, it's peaceful, it's beautiful views, beautiful countryside.

Inside is lovely.

They've retained a lot of the character from the old barn,

the large beams and the layout itself is really nice, I think it's brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant. I think you've done really, really well, absolutely great.

I think I was quite shocked when we came across the bridge

and headed into Wales cos we'd never ever considered moving into Wales.

But I must admit when I first saw the property I just felt

the peace and tranquillity of the area, I was just blown away.

It's beautiful here, absolutely gorgeous,

surrounded by the lavender.

I've fallen in love with it, what about you two?

Yeah, it's fantastic, really lovely.

Yeah, we both love it. Good, good.

Well, you've certainly had an emotional journey over the last couple of days.

Yeah, you've taken us out of our comfort zone.

well, let's find somewhere for you to sit down and take it all in.

We're back in Gloucestershire and it was here in the year 2000

that local girl Mel Gifford set up a circus which has gone on to receive national acclaim.

Her painted wagons regularly tour the southwest of England

with a show which has played to over 250,000 people

since it started and I'm here to find out more.

Yes, I've joined the circus!

OK, I've taken a few hours out to come

and meet the founders of Giffords circus, created by

a Gloucestershire family for the local rural community.

Hello, Nell. Hi.

Lovely to meet you and congratulations,

this is very impressive putting together this whole circus.

What inspired you?

When I was 18 I joined a circus in America, only for a few months,

but I fell in love with the travelling lifestyle,

and the theatre, the animals and all the families that spoke different languages,

and the circus performers.

What our idea was, myself and my husband, when we started it,

what we wanted to do was make a village-green circus,

kind of a handmade show.

Like everything you see, like the box office, it's all built by us.

I can really feel that there's a real community spirit just wandering around.

And locally people really do speak a lot about it.

It's something they really enjoy. Is that what you had envisioned?

For me this is like what I most like to see, dancers, live music, horses.

It's my idea of heaven

and I kind of thought everybody would love it, actually.

Well, with a couple of hours until curtain-up,

I'm off to meet some of the acts on the bill of this rural circus.

And I'm getting involved with a bit of fire-juggling,

with the help of Tweedy the clown.

So this safe, isn't it, Tweedy? You'll be fine. But we shouldn't try it at home.

No, you shouldn't try this at home!

You probably shouldn't try it here either but never mind that. Never mind.

It's the thing with the circus. It's all thrills, exciting.

That's it, isn't it? You want to entertain the audience.

Keep people on the edge of their seats.

And you're a regular on the show, aren't you, year after year?

I am and that's the thing, I have to come up with new gags.

I can feel the heat already.

It is hot. It'll be fine.

So again we just need to stay absolutely still.

And we'll all be fine.

Whatever you do, don't do that. Don't do that.

SHE LAUGHS

Have you got hairspray in your hair? I have!

Oh, I should've asked that earlier.

Never mind, we'll be all right.

We should've brought some marshmallows.

Thank you! Weah!

Well done, oh yeah! High five, don't leave me hanging. High five!

Nell's troop has grown from 18 to over 50 performers

in its 11-year history.

This summer the troupe is playing up to 14 shows a week in fields,

commons and village greens all over Gloucestershire

and the southwest region.

Each year they select different themes

and this season's is based on the Tolstoy novel War And Peace

brought to life for a family audience.

It's been quite an amazing experience but now it's time

to wave goodbye to life under the big top and see if Steve and Sue

have made their own big decision about our three properties.

Well, after over 20 years, we've had an emotional couple of days

trying to get you two out into the countryside.

So the first property, what were your first impressions?

First impressions were that it was very nice.

There wasn't enough room downstairs for Sue, I think

and the entrance to the property was rather much of a slope.

It was vertical actually, wasn't it?

And then the garden continued down on the slope.

Although there was a fair bit of land,

I think that would have probably put us off.

There was just something about the house that just didn't do it for me.

With property number two, I have to say

I was quite impressed with how you took to it.

It was a bit of a project but you seemed to really like it.

Yeah, we did.

The land was perfect for you, wasn't it? Yes, it was.

It had enough space, it had outbuildings, sheds, two acres,

a pond, half an acre of garden, it was really, really good outside for me.

And the house was interesting. It was full of character,

and it was obvious the owner had done a lot of work on it already.

One of the things I think with this journey has been taking you out of your comfort zone

and getting you to take that leap and go, "I'm serious about this move."

Yes.

And the mystery house certainly tested you on that, didn't it? It was a beautiful property.

It was absolutely fantastic, the real dream of rural living.

It was brilliant, the conversion had been done really, really well.

The beams, I loved those big heavy beams throughout the property.

Fantastic property.

So...three great properties, but I really need to know,

cos I'm a bit unsure,

as to whether we've done enough to actually get you to make this move, Sue.

Twenty-odd years in the making.

It's certainly challenged my thinking.

I think that last property made me want to be extremely rural.

I think you've done a great job to get Sue to this position.

I think that's an easily commutable distance for both of us.

No problem with that.

Will you put an offer in on our mystery house?

We still need to sell ours but we're going to really push to sell it

cos we really need now to sell it and move on.

It's ready, I'm ready.

I think as soon as we sell our property I think we'll

definitely be in a position to put an offer in on the mystery house.

Well, Sue and Steve, it's been a real pleasure.

I've so enjoyed spending time with you and helping you

on this journey, step by step, into your dream home and I can see that

you're both going to be very happy when you finally make that move. BOTH: Thank you very much.

When you've lived in the same home for 24 years, it takes some courage

to make a move and for Steve and Sue,

I think they'd stalled in the process

and needed our help to see things from a different perspective.

But it goes to show that

when you do, sometimes everything just falls into place.

I'll see you next time on Escape To the Country.

Steve and Sue did go back for a second look at the mystery property

but decided it wasn't for them as the commute was too long.

They've now bought a house just to the north of Bristol,

nearer to where they currently work.

If you'd like to escape to the country in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England,

and need our help, please apply online at -

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# Everybody hurts... #

To break someone physically... Agh! ..is not a problem.

Agh! But we will see