South Hampshire Escape to the Country

500 years ago, the Lord Chamberlain handed over the London villages

of Paddington and Chelsea to his king

in exchange for this country estate.

Find out in which county he happily set up his new home

in just a few moments.

Space is the theme of today's show,

as we help a couple escape the claustrophobic commuter belt

for the vast expanse of the countryside.

One of our properties fails to hit the mark...

-It's a little smaller than I was expecting.

-Yes.

..but they're impressed by another.

You both look a little overwhelmed.

-Is that fair to say?

-Overwhelmed is a good word, yes.

It's very difficult to take it all in.

Today, I'm in Hampshire and this is Mottisfont Abbey,

originally a 12th-century Augustinian priory

which Henry VIII gifted to Lord William Sandys

when he abolished the monasteries in the 1530s.

Lord Sandys, like many other noble beneficiaries,

then transformed his religious property into lavish dwellings

and actually incorporated the nave

and the church tower into his conversion.

With the River Test running through the grounds,

he certainly created a stunning rural retreat,

which today remains a real gem in this county.

Hampshire is situated on the south coast of England

and is surrounded by five counties, including Dorset and Wiltshire

and West Sussex and Surrey.

The county capital is the historic cathedral city of Winchester,

which is packed with awe-inspiring architecture

and is home to Winchester College,

which claims to be the oldest continuously running school

in the country.

The countryside offers a variety of landscapes,

from hilly downland to coastal heath.

Hampshire boasts two national parks,

one of which is the New Forest.

Established as a royal hunting ground

by William the Conqueror in the 11th century,

it's famous for its own indigenous breed of pony.

On the southern edge of the New Forest

is the costal market town of Lymington,

well-known as a sailing resort, with two large marinas.

The town itself is characterised by narrow cobbled streets

and a range of Georgian buildings.

It's this enchanting blend of coast and countryside

that makes Hampshire an appealing destination

for those looking for rural beauty in their surroundings.

House buying in Hampshire comes at a price.

The average cost of a detached property here

is just shy of £350,000.

That's around 90,000 above the national figure.

There are more affordable options if you look beyond Winchester

and New Forest locations, like Lymington or Lyndhurst.

With that in mind, let's meet today's buyers.

Chris and Gillian currently live in a four-bedroom new build

in Chalfont St Peter,

in the heart of the London commuter belt in Buckinghamshire.

Chris has lived in the village all his life

and Gillian for the last 20 years.

But over that time, they've noticed a change.

The area's becoming busier and busier

and it's very easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses

of how it was when I was a child,

but it's not the village that I would like to be living in

in the future.

We've found that in commuter land,

there's much, much more traffic now than there used to be,

there's more people around.

Getting an appointment at the doctor

is much more difficult than it used to be.

So I think we're just looking forward to being more relaxed

and living a slower pace of life

which we're both ready for at this stage.

They've been together for seven years

and have two children each from previous relationships.

With Chris having taken voluntary redundancy from his job

as a financial services manager in London

and Gillian's youngest daughter off to university,

it's a chance to realise their dream.

I think ever since we've known each other,

we've known that we would like to go and live in the country.

I was certainly brought up in the country

and have always wanted to go there

but it's not been practical with family commitments

and work commitments, but now is our opportunity.

Chris and Gillian previously owned a second home together

on the Isle of Wight, which they've now sold

to help finance this move

and it's given them a taste of the country.

When you look back at the TV programme The Good Life,

we can see something in that, with growing our own things,

chickens and I know somebody would like some other animals as well.

But it would be very much home alone and self-sufficient.

They've set their sights on Hampshire

to begin this new chapter in their lives.

Hampshire's a very beautiful countryside, with the New Forest.

We've got Border collies and we do a lot of walking

and I like the idea of being in a small village

because they're very, very pretty

and also it's accessible to the coast

so, to me, Hampshire's got everything.

Gillian is a freelance musician

and is keen to get involved in the local community.

I play the piano and the cello and I accompany choirs,

musical theatre companies,

I play the cello in amateur dramatics.

I'd like to do more of that, I've found that I've done less recently.

Chris also has a range of hobbies that he wants to pursue,

which includes gardening.

Photography is another one of my hobbies

and I think I could enhance my skills and interest in it by,

for example, joining a local camera club that I haven't been able to do

while splitting time between two houses.

But having divided their time between their main residence

and their holiday home, this move is really a chance

to bring everything together under one roof.

Our budget for the move is £800,000

but we are willing to go a little above it

if we find the perfect house.

Our buyers would like us to focus our property search

in the southwest of the county, around the New Forest,

so I'm joining them in Hampshire to go over the finer details

of their proposed move.

-Hello, Gillian and Chris.

-Hi.

-Hello. Nice to meet you.

-Welcome to sunny Hampshire.

-Thank you.

-Lovely to meet you.

Thank you very much.

How are you going to approach finding this property?

Are you going to be very practical or do you want to go in

and get a feeling about the place?

We're quite chilled about what it looks like,

it doesn't have to have character or special features.

It has to have space around it

and we don't need to be in commuter land any more

so that's really the drive of the countryside

and having air around it.

Are there any deal breakers?

-Yes, it's got to be detached.

-OK.

We would very much like a view. That's almost a deal breaker.

We would like a big reception room, big master bedroom, en-suite.

We have four daughters between us,

all of whom have their own cars, so when they all descend upon us,

there needs to be some parking space for them.

-So it must have sort of the four bedrooms...

-Yes.

-..and some outside space.

-Yes.

-Are you both on the same page?

-I think so, yes.

-I think so.

I don't think there's any major differences and I think, yeah,

we've very much in tune on what we're after.

Remind us of your budget.

Up to £800,000.

However, if something ticked all of the boxes,

-we could probably find another pound or two.

-Just a pound of two?

-Maybe up to another 50,000 on top of that.

-OK.

Well, we have chosen three lovely properties to show you.

-Let's get on with starting your new life.

-Good.

-Thank you.

For a maximum budget of £850,000,

Chris and Gillian would like a detached property

with lots of space, both inside and out.

It should have large reception rooms,

four bedrooms for when the children come to stay

and a large driveway to accommodate all their cars.

They're not too fussy about age or style but would like a view,

if possible.

We've lined up a selection of stunning homes here in Hampshire

for Chris and Gillian to view and at each one,

I'll be asking them to guess the price at the end of the tour.

And then there's our mystery house, which could give them

a little bit more than they bargained for.

Are there any compromises that either of you are making

for the other person?

I don't think they're really compromises, things have changed.

I was very much wanting a house with a sea view

which is what we got with the Isle of Wight

so I'm prepared now to say I've been there, done that

and now want something with a more rural setting and view.

I think buying any house probably involves a level of compromise

but we've very open-minded about this.

-Maybe ask us at the end of the day.

-THEY LAUGH

For our first property, we're travelling to the village of Wellow

on the edge of the New Forest.

Some people refer to East and West Wellow,

but officially, it's just one village.

Services found here include a post office, a greengrocer

and a butcher.

Our first house is a five-minute drive from the village,

just inside the boundary of the New Forest National Park.

-So this is your house number one.

-Great, it's really pretty, isn't it?

-Yeah, very nice.

-And it's in a lovely spot.

-Lots of open spaces around you here.

-Brilliant.

-And look at your driveway.

-Well, that will take some cars, won't it?

-Yeah. And detached for you, of course.

-Thank you.

What are your first impressions?

Very nice. Nice setting, very quiet.

Does this feel rural enough for you?

Is this what you had in mind?

Yeah, I think so. It's... Yeah.

Nice and open, airy, fields, quiet.

-Yeah.

-Lots of open spaces.

-Yeah.

There's actually plenty to see inside. Let's get going.

-Excellent.

-Thank you.

The setting of our first property gets the thumbs up.

It's a traditional New Forest brick cottage built in the early 1900s.

And the ground floor should give Chris and Gillian

the inside space they crave.

Wow.

So this is one of two reception areas,

the sitting room and the dining room.

And the other side of the house has another reception room,

again with a fireplace, with a dining area and a sitting area.

And then you've got the conservatory which was put on fairly recently.

Fabulous, it's a really nice room, isn't it?

Yes. It flows very well. It's nice and light.

So is this what you were talking about when you said,

-"We want space inside and outside?"

-Yes. Yes.

I actually think it works really well

because each bit of it isn't huge

but it adds up to a really big space,

so it's the kind of place that would accommodate just the two of us

or when the whole family is around, which is seven-plus.

A working fire, I can imagine on a winter's night,

a log roaring away there.

Yeah, very much, it just...

-It just works and it looks nice.

-Shall we go and see the kitchen?

Please.

-This would be your kitchen.

-Oh, it's got a range.

It's got a range, well spotted.

We've not really talked about what you wanted from a kitchen,

-Gillian, but do tell us.

-That would be my dream.

I mean, that is really, really nice.

It's a real cosy sort of country kitchen, isn't it?

If I was to be critical, it's probably slightly smaller

than we would like in an ideal world but it's a lovely kitchen.

It's much, much more spacious than it looks from outside, isn't it?

-The whole house, yes.

-Shall we go upstairs?

-Please.

-Thank you.

I'll let you lead the way.

It's all going well so far and the ground floor also features

a utility room, shower room and a second conservatory.

Whereas downstairs has benefited from a side extension

and those conservatories at the back, the upstairs is more compact.

There are four bedrooms,

two doubles and two smaller singles overlooking the garden.

They're all serviced by one family bathroom.

So this is one of two double bedrooms you would be able to

-choose from to create your master bedroom.

-Is there an en-suite?

There is no en-suite.

-Is that something that would be an absolute deal breaker?

-Not really.

It'd be great if there was one.

But I think, if there wasn't an en-suite, we'd want

quite a big family bathroom cos there potentially would be a lot of us to use it.

So you've got four bedrooms here,

-which was your minimum requirement...

-Yep, that's perfect.

..but are two doubles and two singles enough?

Is that big enough for you?

Putting me on the spot now, I think the upstairs is a bit too small.

-But the downstairs is lovely.

-It is absolutely fantastic.

-And that sort of size for downstairs would be...

-Would be perfect.

..absolutely ideal.

If the space upstairs is a concern for Chris and Gillian,

there are options outside.

This extensive garage outbuilding also contains a utility room

and office. A man-shed for Chris, perhaps?

In addition to the spacious driveway at the front,

the grounds to the rear include a terraced patio, formal lawn,

a further entertaining space and two paddocks.

-A sizable garden, I think you'd agree.

-Yes.

There's quite a lot of bits to it,

so this is obviously the main part of the garden.

The garden goes right to the oak tree at the bottom.

-You're absolutely right.

-Wow. Very nice.

-I think it's fantastic.

Now it's time for the tough question.

What is it on the market for?

-£775,000.

-OK.

-What about you, Gillian?

-I think it's a little more than that

cos the location is absolutely fantastic

and the amount of garden...

So I'm going to say 825,000.

What a perfect married couple.

-Smack bang in the middle, this house is on the market for £800,000.

-OK.

-That's interesting.

-Very interesting.

-What do you think about that?

-We weren't a million miles apart.

-No.

-You look like you are dying to go and have another look around.

-Yes.

You want to see the rest of the garden and the inside.

-Yes. Please.

-Thank you.

-I'll let you do that and I'll meet you in a bit.

-OK, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

On the market at £800,000, our first property is bang on budget.

It's a traditional detached cottage, built from New Forest red brick.

The downstairs accommodation includes spacious entertaining areas

and two conservatories.

It comes with four bedrooms, two of which are doubles, and the

grounds include a spacious driveway, large outbuilding and paddocks.

And it's located close to a popular village

just inside the New Forest National Park.

It's a pretty cottage in a nice setting

and I was very pleased with what we saw.

I think the main issue was that two of the bedrooms were really

just singles and the family bathroom was probably slightly smaller

than we would have wanted.

It's got a really nice flow to it, this house,

and a lovely warm atmosphere.

I think the reception rooms downstairs are really special...

but for me, I want a big bedroom.

-Did you have a good look around?

-Thank you, we did, yes. Lovely.

-Did you explore my man-shed idea a bit more?

-I did.

-Forget the house, I'll buy the man-shed. Perfect.

-Good to hear.

-On to house two.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Sitting on the banks of the River Test

in the north of the county is the historic town of Whitchurch.

The river is a clue to the town's industrial past

because Whitchurch is home

to Britain's oldest operational silk mill,

built around the year 1815.

Today, it's a working museum,

weaving bespoke silk products using 19th-century machinery.

Over the years, the mill has supplied a range of products,

from the linings of legal gowns to silk for insulating copper cables

during the Second World War.

Since Chris and Gillian are keen to soak up Hampshire's heritage,

we sent them to try their hand at winding silk the traditional way.

They're meeting Marie Page,

who first started working at the factory when she was 16.

The raw silk is imported from China, just as it was

when the factory first opened.

The skein, or thread of silk, has already been dyed

and is now ready to be wound onto bobbins.

This is a skein of silk.

Is that... How many threads of silk are there?

-This is one continuous length of thread.

-It's very soft.

Yes, it is, isn't it? Because it's had the gum taken out,

the natural gum that was in it when it was in a raw state

and it's had the gum... been de-gummed and dyed.

I think I'd like to have hair like this.

Yes, it'd be lovely, wouldn't it?

-And that long.

-Yes.

Anyway, what we do is...

This is called a swift

and we put the skein onto the swift, like so.

I've put the skein onto the swift

and the end of the skein

is tied to one of these strings here.

There's the end.

-So that's the end, that's the bit you attach to the bobbin?

-Yeah.

And then you wind it round onto the bobbin, over the top...

..so it winds on that way, like so.

Now it's Chris and Gillian's turn to have a go at winding.

What if it goes wrong?

Well, if it goes wrong...

..it could end up like this, but I'm sure it won't.

In the 19th century, at its height, the mill employed around 80 workers.

Some were children as young as 12 and, like mills across the country,

hours were long and working conditions were tough.

Life in the mill is very different today and with Marie's help,

our buyers are finally getting the hang of it.

-Magic.

-There we go.

-That's fascinating.

-And very difficult.

This winding frame is possibly about 1950s

so it's still been wound like this for, I guess, hundreds of years.

After winding, the threads of the individual bobbins

are arranged lengthways by a machine

and made into a warp in preparation for weaving.

Some of the looms in the weaving shed

are more than 100 years old.

-This is a power loom...

-Right.

-..which you'll see running today.

So tell us about all these.

Each single warp thread coming off the back of the loom

is threaded through an individual eye

and then it comes through the reed and then it's woven.

If we get our ear defenders on,

I'll put the loom on and you can see it running.

Today, the working museum produces customised fabrics for clients,

including modern fashion designers and historic homes.

Now let's see if we can weave our magic and find Chris and Gillian

a new home in the county.

For the second house of the day, we're travelling to the other side

of the national park and to the hamlet of North Gorley.

The pretty and peaceful New Forest hamlet has a 17th-century inn,

which was once a royal hunting lodge and a popular tearoom.

House number two is situated in a conservation area

on the edge of the hamlet.

-So welcome to house number two.

-Great.

Gosh, that's fantastic.

-I like it.

-I like it.

-THEY LAUGH

-Wow.

-That's really nice.

-That is very nice.

-Big driveway, Chris.

-Loads of cars.

-Just as you asked for.

-Thank you.

-A double garage.

-Absolutely.

So, this much parking is OK for you?

-Yeah, I think this will do. Can we go in?

-Go on, then.

Chris is eager to get inside our impressive second property,

which was built in the 1930s and renovated 20 years ago.

So this really would be your main living room, I think.

And what I love about this room

-is the 180-degree views of your outside.

-Yep, I like the...

-What do you call that? A triple aspect, I like that.

-Perfect.

-Yes.

-And a well-used log burning stove.

-Yeah.

-It's a little smaller than I was expecting.

-Yes.

The house looks so much bigger from outside

but this room is smaller than I expected.

-It's still very nice, it's got a nice homey atmosphere.

-Yes.

There are two further reception rooms downstairs,

a formal dining space and a study area

that could make an excellent snug.

While I kind of picture your family chilling out in the living room,

I think this could be the heart of your household,

where everyone gathers.

-This is a nice room, isn't it?

-This is what I call a kitchen.

-Now, size-wise, is this a little better for you?

-This is great.

This is a really nice size because it's not too big

-but it's certainly not small.

-Yes.

And you have a utility room,

quite a sizable utility room just through there.

-I like the island, as well.

-Yes.

Yeah, I like islands to chop vegetables and things.

-I've never had one but I think it's something I would like to have.

-Yes.

And the size, it doesn't...

Very often, the island will make the rest of the kitchen look small

but this doesn't do it to it, so it's nice.

No, it's a nice sized island.

So do you think the kitchen matches more what you thought

the house might look like from the outside?

Without a shadow of a doubt.

Chris and Gillian thought the upstairs of our first property

was on the small side but this house has four spacious bedrooms.

Two are large doubles and there are two smaller rooms

as well as family bathrooms and a separate shower room

for when they have a full house.

-Oh, this is a nice room.

-This is your master bedroom...

..suite, I'm going to call it.

-That's a very nice room, isn't it?

-Yes.

Because you have this lovely dressing area here

and an en-suite, Gillian, as you requested.

-Thank you, yes.

-Wow, this is nice.

This is the sort of size room, again, that we would be looking for.

A bit more what you had in mind?

Totally what we had in mind.

That's good, I love that word, totally.

-I love the size of that grin, too.

-Yeah. No, this is...

What's the saying? Light and airy.

-Yes, it is.

-Well, let's go show you that garden that you want to see.

-OK.

-Thank you.

The back garden has been terraced and is mainly laid to lawn,

with plenty of trees and shrubs.

And finally, we have the garden.

Very nice.

With your beautiful views out onto the New Forest.

-Fantastic views from here.

-They are nice, aren't they?

Like the fruit trees.

On a slope but manageable.

How much is the house and garden on the market for?

-Gillian, I'm going to come to you first.

-I thought it might be me.

I think 735,000.

What about you, Chris?

£700,000, exactly.

I wonder whether those guesses reflect how you feel

about the property, I'm not quite sure as yet.

The house is actually on the market for £815,000.

Gosh.

So, you're both a little out, I'd say.

Which I was going to say leaves you spare change

to put your own stamp on it,

make all the changes that you might want, to make it your own.

Yes, that's a big surprise.

I think, to put our own stamp on it would cost quite a lot of money

and I think there's work to do in the garden

to clear the back bit here.

But I think probably where we've gone wrong is the location.

I wasn't quite sure what the impact of the different side

of the New Forest made.

-Do you want to have another look around?

-Yes, please.

Thank you, that'd be lovely.

Priced at £815,000,

our second house is still within Chris and Gillian's maximum budget.

It's an impressive 1930s family home with four large bedrooms.

Downstairs there are three reception rooms as well as a spacious kitchen.

It has a large driveway and a sloped garden

with views of the New Forest.

This has to be the his and hers office.

The piano wouldn't work in here

-because of the log burner making it too hot.

-Yeah.

-But there's plenty of room for two desks.

-Definitely.

And views over the garden.

I think, coming into the house,

I was surprised at the size of the main sitting room, the living room.

It was much smaller than I anticipated it would be,

given the external size of the house.

The sitting room is a little smaller than I was looking for,

but I think the house has the most enormous potential.

Upstairs, the master bedroom and en-suite

are just the size we've been looking for, so really impressed with that

and all the other rooms seem to be big, as well.

It's one that I feel I definitely need to sleep on.

I am still shocked at the huge gap between their guesses

and the actual price of this house.

-Hello, guys.

-Hi.

-Did you have a good look around?

-We did, thank you very much.

-Shall we go and digest what we've seen today?

-Right.

It's the second day of our property search here in Hampshire

and on a maximum budget of £850,000,

we're helping Chris and Gillian swap the commuter belt of Buckinghamshire

for the peace of the south coast.

Coming up, our mystery house leaves them struggling for words...

-It's just stunning. It really is.

-It's difficult to take it all in.

This is fantastic.

..and I help rein in some of the county's much-loved locals.

I think yesterday was a real eye-opener.

As well as giving Chris and Gillian a reality check

about how much a property can cost in Hampshire,

it also allowed us to fully understand what they're after.

They like the downstairs of house number one

and the upstairs of house number two.

So, will the mystery house provide them

with the perfect all-round package?

Well, on paper, it could just tick all their boxes, even though I think

it's a property they would have never considered all on their own.

Our mystery property is a hop over the border into Dorset

and to the small village of Woodlands.

Nearby Cranborne is the best bet for shops and services

and was known as Chaseborough in the novels of Thomas Hardy.

The village has two pubs, a local store and a post office.

Before we reach our mystery house,

we're making a stop at one of Dorset's most unusual structures

to get a better sense of our surroundings.

So I don't know whether you've noticed,

but we've actually crossed the border into Dorset.

We are half an hour away from the New Forest, where we were yesterday.

The reason why I've brought you here,

this tower, Horton Tower, it's a classic example of a folly.

It was once said to be the tallest non-religious building in Britain.

Apparently, from the top you can see the Isle of Wight.

How ironic.

And also, we can see the mystery house,

which I'm very, very keen to show you.

-So let's go.

-OK.

-Looking forward to it.

And our mystery house is just a five-minute drive away,

located on quiet country lane.

Chris and Gillian wanted space, and lots of it.

Heading over the border into East Dorset,

where average detached prices are lower than in the New Forest,

should give them more house for their money.

But the question remains

whether our mystery property might be just a bit too much for them.

-My goodness.

-Oh, wow.

Is it all of that?

-This is your mystery house.

-Gosh.

It looks stunning.

It's a bit greedy, isn't it?

Well, this is the reason it's a mystery.

I know for most of the year it's just going to be the two of you.

Yeah.

And that's why I'm not sure that you would have ever considered this,

because, in fact, this property is double the size of house number two.

-My word.

-Well, we can cope with that.

-THEY LAUGH

-You were converted quick!

It's actually... They used to be stables belonging to the

Earl of Shaftesbury. They were built in the mid 19th century.

-Let's go and see this huge space.

-Thank you.

Our enormous mystery house

has made a good first impression on our buyers,

but the property may require a bit of work, to the exterior at least.

You get an immediate sense of its size from the grand entrance hall.

In total, there's 3,000 square feet of living space on offer here.

Unlike our first two houses, the interior of this one is open-plan.

And this, really, I think, would be your main hub,

your main living area.

It's massive, isn't it?

-I think you're going to be saying that a lot.

-Am I? OK.

-I'll find a different word.

-No, no, no.

It is really, really open-plan living down here.

Basically the whole downstairs is pretty open, not many doors.

But if you did need a private area, just to the end there,

there is a room with a door that you could use as a study.

The current tenants are using it as a bedroom

but it would, I think, make the perfect study area for you.

Might get lost on the way.

But how do you feel about this kind of living?

Well...just, yeah, brilliant.

I can't take it in. It's light, it's airy, it's the space we want.

-Gillian, can you see yourself in here?

-Oh, yes, I can.

I've never seen anything like it. I think it's wonderful.

-And I know you've already spotted...

-I have.

..that kitchen. Shall we go and soak it all up?

Oh, I do hope this isn't too small for you(!)

-I think we might be able to fit in it.

-I think it's wonderful.

-It's rare I'm silenced.

-A huge country kitchen.

It's fantastic, I could absolutely see us in here.

Even though it's very big and you can't hide that, it's not

such a size that two people would rattle around and get lost in it.

Shall we see what the upstairs has to offer?

Yes.

The house has four double bedrooms.

One of those is being used as a study and another

has a quirky add-on, a roll top bath actually in the bedroom itself.

There's also a good-sized family bathroom.

And finally, the master suite.

-Oh, that's lovely, isn't it?

-Oh, wow.

-That's really special, isn't it?

-Yes. Fantastic.

-This is actually one of four double bedrooms in the property.

-OK.

The one that we've just passed, which is just next door,

if you didn't need it all year round for guests, I really think would

make a fantastic sort of separate walk-in wardrobe dressing area.

How do you feel about the beam and the character of this room?

-It's just stunning. It really is.

-It's difficult to take it all in.

This is fantastic.

The master also has the all-important en-suite for Gillian,

but this one is a little unusual.

Oh, my word!

-That's...different.

-Different.

-Well...

-That's really fun, isn't it?

-His and hers bath.

-Yes, that's fun.

-I like that very much.

-It's brilliant.

You both look a little overwhelmed. Is that fair to say?

I think that's a good word, yes.

It's very difficult to take it all in.

I was worried we'd given Chris and Gillian too much house,

but they seem more than comfortable with the idea

and the whole space theme continues outside in the garden,

which is enclosed and largely laid to lawn.

There's also a detached six-car garage block at the front.

The whole plot, actually, is just over an acre,

so that's how much land you would have.

There's room for chickens, as well.

So you've seen the mystery house. How do you feel about it?

It's the closest thing to perfection.

I think certainly far better for us

than the other two houses you showed us.

Gillian, how much do you think this property is on the market for?

Well, I think it's over budget. I think it's on at £860,000.

I think, actually, fractionally under budget.

-OK.

-£835,000.

It's actually...

somewhere in the middle.

This house is on the market for £849,950.

-So that's very interesting, isn't it?

-Yes. That's food for thought.

Would you like some time to walk around and I'll come and meet you in a bit?

-Take your time, of course.

-Thank you.

-Will do.

On the market at just shy of £850,000,

our mystery house is at the top end of Chris and Gillian's budget.

It's a large barn-style home, formally a stable block,

built in the 19th century.

The house has four double bedrooms and an en-suite

with a his and her bath.

Downstairs, there are three large reception rooms,

including a grand entrance hall.

There's also a spacious kitchen and breakfast room

and a six-car garage block in the grounds.

There were a number of winning features,

but I guess if I were to put it down to two winning features,

it's the size of the downstairs sitting rooms,

and we always said we wanted a nice large sitting room,

and the size of the master bedroom, with a very interesting en-suite.

The biggest positive for me is the kitchen and the main sitting room.

I think that area works really well.

I think there's lots of work that needs doing.

I think the windows, a lot of them are single-glazed

so they would need to be replaced.

I think Gillian's on a very similar page to me.

She's probably going to be slightly more cautious

about the amount of money it's going to take to do things,

but I think this has got under her skin as well.

-Excited?

-Very excited.

-So am I.

I definitely want to hear more of your thoughts, but not here.

-Come with me.

-OK.

One of Hampshire's biggest draws is the New Forest National Park.

Over 500 square kilometres of heathland and ancient woodland.

One of its most iconic residents is an indigenous breed of pony,

aptly named the New Forest pony

and today, there are around 4,000 of them.

Although they're free to roam, these ponies are owned by Commoners,

people who have a centuries-old right to put them out to graze

in return for a fee.

I've come to meet one of these Commoners, whose family have been

breeding New Forest ponies for generations, farmer James Young.

-James, hello.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Tell us about the ponies.

The New Forest ponies have been around in the forest,

they're mentioned in the Domesday Book.

My family ran the oldest established herd in the forest.

My great-great-great-grandmother brought eight mares with her

as a dowry, as a wedding dowry, and our current ponies descend

directly from those ponies that came all those years ago.

And tell us more about being part of a Commoning family,

what that entails.

Well, I think any job working with animals is very much a 24-7.

You tend to live by the seasons.

We're getting to the time of year now, in the autumn,

where we have the annual round-ups

and the foals are got in and some are kept and some are sold.

There's a lot of management issues with the ponies, worming them,

putting collars on, just general tending to them

and care and management.

The round-up is known as a drift and James and his colleagues

are in the process of gathering their herd for the annual check-up.

Over the centuries,

the New Forest pony has adapted to life in this unique environment.

It's light and sure-footed so it can move through the scrub

and it's hardy to cope with the tough winter.

Although they appear quiet, the ponies are semi-feral

and rounding them up requires skill and years of practice.

-If you could pass me the collar, that would be great, please.

-OK.

So what's the collar for?

It's a luminous collar and the aim of it is to prevent,

or reduce, anyway, road accidents.

The idea being that, particularly with a pony

that's a single whole black colour like this,

motorists will see the collar and avoid hitting the pony,

because that's one of the worst problems with ponies on the forest,

are the accidents.

So tell us what else you do on these health checks.

Well, really you're just wanting to make sure that the pony is OK

to survive the next 12 months, particularly the winter.

In this mare's case, she's in good condition.

We're going to wean the foal shortly before she goes back to forest

because she isn't going to be able to maintain bodily condition

-while suckling a foal during the winter.

-Right.

So the foal is going to be weaned and we'll need to get that in

and look after it for this first winter

because the first winter is the most important for them.

The ponies provide a natural cutting function

and are vital in maintaining the balance in the forest,

feeding on the brambles and gorse

that would otherwise become overgrown.

Approaching the ponies isn't encouraged.

Do people know how to deal with them?

Because, of course, they are wild.

Well, sadly, they don't and some misguided people tend to feed

the ponies and then the ponies get to expect food so that

when the next lot come along and don't feed them,

it can cause problems, which is why we're so particular

about asking visitors and tourists to the forest not to feed the ponies.

-I'm going to let you finish off your health check.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, it's been an absolute pleasure to meet you

and your ponies.

Thank you very much.

Whilst it no longer provides a living,

the right to graze ponies is still being practised by people,

like James, because it's a traditional way of life.

Without it, the forest would be a very different place.

When we left the mystery house, I think it's safe to say

Chris was very much sold on the property.

It's time to find out

if a more cautious Gillian is now ready to take the big leap, too.

So, Gillian and Chris, after two days of house hunting with us,

what next?

Well, I think it's fairly easy that we, with regrets,

have to dismiss the first two houses.

They both had lots of things we liked but not enough for us

to take it to the next stage.

However, I think we're fairly agreed that today, the third house,

the mystery house, has a lot of mileage

and needs some more investigation.

Yes, I could see my family enjoying Christmas there.

I think I've already put the Christmas tree in place.

-Let me guess, in the hallway?

-That's it.

So I think we'd like to do a second viewing

and perhaps take it from there.

Do you think you've had a bit of a reality check about how far

your money would go in a county like Hampshire?

Yes, I think it was clear yesterday,

when we were in and around the New Forest that whilst our budget,

in our view, is very healthy, it was probably not quite enough

to achieve what we want, whereas moving out of the area

only by a small margin, we get much more for our money.

It's very, very beautiful around here as well,

so it doesn't even feel like a compromise.

Would you consider an offer on the mystery house?

Subject to a second look around and another look at the area,

yes, I would like to think we'd put an offer in on that house.

-Would you be comfortable with that, Gillian?

-Yes, I would. Yes.

So you both are still on the same page.

-We said that from the beginning!

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Very much so.

-Yeah.

-And will you let us know how that all goes?

-Of course.

You've been brilliant company.

We've had great fun, thank you very much indeed.

I'm so pleased that Chris and Gillian are seriously considering

an offer on the mystery house.

Truth be told, I would have been a little disappointed

if they hadn't, because I honestly believe it has everything

they say they want, and that's why I'm genuinely intrigued

about where their next move will take them.

If they do end up in Hampshire,

they may have to reassess their wish list.

Until next time, goodbye.

Reluctantly, Chris and Gillian decided that the mystery house

was going to be too much of a project for them, but they are now

looking at properties in Dorset.