Monmouthshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

Now, today I'm in a Welsh country that gave birth to an English King,

so where are we?

Well, join me in just a few moments and I'll tell you.

Our house-hunters today are a couple who know what they want...

I just need to work out what it is.

Right, let's have it, what's going through your mind, then, Sandy?

Doesn't know what it wants to be.

But I know exactly what to do when the going gets tough.

So you're putting me in the dungeons now?

Well, it was an old police station.

You've been locked away in the cellar.

Yes, you've been nicked. Down you go.

Well, today we are in Monmouthshire and these are the rather splendid

remains of Monmouth Castle. It was here in the late 14th century that

King Henry V was born. Crowned as the second Lancastrian

king in 1413, he then embarked on an ambitious military campaign against

the French, culminating, of course, in his famous victory against them

at Agincourt in 1415. Now, since his premature death, aged just 35, his

life has been immortalised in print, not least by Shakespeare, and on the

silver screen. But for me, it's the legacy of this Welsh-born warrior

that's really one of the county's crowning glories.

Located in the south east of Wales, Monmouthshire is on the border with

England and Wales, with the English counties of Herefordshire and

Gloucestershire to the east and the Welsh county of Powys to the west.

To the east, is the Wye Valley,

which was once a hub of industry with iron mines,

furnaces and intense timber production linked by the river to

the docks of Bristol and the world beyond.

All that remains today are villages like Llandogo,

clinging to the valley sides made up of small former

workers' cottages built from the local lime and sandstone.

To the north-west is the Brecon Beacons National Park, which was

traditionally a more agricultural and panoramic landscape and where

larger stone farmhouses can be found.

There is no doubt that the Monmouthshire landscape provides a

beautiful backdrop for those looking to exchange the hustle and bustle of

city life for a slice of country living.

Which, of course, is just why today's buyers want to move here.

Today's house-hunters are ex-military personnel Sandy and

Peter and their daughter Gwyneira, who currently live in Bristol.

We first met at Farnborough, we were both serving at

-what was then RAF Farnborough.

-Farnborough.

And we were staying in the officer's mess...

And we met at a dinner.

They were married in 2003 and two years ago had their daughter.

Whilst Sandy works full-time as a GP,

it's Peter who looks after their youngster.

I'm a freelance lawyer, but also a house husband. And

it's the house husband that's the most challenging, I've got to admit.

And it's their daughter who's prompted the big move.

We'd always intended to move.

This was never...

Bristol was never going to be our final place to stay.

Gwyneira coming along two years ago made that a little more hasty.

Their current home on the outskirts of Bristol just isn't what

they want for Gwyn's upbringing.

Whilst it's a four-bedroomed, home, we live in the middle

of an estate here and, you know, you barely let her out into the

back garden, let alone let her roam

and climb trees and that sort of thing.

Monmouth and Wye valley, it's a beautiful part of the country.

Having had a childhood in Wales, Sandy wants Gwyn to enjoy

some of that too.

It was that sense of community spirit.

And that's probably the reason I want to move back, is to have

my daughter growing up where people do care what's happening next door.

I'd like to have a garden that's big enough to do flowers,

but also to grow vegetables again,

but I'd need space for that for a vegetable patch.

And Sandy's other hobby of craft will have a definite

impact on their property choice.

The room at the moment that we've got set aside for crafts is

just simply the bedroom, and it's just...there's not enough space.

When it comes to choosing their future home,

it seems there's unlikely to be much disagreement.

I think you're the one that ultimately

drives all of the decisions.

Yeah, Daddy's the boss until Mummy comes home.

SHE LAUGHS

We're concentrating our search for their new family

home on the glorious landscape of the Brecon Beacons in the west

and the Wye Valley in the east.

But what other needs are there?

I'm meeting Sandy and Peter to find out.

Well, Sandy, Peter, welcome to Escape To The Country.

-Thank you for having us.

-Thank you.

You finally decided to leave Bristol behind

and head back to the hills, Sandy.

Back to my... not quite roots but almost there.

-So you're going to keep working for a little while longer...

-Yes.

..in Bristol, doing the commute. You're the stay-at-home dad.

Yes, it's complete opposite to what you'd normally have, really.

Give us the spec, as the house husband.

I guess it's not too dissimilar from what we have,

but I think you want a bigger kitchen.

-Definitely.

-We want, sort of, more space outside.

-And we'd like four bedrooms, but one of those used as the craft room...

-Craft room.

So we'd like something that we could perhaps adapt or have

some options to play with to turn that into a proper craft room.

Let's just think about your budget.

£500,000, half a million. A nice, healthy, round figure.

I'm pretty optimistic about what that's going to achieve here.

I mean, we've been looking for, well, a year and a half, nearly two years.

-Well, that's in earnest, since Gwyn's been born.

-Yeah.

Before that, perhaps longer.

And we're looking up in the hundreds that we've looked at.

Wow. And we've just got three...

I know.

..with which to tempt you with.

I'm pretty sure we can help you.

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

-Looking forward to that one.

-Yes.

-Good.

-Very excited.

Let's go, drink up.

Good, half a million to spend.

THEY LAUGH

So for £500,000, our buyers are after a large kitchen space

where the family can be together, a minimum of four

bedrooms, a craft room for Sandy and a study for Peter.

The house should be set in land big enough for a vegetable patch

and views of the Monmouthshire countryside would be a bonus.

Sandy and Peter may well have viewed several hundred properties

but only online, so I can't wait to step them

over the threshold of our three fantastic houses.

I'll hold back on revealing the price until they've estimated

it themselves. And our last property offering will be our mystery house,

which this week could push our couple a step too far.

For our first property, we're going close to the town of Abergavenny

on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

It's a busy town which draws locals and tourists from around the region

with several markets held every week.

Eight miles out of town in a small hamlet of houses on the road

to Monmouth is our first property up for inspection.

Right, duck under this tree...

and there, hidden behind it, is property number one!

-Very pretty.

-But the question I'm dying to know is,

would you have come to look at this if you had seen it online?

I'm not sure whether or not this initial shot would have

-made me think, "Got to go in there and see it..."

-That's it.

Go in there. It's not that sort of you know, "Yes, that's it."

Come and have a look.

Having not physically viewed any properties, it will be

interesting to see how Sandy and Peter fare with our first offering

of a period house.

Built in 1740, it has an extension which wraps around the back.

And spread over three floors,

it gives four bedrooms and some great downstairs living space.

-What do you think?

-Cosy.

I think this is the room you would be spending most of your time in.

I'm not sure you're running with it.

-No, I'll reserve judgment till I've seen the whole property.

-Peter?

I'm struggling to see Gwyn playing in here for a large percentage of her

time if this is one of the key rooms.

Well, let's have a look at the kitchen

and see what you think of this.

There we go.

-Initial thoughts were it's smaller than...

-Smaller than...

-..what you were...

-Yeah, this is smaller than I've got now.

-..initially thinking.

-And I was hoping, slightly bigger.

I love the style of this area.

-Yes.

-It's just, I think, how do you combine those two to make it

-into something you'd...would want?

-That was workable.

-That would work.

-Let's continue this way.

-OK.

Back through the large dining room is a connecting room,

which could be a study or playroom.

And this leads into the main living room.

-Wow.

-Yes?

Yes, yeah, I absolutely love the fireplace. That's a gorgeous feature.

Is it growing on you?

I'm not sure. It hasn't bitten me yet and said, "Yeah, wow."

It's got great character, but it hasn't yet said to me, "Yes."

You haven't quite got the cheque book out yet.

But there are possibilities with this.

And upstairs, we have got you four bedrooms,

and they're good-sized bedrooms.

-I know that was important to you.

-Yes, it was.

Well, they're arranged over two more floors, so there's plenty to see.

The final rooms on the ground floor are a conservatory, a utility

room and a shower room.

Up on the first floor, there's a bedroom which could make

a lovely room for Gwyn,

a storage room used as a walk-in wardrobe,

a family bathroom and another characterful double.

Now, this, I think, would make a great master bedroom for you two.

-OK.

-Yes...

-Ooh.

-It just...

-Ooh, no.

-No.

-It doesn't quite grab me as a master bedroom...

-It's a lovely guest room.

-Lovely view out of the windows.

-No storage.

But, yeah, storage space.

I mean, upstairs, you've got two further bedrooms, which lead

onto one another.

I was guessing they might be guest rooms,

but maybe that becomes the master suite?

So with a few modifications, there could be a layout

here which is preferable to Sandy and Peter.

And outside, there's more to see with a garden that I think could

deliver on Sandy's green-fingered ambitions.

-Right, the final bit.

-OK.

It is this terraced arrangement, as you can see.

Probably, once upon a time, quite productive vegetable beds, actually.

The other thing to point out is that underneath the house,

there is an enormous cellar. It's a huge space.

Maybe, with a bit of renovation, that could be your craft room.

Ah, so you're putting me in the dungeons now?

-Well, it was an old police station.

-THEY LAUGH

You'd be locked away in the cellar.

Yes. You've been nicked, down you go.

But as a property, as it stands, not a bad package,

but I can see there are sorts of issues that we are struggling with.

It's trying to balance period country living with

practicalities of parenthood.

Well, let's see if we help that balance with the price.

So, Peter.

-470.

-465, 460.

Well, here's the thing - this could be yours for £429,000,

leaving you a comfortable amount of change

with which to play with.

For a substantial £71,000 under budget,

this three-storey, 18th-century cottage offers

the four bedrooms they want as well as three reception rooms

and a modern country kitchen - although it

is perhaps not as open and connected as Sandy and Peter would like.

There's an option to convert the basement into a craft room

and it's set in just under half an acre of lawned garden,

but is it right for the family's lifestyle?

Well, our period property has struggled with you, hasn't it?

-It has, I'm afraid, yes.

-It has, I'm afraid. Yep.

Well, let's see if number two does any better.

-OK.

-Who knows?

-Maybe that's the one.

-Let's go!

In the rural region of the Brecon Beacons is

the village of Talybont where ten years ago a resourceful group of

residents set up the first community hydro-electric scheme in Wales.

It's now making them £25,000 a year

selling energy back to the National Grid,

which gets spent on carbon-reducing local projects.

I'm meeting husband and wife Peter Williams and Alison Kidd, two of

the volunteer directors of the not-for-profit community initiative,

to find out more about some of their projects.

Brilliant, I didn't even hear you coming. It's a bit spooky, isn't it?

That's the thing with electric vehicles, they're silent.

Electric vehicles have tended to be focused on the city,

but actually they're incredibly useful around here.

We've got ten of these in the network and we rent them out to visitors

to try and encourage our visitors to actually be driving around,

because it's very nice to drive around silently here

because you hear the birds, you hear the rivers, you hear the waterfalls.

So how did this whole idea come about, Peter?

We use twice as much energy to move here

as people in London do,

so we're looking for ways to reduce the energy that we need.

Can I get in there, is there enough room?

Yes, you can drive it and I'll go in the back.

OK, let's go!

It's um, compact, isn't it?

OK, so what do I do?

So, turn the ignition all the way around,

D for drive and R for reverse.

My first spin in an electric car, and it's bizarrely quiet.

The network is regularly used by the locals who, for short journeys,

replace their gas-guzzlers with an electric vehicle.

And how far can it go before it runs out of juice?

This will do 50 miles on a warm day, a bit less

during the winter, and a bit less if you drive fast or go up hills.

We've got 40 charging points all over the Brecon Beacons and all

they are are just cafes and pubs, and castles and other attractions.

A decade ago, the forward-thinking locals got funding to put

back into use a disused early-20th-century turbine

and the power that it generates now gets sold back to the Grid.

TURBINE HUMS

-Gosh, it's noisy.

-Yes.

-It is noisy.

-That's the water coming out the back of the turbine...

-Right.

..having coming down from the reservoir?

Yep, that's 27 kilowatts, and that's what it looks like.

And the source of all the power that funds the projects down below

is the majestic reservoir at the top of the hill.

It was built in the late '30s by Newport City Council

to provide drinking water for the residents.

And has this scheme inspired other projects?

Well, certainly, there's a whole movement in this area

and much wider now, for communities to start generating energy

for themselves, renewably, but also generating income for that community.

And that works particularly well in rural areas like ours.

It's a great way to explore this part of the world,

using the cars, but it's also great to think we're making the best

use of the area's natural resources.

For our second property, we're going closer to the Welsh-English

border and the town of Monmouth.

It's a busy town with plenty of good shops, pubs,

restaurants, as well as historic buildings.

High above Monmouth and the Wye Valley in a panoramic location

is our next house.

Look at that for a view.

What are your thoughts?

Nice.

Yes, I mean it looks nice from the outside, definitely.

I like the setting.

This is a house that started out, probably as a two-up two-down,

and then it's been hugely sort of expanded.

-Let's get on with it before we get wet!

-Yes!

This property is a renovated stone cottage.

Almost half of the house is a modern addition, so it gives Sandy

and Peter a mixture of traditional rooms as well as more

of the open and connected family spaces they are after.

-You see, very different kind of feel, isn't it?

-Yes.

You've got this sort of dining area here.

What do you think of this, Sandy?

Right, let's have it, what's going through your mind then, Sandy?

Doesn't know what it wants to be, it's very ill-defined.

I'm not sure about the size either

and how we would utilise it as a dining room.

Come and have a look at the kitchen and see how it all works together.

Very modern again. Different feel to number one.

Again, perhaps not as large as I'd have liked but then maybe extend it

into the space there which feels very much of a non-functioning space.

It's certainly much more open-plan in this half of the house.

The other half is much more traditional. Come on, then.

So this is one of two reception rooms

in the older part of the property.

It's divided from its neighbour.

There's another room exactly like this over there, by the staircase.

-OK.

-Obviously, the double doors there,

which look out right across towards the Brecons.

Now, in terms of space then, Peter?

I've got the same feeling that you have

maybe with the kitchen area in that this doesn't feel well defined.

When we get outside to the garden, we'll take another look at this.

There might be an opportunity to create more of a garden room.

'Also on the ground floor are a downstairs cloakroom and a

'utility room and garden room which wraps around the back of the house.

'Upstairs, there are four bedrooms. One is small and used as a study.

'There are two doubles, one en-suite,

'and then served by a family bathroom,

'there is the final double with views out of two aspects.'

Now, we're suggesting that this would make a nice master,

-knowing how you love a bit of storage.

-Only a bit.

-It has a walk-in...

-OK.

-..wardrobe.

All right, that's why we've decided that this is the master bedroom.

OK. And a reasonable-sized bedroom.

But again, I think we might be struggling a bit?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I can't... Again, it doesn't grab me.

'So it seems the current size

'and layout of the house isn't ideal for them.

'At the back, however, in the garden,

'which includes lawned terraces, an ornamental pond

'and a large vegetable growing area,

'is where an opportunity to remodel is easiest to see.'

You could actually do something quite exciting in extending,

at single-storey level, that ground-floor plan

to create a really nice kitchen/family room.

I was going to suggest even further.

I would have suggested that it comes out...both levels.

-So all this ambition...

-Yes, is going to cost!

It's going to cost a bit, so let's see where property number two

comes on the price scale.

I'd say about 510.

I'm not sure I'd go quite as high as that. I'd go 490.

It's 475.

-Oh, OK.

-That surprises me.

-And open to offers.

So I think you would find yourselves with some change...

Yeah, we'd need a lot of that.

..that would already make some inroads

into satisfying your creative ambitions in turning

-this into something quite different but very you.

-Yeah. Yep.

At £25,000 under budget, this hugely extended cottage offers

traditional sitting rooms as well as an open-plan family space

which currently is not quite right for Sandy.

There are the four bedrooms they've requested

and plenty of garden for veg patch options.

But it would need a few adjustments and a possible extension to

really create the perfect kitchen and craft space.

But is it something Sandy and Peter are up for?

I think this is quite exciting,

you could do all sorts of things

if you re-engineered and redesigned it now.

Slightly more than a DIY project.

It is, but, you know, sometimes it's not about buying the perfect house,

it's about making the perfect house.

And you want somewhere that's going to last you a long time,

so who knows? Shall we go?

-Mm-hmm.

-Yep.

-Come on.

Well, let's face it,

no trip house-hunting to Wales would be the same without a day of rain,

but what can we do on our final day with our final offering

to try and resolve this enormous problem

that Peter and Sandy are facing?

You see, I think they got into a bit of a muddle.

They're so desperate to make this move work, they've looked at so many

properties online and on paper, but they've also dismissed most of them.

They don't really know, I think, what it is they are looking for.

So, for our mystery house,

we're going to try something a little bit different.

This is it. They have actually seen it on paper,

but they have not, of course, been through the door.

So let's let them into the secret of what it is they've been missing.

For our mystery house, we're continuing to hug the border,

with the village of Penallt, which is just one mile from England

and is high on a hill above the town of Monmouth.

It's set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

and boasts an early-16th-century church and two pubs.

Just a ten-minute drive down country lanes along the valley

is our mystery house.

Does it look familiar?

-I don't think it does.

-Not immediately.

-Well, we happen to know this is one that you have looked at online.

-Ah.

You've looked at so many you can't remember what you've seen.

-Yeah, exactly.

-No, no!

We'd thought it would be quite an interesting experiment to

bring you to one that you have rejected

and see what you really think of it in the flesh.

So what do you think?

-Not sure.

-Nice-looking from the outside, so optimistic.

Well, this is another one that you can really put your mark on.

And we've got some quite interesting plans for you, on paper

this time, as to what you can do with it

-to turn it into a really cracking family home.

-Right.

Come on, then, let's get out of the rain.

-That way. After you, Peter.

-OK.

This old lodge house has been extended over the years and is

currently configured as a main house and a self-contained annexe.

After looking at over 200 properties online, what I'm hoping this

mystery house can offer is a vision of what to do with spaces

that don't initially seem to fit the spec.

OK, let's start in here.

Now, then, Sandy, I'm going to take a flying guess

-and say you think it's too small.

-It's too small, yes.

-But in the plans in this place, the kitchen would move.

-OK.

And this would probably be a rather nice study.

That sounds better. I certainly echo Sandy with this is too small.

I know the kitchen is an important space for Sandy, so I'm hoping

the plans for internal remodelling might catch her imagination.

So off the dining room, you've got the first re...

I guess, major reception room, really.

Which, again, makes the best use of these views.

-What are your thoughts on this?

-Nice, like the fireplace.

Size, getting there.

Getting there?

Through this door is the annexe.

You'll see where we're going with this one.

Imagine this as an enormous family kitchen-diner.

This is what we're talking about.

Have a look at this, here's the spec.

This is an image that the current owners have generated.

That's what you'd be looking at.

That white wall there is where the fireplace is

and imagine it sweeping right the way through to give you the island,

the kitchen and all the rest of it.

-OK.

-Oh...

Face like thunder!

THEY LAUGH

That's a diplomatic, "Hmm, I'm not so sure." Yeah?

-I'm not so sure.

-Not so sure, OK.

I'm not giving up on this one! I'm really not, come with me.

So the plans already drawn up would turn the ground floor

of the annexe, which includes the fourth bedroom,

into a large L-shaped kitchen-diner which also makes the most

of the views over the valley.

The current kitchen and dining room

could then become a study and a craft room.

On the first floor, there is a family bathroom

and a separate toilet which serve the three upstairs bedrooms,

all of which are of a reasonable size.

There we go, this is ultimately the biggest one.

A little bit more storage. I know that's an issue.

In terms of space, I think we'd need more space.

And in terms of this as a master bedroom, it's not quite big enough.

It is worth pointing out to you that above what could be your new

kitchen, in the annexe end, is an enormous loft space,

-and that could give you a really impressive master bedroom.

-OK.

-Yeah?

-Something to think about.

But, of course, the price is going to be important on this one.

Let's talk numbers outside.

The garden is the smallest of the three we've shown them.

It's a parcel of lawn with a piece of woodland

at the annexe end of the property.

OK, so the garden, pretty much what you see is what you get.

At the moment, it's not really joined to the house in any

great way, but going back to that original plan,

you'd have double doors coming out to here.

So what do you think our mystery house is on the market for?

I'd say about 425.

Not far from what I'd say, about 420.

Good news. It is 425.

I think you could spec this up and have some fun doing it.

But it's not about what I think, is it?!

It's about what you think, and it's what you're thinking

-that really worries me.

-THEY LAUGH

For well under their half-million pound budget,

this house with an annexe currently offers a large amount of space.

With the £75,000 remaining it could be remodelled into a bespoke

family home giving Sandy and Peter the four bedrooms

and spacious open-living spaces they really want,

but it would mean taking on quite a lot of work.

Come on, you two, out you come.

It's not raining, that's the good news. There's your brolly.

-Thank you.

-Come on.

OK. So we've looked at three houses. I don't know that we're any further

forward in terms of identifying what it is your looking for.

A lot of the properties we seem to have seen are disjointed.

It felt to me quite a lot of the time that people had

put a bed in there and made it a bedroom

where naturally it didn't feel like a bedroom.

I think another option that's growing in appeal at the moment is

looking for a plot of land and self building.

I think that's perhaps one of the only ways we are

going to get the layout, design and space that we're after.

We've given you some ideas as to what does work, we've given

you some ideas to what maybe doesn't work and we've left you thinking

that maybe you should start from scratch

and build a house of your very own! Hopefully, it's helped

because I think defining what you have been after has been

your real struggle and I hope we've managed to get you that bit closer.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you for your help.

Well, when it comes to property searches,

they can take all kinds of twists and turns and in the process

buyers can go through all manner of highs and lows.

But for me, this week has been particularly perplexing.

Whilst Peter and Sandy still seem very clear on where

they want their new home to be, understanding what it will be,

well, that, I think, is still an open-ended question.

I'll see you next time.

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