Dorset Escape to the Country

Welcome to a very special edition of Escape to the Country,

where Jules and I are going to be highlighting the property gems

of one county and helping two couples find their dream home.

We'll be throwing in our thoughts and reflections,

and offering some hints and tips on what it takes to move here.

Today's destination is known as the healthiest in the country

and we'll be letting you know where it is in just a moment.

Coming up on today's show, we're helping a couple

from Surrey to escape England's crowded south east.

And the potential space is a real eye-opener.

Wow! This is amazing! Oh, I like it.

This is really big, this is very deceptive.

And I'll be helping a couple who are taking a break from their

busy careers to find a new home and a whole new business venture

in the country.

And one of our houses gets quite a reaction.

And now look up. THEY LAUGH

On today's show we are Dorset bound.

Now, Jules, you and I have been to Dorset many times with this show.

Indeed we have, and why not? It is one of my favourite counties of all.

And there's always something new to experience, for example,

this year I had a dawn swim near Bridport.

Beautiful and bracing, I would think.

It was very bracing, yes.

But that's sums it up for me. It's that lovely mixture of

coast and landscape that really makes this county so captivating.

But do you really think it's a healthier place to live?

Well, statistics show that you live on average two years

longer in that county.

Two years? Well, every little helps, as they like to say.

But there's more to Dorset that just extended living.

Situated on the south coast of England,

Dorset borders Devon to the west,

Somerset and Wiltshire to the north and Hampshire to the east.

Largely bypassed by the Industrial Revolution,

Dorset has retained much of its rural charm

and over three quarters of the county

is still in agricultural use today.

The county is a magnet for over two million visitors a year,

who are drawn here by its beautiful countryside and extensive coastline.

Bypassed by motorways and city settlements,

the 95-mile stretch of the Jurassic Coast charts

185 million years of prehistoric geology.

Over that time, the sea has carved natural wonders into these

limestone cliffs, such as Lulworth Cove

and the precarious chalk arch of Durdle Door.

This appealing county provided the backdrop

for the novels of its most famous writer, Thomas Hardy.

And much of its ancient beauty that so inspired him

remains unchanged today.

Now, here's an easy one for you.

What is it about Dorset that makes it so attractive?

Not easy at all, cos there's too many things to list.

Beautiful coast, amazing landscape, no motorways, no cities,

and of course, incredible houses.

But they do come at a price.

It's not the cheapest place in the country, let's face it.

Your average detached is now, what, just over £320,000,

so you do need some fairly deep pockets.

Yes, although I find those figures, particularly

around Dorset, a bit misleading because you've got Sandbanks,

that completely weird pocket of super, super high valued

properties in the south east, and also things like Lyme Regis -

beautiful, but skews the county profile a bit.

There's no doubt that the closer you are to the coast,

the higher you are going to have to go in terms of what you want to spend,

so my advice is always go inland, the coast is never far away,

and you can get that bit more for your money, particularly if you get up towards Somerset.

And the mass of the Dorset population live in the conurbation

around Poole and Bournemouth, so that's going to be more pricey.

If you want the sort of Thomas Hardy look, then head for the hills.

Well, that's exactly what my buyers were looking for

and they came to Dorset with a seven-figure sum.

More of that a little bit later.

Well, my couple didn't have QUITE that much money,

but they were also looking for a rural retreat.

Husband and wife Denise and Peter first laid

eyes on each other at a bowling alley four decades ago

and have spent a thrilling 32 years raising their family in this

four-bedroomed semi-detached home in the busy commuter

town of Epsom in Surrey. But now their three children are all

grown up, they want to downsize, release some capital and

realise a long-held desire.

I just want a change of environment.

I've lived in this area all my life

and I just want to be out in the countryside.

Not too far from the sea so we can do coastal walks,

and we just want to see birds, animals, rather than traffic.

A self-employed building consultant, Peter has only recently decided

to wind down professionally in order to fulfil the country dream.

It was one particularly horrible,

cold day in January or February, and I thought, "That's enough!"

With work on the backburner,

they've set their sights on relocating to west Dorset.

We like the area, it's very uncommercialised

and we really would like to be in a rural setting.

Their current house is already on the market and they have

approximate figures in mind for the proposed West Country venture.

The budget for our move is £325,000

up to a maximum of £375,000.

Peter and Denise have requested a location in the western

portion of Dorset, and near to the coast, but not necessarily

right on it, so we'll be searching in the beautiful

villages around the market town of Bridport.

I'm meeting up with both our buyers on Dorset soil to get better acquainted.

-Welcome to Dorset.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It's a very beautiful spot I brought you to, isn't it?

-It certainly is.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-Is this what you're looking for as a change from Epsom?

-Oh, definitely.

Yeah, life in the country.

So tell me about the house.

What's your sort of dream house, within budgetary constraints.

Anything with between two to four bedrooms or three bedrooms

-and a study.

-I think three bedrooms is the minimum.

And with a garden, somewhere to perhaps have a few chickens to

run around and grow a few vegetables.

What is your budget?

Well, it's realistically between 325 and 375.

We would be prepared to take on a project providing it was

towards the lower end of the budget rather than the higher end.

And in terms of your house sale in Epsom, how's that going?

We've just accepted an offer yesterday which we're very,

very pleased with.

-So it's all systems go.

-Yeah, absolutely.

I'm buying into this dream,

but you have to buy into the houses that we've selected for you.

-Hopefully.

-We've got three corkers...

-Super!

-..so I just hope that they fit the bill.

-Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?

-You will. Very soon, follow me.

For a maximum budget of £375,000, Peter and Denise are downsizing

and looking for a character home that has at least three bedrooms.

They'd consider a small project that involves minor refurbishment

and are after a decent sized garden in which to grow vegetables

and possibly to keep chickens.

And lastly, they want to be within

easy reach of the

enticing southern coast.

We've got a variety of great Dorset homes to show our buyers,

but of course, the price will be a guessing game until the end of tour.

Lastly, there's our mystery property set in a 350-acre plot,

and yes, I did say 350 acres.

So, with Peter and Denise's house under offer,

we'd better get started.

Our first destination is in the remote hamlet of Hilfield.

With their hankering after a traditional country life, let's find

out what Denise and Peter make of our first

house in the thick of lush Dorset countryside.

OK, house number one. Here we are.

Really, we wanted to show you something that was

the absolute opposite to the hustle and bustle of Epsom.

-You've certainly done that.

-It's amazing.

-We're in a beautiful, beautiful area.

-Can you hear the birdsong?

-I can!

-It's so tranquil and absolutely fantastic.

-Yes.

-Yes.

What are your thoughts about the style and the look from the outside?

It looks quite a period cottage.

It is, it comes from the end of the 19th century,

farmworkers' cottages, and it's attached, so there's your neighbour.

-That's fine, that's not a problem.

-Tempted to look inside?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Let's have a look.

Built in 1889, this semi-detached Victorian cottage has been

gradually extended over the years and has a deceptively large

ground floor footprint with three reception rooms.

So this is the front room straight off that little sun room porch

and you can see the bones of the house here,

these lovely original flagstones.

-It's beautiful.

-Yeah.

What a lovely, charming room.

I love the wide window cos obviously that denotes

the thickness of the wall, doesn't it?

Exactly, so they were well built, these Victorian cottages.

I do love the floor, absolutely adore the floor.

It's quite a decent size room.

-Do you feel that it could be homely?

-Yeah, I like what I see so far.

Good. Very good, let's go have a look at the kitchen.

So the house proceeds in these rooms -

you've got a little dining room there,

at the foot of the stairs and then this is the old kitchen.

-This is charming.

-Yeah.

This is really sweet, yeah. I like this.

So you've got the front room, which is south-facing,

so you get a lot of the sunshine,

and the dining room and the kitchen,

but you've also, through here, got a very nice study.

-Oh, this is a surprise.

-This is very nice.

You get the nice quarry tiles on the floor

and lots of lovely light

and doors out onto the garden, there.

It's a very useable space -

Yes, you could make it into a nice snug.

Yeah. Yeah, that would work.

Things seem to be going well for the ground floor,

which also benefits from a shower room

that doubles up as the utility.

Now we've completed our tour downstairs,

we're going to make our way up to the first floor.

There's a family bathroom and three bedrooms on offer.

To the front of the property lies the smallest bedroom

next to a larger double with glorious, unspoilt views.

Then this is the master.

Oh, this is...nice, a nice space.

No storage, no? OK.

Yes, you need to think about your storage.

You might want to appropriate one of your guest rooms

-as a sort of dressing room.

-Possibly.

-But it's nicely decorated.

-Nice colour scheme.

-Nice outlook.

The thing about all of the rooms up here are the views -

-you've got killer views.

-Fabulous.

Well, I can let you explore the rest of the house in your own good time,

but I'm going to show you the garden and ask you about the price,

so follow me.

As we make our way outside,

it gives Peter and Denise another chance

to take in this charming cottage.

Off the study, a paved patio

leads onto a delightful long and level lawned garden,

featuring ready-established vegetable plots

and plenty of room for chickens.

I mean, in terms of the garden,

is this the size that you're looking for?

-It's lovely.

-That's very, very, very acceptable.

Yeah, that's a really nice...

It's a really nice property.

OK. Well, what do you think it's on the market for?

Um...I would hazard a guess at about 320?

-I'd say about 315.

-315.

-Well, this is actually on the market for 340.

-Oh, OK.

That's the market price at the moment.

Well within budget and all modernised and ready to go,

the first property is on the market for £340,000

and presents a late-19th century semidetached cottage.

It comes with three reception rooms,

a kitchen-breakfast room, three bedrooms

and a large garden that is enveloped

by an exceptionally green and pleasant Dorset land.

Apart from the farmer in his field, it's just so tranquil here.

A little too remote for them, perhaps.

-Hello, guys - you all done?

-We are.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Well, shut the door, cos we're done, too.

That's your house tour finished. Follow me.

In 2002, we were in this same glorious spot,

helping Londoners Chris and Sue find their dream West Country escape.

This is the first, first opportunity I've seen -

you know, the other house and this house -

as somewhere suitable for painting.

Half a century of the city commute had taken its toll

and Chris in particular was longing to sit on a cliff somewhere

to draw real land and seascapes rather than painting from photos.

And although we didn't find them their ideal country abode,

the experience was the catalyst that completely changed their lives,

for they are now fully fledged Dorset residents.

What's more, Chris's amateur pastime has evolved into his profession,

and he and his wife run a gallery in Bridport,

which is where I met up with them both.

Chris and Sue, it is such an honour to meet you,

because you predate me -

you were on the show before I existed,

-as far as Escape To The Country was concerned.

-We were.

So, we're surrounded by your art.

This is all your beautiful art on the wall, Chris.

-Are these all yours?

-Yes, they are, yes.

I see the sign - they're all very different styles.

Mostly, they're local views,

purely because I've got this commercial background

and I want to tap in on that, really, I suppose.

If you imagine what it would be like

to move down and open a little gallery,

this is kind of how you imagine it.

Has there been any regret? Have you missed London?

-No - we've been back twice.

-Twice?

-Twice in five years.

We still get a buzz, but it's nice to come home.

And it was home -

as soon as we moved here, it was home.

I want to experience more of the inspiring Dorset environment

that is now home to Chris and Sue 24/7.

So leaving Sue behind to look after the gallery -

and armed with sketch pads and pencils -

we're off for a mini art class at nearby Charmouth Beach

which has one of the best vantage points of the hill and cliff

at Golden Cap.

And, at this moment, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.

I'm liking what you're doing, but I shouldn't copy you.

I should draw what I see.

It's interesting, because you see you're much less fearless

about putting in all the details.

It's all there - you can tell where it is.

-I think it's brilliant - well done.

-Thank you.

So, I can understand why you'd want to make this your life,

as opposed to the rat race of London.

-Yes.

-Any regrets?

Um...

Other than I should have - or WE should have -

done it a lot sooner.

That's a pretty good regret.

After savouring some of the more relaxing elements

of Chris's daily life here in Dorset,

I'm definitely sold.

Now back to the house hunt,

and we're venturing out west

to Broadwindsor,

which lies just over six miles north of Bridport.

We find our second property on the edge of the village.

This used to be the tollhouse for the road in and out of the village.

And you can see, it's the whole property.

It's a LONG house

and it's actually extended in two chunks,

-once in the '60s and once in the '90s.

-Yeah.

But it's built of the local stone,

the Jurassic limestone that you get around these parts.

-Looks very, very, very...

-Interesting.

-Interesting, yeah.

How do you feel about the concept

of taking on a historic property that you'd have to do something to?

Is it grade listed?

-No, it's not.

-Fine - that's...

Obviously, keeping it in character with the village,

but modernising it, is not a problem.

-Let's look inside.

-OK.

Dating back to the 1800s,

this historic detached property is abundant with character,

and for our buyers, who would be up for some minor improvements,

this could be just the ticket.

We're entering the property through a generous study

and straight into the sitting room.

-Wow!

-Nice surprise?

-Yeah.

-This is really, really nice.

-Really old-school.

-Lovely and wide.

-Yeah.

You know, proportions are really, really good, yeah.

You've got a chimney breast there that you could open up

and put in a log burner or even a real fire.

Where the first house, I think,

was finished to a very high standard -

clearly, the people had come in and brought in a lot of...

This, I think, is more of a, sort of, open book

that you could write your story in.

-Absolutely.

-It's very, very interesting.

I don't think we'd have ever considered anything quite like this

and quite as old as this, perhaps.

I would like to see more.

We go through here, it takes us to the dining room.

Lovely.

Had to slightly dip my head to get through there, but not too low.

It's a small room, but it's quite...

Again, the proportions, the widths.

Obviously the width of the house...

Well, it's bright, because you've got three windows,

Double aspect, which is...

Yeah, light coming in all the time.

But of course, the kitchen's key - let's have a look.

-Yes.

-OK. Let's go.

This is the last addition, so this was put on in the 1990s.

-OK.

-To make a kitchen room.

Really nice space.

-Yeah, I could see me cooking in here.

-Could you?

-Yeah, I could.

The tiles go really well with the age of the property,

sort of slate-looking.

In terms of the actual layout of the light and the space,

it could work.

Yes, it could, yeah.

-Good.

-I like this. I really, really like this.

I'm glad you can see...

This is definitely one

where you need to engage your "house imagination."

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Let's have a look upstairs.

You've got three bedrooms here, which I think is good.

You lead the way.

Served by a spacious family bathroom,

the three bedrooms upstairs

are arranged over the entire ground floor footprint

and so are all great-sized rooms.

Come on in - this is actually not the biggest room,

but perhaps the brightest.

It's above the kitchen, so at the modern end of the house.

It's nice - it's triple aspect, nice and light and airy.

Even with small windows,

you've still got a decent amount of light.

Yeah. In terms of...

I'll let you explore upstairs a little more -

first, let's have a peek outside.

-Mm-hm.

-Cos you do have a river.

-Do we?! That sounds...

-OK.

We're going to weave our way back through the property

to the gardens at the rear and the side of the house

that are mainly laid to lawn, backing onto meadows

and featuring a lovely little stream.

I might have slightly oversold it as a river.

-Yes, very narrow.

-But a brook, perhaps.

-Yeah.

-Very quaint.

-It's very sweet.

So you can see, from the back of the house,

you can see the age of the different extensions a bit more clearly -

the old house at the front,

the modern extension right at the back.

-What do you think of the garden?

-It's a manageable size - uh...

That's one way of putting it!

THEY LAUGH

Divided by the delightful stream, brook...?

So, what do you think it's on the market for?

-I think 330.

-Oh...

I think, given the location

and the size and the quaintness of it,

I think it'll be more than that. I think it'll be about 350-355?

OK, you're dead on the money. It's on at 350.

But the owner has been very frank

and said that she's aware that there's work that needs doing

and she would take sensible offers.

It would need a bit of money spent on it, yeah.

It needs a little bit of modernisation.

With a guide price of £350,000, property two is a former tollhouse,

made of local limestone, that lies within a charming village.

The accommodation lends itself to three reception rooms,

a kitchen-breakfast room and three bedrooms

and the garden is rather special,

being that a river

runs right through it.

-Good - so, we're all done in Broadwindsor.

-OK.

-Ready for the mystery house?

-I am, indeed.

-Yeah. Come with me.

Throwing our suburbanites into the rural deep didn't quite pan out

as I hoped, even with that beautiful river.

But you may still sort it out with the mystery house. Fingers crossed.

Well, before we get to that, time now to meet our second couple.

When it comes to cash, these two had plenty to splash around.

When Mark and Michelle bought their five-bedroom 1930s home in Henley

ten years ago, it was virtually a wreck.

But Mark, who is quite a handy man,

gutted and completely renovated the place.

Since they met in 2002, they've been busy with demanding careers,

Michelle in telecommunications and Mark in the aviation industry.

But recently they decided to put work on hold

to look for a new, more balanced way of life in the country.

I mean, we love Henley, so we love the house, we love Henley, but

what we wanted is somewhere where we could start a business together.

And just looking round this area, it's really difficult to do that,

to get the land we're looking for.

They know they want to begin a business together in Dorset,

but they're not entirely sure what it will be.

And they're hoping the properties we show them might spark some ideas.

I'm really open, I just want something to come along that's going to grab hold of me.

I want a property that is going to give me an opportunity,

maybe it's got holiday lets currently,

I've always had an idea of doing some really high-end luxury,

even with their own little swimming pools,

make a place for people to come to.

But what's the budget

for a property with business potential in rural Dorset?

So the budget is up to a maximum of 1.5 million.

And then, really depending on if it's absolutely perfect,

doesn't need any work on it, the 1.5.

Actually, we would look at something a lot less than that

if it had massive potential and we can use some of the capital

to actually do the property up.

Mark and Michelle particularly like

Dorchester and the countryside around it,

so we're focusing our search within 30 miles of the town.

I'm catching up with them by Dorset's scenic coast

to learn some more about what they're hoping to find.

-Hello, Michelle. Hello, Mark.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

-On a gorgeous Dorset morning. Look at that!

-It's fantastic, isn't it?

If you want a coastal view, they don't get much better than this one.

Well, let's talk about this ambition.

And we can't go much further without talking about the budget,

-which is a very, very handsome £1.5 million.

-Uh-huh.

-Uh-huh.

But for all that, you yourselves don't want a massive house, do you?

No, that's it. We don't want...

It's just the two of us and our dog Chester,

so we don't need a house to rattle around in.

It's really a property with a business,

so whether it's an existing business or just opportunities,

outbuildings, somewhere we can add some value and we can actually start something together.

So, leaving the business element to one side, give us an idea,

-Michelle, of the sort of property that would suit the pair of you and the dog.

-And the dog, yes.

So, ideally, probably about four bedrooms, something like that.

We sort of like big kitchens, I do a lot of cooking,

so a really nice farmhouse-type of kitchen would be great.

Obviously, the quainter the property is...

Dorset's full of beautiful thatched cottages and sea views, obviously.

So if some of that was involved, that would be really good.

Well, we've got three properties which I hope will tempt you

and, who knows, maybe one of them could be your new dream home.

-That'd be fantastic.

-Let's go spend some money, shall we?

-THEY LAUGH Let's go.

-Sounds good.

With a very healthy budget of £1.5 million,

Mark and Michelle are looking for a four-bedroom period property

with business potential.

They're interested in holiday lets, but are very open to suggestions

and like the idea of an outbuilding that could provide the foundation

from which to create some kind of cottage industry.

They'd also like a decent sized plot

to give their dog, Chester, plenty of room to play in.

We've found three very different Dorset homes for them to look at

and each of them has business potential.

One will be our mystery house, which is such a rare piece of real estate

it's unlikely our buyers would have seen anything of its kind before.

We're beginning our search in Whitchurch Canonicorum,

20 miles west of Dorchester

and just a mile from the coast.

Just a few minutes' walk from the centre of the village

on a quiet road is our first offering.

This is property...number one and I think it really sets the scene

in terms of your classic Dorset home.

-Definitely. It looks lovely, doesn't it?

-Yeah, it's gorgeous.

-Fantastic front door.

-Beautiful front door.

The thing to point out is that that bit

is just the owners' accommodation.

-OK.

-Because this has a huge holiday complex that way.

-Uh-huh.

We'll deal with the home bit first,

and then we'll deal with the business,

-and then we'll talk about how much it might cost you.

-OK. SHE LAUGHS

Come on, then.

This four-bedroom, Grade II listed stone farmhouse

dates back to the 16th century and has plenty of period charm.

-Let's start at this end. Study in there.

-OK.

-And then this is your principal living room.

-OK.

It's nice. It's got some good character because of the beams.

-It's quite, quite cosy, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's whether it would be big enough for us.

-I think it feels smaller

-because of the beam in the middle.

-Yeah.

-But on the whole,

it's very quaint and cosy.

-Come and have a look at the kitchen space.

-OK.

-Let's look at this.

-Ahh! This is a really good size, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-A lovely size.

-There's an enormous utility room through there.

-OK.

-But this is nicely appointed.

-Yeah.

Nice and open plan as you can see and it leads out onto the courtyard,

-which we'll explore a little bit later on.

-OK.

-And that's the business end of it.

-OK.

-Is it your sort of style?

I like the fact that it's quite open plan,

so you've got your open plan area

but you've got a nice kitchen table as well.

Well, let's have a look upstairs quickly at your accommodation

-and then we'll deal with the business end of it through there.

-Perfect.

Also on the ground floor adjoining the kitchen is a cosy snug

that could be converted into a formal dining room.

And next to that is another characterful reception room

with a beautiful inglenook fireplace.

Upstairs there are four double bedrooms,

one of which has a walk-in wardrobe and en suite.

There's also a family bathroom.

Well, this is perhaps one of the lightest rooms at the moment of the four to choose from.

This isn't currently the master, but it could be if you wanted it to be

cos there is a bathroom next door.

-OK.

-Yeah, nice feel to it.

I like the scaled ceilings, we have that in our current house,

-so it's something we like.

-Yeah.

-So this really, I suppose, completes the picture for what you get as the owners.

-Yes, exactly.

-Just about right for us, I think.

-Good. A few cosmetic changes,

-but nothing that a man like you couldn't do.

-Absolutely.

-You've done it all before anyway, haven't you?

-THEY LAUGH

Yes.

I'm not certain the style of the interior is exactly to Mark and Michelle's tastes,

but I'm thinking it's probably

the business potential that's going to be the main deciding factor

for our buyers when it comes to choosing a property.

So I'm interested to hear their reactions

to what this place has to offer.

-So, here we are, the main event.

-OK.

-This whole complex contains eight separate holiday lets.

-OK.

-They're currently turning over just under...£100,000 a year.

-OK.

-A good turnover.

-Of which about 50,000 is profit.

-OK.

-Sure.

They have a lot of return customers, 25% are returns,

so that means that you walk into an existing business with people already booked in.

-OK, so there's plenty of goodwill there already.

-Absolutely.

-The courtyard's nice, isn't it?

-Very nice.

-So we've got eight to choose from.

-Let's have a look at the biggest one, which is that one.

-OK.

These brick and stone holiday cottages are currently operating

at a 40% occupancy and were originally the farmhouse stables.

Now, it's going to be very interesting to learn

how this compares with the...the market that you're going for.

Yeah. I think the space seems quite good.

I like that wall, the fact you've got that natural part of it.

I think we would probably... Yeah, we would do quite a bit of renovation, I think.

It's got that potential, hasn't it?

It has and that's what we've asked for,

-so the potential is here, I think.

-Yeah.

Also included in this holiday let package,

in what was originally the farmhouse barn,

is a games room and a superb indoor heated pool.

Outside there are more than two and a half acres of land

that includes a pond and a paddock.

Well, this is a view we haven't seen before. This is the back of your bit, the owners' accommodation.

Which in itself is the sort of beautiful property

-we would happily sell on its own.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Yeah.

So there's quite a lot with this one.

-What do we think it's worth, then?

-Oh!

-Difficult.

Probably 1.35, something like that?

I think there's a little bit of maintenance work to do here,

I'm going to go a bit lower and, I think, about 1.25.

Well, as we're in the world of decimals, you're 100 grand apart,

but this could be yours for 1.3.

-Ahh!

-Split either side.

-You straddled it nicely.

-OK.

-Yeah.

Under budget at £1.3 million, this period property

offers a ready-made holiday let business with eight cottages

that can accommodate up to 36 guests,

a games room and an indoor pool.

The house itself has three reception rooms and four bedrooms

and outside there's more than

2.5 acres of land.

-Oh, squeaky door! Out you go.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Well, I think that was quite an impressive start, really.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-A business all ready to go, it's a beautiful house

-and it's more or less where you want to be.

-I think so, yeah.

-Have we spent any money yet, though?

-SHE LAUGHS

-We've got two more to see yet.

-We have indeed.

THEY LAUGH

Fishing has been a way of life for generations of Dorset families,

but over the years the growing decline in fish stocks

has put both this age-old local industry and the costal ecosystem

under threat.

Finding a way to reconcile the needs of both the environment and

the fisheries has long been fraught with conflicts and frustration.

But in Lyme Bay, a dedicated group is approaching this sensitive issue

with a ground-breaking scheme that facilitates dialogue

between concerned parties to reach solutions through collaboration

rather than confrontation.

The organisation is known as the Lyme Bay Working Group.

I'm here to meet its project manager, Neville Copperthwaite.

We've come in more or less as mediators, really.

We've developed a model where all stakeholders, you know,

all the fishermen, the conservationists

and also the scientists have got together to manage

the area in a better, more sustainable way.

How have you managed to persuade the fishermen here that this

scheme is worth getting involved in?

As much as anybody else, they want to be able to fish in the future.

They want their children to be able to fish, and their grandchildren.

So they've entered into a code of conduct,

basically, about gear limitation,

about not putting too many pots down, too many nets.

So, for instance, they can only fish with 250 pots per boat

and 4,000 yards of net, and numerous other things.

This code of conduct is voluntary and is regulated by the fishermen

themselves, which is what makes this project the first of its kind.

With input from scientists and conservationists,

they manage the waters they fish in a responsible, sustainable way.

Another of the group's initiatives is the investment in equipment

to be set up on the cob that will ensure the fishermen deliver

only premium fish.

Quality versus quantity

is very much at the core of the organisation's aims.

We would like the fishermen to catch less, but earn more.

Is that really possible, though?

It is possible.

What we're doing to achieve that is we're going to install

ice-making facilities inside these sheds,

so that then the fishermen can get a really good quality product

into the shops.

Neville and his team have been overwhelmed

by the response they've received.

After some robust resistance when they first proposed the idea

almost two years ago, they now have 98% of the Bay's fishermen on board.

Alex Jones is one of them.

Do you think that this project is going to work?

That you might be able to fish less but still maintain

a decent standard of living and an economically viable business?

Well, this is the plan.

We believe we can get up to 30% more on the fish markets for our fish.

The fact that if you buy our fish, you know it's probably

caught on one of the most sustainable fisheries in the UK.

But for the fishing community here, there must be some optimism.

Yeah, I mean, the fishing industry's got to evolve

and move forward with the times.

I think this is just one way we can do that.

I don't think any fisherman's going to be unhappy

if they're getting more money for their fish.

Let's just see if we can get it to work. I think we can.

Already receiving attention from abroad,

the innovative scheme instigated here in this quiet Dorset bay

may well provide the blueprint for sustainable

fishing all over the world.

Our search takes us further inland

to the village of Hazelbury Bryan,

16 miles north of Dorchester.

Just down the road is our second property, which doesn't come

with a business, but does have eight acres of land offering

a blank canvas from which Mark

and Michelle can create a completely new venture of their own.

This is a very different proposition to property number one.

We showed you an existing business that

was very much in the mode of what you've been thinking about.

-With the holiday lets and so on.

-Yeah.

But maybe, I'm wondering, it was too defined.

So with this one, we're trying something a bit different.

It's very much about a home with land and potential to go with it.

-OK.

-But what do we think of that?

It looks lovely. So...

The fact that you've got the combination of the thatch

and non thatch.

This part of the house looks really quaint. Very pretty.

From here it's certainly very impressive. Let's take a look inside.

I think you'll enjoy it.

This good-looking thatched farm house dates back to the 16th century

and incorporates a more recently built weatherboard

and tile extension, which is where we're starting the tour.

-This, I think you will enjoy.

-I like this, yeah.

This is magnificent. Loads of space.

It's open plan, but the fact is the kitchen's bigger,

but a nice area where you can put a table or sofas.

-A good start, isn't it?

-A good start.

-A very good start.

That's why we came in here first.

Brilliant.

-Come with me.

-OK.

'Back across the entrance hall to the original part of the property

'is an appealing family room.'

The owners are currently moving out

so there's load of space to appreciate with this one.

-Yeah, this is nice. This is lovely, isn't it?

-Bread oven in there.

-Nicely lit.

-Yeah.

So you've got this as a very big family room and then it goes

through to this area which is much cosier. More of a snug, I suppose.

But still pretty imposing.

-This is lovely, as well.

-This would probably be the main lounge.

-I like the...

-Vaulted ceiling.

-Yeah, that's really nice.

Double height.

I get the feeling this is more exciting than our first

-property, as it were?

-Yeah, from a property perspective, definitely.

-It just feels a bit more us, I think.

-Yeah. More us as a home.

-Yes, definitely.

-Let's have a look upstairs.

Also downstairs in this older half of the house,

there's a double aspect study.

Upstairs, there are two family bathrooms -

one on the first floor and one above, in the attic.

There are four light-filled bedrooms.

Three are doubles and one is a single.

-This is the one that's currently being used as the master.

-OK.

It does have an en-suite but it's only the loo and a wash hand basin.

-OK.

-But it is big enough, I suspect, for you to get a shower.

-In a way I think many of these rooms are interchangeable.

-Yep.

As to which one you would pick for yourselves.

Again, it's beautiful to see all the beams.

Again, really spacious, really light.

A really nice cosy feel to the house, I think.

Good, so that's the main house. More or less.

But we have got these eight acres.

What's this business going to contain?

What's it going to look like? What are you going to do with it all?

Let's go and have a look.

I'm really pleased they've responded so well to the house.

The big question now is

whether they can see some business potential in the land outside.

What you can see here, double it over that hedge

and that's pretty much your eight acres and that is our lovely home.

You said, "Give us something to think about."

-That's what we've done.

-It certainly is something to think about.

There's plenty of scope there.

There's some outbuildings so we'd have to have a good think.

The outbuildings are interesting.

Who's going to go first, then?

-Who is going to guess the price?

-I'm not going first on this one.

Mark can go first on this one.

I'm finding this one really difficult because it's a lovely, lovely house.

I'm going to go probably 950, I think.

I'm going to say 1 million.

-This is on the market at £975,000.

-Wow, that's not bad.

-Yeah.

Now, I don't often get to say this on Escape To The Country,

but that has brought you in under budget by a cool £525,000.

-You can do a lot with that.

-Could do a fair bit with that.

Considerably under budget at £975,000,

this beautifully renovated thatched home has a large kitchen-diner,

two reception rooms and four bedrooms.

It doesn't have an existing business,

but with eight acres and that large Dutch barn,

there's masses of potential to create one

and plenty of money left in the budget to do it.

Well, what a fascinating time we've had.

It's been a very good day.

You wanted lots of options, you wanted us to challenge and test you.

-We've given you two very different proposals, haven't we?

-Yeah.

-Most definitely, yes.

-But there is one more to come.

-The mystery house!

-Tomorrow morning.

-Can't wait.

-Well, you knocked £500,000 off their asking price.

-Just like that!

Do you get a commission for saving them money?

We should think about it in the future, definitely.

But they'll need plenty of cash left over if they're going to realise

-any one of their business ideas.

-Indeed.

OK, going back to Peter and Denise,

they're looking for their dream home in Dorset.

-They've got a top budget of £375,000, remember?

-Yeah.

But I get the impression that Peter is not that keen on doing a project.

-Not really a DIYer.

-Well, he was, but I think he's like, "No more."

But they are looking for space and character,

and the mystery house had those in spades.

The mystery house is our final stop

and we've headed even further west, out of Dorset,

to the village of Rousdon in eastern Devon.

The property's just a stone's throw away

from the stunning Jurassic coastline,

and can be found at the end of a rather grand tree-lined driveway.

-Well, this is quite a mystery house.

-Yes, very much so.

-It's completely...jaw-dropping.

-We're supposed to be downsizing!

I'm sorry to break it to you, but it's not all yours.

This is the Rousdon Estate and this is an extraordinary building

that was built in the mid-19th century

by Sir Henry Peek, who was a sort of spice merchant

who then went on to make famous biscuits.

So the whole 350-acre site is now,

essentially, a sort of private community,

of which you could be part.

-As long as I don't have to mow the lawns.

-No, you don't.

-This is mystery with a big "M".

-It is a mystery.

I've never been here before

and I think it's just a stunning bit of architecture,

a very interesting story.

-Lead on.

-Yeah.

-Follow me.

The Grade II listed Rousdon Estate

comprises of numerous converted buildings,

including cottages, farmhouses, as well as a chapel,

and the section we've selected for Peter and Denise

is a mews house located in the courtyard.

This is amazing.

This was all the stable block - so the horses and carriages

would come in under the clock tower, into the cobbled yard

and then these were all various, sort of, professions

to do with looking after the horses.

And your house is part of it - not all of it.

It goes from this gable here - so this right-hand door -

across to this door here.

So it's the central section of the courtyard in front of us.

-Wow.

-That's quite an impressive building, that.

It's terrific!

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Shall we? Yeah!

-Follow me.

-Can't wait.

-Let's go!

Part of a ready-made community,

the stable courtyard has been carved into ten properties

but each one has its own individual design.

Come on in - better close the door behind you, Peter.

If you come over here,

you get the full view of the dining kitchen.

This is the first one where we've given you the dining room

and the kitchen in one space.

I like this, yeah.

This is really nice - great kitchen-dining room.

So what we're looking at the moment

is approximately half of the ground floor?

-Yes - this is the lion's share of the ground floor.

-OK.

It's not a massive property but, I think, very well laid out.

Fabulous. Certainly is.

Let's have a look at the next room.

Come on through - nice, big, wide walkway,

and then a step down into this area.

-I like this.

-Do you?

-I do.

Lovely oak floors. A slightly smaller space, but...

Big enough, it's big enough.

No, proportions are great. Like it - like it a lot.

There's some storage in there, the boiler is actually in there.

Under the stairs, you've got a shower and toilet.

It's a very efficient use of the space.

What about the stairs coming down into the sitting room?

That doesn't mind me in the slightest.

It just adds to the charm

and it is...a bit of a feature, within the house.

-Shall we go up them?

-Ooh, yes, please!

-Absolutely.

So, another step, into the master bedroom.

Wow - this is amazing. Oh, I like it!

This is really big. This is very deceptive.

Storage area there, what I assume is a wardrobe.

-No - this is an en-suite.

-Ah!

-Oh, even better!

SHE GASPS

Shower room, toilet...

Then you've got two very nice guest rooms, both doubles,

and a family bathroom at the end of the hall.

-This is wonderful.

-Yeah - this works.

Really nice, really nice.

It's got a nice feel to it -

it has that slight sort of feel of the Victorian.

Big, high ceilings, lots of light.

I'm getting a good feel from this house.

Yeah. Yeah, I think it's fantastic.

Shall we take a look outside at your outside space -

you do get a garden as well - and maybe talk about money?

Fantastic, yeah.

Both Denise and Peter are clearly bowled over

by this striking mews property so far

and I've no doubt that the large, low-maintenance garden

won't disappoint.

Obviously, this is your garden,

but clearly, you've got to be quite friendly with your neighbours,

one on each side.

But you have, as a resident of the estate,

access to the 350 acres.

So you can, you know, walk around those at your leisure -

including two pathways which take you straight down to the beach.

-Oh! Incredible!

-You're kidding!

-You can walk to the beach.

-Oh, yeah - that sounds good to me.

-Pretty amazing, isn't it?

-I didn't even realise we were that close.

-Yeah.

So what do you think it's on the market for?

-370?

-I'd be amazed if it's less than 400, 420.

Peter, you think we're very mean,

showing you a property so above your budget!

This is actually right on your budget -

it's on at £375,000.

-I won!

-Incredible. That's amazing.

So you could have your slice of the Rousdon Estate.

-That's really surprising.

-Yeah.

With a guide price of £375,000,

the mystery property is a spacious mews house

that makes up part of an exclusive 350-acre estate.

A high-quality, two-storey conversion,

it features a large kitchen-diner, open-plan sitting room,

as well as three good-sized bedrooms,

including an en-suite master.

I think it's safe to say

that both our buyers

are quite taken with this unique proposition.

With the tours complete, I'm catching up with Peter and Denise

to find out what they think about our properties.

I've shown you all the houses, and I have a very strong feeling

that the mystery house is in the lead -

the other two houses, not so much. Is that right?

The mystery house is a real contender,

yes, you're right.

I didn't particularly warm to either of the first two houses,

for various reasons -

the remoteness of the first house, and it was obviously semidetached,

and the second house needed a lot of work doing to it,

and it would have entailed renting and complete renovation

while that was being done,

so it would have been a lot of pressure.

You're in a good position,

cos you got an offer on your house in Epsom.

-We have, mm-hm.

-Would you think about making a move on the mystery house?

What are your thoughts about it?

We are going to talk about it tonight

and...weigh up the...all of the good points and the not-so-good points

and, uh...yeah, discuss our future.

You can choose where you live,

-but you can't choose your neighbours.

-Very true.

And the concept is totally different to what we were expecting

and it really has sent my head into a total spin,

so it does need an awful lot of consideration

before we commit to that sort of thing.

Yeah, we did parachute you

-into a completely different concept of living.

-You certainly did!

But it was well worth it,

because it helped us appreciate what we want and what we don't want.

And on the positive side,

what has it, sort of, clarified for you that you do want?

It's absolutely confirmed what we first thought -

that we just love Dorset/East Devon.

And it is definitely going to be the place where we want to live.

Do let us know what you decide and what happens with your house.

-Of course.

-Thank you very much for your help

-Thank you.

-Cheers.

-So, you really did save the best till last.

-It was a corker.

I'm not going to tell you whether they went for it.

I'll let you know later on. How about your couple?

Well, Mark and Michelle, let's not forget,

they had £1.5 million to spend,

so could our mystery house relieve them of some,

if not all, of their hard-earned cash? Well...

-Would it have tempted you?

-It most certainly did tempt me.

In fact, it tempted all of us.

Our final offering was arguably, for me,

one of the best properties we've ever had on the show.

The final stop on our search takes us

half an hour's drive south

to Kingston Maurward,

just east of Dorchester, in the heart of Thomas Hardy country.

Our mystery house is set amidst 35 acres of beautiful parkland

owned by Kingston Maurward Agricultural College.

With this place, seeing is believing.

Right, keep looking down.

Keep looking down.

Keep looking down, and now look up.

Wow!

-Are you being serious?

-Yep!

-Really? The whole thing?

-The whole thing.

-Oh, my lord.

-It's one of the most perfect examples

of an E-plan Elizabethan manor certainly in the region.

We're thinking high-end residential,

dare I say it, B&B.

I know you haven't really gone for the whole B&B idea, but...

..it's with a twist, because as a destination venue...

-Amazing, isn't it?

-..it's astonishing.

Yes, it's certainly a mystery house, that's for sure.

Do you know what, Jules?

I have not been so excited to go inside a property

for such a long, long time.

-Definitely.

-Come on!

Built in the 1590s, this Grade I listed manor house

was close to being demolished in the early 1960s,

but, thankfully, new owners stepped in

and saved the then derelict building

with a huge eight-year restoration project.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Quite a hallway.

-Yeah!

-As you can see.

It is absolutely amazing.

Obviously, the staircase is one of the door surrounds.

-All kinds of periods...

-Look at those door surrounds.

They're not door surrounds, they're castle entrances!

-Let's make use of them. Let's go through this one.

-OK.

Into the drawing room.

This is fantastic, isn't it?

It's just amazing.

-I love it.

-Your eyes just can't take in all the detail. It's incredible.

Remember I mentioned to you this E-plan

that the building conforms to?

Part of the E goes round that corner there

-as a wing.

-Oh, OK.

This is a house that has genuine wings, which is terrific.

This is a room that your guests could make use of,

because that way there is another room equally as big,

equally as beautiful and that's the library.

It's separated by a very modest kitchen, actually,

but you could have the library for yourselves on the ground floor.

This could be for your guests and you could feed them

in the dining room through here.

-OK.

-Come and look at this.

Crossing back over the central hall, we enter the northern wing,

which, in Elizabethan times, was occupied by the great kitchen.

There.

Do you think this is big enough?

I think it would work, wouldn't it?

This is... Oh, my lord, look at that.

-That's lovely.

-Again, this E-plan,

so the room stretches off that way as a little finger.

We are moving on from the first property

where we had very separate accommodation

and self-catering accommodation

to something which is much more involved as far as you're concerned,

because you're living with your guests.

We asked to be challenged and you're challenging us

in terms of our thinking, but I can see real potential here.

-Wait till you see the accommodation upstairs.

-OK.

Have a look at this.

Since the current owners bought the manor in 1998,

they've been running it as a five-star B&B

with an annual turnover of £40,000.

'All of the guest accommodation is upstairs on the first floor

'off the galleried landing.

'We're taking a look at the north wing,

'which is directly above the dining room we've just seen.'

This is something of a suite, which is rather nice,

so your guests have this lovely little lounge area,

tea and coffee and all that sort of stuff,

and then through here is the bedroom.

-En suite through that little door.

-OK.

-And quite an impressive...

-..suite.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-This could be your master bedroom,

but there are also two further rooms upstairs

which occupy the entire top floor,

so you could separate yourselves completely

-by occupying that top floor, because it also has its own bathroom.

-OK.

So we could run that like a self-contained apartment

up there for the owners and run this as the business.

In the original E-shaped part of this house,

the suite we've just seen in the north wing

is mirrored on the other side by a second suite the same size

and in an extension built during the 17th century,

there are three more bedrooms.

All of the rooms are doubles with their own en-suite bathrooms,

and they have some wonderful original features,

including stone-mullioned windows and exposed timber beams.

Outside, the garden is just over half an acre,

which may seem small in relation to such a large house,

but it is surrounded

by the agricultural college's expansive parkland,

which includes a five-acre lake.

-Garden-wise, this is it.

-OK.

But in terms of something that's manageable

and that really sets the building off...

-That's a good-sized garden, I think.

-I think it is.

-I think it's a good-sized garden.

-So...

Don't ask.

-I'm going to ask you. I'm going to make you tell me.

-No!

What is our mystery house on the market for?

I really do not have a clue.

But I'm going to go over 2 million for this one.

-I'm going to say 2.2.

-I'm thinking about 1.8.

1.8.

It was on the market for close to 1.8.

It's now on the market for 1.25.

-No.

-1.25 million?

-I can't believe that.

-And a million pounds under my guess.

-Yes!

LAUGHTER

Below budget at £1.25 million,

this extraordinary Elizabethan manor house

has a ready-made B&B business,

with three huge reception rooms on the ground floor

and five en-suite bedrooms on the first.

There's also plenty of space on the second floor

that could be Mark and Michelle's accommodation,

and it has a peaceful parkland setting.

You know, buildings like this are, for me,

what escaping to the country is all about.

It certainly spoilt me and, I suspect,

it's spoilt you two as well.

Oh, it certainly has. It's been amazing.

But have we sold it?

I think there's a lot of consideration

to take into account here.

-Let's go and consider.

-OK.

This has been quite an interesting process for you, and certainly

from my point of view, because you gave us such a broad brief, really.

Have we managed to refine it any more over the last few days?

I think you've brought us some focus. Yeah. Most definitely.

I mean, the three properties you've shown us are quite diverse.

Yeah, I think it's...

when you look at them, I think where it's helped us focus is,

one is, Dorset is still very much an area that we love,

so the fact that we've seen different parts of Dorset

just reaffirms that.

And I think that property number two, where you had a home,

plus an opportunity to start something from scratch,

I think it's helped us narrow more into that area

rather than an existing holiday letting business

that is about just upgrading.

It had lots of acres,

but I think it was more the breathing space it would give us

to build a business and not have to get an income from it immediately.

But then with our mystery house,

we went for something completely different.

An astonishing building.

Yeah, we can totally see the business side of that.

As a home, we're not so sure about it, are we?

It's so far removed from how we live today that, you know,

you'd really have to spend more time to figure out

-whether you could actually live there as a home, I think.

-Yeah.

I think sometimes that size of budget can give you too much choice.

Actually, going on this journey of finding out what it actually is

you really want has actually taken us

longer than we thought it was going to ourselves.

Thank you very much for coming down here.

We wish you all the very best of luck.

I'm glad that we've brought a little more focus to this great,

life-changing plan that you're about to undertake. Good luck.

No, thank you very much. It's been fantastic.

-It's been great.

-Pleasure.

It's not every day that you see a Grade I listed B&B.

I think if I had £1.5 million, I might have been tempted.

It was absolutely remarkable.

Not only to have that sort of money to spend,

but to find a property like that available was, for me, a real treat.

But I think it raises an interesting question.

Does the more money you've got to spend make the whole process harder?

Well, I don't know, because I think Peter and Denise, they didn't have

such a whopping budget, but they were still really up in the air

after the mystery house, and it made them reconsider their priorities.

I think the lesson that I take away from today,

and it's often a cliche we use,

but you do need to think outside of the box.

Having a look at properties that may not initially tickle your fancy

can sometimes open the door

on opportunities that could otherwise pass you by.

And giving a rigorous reassessment to your wish list,

particularly if you're aiming for a property that is going to be

a business as well as a home, that's an absolute must.

So there you are. You can't win them all,

but you can join us again on Escape To The Country.

-We'll see you next time.

-See you then.

Mark and Michelle have since decided to move to the Chiltern Hills,

not far from their current home in Henley.

And Peter and Denise finally found a house in the village of

Cattistock, West Dorset, and they've already settled in.

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