New Forest Escape to the Country

In this churchyard within the boundaries of a national park lies

one of Britain's literary greats.

Even though he died in Sussex in 1930,

his remains were reinterred here 25 years later in 1955.

Who was he? Well, the answer...

..dear viewer, is elementary.

Today it's happy-holiday memories drawing our house-hunting couple

towards a new life in the countryside.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-Now, that is something.

That is stunning.

We serve up a space for every season.

-Another sitting-room?

-Another sitting-room, yeah.

So this could be the winter room and the other one the summer room.

-Exactly! Exactly.

-I like it.

Today we're in the New Forest in Hampshire and the

Church of All Saints in the village of Minstead is the

final resting place for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,

who began life as a physician but found fame as the creator of the

fictional detective hero, Sherlock Holmes.

But it was actually while he was researching his historical novel,

The White Company, that Conan Doyle discovered the New Forest.

There's a village very similar to Minstead that features heavily in

the novel and he ended up buying a house nearby.

So, with that illustrious seal of approval,

let's turn our attention to other inspiring parts of this unique

national park.

The New Forest in southern England sits primarily in Hampshire,

but crosses borders into Dorset and Wiltshire.

Protected by national park status, it covers 350 square miles and

encompasses unspoiled woods and heathlands scattered with gorse.

A key feature of the landscape here is the free-roaming ponies,

cattle and deer.

Residents of the area, known as Commoners,

have ancient rights to turn their livestock out to graze.

Within the park are a number of historic towns and villages,

including Lyndhurst, dubbed the capital of the New Forest.

Nearby Beaulieu looks out over the river and is a conservation area

on account of the decorative 17th and 18th century buildings

that line its high-street.

These stand testament to the enduring wealth of the local estate.

So, with its far-reaching coastline,

a diverse natural landscape and distinctive architectural heritage,

the New Forest is an attractive area

to escape to and enjoy a life in the outdoors.

The New Forest is a hot-spot for tourists and home-buyers alike.

Lying just 90 minutes from the capital,

the average price for a detached house here is £450,000 -

that's £120,000 higher than the national figure.

And demand for property in the Forest is at an all-time high,

with prices having risen more than 30% in the last five years.

You pay a top premium for properties

near the towns of Lyndhurst and Beaulieu,

but you can get a bit more for your money in the north of the area.

So, let's meet our buyers today who are keen to invest in the Forest.

But let's find out which area will charm and most.

Retired flight purser Jill and her husband Rob,

a former strategic analyst, met through a friend 30 years ago.

It took awhile to get on each other's radar.

I just remember meeting him several times and just always liked him.

But he could never remember my name.

I wasn't sure of his!

I just thought he was a nice chap.

A quarter of a century later they're still going strong.

25 years, just had our silver wedding anniversary.

-Fourth of January.

-Yeah.

The couple have lived in Windlesham in Surrey for over two decades and

have spent the past 12 years

in their five-bedroom detached property.

But now that both of their children have left home and Jill has recently

retired, they've decided the time is right to head to pastures new.

It's something we've always wanted to do and now just seems to be

the right time.

Zoe and James are both at university, so this is our time now.

They've decided they'd like to put down roots in the New Forest.

First time we ever went to the New Forest together was actually

when we were on honeymoon

and we went for a drive one day into the New Forest and

just fell in love with it.

Happy memories there.

And also I've got the benefit, too,

I have a sister who lives in Bransgore,

which is right on the edge of the New Forest.

And another sister up in Salisbury.

So we'll be moving a bit closer to family that side of things.

The key thing is having access to the coast at a reasonable distance,

and just slowing down a bit.

As well as looking forward to long walks with their pet dog, the couple

have plenty of hobbies to keep them

busy when they make their leap to the country.

Rob is the creative cook out of the two of us.

I tend to do more the family favourites.

We're both very new beginners on golf and we're trying that out.

I have recently, since I retired, joined the WI.

But we thought joining the local clubs is a way of making friends.

Absolutely. It gives you a ready-made in to the community.

Rob has always wanted to keep chickens and bees,

and I can see I'm going to have to give in to him one day.

-So you'd be happy then, wouldn't you?

-Yeah.

So, with plenty of plans up their sleeves,

Jill and Rob are all set to begin

the journey to find their future rural retreat.

Our present home here has been a home where we have brought up the

children, had great experiences,

got lovely memories here as well and I'm getting quite excited about

creating new memories in a new home,

something that will suit us.

I know it's a hackneyed phrase, is, our forever home.

Jill and Rob would like to live within easy reach of the coast,

so we're edging our search towards the south of the New Forest.

But before that I'm catching up with them to discuss the finer details of

their house move.

Welcome to the New Forest,

it's a lovely slightly damp spring day.

-Very much so.

-Just a bit, yeah.

I grew up around here so this is a bit my hunting ground.

Let's talk about the spec of the house -

how many bedrooms are you looking for, things like that?

Either three-bedroom house with a study,

or else four bedrooms where we could

maybe use one of the bedrooms as a study.

-A man cave, as such.

-A man cave. We love those.

What about the reception rooms? What are you looking for there?

We'd like a kitchen-breakfast room.

We have a dining room at the moment

but it's probably the least used room in the house.

And what about the style?

Are you looking for old, traditional, modern?

We're open to anything, really.

Open to just about anything but one thing we are keen on is character.

But inside ultramodern is quite fine.

-OK.

-Old is also fine.

What about the outside space? Because that is obviously important.

So, we're after something which is low-maintenance.

We're also interested in a bit of land because I've always wanted

to keep bees. Jill's never allowed me to keep bees.

-He's had a tough life.

-So this is my chance, you see.

How much land are we talking?

Half an acre.

Let's talk money because you've got a very healthy budget.

Tell me your budget again.

At the moment we've targeted ourselves £850,000.

-Mm.

-But if you can find something really, really special

we could stretch ourselves up to £1 million.

-Good. We always like a top budget.

-Yes, I'm sure.

Great. Well, we have three lovely houses,

all quite different and there's no time like the present.

-Shall we go and look?

-Looking forward to it.

-Let's do it.

Jill and Rob have a maximum budget of £1 million to secure themselves

a character home where a large kitchen-diner is essential.

They'd like at least three bedrooms along with a study.

Outside they're hoping for a manageable garden,

and land for keeping bees and chickens would be a bonus.

Location-wise they prefer to be

close to a community rather than remote.

We've selected a thought-provoking line-up of properties for Jill

and Rob to view, but it will only be after they've toured each one

that they'll discover the price.

Final stop is the Mystery House

and that will give them a big surprise and

something new to think about.

We're starting our house-hunt in the village of East Boldre right in the

heart of the national park.

In classic New Forest tradition,

it's not unusual to see ponies wandering freely around the village,

which is well served by a handful of amenities.

Back in 1910 the heathland here was the site of the New Forest's

first airfield.

Close by there's a traditional dining pub, and opposite,

a long driveway leads down to this gleaming white property,

which even looks stylish in the pouring rain.

This is our first offering.

-Wow. Right.

-What do you think?

-Big.

-Yeah.

So, it dates back turn-of-the-century

but it was completely redone about seven or eight years ago.

These new beautiful kind of floor-to-ceiling windows

all along its side, because this is the south-facing garden,

so it's just awash with sunlight.

-Nice and small.

-Not today.

-That's gorgeous.

-So, let's have a look inside.

-OK.

This handsome home is topped with a smart slate roof,

part of the property's more recent renovations.

We're entering and heading through

to a striking monochrome kitchen-diner,

perfect for two keen cooks.

-If you come here you get the full wallop of the...

-Wow.

-..effect.

-That is lovely.

That is a whole lot more modern...

-Yeah.

-..than we were expecting from the outside.

Not what I was expecting at all.

The thing I do like about the conservatory there

-is the full-length windows.

-You see the gardens.

-Yeah, straight into the garden.

-You're straight into it.

Come through, let's have a look in the sunroom.

I think the sun's sort of peeking through.

-The sun's coming out.

-Wow.

You can see why they built it here. It really is a lovely sunny spot.

But it's got that elusive good feeling that I can't define.

-Yeah.

-It just...but it's got it.

There's another older conservatory, used as a utility room, behind the

kitchen, but we're heading to the

other side of the property to take in

the dual-aspect sitting room with a log-burning fire as a focal point.

So, we're coming into the older part of the house here, so the

ceiling's a little bit lower but the same floor-to-ceiling concertina

-doors.

-Lovely.

-Quite cosy, I would call it.

-I was going to say,

with the slightly lower ceiling it makes it -

it's got a cosy feeling to it.

But this is pretty much it downstairs.

It's quite a simple layout. That's sort of what you were looking for.

It is. Indeed, yeah.

-No dining room.

-No dining room, no.

-LAUGHTER

Behind the sitting room is one of the four double bedrooms.

It has doors to the garden and a neighbouring shower room.

The other three are found upstairs.

There's one at the front, currently used as a twin, with views on two

sides, and then to the rear is another set up as an office,

which is a light, bright dual aspect.

Next door is a tiled family bathroom,

but I'm keen to get their take on the fourth bedroom.

Ah, the sun has come out now. It's super-bright in here.

-Lovely.

-Oh, it is.

-This they're using as the master bedroom because,

-on the other side of here, you've got an en suite.

-OK.

I don't know how big you like your bedrooms, or how...

Probably a little bit bigger than this, because we've got a big bed.

A very large bed. We could use maybe one of the other rooms and have this

-as a guest suite.

-Yeah, the other room is actually probably a little

bit bigger because they haven't used it up, it doesn't have an en suite.

But then has the downside of having to use family bathroom as such,

-yeah.

-Yeah.

-But when it's just the two of us, does it matter?

-Yeah.

I like Jill's pragmatic approach.

With the house interior covered, we're heading outside to appreciate

the views from the pleasantly secluded garden.

The extensive grounds wrap around the house and would provide a great

playground for their pet dog.

The front overlooks a south-facing garden, and to the rear there's an

area perfect for growing vegetables,

complete with garden shed and log store.

In addition, there are two garages,

a workshop and numerous outbuildings, including stables.

On top of that, this property comes with a generous two paddocks.

-So, here we have a real selling point for you particularly, Rob.

-OK.

This is the second of the two paddocks, and the whole thing adds

-up to two acres.

-They're beautifully maintained paddocks, I must say.

And we could portion off a bit there to put bees and chickens in as well.

So the missing part of the puzzle is the price, of course.

What do you think its price tag is?

I think it's probably over our budget because of where we are in

the New Forest, the amount of land, and the size of the house.

I think...

875,000?

-Rob?

-Rightio. Well, I'm thinking 890,000 is where I would put it.

So this is where you need to hold on to your horses, because this is,

I think, going to be a wake-up to the prices inside the National Park.

This is right at the very top of your budget.

-Wow.

-This is £995,000.

-OK.

-OK.

-So we do need to do a...a total recheck.

So why don't you go back and explore, and then when you've had

your fill of looking and thinking and scratching your head,

then we can regroup to go and look at the next one.

-Great.

-OK.

-Thanks a lot.

This turn-of-the-century house rings in £5,000 below the top budget.

It provides a state-of-the-art kitchen/diner and conservatory,

a cosy sitting room, four bedrooms,

a manageable garden and two additional paddocks,

all in a perfect New Forest setting.

-OK, the front bedroom.

-This is bigger than the master bedroom.

-Yeah, it's a good size.

-I would probably,

I would use this one is a master.

-And those views.

-I love the property.

It's very deceptive, the difference between the outside and the inside.

I love the downstairs - the way it's been modernised is lovely.

Upstairs is more in keeping with the old style of the house,

which we would need to do something about.

I was pretty floored, staggered,

-I could almost say embarrassed by being so far out with the price.

-HE CHUCKLES

But obviously, yes, it's the value of that land out the front.

It's just got a lovely feel about it.

I could actually see ourselves here.

To be honest, it's way at the upper end of our limit.

Also out the back, I saw there's a big stand of Leylandii, and it's not

a tree that I'm particularly fond of,

so that does give me concern as well.

Have you seen everything you want to see?

-Yes, we have.

-We have, thank you, yes.

-Thanks very much.

-Oh, the

rain's about to start again, so let's get in the car

-and we'll go and see the next house.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you.

When they make their move, Jill has

plans to create a beautiful country garden,

while Rob's got his sights set on beekeeping - two hobbies that should

work in perfect harmony to give them a healthy supply of home-made honey.

To discover more about keeping bees on their country plot, using a low

maintenance approach, they've come to meet Natural Beekeeping Trust

member John Haverson at his home just north of the New Forest, to see

what the latest buzz is in the bee world.

We've just been walking through your garden and the flowers here are just

gorgeous. How do you keep it flowering all year round?

Well, we literally just plant in plants that come into flower

naturally all year round, and we do it for the bees.

Wonderful, and we see you actually have hives in your garden as well.

-Never seen these before. What are they?

-The tall one is a Warre hive,

which is a French design, designed by a priest, really, in about 1900,

1920, that sort of era.

I mean, the main reason was to try and support the bee.

So, in our beekeeping, we are natural beekeepers.

That means we try and let the bee live as naturally as possible as it

-would do in nature.

-Emile Warre,

who designed the unconventional hive that John uses to house his bees,

experimented with 350 different designs before he settled on his

eponymous one in the early 1900s.

He wanted to create a hive that was efficient, cost-saving and aimed at

a smaller-scale yield rather than maximising productivity.

Across the garden, John has an empty hive to show Jill and Rob, so they

can take a closer look at how it works.

Looking at it, this seems a lot narrower and taller than the ones

that I'm used to seeing. Why is that?

We can have a look at the basic structure...

-OK.

-..which does show a much narrower box.

It means that the cluster

-will be tighter and more cosy in the winter.

-OK.

Most people are not aware that bees consume an awful lot of honey, just

keeping their hive warm.

They generate heat to keep their brood warm.

Another way the Warre hive differs from more conventional hives is that

new boxes are added at the bottom rather than the top,

because in the wild, bees live in warm places like tree trunks and

naturally build from the top down.

Pretty straightforward. Not as heavy as I thought it might be.

We happen to have here

a window where you can look into the hive and see...

-OK, fascinating.

-..the comb coming down, and it's that...

and they all grow down, and normally you will look underneath

when the comb's got down to about here

before you'll put another box on.

-OK.

-What about getting the honey out of the hive?

How do we do that?

We will lift out the combs.

Now, they would normally be full-length,

so we actually take less honey in this method.

So, we do less work but we have healthy bees and happy bees.

So it's a win-win situation for both.

Rob's taking it all in, but before he heads off to start planning his

own hives, he and Jill are going to get a chance to sample the fruits of

-the bees' labour.

-Wow, that's a bit darker than I was expecting,

-I must admit.

-It does have all the pollen in it and it does have

-propolis in it.

-OK.

-So it's got far more nutrients in there than you

will get in processed honey.

Propolis is an architectural glue made by bees to seal unwanted gaps

in the hive, protect them from the elements, and keep them warm.

It's also edible and has been consumed for centuries due to its

reputed healing properties.

That is delicious. Absolutely delicious.

Got a lovely texture.

And in here I've got some pressed honey,

which is pressed out of the honeycomb,

and then it's just allowed to drain.

In we go.

Mm.

-So, what do you think?

-I find like an appley kind of character coming

through, and then very floral, fragrant kind of character -

taste of the garden, you could even say.

So, having seen all that, what are your thoughts about your own hive?

Well, I was very sceptical to start off with, but I must admit, having

seen the hives and tasted the honey, I've been won over, definitely.

Good, so all we have to do now is find a place to put them.

Keeping the house-hunting momentum going, we're travelling to the

hamlet of Beckley, on the edge of the New Forest, near the

Hampshire-Dorset border.

Just 20 minutes away is the coastal town of Lymington.

A haven for yachting,

there are three marinas and a ferry service to the nearby Isle of Wight.

I've brought our coastal-loving couple here to show them what could

be at their disposal when they make their move.

This is a lovely sort of typical kind of town in the New Forest,

in the sense it's got lots of amenities.

It's lovely, cos the last house is only about 15 minutes away,

the next one is only about 15, 20 minutes away, so this would probably

-be the place where you'd come to do your fancy shopping.

-So,

-access is quite good, then?

-Yeah. Yeah, I mean you wanted to be by the

coast, but obviously not on the

coast, so this would probably be a good central point for your,

-kind of, adventures. Come on, let's go and see the next house.

-Lovely.

Eight miles away in Beckley,

a long quiet driveway leads us to our next offering.

We've brought you round the back of the house because it has the most

-beautiful aspect.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow!

-Yeah.

-Now, that is something!

-That is stunning.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-Extraordinary.

-It really is.

-It was originally two

-workers' cottages, back 200 years ago.

-Uh-huh?

-And then an extension

at the end of the houses also, which kind of extends the property even

-further out into the landscape.

-Even further.

-It's just really unusual.

-Wow.

-It's beautiful.

Now, what's interesting about this plot is that, actually, this is the

garden, you know, this fence post is your garden, and then all the land

around is actually leased from the nearby estate.

-OK.

-So it doesn't actually belong to you.

-OK.

-OK.

-No, that really is stunning.

-It gets the heart all aflutter.

-LAUGHTER

-Yeah. Let's go inside.

-Wonderful.

The original centre part of this beautifully extended home is built

from cob, and used to be topped with thatch, but after a fire it was

replaced with this attractive curved, tiled roof.

We're going in through one of two entrances.

This one leads to the kitchen and breakfast room,

which would have formed one of the two original cottages.

Mind your head, low beam.

-OK.

-We are in a historic building here, so you're going to notice the

proportions are long and thin.

This is not the big open-plan kitchen that you were asking for.

-No.

-It's not, it's more compact.

-Yeah.

-But it's still...

-But it's a lovely kitchen.

And on the other side there's a little utility room, so you can have

all your white goods in here, cos this would be purely for cooking.

-Indeed.

-So this is a very different offering, but much more historic

-and much more characterful.

-Yes.

And the finishes are beautiful in this house.

Everything is done to a high quality.

The walls are really kind of well looked after.

-The roof...

-Very sympathetic to the building.

-Yeah.

Next to the kitchen is the sitting room,

which would have been the second of the two former cottages...

..and it still retains a raft of character beams.

Flowing on beyond this is a dining room,

and this was originally the stable.

A nice log burner, so you can keep yourself all toasty-warm in the

-winter.

-Heating both sides, I see, yeah.

-Yeah.

-And this is all cob?

-It's cob, yeah.

-Yes.

Well, the thing about this house is, actually, you've got this sort

of sausage of rooms, and then at the other end there's a sort of

extension, so you've got another very light,

sunny sitting room at the other end of the house as well.

-Another sitting-room?

-Another sitting-room, yeah.

Oh, so this could be the winter room and the other one the summer room?

-Exactly. Exactly.

-I like it.

-LAUGHTER

Even though the windows are small, we're still getting

-a view down to the outside as well, which is extraordinary.

-Sure.

Which is lovely, yeah.

Also on the ground floor to the other side of the kitchen is the

family bathroom, which was once the dairy.

But we're heading upstairs to explore the four bedrooms on offer.

There are three bedrooms above the original part of the house.

A spacious and bright double sits above the kitchen with its own

en suite, and then there are two

smaller rooms above the sitting room.

But I'm taking Jill and Rob to the largest of the bedrooms,

a later addition which used to stand alone but was joined to the

main house 11 years ago by a hallway on the ground floor and a staircase.

This is a lovely sunny room in comparison to the...

-Wow!

-Oh, this is beautiful!

Sort of lower ceilings than the other house.

Right, and this is the modern annexe?

Yes. So this is above the garage.

It looks absolutely stunning.

-Yeah.

-The only thing is that it's not actually a full en suite,

you've just got a toilet and a washbasin here.

There's...the option is you could also turn this room,

it's quite a big sort of, like, storage cupboard, into a shower.

-Yeah.

-Turn that into the shower, right.

This home is a sympathetic mix of old meets new, and one of the best

spots to take it all in is from the outside.

The impeccable garden extends to around half an acre -

manageable, with enough space for a dog and their outdoor aspirations.

As they saw earlier, it's surrounded by fields and views galore.

It is a stunning garden, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

-That view over there, fantastic.

What do you think it costs?

My guess would be roundabout the

-950,000-960,000.

-Mm-hm.

I'm thinking a little bit lower.

Probably about 920.

-OK. So, in this instance, you're both a bit pessimistic...

-Oh, dear.

-LAUGHTER

-..because this is on the market...

-Once bitten, twice shy.

-This is on the market for £900,000.

-900?

-Wow, that's...

And it's just come on the market, so... Why don't you go and explore,

-revisit some of the rooms that we kind of skated over....

-Indeed.

..and when you come back, we can sum up for the day.

OK, lovely. Thank you.

This 19th-century property is priced £100,000 below their budget and is

full of character and charm throughout.

There's a variety of living spaces,

four bedrooms and a manageable garden, with the option to rent a

further five acres, all set within the New Forest.

Absolutely blown away by the exterior.

Fantastic. Interior, done to a fantastic finish.

Slight issues -

having the dining room up at the one end and the kitchen halfway down,

and also having a downstairs bathroom.

But absolutely stunning building.

I love this property.

Beautifully renovated inside.

I was happy with the price.

I probably went slightly over.

I think you get a lot of house for your money with this.

That is your lot for the day.

I told you we had rich pickings.

-They were good houses, huh?

-You did.

-Very much so.

-Very good, yeah.

-Lots to think about.

-Extreme... Very much so.

-Lots to think about this evening.

-Let's go and find somewhere so you can think about them in peace.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It's the second day of our house-hunt in the New Forest,

finding a country retreat for retired couple Jill and Rob to move

to from their commuter village in Surrey.

They've got a top budget of £1 million to spend on a character

property to accommodate them and their visiting children.

Coming up, there's a surprise in store,

with our magnificent Mystery House.

A bit gobsmacked, but...

Gobsmacked is one word, but what I've seen so far, I love it.

And I'm lucky enough to encounter a whole herd of New Forest deer.

Look at that, we've turned our back and then they all arrived.

I thought there was going to be about three, but there seems to be 300.

Day two of our property search here in the very springy New Forest,

and I have to say that Jill and Rob have been exemplary house-hunters.

Jill has responded very warm-heartedly to the properties we

showed them yesterday, and Rob has also been appreciative, but also a

little bit more in his head, thinking about things like large

Leylandii hedges and bathrooms.

Well, the Mystery House certainly has bathrooms,

and I'm hoping it's going to blow the other two contenders out of the

water, because even though it's outside of the National Park,

and it is a new build, I'm pretty sure they're going to love it.

So, what are you feeling about the Mystery House?

Well, we're hoping that it is something really different.

I've just been going through in my mind all, you know,

the list of nice-to-haves

and likes that we gave

originally, and I'm thinking, "How far away from that can we go?"

-So I'm thinking...

-LAUGHTER

possibly modern, because the two that we've seen so far

-have been older.

-Yeah, that's a good point, yeah.

But I don't know, it's exciting.

Jill's analysis of what lies in store is surprisingly accurate,

as we head just outside the southwestern edge of the New Forest

to the Dorset village of Burton.

Still within easy reach of the National Park,

there's a great sense of community here.

Ten minutes away, the historic market town of Christchurch serves

up a good variety of independent shops and restaurants,

plus the natural harbour and attractive quay.

Back in Burton, our mystery proposition is a striking thatched

cottage which, despite its classic exterior, has very modern origins.

-Here we have it.

-Wow.

-Wow.

This is the Mystery House.

That is pretty.

-Extraordinary.

-It's a brand-new thatched cottage.

-It's brand-new?

-Brand-new?

-Brand-new.

-It is so beautifully done. It's just...

-Amazing, yes.

-..incredible.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely incredible.

That's a picture.

My only concern here is, um...

-Yes.

-..where it is actually located.

You know, the mystery is, you know, it's outside of your search area,

it's a different...it's not the rolling hills of the New Forest.

But look what you get.

-Shall we look inside?

-Right, can we have a look?

-Yeah.

-We'd love to.

-Thank you.

This mystery thatched cottage is so new, it's waiting for its

first buyers to cross the threshold,

meaning it's a blank canvas,

ready for new owners to put their stamp on it.

We're starting off our tour in an impressive bespoke kitchen, beyond

anything Jill and Rob could have expected.

Come on in.

-Oh, goodness me!

-That's a huge space!

You wanted a kitchen family room.

Here it is!

It's lovely, because you've got room for people to sit over there.

You could entertain.

Bifold doors, so in the summer you've got the...basically

-just got a garden room.

-Open it right out.

-Fantastic.

You've got a big skylight over there.

-You really have got everything.

-Yes.

-There is a utility room on the other side for your white goods.

Let's step forward in to the, I think they call it the orangery,

which is a little grand, but I guess that's what it...could grow

oranges in here, if you wanted, on a sunny day.

So, what are your thoughts? You're a bit gobsmacked, but...

Gobsmacked is one word.

What I've seen so far, I love it.

Um...

My only concern is just the surrounds.

So it's going to be a compromise.

Our remarkable Mystery House has already given them plenty to think

about, as we continue to explore the unfurnished rooms.

This is the sitting room.

Similarly bare of any furniture, but full of this fantastic brand-new

-inglenook fireplace.

-It's cosy.

-Yeah.

-Even with no furniture.

I still can't believe, looking around with all the beams and

-everything, that it's a new build.

-Mm.

Well, I think you will believe that when you go upstairs and you'll

be like, "Where are we going to put the bathrooms?"

In this house, you do not have to worry. LAUGHTER

Also located on the ground floor,

there's a cloakroom, and a bright study that Rob could make his own.

Upstairs, the four bedrooms are all en suites.

There's a dual-aspect double with a stylishly fitted shower room.

Then there's a larger double with a bright, tastefully tiled bathroom.

Next door there's a single with yet another shower,

and lastly there's the master.

This is the biggest of the four bedrooms upstairs, and you could

pick and choose which is yours, because they all have en suites.

-All of them?

-All four?

-All four rooms.

Two bathtubs, two showers.

Actually this one's got a bathtub AND a shower.

And it's a good size, big enough for our bed.

-So you can...yeah.

-And it's got a rather charming, kind of, eaves drop

-on either side.

-Yeah, gives it a bit of character, rather than just being

-a square.

-That's where the thatching would come in, I guess.

-Yeah.

Absolutely.

Let's step outside and talk about money and the obvious issues about

-outside.

-Right.

-OK.

From outside, the Mystery House has real presence.

There's also a sympathetically-designed

double garage, and the orangery

opens on to a terrace overlooking an enclosed lawn.

Obviously you've got the situation with the houses around you.

But you do have a lovely kind of double garage, and upstairs in the

-double garage, you see those windows.

-Indeed.

-That's a completely

boarded-off...could be a nice little man cave. LAUGHTER

-I like it.

-Now, you might be wondering what it costs.

Right, well, I'm thinking 880,000.

I'm going to go for 875,000...

..because of the location.

-Well, you're both wrong.

-Surprise, surprise.

-LAUGHTER

-Surprise, surprise.

-This is on the market for £850,000.

Wow! That is something.

-So the location definitely plays in your favour.

-Yes, it plays an enormous effect, yes.

-It does.

Well, for the last time, I'm going to send you back in and you can

have a quick whizz round.

-OK.

-And then we can find a space to think about all three houses.

-OK.

-OK.

Our surprising and delightful Mystery House is priced below

budget, and because it's brand-new it's ready to move into.

The show-stopping kitchen/diner/conservatory is a

huge positive, but there's also a cosy sitting room, four bedrooms and

a manageable garden.

I was just about speechless when we arrived. I couldn't believe it.

And when Alistair said that it was a new build...

in fact, I'm still...still not 100% sure about that.

I'm taking his word for it, but it is so beautifully done.

The attention to detail is just phenomenal.

Well, coming through the drive, it was...

the vision was simply stunning,

absolutely extraordinary.

If you could pick this property up and move it, I know you'd be paying

a lot more money for it,

but I'm not sure about the location.

We would have to give it some serious thought.

-Hey.

-Hello.

-All done?

-Hello.

-Oh, long faces.

Never mind, we're going to find somewhere to have a cup of tea and

-talk about all the houses. Come with me.

-OK.

-All right, cheers.

The New Forest is famous for its freely roaming wildlife,

and just outside Lyndhurst, within the National Park,

is the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary,

where herds of wild deer have a safe habitat in which to thrive.

There are around 60 deer within the 30 acres of the sanctuary,

and visitors are able to see these beautiful animals up close.

I've come to meet Sandy Shaw, the Forestry Commission's first

female Crown Keeper, whose vital role is to look after 10,000 acres

of forest within this special protected area.

So, tell me a bit about your job.

So you're a Crown Keeper?

That is correct, I am a Crown Keeper.

The Crown Keepers are traditionally regarded as being guardians of the

New Forest, and they have a history dating back over 900 years,

and today there's nine of us that hold beat areas,

primarily wildlife and conservation-based.

Is that in your blood? Are you a kind of animal person?

I actually am a Commoner as well, so I turn livestock out onto the Forest.

We have ponies, cattle and pigs that we turn out.

And what's going on at this time of year, sort of early spring?

OK, this time of year we're coming up to the deer census time, when

we'll be looking at monitoring and counting the number of deer that we

have here on the forest. But we're also coming up to the Easter

holidays when we start to feed the deer here up at Bolderwood, and so

that the public can come and

see these deer, and it makes it much more accessible for all families.

And what's the likelihood of us seeing deer today?

-It's 50-50.

-LAUGHTER

-So, can we go and have a peek?

-Of course we can.

-Great.

-Come on, Sky.

-To heel.

Within the sanctuary is a mile long fenced area,

not to keep the deer in, but the humans out.

I'm lucky enough to be inside this enclosed part where we are greeted

by some New Forest ponies, but the deer appear to be rather shy today.

We've got some ponies.

Are we going to see any deer, do you think?

We can give it a go. I mean, if you look back up on that ridge,

I reckon I can see something just round the corner.

So I should ease back so that I don't spook them?

Yeah, if you go back into the woodland,

because they wouldn't be familiar with your scent.

I'll put out some food and then we'll see how it goes.

-Good.

-OK.

The deer graze on naturally occurring food sources,

including acorns and chestnuts, but

a trail of maize and nuts encourages them to come closer so

that visitors can get a better look.

Look at that, we turned our back and then they all arrived.

I thought there was going to be about three, but there seems to be 300.

What you've got here is, you've got a collection of a number of family

groups. They've just collected in an area whereby there's an abundance

-of food.

-These are all fallow deer? They all look different species,

-are they?

-They are all fallow deer.

Fallow deer come in a variety of different colours.

You've got three different types here today.

You've got the common or wild colour, which are dark brown in the

winter and they have spots in the summertime.

Then you've got the Menil, which you can just see beyond,

which are very brightly spotted deer,

and they keep the spots all year round,

and then you've got the white deer, commonly mistaken as being albinos.

That is not the case.

And then there's some males at the back.

There are some males.

With the antlers, they're easily distinguishable at this time of year

because they have got their antlers, but bearing in mind, in the next

month or so they're going to start to cast those antlers, because every

year they cast the antlers and grow a new set.

It's interesting because the men are being quite...

they're hanging back. Is that to let the ladies eat or..?

Not really, they're not normally as kind as that, and also the does are

just that little bit hungrier than some of those males because, to bear

in mind, they are heavily pregnant now.

So beautiful.

Wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time.

-I know you've got a busy day ahead of you.

-You're welcome.

And, yeah, so lovely to see them.

I thought we weren't going to see them and suddenly they surprised us.

-The weather got nicer.

-LAUGHTER

OK, so the Mystery House wasn't quite the bombshell that I hoped it

was going to be, but all three

houses have made a big impact on Jill and Rob,

so it'll be interesting to see what their thoughts are now.

I'm not at all clear about whether they're going to buy any of them,

but we're about to find out.

I have loved showing you around the houses in the New Forest.

Have any of them really taken your fancy?

The house with the two paddocks and the stables,

although it was a bit of a shock with the price -

we were both drastically wrong there - that is funnily enough the

one that we've been talking about a lot, and we think there might be

ways that we would consider that one.

That is a contender, yeah.

-Right.

-That one has got potential, potential, in that there are

currently some stumbling blocks,

and the key one behind that is that,

internally, it does need modernising.

But a big thing that gives me a lot of concern are the Leylandii

trees out the back. So I think the next step will be to go back to the

neighbour, talk to them about the Leylandiis, and see if there's a

possible solution to removing those.

And then talk to local estate agents about the land side of things, and

see if we can come up with a solution whereby we could possibly

sell that or develop it to offset the cost.

If that house doesn't come through,

cos it sounds like there's quite a lot of ifs and buts,

what have you taken away from this week in the New Forest in terms of

house-hunting here?

For myself, it has definitely confirmed in my mind that

this is the area I want to live in.

-How about you?

-Yeah, and I couldn't agree more.

My final question is...

can you see yourself moving to the New Forest within the next year?

-Absolutely.

-Yes.

-Well, it's been a real pleasure showing you around the

New Forest, and I do hope that you buy here. Maybe one of our houses,

-but however it pans out, best of luck.

-Fantastic.

Thank you very much. We've really enjoyed it.

A magnificent week here in the unique beauty of the

New Forest National Park.

The sun didn't always shine on us, but it did not dim the enthusiasm

of Jill and Rob for the area.

I think they've got quite a number of ducks they have to get into a

row, but they said they'd be here in a year, and I believe they will be.

Though you don't have to wait that long before you can join us again

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