Hampshire Escape to the Country

This mighty fortress was originally built on orders of King Henry VIII

to defend this stretch of coastline against attack from foreign invaders. But where is it?

And which county am I in? Keep watching.

On today's show I'm helping a young professional couple from London

who are looking for a country home.

Along the way they find the peace and quiet at one house astonishing.

The silence is deafening!

And a property fantasy is fulfilled at our mystery house.

-Goodness, this is a dream.

-Da-dah!

Today I'm in Hampshire. This is Hurst Castle,

which looks out across the Solent.

Built in the 1540s, King Henry VIII certainly picked a commanding spot for it,

right at the end of this shingle spit,

and just three-quarters of a mile from the Isle of Wight.

It has a colourful history.

Charles I was imprisoned here in 1648, before his execution.

And during the Second World War, it was used as a garrison to defend our coastline.

However, conflict, kings and castles

are just some of the heritage highlights this county is home to.

Hampshire lies on the south coast of England and is bordered

by five other counties, including Wiltshire and Dorset to the west.

Its many attractions include two national parks,

which cover some 45% of the county,

and include the chalk ridges of the South Downs

and the wooded pastureland of the New Forest,

which encompasses the port of Lymington.

Now a major yachting centre, Lymington was known

for the production of salt from Roman times to the 19th century,

when shipbuilding became the main industry.

The county boasts many impressive historic buildings,

such as the ruins of this Cistercian abbey in the village of Beaulieu.

Founded in 1203 by King John, it was once dubbed in Latin,

"Bellus locus regus", meaning the beautiful place of the king.

Today, visitors can marvel not only at the architecture,

but also learn about Britain's four-wheeled heritage

at the National Motor Museum, which stands alongside it on the 9,000-acre Beaulieu estate.

The average price for a detached property in Hampshire

comes in at £346,000. That's some 90,000 above the national figure.

Now this is mainly due to the high demand of living in the New Forest,

that can command a £100,000 premium.

However, you'll get better value for money if you head east towards

the likes of Farnborough, which offers good rail links to London.

You can also find more affordable housing around the market town

of Andover in the west and Romsey in the south.

But wherever you're looking, you'll find this county

has a great range of different property styles.

And today we're taking a look at some thatched houses,

starting with this three-bedroom brick and stone cottage

in the heart of the village of Selborne.

Dating back to the 17th century and Grade II listed,

its features include exposed brickwork in the kitchen

and an inglenook fireplace in the sitting room.

It's on the market for £550,000.

For around the same price, you could opt for a part-thatched cottage.

This four-bedroom property in Petersfield

comes with leaded windows and exposed timbers in the open-plan reception room.

The stunning kitchen is a mixture of the modern and traditional.

But if your pockets aren't so deep, maybe you'd prefer this charming

two-bedroom cottage in the village of Rownhams.

Priced at £175,000, it dates back to the early 18th century

and has a wooded beam mantel over the fireplace.

Great Hampshire homes there.

But will any of them win the hearts of today's house-hunters?

Let's find out.

Andy and Frances have lived in their two-bedroom Victorian maisonette

in the London suburb of Barnes for the past three years.

They've enjoyed renovating it.

But since they got married six months ago,

they've decided it's too small for the next stage of their lives.

To have the house that we really want,

the house that we want to spend, I suppose,

the rest of our lives in, we really want to move to achieve that.

-I don't think we can get that in Barnes, as lovely as it is.

-No.

No, it's a bit expensive in Barnes to get the space we want.

One of the reasons for the move would be looking to start a family.

So, you know, more space. Looking at a local school would be good.

So that'll be a focal point.

As both financial accountant Andy and Frances, an events manager,

will continue to work in London around three days a week,

they're looking to live no more than an hour away from the capital.

And they've settled on Hampshire for another more personal reason too.

I grew up in Hampshire. I still have a lot of family there.

My uncle lives in Winchester. My mum lives in Southampton.

And my sister, her husband and my niece live in the neighbouring county of Dorset.

So it would be great to be able to spend more time with them,

and to see them more often.

As well are spending more time with the family, they're planning

on what might be the best way to make friends in a new community.

It would be great to live in a village where the focal point of the community was the local pub.

-Yeah, that would work.

-And there are lots of festivals around food that go on.

Andy and Frances are both self-confessed foodies.

So it's no surprise that they want the kitchen

to be the heart of their new home.

But they also have pastimes they'd like to pursue outdoors.

I love cooking, that's my passion. Baking in particular.

It would just be really nice to have a larger kitchen.

-Yeah, definitely. Will you be able to fit me in as well?

-Yeah.

And horseriding - I grew up riding a lot.

Moving to the country would hopefully enable me to do more of that.

Yeah. If there was a garden big enough that I could put in

maybe a pitching area with a putting green on it,

that would be absolutely ideal.

So, with their finances in place, accountant Andy knows exactly

how much they have to spend.

The budget for the move is £600,000.

As they have family in Winchester and Southampton,

as well as in Dorset, we've pretty much got a free rein

throughout the county to find Frances and Andy their new home,

as long as it's within an hour of London for when they need to drive back from work.

We're meeting in Hampshire, so they can tell me more

about the vision they have of their future country home.

Well, Andy and Frances, welcome to Hampshire. I mean, it's beautiful.

Just look at that view. If you weren't decided,

-looking at that would change your mind, wouldn't it?

-Indeed.

-Gorgeous.

Have you got a clear idea exactly what you're after?

Come on, remind us of your wish list.

So, the key, I suppose, is the period property, isn't it, for both of us.

Ideally we'd like four bedrooms with some sort of workspace

so we can obviously work from a home office. We'd like a big kitchen.

-We'd like the kitchen to be the focal point of the house.

-Right.

-Almost certainly.

-OK.

-Enough space to entertain guests.

-A good outside space. I'm not asking for much!

-Yeah, right!

-Cos Hampshire's not the cheapest of counties, is it?

-No.

And with this house, with this move, it doesn't have to be perfect straightaway, does it?

-No. It's a long-term move.

-I like that.

Yes, cos you say it's like a 20 to 30 year house, isn't it,

that you can imagine living in. Right. Well we've got three houses

lined up to show you. One is our mystery house.

That's going to get the grey matter working overtime.

-So, shall we get cracking?

-Lovely. Come on, then.

-Absolutely.

With their maximum budget of £600,000,

Frances and Andy are looking for a character property,

preferably detached and with a large kitchen and utility room.

They'd like at least four bedrooms, a study to work from home

and a large enough garden for Andy to play pitch and putt on.

We found three beautiful properties which we think

will really impress our buyers. At each one I'll be asking them to guess the price tag.

Last on the tour will be our mystery house,

which we hope will make them true converts to country life.

We're starting off with house number one.

It's going to be a bit of a change in lifestyle for you both.

You've got the commute to London, but the times that you can

actually be here in Hampshire on the weekends,

is hopefully going to give you more time for your hobbies.

Yeah, absolutely. And it's, I suppose,

about having a better quality of life as well.

And it just suits, as you say,

-the things that we enjoy doing most at the weekend.

-Indeed.

Even though we've got Richmond Park fairly close to us,

-we find we don't use that. Whereas here it's on your doorstep.

-Yeah.

We've made the journey around 11 miles west of Winchester

close to the village of Kings Somborne,

a trip of around 16 miles to the M3 for the drive back to London.

Set in Hampshire's beautiful Test Valley,

amenities include a church at the heart of the village.

A thatched traditional pub which serves food,

and one of the nearest convenience stores and post offices to our first property.

Situated almost five miles away on the edge of Michelmersh,

it's a period cottage that dates back to the early 1700s.

So here we have it - this is our first property here in Hampshire.

-Fantastic. It looks lovely.

-Yeah, it's beautiful.

-Beautiful sort of quintessential English countryside.

-It is.

-Very beautiful.

It's very pretty and I love the fact that there is a nice driveway

and front garden. So, it looks really attractive from the outside.

-Good. Right, shall we get cracking?

-Absolutely.

-Come on, follow me.

The location and traditional exterior are holding their interest.

I think we can make it a hat-trick of successes,

as inside, this property provides the period charm

Frances and Andy are looking for.

-So here we go, first tour of the house.

-Lovely.

-Starting with the drawing-room.

-Lots of character.

-Yeah, lots of character. Fantastic fireplace.

-Very cosy, isn't it?

Very cosy. Quite low ceilings. Which is OK for me, being fairly short!

That's not a problem. Eh, yeah, very nice. Very cute.

You probably notice, especially as you currently live in London...

-..no traffic.

-Very quiet. Remarkably so. Yeah.

-It does make a difference, doesn't it?

-It does, yeah.

-I'm sure if you live in the country you just take that peace and quiet for granted.

-Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, it is actually really noticeable now.

The silence is deafening!

-Welcoming, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's very cosy. Very...

You feel almost immediately at home, don't you? Yeah, very nice.

Wonderful. Right, well, we'll keep going.

-Now I think this...

-Oh, this is lovely.

-It's delightful, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Absolutely delightful.

-Very bright.

-It's lovely.

-Just imagine sitting in there in the summer, enjoying the garden.

-Yeah.

Very nice. It's quite a big space, as well.

It is, and it brings the outside in.

But there are lots of rooms with this property.

Just behind us, there's a door.

-Through there, there's a huge utility room.

-Wow, great.

-Utility room.

-And you've got a boot room with access outside.

-Oh, lovely.

-Superb.

-Yeah, with a cloakroom.

Let's continue through, because this

-is the kitchen I want to show you.

-Fantastic.

-Important for a baker...

-Wow, lovely.

..that you feel happy.

-That's a lovely space. Very nice.

-Very welcoming.

You'd get lots of people round that table with this...

-Is that a church pew?

-It is indeed.

-It's lovely.

So, as you can see, over the years, probably over the last 30 years

or so, the house has been extended once and then extended again.

So, from the front, did you think it was this big?

-Probably not, no.

-Hard to tell, but no.

Super, right, we'll continue.

'So, this house has prompted some positive reactions so far.

'And they should be equally pleased with the upstairs,

'which will more than meet their demands.'

-So, we've got four bedrooms in total.

-Fantastic.

-This is the master.

-Lovely.

-It's a good size.

-Bright.

-With your en suite.

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, lovely, yeah, that's a good size, isn't it?

-A good size.

So we have managed to find you four bedrooms, which is

always a good start, isn't it?

-Four decent sizes, as well.

-Absolutely.

Notice that quirky study through one of the bedrooms?

Yeah, absolutely, that could be a good working space for us.

A great start with this first house. It's got you thinking.

-So we're going to head outside.

-Lovely.

Look at the garden, look at the location.

We're going to talk money, as well, I'm afraid.

How much it's on the market for. Let's go back downstairs.

Thank you, Nicki.

'I'm glad they've been impressed by the inside and outside gives them

'the generous garden they were looking for,

'so Andy can practise his golfing skills.'

This is lovely.

I love showing people houses,

but I really love showing people, sometimes, the garden.

This is fantastic. Look, chickens and ducks!

-Fantastic.

-It's about a third of an acre.

-OK.

-A good size.

But how much is this dream going to be? What's it going to cost you?

Tricky, isn't it?

I think it's on the market for...

-565.

-OK.

-OK, I'm going to go slightly low - 550.

-OK.

Your top budget is £600,000.

Frances, you're the closest.

£575,000 is the asking price.

There we go.

Now, you're rubbing your hands with glee.

-Is that cos you got closest on the price, or...

-Both, I think.

..that's well within your budget?

We're happy to do some work and that budget

-would certainly allow us to do that.

-Good.

It always makes a difference once you know the price

and you take a second look around a property.

So why don't you do that?

Take as long as you like, give me a shout when you're ready.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-See you.

'Well within their budget at £575,000,

'this pretty period cottage has got us

'off to a good start and provides them

'with a spacious kitchen/diner,

'plus utility room and boot room.

'The sitting room has lots of character and, upstairs,

'there are four bedrooms they asked for.

'Outside, the manageable garden

'amounts to a third of an acre.'

What's in there? Yeah.

That's got lots of scope, hasn't it?

Indeed, yeah. That's an en suite.

We could turn it into an en suite, yeah.

I think that's what you'd do.

I thought it looked a very quaint English house.

To be honest, I thought it felt quite small.

But then, as you walk through the rest of the house,

downstairs especially, it opens up and the light from the conservatory

certainly makes the downstairs space quite inviting.

I really like the outside space the property has to offer.

It's got a good-sized garden, it's mature, there's lots of scope

to change the layout a little bit and really make it our own.

So, it's definitely a contender, I think.

How are we doing?

-Great, thanks.

-Happy? Seen enough?

Yes. Very good start.

An interesting start, very good.

Good, right, we'll continue then.

For the last 500 years, Hampshire's Portsmouth Dockyard has been one

of the country's most historically important maritime sites.

It's said to be the place where tea arrived when it was first introduced

to Britain in the reign of Charles II,

back in the 17th century.

Rather fittingly, these days it's home to an independent tea

importer and blender, whose factory uses handraulic methods

to blend the teas and make tea bags.

As Andy and Frances committed gourmets,

we sent them to meet Andrew Gadsden

from the All About Tea company,

to learn about the method for tasting tea

and to make some for themselves.

Tea, like wine, is a product that changes.

It's a natural product that's grown,

so it depends upon where it's grown and it depends upon

what the weather's been that week or that day

and it depends upon the skill of the person who's

in charge of the factory who's processing the tea that day,

because it is a processed product when it leaves the factory.

Professional tea tasting involves engaging

the 9,000 taste buds on the tongue.

The tea is slurped to bring in a good volume of oxygen

to help to find the taste of the tea.

So would you like to taste some tea?

-Yes, we'd love to.

-Great.

It might get a little bit messy, so I've got some coats here for you.

OK, so we've got the orange.

HE SLURPS

Which has got the orange peel

and the flowers and so on and the orange oil.

-Give it a go.

-Have a go, Frances.

Don't be embarrassed, honestly, everyone...

SHE SLURPS

-Great!

-Haven't quite got the technique, but it tastes good.

And then you've got the Earl Grey at the end.

-That's the orange fannings you're on, Andy.

-Yeah, that's...

-That's lovely, the Earl Grey.

-..very distinct.

Having tasted those, what's the style that you like?

My favourite was definitely the lemon.

Lemon. Great, OK.

It would be quite an easy thing for us

together now to make up a blend.

so we're going to put a few teas together and some flavourings.

-If you'd like to follow me, we'll do that now.

-Thank you.

So, with the tasting done, Andy and Frances are going to have

a go at blending some lemon and ginger flavoured tea.

We're going to do a very simple blend.

We're going to do just 80/20.

-So we'll do 80% Ceylon...

-OK.

..and 20% Tingamira.

You're on some scales. Ready to make some tea bags after that.

Normally, we would leave teas for a period of time,

for a couple of days, just to rest, for the blends to marry.

Pour it in, that's brilliant.

First some ground ginger

and a generous amount of lemon oil are added to flavour the tea.

That's it. Now what we do is give it a few turns.

Every tea bag has to be perfectly blended.

Then it's all mixed together in this cast-iron blending machine,

which is around 170 years old.

Now, the next stage of the process is

we're going to make tea bags with it.

So tea goes in here, paper goes in there

and the tea bags come out of the bottom.

Perhaps, Frances, you would like

to turn that button there clockwise, to the one position.

Tea from the hopper goes down through a chamber

and into the bags, which then come off the bag-making roller

and are heat-sealed before dropping into the out-tray.

-There are your tea bags coming out.

-Great!

-Superb.

-Thank you.

Mmm. Smells lovely.

Go on. His and hers tea bags.

-Fantastic, smells great.

-Thank you, Andrew.

So now that our buyers have their tea, let's hope they appreciate

the perfect blend of elements in store at our remaining properties.

Our second house takes us 16 miles west of Winchester

to Lockerley, Hampshire's largest village parish.

It's a drive of just over 15 miles to the M3

for when they need to return to London.

Based around four village greens which are preserved as common land,

the amenities of this active community include a church

built in the late 1880s,

a pub that serves local ales

and a village shop for everyday necessities.

Property number two is a Grade II listed whitewashed cottage,

which dates back to the 1700s.

And I think Frances and Andy will agree that the thatched roof

helps tremendously in delivering the character they're after.

So I want to show you our second property.

Wow. Amazing. Very cute.

Yes, quite different to the last one. I like the look of it. It's nice.

Have you ever considered living in a thatched cottage?

-No.

-We haven't, but we're open to seeing what it's like.

-Good.

-Absolutely, yes.

-Good.

So shall we start the tour?

-Yes, let's do it.

-House number two?

-Great.

-Come on.

-Thank you.

'Along with that well-preserved character exterior, inside

'has been sympathetically renovated, as they'll see in the kitchen.'

So, you've got this lobby area.

-Very nice.

-Which leads us...

-Oh, this is lovely.

-How's this for a kitchen?

-Fantastic.

Wow! This is very nice indeed.

-Bags of character.

-Yeah, indeed.

It's got character, it's modern.

Yeah. But it's got a nice country feel, hasn't it?

I love the island, as well. That's great.

-It's big, it's got...

-You could just imagine having lots of dinner parties in here.

-Indeed.

Yeah, it's got almost like an open-plan kitchen/diner.

It's lovely. Very nice.

So if you are having a dinner party, for example,

you'd be cooking, getting it all ready,

and your friends would be sitting there at the table.

And if you just look to the left,

there's access there to a drawing-room,

but I'm going to take you this way, to the other side of the property.

'So, we found Frances the perfect place for her baking,

'as well as a brilliant setting for them to host social gatherings.

'But let's get their view on the main sitting room.'

-And then...

-Wow.

-This is gorgeous.

-A good size for a main reception room.

Yeah, it's a good size. Yeah, it's a big room.

Really lovely, really bright, as well.

Love the beams, love the fireplace.

And the house does have exposed brickwork

and beams throughout, but they don't dominate the room, do they?

No. You know, decorated very much to our own taste,

so we wouldn't have to do anything, we could just move straight in.

-Yes, it's fantastic.

-Good.

-So far, so good.

-Yeah.

Right, that's put the pressure on me

for upstairs, hasn't it?

-Let's keep going.

-Thank you.

'I'm pleased they've fallen for the charms of the downstairs,

'and upstairs should keep up the momentum,

'with four very good-sized bedrooms.

'There is a huge spare double, and two other slightly smaller ones,

'so they could put one to use as a study.

'And they all share a luxuriously large family bathroom.

'But I'm going to show them where they could be sleeping.'

So for the master bedroom,

if you want to stick your head in there, you've got an en suite.

-That's huge!

-Yeah.

-For an en suite.

-That's normally a family bathroom.

Exactly, it's bigger than our main bathroom at home.

-Very nice tiling behind the shower.

-And then here's your bedroom.

-Really lovely. Great size.

-Great-sized room.

So some really positive comments as we walked round.

Is this much more the sort of way you'd like to live your lives,

in this type of environment?

Yeah, I think it's much more us, I would say,

rather than the last property.

-Let's keep going on that positive note, back downstairs.

-Fantastic.

'So this house seems to have really won them over,

'and there's still the garden to see.

'To the side and rear of the house, there's a secluded patio area,

'and a large expanse of lawn.'

-So here is the back of the property.

-Wow. It's beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah, really is gorgeous.

-Really stunning.

-Yeah, beautiful.

You don't see this from,

as you are approaching the property. From the other side,

you just wouldn't imagine it looked this beautiful from the other side.

OK, we're going to talk finances now.

How much is this cottage on the market for?

I think it's a bit more than the last one,

and a bit more over our budget, so I would guess £625,000.

Right, 25 over your budget. OK.

OK, I'm going to come in slightly lower again,

just under budget at 595.

-OK, well, Andy, you're the closest.

-Oh, wow!

I thought you were competitive?

Well, I am, but actually that's a win-win.

You're right, actually, because it is cheaper, it's £585,000,

so you've still got some money left in the bank.

-Fancy a second tour, but this time on your own?

-Yes, please.

Be my guest.

'Under budget at £585,000, this charming thatched property

'addresses everything on their list of demands.

'It has a huge sociable kitchen/diner,

'two other separate reception rooms, four bedrooms,

'so one could be used as a study, and a large enclosed garden.'

This house is more what I was hoping to see.

I love the dining area, I love the fireplace in there, the wood burner.

The garden, again, about the right size.

So, yeah, all in all, it's good, and the price is also right, as well.

I really like this house. The proportions are fantastic,

the layout is great, so we wouldn't need to change anything,

we could just move straight in,

but I suppose my only concern would be being right on the road.

So, I think that's the only negative that we would need to think about.

-Right, you two, have you seen enough?

-Yes, we've seen enough.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-Excellent, right, we're going to hit the road now.

-Thanks, Nicki.

'As dusk falls over the beautiful Hampshire landscape,

'it marks the end of a very positive first day

'in our property search.

'Armed with £600,000, Andy and Frances are looking to upsize

'from their London maisonette to a house in the Hampshire countryside.

'So far, they've been impressed by a character property

'with enough room for chickens in the garden,

'and enraptured by a stunning thatched cottage,

'but coming up, the mystery house provides stiff competition.'

I could hear you both going, "wow, wow!"

Well, it is the wow factor, certainly.

'And I meet some British

'birds of prey at Hampshire's Hawk Conservancy Trust.'

We've shown Andy and Frances two properties so far here in Hampshire.

Now the first one received a positive response.

Well, I say positive - were they just being polite?

The second one, that large thatched cottage was certainly

to their liking, so today, it's time to show them our third

and final property - of course, the mystery house.

So will this be the one that seals the deal?

We are travelling around 11 miles south-east of Winchester,

to Bishop's Waltham, under nine miles from the nearest

junction of the M3, for those trips to London.

To find out more, we're dropping in to meet Sophie Green,

who runs the local sweet shop.

BELL RINGS

-Hi, Sophie.

-Good morning.

Oh, my goodness, what an impressive array of different sweets.

How many different varieties are there?

We've got 240 sweets in the jars.

Oh, my goodness, I wouldn't mind trying those,

-would you?

-No, absolutely.

-We might be here quite a time though.

Because the guys are thinking of buying in Hampshire,

-so can you tell us, as a local, a little bit more about the area?

-Yep, sure.

It's got a fantastic range of shops, from the butcher's, fishmonger's,

greengrocer's, through to very specialised ladies' boutiques.

So it's the kind of village you can get nearly everything you need.

Good to know. Is there a good community spirit?

Is it a good place to bring up children, for instance?

It's got a good range of local schools,

so you're almost spoilt for choice.

There's a lot going on for children, lots of children's clubs,

and activities, and there's also things for the community.

-We have markets in the High Street on a Sunday.

-Lovely.

I don't think we can come to a sweet shop,

and not buy some for our house tour. What do we reckon?

-What about rhubarb and custard?

-Oh, yes, can't go wrong.

-Brings back memories. Yes, please. Thank you.

-What would you like?

-A quarter?

-That would be perfect.

-Great, how much is that?

-That is

-£1. Lovely.

-That's great.

-And on that sweet note, we'll leave you.

-Sophie, thanks very much indeed. Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

'On the outskirts, set on a quiet lane,

'our mystery property has a little less space than they asked for,

'and it's one of an attached group of four residences,

'so definitely not detached.

'We are about to find out if Frances and Andy

'will want to swap Barnes, in London,

'for a 17th century barn conversion.'

-Well.

-Very interesting.

-Intriguing.

-Not what you expected?

-A mystery, indeed.

-It's still a mystery.

It is our mystery house.

You've probably noticed, well, it's a rather large barn, isn't it?

-It's actually four properties in total.

-OK.

So, the barn that we're going to be looking at is that one there.

It looks lovely, can't wait to see inside.

Yeah, I love that large glass front to it.

-Have you ever looked inside a barn before?

-Never.

-So it's a first time?

-Yeah, this is going to be a first.

-Shall we start?

-Yes.

-Come on then.

'They seem quite enthusiastic about our barn conversion,

'and when they see how this former cowshed has been radically

'renovated since 2004, I think they'll be delighted.'

-So what do you both think?

-Wow, it's amazing.

-A great-looking property, lovely.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-Very nice.

-So beautifully done, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Very much so.

Just an incredible sense of space, isn't there?

With the big windows, and the light flooding in.

Very airy, very warm, I would say.

Given a lot of windows,

you might expect it to be a bit cold, but it's very cosy.

I could hear you both going, (WHISPERS) "Wow, wow."

Yes, well, it is the wow factor, certainly.

Yeah, now, I can see your eye, your eye's drawn, Andy, isn't it?

Try not to look at the garden, I don't want to give too much away,

straightaway, because we're going to start off with the sitting room.

-So just up a few steps.

-Well, this is lovely.

That's impressive, isn't it?

I think you can spot the 17th-century beam there, can't you?

Yes. They've done it so well.

-And you've got your wood burner in the corner.

-Fantastic.

-It's modern, it's very much our taste in decor.

-I would say so, yeah.

OK, so shall we continue? We are going to go downstairs.

-Andy, you lead the way.

-OK.

-Down those stairs there, to the kitchen.

'And as the chef of the house, Frances will hopefully

'warm to the area where she could be preparing for her dinner parties.'

So, as you come down, on a different level, you have the kitchen.

-This is lovely.

-Yeah.

-Very nice, lots of units, lots of workspace.

-Yeah, it's a good size.

-And a range!

-Yeah, plenty of work surfaces.

Yeah, and a nice flow with the dining area, as well.

Yes, and also on this level, you've got a guest bedroom,

through there, and a shower room, as well.

-So guests could be sort of on their own, this side of the property.

-Yes.

That's a nice idea.

-Good, right, have you seen enough on this level?

-I think so.

'So far, they seem impressed

'by our imaginatively converted mystery house.

'The accommodation upstairs is laid out over two levels.

'At the very top, on the second floor,

'there's an open-plan study area that makes great use of the space.

'In addition, there's also a playroom,

'but we're heading for the largest bedroom, on the first floor.'

-So here is where you'd sleep.

-Lovely, beautiful room.

-High ceiling.

-Look at how high that is.

-So high!

Now, it doesn't have an en suite,

but the family bathroom's just across the way,

and there's a smaller bedroom the other side of the corridor,

but what you do have is, if I can turn the light on...

-Goodness, this is a dream.

-Da-da!

-Yeah, that's a good size.

-Walk-in wardrobe, it's huge.

-So where's your stuff going to go?

THEY LAUGH

It's lovely, so it's a good use of the space,

-and I think that makes all the difference.

-It really does, yeah.

Right, well, we haven't seen the garden properly yet,

so let's head back downstairs.

'So, we've granted an unexpected wish for Frances,

'with a walk-in wardrobe.

'But now we'll see if the garden lives up to their expectations.'

Well, it might be raining, but I think it's worth getting

a bit damp just to come out and see this garden.

It's gorgeous. It's quite a big garden as well.

It is, a good size, yeah, excellent.

You also have an outbuilding, right at the end of the garden, which is

pretty generous in size, so you can use that for storage, as well.

-Brilliant.

-Great, yeah.

-So, we're going to have to talk money now, aren't we?

Andy, you're the accountant. Shall we start with you?

You must be good with figures.

-OK, I'm going to say the same as yesterday, actually - 595.

-OK.

And I think I'm also going to go the same as the last property at 625.

OK, interesting. The asking price is...

-..£599,950.

-Wow.

-That's great.

-So just under your budget.

But we wouldn't have to do anything, we could move straight in.

-Why don't you have another look around?

-Yeah, that would be lovely.

And also, do check out the garden.

Start off of the house. You never know, it might stop raining,

and we'll meet up when you're ready.

-Lovely.

-Great.

-After you.

Giving them £50 change from their £600,000,

our mystery barn conversion may be attached,

but it is well located for their travel to work,

and provides them with a huge welcoming reception room,

a generous kitchen and dining area, a study space upstairs,

three bedrooms, one with a walk-in wardrobe, and a generous garden.

I like the house, it's an interesting property.

I can see Fran and I living here. It's our kind of place,

and the finish is very good, so we wouldn't have to do much to it.

There's no doubt it's an absolutely lovely house.

I think my only concern would be that it is a little bit too

small, in terms of missing an extra bedroom.

The fourth bedroom that we would be hoping for.

So, overall, a good option, we definitely like it,

but I would say just a little bit too small, would be my concern.

-OK, guys?

-Yes, thank you.

I bet you want some time now, don't you, to have a think,

-a chat amongst yourselves, and then we should meet up?

-Definitely.

-That sounds good.

-Come on then.

'Lying in the heart of Hampshire, just west of Andover,

'is the site of the Hawk Conservancy Trust,

'which since the 1980s has become one of the country's most

'important centres, specialising in the care

'and conservation of Britain's wild birds of prey.

'Set in 22 acres of woodland and wildflower meadow,

'there are over 150 birds of prey on view.

'Many of these birds are involved in

'spectacular daily flying demonstrations,

'whilst others are part of important breeding or research projects.

'I went along to find out more about their work,

'and meet some of the birds, with the help of Kim Kirkbride,

'head of section for the Trust's national bird of prey hospital.'

-Who is this little fellow?

-This is Lark.

Lark is a peregrine falcon, which is in fact the fastest living thing.

So how fast could he go?

He could go anything from 180-200 mph when he is chasing his prey.

-Faster than anything else on the planet?

-Yep.

Well, how can they go so fast?

Well, when they are going at speed, chasing their prey,

they have the wind behind them,

so that's when they can tear themselves together,

and they basically do like a bullet, like a teardrop shape out of the sky.

Their nares, which are the two holes just above his beak here,

they are designed to slow down the air,

so when it hits his lungs,

he's actually going at a normal breathing rate,

rather than going superfast into the lungs, and making them explode.

So they are adapted to go at these really high speeds.

-Now, he is an impressive sight.

-BIRD SQUAWKS

Someone's talking to us. Who's behind us, making all the noise?

The one behind us is Cheyenne. She is an American bald eagle,

the national emblem of the United States,

and she flies for us here in our demonstration.

We've got the wildflower meadow at the top of the park,

but it opens out into a valley,

so it means the birds can rely on the lift, which are the thermals

they need to rise up and fly really well in demonstrations.

So it is a really good setting for us.

'A bird of prey is defined as one that attacks

'and kills its food with its feet, using its long curved talons.'

It's not just caring for these magnificent creatures,

you also do a lot of research here, don't you?

Yeah, we do a lot of research with birds that we have in the hospital.

For example, we want to know the correct technical release

methods, so how the best way to release them would come about.

And also their survival rates, as well.

So whether or not rehabilitation does work for these species.

'The Trust's hospital treats around 200 birds a year, which are

'brought in by members of the public,

'or wildlife rescue organisations.

'It's mainly due to illness or injury, and in particular,

'a great many fledgling birds are admitted in the spring.

'Today I'm about to witness the release of one of the UK's

'most common birds of prey, a buzzard,

'which was treated for puncture injuries,

'possibly from a fox attack, and is

'now well enough to leave the centre.'

So, Kim, why have you selected this location

on Salisbury Plain to release the buzzard?

This is actually where he was found, so we release, where possible,

back to the exact same location.

Because they might already have a territory here,

and even youngsters during the spring.

So it is going full circle, releasing him back?

This must be what the Trust's work is all about?

It is, you know, to actually have the bird in, look after it,

and to be able to release it back to where it came from, you know,

-it's just the best thing possible.

-So, Kim, this is it,

-being released back into the wild, where he belongs?

-He is, indeed.

We'll pop him on the floor.

-So if you hold on to the plastic, I'm going to peel back the towel.

-OK.

OK, I'll take that off of there, peel back the towel,

lift this flap up, and then, when you're ready,

-if you take that side, I'll take this side, and he should go.

-OK. Ready.

-OK, You ready?

-This is it.

TOGETHER: One, two, three.

Looks, he's quite dazzled.

Wow.

How rewarding, amazing, Kim. Listen, thank you for letting us

share this wonderful moment.

Well, that's something you don't get to do every day - truly amazing.

But it's time now to join our house-hunters,

and find out if they're ready to spread their wings in Hampshire.

Well, Andy and Frances,

we've had an interesting few days here in beautiful Hampshire.

Well, let's get into the houses. We showed you three.

Let's start with the very first one, the cottage.

What were your first impressions?

Well, it had a lovely front garden, didn't it? And a lovely driveway.

Very nice. Quintessential English cottage, very nice.

Inside was a little bit different, in that there was quite a lot

of work to be done to make it the ideal home for us.

-Probably too much work.

-Yeah, a great start, though.

So, we then took you to the west of the county, quite close to the

Wiltshire border, and showed you a very large thatched cottage.

Yes, it was stunning, Nicki.

The decor was to our taste. It was a great size, wasn't it?

Loads of space, amazing kitchen.

We felt at home there. It was how we would have...

..similar to how we would have done it.

In an ideal world, if it was in a quieter street,

and set back from the road, that would have...

It would have been the perfect cottage.

The final property we showed you was the mystery house, a collection

of beautifully done barns, and that didn't seem to faze you at all.

No, it didn't. I think once you got into the property,

from looking out the front door, and also out the back garden,

you couldn't actually see any of the adjoining barns,

so it didn't actually feel as if you are part of a four-barn conversion.

It's really our taste, done to our taste,

so that's the sort of thing you could just

move straight into, and not have to change anything.

So out of the three properties, was the barn probably the closest?

I think in many ways it was,

with the exception that it was just a little bit too small.

So using this as hopefully a good experience, are you still

thinking that Hampshire is the right county for you?

I think we definitely are, but will probably look towards the

north of the county, further, so that we're just that bit closer to London.

It's been really, really useful in eliminating

some of the things that we don't want,

but also seeing things that we perhaps would have ruled out,

-such as a thatched cottage.

-Absolutely.

We would have never looked at that on our own.

Well, I'm glad that we've been able to help,

and I hope you find that perfect property in the north of the county.

-Thanks so much.

-Thank you.

So, unfortunately no house sale today,

but what Andy and Frances have gleaned over the last few days

is that all the while their jobs in London, they're going

to have to do that commute, and how long it's going to take them.

So by moving to the north of this stunning county,

hopefully they'll get the work-life balance they so crave.

We wish them all the very best. See you next time.

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

'Northern Ireland or England, and need our help, please apply online:

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