Somerset Escape to the Country

First opened in 1862, this historic steam railway is the longest

standard gauge line in the country.

But where am I? Find out in just a moment.

For today's house hunters, it's a move motivated by family history,

and they've given me a rather tall order with their property wish list.

Can we have the test, please?

But not everything's in short supply.

-That's a view to wake up to.

-Yes, that is. Yes.

Today I'm in Somerset, and this is the West Somerset Railway.

Originally built by George Furness, the line runs for 20 miles,

from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead,

and although it was a much-loved and hugely popular railway,

ferrying thousands of holiday-makers to the coast each year,

it was actually closed in 1971 as part of the cuts implemented by

the chairman of the board of British railways, Dr Richard Beeching.

But all was not lost, and it was reopened by the locals

and the council as a heritage railway.

Today, they run a total of up to six steam locomotives along this line

throughout the year.

Now, the trip, from start to finish, takes around an hour and a quarter

and surely there can be no better way to take in the spectacular views

that Somerset has to offer.

In the heart of the West Country, Somerset is bordered by Devon

and Dorset to the south, and Wiltshire to the east.

It's a diverse blend of dramatic coastline and lush green farmland.

The county provides some of the highest sea cliffs in the country,

offering far-reaching views over the Bristol Channel.

Breathtaking Kilve Beach in the Quantock Area

of Outstanding Natural Beauty

is a haven for fossil hunters,

where the ancient relics can be found nestled amongst the rocks.

To the north and centre of the region lie the Somerset Levels.

Despite being a sanctuary for wildlife, this flat landscape

of wetlands, extending to around 170,000 acres, is prone to flooding.

Still recovering from the destruction

left in the wake of the severe rain in January 2014,

£20 million has been proposed by Somerset County Council

to rebuild flood defences in the area to protect

both historic farmland and villages.

With an average price of £269,000 for a detached home, Somerset

is only a couple of thousand pounds more than the national figure.

Which makes this area surprisingly good value for money,

especially when you consider going over the border to costly Bath

and North East Somerset, where you could easily pay

over £100,000 more for an equivalent home.

And with over 400 villages to choose from in this beautiful county,

I'm hoping that the three properties that we've selected

for our buyers will certainly whet their appetite.

Let's meet them.

Computer programmer John

and his retired Finnish wife Tina currently live in the town

of Farnborough, Hampshire, and have been together for 14 years.

-We met at the end of the last century.

-Century, yes.

Last century, yes.

In a restaurant, on a blind date.

I saw this very tall guy get out of the car,

and I thought, "Wow, he's tall."

Which was really nice.

After ten years in their 1930s detached house,

unexpected personal events sparked their desire

to opt for a quieter life.

One of the triggers was when I was diagnosed with breast cancer

and went through all my treatments and after that considered,

well, what else is there in life to do,

and that's where I got into horse riding and also

that's when we really started talking about moving away

and having a different lifestyle.

A year ago, John and Tina bought Macy, their 13-year-old horse,

and she's become an important part of the family.

We want to buy somewhere with a bit of land

so that the horse can be at the bottom of the garden

and Tina can stand at the kitchen sink and see the horse.

And if I call out she'll lift her head and answers back to me,

because she's a clever girl.

A few years ago, John also had a life-changing experience.

I was born in Manchester but given up for adoption at birth.

I finally, after many years, tracked down my birth mother

and it turned out she was living about 30 miles away at the time.

So that was a really moving and exciting experience.

Reunited after 52 years apart, John discovered his birth mother

and new extended family have links to the West Country,

where he and Tina are looking to move.

From my cousins, I know that there are a lot of family ties in that area

and I feel that if I'd been brought up by my birth mother

I would probably have spent more time as a child there than I did.

Leaving corporate life behind them, John and Tina have exciting plans

to keep them busy in their new life, and to make some money.

I would like to have a chance to do some cookery classes

and introduce people to Finnish and other Nordic, Scandinavian cooking.

I'm really looking forward to helping Tina out with any

cookery that she does.

I think we could be a good formidable team together.

With their house sold, there's nothing stopping John

and Tina packing up and heading for their new country life.

I'm relishing the challenge of looking after animals

and being up at the crack of dawn and walking in the country

and just enjoying a completely different lifestyle.

And this is what our move is all about.

It's adopting a new lifestyle and trying out new things.

John and Tina have fallen for the stunning diversity of Somerset,

but are keen to steer clear of flood prone areas.

They've asked us to concentrate our search to the west of the county,

but they are fairly flexible on location if the house is right.

'But first, I want to learn more about their plans.'

So, John and Tina, welcome to Somerset.

I've got to ask,

why are you attracted to this part of the country?

It's a really beautiful county, there's rolling hills,

and countryside and peace and quiet. I think it's the peace and quiet

that we're particularly looking forward to.

So tell me a little bit about this house, this future perfect home.

It needs to be a detached property and it needs to have high ceilings.

I'm 6'7". Tina's fairly tall.

I like to be able to reach my hand up and not touch the ceiling, ideally.

So although character cottages are all very well,

I don't really want beams in a house.

Yeah, quite. What else are you after? How many bedrooms?

Probably three bedrooms, and if there's a study or something,

that's quite useful as well.

We'd also like holiday lets, or a holiday let.

Because when we move down to here,

we're not going to have any income, basically.

So we want to generate some income streams.

So what's the priority in your minds?

Is it the house, or is it the income stream?

I think it needs to be the right house.

We need to feel that it is a proper home,

not just the box that we're running a business from.

And Tina, what are you looking for with this move?

Well, I'm looking forward to having a house with a fairly big kitchen.

I'm a keen cook and I also have a desire to do some cooking

lessons for other people, especially because, coming from Finland,

there are some real treasures in Finnish cookery that

I'd like to show other people.

You might've hit a really good idea then, for an income stream.

What else have you got in mind?

Well, the horse side of it is obviously close to my heart.

Depending on what we find, if we find a place with enough land,

it might be an idea to run a small-scale horse retirement livery.

You've both got some great ideas of future work possibilities.

So your budget is £600,000.

Do you think that's a realistic budget for all these ideas,

what you're after?

I suspect we may have to compromise on something

but if we can get the basics for the £600,000.

We've got three houses lined up to show you.

One, of course, is our mystery house.

I hope you've got a bit of an open mind for that one.

-Shall we get started?

-Absolutely.

-Yes, please.

-Come on.

John and Tina's budget may sound generous

but they are after a lot for their money.

A detached house with high ceilings is a requirement,

as is a large kitchen to host Tina's cookery classes.

At least three bedrooms are needed,

and an outbuilding with holiday let potential to bring in an income.

Lastly, land for their horse and other mounts is also essential.

For John and Tina, the house is definitely the star

so they're happy to cast their net wide if needs be.

We've selected some attractive and varied properties,

all offering a range of features from their wish list.

But the price of each will be revealed

only after they've toured the house.

The last property offering will be the mystery house, which will

take them out of their chosen zone but offers them an added bonus.

So, Tina, how long have you lived in the UK for?

I've lived in the UK since 1998.

-Have you?

-Yes.

-And does it feel like home?

You ever considered going back to Finland?

It does feel like home.

I've been very happy here and obviously I've met John here,

so that's what's kept me here.

-Just going to stop here for a second.

-How appropriate.

-It's a horse.

-There is a horse.

-We certainly are in riding country, aren't we?

-Oh, yes. That's lovely.

Beautiful.

That's going to be you.

-Yes. Me and Miss Macy.

-Yeah.

And the equestrian world is so friendly, isn't it?

If you're into horses and you want to go riding,

it is a great way of making friends.

Absolutely, yes.

We're starting the house hunt towards the west of Somerset

in the hamlet of Hagley Bridge, half an hour's drive from Taunton.

The surrounding hills are dotted with sheep

and there are plenty of winding paths to explore

the picture-perfect rural landscape by foot, or horseback.

The historic and handsome market town of Wiveliscombe,

just four miles away, offers a varied selection of shops,

including a butcher's, which was voted one of the top 100 shops

in the world by a leading retail magazine.

There's exquisite architecture to be seen, and after a pleasant walk,

there's a choice of pubs offering a cool pint of locally-brewed beer.

Ten minutes drive southwest takes us back to Hagley Bridge

and our first property, a detached mill keeper's cottage

set in a peaceful, isolated south-facing location.

-Looks pretty substantial, doesn't it?

-Mm, it looks lovely.

It's an old building, originally a two-up, two-down, built in the 1880s

but, as you can see, it's been quite considerably extended either side.

-Yes.

-The outward appearance is great.

Can't wait to see inside, but it looks lovely.

-Is this the sort of setting that you had in mind?

-Yes, definitely.

-It's amazingly quiet.

-You ready to get started?

-Yep.

-Yes.

Come on then, let's go.

This charming property has grown from its humble 19th century

beginnings, and I believe it will give John and Tina

everything they're dreaming of, including the headroom.

So...

The door leads straight into, I think, an impressive kitchen.

-It looks lovely.

-It's very nice.

-I know the kitchen is important, isn't it?

-Yes. It is.

So, we're thinking if you did want to have cookery lessons in here...

-Yes, there's an island.

-Plenty of space.

-Yes.

-Let's keep walking down.

-All right.

Now, this was, in a way, a lean-to

and when the owners bought the property in 2010, they decided

-it was such a great space they would actually open it out.

-Yes.

The kitchen is very welcoming.

You can imagine being in here and having friends in. It's very nice.

I would agree.

But I'm going to continue through, if you'd like to follow me.

So, you do have two sitting rooms.

One on one side of the kitchen and this is the other. This is larger.

This is the larger of the two.

-With a multi-fuel burner.

-Mmm, very cosy.

Very cosy.

But I like the fact that you have two on either side of the kitchen.

So you can have a reading room or perhaps

have that as a dining room if you wanted to.

Can we have the test, please?

-Yep, that's bearable.

-Excellent. Good.

I really like the lightness of the room

and the way it's laid out.

-It's a good size.

-Well, there's another room I want to show you.

Just through here.

You've got another extension here.

Now, they use this as their dining room,

and as you can see, it's light, open.

You can use the doors for access outside.

I can imagine on a summer's day or evening, opening the doors

and having it sort of semi al fresco, spilling out into the garden.

-It would be wonderful.

-Yes, it would be lovely.

So far, so good.

The downstairs of this house seems to be delivering,

and there's also a study and cloakroom.

But it's upstairs where the height test could be make or break.

Do mind your heads.

-So here is the master.

-Good sized room. Nice view out of the window.

-How we doing?

-Headroom I can live with.

-Yeah?

-That might be the compromise, mightn't it?

-Yes, exactly.

Down that corridor you've got three other bedrooms

and a family bathroom.

OK. Right.

-So it's not en suite but it is of a good size.

-Yes. Nice and airy.

'It's a thumbs up for the house, but there are three in this move,

'and the grounds have to be right for their beloved horse.

'Outside, there's a substantial two-and-a-quarter acres.'

All this land round here is yours. You've got the river going past us.

You've also got a stream.

But quite a high bank going up to the house

so you have a natural defence there.

-That's important.

-It is important, isn't it?

-Yes.

Did you notice the building as we came down the drive?

It's actually a garage at the moment.

You've got a stable block next to it and a tack room, but the owners

-have applied for planning permission and it's been granted.

-OK.

It's been granted to change it into a holiday let.

-Right. OK. Interesting.

-This is horse country.

Surrounding us, it's quite easy to get acreage,

-not necessarily to buy, but if you wanted to rent it.

-Right, OK.

For your horses.

Right up on that hill, they've got an equestrian centre up there.

It's privately owned.

If you got to know them well, that's something perhaps you could use.

Possibly.

So you've seen the property, I've explained about the possible

income stream with the outbuildings.

How much is our first house on the market for?

Ladies first.

Well, I would guesstimate it about 550.

OK. John?

I think I would go higher than that. I would probably say 580.

-Both of you are under the asking price.

-Right.

It's actually on the market for £595,000.

How do you feel about that?

It's still something I would consider.

Well, I want you two to have another look around on your own.

-Take your time.

-Thank you.

-I'll catch up with you in a little while.

Well, a good start. They're quite difficult to read as a couple.

But I think they're more taken with this property

than they're letting on,

and the holiday let would make a great business for them.

£5,000 under budget, this rural detached cottage offers

John and Tina the space and views that are so important to them.

There's a large kitchen, more bedrooms than they asked for,

plus the opportunity to generate an income.

There's the option of land rental

and with an equestrian centre nearby, Tina could fulfil her dream

of becoming part of a local riding community.

Overall, it's a good start.

It's not perfect, but then again,

you can't expect to find a perfect house, it hardly ever happens.

But it's got lots of potential and lots of things

for us to think about.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it the first time.

It's a really nice house from the outside. It's bigger than I expected.

It's a very attractive house in a nice location.

It has turned into the most beautiful day today, hasn't it?

It's lovely.

And our first house here in Somerset. So, thoughts?

Very interesting, a lot to think about.

-Good benchmark to start off with?

-Yes, lovely house.

-Well, we've got more to show you.

-Excellent!

Thousands of years ago, the serene flat wetlands of the Somerset Levels

were under the sea, and through artificial drainage and maintenance

now form part of the land.

We might be steering clear of the flood-prone area in our house search

but there are some Somerset residents who thrive here

thanks to a project set up four years ago.

Cranes used to populate the Levels, but they died out centuries ago

and the Great Crane Project is bringing them back.

John and Tina are wildlife enthusiasts, so we've brought them

to meet Damon Bridge, the project manager here,

to find out about the work being carried out

right on their new doorstep.

What is the Great Crane Project all about?

Well, it's all about reintroducing the common crane

and getting it back into the habitat here.

It's a bird that disappeared about 400 years ago. It was hunted.

This project's going to put them back in the landscape.

There's wet areas where they can breed.

Where they can build a nest in safety

and there's food for the chicks to eat as well.

The crane eggs are sourced from the wild in Germany

before being brought to a rearing facility in Gloucestershire

where the chicks are hand reared.

At five months old they're transported to the project

where they're released and monitored

as they learn to adapt to a life in the wild.

So, we're right down here now at the heart of the Levels and Moors,

down in the typical sort of landscape here and this is

just the kind of wetland habitat that the cranes would need to breed.

How successful has the project been so far?

We've released 75 birds so far

and we've got hopefully another 20 or so this coming summer.

Of those 75, we've got 89% still surviving, so really good

numbers surviving, and the oldest of those are just at breeding age now.

So, we've not had successful breeding yet.

We'll hope to get that this year, if not this year, next year.

The cranes are fitted with radio tags,

and using a receiver, Damon can track and monitor them.

The signal can be picked up from three miles away.

So, this is giving us an indication that they may well be down here,

-so we'll go down and have a look.

-OK.

There may be a couple just down on the right.

-This is the non-breeding group.

-Right.

Do the birds ever migrate to other countries?

We have had a couple that have flown quite big distances in the UK.

One that turned up in Kent and then subsequently disappeared,

so it might've gone across to the Continent.

We had one that went to Suffolk and then came back

to Somerset over about three days.

But generally they've just stayed here and we think that they're

pretty well established now here as a UK population.

This project is in its final year and when it ends, the cranes will

continue to be monitored and their habitat kept safe.

Damon's team have done a sterling job putting this elegant bird

back on the Somerset map.

For our next property, we're heading to the pretty village

of Broadway, two-and-a-half miles from the market town of Ilminster.

Its narrow streets are lined with handsome houses

and flint walls crisscross the lanes.

Locals and visitors are well served with all the essential amenities.

The village's Grade I listed parish church

dates back to the 13th century,

and legend has it that its isolated location

on the outskirts of the village is due to an outbreak of the plague

in the 16th and 17th centuries

which saw nearby houses abandoned

and new ones built a mile away.

'Our second house is in the heart of the village,

'flanked by two neighbouring properties.'

We thought we'd show you something completely different from the first.

-Yes.

-This house dates back to 1998.

-Next door, this house goes back to the Tudor times.

-Right.

It's something like Grade I listed with a star.

We, here, have gone for the modern approach.

First impressions?

My initial reaction is I would worry about the headroom upstairs.

This is more rustic. I'm looking forward to seeing what's inside.

-Shall we begin?

-Definitely.

-Yes.

So, starting off in the hallway, dominated by this staircase.

-It'll do.

-Passable? OK, right. Good. I was holding my breath then.

-I'm not going out yet.

-I'm going to take you through here now.

I have spotted a beam, so let's see how we do.

-Here is your sitting room. It does have beams, but quite high.

-Yes.

That's useable, I don't have to duck for that.

And what I like as well in this room is the two doors

and two windows, so it's very airy and light.

Right, if I can squeeze past you, we'll continue.

Plenty more to show you.

Now, how's this for a dining room?

-Good size. Yes, definitely a good size.

-Yes.

-Have you got a big dining table?

-Not as big as that.

We might have to get one.

Let's show you the kitchen

-because I know that's very important to you both.

-OK.

It's a nice size. It's got everything you need.

Good size range.

-Through there you've also got a utility room.

-OK.

-An ample sized utility room.

-Yeah.

So tell me what you think on this room then.

It just doesn't feel like me.

You know my dream, to see out of the kitchen window I could see

Macy grazing on the paddock, and that's not going to happen here.

-Right. No.

-And that's my dream.

-Yes.

'I fear I may be fighting a losing battle, as this house doesn't

'deliver on the all-important kitchen view,

'but I've still got a trump card that could win them round.

'But first we're heading upstairs where a compact landing study

'leads to a single and a double bedroom

'served by a family bathroom.

'I'm showing them the largest of the three bedrooms.'

So, your master bedroom.

Complete with en suite.

Headroom is...surprisingly good.

-What you don't get are the huge windows up here.

-Yes.

-It feels a bit dark.

-Yeah.

There is a bit of a view.

Yes, I've got a little bit more of that view to show you.

-Ooh, how exciting.

-And I still have something up my sleeve.

Yes, I think you have!

'Outside is my chance to win John and Tina back

'with this beautiful converted Victorian barn.'

Now, you might've been wondering what this building was.

And this is one of the main reasons we picked this house.

-What it does have is holiday let potential.

-Absolutely.

At the end of the driveway. So the way it's been done out,

you've got a living area, kitchenette.

You've got a large double bedroom with the exposed stone

there from the barn, and you've got a shower room stroke bathroom.

-It's very nice.

-Let's go back outside,

there's still a little bit of land to show you

and also you can think about what you think this house,

-with its holiday let potential, is on the market for.

-OK.

-Yes.

Thanks, John.

'There's no denying this barn is a huge draw, but I'm not sure

'it's enough to convince John and Tina this is the house for them.

'But all is not lost, as there's still the delightful garden to see.'

It's quite secluded, it's not really overlooked by anybody

and you have a third of an acre.

-Right.

-We are surrounded by farmland.

We know that locally one of the gentlemen has bought up lots of land

and he rents it out to the farmer.

-If this was the house for you...

-Yes.

If, I would say you could seriously explore those options.

We know there's a livery stables only a mile up the road.

So let's talk about the price.

It's very difficult because it's completely

different from the first house and it's in a village.

But I'm going to say £575,000.

OK.

Well, it is difficult.

I'm going to say £580.

The asking price is £525,000.

Oh, wow. We got it completely wrong!

So has that changed your mind at all,

the fact that it is so under budget?

I don't think that we will be able to spend the additional funds to

make the house into what we want.

Whatever the reaction, I always think it's worth a second look.

Have another look at the property itself

and then give me a shout when you're ready.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

An impressive £75,000 under budget,

our second property is a 16-year-old detached three bedroom house

with its converted Victorian barn ready to go as an

income-generating holiday let.

The house may not come with land but it does have an attractive

garden and spectacular outlook across green pastures to the back.

And the generous change from the under-spend

could be put to good use,

renting a field for the couple's horse, Macy.

If there had been a paddock at the bottom of the garden with

four acres of land, I would've been more torn

because then the land would've been there but the house would not

have been ideal, but I would've had more of a quandary.

The downstairs, the living room was really,

really nice and I also liked the dining room.

The kitchen really didn't do it for me.

It just wasn't my type of kitchen.

And I don't think there's anything that

I could do to change it to make it suit me.

-Have you seen enough?

-I think so, yes.

Any change of opinion now you've had a chance to go round on your own?

I think, no, to be honest.

-It's a really nice house and we do like it, but it's not for us.

-No?

-No, afraid not.

-OK. All right.

I've still got one more up my sleeve so I'm not giving up hope yet.

We look forward to it.

It's the second day of our property search in Somerset

and armed with a generous budget of £600,000, we're hoping to find

John and Tina a fabulous new detached home in the countryside

now their current house in the town of Farnborough, Hampshire,

has been sold.

We've still got the mystery house to unwrap.

Just do it for me one more time, John. There we go, hands up.

Full approval!

And I'll be wrestling with some mud.

I'm now well and truly stuck.

Yesterday proved a bit of a challenge with John and Tina.

They want land.

They want outbuildings, but they also want a beautiful home.

Now, £600,000 is a healthy budget here in Somerset

but when you take into consideration their dreams and aspirations for

running various businesses, well, I must admit,

it's proving to be a bit of a challenge.

So for our final property, the mystery house,

we've cast our net just that little bit wider, we've moved

north of the county and we're honing in on their one true passion.

Their horse.

For our last property we're travelling to Compton Bishop,

a peaceful village in the shadow of the Mendip Hills,

just a ten minute drive from the world famous

cheese-producing village of Cheddar.

The nearest town to the property is Axbridge, which offers many

conveniences including a traditional teashop and pub,

and features colourful houses and striking Tudor buildings.

Just five minutes' drive away,

our mystery house is overlooked by the Mendip Hills.

It may be out of John and Tina's preferred pocket of Somerset,

but I hope they'll agree it's worth the journey.

-It's beautiful.

-Do you like the area, as we were driving through?

Yes, it's lovely.

We thought with the mystery we'd push you a little bit further out.

Difficult to see your house

because it does have that stone garage right in front of it.

The actual property itself, the barn,

dates back about 200 years but it's only relatively recently been

converted, in the last 15 years or so.

Oh, right.

So, what are we thinking before we go inside the house?

-Looks promising.

-Yes?

-Yes.

-Yep. Happy with the mystery so far.

Nothing's put me off yet.

-Brilliant. Well, I think on that note, we'll start.

-OK.

This three bedroom, two bathroom barn has been refurbished to

a very high standard and has underfloor heating throughout.

But kicking off in the kitchen, the first question is this -

is it large enough to teach a group of locals

how to cook the Finnish way?

-Nice kitchen.

-Yes.

-Lovely.

-Very homely. Yes.

You could do small scale cookery in this kitchen. It is suitable.

It also has a small utility stroke cloak room next door as well.

-It is, it's a good kitchen.

-Yeah?

-It is a very nice kitchen.

You're warming to the mystery so far

-but still got a lot more to show you.

-OK.

The downstairs of the rectangular barn is essentially

two large rooms divided by the staircase,

and across the hallway is the bright and spacious sitting room.

Now I couldn't give you a view of your horse from the kitchen...

-No, but...

-But what I can do is give you that view.

-Very nice.

Very nice.

NICKI LAUGHS

Can you imagine looking out

and there's Macy in your paddock right there?

-Yes, only a few metres away.

-Yeah.

Perfect.

I love that smile. Shall we stop there or shall we continue?

-Oh, let me think. Let's continue.

-Let's continue.

Things couldn't be going better

and hopefully the smiles will continue upstairs.

The eaves of the barn have been converted into three bedrooms,

one of which is currently a study.

There's also a family bathroom,

and the en-suite master bedroom overlooks the property's land.

-Most importantly...

-The Macy view.

-Nice little window.

-Yes. It's fantastic. It is fabulous.

-That's a view to wake up to.

-Yes. That is.

So, the upstairs of this property, I'm not going to lie, it's not huge.

-We can live with that quite happily.

-Yeah?

-Yep.

It's more the downstairs is more important.

-Yes.

-To have the space there.

Just do it for me one more time, John. There we go, hands up.

Full approval.

I'm absolutely thrilled with John and Tina's reactions.

This tastefully refurbished barn may be out of their original

catchment area, but it has almost everything they're looking for.

And while it may not offer an option for a holiday let,

there's still one more surprise to reveal.

Now for the icing on the cake.

-The mystery property does come with a stable block.

-Yes.

-So, you've got a tack room, you've got two stables here.

-Right.

-Good size.

-Yeah.

-You've also got a turnout area and a shelter as well.

Oh, right. Yeah.

This is the situation with the land. You've got about half an acre here.

-Right.

-But we are surrounded by the Compton Estate.

-Right.

They actually own all the land all round behind us.

-And it's all rented out.

-Yeah.

And there is the possibility of having

-a conversation about renting some of the land.

-Oh, right. OK.

If you wanted to buy some land,

-there are three-and-a-half acres up for sale.

-Right.

How do you feel about this set up?

If there is the possibility of either buying or renting land

nearby, then that could be possible.

There's certainly a lot to think about as we head round to the garden

which leads off from the magnificent glass-backed rear of the barn.

So what's going through your mind before we talk numbers?

I'm confused.

Are you?

It's a really nice house.

I'm toying with the... How are we going to raise money income streams?

Holiday let, no holiday let? Can we think of something else to do?

All massive thoughts, I think.

So we've talked about the property, we've talked about the stable block.

The possibilities around here of renting land for your horse.

How much do you think it's on the market for?

Well, I think this one is going to be slightly above our budget,

so I would say £625,000.

OK.

I'd have to go slightly higher, I think £630,000.

Let me put you out of your misery, shall I?

Asking price - £585,000.

-Oh, right.

-OK.

-OK.

-That's good.

-So it's under your budget.

That would leave you £15,000 if you wanted to go out and either

buy land or perhaps rent it.

-It's going to make you think, that's for sure.

-Yes. It has already.

Has it? Have some time. Have a wander. Do your sums.

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed. OK, see you in a minute.

Thank you.

On the market for £15,000 under budget, the change from this

converted barn could go towards the extra land needed for horses.

The tasteful interior was well received, and the spacious

kitchen is perfect for Tina to hold her cookery classes.

The property is lacking a holiday let option

but the equestrian facilities here are superb.

First impressions were very favourable.

Inside, I had to duck under the first beam,

but apart from that, great kitchen, really nice size.

The kitchen is really nice,

it felt really like me and John could cook in there.

Living room, very nice. Very impressive.

The view from the living room

and from the master bedroom is just fantastic.

On the downside,

that it comes with just a half an acre paddock is slightly concerning.

We would certainly want to investigate

the possibility of either renting or buying more land.

And if we could do that, I think this could be a contender, definitely.

Overall...

super.

I think we just got that house tour in before the rain sets in.

-Good timing.

-Indeed.

-Before it starts to rain.

-How was it? Have you seen enough?

-I think so. Yes.

That's it, that's all three properties here in Somerset.

-Shall we go somewhere warm and dry and have a chat?

-Let's do that.

-Come on.

-Yes.

The tides of Bridgwater Bay on the Bristol Channel are some of the

highest in the world, and when they recede, vast mud flats are exposed.

It's extremely difficult for fisherman to cross the muddy

ridges to get their catch of the day, but a centuries old contraption

called a mud horse helps them traverse the thick, sticky terrain.

I've come to meet Brendan Sellick and his son Adrian,

who's the last remaining fisherman using this age-old technique.

-Good to meet you.

-Hello.

-Thank you for the kind invitation.

Oh, lovely, yeah.

Can't come to Somerset and not do a little bit of fishing but

let's be honest, boys. This is going to be fishing

with a difference, isn't it?

I hope you've got a different set of clothes than that.

-Am I going to get very dirty?

-You are.

You'll get muddied up.

I want to ask you, what is a mud horse?

Well, you put your body on there and go out, catch your catch,

and bring it back in. You lay on it and push it out.

-So it's like a sledge?

-It's like a sledge turned upside down.

So how long, as a family, have you been fishing like this?

-Is this a long tradition?

-Well, I've done it for over 60 years

and my father did it all his life, and his father, my grandfather,

and the first one to come was the grandfather before him, about 1820.

And what are we hoping to catch today?

Well, we might catch a bass or a mullet, or a codling.

-I'd better get changed.

-Yeah, we'll get changed and make a move.

-And then we'll get started.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-I'll see you in a minute, father.

-Yeah, OK.

79-year-old Brendan stopped fishing four years ago,

and he's now based in the family-run fish shop.

The waters here used to be awash with brown shrimp,

the most profitable catch, but numbers have dwindled

meaning Adrian now has a night job to supplement his fishing income.

How deep is this mud?

Well, it can get quite deep, actually, Nicki.

So this is the mud horse.

So I now can see there's a really practical reason why you need this.

-Yes.

-The mud horse is invaluable, isn't it?

-That's right.

-Tummy on there...

-Yeah.

-..and off you go.

-And then where am I...

You push it right along, that's it.

My goodness. You wouldn't be able to do this without this slide.

SHE LAUGHS

I'm now well and truly stuck!

'Adrian's come to my rescue, and after what feels like

'the longest trek, we're here, around a mile from shore.

'In front of us is the welcome sight of the wooden stakes

'supporting the nets, which hopefully hold the prize haul.'

-So we just need our basket, do you want to carry that?

-Yeah.

'The stakes and nets haven't changed position for 200 years.'

Oh, my goodness. I can see plenty of fish already.

Basket there. Yep.

So, literally the tide takes the fish into the net

and then they're trapped.

-Yeah, they're swimming with the tide.

-Yeah.

He's a beauty.

That fish was caught coming in.

Is that your dinner tonight or will you sell it in the shop?

Father won't let me have that for dinner!

-That'll go in the shop?

-Yeah.

Adrian makes his journey daily for eight or nine days

before a two or three-day break when the tides are low.

He knows when it's safe to fish, and where it's safe to tread, but if you

don't know the lie of the land, fast-moving tides

and soft patches of mud can be lethal.

This certainly is a labour of love.

But it is sad to think these old practices,

these old traditional ways are going to die out.

-That's right.

-With commercial farming.

I don't do it for the money, I do it because I enjoy coming out here,

and it's carried on through the bloodline, you know?

See, I'm standing out here with you, it's pouring with rain, I'm not

going to lie, it's freezing cold, but I've actually really enjoyed it.

I have.

-You know the one fly in the ointment?

-You've got to walk back.

That's exactly it!

It's that mile trekking through the mud.

That's it, turn round, follow the track and we're away.

After another long hard slog this time to dry land,

I think I'll definitely have earned my fish supper.

So we've shown John and Tina our three properties

here in Somerset, but have we got close?

I really can't read this couple, so let's find out.

So, John and Tina, it's interesting

when people want to move to the country because there's so many

different reasons, but I think for the two of you it's 100% personal.

-Isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

Is that still the case after the last few days driving around

this wonderful county?

Yes, I've not seen anything to change my mind,

and I think I've become more excited at the prospect.

I think so, especially today.

The last property, seeing the nature, the fabulous scenery,

it was just really lovely.

So tell me, did we get close with any of those houses?

The first house was actually quite close, I feel.

The house was really lovely, the land was not quite right

and we couldn't quite see where we would be able to get land nearby,

but the potential for a holiday let and the house itself was really nice.

Yeah, beautiful house.

And I'm going to say it, the mystery house?

The mystery house was quite something,

brought a smile on our faces, a big grin.

I think it's pretty close.

I've got to ask you, £600,000 is a healthy budget.

From our end, what's on the market at the moment,

we really struggled to find that beautiful home, with land,

plenty of land, and outbuildings,

and perhaps a holiday let that's already been done.

The compromise solution that I might look for is to find a house

which is not quite perfect but we can do work on, which has the land.

And maybe a holiday let,

but we don't want a house that's really nicely decorated but wrong.

Now that's really interesting

because right at the beginning of this search

I asked you what's the priority, is it the house or the business?

-Do you remember what you said?

-The house.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

So perhaps, in a way,

what this experience has given you is that you could get

a smaller house and fix the house

but it's difficult to gain a business if it's not already there.

-That's right.

-So what is going to be your next move?

Next move is to, I think, actually rent somewhere in this area,

or close by, find a suitable livery for Macy.

-We've fallen in love with this area.

-Have you?

-Yes.

Well, I'm glad we've been able to help in some way

because if ever there was a couple that

I wanted to find the perfect property with everything that

you wanted to go with it, it was for you two. You're nearly there.

Next few months, hopefully that property will come on the market.

-Yes.

-We'll let you know.

-Thank you.

-Do.

-Yes.

-Keep in touch.

-Will do.

So, rather frustratingly,

we didn't find John and Tina their perfect package here in Somerset.

But what the last few days has shown them is their priorities are,

in fact, the land, the outbuildings, the stables,

the various business opportunities, and then their home.

But they're so committed to living here that they're going to rent

in the next month or so.

But I really hope they find their perfect place very soon.

I'll see you again next time. Bye-bye.

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