Snowdonia Escape to the Country

Welcome to today's show. To give you a couple of clues as to where I am,

if I tell you that peak behind me is one of the highest in the British Isles,

and that beneath my feet is a cavern big enough to hold St Paul's Cathedral,

you might just figure out where we are.

So join me for what promises to be

a very mountainous Escape To The Country.

On today's show, I am helping two nature lovers

find a home in the big outdoors.

There's a muted response to one of our properties.

-It's not grabbing me.

-It's not grabbing you.

-No.

-Oh, dear.

But jubilation at another.

-Are you happy now?

-I am.

-Yay!

Today we are in North Wales in the mountains of Snowdonia.

Deep beneath my feet is the largest man-made cavern in Europe

and it contains the Dinorwig hydroelectric plant

and that reservoir behind me, well, that is what it's all about.

That contains over 7 million cubic metres of water.

Once a day, they drain it through the mountain, creating enough

energy to supply all of Wales with electricity for six hours.

Later on in the programme, I'll be back here finding out a little more

about its inner workings and how this feat of engineering came about.

But in the meantime, here's a taster

of what the rest of this glorious region has to offer.

The Snowdonia National Park

is situated on the north-west coast of Wales

and within the county borders of Gwynedd and Conway.

As well as the famous sweeping mountain ranges,

three quarters of the land is used for agriculture.

And there are 80 miles of largely unspoiled coastline to enjoy.

But the crowning glory is Mount Snowdon,

the highest peak in England and Wales.

An area steeped in history, defined by its geology

and with a wealth of pretty villages on its doorstep, it's easy to see

why Snowdonia is such an attractive choice for potential escapees,

which is exactly why today's buyers want to be here.

Retired teacher Ann and systems analyst Graham

live in a bungalow in the seaside town of Broadstairs, Kent,

and they are itching for a change.

We have been here now for 12 years,

which is the longest we've ever stayed in a house.

So we are ready for somewhere new now.

As passionate walkers, they feel the mountains of Snowdonia

are the ideal spot for their new home.

Every year, we go on a walking holiday somewhere.

This year, we were planning a walking holiday in Wales

in the Snowdonia area.

We have also been talking about moving house

and suddenly the idea came to put the two together

and actually go and live in the Snowdonia area.

As well as walking, Graham and Ann have other hobbies which keep them busy.

In my spare time, I like to potter around with my hands.

I've been doing more woodwork.

I've also started making some patio furniture.

I've got the table I'm working on and some chairs I plan to do later.

After I retired, I decided painting.

"I'm going to start painting." And I did.

I went to the local college and started doing oil painting.

Oil painting and acrylics.

I'm hoping that when we get to Snowdonia,

that I'll be able to look at the landscapes there.

There should be a tremendous selection of greens.

Although they both enjoy gardening,

Graham and Ann are looking to downsize when they move.

Because the garden is getting a bit too big for us

as we are getting older,

you find you don't have the same amount of energy.

-A garden to enjoy rather than a lot of work.

-Yes.

A garden to enjoy. That's the way to put it.

And while they'll need enough bedrooms for visiting family,

it's the downstairs space that is crucial for Ann.

We don't want anything dark.

We'd like large rooms,

as large as possible for the rest of the house as well.

But it's more important that the living area is large and light.

But more than anything, it's all about location.

We are surrounded by houses. You are overlooking other people.

It would be nice to be able to look out and see green fields and hills behind.

So how much money do they have to play with?

The budget for the new house will be £300,000.

Since Graham and Ann are firmly set on Snowdonia,

we're concentrating our property search

within the boundaries of the National Park.

And that is where I've come to meet them.

-Good morning, Graham. Nice to see you.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Perfect house-hunting weather.

-Yeah.

-The good news, of course, is that you have sold your house so you are ready to go.

-Yes.

We got lucky. We knew somebody who wanted to buy it

-so it was all very simple.

-In an afternoon.

And what are we looking for?

-We want three bedrooms.

-At least.

-At least three.

We'd like a private garden.

And I'm sure it goes without saying, some views. Because let's face it...

-The views, the sea, or the mountains.

-Or both!

-Both would be fantastic.

But we'd like outbuildings

and I would like somewhere to do my artwork.

So I'd like an art studio where I can leave things out

instead of having them in the corner of the bedroom.

The budget you've got to spend, just remind us of that.

The budget is £300,000.

Possibly up to £325,000 if it's perfect.

We've got three to show you, including, of course, our mystery house.

-Let's go.

-We're looking forward to that.

-Come on then.

For a maximum budget of £325,000,

Graham and Ann want a distinctive detached property.

The accommodation needs to include three bedrooms

for when the family come and stay.

A light and spacious living area.

A private garden.

And an outbuilding for an art studio or workshop.

But most importantly,

our nature lovers want good views of the surrounding countryside.

We've found three wonderful Welsh properties to wow them with

and at each one I will be asking them

to guess the price at the end of the house tour.

Our final offering, the mystery house,

will set out to test them and it's unconventional to say the least.

For our first property, we are heading to the small coastal village

of Friog in the county of Gwynedd.

The closest amenities can be found in the seaside

resort of Fairbourne, located at the mouth of the River Mawddach.

As well as shops and a church, the village has an award-winning

sandy beach, which stretches for two miles.

It's also home to a miniature steam railway, which has been

serving tourists and locals for nearly 100 years.

Our first house is just a mile inland from the village.

-OK.

-Oh, right.

-There we are.

-Oh, yes.

-That's a surprise.

-Isn't it?

-Yes.

-Is it bigger than you thought it might be?

-Yes.

Yes, it's different to what I thought it would be.

-I was expecting a stone thing and it's not.

-The core of it is.

It's obviously been rendered with that pebbledash.

This is the bulk of a lawned garden which you can see now.

Again, very secluded.

-You've also got a quite interesting terraced garden up there.

-Oh, right.

-Shall we?

-Shall we go in?

-Let's have a look inside.

Let's start with this. Come on in. It's a big room, isn't it?

-It's not what I expected at all.

-Were you expecting quite pokey?

-I was.

-But they have obviously taken it through.

-They have.

They have extended that way. We'll have a look at that in a moment.

But I love the features in here, not least that huge stove.

That stove is fantastic.

Look at this. This is the hole that was made in the old external wall.

It's the original wall.

Plenty of stone in there.

But this has made a really good addition to it,

these lovely skylights.

Very simply done. There is your main cooker.

An induction hob and all the rest of it.

So you've got the best of both worlds.

It's lovely and light and airy, isn't it?

Good. Come on. Let's continue. It's all going well.

As well as this enormous reception room

which runs the length of the house,

across the hallway there is a sitting room

with panelled sash windows overlooking the front of the property,

a generous utility room and a small study area.

Upstairs, where they have made clever use of the landing space,

there are four bedrooms which share a decent sized modern family bathroom.

Three of the bedrooms are doubles and there is a single, and all are light and bright.

Come into this one.

Now, in many respects, it's hard to ascribe a master bedroom as such because they're all very similar.

There are four to choose from.

But I think this is as good an example as any. Again, lovely light.

Lovely light and view.

We also have an attic

-and I'm thinking maybe an art room.

-Possibly.

-If it's got good windows.

-It's got some great windows.

Come and have a look at this.

-Going up into heaven!

-Well, is it heaven? There we are.

-Oh, right.

Yes. I like the beams and I don't often say I like the beams.

They are great, aren't they? These are original, which is nice.

Very typical with the essential pins through the apex.

It's just kind of rough really.

It's out of the house area so you can leave it with your activity

without having to pack it away every time you do it.

So how are we doing on our property one?

I like certain aspects of it

but I think the lounge is a little bit small.

I think the outside space is a little bit lacking.

Outside, there are a couple of sheds for Graham to potter in

and a smaller lawn just like they asked for.

There is also a quirky terraced area to the side of the house,

bordered by trees which would give them the privacy they crave.

OK. So there is house number one.

But I suppose ultimately it's going to come down to the price, isn't it?

Any thoughts what that might be?

It's difficult. I'll go 280.

-I was going to go lower than that.

-Were you?

-Yes.

I was going to go for 275.

Well, OK. Well, this is on the market at £299,950.

Just shy of £300,000,

this detached period house is within Ann and Graham's budget.

It many ways, it seems to fit the bill.

The kitchen diner is big and bright.

There are four good-sized bedrooms for the family to stay.

And a handy attic which could make a great artist studio for Ann.

The garden is smaller and more secluded than their current one

and although there are no outbuildings,

Graham could use one of the sheds as a workshop.

-How are we doing then?

-All right. Good. Yes.

-It's gaining more positivity all the way through.

-I'm not sure at all.

-But it's been good.

-Well, let's tempt you with a bit more.

-OK.

An area of outstanding natural beauty,

the scenic Snowdonia mountains may at first seem an unusual location for a power station.

But clever civil engineering has made use of the natural landscape

to build and hide one of the largest hydroelectric schemes in Europe.

Commissioned in 1984, the Dinorwig plant harnesses

water power by using two lakes high up in the mountains.

And that is where I have come to meet operations manager, Geraint Jones.

-So in simple layman's terms, how does it work?

-We've got two lakes.

The upper lake is called Llyn Marchlyn and it stores about 7.5 million cubic metres of water.

And we've got the lake just by our feet here, Llyn Peris,

and we move the water from the top lake through a set of tunnels,

through our turbines, which generate the electricity, and into this bottom lake.

Then at night, once that water has done all the work during the day,

when there is a demand for electricity,

it's all pumped up to the top lake ready for the morning again.

So you pump it up overnight and then literally pull the plug out,

-let it race through your turbines and that is where you get your energy.

-That's right.

We've got six machines so effectively six great big taps

that we can open and close to regulate the flow of water

and regulate the output of the electricity.

It's probably a stupid question but why here?

Is it because of the mountains that this site works for this particular kind of power station?

That's right. There aren't many choices really in the UK.

You had to find two reservoirs that were quite close together

horizontally, a good vertical distance between them

and there were only three such locations in the UK, all in this part of North Wales.

This was the one that was finally chosen.

-Can we go and take a closer look?

-Yes, let's go and have a look.

The actual power station is buried deep inside the mountain.

-So what's this room?

-This is the main inlet valve gallery.

-The inlet valve gallery?

-Yes.

This is the nearest we can get to the upper lake within the station complex.

-So is this where the water comes into the power station?

-That's right.

Through this pipe in front of us here

and down through the valve and on its way to the turbines.

When this valve is open,

we're talking about 92,000 gallons a second passing that point.

-A second?

-Yes.

-So that's 92,000 gallons?

It's equivalent to 1.5 million cups of tea.

So where does the water go after here?

It then finds its way to the turbine which we will go and see next.

-Which way? That way?

-Yes.

Dinorwig is a fast response plant, gearing into action

when there are sudden surges in power demand across the UK.

Its turbines are capable of reaching their maximum speed in less than 16 seconds.

-It is a lot noisier in here.

-Just a bit.

This is the doing part of the station, if you like.

This is the top of the turbine and we can see the shaft spinning away at 500 revolutions per minute.

That is what you can do with 92,000 gallons of water a second.

-That's right.

-That's incredible.

The electricity made at the plant is transferred to the national grid by underground cables.

At full capacity it can supply the whole of Wales with power for six hours.

It's an extraordinary feat of engineering,

adopting the same principles of hydro energy

that have been used for centuries.

For our second property we are heading inland

to the hamlets of Abertrinant.

Nestled in a river valley,

the nearby village of Abergynolwyn developed in the 19th century

to house workers from a nearby slate quarry.

A few miles north of the village,

set within the foothills of the Snowdonia National Park,

our second property offers Graham and Ann more isolation.

But it's quite a trek to get there.

Remember with the last one, you said, "I was expecting something kind of stone-built."

-This is stone.

-This is stone-built.

-This is a proper stone house.

I like it. It looks nice.

-It probably feels a little bit isolated.

-It does a bit, yes.

But it's a very pretty spot, this. What do you think, Graham?

I get the sense that you are perhaps a little more excited about this one than Ann is?

I think we would both like this house a lot.

Ann is upset a bit because we've come a long way

on a single track road, which she doesn't like.

But the house itself when we get here is amazing.

-The house itself is nice.

-Stick with it, Ann. It'll be right.

-It's a really lovely house, this.

-Let's have a look at the house.

-It's not as remote as you think.

-Let's go and have a look at the house.

Not the best of starts, but I hope Ann's concerns over location will be forgotten

once she finds out what's on offer inside this detached farmhouse,

parts of which date back to the early 19th century.

Come through. Graham, if you can grab the door.

We have got two living rooms here. That's the smaller of them.

More of a kind of library or reading room. This is the bigger one.

They are sort of similar, certainly in terms of roof height

and the fireplaces and the wood burners which they provide you with.

They are exactly the same next door and in here.

They have both got these sets of double doors.

You could, in theory, open the whole thing up and have a huge living room

with two sets of double doors letting all that lovely light in.

Yes.

Ann has gone quiet again.

-It's not grabbing me.

-It's not grabbing you.

-No.

-Oh, dear.

-What is it then? Just the size of the rooms?

-Yes.

-Shall we try the kitchen?

-OK.

-Let's see what you think of that.

-There you go.

-Oh!

-Is that better?

-That's lovely.

-OK.

-Yes.

-What's better?

-It's just got space. It's airy. It's light.

-The shape is good?

-Yes. It opens out.

-The fittings are more to your taste.

-The beams are nice?

-Yes.

I thought we had lost Ann completely but the light

and spacious kitchen has re-energised the house tour.

In addition to the kitchen, there's also an adjacent utility room to house all the white goods.

Upstairs, off a central landing, you'll find a family bathroom.

There are three bedrooms up here, one of which is a single.

And there's also a double which overlooks the front of the property.

And next to that is the master.

It's very similar to what's next door, size-wise.

So they are interchangeable, really, as masters.

Again, we haven't got an en suite on offer but you've got the family bathroom across the landing.

-It is a good, big room.

-It is a good, big room.

There are a couple of big wardrobes so it's bigger than you think, actually.

Exactly. It would have had a fireplace there originally.

There is a radiator there now.

-More height than you would perhaps consider from the outside.

-Yes.

I did wonder, looking at the outside of the house,

I was thinking maybe the upstairs was a bit lacking on height, but it's not.

In fact, it is quite a bit more than a modern house probably.

Our second property has both light and height

and even Ann seems to be warming to it.

Outside, there are lawned gardens to the front and back

and also within the grounds,

a purpose-built garden studio which could be excellent for artist Ann.

We will finish up here. This is the bigger bit of garden.

A little vegetable patch down there. Some apple trees and so on.

Let's talk about the price.

-I am going to say 280.

-280.

-I will go down and say 270.

-270.

So, similar to what you said before, really.

I get the feeling that's probably what you really want to spend.

I'm afraid you'll have to spend a little more than that.

This is on the market for £295,000.

Our second property, a 200-year-old detached farmhouse,

is just under Graham and Ann's minimum budget.

The accommodation includes a spacious kitchen diner and the

option to create a large living room out of the existing reception rooms.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms.

It is surrounded by unspoiled open countryside,

has the views they wished for,

a low-maintenance garden and the bonus of a separate studio.

-How are we doing?

-Improving.

-Improving. Wow!

It was an uphill battle,

although, I can't see why because it's just gorgeous!

-But you know, the house has to grab you.

-It does.

I think it's been a good and interesting day.

-It's been a hot day. A cold beer?

-Sounds good.

-Sounds good to me.

Come on. It's this way.

For our mystery house, we are heading back to the coast

to the seaside village of Llwyngwril on the edge of Cardigan Bay.

The village is steeped in history and has strong links with the early Quaker movement.

This area includes includes a shop, pub and church.

And it's just down the road from our mystery house.

Yesterday, we played it safe and showed Graham

and Ann two conventional Welsh stone cottages.

But today we are offering our buyers an unconventional property

with a topsy-turvy layout.

It is a gamble as our mystery house has a former industrial life,

the remnants of which survive.

-So how about it then? It's not just a house.

-It's good.

-It's an old converted watermill.

-That is fantastic.

OK. I'm looking forward to this.

Our mystery house is a former watermill.

Well-built to house heavy machinery,

the rooms inside are spacious with high ceilings.

But they are not necessarily in the right places.

First off, the kitchen.

Right, Ann, come on in.

Tell me what you think of this kitchen diner.

-Yes.

-It will do.

-Hooray!

-It will do.

Look at this. Smiles all round. Nodding. This is all good.

Yes. It's a nice room.

It's not just a kitchen diner. It's got a little lounge as well.

-With a wood burner.

-With a wood burner. Fantastic.

And that is rather nice.

There is a stable door there that leads you out onto the decking.

Another little sun trap for you.

We are off to a flying start. Let's continue.

The layout of the accommodation is far from normal.

Across the hallway from the kitchen are two of the three bedrooms,

one double and a single, and both serviced by a downstairs cloakroom.

But we're heading upstairs,

which is where you'll find the main family bathroom, a master bedroom and the living room.

Our upside down living room.

-I know we have struggled with the last properties in terms of living room space.

-Yes.

-I'm crossing everything on this one.

-This one is a good size.

-It's a lovely room.

-It is well proportioned as well.

I was concerned about the light.

The windows look quite small from the outside

but there is plenty of light when you get in here.

-So, it is a thumbs up?

-Definitely a thumbs up.

-You've definitely saved the best until last.

-Good. Excellent.

The master bedroom is just across the hallway. Let's have a look at this.

There we go.

-Yes?

-It's a nice room and it's even nicer when you look behind.

-Yes.

Look at that. You've got your own en suite, which is nice.

-And again, lots of light from these windows pouring in.

-That's nice.

All the rooms are lighter than I thought they'd be.

-Your face is a picture. It's great.

-I think it's lovely.

-Wow, how a house can change the mood.

-Yes.

-Brilliant.

Our mystery house has done rather well so far.

Our former watermill has definitely got the juices flowing

but there's even more to this property than simply the main house.

As well as a landscaped garden and access to the stream

that once powered the mill, the grounds feature two outbuildings.

One is currently being used as a utility room

but could make an excellent workshop for Graham.

But the other has two floors and is already set up as an artist studio.

Ann and Graham are clearly impressed with the package here, set in these glorious grounds.

All that remains now is to talk about the money.

How much do we think our mystery house is worth?

I think you've blown our budget and a bit more on this one.

-So I'm going to go 340.

-340. Ann?

-I was going to go with 345.

You could have this for £325,000.

We may well do that.

This converted watermill

is bang on Graham and Ann's maximum budget.

It has the big kitchen diner

and the spacious lounge they had set their hearts on.

Three bedrooms for the family to come and stay, in and an outbuilding for each of them.

With wonderful lawned gardens and their own stream,

it's unmistakably rural but with all the local amenities

of the village just a short walk away.

How did I know that you would be out here enjoying the weather?

It's where the sun is.

-I think it's a winner.

-I think it could well be.

-Right then.

-Off you go. We will all give it a little more thought.

-Thank you.

It's been quite a remarkable week, this.

-It certainly has.

-It's been eventful.

-It certainly has.

Not just because of the weather, but what a journey we've had through our houses.

-You've thought about it, I guess.

-Yes.

-We have.

I suspect there wasn't a huge amount of thought needed, if we are honest.

But come on, Ann, try and put it into one sentence.

What is it about the mystery house you fell in love with?

-It was just wonderful. It's just...home.

-It felt like home.

-It felt like home.

-And how does Graham feel about it?

I'm very excited about it. It's great.

Moving to a new place, we're nervous and excited. Everything.

But that house, the old mill, is just unique. It's a one-off.

So how close are we to making it your new home? What happens next?

We need to talk to the estate agents, the owners,

and I guess we need to put an offer in and see if it gets accepted.

-Really?

-Yes.

I suspect, having spoken to the owners,

that if your offer starts with a three, it will be yours.

-Wow!

-Yes.

-How about that?

That would be fantastic.

If I'm really honest with you,

I wasn't sure if we would get there this week.

It was a bit of an uphill battle.

-We pulled it out of the bag at the last minute.

-You did indeed.

With spectacular results. Go and put your offer in.

-And let us know how you get on.

-We will do.

I wish I was a fly on the wall for that one! Come on.

Well, what a week this has been.

Trying to keep a hold of all the highs and lows in this property search,

well, that has been like trying to hang on to a roller coaster.

But the good news is, we got there.

Just a few minutes ago, Ann and Graham had their offer

accepted on our mystery house and we are all, of course, delighted.

And why not?

We've had great weather, great landscape and great properties.

I'll see you next time.

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