Somerset Escape to the Country

Imagine finding a 500-year-old painting

of one of England's most famous monarchs on your living room wall.

That's what happened to the owners of this house

when they were doing a spot of redecorating.

So who was it and where am I?

Find out in just a moment.

'On today's show, I'll be helping a British couple

'head back to their homeland,

'after spending over 30 years living in Belgium.

'They're very honest with their reactions to our properties.'

Right...erm.

A little hesitation on the kitchen, I have to say.

'But as our house hunt progresses, that starts to swing in our favour.'

I'm getting a twinkle in your eyes.

You really are speechless.

Yes...which is unusual!

Today, I'm in Somerset, in the village of Milverton.

This unique mural of King Henry VIII

was discovered in this house just a couple of years ago.

The only other wall painting of Henry VIII

in the Palace Of Whitehall

was destroyed, when it was burned down in the 16th century.

This mural is here because this used to be home

to the Archdeacons of Taunton,

which included Thomas Cranmer,

and he went on to become the Archbishop of Canterbury,

who helped King Henry VIII to break away from the Catholic church

and set up the Church of England.

This mural is thought to be an expression of loyalty to the king.

'The historic county of Somerset

'is situated along the edge of the Bristol Channel,

'and has plenty other hidden gems on offer,

'boasting a wonderful mixture of countryside and coast.'

To the south of the county, you'll find Exmoor National Park,

with its sweeping moorland giving way to a dramatic coastline.

Moving inland, the terrain softens,

as the flat lands of the Somerset Levels

stretch out for miles,

and is home to some wonderful wildlife.

But it's not just its natural beauty that draws people here.

This is the legendary home of King Arthur

and the historic location of Wells, the smallest city in England.

Throughout Somerset, you are also reminded

that this is a county proud of its local produce.

'Indeed, one of its most famous exports is Cheddar cheese,

'originally matured in the ancient caves of Cheddar Gorge.'

Although Somerset is cheaper than neighbouring Devon and Dorset,

the average price of a detached house here

will still set you back around £265,000.

That's 14,000 more than the national average.

But if you do your property market research,

you'll soon find homes close to places such as Bridgwater

around 100,000 less

than those in the highly sought-after cathedral city of Wells.

But do beware of the heritage villages

such as Montacute and Hinton St George.

Here, prettiness comes at a price.

You can expect to pay a premium of up to 15 or 20% more

than for a similar property in the surrounding villages.

'What you'll definitely find across the county

'is an array of architectural styles,

'ranging from Georgian-styled townhouses

'to Victorian-type cottages in the villages.

'One of the most common building materials in the south of the county

'is Hamstone, still quarried locally at the site of Ham Hill.'

This two-bedroom, semi-detached stone property

in the village of Hinton St George is on the market for £150,000.

If you're after a home nearer the centre of the county,

then the area around Glastonbury is sure to appeal,

with its range of blue Lias-stone properties.

Prices for a four-bedroom semi-detached house here

can start upwards of £350,000.

As you travel northwards,

Blue Lias properties give way to deep-red sandstone,

often seen in villages such as East Harptree

and Compton Martin.

'This three-bedroom house in Milverton

'is currently on the market for £275,000.'

There are some beautiful properties in this county.

Will any of them be up to our buyers' expectations?

Let's meet them and find out.

'Retired teachers Jim and Jen

'live in a four-bedroom house on the outskirts of Brussels,

'in Belgium.'

We live in a very nice area.

We live in a house we bought about 23 years ago,

and during that time we've done quite a lot of work to it, haven't we?

The house needed loving care.

But now they've decided to return to Britain,

so they can spend more time with their children and grandchildren.

Quite simply, our children are all here in the UK

and we'd just like to see a bit more of them.

They're currently staying at their daughter's house in Dorking, Surrey,

and while it's meant they've been able to spend much more time with their family,

they're now more ready than ever to begin the next stage of their lives.

Time is probably getting right now,

because if we come across now, we're still young and active,

and we want to perhaps establish ourselves in a new community.

After talking to some of their British friends,

and trawling through countless websites,

they've decided on Somerset for their new rural retreat.

We both like rolling countryside, we like hills and moorland.

You were born in a fishing village in Northern Ireland.

so the sea has a part to play, as well.

Somehow, that area seems to have all of those things.

So we feel we're getting the best of both worlds, don't we?

And they have plenty of ideas on how to spend their days.

Once we move, I would love to spend more time cooking.

It's something I enjoy,

and if I can spend time in a nice, big, airy kitchen,

then I'll be very happy.

And also going round antique fairs,

so, again, I hope we'll be able to get out and about in the local towns and villages.

I hope to be able to get involved, in some way, in football.

Perhaps training with one of the local clubs?

Perhaps training with one of the local clubs.

Just one more thing to pinpoint, and that's the finances.

Even though they realise they'll need a bit of flexibility

as they are returning to the UK from abroad.

It also perhaps dependent

on what happens to the exchange rate between the euro and the pound.

To be realistic, we've set our budget at £300,000.

Jim and Jen want us to focus their house search around the southern part of Somerset,

preferably close to the town of Yeovil.

'I caught up with them to delve deeper

'into what type of property they're after.'

Welcome to beautiful Somerset.

Great choice of county. Have you spent much time here?

We've spent a few days here,

and we like what we've seen.

A lot of friends have recommended it, that was part of the decision

to look here.

What are we looking for?

An absolute minimum of two bedrooms,

but I think three would be really what we need.

Correct...because we've got a big family.

What's important for you, Jim?

-A nice-sized garden...

-A vegetable patch.

Oh, yes, the vegetable patch.

That will be something new for me,

but it's something we have to do.

That leads into my kitchen,

because I'd really like a nice, spacious kitchen

with an eating area.

Somewhere you can live during the day.

-A vision of The Good Life, I'm getting here.

-Absolutely!

Jim out there producing the goods

and you're in there cooking and baking,

then everyone comes for the party... Hopefully.

-..in the right house?

-Yes.

-I think we should get going.

-OK.

'For a maximum budget of £300,000

'Jim and Jen are after a modest-sized property

'that doesn't require any work.'

They would like a spacious kitchen/diner,

a living room with cosy open fire,

three bedrooms, so they can have family and friends to stay,

and a garden big enough for a vegetable patch

and not too far from local amenities.

We'll take Jim and Jen to see three fantastic houses,

but I won't tell them the price of each

until they've had a guess first.

As ever, our final offering is they mystery property,

which will hopefully entice them with its stately splendour.

We start our journey in the village of Norton-sub-Hamdon,

around nine miles west of Yeovil.

Its quiet lanes are lined with traditional Hamstone houses and cottages,

the stone also being a defining feature of the church,

which dates back to the 13th century.

Jim and Jen have asked for a location

with a strong community, which this village delivers,

as it has a football club, a ladies' group and even its own flower show.

'Our first property puts them at the heart of all of this.'

Right, here we are.

This is the first property of our little tour.

That's a lovely smile from you, Jen.

I know, I love the stonework. That's really nice.

From the outside, for me, it looks really nice.

I wasn't expecting it...

I wasn't expecting it at all...from outside, no.

It's got lots of character, hasn't it?

It's interesting you said it has.

It's believed to be about 150 years old,

but converted seven or eight years ago.

So the work's done.

-The work's been done fairly recently. A bit of a barn conversion.

-Right.

Ever thought of living in a barn conversion?

Never thought about it, but why not?

No, we're open to anything. I want to see inside!

"Open" is the word, and we are standing

-in the garden.

-Right.

-This is what you get with this property.

-OK.

Maybe not quite as big as we might have planned.

-Things to think about.

-Yes.

-But as you said, you just want to get inside, don't you?

-Yes, I'd like to look inside.

-Let's have a look.

'After an initial positive reaction to the property itself,

'they seem a little disappointed with the size of the garden.

'Let's see if we can get back on track as we check out the interior.'

In we come.

Barn conversion, open-plan living.

Here we are in your living room area-come-dining room.

Yes.

I like the flooring.

That's the first thought for me.

What kind of wood is it?

Oak flooring and under-floor heating.

Should be nice and warm and cosy.

-It does mean we don't have an open fireplace for this property.

-Right.

-One feature we haven't quite managed to get...

-OK.

..but I think we get there with everything else.

The kitchen is back this way.

Right, erm...

A little hesitation on the kitchen, I have to say.

I'm a little concerned about the storage, although I guess

-this might be a pantry?

-It IS a nice, big pantry, quite deep.

-OK.

A huge range cooker.

Yes, that is very nice.

A good butler sink and that big pantry.

-There's storage where you don't think there might be here.

-Right.

But I am just a little bit concerned about the size.

-Let's have a look upstairs at the master bedroom.

-OK.

'Our characterful first property

'doesn't seem to be measuring up to their expectations.

'However, they do get their three bedrooms,

'two of which are on the ground floor and are both doubles.

'Time to head upstairs and get their verdict on the master.'

Take a look at this.

-The size is good, isn't it?

-I wasn't expecting this.

Plenty of space.

Very surprising, absolutely!

And what's in here?

You have an en suite bathroom, have a look.

You have the main family bathroom behind

and your own one here, a shower.

That's fine.

A nice walk-in shower, which we'd prefer, so that's good.

Just one question. Where are my clothes going to go?

In this tiny cupboard there?!

There's a storage there, but as you can see,

they haven't finished using all the space here,

so you could get some bespoke wardrobes put in here

to take up some of the space.

Shall we go outside now

and have another look at that garden, take it all in,

-and guess the price?

-Oh, gosh!

-After you.

-Yes.

'Unfortunately, it seems Jen's concerns about space

'continue to be an issue for her,

'but they are supposed to be downsizing.

'Let's see if the price will lift her mood.'

Well, that's it.

You've seen the property.

Now it's time to have a think about how much you think

it's on the market for. Let's start with you, Jim.

265.

Jen?

310?

310?

It's quite a disparity between your guesses.

You've been doing the same research(?)

THEY LAUGH

I'll put you out your misery.

This property is on the market for £300,000.

-Bang on budget?

-Bang on budget.

That's surprising.

Good for you, not so good for you, there.

You now have a picture

of what a property bang on your budget looks like.

So go back in, have another look, now you have that information,

-and I'll see you later on and we'll keep moving.

-OK.

Thank you.

'Priced within their budget, at £300,000,

'this property may not have set their hearts racing,

'but it does provide them with many of the elements they asked for.

'It has a spacious living room with oak flooring,

'three bedrooms, including a master en suite,

'a garden with a patio area, perfect for outdoor dining,

'and it's located on the edge of a vibrant village.'

This property has certainly opened my eyes.

I was amazed...

when we went through the door and walked round the house.

It is spacious inside.

It surprised me, but I could see how we could make that space

work even better for us.

For me, though,

I'm a little disappointed at the kitchen.

I would like a kitchen with a little bit more room in it.

-Hiya!

-Hi.

-Think you've seen enough now?

-I think so, yes.

-Yes.

-You've got a feel for it?

-Very interesting.

Excellent. There's more to see, so let's keep moving.

'Somerset's dramatic landscape and historic villages

'may have inspired famous literary figures,

'such as Wordsworth and Coleridge,

'yet the county also has a strong sporting heritage,

'boasting a renowned cricket club,

'with past players including Ian Botham and Viv Richards.

'Somerset's residents

'are also keeping alive another historic English game, skittles,

'which has been played at its inns for centuries.'

As Jim and Jen are keen to get involved in the community,

earlier in the week we sent them to the village of Bradford on Tone

to meet Ken Hawkins from the Foresters skittles team.'

Thought to date back to the fourth century, when it was played by German monks,

variations of the game have long been popular across Northern Europe.

You cannot play skittles unless you have the proper drinks.

I don't know which way round you like them.

Ooh! Thank you very much!

So now you can feel part of us.

Our players have decided to go head-to-head,

and it's Jen's team up first.

The alley is around 24-feet long,

and there are three throws for each player.

Time to see if Jim can get a strike and lead his team to victory.

The question is, which of our buyers' teams

has come out on top?

Done the score, and by one pin, Jim's team is the winner.

THEY CLAP

Jim, if you'd like to come forward,

-I'll hope you'll look after this solid-silver trophy.

-I will.

It seems that Jim is the "kingpin" of the skittles alley.

Let's see if we'll get a "lucky strike" on our line-up of houses

as our property search continues.

We're travelling around 70 miles west of Yeovil

to the market town of Ilminster,

which, with over 180 listed buildings,

has a church that dates back to 1450.

It's home to a wide range of amenities,

including independent shops, a theatre,

and plenty of pubs, to enjoy the local ales and ciders.

'But what will Jim and Jen make of it?'

I wanted to show what a local market town you could have near you

and what life could be like in Somerset.

-What do you think of it?

-So far...great.

Is this the quintessential English town you were looking for?

I think so, because it's not too small.

It has a variety of shops,

a beautiful church and all the amenities, I think,

that you would want.

Looking forward to seeing what you've found for us.

Before we do, why not soak up a bit of the community?

Imagine having this on your doorstep.

A lovely cheese counter and deli,

connected to the butcher's.

Here we have the local butcher. Hello!

Good afternoon.

-What's it like living round here?

-Absolutely fantastic.

You might find it a bit too fast for you here, after Belgium(!)

But you can adjust.

Where we are now is just in the centre.

I call it "the Somerset jewel in the crown."

It's a wonderful spot to be,

easily accessible,

but also some lovely villages and everybody pulls together.

This has been a great detour, but shall we get back to it?

Yes, certainly.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye-bye.

'Our second property is just three miles from the centre of Ilminster.

'It offers them attractive character

'in a peaceful, rural setting,'

It's very rural here.

-Absolutely, we're in the country.

-We ARE in the country.

That said, the property we're taking you to is nestled in this

beautiful little row.

-IN fact, it's this one here.

-Oh.

It's almost a "wow"(!)

Almost a "wow"!

It probably is a "wow", actually. Looks nice, doesn't it?

Yes...

Come up and take a closer look. You're taking it all in.

If you stand up here,

what I love about this property...is that.

Oh, that is a view.

That IS a view.

-"View" is definitely on your wish list.

-It is, it is.

What d'you think, Jim?

Hard to beat.

-You've gone a bit quiet, Jim.

-Yes.

I remember that feeling.

-The feeling you got when you bought your last house?

-Yes.

-Who knows?

-Who knows?

-We better see inside.

We HAD better see inside.

I love that you have a good feeling about it. I do, too.

Let's go inside and look at what the property offers.

'Jim clearly loves the location of this house,

'which we can hopefully build on as we move inside.'

Come on through...

into the living room.

Oh!

-It has a wood-burning stove.

-It has!

Come in, Jim.

Have a look at that fireplace.

Gosh, that is lovely.

Wonderful fireplace.

I'll get you a twinkle in your eyes.

Yes.

You really are speechless.

Yes, which is unusual! SHE LAUGHS

It's certainly touched you, Jim.

-Let's see what we can do with the kitchen, shall we?

-Oh, please! Fingers-crossed.

Out that way, I'll show you through.

Right through here.

Jen, what do you think?

There's the kitchen!

Is this a kitchen(?)

Is it a kitchen as you would have designed it?

You can see, it opens up into...an open plan area.

There's a big dining table over there.

You have the central island.

Yes. I'm just trying to take it all in, actually.

-The features in this room...

-The features, yes.

..are beautiful. We're surrounded by oak.

Not any old oak, it's oak from the local sawmill.

It's a bespoke kitchen, designed and fitted.

HE SIGHS

I'm speechless, I really am.

From the moment I stepped through the front door.

It looks nice.

Dying to see the rest.

-Is that feeling still there?

-It's still there.

We'll go upstairs now and show you some more.

-There are three bedrooms.

-Good.

I think you'll like the amount of storage space.

-THEY LAUGH

-Come on.

'On the first floor, there are three bedrooms.

'One is currently being used as a study

'while another is a light and spacious double.

'On this floor, there's also a lovely, refurbished bathroom

'that now boasts a fabulous roll-top bath.

'But we're looking at where THEY could be sleeping.'

This is the master bedroom.

I think you get great views from lying on a bed just there.

A window either side, so it's lovely and light.

Fresh, isn't it?

Doesn't disappoint, does it?

No, it doesn't, and it's not in the least bit cramped.

There's plenty of room.

We have a big bed

and there would still be ample room in here.

Not only ample room, but an en suite, as well.

-Oh, excellent.

-We do have a shower,

again with views looking out.

The deciding factor could be the garden?

Whoa!

You'd forgotten all about the garden, hadn't you, Jim?

"Garden? Vegetable patch?" Shall we go outside and have a look?

After you.

'Our buyers seem to be sold on the inside of this property,

'but let's see if the outside holds the same appeal.'

And this is it.

Oh, delightful.

Jim, is this up to your expectations?

Well above.

A water feature! THEY LAUGH

I've tried one for years. Never succeeded.

There you go, this one comes with it!

You don't need to bring that one you keep mending!

You can see they have a great space there, so you have the outside entertaining area.

Barbeques,

Friends over, family.

You haven't mentioned the veg patch for a while,

but if you did still want one,

the neighbours have used that area there.

You have a slightly narrow area of the garden to create one,

with railway sleepers dividing it up, which would be

-quite a nice feature, I think.

-Yes.

You both seem to have liked this property a lot?

The one thing we don't know yet is how much

you'd have to pay to own it.

So, Jen, how much do you think it's worth?

I'll be really hopeful and say 320!

OK.

350-360.

Is that out of your price range?

It's something we have to think about.

It would be stretching a long, long way.

Maybe too far, I don't know.

-Put us out of our misery.

-I will.

This property is on the market at £325,000.

-Probably seems...

-Look at Jim.

-..reasonable price.

They're looking for offers.

Is that within range?

It COULD be.

It could be.

With a little bit of financial jiggling!

THEY LAUGH

-Could we have a wee walk up?

-Of course you can.

Go and have a look around this garden, take it all in,

-cos you've really enjoyed this property.

-We have.

-You have a lot to think about.

-We do.

-We will talk later.

-Off you go.

-BOTH: Thank you.

A lot to think about there.

Jim was speechless throughout that house tour,

and I think the price of the property

has REALLY blown him away.

Do they love it enough

to stretch that little bit further and buy it?

'Jim and Jen seem smitten by this immaculate property.

'At £325,000,

'it is slightly over their preferred budget,

'but it's worth serious consideration,

'given that there's no work needed.

'It has a good-sized living room with inglenook fireplace,

'a spacious kitchen/diner with oak flooring,

'three bedrooms, which include plenty of storage,

'a back garden with a paved area for outside entertaining,

'and it's surrounded by gorgeous countryside views.'

I think we could make a vegetable patch out of this.

-Quite a big one.

-Mm, yes!

-You wouldn't need to use it all, would you?

-No.

-What do you think, from about...?

-From about here...just to there.

That would do for starters, wouldn't it?

-A project for you.

-OK. I'll accept that.

-I think you could manage that.

When we walked up to the house,

we just looked to the right and saw the view,

and I thought, "I asked for a view.

"And we got one!" Beautiful.

I did not expect to see this.

Normally when I'm stepping through a door,

I haven't got a buzz.

The buzz came the minute I came through the front door.

The kitchen, superb.

Its layout could not be bettered.

The gardens, we love.

Literally...it can't be beaten.

It's so peaceful out here!

I could stand here all day and take this in.

I'm looking forward to lying in bed!

Ah, you LIKE it!

-A successful first day, I think.

-I think so.

-You probably need a bit of a rest.

-You've given us so much to think about.

-Good, that's the idea. Come on.

-Thank you.

'As evening falls over the Somerset countryside,

'it marks the end of a very positive first day's house-hunting.

'With a budget of £300,000,

'Jim and Jen are saying goodbye to 30 years of living in Belgium

'to start a new life in Somerset

'with the aim of being much closer to their family.'

Of the properties they've seen so far,

there's been a lukewarm reception to house one,

a barn conversion,

but a rapturous response to house two, the country cottage

with breathtaking views.

'Coming up, could our mystery house tempt our buyers

'to become lord and lady of the manor?'

I wasn't expecting this.

-THEY LAUGH

-Certainly surprised you!

'I meet some inhabitants who, surprisingly,

'are very much at home here.'

It's day two of our property search

and I get the feeling that Jim and Jen are really embracing this experience.

They're excited about the move back from Belgium,

and I think they're now beginning to understand

just how far their budget will stretch back here in Somerset.

With the two properties we've shown them so far,

they are starting to create a picture of what home here might look like.

But with the mystery house, we'll redefine, and even challenge, that vision.

What do you think we might show you with the mystery house?

My goodness! Maybe...something that needs a bit of work?

Is there anything you're hoping for, secretly would like to see?

Apart from lots of cupboards in the kitchen and workspace!

And not too much land...

for me to get myself lost in the flowerbeds, and Jen having to come out and rescue me.

Not too much land? OK.

Let's see what we've got up our sleeves for you.

'For our mystery property, we're heading three miles south of Yeovil

'to East Coker.

'This farming village, famed for its thatched cottages

'and built from local Hamstone

'has been immortalised by TS Eliot in his poems known as The Four Quartets.

'Eliot clearly loved this area of the world, and asked that

'his ashes be buried in the local churchyard.

'Admirers of his work continue to make pilgrimages to the village.'

'For our mystery house,

'we're hoping to combine a stunning rural location

'with our buyers' request to be close to community.

'The gamble is their neighbours are living under the same roof,

'albeit a rather large one, as they'll see.'

Here's something different for you. Welcome to the mystery house!

Oh, gosh!

It's a grand old manor house, built in 1801.

It's had various incarnations over its lifespan,

but currently, it's now five separate homes

with another four on the grounds.

One of them could be yours.

Gosh, that's certainly really different, isn't it?

-I wasn't expecting this.

-THEY LAUGH

It's certainly surprised you!

-What do you think of something so grand? You asked for character.

-We did.

Well...I'm intrigued!

I'd love to just have a look inside.

-Don't know what to make of it at all?

-No, we don't!

We'll look inside. I think that'll help it make sense.

'The interior of this Grade II* listed manor house

'is certainly an imposing sight.

'Hopefully our buyers will feel more at home

'when they see inside.'

This is a shared entrance hallway.

That's to your neighbour's house.

We come through here.

I think you'll find that the grandeur and splendour continues...

in here.

Gosh, the lounge!

I feel this is a little different to anything you'd have looked at?

It wouldn't have come up on your radar?

-You hit it right on the button there!

-THEY LAUGH

I'm a little bit speechless!

It is a bit overwhelming.

The current owner's obviously got fantastic furniture,

and it's very personal taste here.

So you have to use your imagination a little bit with this one

to take all that out and think of this as a beautiful space.

-Let's look at the kitchen.

-OK.

So, Jen, here is the kitchen.

-It's not an open-plan kitchen/diner.

-No, but it's well-fitted.

-It really is.

-It's very well-fitted, actually.

-It has a lot of storage and cupboard space.

-It has.

Everything's tucked away,

so your fridge-freezer, washer-dryer,

dishwasher under there.

And still plenty of cupboards and workspaces.

It's a very workable kitchen.

I could work with that. And the view is very pretty.

We will take a look outside in a while, but let's go upstairs and see the bedrooms.

This property comes with three. After you.

'A slightly muted response to the kitchen,

'but as we head to the first floor,

'we'll stop off at the largest of the three bedrooms.'

This is the first bedroom, and it's the master.

A little small.

I thought you might say that. I think again, though,

it has got a fairly big bed and I can see your point.

Theatrics with the furniture and there's quite a lot going on,

so take that away - it's a nice room.

You have an en suite bathroom,

-and you could open up these windows and get a lot more light in.

-Yes.

Take away the curtains a little bit.

It's got great light coming in here.

But it IS only one of three,

and if you think this is a bit small,

-you might prefer the upstairs bedroom.

-OK.

-Shall we look at that?

-Yes, please.

'There is one other bedroom on this floor,

'which is bright and airy with fabulous views over the grounds.

'There's also a modern family bathroom.

'Time to see that other bedroom on the next level.'

So, up here, the final bedroom...

-which affords a lot more space, so it could be a master.

-Yes.

And it has two defined areas, hasn't it?

You could possibly have a little dressing area.

'I get the feeling our buyers are not convinced

'this house could work for them,

'but I know the fabulous country setting WILL impress.'

'The property has its own private garden with rockery and terrace

'and also adjoins the magnificent Alden Country Park.'

-Splendid.

-This is your own little garden terrace/rockery.

I think the current owner's done a great job.

Very, very pretty.

Isn't it gorgeous?

The neighbours are right next door.

These grounds are communal

and it comes with 3½ acres of communal grounds,

so if you're looking for space, there's plenty out here.

The good news for you, Jim, is,

although there are 3½ acres, you do not have to do all the gardening.

A gardener comes round once a week.

I haven't forgotten your veggie plot, either.

There's an allotment open to all the owners here.

You can really make it part of the community,

all work together in growing your vegetables.

That's a good idea...

That's an excellent idea.

..as you said, to meet the neighbours.

A tremendous property, but it does come at a price.

How much do you think our mystery house is on the market for?

What will you go for?

300.

Mm.

I would like to think slightly below,

but I think it'll be slightly over. I'll go 310.

310? OK.

This is actually on the market for £325,000.

'Tis more, 'tis more.

-We still have to sharpen up those skills on the Somerset property market, haven't we?

-We have.

Spend some time, have a wander round,

now you've had the initial look. We'll talk about it all later on.

-You have some decisions to make.

-OK, then. Shall we have a look?

'Slightly over-budget at £325,000,

'our manorial mystery house does offer them

'an individual, historic home

'in a glorious setting.

'All-in-all, it has a large living room

'with stone fireplace,

'three double bedrooms, including one with an en suite,

'and it's set in over three acres of grounds,

'which are only a short distance from local amenities.'

I think the mystery house is a very attractive house,

and has a lot of character,

being in such a prestigious building,

but I didn't get the feeling it was right for us.

More in terms of space.

I know we're going to downsize, but this might be downsizing

one stage too far at this time.

The mystery house has come a little bit early for us.

We have still got

a lot of vigour in our bodies... to do things,

rather than have somebody else doing it.

Let's be honest, if you want to stay fit,

good gardens and a bit of work in potting sheds, etcetera

would do that for us.

It's so tranquil out here, it's beautiful!

-It's a lovely sunny spot.

-It's a great sunny spot.

Shall I leave you there?

You could do, but I think we'll find somewhere for you to sit,

and let's go over all the properties you've seen.

'Along with beautiful market towns and villages,

'Somerset's countryside is defined by its agricultural heritage,

'in particular, dairy farming.

'In recent years, some have taken a more diversified approach to keeping livestock,

'such as here at Lower Oakley farm,

'near the village of Chilthorne Domer.

'These are water buffalo,

'and although their milk can be used to produce mozzarella cheese,

'they are reared here for their highly-prized meat.

'However, their presence also brings benefits

'to Somerset's natural landscape.

'I'm meeting farmer Tony Corpe, who's been breeding them for the past 15 years,

'to find out more.'

Tony, what a magnificent herd you have here.

Though I didn't expect to find them in Somerset!

What led you to breed water buffalo rather than traditional cattle?

Initially, I was a dairy farmer,

but was too small, and I decided to get out...

and breed up water buffalo

with the intention of doing mozzarella cheese,

but you need a lot of water buffalo to have enough milk,

so eventually,

we ran them as a settler herd, and we do it for meat.

'In the past, Tony also farmed out a few of his herd

'to a local nature reserve,

'since it's been recognised buffalo can play an important role

'in maintaining wetland areas.

'By using them as conservation grazers

'on the Somerset Levels and moors,

'they naturally control the build-up of course vegetation

'and help preserve a habitat which ideally suits them.'

They do seem very friendly,

and seem to have pretty calm personalities,

despite the aggressive-looking horns.

-What are they like to work with?

-They're not too bad.

You have to be careful with them

when they have the calves, like you would with ordinary cattle.

How many calves do you raise each year?

Roughly one a year from each cow.

They have a longer gestation period than normal cows.

It's usually ten, rather than nine, months.

-How many cows do you have here?

-81 here, at the moment.

How old are the calves before they move on?

Roughly six or seven months old.

When they're about half the size of their mothers.

Then we take them away and they graze on their own

and grow into big buffalo.

'It's been a fascinating insight into how versatile

'these majestic animals can be.

'They're certainly an eye-catching feature of Somerset's landscape.

'But now, we must find out if Jim and Jen

'are any closer to setting up home here.

Finally, after a pretty busy couple of days,

we get to sit in the sun, have a bit of a rest.

30 years in Belgium, making this move to Somerset,

-it's a bit of a journey for you, isn't it?

-It is, it is.

Although we're looking forward to it, it will be very sad

when we leave, isn't it?

I would echo the same sentiments.

It will be quite difficult.

-It will be a big change.

-There will be lots to look forward to.

Absolutely. Obviously, having the right home is a really important part of that.

In our time together, we've looked at three fairly different properties.

Shall we go through them and reflect on what you saw?

The first one, that lovely barn conversion,

the old carpenter's workshop,

what were your thoughts when we first approached the property?

I think I was smiling.

It was a good first impression, wasn't it?

It was,

but when I got round from the road,

my mind started to change.

There were positive features about that house, but for me,

the kitchen didn't really work for me.

There was some storage problems.

The sloping roofs upstairs - it was difficult to see

just where we would store everything.

How did you feel about having two bedrooms downstairs?

Already in our own house,

we have two downstairs

and two upstairs, so that didn't bother us at all.

Overall, the vision, for me,

it was negative.

OK. I know it's very important for you, how you feel

as you approach a property,

-so we had a great result with house two, didn't we?

-Yes.

If I recall,

you went in going, "This feels right."

I have to say I was blown away.

I was not expecting that at all.

The further I went into the house, the better it got.

Yes, a tremendous find.

Having seen those two houses,

I think we now realise we have to stretch our budget a little bit

to get what we really want.

It was evident between the first and the second house

that, for more money, you got more space and more storage,

and all those things on our wish list started to come together.

Just to mix things up,

while you had all those thoughts running through your minds,

we took you to the mystery house.

That really was a bit different.

We took you to a converted manor house,

very grand, with 3½ acres.

What was that like to look at?

Amazing.

To drive up there and say, "Welcome to my home"

must be quite marvellous.

But I think if you took us there

in ten or 12 years' time

we might have been quite tempted,

but for the moment, for us,

it was taking downsizing one step too far.

Very, very nice,

but probably not really suited to what we're looking for.

What next for the two of you?

We'd really love to go back to house number two.

Definitely. When we walked into the house, that was it.

That's fantastic. I love it when a plan comes together.

So you love one of our properties.

How d'you feel overall about the move back to the UK now?

Once we've done it, I think we'll love it.

It will be hard to leave, but once we've left,

there's so much here for us to explore.

It's been a real pleasure to spend time with you on this part of the journey.

I can feel what a big change it will be, but I love how

you've embraced it and got into it and it's been so much fun.

I think it'll be lots of fun for you in the future, as well.

Thank you very much for your help.

What a fantastic result!

For Jim and Jen, this is a really big move.

30 years in Belgium and now they're coming home.

I think, they've not only fallen in love with Somerset,

we may also have found them their dream home.

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

'Jim and Jen did go back to see house two

'and decided to put in an offer, but, sadly, it was rejected.

'However they still hope to make Somerset their new home soon.

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

'Northern Ireland or England and need our help,

'please apply online at...'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd