South Wales Escape to the Country

This cutting edge structure behind me

holds the record-breaking title of being the largest single-span glasshouse in the world.

Find out where it is and what it's protecting in just a moment.

On today's show, I'm helping a couple with a big business idea

find a home and enough land to live off.

One property leaves them tongue-tied.

Absolutely stunning!

This doesn't happen very often, but I don't quite know what to say!

And there are some surprises in store.

I don't think I can say any more!

It really is just not what I expected at all!

Today, I'm in South Wales at the country's National Botanic Garden in Carmarthenshire.

This incredible glasshouse that forms the centrepiece of this site

was designed by British architect Lord Norman Foster,

whose trademark glass and steel designs

are more commonly found in the form of urban buildings and airports.

It's home to nearly 1,000 species of plant,

many of which grow nowhere else in the world.

Later on, I'll be taking a close-up look at the many ways in which the science of plants

is breaking new ground.

But first, let's take a look at the region's other natural highlights.

The South Wales region covers counties including Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire in the west

but stretching to the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire in the east.

It's a landscape of hills and valleys, once home to Britain's coal industry,

whose former industrial sites have now returned to their natural habitats.

Dominating the region is the Brecon Beacons National Park

with its long mountain ranges and open moorland.

It covers an area almost the size of Greater London.

You're never too far from the sea in South Wales

and the Pembrokeshire coast is one of the area's highlights

with over 180 miles of rugged cliffs, sandy beaches

and pretty fishing villages such as Saundersfoot.

From the haunting beauty of the hills marked by the mining industry,

to stunning shoreline,

it's this blend of historic character and awe-inspiring scenery

that makes South Wales such a compelling reason for aspiring escapees.

When it comes to house-buying, Wales as a whole offers great value for money.

The average price for a detached house here is just shy of £178,000.

If you focus on the southern region,

coastal areas such as Pembrokeshire do attract a premium.

For example, the popular seaside towns of Tenby and Saundersfoot,

which are always a hit with holidaymakers.

However, the property landscape does get cheaper by up to 10 per cent

if you venture inland to outlying rural areas around towns like Carmarthen.

Which is certainly worth bearing in mind, as today's buyers are after a lot of space.

For the last decade, Darren, Kasia and their nine-year-old son Neo

have lived in this two-bed terraced house in south-east London.

But the hectic pace of the capital is no longer for them.

London just seems to have grown even more

and got a lot faster

and just got a little bit more unpleasant.

So we just think the time is right now

-whilst we're still relatively young...

-Fairly young!

-Fairly young! ..to enjoy the wilds of the countryside.

-That's right.

Kasia, who's originally from Poland,

is studying to be a quantity surveyor,

and Darren works as a university administrator.

I came to this country 14 years ago

and was initially working in a bar

where I met Darren during his after-work entertainment!

Not that kind of bar!

Yes, and we met through work,

I could say.

The couple have set their sights on South Wales,

which will hopefully offer enough space to develop a new animal breeding business.

Once we're there, we want to start to raise alpacas.

So as a result of that, we need to have quite a substantial amount of land,

'decent outbuildings, that sort of thing.'

We're hoping to make the alpaca business, as such, a livelihood, eventually.

But it'll be administrator Darren who'll be getting his hands dirty to begin with.

The plan is that Kasia will remain working in London

and come home at weekends.

And my son and myself will be there permanently

with me running and establishing the business

and hopefully it all works out

and Kasia can hang up her boots, as it were.

Yay! My ruler!

Your ruler, yes.

Darren and Kasia aren't the only ones who will benefit from the move.

I'm hoping also that Neo will embrace the whole kind of countryside

and getting really involved in nature.

He currently does Scouts and he'll have hopefully the full range of mountains to explore and stuff.

As well as the land for alpacas,

the property search needs to take account of the other love in Darren's life.

I currently have a 1976 MG Midget convertible.

So it's really important that I have a garage

in order to house my baby.

I'm really looking forward to just driving it around the country lanes.

I think it's what she was made for, really!

So I'm looking forward to that.

All that's left is to find out how much money

is steering the move.

The budget for the new property

will be £400,000.

We would be prepared to stretch that to £430,000

but the property would need to tick all the boxes.

Darren and Kasia are flexible on specific areas.

But we're concentrating our South Wales property search

in the more rural counties of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire,

as they offer more scope for land.

I've come to Pembrokeshire to meet Darren and Kasia,

to finalise the details of their move.

I say welcome to Wales and the countryside,

but you've definitely come equipped. Look at that hat!

It's quite something, isn't it?

So we're in Wales. Why are we in Wales today?

We have been thinking about moving to the country for a while.

And we thought, "What can we do when we're here?"

as we're still of working age.

I came home one day and said to Kasia, "Alpacas!"

Why alpacas?

Having looked into it slightly, alpacas are supposedly

one of the easiest animals to get into for city slickers like us.

Let's focus on your home.

What are you expecting? Kasia?

What are we expecting? Well, what we're hoping for...

I prefer "expecting", but go on!

Expecting, OK. Let's go with the expectations.

-A four-bedroomed house.

-Four-bedroomed house.

-Yes.

With a lovely country kitchen, a snug, a fireplace.

Right. So this is an old property?

Definitely a period property.

How much land would you like to be attached to this house?

I would want something that can grow with us.

So I'm hoping that we can get something that has got enough land to start us off small,

and we can grow with that and then retire gracefully, kind of looking over our vista, as it were.

So minimum amount of land, Kasia?

-15 acres.

-15 acres.

Using your budget wisely,

there's more value long-term, I think, in buying a decent-sized house

with renting land, rather than vice-versa.

So maybe some land with other land nearby could be an option if we're going to push the house.

-Definitely.

-Sounds like a plan.

So, three properties. Let's get started. This way.

For a maximum budget of £430,000,

Darren and Kasia want a cosy family home

ideally with period features.

But the success of our property search will depend on the land.

They want a minimum of 15 acres for the alpaca business.

We've found three wonderful Welsh properties

and at each one, I'll be asking our couple to guess the price at the end of the tour.

The final property is our mystery house,

which could challenge Darren and Kasia's commitment to self-sufficiency.

Kasia, you're going to be working in London, initially.

Quite some commute.

It is what it is, and it's going to have to happen

so I've made my peace with that.

You're open-minded with regard to commute times.

-Yeah.

-This is great!

Our first house is located on a smallholding

five miles from the village of Roch

in the county of Pembrokeshire.

Roch, which means "the rock" in Welsh

is a small settlement which dates back to Norman times

when a castle, now a luxury hotel, was first established here.

Amenities in the village include pubs and shops

and there's also a primary school.

The Pembrokeshire coastal path is just a short drive away.

So, the first property, through this gate,

is straight ahead of us, right here.

KASIA GIGGLES

Ooh!

Ooh! It looks very promising!

-Yeah?

-Yep!

I've been very much looking forward to you seeing this

because first thing this morning when we were going through your list,

I was thinking, "House one, house one, house one."

So let's talk about it.

House one. First impressions,

-it's very pretty.

-Very picturesque!

I like the setting.

So we'll discuss the outside later.

But it's fair to say what you see is what you get.

But let's have a look inside first, shall we?

-Let's!

-Just this way.

'We're bypassing the front door of our period farmhouse

'and heading straight to an extension at the back of the property,

'which houses a utility room containing the white goods for the kitchen.'

So, through a small utility room

and then, like most farmhouses, straight into the kitchen.

-It's lovely.

-Who does most of the cooking?

-It's going to be Darren.

-It's probably going to be me.

And cooking more than just spaghetti bolognese,

as my son seems to think that's all we're going to live on when we get here!

Sounds OK to me!

But it's great.

-It works.

-There's a lot of counter space.

As regards to other things you may be used to,

you have a downstairs bathroom here, OK?

-Right.

-To some people that could be a deal-breaker.

-Am I looking at such people?

-Um...

-You're looking at such a person, potentially!

Potentially such a person.

But just bear that in mind. Let's keep looking.

So, the living room. Now we're moving into the old part of the house here.

OK? What do you think?

-Um...

-It's cosy.

-It's very cosy.

-Very cosy. Very warm feeling.

What I like about this, it's not your old-fashioned posh dining room.

-There's this flow that you want.

-Yes.

-It's country... A country house.

-It's very deceiving as well, the whole space.

-It adds character.

Let's look upstairs.

The downstairs of the farmhouse can essentially be divided into two.

The other half of the house is essentially self-contained

with its own separate entrance

and could be useful for when the family come to stay

or as potential holiday let accommodation.

The annexe contains a single and double bedroom

as well as an extra sitting room.

'We're heading upstairs, where there are two further bedrooms.'

Now, this part of the house is the only part with two storeys.

And it gives you two bedrooms.

-Right.

-Two doubles.

-Yep.

Now, you said there might be an issue

for you not having a bathroom on the same level as your bedroom.

-Possibly.

-That would be me.

-Possibly.

OK. Well, you've got a walk-in wardrobe there

with the potential to be converted to an en-suite.

-A-ha.

-Right.

So far, how does this house feel to you?

I like the style. The room sizes downstairs, I liked very much.

They seem to be working. They make sense.

They're not massive spaces

but they work.

-It feels very cosy.

-Yeah.

I'm kind of getting my head around the configuration.

Hopefully this has given you plenty to think about.

Let's go outside and have a look at the land

and then maybe come back and refresh your minds later on. OK?

Thank you.

'Despite Darren's reservations about its unconventional layout,

'the interior tour of our first property is going well.

'But let's not forget, this move is also about starting an alpaca business

'As well as the main farmhouse,

'this smallholding features a range of outbuildings

'which could provide shelter for the animals and storage.

'But alpacas also need space.

'And there's plenty of that here.'

Now, then.

Land.

-That looks rather lovely!

-Lovely!

So, let me explain what we have here.

You've got this field here, the field beyond,

and then a field of similar size

the other side of that hedgerow.

You've got 18 acres of pasture land.

BOTH LAUGH

-I'm smiling!

-I'm lost for words!

-I'm smiling!

-It looks grand!

So how do you price it? Who wants to go first?

-Ladies first!

-Oh, right!

-A true gentleman(!)

Charming!

Well, I would say...

I'd put it at 400.

-400.

-Yeah.

-And I'm going to go at 389...

950.

I'm putting these guesses down to being rather green

and rather ambitious!

This place is on the market

for offers around £425,000.

Right. Uh-huh.

So looking at what places sell at,

and what places are priced at,

-there's every chance you could get it within your budget.

-Sure.

-You've got to get back in the house and look at the other rooms.

-Sure.

This is one property that gives you the flexibility.

-I'll catch you whenever you're ready.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

Our first house is just under Darren and Kasia's maximum budget.

As well as the main reception rooms...

First impression, looking at it from the outside,

absolutely beautiful.

Picturesque. Lovely.

I loved the house. I thought it was functional.

Everything was in the right place.

The downside would be that it wasn't quite as large

as I think I originally had the vision in my mind.

What can I say about the land?

It's absolutely breathtaking.

-How did you get on? OK?

-Yes.

-Good. Enjoyed it.

-Good.

-It was nice.

-Well, property number one done.

-Let's go to the second one.

-OK.

Darren has already been on a crash course in alpaca farming,

but Kasia has little experience dealing with the woolly animals.

The alpaca hails from South America.

Their fleeces are often compared to cashmere in quality,

and money can be made by turning the luxury fibre into clothing.

Selling the raw fleece alone

could fetch up to £90 per animal.

Although alpacas are hardy creatures,

they do need hands-on day-to-day care.

We sent Darren and alpaca novice Kasia to find out what's involved

from established breeders, Brian and Patricia Cobbold.

Guys, tell me, how often do you need to shear an alpaca?

Just once a year. Normally they're done in summertime,

so end of May, June, July.

They're not as keen on that procedure much?

They don't really like being handled.

They like to be free and running.

They're fine like this, but when you want to catch them, whoa!

-You've got to hold their neck and that's their fighting instrument, their neck.

-Sure.

What's your daily routine as regards to having a herd of alpacas?

We get up at eight o'clock, the crack of dawn!

We get up and have breakfast and come out here for 9.15, 9.30.

The alpacas are waiting, so they've brought themselves in.

Patricia mixes up the food into the big bucket

and they'll disappear when they're ready. They carry on munching on the green stuff.

'But alpacas need land.

'One acre for every four animals is the industry standard.

'As well as attending to the alpacas on a daily basis,

'Darren and Kasia will also need to round up their herd for vaccinations

'and the occasional pedicure.'

If you want to come in, Darren, and hold her head, just like that.

Don't be frightened of her. She's not going to hurt you.

If you want to come in, I'll show you how to do these feet.

Brilliant.

So you pick it up like that and bend it towards you.

-And then, you see the pad?

-Yeah.

You just want to really trim along there like that.

Do you know how far to cut? Are there no nerves like...

cats and dogs sort of thing?

Yeah, you've just got to be very careful when you're doing it.

Gently, gently is the approach I would use.

That's it. Just lift it up, gently.

Good girl, good girl, good girl.

'Kasia's first hands-on encounter with an alpaca

'has gone without incident.

'But let's see if we can find our buyers somewhere to start their own herd

'as we get back to the property hunt.

'For our second property, we're heading 45 miles north-east

and hopping over the border into the county of Ceredigion

'to the village of Ffostrasol.

'Ffostrasol is a small village, but with a good range of local amenities

'including shops, a decent-sized pub and a village hall.'

Try for a moment to put this view to one side

and look at the house, if you possibly can!

BOTH LAUGH

-It's hard, you know?

-It's all about that, isn't it?

-It's stunning!

-Wow!

Absolutely stunning!

This doesn't happen very often,

but I don't quite know what to say!

This is the house.

A very small part of it dates back to the mid- to late-Victorian times.

But, to all intents and purposes,

it's been built on. 25 years ago and another part nine years ago.

What do you think of the location?

-Heaven!

-Heaven?

-Without a doubt.

-Good.

Well, now, the house has to match up to it, doesn't it?

-It would be nice!

-Let's see what you think. Come on.

'So the setting of our second property gets a big thumbs up.

'And I'm pretty sure the interior of this vast chalet-style house

'won't disappoint.'

So, first of all, here's your kitchen area.

But just like the view,

you just want to get through here as quick as possible!

Oh!

Yeah?

So, dining room,

-a further living room beyond there as well.

-Right.

What's going through your mind?

-Wow!

-Yes?

-I honestly don't know what to say!

-And that doesn't happen very often!

-It doesn't happen very often!

You were speechless outside. You are inside!

-It's a good sign, right?

-Yeah!

'The house is essentially divided into two self-contained wings,

'each with separate staircases.

'As well as the main reception rooms,

'the ground floor of the first wing also includes a potential home for Darren's beloved sports car

'and a garden room.

'Upstairs in this wing are two double bedrooms.'

Now, then.

One double room there.

One double room here, right?

Wait till you see this!

Well, that's a bit of an en-suite!

In not many en-suites will you get a seat, a chair and a chaise-longue!

Now, obviously this is one option

of you just having the whole lot, this whole floor to yourself.

But there's also another option for you.

And I think your son Neo might be fighting over it!

Let's go and take a look.

The first floor of the other wing of the property

is where you'll find the third bedroom in the house.

Behind this door, a potential walk-in wardrobe.

Then you've got this room!

KASIA GIGGLES

-Wow!

-I love it!

-Yes?

And if you needed more reception rooms,

directly below we've got a lovely reception room

with a balcony going out

at ground floor level,

making the most of that view again.

-Happy?

-I'm very happy!

You do look happy!

I don't think I can say any more!

It really is just not what I expected at all.

-Good.

-That's a good thing.

-Excellent.

Let's go and have a look at the land.

-OK.

-And start thinking about how much this house might be on the market for.

All right?

'The interior tour of our second property couldn't have gone any better.

'But with the alpaca business in mind,

'I'm keen to show Darren and Kasia the extensive grounds that come with this smallholding.

'And although 12.5 acres might sound a lot,

'it is slightly less than they originally wanted.'

So, land.

Land.

You've got this field here.

You can't really see, but it goes all the way across that valley,

you get the stream and you also get some woodland the other side of the stream.

And then you've got a few acres the other side of that hedgerow

where you've got two small paddocks

and some amazing planting - basically, a nursery - that side.

-This is self-sufficiency and then some.

-Right.

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

Well, seeing as I was so very far out the last time,

this little slice of heaven

would probably come in at about £435,000.

-OK.

-I'd say 430.

This house with its land

is on the market for offers around £395,000.

You're joking!

Wow!

-OK.

-Go back into the house and have a look at all the rooms you haven't yet seen.

I'll meet you wherever and whenever you're ready.

-Lovely.

-Great.

-Thank you.

-Catch you later on.

-Cheers.

That's more like it, isn't it? Fantastic reactions

to, let's face it, a fantastic property in this beautiful location.

But it's also what they're after. It gives them the practicality

but it also gives them the room to be individual,

which is what it's all about.

Our second property is under Darren and Kasia's budget.

Located in a quiet setting...

..one or two of which could be turned into additional bedrooms.

..three-quarters of which is already divided into grazing paddocks.

This is an interesting space.

It is interesting. I'm guessing this may have been a garage.

-And it's been converted into a living space.

-Yeah.

It's amazing.

When we walked up to the house, it was very difficult to gauge,

obviously, what we were coming into.

And as we rounded the corner,

and that amazing view has opened up,

well, it just absolutely took our breath away.

When we actually got into the house, it just kept delivering and delivering and delivering!

It had space, it had just about everything that we wanted.

Incredible views. Inside the house, very good.

There is not really an awful lot I can say didn't work for myself.

It's out of this world!

Now, then, you're both still smiling. That has to be a good thing.

Did you enjoy that?

-Very much so.

-Fabulous.

-It's been a great day from my point of view. You?

-Yes.

-Same here.

Good. Let's go.

It's day two of our property search

and, on a maximum budget of £430,000,

we're helping Darren and Kasia swap south London for South Wales.

Coming up, we may need to try harder with our mystery house.

-Wow.

-It doesn't look very mysterious!

-No?

And I need a steady hand to save one of Wales's rarest species.

Remember, these are extinct in the wild, so no pressure!

Natasha, you shouldn't have said that!

Well, two great properties in the bag from yesterday.

So I'm really looking forward to pushing the boundaries with Darren and Kasia this morning

with the mystery house.

Now, character-wise, size-wise, the mystery property has them both in spades.

But guess what? All that comes at a price.

They'll need to be flexible with this one.

First, on the proximity of neighbours

but also, I think they'll both need to think laterally

about the amount of land it comes with.

Let's see how we get on.

For the mystery house, we're travelling back into Pembrokeshire

to the village of Glandwr

on the edge of the county's coastal National Park.

Darren and Kasia are determined to establish a smallholding here in South Wales

that will sustain them for years to come.

With that in mind, we're making a detour on the way to our third house

to visit Britain's first self-sufficient eco village, called Lammas.

With backing from the Welsh government,

nine families have upped sticks to the countryside

to build their own environmentally friendly dwellings

and to live off the land.

We're meeting resident Paul Wimbush.

Any tips you would give someone moving from the city to this part of South Wales?

Just do it! Just go for it! Just go for it!

We've got families here

who moved here with no experience of building,

no experience of growing food,

no experience of living in a rural place like this

who have just gone for it, and they're absolutely thriving.

So, you know. Yeah, just do it.

Would it be possible for us to generate an income?

You're never going to be millionaires.

You know, working the land and producing goods from the land,

it is, you know, it is hard work

and there's not a huge amount of money

and it is totally possible.

Paul, thank you very much. The best of luck with this.

-You're half-way through this project now?

-Half-way through the set-up phase.

-I look forward to coming back when it's done.

-Good.

-Shall we go? Thanks, Paul.

-Thank you.

-Good luck!

-Thanks!

And so it's on to our mystery house, just a short drive away.

Now, if we just go round here,

to get a better look at it.

The mystery house is that.

-Wow!

-It doesn't look very mysterious!

-No?

-It looks, to me, a little bit Victorian from the outside.

-Sure.

But it's not. This dates back to 1786.

It looks like it's 100 or so years old.

I know you like the idea of living in the middle of nowhere.

Well, Lammas, where we've just been, is just over those fields.

You're going to be part of a bit of a community here.

-What do you think?

-It's beautiful.

-It's lovely.

I like this, the grounds here.

Let's see what you think of inside first, shall we?

-Lovely.

-Let's do it.

'So, in buying our 18th-century mystery house,

'Darren and Kasia would become part of the nearby eco community.

'But let's take a look at where they might entertain their new neighbours.'

Now, then.

-Ooh!

-Ooh! Ooh!

I couldn't wait for you to see this.

-Now I see why!

-Yep.

Everything you see in here, everything's bespoke in here.

So if you look through into the kitchen,

you'll see a beautifully hand-made bespoke kitchen.

-Oh!

-Screams country.

It's fabulous.

Well, if you're giggling, that means you're happy!

-I know this now!

-I can't hide it, yeah.

I'd like to see more.

Let's show you. Just this way.

I'm hoping this is big enough.

-This is plenty big enough!

-This is plenty big!

This is an amazing room, isn't it? It really is.

Over the other side of the very impressive hallway,

is a snug.

So you've got three reception rooms.

I think we would probably tend to gravitate more

-to the room at the end.

-Kitchen/snug.

-Kitchen's there, snug's there.

-Want to look up some of the bedrooms?

-Yes, please.

Cos you've got five!

-Ooh!

-Five bedrooms! What will you do with all these?

Out of those five bedrooms,

three are good-sized doubles are there are two singles.

All serviced by a bright family bathroom.

In addition, the loft space has been partially converted

into a large attic bedroom.

All this space could be used for holiday accommodation,

to supplement the income from the alpaca business.

I want Darren and Kasia to see one of the three bedrooms

that could be used for paying guests.

-This is lovely.

-Pretty.

One of many! What do you think?

-It's great.

-It's lovely.

-Very nice size.

-I think this out of all three might require your personal touch.

-That's the word. Personal touch, not drastic changes.

-No.

Just to personalise things a little bit.

I'm keen on getting to the bottom of this business venture for you guys.

I know you've got your heart set on alpacas,

what you'll come to learn in the countryside is you need to be flexible.

You need to look at income streams wherever they may be.

-Sure.

-That's true.

-Absolutely.

Let's have a look outside, shall we? At the land.

And then start discussing this whole mystery property package.

-OK?

-OK.

The land outside includes a large south-facing garden

with views of the surrounding countryside,

and pasture land for grazing alpacas.

Land you wanted. A smaller piece of land you get with this one.

-Hence the mystery house.

-The mystery house.

All in all, around five acres.

I've spoken to the owner, and she says she will negotiate renting more land to you.

-Oh, right.

-Oh, excellent.

-A-ha.

So I'm now going to ask you to try and guess the price of it.

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

I'm going to say £415,000.

-OK.

-I was going to go over budget. I was going to say 450.

-450.

-Yeah.

-Well,

not a bad guess, Darren.

This place is on the market for offers around £425,000.

-OK.

-I can see why.

I can see why, definitely.

There's a lot for you to see.

Why don't you go back in? Have a look at all the rooms you haven't yet managed to see.

-And I'll meet you whenever you're finished.

-OK.

-OK.

See you later.

Just under their maximum budget

at £425,000,

our 18th-century mystery house was once part of a larger farm.

The accommodation includes five bedrooms

with the potential to let some of them to paying guests.

The total plot amounts to five acres and includes pasture land

but there's also the possibility to rent extra land for the alpaca business.

Oh, this is cool!

Oh, man!

That would be perfect for Neo!

Yeah. He could have absolutely everything he needed up here.

It's an extraordinary place. It's so full of character.

Focusing on the kitchen and dining area, it works.

It works. It's beautiful.

The downside definitely comes outside the property

as opposed to inside.

I'm not sure that it would work necessarily for us.

We would have to do some serious thinking

about how we could possibly make it work.

-All done?

-Yep.

-Good.

I was just enjoying this sun.

Imagine here. A summer's evening. Maybe a gin and tonic in the hand?

-Maybe.

-Maybe.

Will it be this house or the other two? Who knows?

-You've got some thinking to do!

-Yes.

Why don't you go and do just that, and I'll catch up when you've finished.

-OK?

-OK.

-Cheers.

-Good luck.

They might need it, as well. That's the end of the property search for Darren and Kasia.

There's also plenty of other property on the market in South Wales,

to suit all budgets.

If modern is more your style, then this four-bed new-build

near the town of Ammanford is on the market for £205,000.

The accommodation includes a kitchen diner with French doors leading to the garden

and a living room that comes with a multi-fuel burner.

Cat, unfortunately, not included.

If barn conversions take your fancy,

then how about this four-double-bedroomed property in Sutton Cottage,

which is on the market for £350,000.

The open plan interior includes this kitchen diner with original stone wall

and a master suite with vaulted ceiling and exposed beams.

At the upper end of this price scale,

this Grade II-listed barn conversion with five bedrooms

is in Panty Park

and on the market for just shy of £600,000.

The property has four spacious reception rooms

and a master bedroom, again with a vaulted ceiling

and a reclaimed solid wood floor.

As well as some fantastic properties,

the South Wales region is home to one of the county's youngest icons.

The National Botanic Gardens of Wales, near Carmarthen,

only opened at the dawn of the new millennium

and has quickly established itself

as a leading centre for scientific research

and innovative design.

Architect Norman Foster's great glasshouse

has the largest single span in the world.

The size of five football pitches, it creates an artificial environment

which helps protect some of the most endangered plants from around the globe.

I've come to find out how it works

and I'm meeting Rob Thomas.

So I'm noticing that it's not swelteringly hot.

It's effectively creating a Mediterranean climate zone.

Which means, I suppose, in our terms,

that at any one time the temperature in here

is probably between five, six, seven degrees warmer than the ambient temperature outside.

How do you keep this temperature at this level?

It's a complex system,

computer controlled, of course,

of actuators on the windows.

We have really no control over when they open and shut.

It's done according to the ambient temperature inside.

'Like any botanic garden,

'there is an active programme of conservation and research here in South Wales.

'One project is helping to save one of the country's rarest plants.

'It's being run by head of conservation, Natasha de Vere.'

Natasha, what do we have here?

This plant is the Irish saxifrage.

It used to be found in Wales, but it's now extinct in the wild in Wales.

Why did it become extinct in Wales?

Too many sheep on the uplands, nibbling away,

destroying all of the vegetation.

The other thing is over collecting.

So our role here at the Garden is to try and redress that balance.

So we're growing them up at the Garden to see if we can reintroduce these plants to the wild.

'To help improve its chances of survival,

'scientists need to understand the biological makeup of plants like the Saxifrage

'and to do that, you need to extract its DNA.

'First, take a leaf sample.'

Remember, these are extinct in the wild, so no pressure!

Natasha, you shouldn't have said that!

'Then it's off to the lab, where the sample is placed in a test tube,

'washed with detergent, spun in a machine

'and rinsed with chemicals to release the DNA for analysis.'

What we do here, the sort of research we do, goes all the way through.

So we start off in the wilds of Snowdonia,

we're then in the glasshouses growing these plants on.

And then, to really understand what's going on with them,

we look at their DNA.

'My sample will be sent off for further analysis

'to compare it with other species

'and help scientists decide

'how and where to reintroduce it to the wild.

'In the meantime, I'm honoured to have played a role

'in the conservation of this Welsh treasure.'

Well, Kasia and Darren have had a while to mull over the three properties.

Time to catch up with them and find out their thoughts.

-Now, then.

-Hello!

-Picked a lovely spot.

-Uh-huh.

-So you've had a bit of time to think.

-Yeah.

-Yep.

Come on, what's your favourite? I'm dying to know.

-On three.

-One, two, three!

TOGETHER: Number two!

Right!

Why was number two your favourite, then?

It was a combination of the head and the heart working together, I think.

-Yin and Yang.

-Yeah.

-Right.

So what was the head part of it?

The head part of it was the potential business.

So still something we had our minds on.

For me, it just had all facets.

It had the house which was absolutely fantastic,

it had the land which was fantastic.

It had the business potential,

-which, of course, is a major part of this move.

-Of course, yes.

Tell me, would you have looked at that property?

Would you formerly have viewed that house, having seen it maybe on the internet?

-No.

-Probably not.

-No?

-Simple as that.

Purely because at the beginning of this journey,

we had a very clear vision in our mind

of the number of rooms we needed,

the amount of land we needed,

and that house, on paper, would have fallen just a little bit short.

-Yeah.

-However, having got there,

and just seen what it had to offer,

it just kind of threw all that out the window.

What's the next step for you?

Well, I think that we'll probably contact the vendors of house number two,

-and try to arrange a second viewing.

-Second viewing.

You do realise that when you come to the second viewing and Neo sees that house,

-your life will be hell until you move into that house!

-Exactly.

Pretty much, yeah!

Good. I think it's a very good idea to come back here.

And it might sound crazy,

but it wouldn't be such a bad thing to come here on a rainy day.

-Sure.

-See the house when Mother Nature is giving it its worst.

And hopefully, you'll still love it.

-Sure.

-Why wouldn't you?

-Absolutely.

Safe drive back to London. Also good luck with the second viewing.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

One of the things I enjoy most about this job

is when a couple fall head-over-heels with a property

they may have initially discarded on first glance.

That's exactly what happened with house number two.

Sure, it was light on the land,

but that was more than made up for with that beautiful dell

and those amazing views.

Which just goes to show, whenever you're looking at rural property,

it certainly pays to be open-minded.

See you next time!

Darren and Kasia have spoken to the vendor of our second property

and have arranged another viewing,

this time with son, Neo.

Let's hope his approval clinches the deal!

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