South Wales Escape to the Country

For today's escape to the country, I've come to a county with some gorgeous rivers,

but it's also famous for its mills and the woollen blankets they produced? Where are we?

Join me in a few moments and I'll tell you.

'On today's show I help a couple move back to their roots

'and find their piece of paradise in West Wales.

'And it's full steam ahead as an impressive bathroom makes them keen to take the plunge.'

-Even I might be tempted.

-It's lovely.

-'And another house

'sees them reaching for their hankies.' A little bit tearful.

Hold it together. Don't lose it just yet.

Today we're in Carmarthenshire, a county that was once at the centre of the Welsh woollen industry,

producing gorgeous Welsh blankets like these. The building behind me is the mill in Dre-fach Felindre.

Back in the 19th century, there were once 27 mills in this tiny village alone.

By the 20th century, textile production in this region rivalled that of Yorkshire.

It's hard to imagine these days, but later I'll look at the area's history and a recent upturn

in the production of products like these. But for now, there's a lot more to this county

than blankets and sheep.

Carmarthenshire is surrounded by Ceredigion to the north, Powys to the east, Pembrokeshire to the west.

Dylan Thomas, who spent much of his life here, described its natural beauty as the "fields of praise".

And the west of the county is home to swathes of picturesque hills and farmland.

It's also famous for its many castles such as the impressive fortress of Llansteffan.

If you have a passion for the sea, it could be the perfect place for your next home.

The county has miles of coastline running along the grand sweeps of Carmarthen Bay and Pendine Sands.

So if you are in the market for a rural bolthole, this part of South Wales should be on your radar.

The average house price here is around about £160,000.

Give or take, that's 100 grand less than the national average for England and Wales.

So when you've got gorgeous landscapes like that and occasional beautiful weather,

you can see why it's an ever-popular destination.

Carmarthenshire offers up a varied mix of properties that reflect the county's heritage.

Former millworkers' cottages dating back to the mid-19th century

could be available for as little as £150,000.

If you yearn for locally-quarried stone, you'll find an array of houses with slate roofs,

dating back to the 17th century.

These can range from around the £300,000-£450,000 price bracket,

but it all depends how much land is on offer.

For budgets of £500,000 or more, there are gorgeous period farmhouses.

Hailing from the late Georgian era, they can provide an impressive number of acres.

So as you can see, there are some fantastic properties on offer in all sort of shapes and sizes,

but will any one of them be enough to tempt today's buyers to move? Well, they certainly hope so.

Today's escapees are Tim and Lisa. Self-confessed townies,

they've lived in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire for most of their lives,

but now crave the sights and sounds of the country.

My ideal property would have a view to die for. I want to get up and see the beauty of the countryside.

I was brought up in a rural community so I wanted our children to have the same opportunity, space,

land, woodland to explore and to play in and to grow up in.

But this isn't just an important move for our buyers. There's also their children, Sophie and Harry.

Harry's 10, he's full of life and he needs space.

Building treehouses, quad bikes,

playing rugby and football and cricket.

Sophie can have a pony.

So it seems an active lifestyle is key to everyone's aspirations and that includes Tim.

I like to shoot clay pigeons and air rifles. And I really want a tractor!

Lisa, however, wants to be the driving force behind a completely new venture.

I actually want to start a business myself. We want to do rentals,

either log cabins or glamping.

I don't want to just get another job working for somebody else. I want to incorporate this with the move.

If we've got the right land, we can do that.

And that right land is in West Wales, a part of the world that's very close to their hearts.

We're looking to move to Carmarthenshire. We're looking for an area from Swansea westwards

across to Carmarthen.

I've got some very happy memories of Wales. When I was growing up,

we spent many, many years having fabulous holidays there.

Just one final thing to nail down and that's the finances.

Our maximum budget would be £550,000.

Tim and Lisa want us to concentrate our property search towards the southern edge of the county

to take full advantage of all their favourite country interests,

but within easy motorway reach as Tim still needs to commute to Newport.

I met up with them on their arrival in Wales to find out more about what they're looking for.

-Nice to see you. Hi, Lisa, Tim. Good to see you.

-You, too.

-Welcome to Carmarthenshire.

There's Llansteffan Castle behind us and I gather you're part-Welsh.

-My mother's Welsh.

-Hey! Do you speak Welsh?

-Just a little.

Good. This is Welsh-speaking territory.

-So tell me, what are we looking for?

-I think our ideal property would probably be a stone farmhouse

with big kitchen, heart of the house, and maybe a fireplace and some oak beams.

-So traditional country living.

-Yeah.

-But we're also bringing Mum along, Margaret.

-Yes, that's right.

-Are we thinking about an annexe?

Definitely an annexe. Maybe a cottage or an outbuilding we can convert for her.

-Now you like tractors, quad bikes and lots of land.

-Absolutely! The more land the better.

-What are you going to do with it?

-We've got some business ideas around glamping.

I want wooden pods. They're fabulous. We need woodland to put them in the right setting.

And how much have we got to pay for this good life?

We could go to 550 if everything was there and we didn't have lots to renovate.

-Shall we?

-Yeah.

-Come on, then.

Tim and Lisa have a maximum budget of £550,000 and a very clear idea of their wish list.

They'd like a large country kitchen, at least four bedrooms,

an annexe or outhouse for Lisa's mum

and a minimum of four acres of land.

We'll be showing them three fabulous country retreats, but as ever I won't be revealing the price

until they've had a guess first. The final property is the mystery house,

a home they might not have looked at on paper, but the location could make them go weak at the knees.

Our first property is in Llandyfan, a beautiful rural hamlet

nestled on the western edge of the Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Our buyers asked for a setting with good access to country activities

and this location is perfect for both camping and fishing.

Towering above this tiny village are the grey stone ruins of the medieval castle of Carreg Cennen,

the perfect romantic ruin. So let's hope they fall in love with house number one.

You wouldn't think it, but that is a converted barn.

-Right.

-The whole thing was converted about 12 years ago or so.

Since then, they've kind of added to it,

-not least with that log cabin.

-OK.

-Everything's gone quiet.

-Hasn't it?

-Is this a good sign?

-Yes.

-Yes, it is good.

All in all, seven acres.

They sort of wrap themselves around the boundary you see there,

-beyond that red shed you can see in the distance and the tractor!

-The little tractor!

-Yeah!

-Let's go inside and have a look. There's an awful lot of it, our converted barn.

-Lovely.

-Come on.

'A pretty good start, I think, even though Tim and Lisa appear to be slightly lost for words.

'Let's see what they make of the very spacious interior.'

Let's start with this enormous, wraparound garden room, really. Or conservatory. Call it what you like.

It really does make a huge difference to the floorplan here.

It really does extend it into a wonderful family space.

It goes right the way round the corner in this lovely L-shape.

It's nice that it's next to the kitchen. It just, effectively, extends the whole kitchen area.

-The nice thing about it is that it helps insulate the whole thing as well.

-Yeah.

-You spotted the kitchen.

-Yes.

-Let's have a closer look.

Here it is. Lisa, I know you wanted it to be the heart of the home, as it were.

-Physically, it's right in the middle as you can see.

-Mm.

-There's a lot of "mm" going on.

-No, it's nice.

-It's nice.

-Again, it's a big space.

-Is there a utility as well?

-A massive utility room.

-OK.

-Huge.

Come and have a look through here.

This is the sort of cosier end of the family space, if you will.

-More of a sitting room with wood burner.

-Uh-huh.

I suspect these days we would look at a much more neutral palette here,

-which would in some respects lighten it.

-It is quite dark.

And obviously all the cosmetic things we can put right.

-You have to look beyond that. It's personal taste.

-It is.

-Yeah.

-I think it's got a great deal of potential.

-Good. OK. Well, upstairs we've got you five bedrooms.

-Oh!

-Which means Mum could be here while you do up...

-The lodge for her.

-The lodge. Follow me.

'Our buyers are certainly starting to see the potential here, which is great news.

'Downstairs there's also a cloak room, a good-sized dining room and a useful boot room.

'Time now for the first floor.' OK. How about this for a landing?

-Oh, this is lovely.

-Yeah?

-This would make a really good office, actually.

-It would.

-Computer there, looking out.

-Can you imagine that, Tim?

-Yeah, straight out.

-Yeah.

-The fields and the woods.

-I did say five bedrooms. There's another floor.

-And that's the master suite.

-Plenty of space to put my clothes!

-Follow me.

'There are four other bedrooms on this floor, plus a sizeable family bathroom,

'but it's up another flight where they'll have the opportunity to get away from it all.'

So here we are in the eaves. This is your own little space.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, beautiful.

-Oh, look at the view when you wake up.

-Yeah.

-What a surprising space.

-OK, what is it about this bit that's moved you?

-This is the stuff that really works for me.

-It's just solid and lovely.

-We just need to put a hinge in it so you can get in and out!

It's that painful learning experience that you get used to.

-In properties of this sort, that's exactly what I expect.

-Less painful would be outside.

Let's go and take a closer look and talk about the price.

'The master also has an en-suite, but it's the love of the great outdoors that really appeals

'to Tim and Lisa and the outside of this property has plenty of space for their camping business.'

OK.

Now then, let's have a think about our seven acres,

our five-bedroom converted barn and all that goes with it

and your £550,000 budget.

-Who's going to go first? Lisa?

-OK.

I think it's quite a bit under that. I'd go for...485.

-£485,000 says your wife, Tim.

-Mmm.

I think it's probably a little bit below that. It's probably 470-475.

Well, it WAS on at 525.

-But now it could be yours... for 455.

-Wow.

-Right.

-It's definitely a prospect. Definitely.

-Yeah?

We haven't yet had a good look at where Mummy might go.

-She's going to go in there, so you go and explore that.

-Lovely.

-I'll check with you later.

'This converted barn is on the market for £455,000.

'Well within their budget, it gives them everything they want in their new home.

'It has a spacious kitchen, a chalet for Lisa's mum,

'seven acres of land to develop the luxury camping business

'and plenty of space for the family to enjoy country sports.'

Oh, look at this. It's lovely.

-It's like a little doll's house.

-It is.

-Mum would love this.

-Yeah, a lovely old pine cabin.

-So cosy, isn't it?

The house itself is really interesting, really nice.

Very, very good size. And upstairs it's absolutely outstanding.

It's got some lovely space up there that we could do a lot with.

I think the land is lovely. With some replanting, we could get pods in here. It's nice and flat.

This is definitely in the running.

-Come on, let's go. I'm going to take you away.

-Bye, tractor.

Prior to the 1300s, the county town of Carmarthen was said to be the largest town in Wales,

supporting a population of 1,000 people. The location also has many strong historical

and legendary links, like those to King Arthur's wizard, Merlin.

Indeed, its Welsh name of Caerfyrddin means Merlin's Fort.

The Romans conquered it in the 11th century and built Carmarthen Castle.

Today all that remains are the ruins.

As time went on, the town flourished. In the early 19th century, due to booming industry,

the Victorian rail network was constructed, some of which is still running today.

This is the Gwili Steam Railway, part of what used to be the 56-mile Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line.

As Tim has a real passion for machinery, we arranged for him and Lisa to meet Barry Frobel,

who's been working on the line for the last 12 years.

-This railway was built in 1860.

-Uh-huh?

And it eventually reached Aberystwyth and took passengers on a very leisurely run.

Two hours it was from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth.

Latterly, it was taking goods only and milk.

As a result of the restructuring of Britain's railways in the 1960s,

the Gwili line was eventually closed to passengers. However, in 1975,

the Gwili Railway Company was formed and within three years they'd rescued 8 miles of the old track

which is now used to transport over 20,000 passengers a year, including Tim and Lisa.

If you'd like to stand over there to be fireman. This is the gear lever.

We call it the reverser.

-It's in mid-gear now or neutral.

-Uh-huh.

-To move it that way

will send the locomotive forwards.

And you've got to get your foot on that to move it back there.

That will send the locomotive that way.

So give us a blast on the whistle.

Brake off.

Regulator.

Watch the floor down there. You'll see it moving slowly. A little bit more now.

That gives you a nice, easy take-off.

-Yeah.

-And if you're running a dining train, that's very important!

You don't want the soup on your lap!

The vast majority of work on the railway is carried out by volunteers

of the Gwili Railway Preservation Society. There are now over 380 members in total.

A toot of the whistle, please!

WHISTLE BLOWS

All you need do now

is do the brake.

Keep your eye on the speed.

A bit more brake.

Off. Can you feel it stopping on its own?

And that was a perfect stop.

Now right off.

-That was absolutely brilliant!

-Really?

-Fantastic.

Well, Tim and Lisa seem to be chugging along nicely,

but now it's full steam ahead as we get back to the property hunt.

For our second house, we're heading to the south-west of Carmarthenshire

to the village of Pen-y-bont.

Pen-y-bont is in a remote location, surrounded by stunning scenery

which should appeal to our country lovers, Tim and Lisa.

'The house we're showing them is a detached former farmhouse which they can really put their stamp on.'

Right. There.

-Ah, that's beautiful.

-Beautiful house.

-Isn't it?

-Absolutely outstanding.

-And look at those views.

You wanted a bit of Carmarthenshire. You can see most of it!

Absolutely fantastic.

-That is absolutely stunning.

-This is a reaction!

-Yeah.

-Look at your face now!

-It's lovely.

-It's just beautiful.

-OK. Well, we've got the house.

We've also got this.

-That's for your mum.

-It's just absolutely beautiful.

It's even more beautiful on the inside.

Oh, a little bit tearful! A-ha!

-Hold it together.

-OK.

-Don't lose it just yet. Now this is completely empty.

-You can see very clearly what there is on offer.

-Right.

-Your face.

-Stunning.

-Follow me. Come on.

'Well, I can safely say Tim and Lisa have been left breathless by the exterior of this property.

'And I'm pretty sure they won't be disappointed by the inside either.'

OK, Lisa.

-Ohh!

-Come on in.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Look at it.

It's fantastic. Absolutely fabulous. Look at it.

-It's got an island! I could make my Welsh cakes on it.

-You can make anything you like.

It's all mod cons, all built in.

-Fridges, freezers galore.

-Oh, yeah.

-Dishwasher over there.

And as you can see, ready to go.

-If we had a blank piece of paper...

-This would be it.

-This is absolutely what we would draw.

-I get the sense we could spend the rest of the day in here.

-Yeah.

-Certainly could.

-We're not.

Follow me. I'm not going to let you.

-Oh, look.

-Loads of space! Look at this place!

-Look at the fireplace.

-Come on in. Enjoy it. It's not often you get a living room of these proportions.

No, it's gorgeous.

-Because we don't have endless rooms down here - we've effectively got two...

-Yep.

-..you've got to think carefully about how you use this space.

-OK.

-Beautiful.

-I think you'll make it work whatever.

-Yeah, absolutely.

'The smiles on Tim and Lisa's faces are simply getting broader and broader.

'On the ground floor there is also a cloakroom, but we'll pick up our tour on the beautiful staircase.'

-This is lovely, this oak staircase.

-It's beautiful. Really solid.

-And it pours into the kitchen.

-This panelling is really nicely done too.

It gets you up to this with our five bedrooms. Have a look in here.

The main event.

Beautiful. Look at the views.

Yeah, you really have got the best room in the house for views. There's no two ways about that.

-Built-in wardrobes as well.

-Has it got an en-suite?

Would we let you down? It's in there. Go and have a look. Pop the light on.

It'll make a bit of a noise, but see what you think.

Oh, it's lovely, it's beautiful. A huge shower, look!

-That's your size.

-Absolutely. It's fantastic.

'The four other bedrooms on this floor are all good sizes and two have built-in wardrobes.

'There's also a large shower room, but we're heading outside

'to find that special place for Lisa's mum.'

For what you're after, this is one of the best I've seen.

I think this will satisfy Margaret handsomely.

-Oh, she'll love it.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, it's gorgeous, really nice.

Come through here because I think this is lovely again.

And just plenty big enough because it's got so much light.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's lovely.

Again it's a lovely, beautiful big room.

But the sleeping arrangements are downstairs that lead on to a little terrace.

-That's making the best of the views.

-This is nice. Have a look at this.

Now I'm just trying to imagine

what Margaret would say or will say

when she walks around this place.

-She'll absolutely love it.

-I think she'll be absolutely blown away.

What would be her exact choice of words, do you think? You're her daughter.

She'd say, "This is lovely." LAUGHTER

-Would she really?

-Yeah, she probably would.

OK...

'And Margaret's words would certainly not be out of place

'as in this beautifully designed cottage there's also a huge bathroom

'and a fabulous and spacious walk-in wardrobe.'

Well, this is probably as good a place as any to take in just some of the land

that comes with this, in the setting sun.

You can just see it draped over that far hillside. It's a gorgeous view.

-They don't come much better.

-No. Beautiful.

But let's talk about the money then.

Oh...

-540?

-540, yeah.

I'm going to go for slightly less.

-529.

-529.

Come on, come on, come on.

Break my heart.

-Five...

-Yeah.

-..one zero.

-Yes!

LAUGHTER Yes!

-Or make my day.

-There you are. Maybe I have made your day.

-Yeah, £510,000.

-Gobsmacked.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Absolutely gobsmacked.

-Go and have a little cry down there. Go on, off you go.

-Thank you.

If for no other reason than I can feel tall again!

Brilliant. Love it.

This stunning, modernised farmhouse is well under budget at £510,000

and has got them seriously excited.

-The land must go across here...

-Yeah.

-And down the valley that way, then back up that side.

-Yeah.

There's a little lane down there too.

-Yeah, it's just absolutely incredible.

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

It is a fabulous house in an incredible location.

The annexe is absolutely perfect for Margaret and she will love the place to bits.

The kitchen is lovely.

Fabulous oak staircase. Big, spacious bedrooms.

It's just to die for. I absolutely love it. It's just way out in front.

We've heard an awful lot about pods from Tim and Lisa, but how about this thing in your garden?

Pretty special. What about this? Nice, eh?

-Is this what you had in mind?

-Not quite. But the children would like to sleep in it.

-They would.

They'd also love this. Look at all the toys we've got for you!

-Essential.

-Yeah.

-Now, that's a real toy.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah.

If you play your cards right, you too could have one. Come on. Let's go. Follow me.

As the sun sets over the Carmarthenshire hills,

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

'Tim and Lisa are desperate to swap their home in Welwyn Garden City

'for a property offering them country pursuits in rural Carmarthenshire.

'They've fallen head over heels for a modern farmhouse

'and were intrigued by a barn conversion with some of Tim's favourite boys' toys.

'However, will the mystery house tip them over the edge?'

-Actually, this barn would make two really nice holiday lets.

-Yeah.

There's a lot of work to do here.

'I get spun a yarn at one of the oldest woollen mills in West Wales.'

Are you going to fire it up for us? Wow!

That is extraordinary.

There is nothing quite like starting your working day with a beautiful view. How about this one?

And of course, with a beautiful property. It is mystery house time for Tim and Lisa.

And to get there, we're going to follow the line of this river up into the hills.

Now, yesterday was quite interesting.

You've slept on it now. How do we feel about our two properties?

We were absolutely blown away that you had found a place that was absolutely perfect for us,

so if you're going to top that with number three, bring it on.

'For our mystery house, we're travelling slightly out of their search area

'to the village of Cilycwm.

'This historic location is situated on the north-west border of the Brecon Beacons National Park,

'allowing all the family an expansive countryside to play in.

'Cilycwm is an ancient rural hamlet.

'Its church takes centre stage here and dates back to the Middle Ages.

'There's also a school, a quaint post office and a local pub.

'The mystery property is a 15th century farmhouse with several large outbuildings.

'Tim and Lisa would have to take on a bit of a project

'as there's potential not only for an annexe, but also for holiday rentals

'which could meet Lisa's business aspirations.'

There's the mystery house.

-It's a beautiful house.

-Yeah, it is, absolutely.

It's end of the 1500s, early 1600s?

To find a building like this in this state of repair

is quite something, actually. What do you think?

-It's very yellow.

-It is very yellow. That's a limewash on there.

It's nice to see because traditionally, buildings like this would have been washed,

so historically, it's not wrong. Tim?

It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

The only drawback with this one is the amount of land that it has

because obviously, you get a big house.

-It's only got 31 acres.

-LAUGHTER

-Shall we have a look?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Yes, please.

-Come on then.

'There's been a mixed reception so far,

'but I think they'll both be pleasantly surprised by what lies behind the front door.'

OK...

-Oh, my goodness, look at this!

-Come on in.

Wow!

Look at the height of the ceilings!

-It's probably not what you expected.

-No.

-No.

-It's a massive, massive room. Great space.

-Yeah.

-Lisa, are you being polite?

-No, I really, really like it.

-I do like it, but I'm still thinking number two...

-House number two.

-It's so hard. I've got to put that to the back of my mind.

-Forget about it for now.

-This is a beautiful room.

Come and have a look.

This is something of a lobby area, cupboards, coats and so on.

Then you pass through this enormous wall which contains a fireplace

into reception room number one, effectively.

-Yeah, it's lovely. Look at the beams.

-Yeah.

Lots of little details that pop out, the oak, the windows, the reveals, the depth of the sills.

Nice little window seat behind me here. And the texture of the walls as well.

-I think the main reception room is through here.

-OK.

So, main hallway. There's the front door there and the stairs.

And then we've got this. Come on in.

Again, lovely family room, this, very cosy.

If you're into history, this is a room that says it all.

-It is. Again, a lovely, lovely room.

-Yeah, I like the fireplace.

In terms of the way this is put together, is it of interest?

-Absolutely.

-Absolutely. It's beautiful.

-I'm glad you think so.

That is the difference between that contemporary and that traditional, period property.

-It's gorgeous.

-Absolutely.

Through there, there is a downstairs bathroom, which is quite useful,

and above it, via a spiral staircase, one of the bedrooms, which is on its own,

-so for guests...

-Perfect.

-They've got their own mini-annexe which is quite nice.

-But upstairs, we've got you four more bedrooms.

-Lovely.

-Come and have a look at these.

Now, as master bedrooms go, I think this is quite interesting.

-What do you think?

-Yeah, it's nice, really nice. I like the window sills and the beams.

-Again very simple, you know, very uncluttered.

-Yeah.

-It's a lovely room.

-And it has an en-suite which is through here.

Come on in.

How about that?

Oh, that's nice.

-Oh, I like the bath.

-Yeah?

Bath, shower and his 'n' hers sinks.

-Lovely.

-That's useful.

-Even I might be tempted to get in that bath.

-I know. It's lovely.

'And there's no risk of Tim being disturbed

'as there's a stunning family bathroom just down the corridor.

'The three other bedrooms up here are all double rooms with fantastic period features.

'Our buyers are certainly very taken with the charm and character of this house.

'However, top of their wish list was land and lots of it,

'so let's hope they'll be delighted with the acreage outside.'

Now, I'm not proposing that we should walk around all 31 and a half of these acres.

Let's not forget the half. But to give you an idea,

-the boundary... Can you see the woodland in the far distance?

-Yeah.

-That's kind of it.

-But also we've got to incorporate Margaret.

-Oh, yes.

-Your mum.

-Almost forgot her.

In all the excitement we almost forgot her.

We have got some buildings we can convert, so that's a possibility too.

While we were doing that, she could have the room with the spiral staircase and the bedroom above,

which is just a bit away from all the noise and bustle.

So let's have a think about the price of this one. It's our final guess.

-I'd probably go for 565.

-565, yeah.

-I think it's probably about 530, I would think.

-530...

-You are right to think that it's over your budget.

-Mm-hm.

Or it was.

It is now absolutely bang on your budget.

This is £550,000.

It's a nice one, this. I've tried to sway you away from property number two. But who knows?

-I think you should go back and have another look around.

-Yeah.

-I just think it's a joy to see...

-It is a beautiful building.

-..a building like that. Off you go.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant.

There we go. Our mystery house perhaps has not satisfied Lisa,

but I certainly think it's tickled Tim's fancy and so it should.

I think this is a real gem, as I said at the outset.

And in this sort of landscape, for my money, it doesn't get much better than this.

Spot on budget at £550,000,

our mystery property could be the fabulous family home that Tim and Lisa have been looking for.

This barn would make two really nice holiday lets.

-There's a lot of work to do here, Tim.

-Yeah.

-A lot of work.

It's a lovely, big building.

-It is, but it's a complete...

-It's a complete gut and re-roof, everything.

The house itself is just steeped in history

and the thickness of the walls and the beams is absolutely gorgeous.

I think this is an absolutely lovely property,

full of period quirks and beauty,

authentic to its very foundations.

I'll let you into a secret. This is my favourite.

Out you come. Don't mind me, just sitting out here talking to myself as I like to do. Come on, Tim.

Now, I know there is a kind of leader amongst the properties that we have shown you,

but I don't want you to make your minds up just yet.

Let's go and have a think about it.

-OK.

-We've given you a great range, I think.

-You certainly have.

-Come on.

BLEATING

'Sheep farming is embedded in the agricultural and industrial heritage of Wales

'and for many years, wool production was one of the country's most important commodities.

'However, nowadays, only a handful of enterprising wool producers still survive.

'I'm heading to the tiny village of Dre-fach Felindre to meet master weaver Raymond Jones.

'He has one of the few working mills still producing textiles in a time-honoured fashion.'

-How are you, sir? Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

I'm staggered by the number of mills that were in this village.

27 at one time?

There was during its peak period. That was the early 1900s.

But a lot of them have closed since.

What caused it?

It was generally man-made fibres, imports and the invention of the duvet, I suppose.

-That's my opinion.

-We love duvets, but you're saying it didn't do you any real favours.

-It didn't, no.

Blankets fell out of favour. It collapsed. The whole blanket market ceased to be.

'During the 19th and 20th century,

'Wales rivalled Yorkshire as the centre of wool production in Britain.'

What's happening in here?

This is a bale of wool and this is the fleece.

-So that's it, raw material?

-It is pretty much.

-Lovely.

It smells quite nice and warm, rich.

What's this machine doing? Is this the beginning of the whole system?

This is a willeying machine.

It breaks down the fibres. It goes in as fleece and comes out like cotton wool.

'The clean wool is then turned into soft rolls ready for spinning.

'It's the spinning motion that pulls and twists the fibres together to form a continuous thread

'which transforms the wool into a strong yarn.

'After that, the yarn is ready to be woven on a loom.'

What are these huge chains that dominate each machine?

Every one of those indicates the pattern or the lifting programme for the pattern you're producing.

-It's like a punch card?

-Yes.

-Each of those defines the pattern that comes out on the loom.

-Yeah.

-Amazing.

-Can we have a look at this one?

-Indeed.

-And these are all individual yarns?

-Yeah.

-Presumably, all those have to be put through by hand?

-Yes, they have.

-Actual threading would probably take a day, just threading them through the wires.

-A day?

-Yeah.

-It's all looking remarkably peaceful at the moment. Can we see it in action?

-Yeah. OK then, Brian...

Brian there is going to fire it up for us... Wow!

That is extraordinary.

'This mill still produces traditional Welsh flannel, tweed,

'blankets, shawls and shirts.'

-Now, I've had my eye on your shirt there.

-Mm-hm.

-I just love it.

-Can I try one of these on?

-Yeah, please do. There's a blue one there.

-Blue to go with the shirt.

"Large." It's a "large". It's official.

There we are.

-Hey, these must be fabulous in the winter.

-Yeah, they are.

Look at that. What do you think of that? Made to measure in Wales!

-Raymond, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you. Keep up the good work.

-Thank you.

So now let's see what's looming as we come to the end of our property hunt.

BLEATING

Look at that! That is a sight I love to see and hear,

this year's spring lambs enjoying the sunshine,

another generation of woolly jumpers and blankets.

But enough about the wildlife! It's time to end the show. It's decision time.

Well, Lisa and Tim, we have been blessed with some fantastic weather

and three very interesting properties.

Let's cast our minds back to property number one with its seven acres,

the converted barn with the sort of chalet annexe attached to it.

What are your thoughts, Lisa?

I like the house. It's got potential. I like the kitchen. I like the space it offered.

It was quite dark, largely down to the wrap-around conservatory that was quite heavy wood.

I thought it was good with having the cabin next to it which would be ideal for Margaret.

Lots and lots of potential, so a really good first property.

Then we went to property number two which you loved as soon as we walked through the gate, didn't you?

I just absolutely loved it.

Just a dream house, the most fantastic views and just perfect.

-And Tim?

-It was an absolutely fabulous, fabulous property.

Again, great annexe.

It did offer the best working solution for Margaret, didn't it?

Absolutely. Even though it was a contemporary property, it was very well done. It was a beautiful house.

And it did take our breath away.

Last up was our mystery house. You said it had a lot to contend with,

given how much you loved property number two.

I thought it was terrific, but I got the sense I was pushing uphill a little bit with you.

Well, I did love the house.

It's absolutely beautiful, all the period features. It's a great, solid family house.

But it's at the top end of our budget and that barn to convert, there's a lot of work to be done there.

And also, it's quite a way out of our area. It's away from where we want to be really, to be honest.

I don't really need to be a betting man to take my chances on which one is your favourite.

Nor does anybody who has watched this programme.

So it's property number two. How much do you love it and what happens next?

We absolutely adore that place. We'll definitely go and see it again as soon as possible.

-Can I hear an offer winging its way through the airwaves?

-I think you probably can.

-I need to know about this as soon as possible. Will you tell us?

-Yes.

-I can't wait for the call.

Guys, best of luck. I'm absolutely delighted.

-So are we.

-We've been blessed with great weather, great company and I think a great result.

-Absolutely.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant. Let me know.

-Will do.

Well, what can I say about this one?

I'm in Wales, I'm bathed in sunshine and I've looked at some fantastic properties

along with Tim and with Lisa.

They are dead set on property number two. With any luck, they'll get it.

They set out here wanting to start a whole new chapter in their lives

and with any luck, they'll now have the chance to start writing it. Happy days!

Tim and Lisa went for a second and a third viewing on house number two,

but after looking further into planning permission, sadly, they decided it couldn't work for them.

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