Welsh Marches Escape to the Country

This dyke was built back in the eighth century

to show the boundary of the ancient kingdom of Mercia.

Now, every year, 3,000 foot-sturdy walkers complete the entire length,

which is 177 miles.

Find out where we are in just a moment.

In today's show, I'll be helping a couple find a country home

that can fulfil all their artistic aspirations.

It's a fantastic playground.

Playground?

I don't want to grow old.

But, like all playgrounds, sometimes there are tears.

She is welling up, she's welling up.

I said I wouldn't do this.

So, we resort to divine inspiration with our mystery house.

Today, we're in the beautiful Welsh Marches,

which is the area where the English counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire,

and Shropshire meet the Welsh counties of Powys and Monmouthshire.

And this slightly weather-beaten earthwork is Offa's Dyke,

which was built by the Mercian king Offa to fend off the Welsh warlords.

Now, to walk the entire length of the dyke,

which pretty much forms the boundary between England and Wales,

takes 12 days, 12 days I don't have because we are property shopping

in this most beautiful corner of the country.

While there's no official definition of the Welsh Marches,

it generally describes the area encompassed by those counties

that lie on the English-Welsh border.

The area contains Britain's greatest concentration of motte and bailey castles,

such as those at Shrewsbury and Oswestry.

Built as a defence line by William the Conqueror

when Wales was independent from Norman rule.

Other architectural hallmarks of the region

are the half timbered Tudor buildings,

which define the historic centres of Shrewsbury and the market town of Ledbury.

With stunning architecture and glorious countryside,

it's no surprise that this region remains such an attractive choice for aspiring escapees.

Of the main counties that make up the Welsh Marches,

Herefordshire is the most expensive.

An average detached house there costs £259,000,

which is just a smidgen above the national average.

However, if you cross the border here into Powys,

the same property would set you back £201,000.

But, no matter how much money you spend,

you are still getting all of this incredible scenery.

Fancy it? Take a look what's on the market.

In the border county of Shropshire,

you could buy this grade two listed four-bedroom thatched cottage

in Bucknall for £325,000.

Inside, the character exposed beams and inglenook give it a cosy feel.

And a large kitchen and separate dining room offer up

plenty of comfortable living spaces.

What's more, it comes with a quarter of an acre of landscaped gardens.

Sitting on the Powys-Herefordshire border near Knighton,

this 1860s property has been impressively refurbished

to provide large, light reception rooms,

and a modern farmhouse kitchen.

The highlight of its four bedrooms is the master,

which takes in views of the nine and a half acres, and the hills beyond.

All of which could be yours for £550,000.

Or, for a budget-topping home in Powys,

you might like this five-bedroom property in Marton,

which is priced at £775,000.

Along with a huge kitchen-diner built with modern living in mind,

the mahogany wall panelling in the entrance hall,

and decor of the sitting-room add a real sense of grandeur.

I love the properties here in the Welsh Marches.

But let's meet the couple who are buying here today,

they're lovely too.

Shirley, an art and design teacher, and Gary, a ceramic artist,

have lived together in her dormer bungalow

in Redditch, Worcestershire, for the past five years.

But they have not been alone.

Also residing here are their four dogs, couple of chickens, two ducks,

and Shirley's parents,

who currently live in an attached annexe.

All of them will be on the move

just as soon as they can find a new home in the country,

but it must have the perfect space for Gary

to continue his flourishing ceramics business.

Our current home is not ideal

now mainly because of your work, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

It's just become too small, because we work here in the house.

We also work in the studio in the village,

and just want to try and group it all together in one go.

While workspace and finding an annexe

for Shirley's parents are important factors,

this will also be the very first home they've ever bought together.

So, they are pooling their list of priorities.

Ideally, for my next property, we'd like two bedrooms,

possibly three, because Gary would like a library.

A nice kitchen, a bigger kitchen maybe.

We'd also like some outbuildings for the business.

If we haven't got any outbuildings,

we'd like some land so that we can build something of our own desire.

I think views will be a big one.

A lot of my work is based around the fields and rural aspects,

so, it'll be inspiration on the doorstep, I hope.

And it seems they're desperate for our expertise and input.

We need your help because we've trawled the net for about last 16 months.

It's actually become our bedtime reading with a laptop.

It's also quite difficult not being in that area,

because we're both very busy people,

and sometimes we're up till two or three o'clock in the morning looking, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-How sad is that?

Our buyers are prepared to get creative

and put their own stamp on a property,

which, with so many competing demands, is good news.

But what could really enhance their options is their budget.

Our maximum budget on the new property,

if it includes the business, will be £480,000.

Gary and Shirley have such a great creative vision

of what they want in their property in the countryside,

although effectively, it is two houses,

for a slightly circumscribed budget.

But up till now they've only been looking on the internet,

hundreds and hundreds of hours looking on the internet,

which is a depressing experience.

So, let's get them out into the Welsh Marches

and show them the real thing.

Gary and Shirley are very keen on the artistic hub around Hay-on-Wye,

but we'll need to widen our search area

in order to give them everything on their wish list.

I'll be showing them three very different properties

which balance their creative urges

with the practical needs of Shirley's parents.

But I won't reveal the price of each until they've had a guess first.

The last of these is our mystery house,

which, if they can see through the facade,

will offer them a new window of opportunity.

Welcome to the Welsh Marches, sounds very grand.

It does.

We're looking forward to showing you around,

because you've actually been looking for a long time.

-Yes, we have, about 12 months.

-Yeah, 12 to 16 months.

And that's mainly been on the internet?

-Yes.

-Yeah, bedtime story reading.

What's been the biggest downside in the properties you've seen so far?

Trying to find a place with an annexe

but it usually comes with a very large property.

We only want small house ourselves,

it's the studio space that we need large.

And your artistic ventures, Gary,

are going incredibly well, very exciting.

What do you want in an ideal world, what are you looking for in terms of space?

In an ideal world, it's more storage rather than actual workshop,

because I collect lots of junk, which gets involved.

Artistic material.

Artistic material, yes.

So, I have to warn you that your budget is being stretched,

because you're asking for quite a lot,

but also remember that it's a buyer's market,

you can put in offers.

The asking price is not necessarily what you're going to be paying.

I'm looking forward to showing you,

we've got some beautiful houses lined up feeling the Welsh Marches,

-so, let's march on.

-Thank you.

With their £480,000 budget,

Gary and Shirley would like a two-bedroom home for them,

ideally, with a large kitchen-diner,

and an annexe that Shirley's parents would be happy with.

Gary is also after a studio and storage space

to grow his ceramics business.

Oh, and if you could throw in a library, so much the better.

In terms of your career, the dream scenario in the countryside?

Just generally slow things down a little bit.

-It would be nice to work together, really, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

-Because we bounce ideas off each other.

-Yeah.

-So, ultimately, that's where we're going, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I'm seeing an artistic commune,

I'm seeing creative mornings throwing paint around.

-Pottery.

-Oh, yes.

Mindful that we have so many elements at play in our house hunt,

we're going to stray into the Welsh county of Powys,

and head towards Llandrindod Wells,

a renowned spa town in its Victorian heyday,

and still a vibrant place with lots of amenities.

Six miles away, and set in peaceful seclusion, is our first property,

which comes in the form of an impressive barn conversion.

So, house number one.

-Wow.

-First looks, very nice.

It really does look nice.

Yeah?

Yeah. We do like stone buildings, we love stone buildings.

Yeah, yeah,

I like the remoteness of it and I like the first aspect as you come in.

Very nice.

It is quite remote, but,

the payoff is all of this amazing Welsh countryside all around you.

As we're just over the Wye, the other side the Wye Valley.

And this field.

It's yours.

All of it?

-All four-ish acres of it.

-Oh!

Wow.

Including a duck pond.

We like the duck pond.

We've got running ducks and chickens,

-so they would be very at home.

-Yes.

Shall we have a look inside the house where you're going to live?

Yes, yes please.

Let's take all that positive energy inside

and explore what this barn conversion,

thought to date back to the 1700s, would give them.

Leading off the stunning central hallway, is the main dining room.

But before that, I want to get their view on the kitchen.

Come through.

Gorgeous. Really, really nice.

It is very nicely done.

It's quite a showpiece,

it's somewhere you'd want friends to come and have a look at.

I don't think it would stay looking like this.

This is the area that we envisaged you two living in,

I don't expect you to share it with your mum and dad,

but if you see through here, there's a really lovely big utility room,

there's a shower room.

This is all a new addition,

there's been lots of bits added to the property.

So, it's kind of a growing project.

We'll look at the options for this to be developed and extended

for Shirley's parents later.

But, back to their living space.

Across the hallway is the sitting room,

which features exposed stonework, and a multi-fuel burner.

Time to head upstairs, which provides them with three bedrooms,

one more than they requested.

The one currently used as the master has sloping ceilings

and built-in wardrobes,

and along the hallway, there's a single room

with a beautifully furnished family bathroom opposite.

But, we're going to see what they make of the other double bedroom.

What are your thoughts about sleeping arrangements?

-I like it.

-I do like it, yes.

This is the master bedroom?

Well, actually, they use the other one as the master bedroom,

but this one is the brightest.

-Brightest.

-I like this bedroom very much.

It's not unlike ours at home, in a way, because we're up in the eaves.

It's not unlike ours.

I'm glad it resonates with them so strongly,

but now, I think it's time to turn our attention to Shirley's parents,

and I don't think they'll be disappointed with the adjoining wing.

And then, here's a surprise.

Oh, no, oh, this is!

Wow. Uh, yeah.

I'm speechless.

You weren't expecting that, were you?

No, this is lovely. Oh, god!

She's welling up, she's welling up.

I said I wouldn't do this.

We were already planning the other room, but this is just... Oh, wow.

Well, this is where you have to make the ultimate sacrifice,

-because we were thinking this would be the perfect space for your...

-Parents.

For your mum and dad.

But, saying that, we've got to really sell it to Mum and Dad,

and this is just the sort of thing.

Beautiful space.

At the back there you've got another good-sized bedroom.

And you've got another room that's not quite finished yet,

but has all the plumbing for a bathroom.

So, what you don't have in this wing is a kitchen,

-but there's the possibility of that utility room.

-Utility area, yeah.

That's a solution you're going to have to find.

We could share.

She's gone all pale.

Um, let's put that on to one side and go and find your play pen.

Right, OK.

Gary can take his pick from the raft of outbuildings on offer.

Besides a large, purpose-built stable block,

there's a separate workshop and two additional storage rooms.

So, lots of space for Shirley to fulfil her artistic ambitions too.

So, it's quite a property.

It's a fantastic playground.

-Playground?

-I don't want to grow old.

It is a beautiful playground, it does give you everything you want.

-It does, that's what we're worried about.

-Yeah.

Are you going to ask us how much we think it is now?

I'm going to ask you to guess how much you think it is.

Oh, crikey. Uh, £480,000.

I think it's more than that.

I think it's nearer the 500, myself.

Well, it's somewhere in between, it is on the market for £495,000,

so, it is considerably over your 480 budget.

It is.

But, you know, it's a marketplace, and you can make an offer.

-It is.

-I'm give you some time to explore,

because there's lots you haven't seen, have a look the stables,

have a look upstairs a bit more,

explore where you might put the kitchenette,

and I shall see you at the front, and we will go on from there.

Thank you very much, marvellous.

Priced at £495,000, a reasonable offer to the vendor

could well bring this beautiful barn conversion in on budget.

It meets their criteria on so many levels,

giving them a home with that show stopping kitchen-diner,

and three bedrooms.

The adjoining annexe would also be great for Shirley's parents,

if they added that kitchen.

Outside, the outbuildings are, in Gary's words,

an artistic playground for them to develop.

And it's all wrapped up in around four acres of land,

in a glorious rural setting.

I can't believe you found this property.

The only slight dilemma would be the kitchen for Shirley's parents.

But I daresay we could sort that out.

But as a house, it's going to be an ongoing project for us,

there's still enough there for us to do and put our own mark on it.

I think the annexe, was just stunning.

And for Mum and Dad it is just perfect,

and obviously, Mum and Dad would have to see this,

I can't make any decisions without them,

but I can't see an awful lot of worries about that.

Hello.

Are you still enchanted?

Yes.

Oh, good. Well, I'm going to have to tear you away

because we've got another house for you.

OK.

The landscape that straddles the English Welsh border

not only offers up stunning scenery,

but it's also the setting for many historic towns

which still hold onto their rich architectural heritage.

A fine example is the market town of Ledbury,

home to over 170 listed properties,

with cobbled streets which are lined with numerous timber-framed buildings,

including the market house, which dates back to the 17th century.

A couple of miles away, and wrapped up in a 5,000 acre estate,

Eastnor Castle is an iconic,

but surprisingly recent addition to the local landscape.

Built in the Gothic Revival style just 200 years ago,

by the first Earl, John Somers.

To find out more about how this stately home was created,

earlier in the week, we arranged for Gary and Shirley to meet head castle guide, Patricia Wilkin.

The stone for the castle came from the Forest of Dean,

12,000 tonnes of it, 6,000 tons of wood,

which came off the local estate, so, that helped a great deal with cost.

And Robert Smirke was the architect, and he supervised the work.

250 men worked on the castle for the first six years, night and day.

To get the walls up and the roof on.

It's basically built for grandeur, I take it?

It is built to impress.

Even though building started in 1810,

Eastnor Castle harks back to the style of a mediaeval fortress

guarding the Welsh borders.

And the impressive interior builds on that theme.

So, here we are in the centrepiece of the castle,

this great, baronial hall.

I take it, back in those days,

it wouldn't have had all this furniture?

No, in John Somers' day, when he first built,

it would have been completely empty, no colour, no decoration,

no pictures.

Cream walls and a stone floor.

The two windows at the top there, above this main door,

that's the minstrel gallery,

so, your minstrels would be up there playing the music,

and down here in this vast, empty space

you could have feasting and dancing.

The dimensions and opulent furnishings

in all the public reception areas of the castle

aimed to inspire awe in its guests.

And the First Earl's grandson

applied the same level of lavishness to his private quarters.

This room was created for the Third Earl in his later years.

And he's used his Italian collection in here.

The bed belonged to a cardinal.

And the wardrobe and chest of drawers are also Italian.

What about the wallpaper?

And that was obviously created for Lord Somers,

it's got the S for the Somers' name in it.

It is actually quite cosy, though,

because it's got such high ceilings,

but it's actually quite cosy. Isn't it?

Yes, it is.

I can't promise anything quite on this scale, but, hopefully,

the next stage of our house hunt might unearth a property

that Gary and Shirley will be proud to call their forever home.

Our property search continues just three miles from Hay-on-Wye,

a place our artistic couple are particularly drawn to.

Along with a whole host of independent shops,

Hay has a calendar chock full of cultural highlights,

such as its book festival,

which should be right up our buyers' street.

Just outside the nearby village of Clyro,

our second property sits on the side of a hill,

with the sort of views to inspire any artist.

House number two.

First impressions, fairytale castle.

Lovely!

We've brought you here partly because of that.

Ah!

Fabulous views over in to Wales, the start of the Black Mountains.

But it's got great bones, this house, and great views.

-Yeah, yeah.

-It's certainly got great views.

Stunning views.

Let's look inside.

This farmhouse is in their ideal location,

but there's a potential compromise,

as they may need to summon up some vision for inside.

Here we are, let's go straight in to the big living space for you guys.

-Ah.

-Ah.

A speaking silence I think they call that.

What are your thoughts?

I actually like the shape of the room.

I like the shape of the room, I'm not sure I get the right sort of feel.

I haven't got the wow feel...

..to be honest.

I don't mind not having the, sort of, the wow feel.

I don't know whether it's a bit, um, over done.

Um, why don't you withhold judgement and we'll have a look at the rest,

-because it is a multi-parcel property.

-Yes.

There are lots of bits to it.

They've descended in to deep thought, but, behind us,

the separate dining area

adds another dimension to this main reception room.

And, the L-shaped kitchen looks out over the garden.

Bearing in mind that we've earmarked the main house as being just for them,

upstairs they potentially have four bedrooms.

This is being used as the master bedroom.

Oh, nice.

I like this. Yes, I like this.

-It's nice, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

Right. What do you think about your accommodation so far?

It's a little more cramped than the previous property.

Depending on the price, you could open up rooms.

Another reason that we brought you here is,

this property has a fully functional...

..not going to tell you.

(LAUGHS)

This house does give them lots of other accommodation.

As there's another slightly smaller double on this floor,

both being served by not just a family bathroom,

but also a separate shower room.

What's more, the attic space has been converted

to offer a third bedroom, and also a good-sized study,

which we were thinking would make a nice sky-lit studio for Shirley,

as it benefits from those lovely views.

However, our tour is far from over,

we also brought them here because Shirley's parents would be very well catered for

in their own accommodation.

Ah.

So, hidden outside, separate.

Separate.

Completely self-contained, it's not as wowey as the last one,

-which had obviously just been finished.

-Yeah.

A sitting room, kitchenette, big bedroom and a bathroom.

Ah, that's really good.

-It is.

-That's not bad at all.

Yeah.

Now to tackle the third important element, out buildings.

And this property has them in abundance.

There are two being used as big storage rooms by the current owners,

which could be converted into a holiday let

with the right planning permission.

But the highlight has to be the massive up and running studio

that Gary can move straight in to.

And they wouldn't have to scrimp on outside space either.

So, your land stretches down to the big trees at the bottom,

it includes all of this orchard, two-and-a-half acres,

the big house, the annexe, the workshop,

the potential holiday let, the garden behind,

how much do you think all that's worth?

I'm going to say £460,000.

I know it's got a lot of buildings,

but I think it's less than that,

I'm going to go for £430,000.

This might make it easier for you,

it's on the market for £495,000, the same as the last one.

Ah.

Why don't you take all your thoughts and wander around the house,

because we haven't really seen everything, so.

-Right.

-OK, thank you.

Go think.

It is a great, thought-provoking house,

because, in many ways it gives them so many lovely things

that they're looking for, not least that incredible view.

But it is quite pricey.

And, uh, it's really plunged them into deep thought.

Priced at £495,000,

our second property delivers all the components they asked for,

but at a hefty price.

It does include a four-bedroom home for them,

a separate annexe for Shirley's parents,

a raft of outbuildings, giving Gary a ready-made artists workspace.

And two acres of grounds with glorious views

in their perfect location near Hay-on-Wye.

I never thought a kitchen was that important.

No, no.

It isn't, but...

The other room was good for entertaining,

and cooking and chatting whilst you work.

From the front, it looks quite picturesque,

but, unfortunately, when we came in

I found it a little bit too cramped.

The annexe, nicely laid out.

Um, a little bit smaller than what Mum's got at the moment,

the outside, yes, but, unfortunately, the inside, not quite right.

The outbuildings and the grounds, absolutely gorgeous,

they do need work doing to them, um,

there's a beautiful potential to do a holiday let

with the L-shaped barns,

but the house doesn't do it for me.

Tell you what, guys, I don't know what you think about the house,

but this view, it's worth half a million pounds.

-It is.

-Definitely.

-To somebody.

-Yeah.

OK, come with me and let's rest and recuperate.

As evening falls, our house hunters have a chance to reflect

on what they've seen,

as the first day of our house hunt draws to a close.

With their £480,000 budget,

Gary and Shirley are poised to move from Redditch, Worcestershire,

and buy their very first home together

around the English-Welsh borders.

Our two houses so far have done a pretty good job

in providing an annexe for Shirley's parents,

and studio space for Gary's art business.

Coming up, our mystery house not only goes off limits with location,

but takes out one key ingredient.

Because as it stands there is no workshop.

And I revisit some past escapees,

who are now living their country dream.

It became clear to me yesterday that Gary and Shirley

really don't have as much time as they thought they did.

They don't have time to completely gut

and cosmetically remodel a house, like house two yesterday.

Instead, they are actually quite romantic, and they see something,

even though it's quite remote, like the first house, they love it

because they can move straight in and start their business.

Because we're finding it quite difficult

to give them exactly what they want for their budget,

for the mystery house,

we're going to take them to something that's totally beautiful,

totally remote,

and, luckily, the Welsh Marches is full of that.

For our mystery house,

we're straying away from the Wye Valley and heading to Taf Fechan

in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Here, you can take a ride on the Taff Vale Railway,

which has been running here since the mid 1830s.

Our mystery property is also rooted in the Park's heritage.

And although it comes in a form I think they'll love,

it is, however, missing one vital element from their wish list.

Ta-da!

Oh.

-Can you guess what it is?

-Yes.

An old chapel?

It is indeed an old chapel, this is a great one, it's got a great story.

You will be familiar, you know this area quite well,

-you've been running here?

-Yes.

So, there's a huge reservoir down there,

and in the 1920s when it was turned in to a reservoir,

the church at the bottom of the valley would have been flooded.

So, the locals carried the church, stone by stone,

up to the side of the valley and rebuilt it here.

-Oh.

-Wow.

Let's see if they're wowed by the interior of our mystery chapel.

So, we come here, we can get the full force of the conversion.

What do you think?

It's very nice.

It is very nice.

In here, I know what I'd do.

What would you do?

I think I'd be inclined to open it up a bit more.

Open it up more?

Mmm.

'Well, I wonder what they'll think after seeing the next room.'

Ah, this is a place for your books, Gary.

Ah, just what I wanted, a library.

It's always a nuisance having to work in the studio,

and you've got your clay and everything,

but it's always nice to have a place to come and do reference work.

And research.

And research.

Yeah.

Gary rather likes the library,

but let's see what they both think of the kitchen.

Through the arched door.

Oh.

It's a lovely kitchen.

Does this meet your requirements?

-Yes.

-Yes, it does.

-It's a lovely kitchen.

Yeah, it's a nice place.

-It's a good-sized kitchen, it's light.

-It's much bigger than ours,

I like the patio with the doors straight out.

Yes.

And of course, these amazing views over the Brecon Beacons.

Yeah.

Dare I say it, but they seem to be falling in love with our mystery house.

On the first floor,

the galleried landing features an impressive vaulted ceiling

that leads to all three bedrooms.

Well, this is a lovely feature, isn't it?

That's a lovely view.

A window that grows out of the floor.

Yeah.

And...

-Oh!

-Ah!

Yeah.

I think we'd have to have a bigger window there.

The whole, all these could be windows.

This bedroom would make a good master,

as it has an en suite flooded with light.

And the other two bedrooms include a double

with those lovely, gothic style windows.

And another with a sloping ceiling.

Both can make use of the bright family bathroom.

Outside, and set back from the chapel,

is a potential self-contained home for Shirley's parents,

that's if Gary can give up his all-important studio.

This is lovely.

What we have here is the conundrum.

Right.

Because the present owner has put in this very beautifully built

stone clad annexe.

Downstairs is a garage, and, actually, his gym,

but it's all ready to be converted downstairs into a kitchen,

there's a washroom,

and the garage could be tanked out and turned into a sitting room.

As it stands, there is no workshop.

Workshop.

Depends, it all depends on the budget.

The budget, yeah.

I could build a studio.

That's the kind of creative solution I like.

And it's entirely possible,

as small businesses are actively supported

by the National Parks Authority.

Outside, beautifully landscaped gardens surround our mystery house,

and the two acre paddock gives Gary space to site a studio,

if he can get planning permission.

We'll head down to the banks of the reservoir

and wrestle through the conundrum posed by our mystery proposition.

I have to point out that this doesn't belong to you, sadly.

But the house is just beyond those trees,

so, in the winter you can see it from your house.

There's a steam railway that goes down this valley,

there's a tea room,

and I hear there's a very talented ceramicist about to move in.

Or not, as the case may be.

How much do you think it costs?

Uh, in the middle of the National Park,

I'm going to guess about £510,000.

I think it's possibly more than that,

510,000, maybe 520,000.

OK, well, the price is less than that.

It's on the market for just under £500,000.

-Ah.

-Why don't you walk back to the house, have a look around,

think about whether that's going to work with your budgetary constraints,

and I'll see you at the front.

-OK, thank you.

-Thank you.

Not only is our mystery chapel conversion a slice of local history,

but its location has real business potential,

although Gary needs to work out a solution for his studio.

Priced at just under £500,000, the vendor is open to offers.

And it would provide them with a unique, three-bedroom home.

Along with an annexe for Shirley's parents.

What's more, its location is breathtaking,

as it falls within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The chapel was quite a surprise.

There's things we'd like to do in there,

but that can be done at a later stage.

No studio space, I could utilise the garage to start with,

probably build a studio over in amongst the trees.

Um, it would have spectacular views.

We could imagine ourselves living here, certainly,

there's just so much inspiration around the area, so, I think, yeah.

Definitely, just would depend on the parents.

That is what you call a very good Escape To The Country result.

Because, top-priced property,

doesn't give them everything they want and they loved it.

-Hello.

-Hello.

I was just talking about you.

-Oh, good.

-Good things.

-Good.

OK, so, I'm going to have to tear you away from the mystery house,

and take you somewhere to discuss all three.

Come with me.

When we've helped people find their country home,

one of the questions our viewers often ask is, what happens after?

Do our house-hunters actually end up buying the property?

Well, I'm delighted to be able to show you what happens next,

because, here in Herefordshire,

we are revisiting a home

that the lovely Nicky Chapman found two years ago for Danny and Suzanne.

Here it is.

Our buyers wanted to swap their home in Sutton Coldfield

for a slice of country life in Herefordshire.

They had a healthy budget of £650,000,

and wanted a home with scope for a holiday let business.

When Nicky showed them a converted pumping house in Eastnor...

Gorgeous, you can just leave me here now.

..with a B&B attached,

it was clear right away that she had found them something very special.

Oh, wonderful.

Current asking price is £499,950.

-No! No!

-Oh, my God.

-Can you just get your cheque book out?

-Yeah, yeah.

No, oh!

The couple had their offer accepted,

and moved in to their new home in February 2010.

-Hello.

-Hello!

-Lovely to meet you.

-Welcome.

Sorry, I'm not quite as beautiful as Nicky, but I'm doing my best.

-Lovely to see you.

-Come in.

Let's have a look round.

It's so lovely to actually catch up with our home buyers.

And see what they've done with their lovely homes.

So, tell me, what have been the, kind of,

highlights of being in the country?

Have you made friends, has it been easy to integrate?

Yeah, we've met a few people.

We have now, yes.

We've got a little circle of friends.

I've met quite a few people through the tourist board,

and they've also got B&Bs.

Being a stone's throw from Eastnor Castle,

it's a strategic spot for their B&B business,

which takes up the first floor of this outbuilding.

Over the past 18 months, they've refurbished it

with a mind to giving their guests complete independence.

So, how has the business been,

because you'd never done that before, had you?

-No, we've done very well, this second year particularly.

-Yes, it's picked up.

We do very well for Eastnor Castle,

weddings, any functions that they have there.

That's great. And have you got plans to expand the empire?

Yes, we have actually, Alistair. Would you like to come and have a look?

-Yes, definitely, outside?

-Yes.

Danny and Suzanne are in the early stages of realising their vision,

despite the challenge of getting planning consent

in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty.

So, what's going to go here, you've been clearing the ground?

Yes, we've just got planning permission to have two eco-lodges,

that was part of the dream when we moved here,

that would be our business.

And, as well as looking after holiday guests,

they're also tending to a sizeable flock of birds.

They're duckies!

Oh, crikey, they're a bit aggressive.

They haven't got any teeth, you're all right.

Aww. So, who are these chaps?

Some of these are our babies born this year,

and they were born in a hanging basket.

Really? So, do you have any advice,

because you're in a perfect place to give some advice to people

who may be watching and thinking,

oh, I'd really love to live in the countryside.

-Just follow your dreams.

-Yeah, follow your dreams and do what we've done,

-because, it's lovely, isn't it?

-Yeah.

And it's all thanks to you.

Well, it's our greatest reward to see you here,

-with your ducks, looking so happy.

-Yes, thank you very much.

Thank you.

It is indeed great that Danny and Suzanne have found a way

to support themselves which complements the lifestyle

they aspired to here in the countryside.

So nice to catch up with some successful escapees,

but it's time now to find out

whether they're going to get some new neighbours

here in the Welsh Marches,

because Gary and Shirley have been mulling over the properties they've seen.

Let's find out what they've been thinking.

Sometimes it's easier to go through the properties one by one,

so, let's spin back the clock and look at the first house.

What are your thoughts about that now?

It's virtually completed,

we haven't got to do much to that at all.

The work studio needs to be messed around with,

but it's nothing out of our scope.

It didn't have so much to do on the house,

which releases time for us to sort out the workshop.

Then the second house, although, in many ways,

this was a much better location, offered you everything you want,

didn't like it so much.

It didn't feel right.

-No, no.

-For me, it didn't feel right at all.

It was too, um, it was too claustrophobic.

From the outside it looked great, but when we went inside

I just felt very enclosed, very boxed.

The mystery house,

strangely, didn't really offer you as much as the other two houses,

but something happened.

-I think it's the location.

-The location happened.

Um, I never envisaged doing the studio as a tourist attraction,

I just thought of producing my work

and sending it out to galleries from there,

but with this we've got the double aspect

of possibly doing holiday lets with art studios involved as well.

So, what happens next, will you revisit any of them,

will you put an offer in on any of them?

I think we'd like to revisit the first property,

and probably the mystery house as well.

We'd have to with my parents,

because, obviously, we can't make a decision

without passing it by them first.

Well, I really hope that the calling draws you to the Welsh Marches,

it's been really fun showing you round, best of luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

This is a magical corner of the UK

and it seems like its magic worked on Gary and Shirley.

It was really interesting that getting them away

from all that internet searching

and actually out into the landscape changed everything.

So, it just goes to show that the country is a powerful place.

And if you've enjoyed our adventures here in the British countryside,

then do tune in next time for more Escape.

Shirley and Gary went back to see property one again,

this time with her parents.

They loved it, but, unfortunately,

it proved to be too far for Shirley to travel to work.

So, their house hunt continues.

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

Northern Ireland or England

and need our help, please apply online at bbc.co.uk/beonashow

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd