Escape to the Country - Jonnie Irwin 1973 2024

[Music] we're journeying through Somerset today a county which has long been a favorite for our rural escapes and its popularity does not appear to be waning come rain or shine it's a county for All Seasons at any time of year Somerset is special but now with the changing color of the trees that autal smell in the air and the leaves rustling Under Foot well in my opinion the county goes from being special to almost magical think of Somerset in the southwest of England and most likely a vision of lush Rolling Hills expansive Plains and Architectural Splendor come to mind but the county is known as much for its food as it is for its landmarks and scenery people come here for The Cider um we've got glastenbury we've got a whole bunch of art trails and foodie trails and there's a bit of everything in on set the Uber trendy town of brutin is a hub of creativity and celebrities it medieval streets aligned with award-winning restaurants plus an enticing selection of independent shops and services whilst nearby win Canton is renowned for its race course as well as its links to Fantasy novelist Terry pratchet who frequented the town's pubs but it's when traveling between these artistic centers that you're reminded again of the C's natural beauty you can be driving along a bypass just to get from one place to another and you've got breathtaking views it's one of the most delightful places in the world and the people are as gorgeous as the landscape right it's time to meet today's couple and find out what's driving their move to the West country and in particular [Music] Somerset hello I'm Janet hello I'm Brian I'm we would love to escape to the country now we're in our home on wheels at the moment bit cramped for a house but even so we love it so it's one of our Hobbies when retirees Janet and Brian aren't out on the road they live in the barkshire town of reading in a home built from scratch by former Builder Brian right this is our house it's a shal bungalow we've been in for 40 years we built it now pan shop and I'm going to disappear down there it's quite a big Garden yeah we love the house that I'll come down a bit um yeah it's a really nice house it's just the area really having once been surrounded by Fields the growth of several housing developments has now made their area feel much busier and it's not the only thing to have changed in 40 years that's a better picture of the front of the house as it was in 81 June 91 and there my 2-year-old daughter who's now 43 the couple's three children are now building lives with their own families but a move to Somerset would bring them closer to youngest daughter Rosie who lives in the county with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter mael would like to go to Somerset we've got to know some of the villages so if there's any way you can help us find the right house would be uh much appreciated brilliant okay thank you bye for their maximum budget of 625,000 Janet and Brian would like a property in a village location with Countryside views and space for their motor home inside they don't mind whether it's a turnkey or a fix upper but they'd like a minimum of two bedrooms and a lovely bonus would be an unset bathroom I'm thrilled to be helping them and we're all coming together to fill feel the leaves crunch beneath our feet before the house hunting begins so J and Brian welcome to autumnal Somerset beautiful is it it's lovely really lovely you've been brought here really thanks to your daughter right yeah what does your daughter think about it oh she said idea hurry up baby number two's on the way babysitting that's right yeah yeah I know exactly what you mean so what do you think sumerset is going to give you in terms of a a new lifestyle a more relaxed lifestyle hopefully we want to we want to get involved with things locally I mean you haven't done the process of moving house for four decades do you know what to expect well I I think through camping we do try and find sort of places out of the way um and so I think that's a way of getting into it really so your experience of moving house in the last 40 years is camping yeah that's sure yeah oh well you're I didn't realize I was working with experts in this field well you're in safe hands should we get going yeah okay good good good good good our journey through Somerset begins in the village of draut around a 5-minute driveway is the larger Village of cheddar famous for producing well I probably don't need to tell you nearby cheddar Gorge also plays its part in The Village's popularity formed over a million years ago it's the largest gorge in England both Villages sit on the southern edge of the stunning mendip Hills and from the entrance to property number one it would be very hard to forget that [Music] fact now you'd hope coming uphill you get a view and and you should be disappointed oh wow that's what we asked for that's lovely you sound pleasantly surprised there Brian I am yeah I'm thinking if I can see a view like this from here imagine what it's going to be like from the bedroom upstairs it's going to be lovely is it yeah I'm impressed oh good yeah let's go inside let's have a look this imposing Stone property was built in 183 32 to house the local Quan and his family covering almost 22,000 sare ft it's set of a three floors and requires some updating in places well then let's start with this kitchen because well I rather like it and I'm hoping you'll do too I like that nice range oh yeah yeah the view is amazing we could most probably chop a wee bit off that hedge so you've got even better View just sat down I like the kitchen in general how's this compared with your kitchen at the moment then it's very similar um the sink is exactly the same I think oh it is isn't it yeah and we haven't got the table you know grandchildren a few years time painting or doing their homework where you've got them for the weekend that's true yeah it' be lovely for them wouldn't it wouldn't it just yeah first room and it's Thumbs Up by the looks of it certainly let's keep looking around [Music] okay all right so yet more views yeah really wel configured this out yeah shut down there be lovely you could make that a window seat oh yes you could actually yeah that's true actually I've always wanted one of those yeah leing a b in a nice Sunday afternoon have to find someone that could do that little job for you you can do the woodwor I'll do the sewing there you go when that job's done Janet and Brian could move on to the large space off the living room which could be transformed into a hobby room or perhaps more extensive utility heading upstairs there are four bedrooms on the first floor and the ones at the front benefit from A Fine Outlook in my opinion this is the main bedroom this is wonderful isn't it satin bed cup of tea that for you yeah it's nothing how about mucking around with this house because you've got IDE the technical term is whopping how is it whopping great big space above as well it looks like an old nightclub and the owners raised their children there and they said when they've all got makes over just go upstairs yeah keep it as a nightclub then open up a nightclub yeah that's an opportunity I'm going to let the couple explore the rest of the bedrooms at their Leisure this property was quite literally built into the hillside so the bedroom at the rear opens out onto the garden oh gosh really bright who oh W oh a lovely door going out to the Garden yeah they've really made it in a lovely bedroom haven't they have a look in the is this the on Suite oh oh I say oh really lovely isn't it yeah this house is kind of deceiving because on First Look it feels and looks Victorian but being built in 1832 it's got more influences of the Georgian period helped in no small part by the fact that it was a Quan's Cottage so that have spent a bit more money on it but you can see it actually very symmetrical building I think they rather like it oh gosh it's huge oh didn't expect that little kitcheny area yeah and a bathroom room most like a you know selfcontained flat is it'd be ideal wouldn't it for you have family to stay they could do their own thing up here the garden covers a quarter of an acre wrapping around three sides of the property with a decked area at the front which overlooks the large lawn and the cracking views Beyond here they are how'd you get on well we've had a good tour realm um it's a big house inside it really is deceptively big isn't it it is it too big it could be too big um the ongoing the maintenance I think um might be a bit too much for us okay depending on the price obviously so how much do you think this on the market for I think that this is probably 625 that's I reckon around about 625 630 well very good guess is this is on the market for of around £625,000 oh wow a good guess wasn't it this 200y old quarryman's Cottage provides plenty of flexible living space over three stories with a large kitchen Diner two reception rooms and five bedrooms in need of a little bit of work it's priced at 625,000 but having been on the market for almost a year there's potential for the right buyers to get a good deal here it was a nice surprise viewing all the different rooms especially upstairs I was amazed there's just so many little rooms um you keep finding them I think Brian may be thinking oh my goodness there's quite a few jobs to do here she'll have me doing well the fusure amazing on I can't believe every window you look out of in the front of the house is just stunning I just feel for me um that it's a bit on the big side there are a number of things that need doing but I'm sure someone that can can afford it with some extra cash left over um could make a a Wonderful House of [Music] this despite the desire for for country living many of our house hunters want the benefit of a town from time to time and Somerset is blessed with an enviable selection I'm shipping Janet and Brian off to penally call Fr recently named the most stylish town in the UK but don't let that lead you to believe that FR is all about image because as my couple are about to discover it's got style and substance information a oh look room walking Festival take your pick from 17 guided walks cheese and grain that's quite a lot going on is it yeah located on the Eastern edge of the mendip hills and 1 mi south of bath the town has been inhabited since at least the 7th century and was known for its cloth trade until the industry declined in the 19th century quite High these buildings aren't they oh in fr's Artisan quarter Catherine Hill and its surrounding cobbled streets are home to more than 50 independent shops a mark perhaps of how much the town enjoys keeping things local the community spirit is strong we have lots of opportunities and groups that go on um for people to become part of something to feel valued and I think generally it's a lovely lovely place to live um there's a sense of freedom and fresh air and um just being able to live your best life the town is famous for its vibrant art scene and hosts a variety of activities throughout the year including the FR independent a lively Street Market held once a month to find out about the types of events on offering Town Janet and Brian are heading to a 17th century Farm building turned Concert Hall where director Steve MacArthur can tell them all about fr's art scene so what what is the culture like around this area in F for the size of the town it's about I think 28,000 people it's extraordinary there's six or seven places you can go and listen to live music uh popular classical music all sorts of things there's five dance organizations stroke Studios um amazing art scene and it's all very accessible the cheese and grain here for example we have 120 performances a year right across a range of Music um and compared to cities it's affordable too uh we had poor McCartney play here in June tickets were £25 oh really yeah I know um yes that's eyebrow raising isn't it um you can't get much of a a bigger rack than that no no I suppos not well MAA might not always be in town but spaces like this demonstrate fr's commitment to making art and culture accessible to all should jenet and Brian settle nearby I think they could be sure of a warm welcome when they drop by for a visit we're traveling into the pon Hills heading for the village of shapwick many of the properties in this pretty Village are built from local Limestone and although shapwick might be small it is a good range of community groups operating out of the local Village Hall there's also also a Cricket Club which is worth joining for the view from The Pavilion alone the streets of the village are laid out in a ladder formation a style once typical of the county and on one of the quieter rungs is the second property we've come to see okay so this is us oh oh that's nice it looks quite spacious from what I can see at the back there the yeah this is a semi so it wasn't our ideal choice but it's you never know you never know do you what what's your issue with semis you are you noisy neighbors no yeah we're not noisy neighbors what makes you noisy we singing and dancing we do there you go should we look inside yeah yes let's go the oldest parts of this attractive semi- detached Cottage Dat Back to 1800 with two extensions added in the past 20 years is one such extension is the kitchen where we're starting our tour and having been fated by the owners just days ago the property is now unfurnished oh that's very you it's nice actually dining dining room range like a mini range in there yeah that's Lovely isn't it it's lovely yeah you have to use your imagination yeah but you can see that this is all together a different proposition isn't it to the last place it is it is yeah I like it yeah I do actually yeah lovely floor yeah that's sff is yeah somewhere for seating here yes well yes if you like somewhere for seating here but I've got a really nice option here ah okay so this room would be bathed in light oh gosh oh wow this is really well done isn't it yes I think so oh wow yeah this is uh this is not a cheap job this I'm really impressed well I'm impressed that you're impressed because you're a builder and I know you've got high standards yourself and so if you if you like this then that's got to be good news yeah it is it is lovely I do like this yeah I do like this is this your favorite in the house so far well there's still so much more to see here Janet another living room with an inle Nook fireplace SP and wood burning stove provides a Cozier alternative to the Garden Room there's also a study downstairs whilst upstairs lie three double bedrooms and a bathroom complete with a freestanding tub oo bu wardrobes this is unusual it is looks like a it looks like a fireplace it does lovely creatures AR they yeah very cottagey oh could fit a double A double here cuz you wouldn't need wardrobes double aspect which is lovely lots of light oh it's nice yeah it's very good it's not overlooked I quite like it yeah granted the first property made Brian and Janet think it was a bit big but floor plan wise this house is probably round about the same sort of size the difference is it's more manageable I think it will be a lot cheaper to run and it's certainly got no work to be done to it you could literally open the door move your furniture in and enjoy your retirement one area they could expend some energy should they fancy it is the garage which is ideal for storage or well I'll leave that up to Janet and Brian oh oh I can see this as a workshop ideal for you the car can stay out there this is this is for you is it this is for me I could maybe get a little pottery wheel or something as well and you've got that room for your sewing yeah in this room for your Pottery I and I might give you some space The Garden of this property is a real treat in my opinion it's a classic English Country Garden with a large paved patio a Lily Pond and a lawn bordered by mature shrubs and trees comple in time you get a bounty of apples as well yeah tell me how you going inside it's lovely isn't it yeah yeah it feels really homely and that says a lot looking around look there a little Playhouse there kitty little swing ni courty it's this is your granny and grandpa's house yeah it's a bit of everything really isn't it yeah how much would you say you'd need to pay for this property gosh that's a difficult one I'll say £500,000 okay and I'm thinking it's £600,000 good guess the asking price for this house is £600,000 oh I was way out yeah £25,000 under budget and requiring little to no work this charming and smartly presented Country Cottage is full of original features as well as three reception rooms and three double bedrooms the property is located in a sort after Somerset Village I I was a bit worried about a semi but having walked through the house is a lot more spacious than I could imagine really and the garden is just perfect really yes it's it's manageable far more manageable than property one I think I think John's got fairly close to um finding the sort of property we're after as you step inside you you can imagine yourself in here yeah you can imagine mael running around oh our granddaughter she' love it here um [Music] yeah Somerset might have some beautiful scenery and lots of characterful villages to choose from but for Janet and Brian moving here means spending more time with family so we're grabbing a copper with youngest daughter Rosie to find out how she's feeling about the prospect of having mom and dad as Neighbors in their near future so Rosie how often do you see your mom and dad then see them every few months they come down a lot cuz they've got their camper van but a more permanent move is in the offering your daughter is Mabel what she said about Granny and Grandpa coming to live nearby she excited oh she's so excited she'd love them I mean every 5 minutes she's saying where's where's granny Janet and Grandad Brian oh I love them so um yeah besides having grandchildren to have fun with what do you think this part of the world will give Brian and Janet that they can't enjoy maybe in Reading I think it's that almost like a holiday feel it's just more relaxed here you think so far more relaxed everything is slower paced and it it does get takes some getting used to I think how do you think they they'll cope with retiring into a new area I think it'll take them a while to slow down really yeah they've they've both work really hard so um it'd be nice to see them kind of enjoying things a bit more tell me what do you think they'll be getting up to I can imagine dad being out with this camera and going for Country walks and um Mom I don't know I reckon something creative even just kind of a pottery course or I can see you doing something like that I would love to do that going like that so it's all very positive it's like it there's no rush but we have a time scale to potentially adhere to but you'll get something out of it as well won't you oh it' be amazing it' be lovely to have them nearby to help out a little bit especially with the second one it sounds like a great decision and sounds like it'll bring the family even closer together yeah definitely well cheers to that and let's hope um let's hope we find somewhere for you thank you very much Johnny than you [Music] [Music] if our house hunters tempted you to make your own move to Somerset then getting to grips with the County's property Market is a good place to start the average price of a detached home here is about 15 grand more than last figure currently standing at just under £ 479,000 the county has traditionally provided a more affordable option the neighboring Devon or Dorset but is it just Valley for money that brings people to this part of the West country I think what set some set apart is the fact that we uh have areas like bar and Bristol literally on our doorstep and yet we're clearly not uh a Suburban entity of the of either of those cities so we have retained that sense of sumerset nness if if that's a word and so when you get here you know you're very much part of the West country very much part of the rural Countryside of Britain um but we still have good communication links elsewhere and you can get exactly what you need the property selection in Somerset is certainly varied meaning whatever money you have to play with you should be able to find a home that suits you this attractive semach Stone Cottage is ideally situated for Country walks in the mendip Hills it has great period features inside as well as three bedrooms it's currently available for a monthly rental of £995 or to buy for £395,000 if you're looking for something bigger then how about this five-bedroom detached family home in a village not far from Bath the property has a bright open planed kitchen Diner and a south facing Garden yours for £850,000 but if you're just looking to take a break in this fabulous County then you can't go wrong with this converted Victorian Railway Carriage this one sleeps to with prices starting at £40 per [Music] night we'll be wrapping up our viewings with the Mystery House located in the hamlet of B but on our way we're stopping off in the town of glastenbury where a trip to the local Reclamation yard might get Janet and Brian thinking about the type of property we've got in store for them now we're just a few miles from the mystery property so I thought I'd stop off here just for a few minutes let you have a rose around all the wonderful paraphernal bits and Bobs here with a mind that the property you're going to see it's empty so you've got free rain to bring anything from any Century into the house I'll let you mooch around here and I'll go ahead okay okay okay I'm a huge fan of hunting out hidden gems in places like this but the mystery house is calling so whil they have a rumage Oh that's oh that's nice I'm on my way to our final property offering like a a lot of mystery houses this property started out live as something completely different it was a Schoolhouse I often get a bit nervous about showing someone a brand new house especially when it hasn't got Furniture in it but already you get a warm sense when you come into this kitchen and that's helped by the worktop but everything is brand spanking new and for Brian the ex- Builder doesn't want to do any more building that should be music to his ears having built their own home from scratch 40 years ago I think our buyers will recognize the hard work and craftsmanship that's gone into creating this house the only thing left to do now is to show it off to them okay so it's time for the Mystery House to reveal itself and it's this converted school oh a school school that's amazing looks really good before we go in though what do you think it's it's very contemporary I know it's different to the house you live in at the moment it is very very different is it yeah well we like contemporary do you we do yeah well You' come to the right place my dear come with me the original building dates back to around 1900 and was operating as a school until 2015 bought by the current owners the following year it's since been developed into a stylish and Modern Family Home go on in utility in downstairs WC The Galley kitchen bran spanking new wow wow the galley spilling out onto your patio it keeps coming it keeps coming oh my oh my oh my goodness wow wow that's amazing isn't it oh wow there a lot of scope to do what you like you yeah I want to show you a living room that is probably four times the size of the biggest living room you've ever seen oh really seriously wow I doubt you sat in bigger sitting rooms than this oh my goodness my goodness oh wow oh oh I don't know what to I just don't know what to say I love it I love it I love it yeah I have only seen two rooms hav I yeah but these these two rooms are bigger than the last two houses yeah and they've done such a nice job of it it's beautifully finished isn't it you've reacted by far the best I've ever seen in any of the houses we've seen so far so why don't you go have look at it on your own yeah and I'll meet you I'll try and find you somewhere leave a trail of nuts or something I'll catch you later on thank you do that well it's it's a true Mystery House some people would run a mile but these guys they seem to love it I'm so chuffed it's it's impeccable if it wasn't clear from the outside this property is a bungalow the staircase only leads to a galleried landing which provides access to a balcony more on that later four double bedrooms are located downstairs with a family bathroom situated between the two smaller rooms and the larger two benefiting from their own on [Music] Suites on Suite for this bedroom wow this is really nice is it plenty of Windows wow wow wow wow oh good it it's luxury isn't it [Music] it's another nice bathroom oh and another on suweet another on suweet oh how amazing you could make a lovely bedroom with this could you yeah sold sold is there a better word to hear in a property tour I think not and they haven't even seen the garden yet there's a large gravel driveway at the front whilst the patio and Lawn at the rear are Southwest facing with a stunning out look the best place to enjoy the view though is from that balcony I mentioned earlier all these views wow oh likey you can have like a a little cocktail bar and sit there and look out at the view oh goodness gracious did I hear goodness gracious oh hey it's just amazing is it it's pretty special yeah it is impressed with this place we are very yeah we are we're not going to be able to afford this are we I'll let you go first Brian to give you a chance um I'm going to go for £650,000 okay Janet impress me now I'm looking at 675,000 I know it's well out of our budget yeah well unfortunately you're both way out with your guesses because this house is on the market for £600,000 no really seriously really oh seriously wow that is in our bu that's yeah that is in our budget yeah no we could do that your reactions I don't see that every day you know in every room so oh that this is special this house is special for you this impeccable conversion of a foral Schoolhouse might be £25,000 under budget but it's exceeded all expectations there are two enormous open plan Living Spaces four bedrooms three bathrooms and tearing ourselves away from the house for one moment we can't forget those exceptional Countryside views when I walked into this house it just maybe feel let's get the removal Lori in I I just love it I love it I could picture us here it's perfect I think when we walked into this house we could see instantly that we would be happy here um it just gave us those vibes and I could see Janet welling up a little bit we've always liked this type of design but we didn't think we would ever be able to um find it down in Somerset to know that it's in our budget is is brilliant it's um unbelievable [Music] really each year in the UK the leaves turn from green to Red signaling the start of autumn for me that means slowing down and getting cozy indoors but if you're a CER Farmer in Somerset it means getting outside and gearing up to Harvest your Apple crop one Farm in the village of Kingsbury episcopy has been pressing cider for more than two centuries I'm stopping by at their busiest time of year to meet managing director Matilda templey I like your office it's pretty good isn't it it's it's gorgeous so we are in cider country yeah we are we this is the historic heart of side the country in the UK right here this this Village why what what makes this the center of it then kingsby episcopy has been known as having um the best sort of land for cider apple trees so since the 1920s it's been recognized as having the perfect conditions to get amazing tasting fruit it's the soil soil Sunshine great tasting apples so how many varieties here we have 105 different varieties of apples 20 different varieties of pears and they all traditional to this area so you just produced cider here then we produced cider uh we actually produce apple juice but we also produce Somerset cider brandy brandy okay Somerset cider Brandy company here got the first commercial license for distilling cider in um the UK in 1989 I'd love to find out more about the process can we yeah let's go let's go and see the shaking oh it's down [Music] in many apples will drop to the ground naturally but the hesitant ones get a helping hand from the Shaker and it's hard at work in the orchard [Music] today okay here she goes L Shing why do I find this so amusing once collected the apples are turned into cider half of all cider produced here will be put through a steel to create Apple Spirit or OD after that it's into the oak barrels to mature once it's matured for 3 years it can then be considered a brandy but which tastes better cider or cider Brandy first the the raw material for everything we do which is the our Somerset cider okay um so this is a really traditional Somerset cider it's made with um 2/3 of those Bitter Sweet apples and then a third sharp apples they're ones with lots of acidity which give it a nice clean finish Taste of Somerset that um but we've also got something called Somerset Pomona it is an apple Spirit but we make it by uh blending a juice together with a cider Brandy we then put it back into barrel for a couple of years so it gets oxidized it gets fatter it gets richer and we drink it in exactly the same way that you drink a pork it's not overly sweet but it's sweet enough to make the most of a nice bit of savory food suet cheddar is perfect accompaniment that's really nice should we try some cider Brandy now I thought you would never ask these apples were picked at least 21 22 years ago some of them would have been picked 30 years ago oh they're older than me this is your kind of signature Brandy then side of Brandy this is our oldest side of Brandy it's been 20 years in Barrel at least right this this this smells serious now that's a lot punchier wow suddenly it tastes a lot more Christmasy special occasion that's quite special this one I love The Cider but I think I like this one the somerset pona yeah nice Middle Ground as well it is an easy Drinker on that one this is a bit grown up for me Cheers Cheers well the Mystery House seems to have worked its charms but what did Janet and Brian want to do next is there an offer in the [Music] pipeline well I'm not going to ask you which of the three properties is your favorite the mystery house is has blown everything out of the water hasn't it it has definitely it has yeah why I just as soon as I walked in there thought oh yeah I could see myself living here we had in mind to build a new house at one stage and that was the type of design that we would have done okay that's encouraging isn't it yeah now that big room what are you going to do with it well right at the end I think it would be quite good to maybe put a staging or a floor slight HED floor and nice big squashy sofas that's a brilliant idea that would break up the room yeah I'm annoyed I didn't think of that good for you yeah what do you want to do about that house now are you in a position to make an offer we're still up for sale we've got people looking around our house okay so fingers crossed by the time we get back home there might be a positive result we'll give you the estation details and leave it with you oh okay on the condition that you tell me when you make that move we will we will we'll let you know everything that happens I want to come back here and see what you've done with that room right good luck thank you thank [Music] you so it looks like the mystery house with stiff competition is still heads and shoulders over the other options I'm Chu a bits they liked it from the get-go what happens next well it's in budget they loved it it's all down to them and the owners and the estate AGS in between I can't wait to find out what happens next and when I know you know I love this job sometimes go on puddle puddle puddle flicking egg I earned money from this by the way drop them over the side you joking no Cheerio deric attention don't be put it stay away goodness sake come on this is it this is it is this oh we haven't even seen the house yet who cares about the house well exactly with this view you get a free house check out your [Music] doorbell cop a load of this well won't have to go far on Sunday morning will I I bet even you'd still be late for this it's a good attempt feel like I'm being home schooled now I prefer the modern bit am I get a cross or a tick at the moment there a smiley face right you honestly have outdone yourself this time I absolutely love it you are oneing up aren't you good for [Music] you still got it he a tough job but someone's going to do [Music] [Music] it [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] n 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