North Dorset Escape to the Country

This beautiful watermill is celebrating

its 1,000th anniversary and even after all those years,

it's still turning out a staple baking ingredient.

Find out what it is and where I am in just a moment.

Today, it's a love of peace and quiet that's driving a pair

of green-fingered foodies in their country house-hunt.

It's got such a nice, warm, welcoming feel to it.

I could be happy cooking in here.

And the icing on the rural cake

could well be a few feathered friends for company.

And I've just seen some chickens.

-There's 23 of them.

-They may not come with the property.

Today, I'm in Dorset and this is Sturminster Newton Mill.

It's one of a series of historic mills along the River Stour

and it still produces its own stone-ground flour.

The mill site is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086,

and thanks to the mill building being carefully restored

and the milling mechanics being updated,

it remains a living, working landmark,

where visitors can bag themselves a piece of Dorset's heritage.

Located in England's West Country,

Dorset's southern coast looks out over the English Channel

and shares land borders with four counties,

including Somerset and Wiltshire.

And it's the northern portion of the county we're exploring today.

With neither motorways nor cities,

Dorset is a truly rural retreat,

where narrow lanes wind their way through some 150 villages

that showcase an idyllic slice of country life.

One historic village is Tolpuddle,

best known for the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of six men,

who formed one of Britain's first trade unions in the 1830s,

protesting against cuts to farmers' wages.

On a larger scale, Shaftesbury, in the Blackmore Vale,

is one of the oldest and highest towns in England.

Infamous author and Dorset local Thomas hardy was fascinated

by the town and called it

"One of the queerest and quaintest spots in England".

But, as well as the lush northern terrain,

let's not forget the dramatic coastline, with beautiful areas,

like the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula, rather than an island.

Its gently rolling landscape, overlooking open seas,

was a favourite of children's author Enid Blyton,

and it often features in her much-loved books.

With a county offering all this

to those seeking a rich mix of natural beauty,

it really is a jewel in England's crown.

Here in Dorset,

the average cost of a detached property is almost £360,000.

That's £60,000 above the national figure,

making it the most expensive county in the South-west.

At the start of 2016,

property prices in the coastal town of Bournemouth rose faster

than anywhere else in England and Wales,

driven by a booming technology industry,

described as the "silicon beach surge".

But today's couple aren't here for the sand or the surf,

so let's meet them and find out

why they want to move to this beautiful county.

Project management trainer Tim remembers the exact moment

he laid eyes on newspaper journalist partner Caroline,

after meeting on a dating website 11 years ago.

I rang her up and we made a date, so we met on Wednesday, 31st August.

Yeah, he sounded so friendly and nice on the phone

that I just felt at ease almost immediately

and I thought, "Ooh, I can't wait to meet him."

We had a second date two days later

and then again at the weekend, so by that time,

it became that we would meet each other almost every night.

So, we haven't been apart much since, have we?

No, no, not for very long.

They moved in together the same year

and have been in their current four-bedroom home in Ash in Surrey

for the past five years.

But the area no longer offers them what it used to.

Over the last few years, we've noticed the roads are so crowded.

The whole village gets clogged up with traffic,

so it's just got busier and busier

and we'd like to be somewhere a bit more peaceful.

And there's just one county they've got their sights set on.

We went to Dorset recently

and I was just struck how beautiful and peaceful it was there.

I thought, "How gorgeous to live down here and feel totally calm

-"and peaceful in a beautiful area."

-We love the county.

It's very beautiful scenery down there

and we also have friends and family in that area

that we can get much closer to.

Both Caroline and Tim will continue to work when they move,

but they're going to make sure it's not all work and no play.

They're both keen cooks and love spending time in the kitchen,

and the fun doesn't stop there.

I hope to be taking up some of the hobbies

-that I've let go in the past.

-Mm.

I used to be a keen painter and I'd like to get back to that

and perhaps take some lessons and do it properly.

And also, I like to walk, I like to go for a cycle,

and if the countryside is on my doorstep,

I'll do that much more often.

I'm very much looking forward to creating a new garden

in our new home in Dorset.

There's always a new garden to create, a new challenge.

The couple have each got two grown-up children,

so this move is just about the two of them,

and with their house on the market,

they're more than ready to get their property search off the ground.

We only want to move once more, I think, in our lives,

if we can possibly do it,

so this wants to be the house that we're going to live in forever

and we want that to be in a part of the country

that we find is the most attractive and peaceful for us to live in.

I guess it's just a fresh start, isn't it?

We've lost sight of what our goals in life are

and we really want to start to relax a bit more

and want quality time for ourselves.

This is really a fresh start to refocus our lives.

BEE BUZZES

Caroline and Tim have asked us to concentrate our search

in the region of north Dorset

and just across borders into Somerset or Wiltshire.

But before we kick off our hunt for their country escape,

I'm meeting up with them to make sure

'I'm up to speed with their property requirements.'

-Good morning, you two.

-Hello.

-Welcome to Dorset.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-So why are the two of you making this move now?

Why this particular time?

We've both got jobs now where it doesn't matter

where we're based, so we're looking to base ourselves

where we intend to be for the rest of our lives, ideally.

What are you looking for down here in Dorset?

-Minimum three bedrooms.

-Yeah.

-Nice garden, not too big,

that we can manage ourselves, but, hopefully, nice and established.

Good living space with a nice flow downstairs.

We think it would be quite fine to have a semidetached,

if it was, perhaps, a pair of cottages together.

What about location, Tim?

Well, we would like it to be near enough to some sort of facilities,

perhaps on the outskirts of a village.

Perhaps even a pub would be nice. But we would like it to be peaceful.

The main objective for our move is to find somewhere nice and quiet,

somewhere that's nice and light inside

-and somewhere that we can relax and wind down a bit.

-Yeah.

So, do rail and road connections matter at all?

It would be useful for me to be able to get to major roads

out of the area or, perhaps, a mainline railway station.

So, quite a wish list there,

both in terms of location and what you want from the property.

Remind me of your budget, Tim.

Our budget will be £375,000,

but we could borrow another £25,000 if there's work needs doing.

I think we should go and do some house-hunting.

-Let's see if we can find a forever home for you.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

For their top budget of £400,000,

Caroline and Tim are happy to consider

a detached or semidetached home.

They'd like to have a downstairs living area which flows

and at least three bedrooms.

Outside, they want a manageable space,

one they can tend to create their own garden paradise.

And location-wise, they'd like to be in a peaceful spot,

yet within easy access of amenities.

We've found a great trio of properties to show Caroline and Tim,

but it's only after they've toured each one

that they'll find out its price.

And on their last visit to the Mystery House,

our duo may find that all good things come to those who wait.

Our house-hunt begins in the small Wiltshire town of Mere,

just across the Dorset border.

The streets here are lined with attractive stone cottages

and independent shops.

Located in the shadow of the South Wiltshire Downs,

there's a real country feel here.

-The smell of that lavender.

-The lavender's gorgeous.

'There's a good offering of pubs and eateries,

'including the 16th century George Inn,

'which once had Charles II as an overnight guest,

'when he was fleeing after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester.

'And all of this is on the doorstep of our first property,

'located on the edge of Mere

'and set back from a narrow lane in an elevated position.'

-So, here we've got a detached Edwardian property.

-Wow!

-Built in around 1910. It's got lots of character.

-It has.

-I like the style, yeah.

-Double-fronted.

-Lovely big windows.

-So, off to a good start.

-Yes, you are, very much.

-Are you keen to look inside?

-Absolutely.

-Love to, please.

-Let's go and open up that door.

-Thank you.

'This handsome red brick house has recently undergone

'an internal overhaul, which has left it in tiptop condition

'and ready and waiting for new owners to call it home.'

We come straight through this charming entrance hall

and let's start at the back,

where you have this really good size kitchen.

-Wow.

-Yeah, it is a good size.

It's got such a nice, warm, welcoming feel to it.

I could be happy cooking in here. There's plenty of storage. Perfect.

Caroline, does it bother you that, at the moment,

-there isn't a dining table in here?

-That's what I was just thinking,

but there might be space for a small table and some bar stools, perhaps.

There is also a separate dining room but you're absolutely right -

what you could do is in here, you've got a utility room.

You could integrate your washing machine,

quite easily just take this out

and it would give you more space for either a table

or you could put a kitchen island in there,

-so there's definitely more you could do.

-Plenty of options.

Moving on from the kitchen,

at the front of the house lies the sitting room.

So, again, a nice size room, beautifully decorated.

Nice height to the ceiling and everything. It's a good shape room.

-Could you imagine cosying up in here?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah, yeah.

I like the double aspect. It makes it a nice, bright room.

-We've managed to get you three good size bedrooms.

-Good.

Shall we go and explore and see which one you might fancy

-for yourselves if you moved in?

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

Upstairs, there's a beautifully finished family bathroom,

complete with walk-in shower, which serves three double bedrooms.

The smallest is at the back of the house and at the front,

there's a spacious room with large built-in cupboards.

'But we're making a beeline

'for the room I've earmarked for Caroline and Tim.'

So, this is the master bedroom. Again, it's a good size.

All of the rooms are doubles. And you have really pretty views out.

Yeah, it is a good view. If they're all as good a size as this,

then it's going to be plenty of space upstairs.

Yeah, good first impressions. Lots of positive things about it.

Let's head outside and look at the garden from the back,

so you can see what you've got to work with, with your green fingers,

-and then, of course, I need you to start thinking about the price.

-Yes.

The gardens here extend to around a fifth of an acre

and they wrap around the house.

The large, level lawn is pleasantly secluded

and there's a generous size shed,

perfect for the housing the tools for a couple of keen gardeners.

So, you've got nice views just peeping out of the trees

-over to the downs.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's a good size.

It's a good shape and it goes round the house

and I'm sure we could find a good place, perhaps over in that corner,

where we could put some vegetables.

OK, you know what's coming, the two of you.

What do you think this property is on the market for?

-£375,000?

-£375,000. Very positive about that one.

I was going to say something similar.

I think, because of its location, being near a village,

a good size village, um, it would be expensive - maybe £370,000.

-OK, unfortunately, you're both wrong.

-OK.

You're both under, actually. As you said, it's a good size,

-detached property on the edge of a very popular village.

-Yeah.

-It's actually on the market for the top end of your budget.

-Right.

-It's on at £400,000.

-Oh, right.

-Mm-hmm.

-OK.

Is this perhaps opening your eyes a little bit

-to exactly what you get for your money?

-Yes, it is, yes.

-Yes.

We need to think about what we're paying for

and make some compromises, I think.

Well, now you know the price, go off, have another look around.

-Take your time, soak it all in. See if you can imagine living here.

-OK.

And come and find me when you're ready.

-Thank you very much.

-Off you go.

This rather grand detached red brick house

has come in on the nose of Caroline and Tim's top budget.

It gives them a fantastic kitchen,

as well as the three bedrooms that they want.

Outside, the garden could be just what they're looking for

and the position, close to local amenities, is ideal.

Oh, yeah, it's a good size room as well, isn't it?

Yeah, nice fireplace.

-Yeah, I prefer that fireplace to the one in the other room.

-Yeah.

This might be good as the lounge instead.

The style of the house is very nice. It's well-proportioned.

The Edwardian high ceilings give an impression of space.

I think the house is well-maintained,

so you could probably move straight in.

It's got lots of potential.

It's got good size rooms and, although the layout of it

is not exactly the way I'd like it to be,

it's something that we could live with

and it's a compromise I'm willing to make.

-Have we given you plenty to think about?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Good. And there's more for us to see, so come on.

-Great.

-Thank you.

Dorset has a well-deserved reputation as a culinary paradise

and there are plenty of tasty artisan goodies

born and bred right here in the region.

One, which has been awarded protected geographical status,

meaning it can only be produced in this county,

is Dorset Blue Vinney cheese.

It's been made near Sturminster Newton

on the family farm of siblings Richard and Emily Davies

since the 1980s, when their father resurrected an old recipe.

Keen cooks Tim and Caroline have come to the farm

to see how this Dorset delicacy is made

and, of course, to have a taste.

So, Richard, what kind of farm is this?

We are a mainly dairy farm, grow a little bit of arable

but, ultimately, we're producing milk for the cheese.

Can you tell me a bit more about the cheese that you make here?

It is a blue cheese.

It used to be made on Dorset farms years ago,

when people had surplus milk and didn't know what to do with it.

And it then died out and so, Father thought -

who had been trained as a cheesemaker at college -

thought he'd give it a go.

So, Father got the recipe and ever since then,

it's gone from strength to strength.

We are the only producers and if anybody else wants to produce it,

they would have to make it to our recipe and our specifications.

Brilliant! Can we go and have a look and see where it's made?

Yeah, certainly. My sister is down there waiting for you,

-so I'll let you get on and find out more about it.

-Bye.

The 580-acre farm is home to 270 Holstein-Friesian cows

and each one produces around 9,000 litres of the white stuff a year,

which makes this distinct blue-veined cheese.

-Hi, Emily.

-Hi, well, here we are.

We've got cheeses that are round about 6kg in weight

and we make them from our own milk.

How many wheels of cheese do you make here a week?

Well, we call them truckles and we produce between 200 and 300 a week.

How is the cheese made and what ingredients go into it?

So, we use the morning milk.

That's brought down, straight from the dairy into the vat.

And we let it sit for a couple of hours

and then we take off the cream, so it's actually hand-skimmed.

And then we add all the magical ingredients

of the rennet and the starter

and we actually add the blue as well at this time.

We actually use a penicillium, a blue penicillium.

It's very similar to the Roquefort penicillium.

As it goes through the maturing stage,

to encourage the blueing, we will actually spike the cheese,

so that will actually promote the blueing

and the very delicate veining system that we get within the cheese.

To check if the cheese is ready, it's graded.

This involves using a cheese iron

to extract a sample from the truckle.

Pull it out nice and slowly, especially as we can see

this one's a bit crumbly, so don't leave anything... That's it.

One of the things we do when we're grading as well

is to, obviously, see how much of the blueing is coming

and we smell it and then, if we think

we're nearly in the right place,

then we will also taste a little bit of it as well.

-Still smells good me.

-Brilliant.

And next door, in the packing room, it's time for a sample.

-So, shall we try?

-Yeah.

-Yes, please. Go, Caroline.

-There you go, Caroline.

-Thank you very much.

-Have a go.

-Mm.

-Perfect with some chutney or a large glass of port.

-Yes!

-Quite creamy, isn't it?

-Yes, it's very mild.

16 years ago, Emily decided to diversify

to leave her own mark on the long-running family business,

by introducing a new product - blue cheese soup.

There's about eight different varieties and today,

it's leek and potato with blue cheese that's on the menu.

-We've got some leeks here that you could help chop up.

-Yeah.

-Just chop them, roughly chop.

-About here?

-About sort of an inch.

-An inch?

-Yes, perfect. That would be great, Caroline, thank you.

Emily's soup is sold to pubs and restaurants and also at festivals.

Pop those in and, Caroline, would you like to grab the onions?

And we'll pop all that in together as well.

Once the leeks and onions are cooking,

in goes vegetable stock and then the star ingredient.

Oh, the smell is gorgeous.

Tim, do you want to add the potatoes?

-Thickening ingredient.

-That's it. In they go.

Last in is milk and seasoning and after a blitz, it's ready to try.

-OK.

-It looks gorgeous.

-Grab some bread.

-Oh, yummy! It's fantastic.

-Creamy. Really tasty.

-You can taste the cheese coming through.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Not too cheesy, I hope. Just a little hint of cheese.

-Perfect balance.

-Brilliant.

-It's wonderful.

Really interesting and great fun. Thank you very much.

-Yeah, we've learned a lot.

-Pleasure.

For our next stop, we're travelling to Peacemarsh,

within the Dorset town of Gillingham.

Set in the Blackmore Vale, Peacemarsh used to be a hamlet,

before being taken under the wing of Gillingham, as it expanded.

Here, there are all the shops and facilities you might need

and also good rail links that include routes to London.

The River Stour runs through the town,

as it winds its way to the English Channel.

Close to amenities but away from the centre is our second offering.

-So, let's meander up this nice, imposing gravel drive...

-Yes.

..and find a very pretty detached period property.

-Dates back to the 1850s.

-Wow.

Apparently, it was once the old cobbler's shop, which is very nice.

-Oh.

-What are your first impressions?

-Beautiful garden.

-It looks to be in very good condition and very pretty.

-Yeah.

-So, let's go and take a look.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

'This 19th century double-fronted house is built

'from local sandstone brick,

'with its latest additions at the rear dating back to just 2003.

'The front door takes us directly into the lounge-diner,

'which spans the full width of the house.'

So, through the little porch into a great size living space.

-Lovely fireplace.

-It's a good size for a living room.

It certainly has a lovely cosy feel to it.

Mm, you can imagine yourself sitting around there, couldn't you?

-We're in what would have been the original part of the house.

-Yes.

-It would have been an old two up, two down.

-Yeah.

And I think the shop would have been just off the back there,

with probably a separate door onto the shop part.

Why don't we wander through

-and I'll just talk you through an idea that I've got.

-Right.

-OK.

'Behind the living space and across the hallway

'at the back of the house is the kitchen.'

It's compact, quite small, but it's nice and light and bright.

-Yeah, friendly.

-A little bit small.

It's narrow, as much as anything.

-Galley kitchen, isn't it?

-I have an idea for that.

-Yeah.

How you could potentially overcome it.

-So, this is still one of the older parts of the house.

-Yes.

At the back has been added on an extension,

so you've got a downstairs toilet, a utility room.

That leads off down towards a study and then, at the far end,

there's a garage as well. So, you've got

-a lot of space to work with here.

-Mm-hmm.

-Yeah.

I think you could open all this up here and then you would have,

potentially, a really good size kitchen-diner.

Would doing that kind of work frighten you

or would that be something you could take in your stride?

I don't think it would put us off, necessarily,

but it all comes down to budget in the end.

I'm glad they're keeping an open mind

as to this property's potential,

as utilising the downstairs extension would seriously increase

the footprint of the living space on the ground floor.

'Upstairs, there's a large family bathroom, serving four bedrooms.'

There's one in each corner of the house.

There are two at the back - a bright double and an L-shaped single,

currently in use as a dressing room -

and two doubles at the front,

one with a picture window and another across the hallway,

which is the largest of the four.

So, straight into the master bedroom,

-with really nice views over the pretty garden.

-Yes.

Yeah, this is quite a good size. Yes, plenty of room for us.

It's very homely and cosy.

You do get the sense of a very nice period property - you can see that.

Let's go outside. Let's explore the garden,

-which I know caught your eye when you first arrived.

-OK.

The property has a beautiful, mature and colourful garden,

with a patio area, a lawn and well-stocked borders.

Here, at the back of the garden,

is this really pretty little courtyard, tucked away.

-I bet on a nice sunny day, it's a lovely sun spot.

-Sun trap.

What about the size of the garden and the planting that's in it?

Is this your style?

Yes, you couldn't get a better style of garden, certainly.

-TRAFFIC NOISE IN BACKGROUND

-When we're outside in this garden,

it's something that you can appreciate,

but you've also got this background noise all the time.

So, we'd probably think about compromising on other areas,

such as the overall size of the property.

OK, so size, then, is less important than having your peace and quiet.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-OK, so let's return to the budget.

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

-I'm going to go at about 390.

-390 from you, Tim. Caroline?

-395?

-I'm afraid, Tim, the drinks are on you later.

You're wrong, because Caroline is bang on the money.

It's on the market for £395,000. How did you know?

-It shows you that, actually, we're at the top end of your budget.

-Yeah.

We are getting space, but you're not able to get that rural quietness

-with the space as well.

-Yeah.

Well, we've got lots to think about, definitely,

so why don't you two go and explore? Have another look around

-and come and find me when you're ready.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Well, I think this has been a really worthwhile exercise,

because it's bringing home to Caroline and Tim

that this search is definitely going to be about compromise.

This detached 19th-century property has crept in

£5,000 under Caroline and Tim's top budget.

It offers them space, four bedrooms, a beautiful garden

and is also in a well-connected location,

close to a good selection of amenities.

This house has some nice period features. It's very charming.

Um, it's perhaps not quite what we're looking for, but close.

This house, I think, has a lot of plus points to it

and a few minor disappointments.

We like the fact that we've got a nice mixture of good size rooms.

There's also a very pretty garden,

but we think we probably wouldn't ever use that garden.

We think it's far too noisy outside,

so we would compromise on this extra space

to get the kind of peace that we want.

-So, a good day's house-hunting...

-Yeah.

-..that I think has given the two of you lots to think about.

-It has.

-Certainly has.

-Let's go and do some thinking and some chatting.

-OK.

It's the last leg of our search for a country pad in north Dorset

for Caroline and Tim, from Ash in Surrey, to call home.

They've got a top budget of £400,000 to find a three-bedroom home,

with a garden fit for the green-fingered.

Still to come, we've got a perfectly placed Mystery House.

Absolutely beautiful.

-You couldn't have found a nicer spot for us, really.

-And so peaceful.

Yes, it is beautifully peaceful.

And it's all hands to the deck, as I get ready to set sail.

-That's better.

-That's it.

-Getting my groove.

There you go. You're a natural.

It's the second day of our house-hunt, here in Dorset,

and I think we gave our couple plenty to think about yesterday

and helped them to focus on exactly what,

on that rather ambitious wish list,

they may be prepared to compromise on.

Today is a whole new house-hunting day

and we're off to see the mystery property

which, once again, is going to challenge Tim and Caroline,

but in a very different way.

For our last property,

we're travelling to the village of Mappowder.

It's name comes from the old English for maple tree

and there are certainly many trees to be seen

in this beautiful rural setting.

The village church of St Peter and St Paul

dates back to the 15th century

and features beautiful, intricate, architectural work,

which has earned it a Grade I listing.

A mile and a half down the road, in neighbouring Hazelbury Bryan,

is the local pub, which was built in 1750

and was formerly a dairy and a brewery.

What's more, it's not too far away from our third and final property -

this semidetached stone character cottage, dating back to 1855.

I'm going to stop right here because this is the Mystery House.

-And I've just seen some chickens.

-There's 23 of them.

-They may not come with the property.

-What do you think?

-It looks lovely.

-Good first impressions.

-Yeah, very good.

-I love the local stone.

-Yeah.

It's really eye-catching.

We just wanted to push you on just how rural

the two of you were really prepared to go,

so your neighbours here are really going to be

the cows and the chickens. You are in the field.

Yes, as we were approaching the village,

it was gorgeous views in all directions

and I can see that we can still enjoy those from the house.

So, is this kind of what you had in mind for your escape here to Dorset?

-Yes.

-Yeah, you are getting much closer.

-Much closer.

Come on, let's go and explore.

'There's only the cluck of chickens and the tweets of birds to be heard,

'as we make our way into the Mystery House.

'Let's hope the encouraging reactions continue inside.'

So, let's wander in to the living room

which, as you can see, is packed with just as much character

as this house has from the outside.

-Look at that fireplace.

-A wood burning stove.

-Plenty of room to sit round.

-Very cosy.

-Yeah.

It's cosy but it's actually a really good size lounge.

You've got plenty of light coming in. It's really nice, very pleasant.

I know the kitchen and the diner matters to you,

-cos you want that open space, don't you?

-Yes.

-Yes.

You can probably spy, just off here, is a dining room

and then through that, we go to the kitchen,

so I'm going to take you through and explore that,

cos there's a few things about this house I need to explain to you.

-OK.

-Right.

-Thank you.

'This cottage offers the layout Caroline and Tim are after,

'with one room flowing into the next.'

So, we come through a lovely sized dining room

into a compact but very pretty kitchen.

It's a painted kitchen with lovely views out over the fields.

-Yeah, while you're at the sink.

-I love the view.

Again, it's very cosy, perhaps a little bit small, yeah.

I think we would probably do something about changing the layout,

if we can, so that these two rooms

are part of the same sort of environment,

-try and draw them together in some way.

-Mm-hmm.

-I've got one better for you than that, really.

-Yeah?

-Cos this house has had some planning permission passed on it.

-Right.

-OK.

The planning permission basically involves

putting a doorway through there, at the bottom of the stairs

and adding on a fantastically proportioned kitchen-dining space...

-Yeah.

-..with bi-folding doors that would open up onto the garden

and would completely take advantage of the views that you get.

Wow, that's a good plan.

Which would leave this space then to, potentially, be

-a very nice hallway, but could also be a little study area.

-Yeah.

It sounds lovely but whether we'd have enough money

left in our budget to do that...

Does doing that kind of work frighten you, potentially?

-No, not at all.

-OK, so I think we're off to a good start

-with the Mystery House.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

The plans actually also involve making some alterations upstairs.

There's three bedrooms already, and you might be able to add to that,

-so let's go upstairs and I'll explain.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

'The bathroom in this property is on the ground floor,

'with the three bedrooms all upstairs.

'They lie off a narrow landing.

'One overlooks the back garden and the other two have front aspects.

'But it's the master we're heading to,

'although it might not be the master,

'if Caroline and Tim decide to call this cottage home.'

What the plans also involve is to add an extra bedroom up here,

so you would stick with your three bedrooms

and to convert the smaller bedroom, potentially,

into a second bathroom up here.

That would be a much more sensible layout for longer term, yes.

Caroline, I thought that this would really grab you, this house,

because of its location and...

I love the character, I love the location.

Um, I'm just wondering about the space, basically.

We'd probably want to do an extension almost immediately,

wouldn't we, I think?

Only because I think that these sorts of rooms

don't have the facility to put some storage in,

-or a great deal of storage.

-It's a period cottage.

-Yes.

And with that, you get that character,

but there are drawbacks that also come with that,

because you do get smaller proportions, you get lower ceilings,

you get this cute cottagey feel.

-Absolutely.

-So, it's all about the compromise.

THEY LAUGH

Well, I'm really keen to show you outside

because, obviously, one of the big pluses for this property

is its rural position and those beautiful views,

so let's go and have a look at the garden

and you can get a clearer picture

of where the extension could be as well.

At the rear of the property, it has a substantial garden,

with a large lawn - a blank canvas for our keen gardeners.

There are also a host of fruit trees.

Then, beyond it, are endless stunning countryside views.

So, where the house was small and petite,

-the garden is most definitely not. It's a great size garden.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

You've got the chicken coop, you've got some sheds

-and, of course, those amazing views.

-Yes, absolutely beautiful.

-You couldn't have found a nicer spot for us, really.

-And so peaceful.

Yeah, it is beautifully peaceful. As I said, how rural do you want to be?

We're pushing that a little bit to the boundaries but, you know,

you can see why when you've got that view.

We don't think you've pushed us too far in that respect.

We really like the idea of being in a village like this

with all of those views to look at every day when we get up.

-It's perfect for that.

-Well, let's see if we can visualise the price.

-OK.

-I'll go first this time.

I need the price to be about £350,000

for this to be a possibility for us.

So, that's a hopeful guess at the price, is it?

Not really based at all on what you actually think

it's on the market for, the price you need it to be.

-It's what I need it to be.

-OK, Caroline?

-Probably 375?

Well, hope has won out on this occasion, Tim,

-because it's on the market for £349,950.

-Wow!

Leaving you plenty of money in your budget

to potentially do the extension,

any alterations you might want to do to it.

Yeah, that's incredible.

So, now you know the price, go back inside,

have another look around and come and find me when you're ready.

-Off you go.

-Yeah.

-Great.

This beautifully appointed semidetached stone cottage

is £50,000 below our couple's top budget.

It's bright and has the flow they're after,

along with three bedrooms, planning permission to extend

and a fabulous plot of land with amazing views.

This is where the extension would come out, here,

-so that would give us a really big kitchen and dining area.

-Yeah.

-And then you've got the extra room upstairs as well.

-Lovely.

I think the Mystery House is very pretty,

a lovely location and it's a bonus that it's got so much land.

I'm very optimistic about this property.

It's got everything that we asked for and probably more besides.

I think I need to check a lot of the facts, though,

to make sure that this is a practical choice for us

but, otherwise, look at that view behind me - it's perfect for me.

That's all the properties seen.

I think it's time to go and have a little chat, shall we?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Come on.

We couldn't come to Dorset

without venturing down to its dramatic Jurassic coast.

Stretching 95 miles from east Devon to east Dorset,

the geology here charts millions of years of history.

The gateway to this stunning coastline is Lyme Regis,

known as the pearl of Dorset,

where the sea and boats have been central to its development

and importance in the region,

with a seafaring history that dates back to the 13th century.

Although the town hasn't been a commercial boat building centre

since the late 1800s, since 1997,

it's been home to the Boat Building Academy,

the only school of its kind in the county.

'I've come to meet Steve Petford,

'a boat building instructor here and a former student.

'He graduated himself from the academy in 2008.'

-Hi, Steve, how you doing?

-Hello, fine, thank you.

Tell me about the school. Tell me about the courses that you run here.

The length of the course is 38 weeks

and that's quite an intensive period for the student,

cos a lot of them come from having had no experience whatsoever.

And we end up, by the end of the 38 weeks, producing things like...

As you see in the background, that was built by a student

who had no woodworking experience whatsoever

before he came on the course.

-The boats around me are staggeringly beautiful.

-Yeah.

And I think they're beautiful, really,

because you can see the craftsmanship that's gone into them.

These are really old skills that you're teaching here, aren't they?

Exactly, yeah, and they're transferrable as well.

So, the students who graduate

don't necessarily go into the boat building industry,

but the skills we give them mean they can do lots of other things.

The 38-week course costs just under £14,000

and students range from 18 to 80,

with its graduates working all over the world.

The academy also offers short courses

and over 90% of the work is practical.

And now it's my turn to try my hand

at this beautiful and impressive craft.

See how your planing skills are.

Well, my dad's a carpenter, so I should be all right.

-You should be OK then.

-See, I don't notice a lot of electronic tools.

-No.

-They're quite traditional tools.

-Yeah.

-As I said, my dad's a carpenter.

-Right.

These are things I remember him having

-in his tool bag when I was little.

-Yeah, a lot it is done by hand.

I know what that is - that's a plane.

That's a No 4 plane, OK, and it's just a case of...

-Like that.

-Let's have a go. See if I can remember. Right.

Try and keep your weight on your back hand to keep it flat.

You really need to concentrate.

I was trying to talk to you at the same time then

and I couldn't cos it focuses your mind, doesn't it?

Definitely, yeah.

-That's better.

-That's it.

-Getting my groove.

-There you go. You're a natural.

-I wouldn't go that far.

How old are the techniques that we're using here today?

Um, well, some of the boats we're building here have been built

in the same way for hundreds of years.

So, where do the boats end up? They're beautiful. Where do they go?

The students will commission the boats.

They will pay for the materials and, at the end of the course,

the boat's theirs to take away.

So, they can use them, if it's their dream boat, or they can sell them.

-They can do, yes.

-Fantastic.

So, what's the boat that I'm not very gracefully planing?

This is called a Tammie Norrie

and this one's going to be a rowing boat,

but it could also be a sailing boat.

'After all that hard work,

'I'm being rewarded with a trip on the waters of Lyme Regis.

'This beautiful boat is called a Guillemot

'and is made from larch and chestnut.

'It was hand-built by the students and took 21 weeks to complete.'

This is the view of Lyme Regis when we get out of the harbour.

-This is beautiful.

-It's really nice, isn't it?

'Student Stefanie Bielowski from Austria

'is taking me out on the waters.

'She's 16 weeks into her course here

'and had absolutely no experience when she started.

'When she graduates, she's hoping to work as a boat builder.'

This is just such a beautiful place

-to come and to learn these techniques, isn't it?

-Yes.

You've got this on your doorstep.

It's amazing just to think that this boat was just a sketch

a few months ago and now we're out on it. It's very satisfying.

Once we have the sails, we just want to keep

-a bit of balance in the boats.

-OK, so keep it steady.

-Yeah.

Just push it towards you a little bit for us to set the sails.

Yay! It's really nice!

-Yeah, keep the rudder. Wow, we're sailing!

-It's amazing!

The feeling when the wind catches that sail,

-it's something else, isn't it?

-You can tell right away, can't you?

-Yeah, it's great.

-It just pushes you out.

-This is somebody's dream and we're out here sailing it today.

-Yes.

-We're really lucky.

-It feels very privileged, yes.

'How wonderful, experiencing Dorset in all its glory from the water,

'but now it's time to sail back to land and our Dorset-loving couple.'

I wonder what Tim and Caroline have made

of their first experience of house-hunting in Dorset.

Let's have a chat to them and find out.

-Hello, you two.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Well, the last couple of days have been interesting.

Let's just refresh our minds

on the two properties that we showed you yesterday.

This first one we saw was very appealing.

Certainly it was big enough for the both of us,

there was a lovely kitchen, it was on a decent size plot.

However, it was quite close to a road

and the second one was even closer to a busy road,

so I don't think we'd consider that.

So, with those you got the space because of where you were,

and then we showed you the complete opposite,

which was far more rural, a pretty cottage,

but with that, you lose some space. What were your thoughts on that one?

Well, from the moment we saw it,

and even before that, when we were approaching the village,

we were very taken by the way it looked.

When we got inside, it was a little disappointing

but, as you pointed out, this is what we should expect

from a semidetached cottage in a village location,

and we were prepared to give it an open mind

to see if we could make it work for us.

And then you threw in another ingredient for us,

which was the fact it had planning permission for an extension.

And that made things a little bit more attractive.

So, is that one on the back burner, potentially, Caroline, or...?

I saw the potential there,

but I always think that if you go into a property

and immediately start thinking,

"I need to change this, I need to change that",

perhaps it's not the right property anyway.

We are hoping that, within our budget,

we can get somewhere that is more rural than the first house,

less rural than the last house

and somewhere in between, in terms of the dimensions

and what we can get for our money. So, yes, of course,

we've got to make some changes to our wish list,

but we think there is something available out there

and we need to do a lot more searching to find it.

I'm really pleased that, over the last couple of days,

we've helped you to kind of focus on what it is that you want

-and, perhaps, what it is that you don't want as well.

-Definitely.

-Very helpful.

-We wish you all the best with finding that forever home,

here in Dorset, and we hope you can find what you're looking for.

-Yes, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

It's the end of our time here in Dorset

and, while we didn't clinch the deal,

we certainly helped Tim and Caroline focus on what they want

from their forever home, here in the South-west.

We wish them all the best with their search and their new life together.

Join me next time on Escape To The Country.

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