Somerset Escape to the Country

This tiny hexagonal fort was part of a formidable defensive frontier

that spanned over 50 miles

and has been described as the Hadrian's Wall of the 20th century.

But where is it, and what was it designed to defend?

Find out in just a few moments.

On today's show, it's a return to a rural setting

for two recent retirees, and their pets.

And our properties are full of surprises.

-Ooh, very nice.

-Oh, yes.

Oh, wow.

I say, it's huge!

Wow, a four-poster, woo-hoo!

Today, I'm in the West Country above Burton Bradstock beach in Dorset.

And you might recognise this brick and concrete construction

behind me as a World War II fortification known as a pill box.

But this is one of literally thousands built

hastily across the south of Britain between 1940 and 1941 as part

of the largest military construction programme in our history.

Now, today, though, these wartime relics, like the one behind me,

can be found peppered across the countryside

in various states of decay.

But they also serve as a poignant monument to a time

when Britain's freedom, and indeed her existence, was under threat,

and her long and enduring battle for survival and eventual victory

was only just beginning.

Dorset sits on the south-west coast of England

and is bordered by four counties, including Wiltshire to the north

with Somerset and Devon to the west.

To the south, the distinctive 95-mile coastline borders

the English Channel, and is made up of long sand and pebble beaches,

white cliffs to rival those at Dover

and rocky outcrops such as Durdle Door.

But it's not just the magnificent shoreline

that this county is known for.

Inland, the coastal landscape gives way to picture-postcard vistas

of rural England at its best, with narrow country lanes,

high hedgerows and pretty villages lined with thatched properties

like at Evershot.

With atmospheric villages and beautiful landscapes,

the Dorset/Somerset border

offers those seeking a rural home the complete package.

But what part of this beautiful south-western countryside

are today's buyers looking to find a house?

Let's meet them and find out.

It's a back-to-the-country venture for today's home-hunters

Philip and Diana, who live in the town of Hook in Hampshire.

They've been married for over 40 years and met

when they were just 16 years old.

I was going out with Diana's best friend,

used to go out to the cinema,

and Diana used to come along and chaperone.

Philip recently retired as a resources administrator

and Diana as a primary school teacher.

They've lived in their current four-bedroomed property since 1987

but over the years they've noticed a change in the neighbourhood.

It is a busy place now.

Like everywhere else, there's going to be a lot of development,

you know, over about 600 houses they're planning.

And with their two grown-up children now having families of their own,

they feel the time's right to move back to a part of the country they

both know well, having lived in the West Country when they were younger.

I mean, there are far more fields than we ever see here.

-Rolling hills.

-And no traffic!

Having been married for four decades,

Philip and Diana share many interests.

We go to church together.

We go away in our motorhome together.

We go away in our motorhome together,

which is a great pleasure to us.

We both like gardening.

Unfortunately, this garden has got too small for us,

we'd really enjoy having a bigger garden.

-And my wife likes to come fishing with me.

-Yes.

With a book.

And when he's finished reeling them in,

Philip will be hitting the roads in his two classic cars,

one of which is this 1934 Austin 7 Special.

I have another car, which is a Wolsely 1500, 1958.

He is affectionately known as Wally,

whereas the other car is known as Willy.

Philip and Diana are looking forward to their new life in the country,

but they're under no illusions that it's a big step.

One of my concerns would be possibly losing contact with people

that we have regular contact with,

but, apart from that, I think if we go into it open-minded,

and flexible, then I think, you know, we should make a go of it.

Philip and Diana aren't set on a particular county

but generally prefer the countryside inland,

along the Dorset/Somerset border,

so we're concentrating our search there.

I'm meeting up with them in north-east Dorset

to talk over their property wish list.

So, here we are

surrounded by beautiful Somerset/Dorset countryside.

Now, why have you chosen this particular corner?

We've lived in this part of the world.

-You've worked here when you lived here before?

-Yes.

-Completely different kettle of fish now you've retired, how are you enjoying that?

-We're loving it.

Well, you're in beautiful countryside now,

cattle just beyond us, is that your dream?

We obviously want a village close by,

within walking distance if possible.

-OK.

-So we can go off to walk and get his paper in the morning and, er...

Get his paper?!

Yeah, yeah, well, that's what it's all about when you retire.

Let's talk about the house.

-Your classic car, that needs a home first of all.

-Yes.

You need a garage.

-Couple of garages really.

-Couple of garages, right, OK.

You like gardening, I know that.

Yeah, you know, we really like a bigger plot.

You've got grandchildren. How many? Is it five?

Five, we've got grandchildren, yeah.

So they'll be coming to stay.

How many bedrooms do we need?

Well, we say three, we don't want more than three.

The house is really secondary to the garden, and a view, please,

-we'd love a view.

-All right.

-And a conservatory.

-And a conservatory, to take in that wonderful view.

-Yes.

So let's talk about budget, what's the final budget here?

Top whack, 460,000.

Well, I know what we're looking for.

It may not all come in one package,

-that's the compromise sometimes.

-OK.

We've got three fantastic properties lined up.

-Let's start with the first, this way.

-Excellent, let's go.

-Lovely.

For a budget of £460,000,

Philip and Diana's perfect property needs to offer what

they have in their current home, but in a countryside setting.

They'd like at least three bedrooms, ideally a conservatory,

a large garden with good views,

and a couple of garages for Philip's classic cars.

We've lined up three excellent rural properties for our buyers to view,

selected with their wish-list in mind.

I'll be asking them to put a price on each at the end of the tour.

Our mystery house gives them another option entirely,

but it's one they'll need to put their own stamp on.

Our first property is in Winterborne Stickland,

in the north-east of Dorset.

A village of around 600 people,

it grew up around the church, which was built in the 13th century.

There are several pretty cob and thatch cottages

lining the main street, including an inn.

Our first house is found on the edge of the village

a mile from the thatched pub.

OK, so our first foray into the local property market

-starts right here.

-Wow.

-Wow is a word I love to hear.

-Yeah, it's quite big.

-What we're looking at, see the downpipe, the black downpipe?

-Yep.

And see this protruding, well, sort of like gable if you like? OK.

-Up to that.

-Mmm-hmm.

-Well, it's different, isn't it? Very different.

-It is.

-First impressions?

-Yeah.

-Intrigued, definitely intrigued, yes.

-Yes, very interesting.

-I need to address the car issue.

-OK, yep.

-You've got a double garage.

-Oh, wow.

-Hey, excellent.

-Yeah, it's a good size.

-So, armed with that knowledge...

-Yep.

..let's go and see where you'll live, not your cars. Follow me.

Part of a private development of six dwellings built on an old farmstead,

our first property is only 16 years old, but is constructed using

reclaimed materials including the brick and flint for the walls.

Righty ho, so downstairs we've got...

water closet as soon as you walk in.

Now, tell me what you think of this room. Is it what you were expecting?

-Oh, that's quite cosy, isn't it?

-Wow, very cosy.

Log burner, I like it, I like it.

How does this compare to the place you've got at home?

It's very different.

Well, we've got a conservatory on the end of our living room there.

Well, you don't have that conservatory here,

you could easily put one on,

but you do get that sort of sun terrace area there, as you can see.

-Very nice. Just big enough, we don't want anything bigger than this.

-Yep.

All right, now, we could have gone straight into the kitchen

-when we went through that door there.

-Oh, right, yes.

But I think it's quite a nice flow to do it this way.

So, let me just show you the other side of it.

Right then. So, a dining kitchen.

-Ooh, very nice.

-Whoa, yes, excellent, that's fantastic.

-Yeah, just about the right size.

-Yeah.

But so far, I mean, these are pretty good reactions.

OK, well, you can see the flow to this house now, can't you?

Let me just squeeze past you here, we'll go upstairs to the bedrooms.

Philip and Diana asked for three bedrooms,

and they get potentially five with this house, spread over two floors.

The top floor features a study/bedroom area

and a further double bedroom behind that with an en-suite bathroom,

somewhere for the grandchildren to play and sleep.

The first floor is home to three bedrooms,

including two smaller rooms as well as a fully tiled family bathroom.

This is very much the master.

-Come right in actually, Philip, to see what you've got.

-It's huge.

It's not as light as I'd hoped for,

it is quite dark, even these windows here.

But then again, if you changed the decor...

-Hmm, I suppose it's, you know, the style of the barn, isn't it?

-Yes.

Again, it's en suite.

Let me show you the garden.

-OK.

-Yep, lovely.

-OK, follow me.

In addition to the double garage,

the outside space includes a large private rear garden

which is mainly lawn and terraced,

with steps leading up to a decked vantage point.

Now, for climbing up the terrace, you're rewarded with this view.

Oh, wow, I can cope with that.

Yeah, very nice.

So, how much do you think this house is on the market for?

-About 450, I think.

-450?

-Mm-hm.

I'm going to go a little bit more, I think. More 455.

This place has just come on the market with another agent,

and they've reduced it down to £465,000.

OK.

-No big surprise?

-No.

-No.

-No.

-No.

-You can see why.

£5,000 over budget,

our first property gives Philip and Diana

pretty much everything they asked for and more.

The barn style design offers up five bedrooms -

two more than they needed, but somewhere for the grandkids

to stay and play when they come and visit -

a double garage for Philip's classic cars and a large garden with views.

-Well, that's the first one done.

-OK, that would be good.

-On to the next.

-Excellent.

-Lovely.

Head inland from the rocky Jurassic Coast

and the Dorset landscape gives way to gently rolling hills

and wide valleys all the way up to the Somerset border.

Around three quarters of the Dorset countryside is agricultural.

17 years ago, one local sheep farmer, looking for a more

profitable business, sold up and tried his hand at growing

a crop more closely associated with the cultures of Spain and France.

Today, Mark Botwright's garlic farm near Bridport is going

from strength to strength, producing 900,000 bulbs a year.

He's also found a novel way to preserve the seasonal product

all year round.

I've come to meet Mark to find out more.

Garlic, it's not the traditional plant we'd have here, what,

50 or so years ago, why is it becoming so popular?

Er, I think our taste buds are changing,

It's a good cash crop, it's something that people like to eat.

Now, you're a traditional farmer by trade,

what made you start thinking, "Let's grow some garlic"?

Well, believe it or not, my wife, Wendy, gave me three bulbs

17 years ago as a birthday present.

We never ate any in the kitchen,

I just kept it back all the time, dried it and replanted it,

and from that, this is what you see after 17 years of hard work.

You are joking!

-This is the product of those three birthday bulbs of garlic?

-Yep.

Fresh garlic is in season between July and October.

And the dried bulbs have a limited shelf life of a couple of weeks.

Mark wanted to find a way to preserve some of his bulbs

so they could be eaten all year round.

A few years ago, he came across an ancient Korean method

for curing garlic bulbs, by exposing them to heat

and moisture over a 40-day period,

producing what is known as "black garlic", which lasts up to a year.

Now, you call it black garlic?

-That's right.

-It doesn't look particularly black.

Let me show you.

-You ready?

-Yep.

Wow, it's jet black, isn't it?

-There you go.

-Like tar!

It's got a real liquorice-y texture,

but a real balsamic, aged balsamic flavour.

Can I have a nibble?

Yeah, you can, there's one here you can try.

I put it in my mouth and I thought

that's like a liquorice allsort sort of thing,

and now, I'm getting the sort of balsamic vinegar,

and only now do I get the garlic, it comes in stages, doesn't it?

Yeah, sweet, savoury...

This is the nice thing about it, you don't have to actually

chop it up, so you actually put it down,

-and you can make a paste that easily.

-Goodness me!

Black garlic has twice the antioxidants of normal garlic,

is low in fat, rich in natural sugars, making it sweeter in taste

and, unlike its whiter version, leaves no smell or bad breath.

There are a variety of ways it can be used in everyday cooking,

in pastas, roasts and stir fries.

Or simply warmed with butter

and enjoyed on a piece of ciabatta toast, with ricotta cheese,

some scrapes of fresh garlic and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

That is absolutely amazing,

I'm getting a really nice, smoky flavour, and that sweetness

from that garlic as well, that black garlic, oh, my goodness!

As Britain's only black garlic producer,

Mark has finessed the ancient curing process and has his own

special heating hut, which churns out 2,500 bulbs every 40 days.

He now supplies the country's top eateries with British black garlic -

it's a far cry from his days as a struggling sheep farmer.

For our second option, we're hopping over the border into Somerset

and heading to the village of Compton Pauncefoot.

The closest amenities are spread across the neighbouring villages

of North and South Cadbury, a three-minute drive away,

and include a shop for Philip to buy his paper, and a pub.

House two is in the smaller village of Compton Pauncefoot.

A community of just 70 inhabitants, the centre point is

the 15th-century parish church, built from local golden hamstone.

Our next offering is almost opposite -

part of a development of six properties

created from former agricultural buildings.

As the last development went down quite well, having a few

neighbours around, we thought we'd stick with that theme for this.

-Right.

-And, yeah, it's another barn conversion.

-Oh.

-Wow.

What do you think of how it looks?

From here, fantastic, exceptional.

-Yeah, really good, really good.

-OK.

-Yeah, yeah.

-All right.

-Can't wait to go in.

-Let's do that.

Converted in the late-'90s, our second property is an old granary

and like the village church is also built from hamstone,

which is a feature of this part of southern Somerset.

The interior pays homage to the original fabric of the building,

revealing exposed timbers and vaulted ceilings.

Righty-ho, first impressions, Diana.

Ooh, quite small.

Not too high.

Very light, though.

-Yeah, it is light, but how big's that window.

-Room to...

-Yeah.

-Room to have breakfast?

-Yeah.

-Can I make a suggestion?

-Get rid of that.

Get rid of that, you've got more than enough reception room.

-All right, OK, OK.

-All right.

-Space later on.

First of all you can see you've got this raised level here.

I think that would make a much better dining area, breakfast area.

-Then this is just a kitchen, with a massive gas range.

-Lovely.

And just here you can see this is made for a breakfast room or...

-casual dining.

-Yeah, so light, it's fantastic.

But then you've got a huge room just here.

-Oh!

-Follow me.

Amazing room.

Wow, I say, it's huge.

It's not too big, but it is big, and very light.

-..how much light they let in.

-Yeah.

Now, I know you like to have a fire -

you've got a lovely stove there, haven't you? Wood burner.

-It's a wood burner?

-Yeah.

So is this their main living room?

Yeah, this is... It's not an upside-down house completely,

but, yeah, this is the only first floor we've got.

The bedrooms are downstairs.

-Oh, right, interesting.

-OK.

With the dining arrangements covered,

we're turning our attention to the sleeping quarters.

This property has three double bedrooms,

two with full-height windows leading onto an outside terrace.

There's also a large, fully tiled family bathroom

with freestanding bath.

But then, the master - much bigger again.

-Oh!

-Wow, a four-poster! Whoo-hoo!

-I say!

-Yes, it's a good size, a very good size.

-And a whopper of an en-suite next door as well.

-Oh.

-OK.

-Very nice.

-Nice and light.

Look, this is so far so good. What's going through your mind?

I'm thinking what's the garden like? That's what I'm thinking,

cos that could swing...

Yes, well, I tell you what, it could do, actually,

that could be the compromise.

Let's make our way out there,

-and on the way start thinking about price.

-OK.

In addition to the paved terrace,

there's a secluded L-shaped lawn area bordered by a small stream.

And Philip has a garage for his classic cars, as well as a workshop.

Now, the garden, sunny it might be,

-huge it is not.

-This is it, is it?

-This is it.

-Yeah.

Big compromise.

-Your boundary is that lovely little babbling stream there.

-Right.

-And then, well, it just goes round the corner, really.

-OK.

So how much do you think this place is on the market for, then?

Um, I'm going to go for £425,000.

And I think a little bit more, probably 430.

Philip, you're spot on.

-It's on the market for £425,000.

-OK.

-Mmm-hmm.

-You're not impressed now.

I mean, it was going so well, wasn't it?

Yes.

Yeah, I just think the garden completely killed it for us, really.

Below budget by £35,000, our second property,

a charming barn conversion,

gives Philip and Diana light and spacious living areas,

the three bedrooms they asked for and a garage for the cars.

But it seems the garden, despite being pretty and secluded,

isn't quite large enough for our buyers.

I still think we've got one property that you're considering, hopefully,

so let's head back now and then tomorrow the mystery house.

-Lovely, thank you.

-Look forward to that, excellent.

Whilst property number one went down pretty well yesterday,

I'm not convinced we've shown Philip and Diana a house

with a big enough garden to make them want to move down here.

Now, I do remember them both telling me

that if they could pick up the modern house that they live in

and move it down here, they'd be more than happy,

and I think the mystery property fits into that category,

but, of course, being the mystery,

it comes with a couple of compromises.

First of all, Philip,

well, he'll have to go two or three miles by bicycle every morning

to collect his morning paper.

Diana, well, she doesn't yet get a conservatory,

and they'll both need an imagination

when walking around the internals of the property.

But if they're prepared to overlook these...foibles, let's say,

then they'll get their garden,

enough outside space for a very active retirement.

Let's see how we go.

We're staying in Somerset for our third and final property,

which is in the village of North Barrow.

The small country town of Castle Cary, three miles away,

is the main hub for a large part of southern Somerset,

with a wide range of shops and cafes.

Our mystery property is a ten-minute drive away,

located in a quiet setting.

It certainly has the land.

The house itself is a bit of a blank canvas,

but gives Philip and Diana the chance to put their stamp on it.

This mystery house,

-we've got more garden than we've seen already.

-Yep.

And it goes on, but what do we think of the house?

Mmm, very nice, actually, yeah.

Yeah, very nice, yep.

-How old's this one, then, is it...?

-Mid-'80s.

-Mid-'80s?

-Yeah, so it's a modern-ish house.

Now, first things first - your morning newspaper, Philip.

That's not a problem.

Oh, it's not a problem now!

-Well...

-Good!

-..I'm sure we can get it somehow.

It's three miles away, in Castle Cary,

but the grandchildren, what's great about this village,

is it's about three miles from the A303,

so you're really well connected by car.

And as you can see, there's plenty of gardens.

-We'll look at that later.

-OK.

Now, what are you like,

in using your imagination, when you look around a house?

-Yeah, fairly flexible, yep.

-Yeah? Well, let's go and look inside.

As well as a generously sized garden,

which continues around the other side of the house,

there's a double garage for the two cars

and plenty of parking space for the motorhome.

-Let's start with the living room first of all.

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, wow.

-Yeah, that's a reasonable size, isn't it?

It is, it's not a bad size at all.

-What have they got in the...?

-Fireplace as well.

-Yeah, it's big enough for us.

-Yeah, definitely.

Good, all right. Let me take you into the kitchen.

We'll have a quick duck into the dining room on the way through.

-Righty ho.

-So if you come in, just to the right-hand side,

-there is the separate dining room.

-Right.

OK, yeah.

Ground floor loo there and then a fairly compact kitchen.

-Come right in.

-Oh, big enough for me, I think.

Oh, it's not bad.

-But a lovely view of the garden.

-Oh, wow.

Yeah, definitely a wow factor, that.

I really do think this house is crying out for something

-that you said you're after, and that's a conservatory.

-Yeah.

-Either on the dining room, or on the kitchen or maybe both.

-Yes.

Let's have a quick look at the master bedroom, OK?

Can I just squeeze past there? Thank you very much. Up we come.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms -

two doubles and two singles,

as well as a family bathroom, all arranged off a central landing.

This is the master.

Not huge, but you get your storage.

-OK. Yeah, that's...

-It's not bad, is it?

-But this is absolutely adequate and, er...

-En suite, yep.

-En suite.

-Yeah, en suite.

-Golly!

I really like it a lot.

There's huge potential, huge potential.

-Does that excite you, Diana?

-It does.

-It does.

Worries me a bit, because I don't know the price or anything!

No, but if you could afford this sort of house

and afford to do what you'd like to do to it, these cosmetic changes,

-is this the sort of thing you had in mind?

-Absolutely.

-Definitely.

The mystery property has worked its magic on our buyers,

who seem as impressed with the house as they were with the garden,

which extends to over half an acre and is mainly laid to lawn.

Now, you did say you'd love the idea of a view.

Now, that hedgerow at the back there,

you drop that down, then you get a view over farmland.

-Would be fantastic.

-Yeah, yeah.

Let's talk about the price. Look back at the house.

-I'm going to be bold.

-Go on.

I'm going to say 350.

-Diana?

-I think you're way out.

-Do you?

Yeah, I think it's 450, 440.

It's on the market for offers in the region of

£435,000.

-Oh!

-So...

Why did you guess 350?

I was just being hopeful!

Now it's considerably more than 350,

what do you think of it, Philip?

I think we could run with that.

£25,000 below their top budget,

the modern mystery property offers Philip and Diana essentially

the shell of a house they can modify to suit their tastes and needs.

It comes with four bedrooms, one more than they asked for,

a double garage and 0.6 of an acre of land.

Well, I'm hoping we might have found you a house.

I think you might.

Well, that sounds like you've got something to discuss,

something to think about, let's find you somewhere to do just that

-and we'll catch up later on.

-Brilliant.

-After you.

-Thank you.

So, you've had some time to think?

I'm pretty sure I know your favourite house,

-the mystery property, am I right?

-That's right.

-Definitely.

-Do you want to buy it?

-We would like to buy it, yes,

we need to do a bit of homework first, though. OK.

What is it about the mystery property that's, well,

captured your hearts, if you like?

-Well, it's the size of the garden, obviously.

-Yeah.

-Definitely the size of the garden, and the garages, and...

-The view.

..the view, and the potential that the house has.

The potential for what?

Well, to make it our home, you know.

First and foremost, that's the most important thing.

Yeah, and it would be fun doing it.

So, we've got to think long and hard.

So, when is the second viewing? I'm going to push you on this.

-Saturday, hopefully.

-This Saturday?

-Yep.

-That's encouraging.

Whatever you decide, and I hope it will be positive,

-let us know, won't you?

-Course we will.

-Yep.

-Good luck. Well done.

-Thanks very much.

Well, Philip and Diana did go for the sort of house

you'd find in a town

that's actually situated in the countryside,

but I think that's because it gave them so much of what they said they

were after - the modern interiors, the village location, somewhere

to park their motorhome, and most importantly, that massive garden.

So much so, I think the only thing stopping them purchasing that house

is themselves, but then again, it's been so long since they've

bought a house, I can appreciate why they want to have a second viewing.

But when they do that and they look around the locality, this weekend,

I do hope it gives them the confidence to take the plunge.

See you next time.

If you would like to escape to the country

in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland,

or perhaps even further afield on the Continent,

and would like our help, you can apply online at bbc.co.uk/beonashow.