North Somerset Escape to the Country

This sweeping facade is one of the most impressive Georgian structures

in the whole of the UK.

Find out where it is in just a moment.

'In today's show, our house hunters can't wait to leave behind

'suburban life and move on into pastures new in the countryside.'

'The size of our properties gets the seal of approval.'

Brace yourself, it's quite a big one. Ta-dah!

-SHE GASPS

-Brilliant.

'But there's dissent along the way too.'

You're not getting the views, you're getting hedgerows.

-I think the answer is to take down the hedges.

-Quite.

Today, I'm in Bath in the county of Somerset

and this is the Royal Crescent, the city's most iconic structure.

It was built at the end of the 18th century by the architect

John Wood the Younger

and it consists of 30 individual Grade I listed buildings.

In amongst them, there's a luxury hotel and a museum

but most of them have been divided into flats.

Although the facade has stayed unchanged for 230 years.

And it's not the only remarkable thing in this county

that has stood the test of time.

For today's house hunts, we're homing in on North Somerset.

Bordered by Devon and Dorset, the area stretches

from the Bristol Channel in the west to the Wiltshire border in the east.

Over 35 miles of stunning coastline here

border Exmoor National Park, which showcases dramatic moorland

and some of the highest sea cliffs in England.

The Mendip Hills cover an area of over 120 square miles,

where you'll find attractive villages such as Priddy.

At the east of this evocative landscape sits Glastonbury Tor,

which provides panoramic views across the Somerset Levels.

The county's produce sustains a thriving food and drink industry,

notably cider, made in its abundance of apple orchards.

With scenery such as the Quantock Hills inspiring

the works of romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge,

this county is an enlightening choice for aspiring escapees.

Let's talk about those pesky monetary matters.

The average price for a detached house here in Somerset is £276,000,

which is £6,000 less than the national figure.

But as always, there are hot spots in this county,

particularly in the north-east around the city of Bath

where you pay a lot more for the same sort of property.

So, if you can steer clear of Bath,

your money is going to go a lot further.

But what other factors have attracted our buyers

to this lovely county? Let's meet them and find out.

Training and development consultant Laurie

met graphic designer David 15 years ago

when her company was starting out

and she was liaising with work clients.

I would describe David as...

..a bit eccentric in a wonderful, wonderful way.

He makes me laugh all the time.

I'd describe Laurie as enthusiastic, positive, lively, loving,

and probably the best person I've ever met in my life.

I was going to say the same thing but I thought I'd cry.

SHE LAUGHS

Wokingham holds a special place in their hearts as it's not just

where they currently live but where they met and were married.

David came up with a really good idea of how we could never ever,

or how he could never ever forget our anniversary.

Yes, November 5th.

So I would never forget my anniversary and also have

free firework displays every single wedding anniversary.

But after living in the town for over 25 years, they've noticed that

the area is changing

with more green space being built on by developers.

It's not quite the same charming little market town it used to be.

Memories are all in here, aren't they?

You know, it's not in the bricks and mortar, really.

It's what you take with you

and I'm taking him with me so I'll be fine.

Now that the Laurie's daughters and David's sons have all left home,

they're more than ready to move to the peace and quiet

of the countryside and buy their first home together.

Now it's all about us

and the change of environment.

And having some space and having

a new house to really invest some time in.

And just making it right for us.

I like change, I'd like things to be moving

so that doesn't worry me at all.

It's going to be very, very exciting.

David was all set to move to Somerset before he met Laurie,

which meant putting his plans on hold.

However, after 18 years of working from home

and now nearing retirement, the county holds even more appeal.

It's just beautiful and there's space, there's freedom out there.

But it's not too rural.

Because I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere.

So, it still has a village

and a town feel and there are things going on.

Having travelled extensively in the UK and abroad in their caravan

and sports car, Laurie and David have a lot of experience

of staying in guest houses,

which they hope to put to good use once they relocate.

Part of the move would be perhaps to buy a property that has

a business associated with it.

Perhaps a holiday let.

It would be much easier for me.

I'd only worry about changeover on Saturdays,

maintaining the property,

dealing with any problems the guests might have.

I'm going to continue in my job, but then gradually,

I'm not going to want to work as much as I do at the moment.

Then I can become more of a part of it.

So, with grand plans ahead of them, it's all systems go

to find the house of their dreams.

-I'm a frustrated country boy.

-Yes!

-And can't wait.

I'm a townie but I'll cope. It'll be fine.

Laurie and David are happy to consider

a range of locations in North Somerset.

However, for the immediate future, Laurie will continue to work

and so needs good access to motorways

and they'd both like to be within an hour's drive of Bristol.

I'm meeting up with them in Somerset to dig deeper

into what they're looking for in their new home.

So, you've made it from Wokingham to lovely Somerset.

We have, we have.

And the beautiful spring weather you've brought with you.

-Great setting, yes.

-Yes.

David, you're more of a country boy so is this sort of your dream move?

I've been trying to move for...

-How long, darling?

-About 15 years.

-15 years.

-And she's been stopping you.

She has, actually, because...

I was just set to move to Somerset itself about 15 years ago

and that's when we met.

So, Laurie, are you a bit more ambivalent about the countryside?

I love the countryside.

It's just at the moment, my business is really busy.

So I need to keep a foot in the Home Counties

but it would be great to have a rural retreat to come back to

and I'm looking forward to that very much.

You're quite international so do you need to be near Bristol airport?

That will help a lot, yes.

I understand you want to kind of get some money out of the property

in terms of business. Tell me about that.

The idea is to have some kind of holiday let.

I will be a little bit more part-time

but gradually, I'll have more time to spend on it.

And the house for you, what's the spec for that?

We're looking for three or four bedrooms.

Four would be great.

Rooms with quite reasonable proportions would be great.

Some views.

And period? Are you fussed about the age of the property?

It would be nice to have an older property.

-Georgian, something like that.

-Some character, yes.

But not too pokey.

I've met your type before. SHE LAUGHS

Well, "Character but not too character.

-"A bit modern but not too modern."

-Not too twee.

-And location?

Do you want to be in a community or out in the sticks?

Just outside a village would be OK.

I think one of the reasons why we've hit on North Somerset

is because Bristol is not that far and Bristol is great.

Bristol has everything that London has but on a smaller,

slightly more quirky, relaxed scale.

So, as o long as I'm within reach of those kind of social activities,

then that will be fine.

So, you've still got the kind of social bug.

-What about you, David?

-Yeah, no, I'm happy in my own...

In the middle of the field with a couple of dogs. That would...

That would suit me.

And remind me of your budget?

We have £700,000.

But if the property was absolutely perfect,

we could go up as far as £750,000.

That's a very handsome budget.

We've got some lovely properties lined up.

And interesting in terms of the business.

-So I hope that you find them to your taste.

-Great.

-Let's go.

-Thank you.

With a healthy budget of £750,000, Laurie and David

are after a character property with three to four bedrooms,

Generous living areas and countryside views.

They'd also like a holiday let

and to be within an hour's drive of Bristol.

We've lined up an impressive range of properties which reflect

the West Country charm our buyers are looking for.

After each of the house tours, I'll be asking them

to guess the price tag.

And our final offering is the Mystery House,

designed to challenge the elements on their wish list

and encourage them to look at something

that normally they would have ruled out.

Are you a bit nervous about the move to the country?

I'm not nervous about the full-scale country life

but it's not right for me today.

-Career-wise?

-Career-wise.

Well, as someone who's done it,

I can genuinely say that all my anxieties about being...

"Oh, how far is it from London?"

-..melted away within about a week.

-Really?

You do meet people quite quickly in the countryside

-because people are more friendly.

-Yes.

For our first property, we're heading to the village of Mark,

which is a 50-minute drive from Bristol.

Mark has a vibrant local community, thanks to its village hall,

which hosts a variety of weekly activities.

With a convenience store, post office and two pubs,

it is surrounded by open countryside.

This village would provide Laurie and David

with the tranquil setting they're after.

Our first property is a short stroll from the village,

down a quiet lane,

overlooking open fields.

This is our first offering.

-It's really, really pretty.

-Uh-huh.

-It's lovely.

-I like the pink at the back.

-Yeah.

-The pink with the red brick.

-Double front, like you've always wanted.

-Double-fronted, yes.

And sash windows. No, I like it very much from the outside.

-You also have an annexe standing behind it.

-Wow.

-It's beginning to get better and better.

-Shall we look inside?

-Yes, please.

-Love to.

'Built in 1754, this former bakery has retained its character.

'Laurie and David already seem excited about it

'but let's see what they make of the interior.'

-So I've whisked you round into the oldest part of the house.

-Oh.

-Oh, it's lovely.

-It's got a lovely feel to it, hasn't it?

This is the bit that goes back to the 1700s.

-And this is the front door, which they don't use.

-I like the windows.

They're like a little mini sort of bay.

The views are amazing, actually.

Just from standing in the corner of the room,

you can see a farm over there, fields over there.

So the feel is lovely, perfect.

In contrast with the original part, the current owners added

a modern extension at the back during the 1990s.

-SHE GASPS

-Great.

-Yeah, good.

-It's quite a size, isn't it?

-That's huge.

-That's terrific, yes.

Come forward and you can see it really is a very big kitchen.

Got a lovely range cooker here. Masses of working space, an island.

That's great. There's loads of stuff going on.

You've got a small table there, you've got a breakfast bar there,

you've got a snug there and yet it doesn't feel cramped.

-It's just enormous.

-Good social room too.

-It's terrific.

-You can get a lot of people here.

Where we're moving from has a large kitchen-diner

and it's where we have lots of parties. Irrespective of any other

room in the house, that's where everybody congregates.

This would just take over from that.

It's just perfect for the way we like to live.

It's also got a wonderful walk-in larder

-and a big utility room through there.

-Yeah.

-You wouldn't have to do a thing.

-Yeah.

-Which is... Which is good.

'Also on the ground floor, there is a formal dining room,

'a cosy but elegant snug

'and a large bright conservatory overlooking the garden.

'Upstairs are five bedrooms, four of which are doubles

'and one single, which is currently used as a study.

'There's also a family bathroom but it's the master suite

'which I'm most looking forward to showing Laurie and David.'

Brace yourself, it's quite a big one.

En suite, walk-in wardrobe.

SHE GASPS And ta-dah!

-Brilliant.

-It's wonderful.

-Brilliant.

-It's lovely!

-Is this over the kitchen?

-Yeah.

-Gosh, it's enormous.

You'd have no idea looking at the outside,

to have a room of this size.

-Gosh, you're in your element, aren't you, in here?

-Yeah.

Huge bedroom, always wanted a nice big master bedroom.

What I've noticed walking into each room is that it doesn't matter

-which window you look out of, it's a lovely view.

-It is a view.

Which is fantastic.

So this is your offering, so quite a spacious sort of personal house.

-Let's go look at the business side.

-OK.

The holiday let here is built over the double garage

and has its own private courtyard garden,

which leads into a conservatory, off which is a compact kitchen.

There are two double bedrooms, a shower room

and a good-sized living area.

It's a blank canvas at the moment

and offers bags of potential for our buyers.

I think there's more than enough space for you here for the week.

There is. The fact you've got two bedrooms,

it means you could have a family.

So is this sort of what you were thinking of?

This is absolutely bang on what we were thinking of. Yes.

-Let's see if you can afford it.

-Oh!

'With an acre of land on offer here,

'the outside space is a generous proposition for Laurie and David.'

I like it because it's big without being open.

I'm not very keen on that sort of football pitch type of garden.

-And I think this is lovely.

-This is absolutely perfect.

So, what do you think this is on the market for?

-This is the tricky bit, isn't it?

-Hmm.

SHE LAUGHS

-I'd say around 700.

-I was going to say 690.

-OK, so in this sense, you're a bit optimistic.

-Yes!

-This is on the market at 725.

-OK.

-Well, that's OK.

-It's not that optimistic, yeah.

-It's within your budget

and I think it gives you a lot of what you ask for.

-It's great.

-Good, we can go home.

-OK!

-Sign the cheque.

-OK, we'll buy this.

-THEY LAUGH

But have an explore and I will see you out the front

with your thoughts. Then we can go on to the next one.

-Lovely, thank you.

-On you go.

£25,000 under their budget, this former bakery with five bedrooms,

a huge kitchen and bags of living space also offers Laurie and David

the holiday let potential they were hoping for from their new property.

Set on the edge of a village, it's a 50-minute drive from Bristol.

-This is a super little room, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I was thinking

we've got so many books.

Just sit around with a fire going.

-A cup of tea?

-No TV, just books.

Quiet, just the countryside through the window.

-It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

I really like this property. I think the space is terrific.

The real highlight rooms are the kitchen-diner part

and the master bedroom. And also, to have the views.

-What do you think about it, then?

-I think it's fantastic.

-It's answered all the brief.

-I know!

And the rest, I mean, I didn't expect a garden this big.

-It feels like our house.

-It feels like our place but better.

The potential holiday let is great, plus the potential to open it up

even further with the garage beneath.

So, overall, as a first house, this is almost perfect.

So, if they get better than this, then we'll be very pleased.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-You all done?

-Yes.

Good. Well, I won't pick your brains too much

-but let's go straight on to the next one.

-Great.

-Excellent.

Dating back to the 12th century, Wells Cathedral has been described

as one of the most beautiful and most poetic of English cathedrals.

Visited by 300,000 people every year, it's renowned for its scale

and the architectural intricacy of its exterior.

Keen to learn more about Somerset's heritage,

we've arranged for Laurie and David to meet the Clerk of Works, Jez Fry.

To hear about its striking stonework.

When was it all built?

The first phase of the cathedral took 80 years to complete,

culminating in the West Front we see behind us,

-which was started in 1215 and took around 30 years to build.

-Fantastic.

-Wow.

-And in medieval times, it was painted, wasn't it?

Yes, all the statues were painted.

All the niches behind them were painted.

So, it was a riot of colour but it wasn't only a visual spectacle,

it was also an audible spectacle.

There are openings through the walls where trumpeters would have stood

-acting as the heralds from the angels trumpeting down.

-How amazing!

As the earliest Gothic example in England, Wells Cathedral

would have been the 3-D movie of its time.

Drawing people from far and wide to worship

and wonder at its architecture.

It's a particularly intricate front. How many statues are there?

Originally, there was 400 statues. Now there's only 300.

Starting at the top, there's the statue of Christ

flanked either side by the six-winged seraphim, or angels.

And then obviously, the disciples are below that.

And then as we move down, there's historic kings, quite a few bishops.

Because obviously they were keen to have themselves

-immortalised on the West Front.

-Yes, yes.

-Really, really fascinating.

-Thank you very much.

Wells Cathedral's ongoing restoration work

draws on the traditional skills of stonemasonry.

And our couple are getting a masterclass

from the cathedral's stonemasons in Cheddar.

They're meeting director and award-winning stonemason Ryan Brunt,

who completed his apprenticeship

whilst working on the cathedral in 1989.

How long does it take to become a stonemason?

Um, the apprenticeship is three years.

And what kind of skills do you learn over that period?

It's all to do with a chisel control

and mallet control to start off with.

So, working a square block

true and square and flat.

Then you'll progress onto moulded work.

Driving around here, you see lots of different houses

made of different-coloured stones.

Do you work on different stones here?

Yeah, we work on any stone anyone wants, really.

For instance, Doulting stone that the cathedral's built with.

And this one here is called Stoke Ground Top Bed.

It's one of the Bath Stones quarry

-just outside Bath.

-What would that be used for?

Um, it's used for fireplaces, window surrounds,

-any of the architecture on a building, really.

-Lovely.

So you can sculpt with it? You can...

-do quite intricate work.

-Yeah, funny enough,

I've got something set up for you to play with.

-Oh, lovely. Thank you.

-Brilliant. Thanks.

Quarried since Roman times, Bath Stone's soft, chalky texture

makes it easy for the stonemasons to work with.

Laurie and David are trying their hand at making a unique souvenir

to take home with them.

-I'll do a W, darling.

-OK.

-In a circle.

-OK.

The letter W represents Laurie and David's family name.

Three years at fine art college and this is where he gets to.

HE CHUCKLES

-That's about right.

-Oh, wow.

-That's fine.

-Trying to visualise it in 3-D.

-Yes.

-Yes, that's it.

-Yes.

-OK, so this is the bit that goes.

-Yep.

-So then, the W is then in relief.

-Then it rises out of the circle.

I know.

-So, I've got you these to put on.

-All right.

-To protect your eyes.

If you start here, on a little angle.

So we're keeping away from the lines first

and then we'll move back again.

Just make sure it chips in the right direction now.

So what we're trying to do is just release some of the waste first.

-Right, now it's your turn.

-Yep, thank you.

With more than 26 years of experience,

Ryan makes sculpting look easy.

But with the stone costing £2,500 per cubic metre,

there's little margin for error.

-That's the line, so if I give it slightly out...

-Yep.

They're changing from the wide chisel to a smaller precise chisel

to complete the carving.

So basically, hold this one upright and just stab with it.

Pepper it, yes.

-So, how's that?

-So, what do you think?

-That's fine...

for your first attempt.

-Not bad at all!

-THEY LAUGH

-This one here you're taking home with you today.

-Oh, wow.

-We can have it.

-Oh, that's great.

-And then we can put it in our new home in the country.

-Exactly, yes.

Perfect! Oh, thank you so much. It's been really, really great.

Our house hunt continues in the village of Draycott,

45 minutes from Bristol.

Sitting on the southern edge of the

Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,

Draycott is a popular draw for many tourists,

which is worth bearing in mind,

given Laurie and David's holiday let aspirations.

The village remains a major strawberry producer,

even though the historic Strawberry Line railway is no longer running.

With a local store and a wealth of community activities,

there's a lot on offer for newcomers to the area.

On the edge of the village and with magnificent views of the Mendips

is our next offering.

And here we are, it's the second of our offerings.

-Wow, another lovely, lovely-looking house.

-Yes.

Great colour. Love... It's helped beautifully with the sun on it.

But just looks great. And the views!

I like the simplicity of the exterior.

-It's...

-Handsome building.

-Yeah, it is handsome.

And it all looks very... All looks very neat and tidy.

-The business is there behind us. We'll look at that later.

-OK.

-But let's look inside.

-Lovely.

Dating back to the 1860s,

this property was significantly extended during the 1940s.

Over the last four years however,

the house has been completely refurbished by the current owners.

Oh, they have quite a difference decor in this house. More modern.

Yeah, that's nice. Feels welcoming when you come in.

-I'm assuming this is the smaller of the rooms.

-Well, actually, no.

-The rooms are not quite as big as the last property.

-OK.

You've got this room and then another room next-door

which is about the same size.

And then it goes through to the big kitchen, which is modern.

-This is a stark contrast to the last kitchen.

-Oh, yes.

Gosh, it's completely different.

It's not that country kitchen feel at all, is it?

And I suppose one big difference that's immediately apparent is that

when you look out of the windows, you're not getting the views.

You are getting the garden, you're getting hedgerows.

-I think the answer is to take down the hedges.

-Quite. Simple.

-Alistair, why didn't I think of that?

-I agree.

Without the hedge, that would open up a huge view.

Because there's just pasture or paddock behind that, isn't there?

-Mm-hm.

-Yes.

-But I like it, they've done it beautifully.

It just doesn't feel quite so expansive as the other one.

OK, so a sort of so-so response.

You showed us such a show stopper to start with.

I think that's the difficult thing.

'Also on the ground floor, there is a conservatory off the kitchen,

'along with a utility room.

'Upstairs, there are two spacious double bedrooms

'and a generous split-level bathroom.

'Up again on the second floor, there are a further two double bedrooms,

'one of which is currently used as a study

'and both have amazing views.

'There's also a compact shower room.'

-This one they're using as the master bedroom.

-OK. Yes.

-OK, modern four-poster.

-Yes.

I think the heavy curtains are maybe limiting the amount of light

that there could be quite naturally in here.

But there's plenty of space to move around

and that's a fairly large bed. So it's a good size, yes.

-I do want to show you the holiday let cos it's quite impressive.

-OK.

'The self-contained holiday let option here

'is already up and running and consists of two generous bedrooms,

'a double and a twin, along with a bright bathroom and a living area.'

-Now, this is classed as a four-star holiday let.

-I can see why.

-It's fabulous, isn't it?

-It is fabulous.

They've done it absolutely beautifully.

-They get around £15,000 a year.

-OK.

-And peak season is about £700 a week.

-Hmm.

-Yes.

This is far more impressive as the holiday let

but I think the house lets it down slightly.

It feels far more constricted than the first one.

Well, let's just step outside one more time to think about the price

and then you can go roaming.

'The garden consists of around an acre of land,

'including a swimming pool, stables and a paddock.'

There's sort of a big open space.

-I think it would take a bit of landscaping, put it that way.

-Yeah!

-But not impossible.

-OK, so that's pretty much all your outside space.

-What do you think it's on the market for?

-Well...

It still has space and the holiday let is lovely.

So, I'm going to say 7...35.

Well...I was going to say the same as I said before, maybe a bit more.

-705.

-705?

-705, yes.

-OK.

-Well, actually, this is on at offers over 700.

-OK.

And it's got a lot going for it

-because you can get a lot of income from the holiday let.

-Yes.

But do a few lengths of the pool, why don't you?

-And I'll see you out the front.

-Super, thank you.

Comfortably under budget,

this modernised character property is refurbished to a high standard.

It gives them four bedrooms and plenty of living space.

With the holiday let option ready to go,

it meets many of Laurie and David's demands.

Located on the edge of a village

and with stunning views of the Mendip Hills,

it's a 45-minute drive from Bristol.

-Oh, look at the views.

-The view!

-Interestingly, it feels more open.

-Gosh, that is absolutely fabulous.

-Stunning.

Compared to the first house, this has got a lot to live up to.

It's got all the ingredients

but just doesn't come together quite as well.

OK, so this is the main bedroom for the holiday let.

-Yeah, it's surprisingly large.

-Yeah.

-You wouldn't think it from looking in the outside.

-No.

-Great,

-en suite. Lovely.

The holiday let is already here and up and running

and finished to a fantastic standard.

In fact, it's the kind of finish that we would be looking to achieve

in any holiday let that we were putting together ourselves.

But the house doesn't fire my imagination

in terms of how we might live.

And that's quite important. I need to imagine us living there.

Ah, here you are.

Thought you might be in the pool but you must have towelled off.

-Oh, yes!

-That's all the properties for the day.

So, now we can chew the cud

and get ready for the Mystery House tomorrow.

-Great.

-OK.

'Laurie and David from the town of Wokingham in Surrey

'have a budget of up to £750,000 to buy their first home together

'in rural North Somerset.

'Coming up, the mystery property

'gives our buyers a pleasant surprise.'

It really is a little Hobbit house. SHE GASPS

-Oh, it's so cute!

-Isn't it cute?

'And I find out how extreme low tides in the Bristol Channel

'are revealing previously unseen and untasted marine life.'

All seaweeds are edible.

-Mm, it's actually nice.

-Yes.

HE SIGHS

The weather is not playing ball here in Somerset.

But hopefully, Laurie and David will with our Mystery House.

Although what has become clear is that they are looking for

a lot of personal space in the house where they're going to live.

Well, maybe the business is not quite as important.

And the Mystery House is really going to test how far

they're willing to take their business project.

Let's see how it goes.

For our mystery property, were heading south to Coxley,

which lies two miles from Wells and is the furthest house from Bristol.

It's a peaceful village with a scattering of properties

and might prove to be the rural retreat

Laurie and David have been looking for.

Whilst being close enough to the Mendip Hills to attract

a steady flow of business.

It's an attractive stone-built property.

-Essentially, it's this big cottage in front of us.

-Gosh!

It's incredible!

-Now this is three holiday lets.

-OK.

-And a small house.

-OK.

But the house could be turned back into the original house?

House could be turned back into the original house.

But the point is that this holiday let brings upward of £50,000 a year.

-Whoa!

-OK. Stay in the small house.

-THEY LAUGH

-And that's a 30-week occupancy, so you could push it up.

-Very good.

-That's really interesting.

-Yeah, great.

This one you're going to have to use your imagination,

particularly about how to reconfigure the house

if you wanted to join it up again.

-And also to see through some of the decor.

-That's fine, we can do that.

That's what I like to hear. Follow me.

'Dating back to 1690,

'this is the oldest of the properties I'm showing them.

'Built out of the local stone

'typically used to construct cottages at this time,

'the compromise here is on the amount of personal space on offer.

'However, with an already established and thriving business,

'I'm hoping they'll be tempted.'

-Come in, it's a lovely big...

-Oh, yes.

-Very sunny kitchen.

Quadruple aspect.

-No, it's great!

-Yeah, it's nice.

-Really, really big.

I was slightly nervous when you said outside

we might need to use our imagination!

Actually, this is great. No, it's lovely. Very nice.

And I can imagine on a good day, it must be just filled with light.

-It's got space.

-Colour scheme is great.

We wouldn't need to do anything in here.

'The kitchen here doubles up as the dining room.

'Leading off the kitchen, there's a study

'and a small sitting-room that opens up to a conservatory.'

And then this room.

This was the original cottage,

just one room, I think, with windows on both sides

and a great big hearth.

-I think it's rather sweet, this room.

-Yes, it's nice!

It is quite small.

But there's something rather comfortable about it.

It's lots of windows again, all round.

I mean, the obvious thought is maybe you could take this wall out

and make it one big sitting room.

We were asking for larger proportions

but this is lovely, this size.

Wouldn't even necessarily think about knocking it through.

It will be just us most of the time.

-Yeah.

-I like it.

-Bit of mystery.

-Hmm!

Let's look at the master bedroom here.

-It's through that little door.

-OK.

-It's a one in, one out...

-It is, isn't it?

On the first floor, there's a double bedroom and shower room.

And up on the second floor is a further twin with its own en suite.

But we're inspecting the master.

-Oh! OK.

-Bit more snug upstairs.

-It's OK.

You know, it is a low ceiling

but because there's light flooding in all directions, it feels fine.

Above here, this is why the ceiling's a bit low,

there's another bedroom up in the eaves.

You know, it's quirky and I think with our decor

and our spin on it, it could be very interesting.

I think it could be a lovely property.

One of the holiday let options is a two-storey annexe

attached to the house, which can be accessed through a door

just off the sitting room.

It has a living area, a space for dining, a cosy kitchen

and usefully for a holiday rental,

the two double bedrooms are both en suite.

The second holiday let is self-contained

with the living area and double bedroom sharing

the same open-plan space.

There's also a separate kitchen.

But we're going to take a closer look at the rather impressive

and quite unexpected third option.

Mind your head.

It really is a little Hobbit house. SHE GASPS

-Oh, it's so cute!

-Isn't it cute?

You've got a bedroom here and then a very nice little bathroom

with a shower here and then through here is the little...

-..Bilbo Baggins house.

-It's wonderful.

I don't think that we mentioned to you

but we'd had a conversation about whether -

if we didn't have the holiday let, if we had some land -

we might build some cabins and have a glamping idea

and here you've given us both.

It really sparks the imagination, doesn't it?

Let's go outside and talk about the budget.

Also hidden within the landscape gardens here

is a summer house with a hot tub.

I appreciate there's a lot to take in.

I'll give you a chance to revisit all the bits and bobs inside

so you can make sense of them.

-But what do you think the price is?

-Well, Alistair.

With what you've shown us, the fact there are three holiday lets,

a lovely house and the fact there's £50,000 coming in a year,

it's got to be top of the budget.

In fact, I'd say slightly more, I would say 760.

I agree, it's going to be near the top.

Locationally as well, the views are beautiful.

So because I need to have a different figure,

I'm going to say 755.

Well, in this instance, you're both a bit pessimistic.

-Only a little bit. It's actually on the market for £750,000.

-OK.

And that's with no contents.

-You could negotiate to get all the contents.

-OK.

-It is a lot.

-Right.

-So you might want to explore.

-Yes, we do.

-Yeah.

-Can we have the next two days?

-HE LAUGHS

Um, and then...

Where shall I meet you? I'll meet you out here and then we can go

and find somewhere to think about it all.

-All right, thank you.

-All right.

At the top of their budget,

our mystery cottage paints a completely different picture

of what Laurie and David's new rural life could be like.

It has two bedrooms, a large kitchen,

plus three holiday let options

located in a stunning rural setting

and is an hour's drive from Bristol.

-OK, so this is the holiday let.

-Yes.

-Attached to the house. It's amazing.

I mean, you just have no idea how many rooms

-and how much space there is in here.

-It's a lot to take in in one go.

It's great, it's just so quirky.

It is absolutely bursting with character, this house.

We could strip it down,

we could modernise it or we could leave it as it is.

It's very versatile.

The rooms are on the small side and yet there's something about it.

It's got real charm and there's a real warmth about it.

It felt cosy, but not in a confined way.

The business is great

because I was considering slowing my business down.

This house gives me the opportunity to stop it dead.

That's the plus on here.

The Hobbit house is a real winner and I like the garden as well.

There's something about being surrounded by the hills

that feels more reminiscent of the Somerset that we really love.

So that's actually all the houses I have to show you. All done.

-It's been really great.

-Yeah, it's been good.

Best perhaps to get away from here

so you have a bit of a clear space to think about all three.

-And then we can mull over which one you like best.

-Thank you.

-OK.

'The Northern Somerset coast is known for its wide sandy beaches

'and dramatic cliffs rich in fossil remains.

'The shallow waters are distinctly opaque

'due to the stirred up silt beds of the Bristol Channel.

'The Somerset coast is currently experiencing the lowest tides

'the county has seen for hundreds of years.

'And the retreating sea is revealing a glimpse

'of rarely seen in marine species

'and ancient structures normally hidden by the murky waters.

'I've come to the town of Minehead on the border

'of Exmoor National Park

'to its beach, known as the Strand.

'I'm meeting Nigel Phillips of the Somerset Wildlife Trust

'who's taking me on a seashore safari.'

Nigel, so this is the Severn Estuary, right?

It is the Severn Estuary.

There is quite a spectacularly low tide, I believe?

The tides are caused by the pull of gravity from the sun and the moon.

And a couple of weeks ago,

the sun and the moon were in a very close orbit to Earth.

And so, they sucked the sea further out.

Allowing us to see some amazing stuff

-that we just haven't seen in 200 years.

-Great.

-I think we should stop and look at this.

-Ah. What is it?

Well, this is actually peat. This is part of the submerged forest.

Um, if we'd have stood here 10,000 years ago,

we would be in a low-lying damp woodland.

As the Ice Ages were melting, the sea rushed in here and knocked

all the trees over and squashed it down into this layer of peat.

Amazing. So the Severn Estuary was all forest?

Yeah, there was just a little sort of stream between us and Wales.

The retreating sea has also revealed fish weirs

from centuries ago.

These were designed to trap and net fish as they travelled through

the narrowing walls and were used until

just after the First World War.

A whole host of other marine species are also thriving here.

-Do you know your seaweeds?

-I know my bladderwrack.

-Good man.

Well, this is actually saw wrack.

-Oh.

-Which has got a toothed edge.

-I love seaweed. Can you eat this one?

-You can.

All seaweeds are edible, there's no poisonous ones.

It's just some are rather tough and leathery.

-Quite sandy!

-It won't hurt you.

-Mm, that's actually nice.

-Isn't it? yeah.

It's like being in a Japanese restaurant.

Just like a Japanese restaurant. And it's all for free.

Thank you very much.

'Like many beaches along our coastline,

'marine life here in Somerset is under threat

'from a source close to home.

'Everyday household litter.

'I'm visiting another Somerset beach, Sandy Bay,

'which is popular with tourists.

'Charlotte Coombes is beach watch officer

'for the Marine Conservation Society -

a charity which publishes an annual Good Beach Guide.'

Charlotte, tell me what do you do here? What's behind the project?

So, we clean beaches all around the UK.

We've got thousands of volunteers that get involved in organising

and coming along to beach cleans.

So, can we have a look and see what we can find here? Oh.

-Cigarette lighter.

-Again, plastics are particularly bad, aren't they,

as they just don't break down.

Yeah, that's right, they can last for hundreds of years in the sea.

And they never disappear, they break down into smaller

and smaller pieces and the problem with that is that

-lots of animals mistake them for food.

-Yeah.

-So we've got some that you collected earlier.

-Yeah!

Now what have we got here?

In about 2002, a minke whale was washed up

and when they did an autopsy on it, they had a look in the stomach

-and they found 800g of plastic in the stomach.

-Oh, no.

Which, it doesn't sound like a huge amount,

but actually, this is the equivalent of 800g of plastic.

-And is that what killed it?

-This is what it was carrying around.

Yes, it died of starvation and this is the kind of thing

-that it was carrying around in its stomach.

-Oh, that's so sad.

-It is.

'It's estimated that the volume of plastics in our oceans

'is six times greater than the plankton population.

'Microbeads found in cosmetics such as body scrubs

'and toothpastes are harmful to marine habitats.

'But it's not just marine life that's being affected by litter.'

It seems that sort of toxins and bacteria like E Coli

can stick to these plastic bits, they can aggregate around them.

So what we're starting to worry about now is that these toxins

are being passed on up the food chain.

-To us?

-Not only is that bad for animals, yeah,

it could be bad for us as well.

So what can we do to stop the planet being swallowed by plastic?

The three Rs - reduce, re-use, recycle.

You know, try to avoid single-use plastics.

Also, think of the three Ps only -

that's pee, poo and paper down the loo only, please.

Everything else should go in the bin.

And obviously, you take part in a beach clean,

-get involved in a beach watch.

-How do we do that?

-Is that across the country?

-Yeah, you can sign up to come along.

If you really want to get involved, you can register

as an organiser and you can set up your own beach clean.

We've got everything you need to get you going there.

-Do I get a little litter picker if I do that?

-Er, maybe!

I'm quite keen. I'm quite good at the litter picking.

-I hope you're impressed.

-Quite addictive. I am, yes.

-So, it would be great if we can keep the beaches clean.

-Yes.

Well, that was a turn-up for the books.

I'd really thought that David and Laurie

weren't going to like the Mystery House

but it seems to be the top contender. At least I think so.

So, in order to get a seat by the fire, I had to take the cat's place.

-So, he's going to have to join us.

-Oh, he's gorgeous.

He is gorgeous. But tell me about your week.

I think the highlight of the week is the Mystery House. For me, anyway.

I mean, it's just been getting better and better.

Obviously, the first property was quite exciting.

In fact, last night, we were talking about what we were going to do,

what we were going to change. In quite some detail. But then...

the Mystery House today scuppered all that.

-And so, we had to start rethinking.

-Now, that surprised us

because I really thought you were sold on the first house.

I loved the first house.

I really loved the first house because it had everything,

it's so pretty.

And the interior is very much to our taste, which is always great

because you know you don't have to do too much.

But it also had the business opportunity as well.

But the thing about the third house

is that it's more of a long-term better bet.

Exactly, it's up and running.

So, we can just move in and see how it goes.

Now, that surprised us because I think we thought

that the Mystery House might be a business too far.

But actually, it was the other way round.

That seemed to really excites you.

To find a very pretty house, be it carved in half,

plus three holiday lets, a dream come true, really.

And finding out that it's earning £50,000 a year as it is,

-that turned my lights on!

-SHE LAUGHS

It did, your eyes lit up.

It was interesting because you came with quite a...

let's call it a loose set of criteria from your wish list.

But actually, something came into focus for you over the week.

I wonder what that was.

Yes, I've always thought it's a tall order

to have a certain set of prerogatives that you lay down

and you have to find,

that would never happen.

And in fact, we'd always said that we would just wait until

we got somewhere we thought, "Yes.

"This will work for us and this feels right as well."

And that's, I think, what happened this afternoon.

-And so, what happens next?

-I think we need to revisit.

I think we also need to talk about priorities and location

and really think about what we would do next with it.

But it's a real, real possibility, I think.

Well, I'm really glad that we found something because it was,

you know, it is quite a challenge to find businesses like that.

And hopefully, soon that you make the move.

Thank you so much, it's been a...

-It's been a really, really great week.

-It's been fun.

Thank you, Alistair.

Although the Somerset skies have been rather overcast this week,

not setting off our properties to the best advantage,

nonetheless it seems they have persuaded Laurie and David

to maybe buy the Mystery House, which was quite a surprise to me.

But this show is full of surprises

and I hope that's one of the reasons that you stay watching

and will join us next time for more Escape To The Country.

'If you'd like to escape to the country in England, Scotland,

'Northern Ireland or Wales

'and you would like our help, you can apply at...'