Dorset Escape to the Country

200 years ago, a humble craftsman undertook restoration work

on this magnificent manor house.

And his son went on to carve out an infamous name for himself

in English literature.

Find out where I am and who that famous writer was

in just a moment.

Today, a pair of active retirees

are keen to leave the Big Smoke behind them

and move to their dream country hideaway.

-Isn't that stunning?

-It really is lovely.

Especially on a beautiful, sunny day like today.

But it's not just great views and good weather

that gets our house-hunters excited.

-Cook up a storm in here.

-I'm liking that. I'm liking that.

Today, I'm in Dorset and this is Athelhampton House and Gardens,

built over 500 years ago.

Now, early in the 19th century,

a stonemason called Thomas Hardy helped with renovations here

and his son, also called Thomas, was so enamoured with this place

that, later on, he used it as the backdrop

to one of his poems, The Dame Of Athelhall,

where Hardy's heroine is drawn back here

rather than run away with her lover.

It certainly is an inspiring setting

and one of many that this stunning county is home to.

Dorset is located on the south coast of England

between Hampshire and Devon and borders two other counties.

Around half of the region

is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

where swathes of hills and valleys

are dissected by winding country lanes and hedgerows

that roll down towards the area's striking Jurassic Coast,

England's first World Heritage Site.

In the centre of Dorset's coastline is the Isle of Portland,

a limestone peninsula joined to the mainland

by the 17-mile Chesil Beach.

Portland has been quarried for its stone since the Roman period

and used to construct famous buildings

such as St Paul's Cathedral.

Inland is Wimborne Minster,

once home to the novelist Thomas Hardy,

where a 12th-century church towers over the town

and shelters its historic chained library.

Founded in 1686,

the library's valuable books were secured in this way

to keep them safe yet still accessible to the public.

So, with its gorgeous countryside

and mix of architecture that ranges from beach-side Regency villas

to classic thatched cottages,

Dorset really is a popular choice for life away from the city.

Dorset's desirable coastal location

means you'll have to pay a premium if you want to live there,

with the average price of a detached house costing around £333,000.

Now, that's just over £50,000 above the national figure.

Properties in the east of the county tend to be more expensive

with better access to the New Forest and London,

but if you want your money to go just that little bit further,

head westwards towards Shaftesbury and Dorchester.

So, what is it about this lovely county

that has attracted today's buyers?

Well, let's meet them and find out.

Retired nurse Sarah and her retired chartered surveyor husband John

were working abroad when their paths first crossed.

We met in 1984 in Dubai.

We lived out there until 1989 and been travelling ever since.

We've lived in Saudi Arabia, Cape Town, back in UK several times.

That's how our relationship started.

I would say it was love at first sight.

We hit it off instantly.

The start of all love affairs has to be a fantastic friendship

and I think we had that right from the outset.

Yeah, we did.

They married four years later

and since settling back in the UK some 15 years ago,

home had been a two-bedroom flat with communal gardens

in Putney, southwest London.

We've sold our property

and we're kind of living a pretty nomadic existence.

It's really quite tough doing that at the moment.

Sarah and John are an active pair

and have loved their life in the Big Smoke,

but it's not where they want to spend their retirement.

Putney's changed over the years

and more particularly, over the last five years,

where there's been a lot of high-rise development.

The traffic is really very heavy and it's got worse and worse and worse

and now it can take 30 minutes to get down the hill

onto the high street if you drive the car.

They're now ready to move on to pastures new.

I used to spend a lot of time in the countryside at my grandparents'.

It was a very carefree sort of life and I really enjoyed that

and I kind of aspire to having that sort of life.

Country life is at a different pace and people have time for you

and that, you won't find in a big city.

After researching potential country spots for their new life,

they've decided on Dorset.

It's somewhere they've visited and loved

that's not too far from family in London, Leicester and Wales,

who they hope will come and visit.

We've decided that we're going to move down to the coast

and have a quieter, simpler life.

John has three grown-up children

and three grandchildren from a previous relationship

and both he and Sarah are looking forward

to getting to know the country with them.

We're really excited about finding places

to take John's children and grandchildren.

That's really important to us. We love the coast

and we understand there's a lot to do inland as well,

so we're really looking forward to exploring Dorset.

So, with their flat already sold

and a desire to be living in the country,

the hunt is on to find the couple a new Dorset dwelling.

Our life going forward is going to be quite different

because we've only just stopped working,

so it's a double whammy of being retired and living in a new place.

-Mm-hm.

-But we're up for it.

John and Sarah love the area around the town of Wimborne Minster,

so they've asked us to concentrate our search to the east of the county.

And before we embark on our property journey,

I'm meeting them in Dorset to hear more about what they're looking for.

Well, John and Sarah, welcome. Lovely to meet you both.

Are you looking forward to the next few days?

-We really are, yes.

-Good.

-Very much so.

Well, I have to say, Dorset is one of my favourite counties.

I probably shouldn't say that. I can see why you want to live here.

But why is it going to work so well for you as your new home?

Well, Dorset seems to offer everything that we want.

It has market towns, beautiful countryside

and it's within easy striking distance of London and our family.

What are you looking for with your property?

We're looking for three to four bedrooms,

a large kitchen so we can entertain family and friends,

-a garage for John.

-Yes.

Um, a garden. Not too big, but something we can manage.

An absolute must is an en-suite bathroom.

We've lived in a small flat for so long

that we absolutely have to have our own bathroom.

-So, non-negotiable.

-Non-negotiable.

And if it doesn't have an en-suite

but there's enough space to put one in,

would you be prepared to take on a little bit of a project?

Provided it wasn't too major, we could do something, yes.

Is there anything that you really don't want to see

when it comes to perhaps architectural styles

-or periods of property?

-Chalet-style houses.

-Anything else?

-Thatch.

-Yeah.

Remind us again of your budget for this move.

£650,000.

Well, we do have some splendid properties lined up to show you.

-Shall we get started?

-Great.

-If you'd like to follow me. Thank you.

-Thank you.

Sarah and John's budget of £650,000 is a generous one for the area

so it's a great starting point for our search.

They're after a three to four-bedroom house

with an en-suite master and a large, sociable kitchen.

Outside, they want a garage that doubles up as a workshop for John,

along with a manageable garden.

And it should all be in a location

close to amenities.

We've gathered a variety of properties

for Sarah and John to view,

but they'll only discover the price after they've toured each house.

And the final visit to the Mystery House

will present them with a challenge.

But, if they can rise to it,

I think they'll be more than pleasantly surprised.

What is this new adventure going to be like, then?

This new life. Time on your hands.

Have you got lots of projects

in the back of your mind that you want to do?

I think we both want to just have time to wind down,

but I'd really like to get involved with the community a little bit.

Just kind of give something back.

And, John, tell me more about this shed.

Is it a shed or is it going to be a workshop?

A garage, but with enough space that I can set up a bench

and play with some tools that I haven't had out of the box in years.

-Is it woodwork that you're into?

-Yes, mostly,

with a speciality of making children's go-karts.

I'm guessing that these three to four bedrooms that you're after

will be so there's enough room for the family

-and the grandchildren to come to stay.

-Very much so, yes.

We're kicking off our tour round Dorset in the hamlet of East Stoke,

which is 20 miles southwest of Wimborne.

It's about five miles from the coast

and three miles from the market town of Wareham.

A real draw for locals and visitors,

Wareham is home to an assortment of shops and eateries,

plus a cinema and a museum charting the town's history

from prehistoric times to the present day.

There's also the 1,000-year-old St Martin's Church,

which is the oldest in Dorset

and famous for its priceless effigy of Lawrence of Arabia.

A five-minute drive takes us to tranquil East Stoke

where we find the first house.

So, let me introduce you to our very first property.

-It's lovely. It's very neat.

-Absolutely beautifully kept.

I spy some chalets.

-The good news is it's not a chalet home.

-OK.

However, it was a single-storey property

-when it was first built in 1930...

-OK.

..and then, 15 years ago, been completely extended,

so the upstairs was added using the original tiles.

I think it looks really nice. It's very well presented.

-It's a nice-looking house. It has kerb appeal.

-I second that.

I think it's got lovely features and a beautiful entrance.

Well, let's see what you make of the inside.

This house was built in the 1930s

and shows no sign of its former life as a bungalow.

We're heading straight for the largest reception room,

which is triple-aspect and runs the entire length of the house

from front to back.

Here is your living room.

The room itself is quite large. I think the way it's laid out...

They've put this sofa here so it makes it a bit smaller.

If you look behind you, you see you've also got all of this space.

-Yes.

-Look at that outside.

-Stunning.

-That really is beautiful.

-Great.

All right, well, we'll continue through

-because we've got to show you the all-important kitchen.

-OK.

Across the hallway, the kitchen is sandwiched

between a downstairs bathroom,

a sizeable utility room and the dining room.

Now, you've emphasised you want a large kitchen.

Well, it's a fine kitchen in terms of its space

and it's got enough area for a table and chairs

so you can use it as a kitchen/diner.

-But here's my expert on kitchens.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Right, expert, what's the opinion?

-It's a great size.

I mean, compared to what we had, it's fantastic, really.

But I kind of envisaged something a little bit bigger

and it's a little bit dark for me.

Well, you have the conservatory next door

and that probably does make this room a little bit darker

-because that would have been an exterior wall originally.

-Yes.

-Let's head upstairs.

-OK.

-If you'd like to follow me.

Up on the first floor, there's plenty of space too.

The staircase leads up to a landing,

which is almost a room in its own right,

and four bedrooms.

There's a large double en-suite

with windows on two sides at the front of the house.

Then, at the back, there's another dual-aspect double

as well as a smaller bedroom or study.

And lying directly above the sitting room

is the largest of the bedrooms.

This is the master, which has the en-suite.

Now, size.

Size-wise, it's good, but I do have a real problem with that chalet.

-Is that giving you the feeling of chalet?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

The dormer window and the sloping roof.

-That's something that we really don't desire.

-Right.

I've got one more thing to show you, which...it might change your mind.

-Let's see how we get on.

-OK.

-OK.

After sharing their garden in London,

I'm sure our buyers will be delighted to see the grounds here.

They extend to around a third of an acre

with pretty flowerbeds and mature trees.

-So, we do have a rather beautiful garden here.

-Stunning, yes.

It's absolutely beautiful. It's really well maintained.

Now, John, I can see your eyes.

Obviously, you're looking at me, but I can see, really,

-you're taken with the building behind me, aren't you?

-Yes.

Because you've got a double garage

and above, there's a mezzanine floor.

Now, they use it as a gym, but plenty of space up there for your workshop.

You've also got a greenhouse, potting shed.

-He's going to be happy out here, isn't he?

-Very happy.

How much would you say our first property is on the market for?

I think about 580.

-OK. John?

-I think a little more. About 595.

-This property's on the market for £565,000.

-Gosh!

-Really?

Yeah. Have an explore on your own this time.

I'll catch up with you when you're ready.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

This really is a beautiful home.

I know they've got some reservations about the chalet type upstairs etc,

but at that price in this part of Dorset,

I think it's worth reconsidering, myself.

This detached house comes in at an unbelievable £85,000

under Sarah and John's budget.

It provides them with a conservatory adjoining the kitchen

that gives them a great space to entertain in.

They get the number of bedrooms they're after,

which is perfect for visiting family,

plus an en-suite with the master

and great workshop options for John.

As we went through the property,

I felt that the chalet style really is a problem for me

and I was a bit disappointed with the kitchen.

The space was fantastic, but it was just a bit dark.

The features of the house that I really liked were the garden.

It's fantastic and just a really lovely,

comfortable, relaxing garden to be in.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, this is excellent. I could just see myself in here.

A window and a bench. It's got everything.

Well, the garage, if there is such a thing as a garageometer,

would be right up there. A full...

A full ten points there. Well done. Yes, that was really excellent.

-Have you seen enough?

-We have, yes, thank you.

-Good.

-Yes, thank you.

I know there's a few reservations,

but, hopefully, a second viewing on your own

softened a few of those concerns, I'm hoping.

-Um, a little.

-Yeah? Well, only our first property.

-We've got more to show you, so shall we hit the road?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

The Dorset market town of Wimborne Minster

that has captured Sarah and John's interest

is full of real historic character

and its streets are teeming with local wares and produce.

We've arranged for them to visit a rural bakery just north of the town

to meet bakery founder Jamie Campbell.

He took on a second job 15 years ago,

providing the area with his lovingly created version

of a culinary staple - bread.

And what brought you to Dorset, Jamie?

Cos your accent tells me you're not local.

No, I'm Canadian. I'm from Toronto.

I came to Dorset in about 1983. I love Dorset.

-I'm very happy here.

-Has this always been a bakery?

No, this building started life as a stables.

When we came here, it was pretty much derelict,

but we were looking for some use for it.

We couldn't find good bread in the area, so we thought

something which would be personally interesting for us

would be to turn it into a bakery.

And were you always a baker?

No, I'm an architect, in fact. That's my training.

We had no experience in baking, no experience in running a bakery,

no experience of the food business at all.

So, we were complete novices.

-So, there's some hope for us, then.

-There's some hope for everybody.

If we can do it, there's hope for everybody.

Jamie didn't want to open a bakery.

He wanted to open an artisan one, making his bread as pure as possible

by using traditional methods and the best ingredients.

He believes what he produces is tastier and healthier

than mass-produced bread,

which is usually made at speed which can compromise the flavour.

There are other artisan producers in Dorset.

I think there are a few unique points about us, though.

We are organic and we bake everything in a wood-fired oven.

We do as much as possible by hand.

The other thing is

using as much time as possible for the dough to ferment.

We give a lot of time for the dough to prove.

How long does it take?

One of our breads is called long-fermentation bread.

It takes about 24 hours and the longer you give it,

the longer it has to develop a fantastic flavour.

Jamie makes 14 varieties of bread here

and also runs bread-making classes.

Today, Sarah and John are going to have a crash course

to see exactly what goes into producing

one of his basic white loaves, made using just four key ingredients.

This is a white dough,

which is made of white flour, yeast, salt and water.

There you go, John.

First, they flatten the dough.

The next step is to think of 12 o'clock.

Grab the dough at that point

and pull it across right in the centre and press down,

so you're making a fold.

All the edges are folded in to make a parcel.

Now, the next thing is to think of your arms as being like pistons

and you start to squeeze and lift the dough.

-How's that feeling?

-It's really therapeutic, actually.

So, how many loaves would you make in a day?

Well, it varies, of course, according to the orders,

but we generally make around 550, 650, 700 loaves a day.

So, how long would that take?

That's about one and a half eight-hour shifts,

so that's going to take about 12 hours.

Jamie and his team of four artisan bakers

produce a quarter of a million loaves a year,

which end up in his own shop and other outlets,

including farmers' markets, local shops and supermarkets.

I guess bread-making is actually very scientific, isn't it?

Patisserie is like chemistry.

Bread-making is biology because you're dealing with a living thing.

-And look at that.

-Perfect.

-I'm delighted.

-You're hired.

-SHE LAUGHS

-You're hired and I'm fired.

-THEY LAUGH

The loaves are placed on a couche -

linen from France - which is ideal for proving bread.

It folds easily,

allowing the dough to prove without sticking to its neighbour.

I'll put these in the proving cupboard.

The loaves will rest in the cupboard for 45 minutes to an hour,

allowing them to rise.

After they've rested, they're scored, which also helps them rise,

and then placed in the wood-fired oven

for around 45 minutes to bake at 270 degrees centigrade.

And while the bread magic is happening,

Sarah and John are in for a treat.

-How's our bread doing?

-It's doing well. It's doing well.

That'll be some loaves for you to take away later,

but in the meantime, we can taste some of this bread.

So, what have we got here, then?

We have a 100% rye, wholemeal, sourdough bread.

A true flavour of Dorset.

-That's delicious.

-That's absolutely fantastic.

Thank you so much for having us here today

and giving us the benefit of your knowledge

and the fantastic things that you do here.

-Thank you so much.

-Thanks for all your hard work.

-Thank you.

So, after enjoying a taste of Dorset produce,

it's time to serve up our next property.

For our second offering,

we're travelling north to the village of Sutton Waldron,

which is around 17 miles northwest of Wimborne

and less than a mile from the larger village of Fontmell Magna.

Here, a variety of country houses sit against a rural backdrop

with all the necessary amenities close to hand.

A three-minute drive and we're in Sutton Waldron,

with a village hall allowing locals to get stuck into community life

and the attractive St Bartholomew's Church,

once described by the poet Sir John Betjeman

as one of the best and most lovely examples of Victorian architecture.

The village's quiet country lanes are flanked by a diverse range

of attractive architectural styles, including our next house.

-It looks really interesting.

-Really interesting, yeah.

-Yeah.

I don't see a garage.

-OK. Well, I can fix that one straightaway...

-OK.

-..because you've got a double carport...

-OK.

-..and a garage.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

-That's great.

Don't worry, John. We thought of you with the garage.

-Not going to let you down.

-No, you didn't. Well done.

And hopefully, we're not going to let you down with our second house.

-I can't wait to go in.

-Come on, then. Let's see.

This beautiful-looking house built from brick and stone

is thought to date back to the 1860s.

It's believed that it started life as a farm building

and later became a home,

which it no longer is today as the owners have already moved out.

It's part furnished,

so Sarah and John will need to use a little imagination.

We're entering via the side door

and going past the utility room straight to the kitchen.

-Ah.

-It's got a range.

I like the size of it. I like the cabinets.

Again, it's a bit dark.

Two windows there and then one behind us.

What you could do - the second window,

you could actually make that into a door.

That would change it a lot.

-Yeah, I don't think it would be a big job either.

-No.

I like the feel of it. I could definitely do something with it.

-Cook up a storm in here.

-I'm liking that. I'm liking that.

All the rooms on this floor flow off a long corridor.

So, the geography - you've got access outside,

really large dining room there.

Again, another reception room.

They use that as a study, but it's really large.

A little, very small toilet.

And then right at the end of the hallway,

-you've got your sitting room.

-This is a nice ending to it.

People are not going to pass through it.

-You have to come here for a reason.

-Yeah.

-And it's a lovely space.

It's not massive.

It's small, but I can see us sitting here in the winter months.

Nice and cosy. It's a really cosy room.

Well, the good news is we can all see the potential in the ground floor.

-Let's see what you think of upstairs.

-OK.

Upstairs, there's a small family bathroom

and four bedrooms all in the eaves.

There's a dual-aspect double with an en-suite,

two further doubles overlooking the front of the house...

..and over the sitting room is the biggest of them all.

So, this is our master bedroom and the good news is,

although it might need a little bit of love and care,

-it does have an en-suite.

-Which is good.

-Size-wise?

-Feels a little bit cosy for me.

-SHE LAUGHS

-You're scared to say the S word, aren't you?

-I am.

It does feel a little bit small to me.

-Maybe it's the low ceilings.

-Well, it's a four-bedroom house.

-Yeah.

-So, it has the opportunity to have a dressing room.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-OK, so, that's an opportunity too.

-Yeah.

-Needs a little bit of love and care, I think, on this floor as well.

-Yes.

Got to consider that as a little bit of a project.

Let's head back downstairs, take a look at the garden.

Space definitely seems high on Sarah's list of priorities

and I don't think she'll have a problem with the grounds here.

There's an expansive lawn with pretty borders

and a patio area perfect for enjoying summer evenings.

Now...looking at the property from here...

I mean, we liked it from the front, didn't we?

We thought it had kerb appeal.

-It's got garden appeal too.

-Fantastic.

-This is lovely.

-Absolutely beautiful.

Well, let's hear what we think about the price.

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

I think we're probably looking around 550,000.

-OK. Sarah?

-560.

The asking price is...

-..£625,000.

-Oh.

-Whoa. You do surprise me.

Yes, that surprises me,

but I suppose it has to do with location

and perhaps that's what the market can take in this part of the county.

-We've been honest. It does need a little bit of work.

-Yes, it does.

-You still have money in your budget, but it's up there, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Well, take another look around.

I'll meet you out the front when you're ready.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

This 19th-century farmhouse is full of character

and would still manage to leave our buyers

with £25,000 change from their budget,

which is good news as there's the opportunity here

for them to bring the house into the 21st century

and put their stamp on it.

It's got a good-sized kitchen with the option to let more light in,

just the number of bedrooms they want,

including not one, but two en-suites and John gets his garage.

My initial impression, when we came along the lane,

was one of intrigue.

It's got definite kerb appeal and I was quite excited

by the prospect of getting to know this property.

When we came into the kitchen, I liked the feel of the kitchen

and I could see that you could make some changes

to make it more to our taste.

The garage. It has electricity, some light.

-New build.

-Would that work for you?

-Yes.

As we progressed through the house, I then started to feel

that it wasn't really living up to our expectations

and there was a lot more work to do than I think we want to do.

The word project kept coming up

and I've been involved in projects all my working life

and I think this might be one project too far.

So, that's it. You've seen our properties today.

You can relax now.

-Let's hit the road.

-Look forward to it.

It's the second day of our Dorset property hunt

and with a healthy budget of £650,000 in their pockets,

we're on a quest to find Sarah and John

from Putney, southwest London, a country home to retire to.

Coming up, there's a big reveal in store with our Mystery House...

-Yeah, that is a surprise.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Well done.

..and I'll be following in the steps of the dinosaurs

with a visit to the county's Jurassic Coast.

Do we have any idea how long it's going to last?

It could be a few hundred years, a few thousand years.

We just don't know. Very much depends on the weather.

Yesterday, we showed John and Sarah two properties here in Dorset.

The first, which was very close to the sea,

was a four-bedroom family home with a gorgeous garden,

but the feedback we got was it was a little on the small side,

especially from Sarah.

Our second home, which was north of the region -

beautiful property, great grounds.

Again, the rooms were felt to be a little bit too small in places.

Today, well, it's Mystery House time.

The sun's shining. It's a beautiful day here in Dorset.

I'm feeling quietly confident because this time,

we're going to take them further west.

We're going to show them a house that,

well, it does have one element they could struggle with,

but the merits, hopefully, are going to outweigh that.

Let's see how we get on.

So, we're driving to our Mystery House.

Have you given it any thought, what we might be taking you to see?

We were discussing it this morning, weren't we?

We're convinced it's going to be a thatch.

And how would you feel if it was a thatch?

I think you have to keep an open mind about these things.

-Just have a look and...

-You do with our Mystery.

-SARAH LAUGHS

-Yes.

I think it's nice to look outside the box anyway,

so I'm sure we're going to enjoy

whatever it is you're going to show us.

Well, we've got a little bit of a drive. Let's see how we get on.

For our Mystery House,

we're journeying over towards the west of the county

just three miles past Dorchester

to the village of Bradford Peverell.

The village, which sits in the Frome Valley,

has a busy village hall uniting the local community.

There's a handsome show of houses, many built of brick and stone,

all surrounded by farmland and country walks.

The 16-mile Frome Valley Trail, which follows the River Frome,

meanders through Bradford Peverell,

taking in the local scenery and wildlife.

On the edge of the village is our final offering.

And today, I'm hoping it might raise the roof.

So, here is our final property, the Mystery House.

And why is it the mystery property?

-Because it's a thatch.

-THEY LAUGH

You guessed right when I asked you in the car.

But what are we thinking?

Because obviously, you have reservations and I understand those.

-It's a very pretty cottage.

-It is.

-Yeah.

-It is really chocolate-box.

-It does look very nice, yes.

It was built in 1996, so, relatively new.

The actual ridge at the top was replaced this year.

It's been dressed - that's the official term for it -

-and the thatcher says that's got a good ten years still to go.

-OK.

What's going through your minds?

It's not kind of what I was hoping for.

However, it does look very nice

and I'd just like to have a look inside to see what it's like.

-Well, I think, on that note, we should.

-OK.

-Let's have a look.

This charming cottage built from brick and flint

may have youth on its side,

but it's also got the character typical of a historic country pad.

Once we cross the threshold,

the Mystery House's thatched roof is all but forgotten.

So, do come on in.

-Let's start off with the kitchen.

-That's unexpected.

-It's nice and bright.

-Plenty of light.

-Mm.

-Lovely.

-Look at that window.

-Isn't that stunning?

-It really is lovely.

Especially on a beautiful, sunny day like today.

Rather than have a dining table,

they've decided to have a couple of sofas

-and a little table and use that as a coffee area.

-Right.

That would easily take a small dining table.

-Yeah, it lends itself to that.

-It does, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-It does.

-Well, that is a surprise.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Well done.

-We're smiling.

THEY LAUGH That's good. I'll smile, then.

-I particularly love the butcher's block.

-Yes, that is nice.

Although this house is relatively new,

it's got bags of character.

Yes, it's built very sympathetically.

There's exposed brickwork,

some lovely, old beams that they've recovered and used here.

It's authentic.

-Is this more what you had in mind?

-Absolutely.

-Excellent.

Let's see what you make of next door.

The kitchen runs from the front to the back of the house

and has a small utility room off it.

Then, across the hallway, we find the sitting room.

So, here's your first reception room with access to the garden.

But then, next door, you've got a second green oak garden room here.

Gosh. That's really unexpected.

-So, this has been added more recently.

-Mm-hm.

This is actually an extension.

And I think, looking at the size of that reception room,

it really benefits from having a second one next door.

-Yes.

-Yes, absolutely.

So, you've got doors opening onto your garden.

And, again, the way it's been designed,

it does maximise this elevated position

that we have on the hill overlooking that countryside.

-It's phenomenal.

-It is.

Little addition for you. Either of you wine connoisseurs?

-A connoisseur, no.

-No.

-Passionate about wine, then?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-THEY LAUGH

-You got me there.

-You have your own wine cellar.

-Really?

-Oh, no!

-Yeah. It's carpeted.

Really cool temperature. It's been beautifully done.

-Really?

-I'll let you explore that on your own.

-OK.

-Shall we continue upstairs?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Yes, please.

The central stairway leads up to the first floor and four bedrooms,

one in each corner of the house.

There's a small double with a fitted wardrobe,

another in use as a study...

..and there's a bright, dual-aspect room

all served by a family bathroom.

But we're heading to the largest of the four.

-Now, this is our master bedroom.

-OK.

-It has the en-suite.

-Right.

-Perhaps not the largest of master bedrooms.

-No.

But take a look out at that view of the window.

-Yes, it's magnificent.

-I love the timber flooring.

-Yeah.

That's good and it's got an en-suite, which is great.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Time to head back downstairs.

We've got to talk how much the Mystery House is on the market for.

-All right.

-OK.

Our Mystery House's thatched roof may have shocked Sarah and John,

but it seems its interior is surprising them in a good way.

And the surprises continue outside in the landscaped garden,

complete with a raised patio and a far-reaching vista.

From here, there's also a fabulous view of the back of the house,

where the garden room can be fully appreciated in all its glory.

So, looking at the property, it looks like...

In a way, it looks like a doll's house to me, standing here.

-It does. It's beautiful, actually. Very attractive.

-Yeah.

Behind us, you've got your vegetable patch,

which has been raised,

and there's a little shed at the bottom.

Don't want John to feel too neglected.

You have a double garage. It has electricity.

Good enough to park a car and have a little bit of a workshop there.

Excellent.

So, how are we feeling about guessing the price

for the final time with our splendid Mystery House?

I'm going to be at £640,000.

-Right.

-OK.

I think the downstairs was beautiful,

but upstairs was a bit smaller than I would have expected

for a property like this.

So, I'm going to say 590.

The asking price is offers over £500,000.

-SHE GASPS

-I won!

THEY LAUGH I want you to be delighted

-on the price.

-Fantastic.

-That is amazing.

-Yeah.

-That IS amazing.

Does change things somewhat, doesn't it?

-It does.

-Completely.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

-Take your time. Please do.

-OK.

-See you later.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

This 19-year-old cottage has come in

at a remarkable £150,000 under Sarah and John's budget.

Now, our Mystery House may have the thatched roof they didn't want,

but there's no denying this country home has charmed them both

with its great space indoors.

There's a delightful garden and just what John ordered -

a double garage with plenty of room for his workshop.

Take a look in here. Look at that beautiful cellar.

There's plenty of room in there.

-I think you'd get hundreds of bottles in here.

-Yeah.

-Well, I think you would.

-Yeah.

-SHE LAUGHS

When I first saw this house, I was impressed. I liked the facade.

It looked really good. It had kerb appeal.

This is nice and bright and airy.

-I mean, you could get a double bed in there easily.

-Yeah.

Yeah, that would be OK. It would be a bit tight, but it would be OK.

When we heard the price of the property, it was quite a shock.

I really didn't expect it to be £500,000.

It does make you look at it a little bit differently,

but it's something we would have to think about.

Right, you've seen all our properties now.

And, of course, the Mystery House was a little bit of a curve ball

-with that price...

-It certainly was.

-..in a good way.

So, I think we should go somewhere, have a seat, have a chat,

-find out what your next move's going to be.

-OK.

To the south of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

is the privately-owned Lulworth Estate

with its resplendent castle

and over 12,000 acres of beautiful countryside

as well as five miles of Jurassic coastline.

Enjoyed by around 500,000 visitors a year,

the estate's land and seascapes give a great economic boost to the area.

I've come to meet Kirsten Light, who's one of the estate rangers.

Kirsten, what does an estate ranger actually have to do?

Our role really includes environmental land management,

so the landscape that you see around you,

rights of way, so all the footpaths, gates, stiles, signs.

We run an education service down at the Heritage Centre

where we teach lots of geography school trips.

Also monitoring the wildlife on the landscape,

so a real mixture of jobs.

This really is the most beautiful spot, isn't it?

It is absolutely lovely.

We've got Durdle Door arch in front of us there.

Big, iconic arch.

I can see the door, but what does durdle actually mean?

Durdle means pierced or through and the door is the arch.

It's an old Anglo-Saxon name.

-And we talk about the Jurassic Coast.

-Mm-hm.

I have visions of a rather famous film.

-What does Jurassic actually mean?

-Yeah.

So, Jurassic is a period of time

and we have rocks on the Jurassic Coast

that date back to that time period.

So, roughly between 150 and 147 million years.

This amazing feat of nature was formed around 10,000 years ago

during the last ice age.

As the ice melted and the sea levels rose,

the coastline and rocks eroded.

Over time, this continued, creating caves

and spectacular rock formations, such as Durdle Door.

And what about the actual rocks that we can see

poking through from the sea itself?

Yeah, so, again, remnants of obviously the coastline,

so where the coastline used to be before the sea broke through.

The first one's called The Bull. Then we've got The Blind Cow,

which you can just see white water crashing over.

And The Cow and The Calf is the last one in line with Bat's Head.

It all looks pretty awe-inspiring from up here,

but I want to take a closer look.

The steps leading down to the beach

have also borne the brunt of the weather and footfall

and started to erode,

so these new ones were recently completed.

We can see Durdle Door right behind us now in all its magnificence.

Is that limestone? Is that chalk?

So, it's limestone. So, the arch is Portland limestone.

We also have Purbeck limestone,

where you can see these stripy layers here.

It's very decorative building material

and a lot of our buildings in surrounding villages

are made of Purbeck limestone.

Do we have any idea how long it's going to last?

It could be a few hundred years, a few thousand years.

We just don't know. Very much depends on the weather.

Well, here we are on the coastline.

I can see it's an ongoing thing, looking...

I've got loads of tourists here today

-and we're not even in the peak season.

-No.

But you also work the countryside as well, don't you?

That's right, yeah. So, coast and inland a little bit more.

The busiest part of Lulworth Estate is on the coast here.

You'll go four miles inland and it's very, very quiet,

so we're very varied on the Lulworth Estate, really.

Around a 15-minute walk inland, the landscape is just as spectacular.

It's in a conservation area with chalky soil

typical of this coastal region,

attracting many plants and wildlife not found elsewhere.

Now, that's quite a climb up from the cliffs, isn't it?

But here we are surrounded by countryside.

-I can see the cows happily grazing behind us.

-Yes.

-Is this all part of the estate?

-Yes.

You can see over there, some of our sites.

Some really nice, rare, chalk down habitat.

So, part of preserving that habitat is some ongoing management

and the cows are an important part of that management.

They're acting like lawnmowers.

They're keeping that grass fairly short.

When it starts to get a bit longer,

you start to get some of the undesirable things growing up.

So, we can see some remnants of some gorse and some scrub

that encroaches on the landscape,

shading out and encroaching on some of the desirable plants

that we want to encourage up there.

The gorse needs to be kept at bay

to allow plants like horseshoe vetch to grow.

The beautiful Adonis blue butterfly

only lays its eggs on horseshoe vetch,

so it's important that it's allowed to bloom.

And is there a fine balance of managing an estate of this size,

-but also having half a million or so tourists coming every year?

-Yes.

-I mean, are tourist numbers up?

-Yeah, tourist numbers are up

and it's really about balancing tourism with conservation.

So, the two have to go hand-in-hand.

Well, thank you so much for sharing your time with us today.

-It's been wonderful.

-Thank you very much.

Well, as John and Sarah have already sold their home,

we really wanted to find them that perfect property here in Dorset.

But let's be honest, we have struggled over the last few days.

Let's hear what they've got to say.

I wonder whether we've managed to find you a new home here in Dorset.

I wonder how close we've got.

Probably property three was the nearest to it.

We liked the downstairs of the property. It was really nice.

The views were just to die for,

-so I think property three would be our favourite.

-Yes, very much so.

The price of the property was fantastic at 500,000.

However, I don't know how you could make that any better upstairs

without major refurbishment

and that's really not what we want to get into.

No. Fair enough.

What do you think you've learnt

or you can take away from this whole experience?

I think it's broadened our horizons.

We've seen a different part of Dorset

and places that we wouldn't have considered going to,

so that's really helped us.

And I think we will branch out a bit more.

We've been a bit sort of confined in where we've been looking,

but I think we will look further afield now.

I think what we will do in the short term

is probably look to take a rental property

so that we're here in place and we can react quickly

and move around constantly in our quest to find a home.

Positive things to take away,

even though we didn't manage to find you...

-Absolutely.

-..the right home?

It's been a really good experience and it really has helped us

to kind of pinpoint exactly what we want to do.

Well, enjoy your new lives in Dorset.

It's been our pleasure to show you around this county.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Well, there you have it.

John and Sarah liked our properties,

but didn't love any of them enough for a second viewing.

Now, in theory and on paper,

we gave them everything that they asked for and within budget,

but in practice, what they crave is actually space -

much more of it within the houses themselves.

The good news is they've decided to rent down here

and continue their search, so we wish them all the very best

with their new retired lives here in Dorset.

See you again on Escape To The Country.

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