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00:00You didn't get this in Bracknell.
00:02No.
00:03Why isn't everybody doing this?
00:05You shut your eyes and you listen and it's everything that I wanted.
00:09Since then, the world has turned upside down.
00:13We're having to turn people away, we've been that busy.
00:16It has been relentless.
00:18A lot of blood, sweat and tears, and a lot of tears from me.
00:21Oh Sam, this is lovely.
00:23It's just amazing.
00:25So I want to know...
00:26Oh wow!
00:28Was it worth it?
00:30The last thing you said to me was that this is the best thing you'd ever done.
00:34Do you still feel that way?
00:42Today I'm catching up with the cooks, who two years ago were so desperate to escape suburbia.
00:49So you've got the mortgage, the children, a job, and I think we just suddenly realised we'd settled.
00:55I feel weary and tired and I'm not that old.
00:58They moved hundreds of miles away to one of the remotest spots in Britain.
01:03It's everything that I wanted.
01:05I can't hear the traffic, I can't hear my neighbours screaming.
01:08Oh my goodness, I'm quite jealous.
01:11But swapping busy Exeter for the Shetland Islands has come with its share of challenges.
01:16I'm guessing that growing in conditions up here is a little bit different from conditions down in Exeter.
01:22Very much so. Yeah, very much.
01:24So now two years since they made the move, I'm going back to find out how they're finding island life.
01:31I'm on my way to the Shetland Islands to catch up with Jen and Alan Cook, who two years ago, in order to be debt free, moved 800 miles from home.
01:52Their story begins in Exeter, where Jen and Alan, along with their daughters Freya and Olivia, were lucky to see each other for an hour a day.
02:04Something they decided to remedy by moving to the Shetland Islands.
02:12This isn't moving just 50 miles away from Exeter. What was the drive behind this need for adventure?
02:20We had a family sit down meeting and we were like, OK, kids, what do we want out of life? What do you want out of life?
02:26And the family meeting basically uncovered that all of us want more time together and more space.
02:32Although Jen's Exeter born and bred, Alan moved here once he left university.
02:38Living here was never meant to be long term.
02:42It was going to be for maybe two or three years, but then children came along.
02:46So you've then got the mortgage, the children, a job.
02:50And I think we just suddenly realised we'd settled.
02:54While Alan runs a gardening business, as well as teaching bushcraft and adventure skills, Jen's the main breadwinner.
03:01She works long hours in sales and lives in traffic jams.
03:05I'm constantly rushing from one place to another.
03:08I'm always late for everything.
03:09The children are forever being thrown in the car to go somewhere.
03:12Trying to work full time to basically be able to afford the space that we have.
03:18We're really lucky to have it all.
03:20But I feel weary and tired and I'm not that old and I shouldn't feel this weary and tired already.
03:26Is this the thing that's made you think, I've just got to go for it?
03:30Yes.
03:31Maybe.
03:32Yes.
03:33If there's a different way, let's give it a go.
03:34Why not?
03:35But Jen has another cloud hanging over her head.
03:39For the last eight years, her mum has been undergoing treatment for spinal cancer.
03:44Despite this, mum is insisting the family chase their dream of going rural.
03:50My mum still wasn't very well, so I didn't want to leave.
03:54I think that's probably one of the reasons.
03:57And yeah, here we are 15 years later, 15 years later, unintentionally having stuck around.
04:05Though finally, they are taking the plunge, giving up their jobs, their home and moving their family over 700 miles away to the Shetland Islands.
04:16Without a doubt, it's a stunning place to live.
04:19It's made up of more than 100 islands with just 15 of them inhabited, but it's an awfully long way to go for a new life.
04:27I've got a number of customers in my gardening business, and they're all widows.
04:32And I just didn't want to be in a situation where, you know, I get to the 60s, which is where their husbands got to.
04:37And then Jen becomes the widow, you know, and we've just paid the mortgage off.
04:40So...
04:41Oh, my goodness.
04:46Yeah, so it's about making the most of our youthfulness whilst you've still got it, isn't it?
04:54Yeah.
04:55The move will also make them debt free.
04:58They've sold their small Exeter home for £220,000.
05:03And they're hoping to buy this house and its half acre of land for £125,000.
05:10That's £95,000 less.
05:13So you'll have about £100,000 spare.
05:21But by the time we've paid the mortgage off and some debts, student loans, all that kind of stuff, there won't be a huge amount left.
05:28But you won't have any debt, are they?
05:30No debt, no mortgage.
05:32While Jen and Alan will also be jobless, they're looking to earn a living from tourism, which in Shetland is big business.
05:40Everything from the wildlife to its world-famous UPHELIAR Festival.
05:47But despite the opportunities, Jen's conflicted about being so far away from her mum.
05:53It's not an easy thing to do.
05:56But by the sounds of things, you and your mum have really addressed it.
06:02Yeah.
06:03And she's absolutely given you her blessing.
06:05Yeah.
06:06I'd worried about moving for a very long time, which is why it's taken us so long to finally do anything about it.
06:12My mum, she's very, very, you know, you've got to do what's right for you.
06:15How's her health now?
06:17It's not brilliant.
06:18Do you feel that she's kind of your cheerleader?
06:21Is she the one that's saying, do this, you're right.
06:25Yeah.
06:26And as much as I dearly, dearly love my mum, we're not walking away and leaving our lives.
06:31We're going to make our lives bigger.
06:33Yeah.
06:34I think that's really courageous.
06:36This is a big, tough leap for Alan and Jen, a leap into the unknown.
06:43And they're leaving behind things that really matter to them, particularly Jen, you know, her job and her mum.
06:49But what totally shines through is that these two have embraced the spirit of adventure,
06:56so much so that if it doesn't work, they just think, well, at least we gave it a go.
07:01And that is a lesson I think we should all adopt.
07:05Four weeks later, the cooks still haven't exchanged contracts on the four bed house in Yale.
07:14But having already sold their Exeter home, today, they're moving, ready or not.
07:19Oh, my goodness.
07:22Just got to go with it.
07:23Go with it.
07:24Believe.
07:25Believe it will happen.
07:26And don't cry.
07:30In my mind, I've probably been here 10 years, longer than I'd planned.
07:34So it's just like I'm finally getting out.
07:37So we've got one hour and 54 minutes to clear everything out of here.
07:45The Cook family are definitely travelling in style.
07:49This is our seven and a half ton horse box.
07:53She is 33 years old and is just beautiful.
07:57We really love her.
07:58Costing just under £5,000, she's already saved them six grand in relocation fees.
08:04Though unfortunately, the old girl can't do much for Jen's stress levels.
08:09Oh, my goodness.
08:10But what this move is really about is spending more time with their daughters Freya and Olivia.
08:18They're absolutely brilliant children and they don't always see it.
08:22And I hope that when we're somewhere with less distractions, they'll start to see what we see.
08:28I'm hoping that in a few years' time, we're going to look back and go, do you know what?
08:32We did it.
08:33We went on an adventure.
08:35Fortunately, the girls don't need much convincing.
08:38Sheldon looks amazing.
08:40It seems a lot more, like, chilled out and calm, which I think will be good, especially for my parents and their stress levels, really.
08:51Speaking of which...
08:53I am quite sure that come five to two or even five past two, I will probably have a good old cry.
09:00With just minutes to spare, the horse box is ready to go and it's time to take a brave leap into the unknown.
09:10Here we go.
09:12Relieved and happy at the moment.
09:13Yeah, relieved.
09:14I think that's the word.
09:15Relieved, yeah.
09:16Now the hard work really begins.
09:17Can I just have a lie down at a party?
09:20Starting with a ten-hour drive to Aberdeen.
09:25Followed by another thirteen or so on the first of two ferries.
09:29Suddenly just having a bit of a panic.
09:31We're going to be miles from anywhere.
09:32We're going to be on the water shortly and heading towards a totally different island.
09:37I've got this vision and this dream and actually it's starting to become a reality and I feel like it's just suddenly hit us.
09:46Making the move even more emotional, Jen's mum has suffered another setback.
09:52Following her eight-year battle with spinal cancer, she's now close to the end of her life, but has insisted the family go ahead with their plans.
10:00We got to say goodbye, didn't we? I got to say goodbye. Got to say all the things I wanted to say. And she's given us her blessing to come. So she will love this and she will know and remember how much I absolutely hate going on the sea.
10:17Jen's mum always wanted a photo of the family.
10:22That's it. One, two, three, smile.
10:24Once they reach the Shetland Isles.
10:26Come on, we'll send that one to Granny.
10:28She's just waiting to hear that we've arrived and then she'll be able to maybe have some rest.
10:33So we'll go on and we will keep in our hearts and enjoy a new life.
10:39Great, guys. Up here.
10:42But this emotional journey is not over yet. There's still one more ferry ride to the island of Yale.
10:51And once they finally arrive, the horse box will also be their temporary home until they can exchange contracts.
11:03Next, after travelling over 700 miles, the cooks are in love with the lifestyle.
11:08You shut your eyes and you listen and it's everything that I wanted.
11:13But have nowhere to live.
11:15So that will be exciting.
11:18And two years later, I'm back in Shetland to see how their brand new life measures up.
11:25Stuff still goes wrong, but you feel you can cope with it a little bit better.
11:30Two years ago, the Cook family made the epic move from Exeter to the Shetland Islands.
11:48They say that moving is one of the most stressful things that you can do, but Alan and Jen are taking moving to a whole other level.
11:58Shifting their family 700 miles to a house they don't even own yet.
12:03While there was definitely risk with a brand new life beckoning, nothing could dampen this family's spirits.
12:11Now I know we can't walk in the house as soon as we get there.
12:14I feel much more peaceful and at ease.
12:16We'll just enjoy this as a bit of a holiday.
12:19Because quite frankly, we've left all the busy behind us.
12:22We're just going to spend some time together, I think, and that's probably what we need right now.
12:27After an epic four day journey, the Cooks can finally enjoy twice the life on the island of Yale.
12:34We're here. Do you remember it?
12:37Boasting 83 square miles of heather and moorland, not to mention some of the archipelago's best beaches,
12:45it's a far cry from Jen and Alan's life in Exeter.
12:49Here, many of the residents make their living from crofting, fishing and tourism.
12:55And for lovers of wildlife like myself, it's also the Otter capital of Britain.
13:01This is the most gorgeous campsite I think I've been at in a really long time.
13:08Until there's word on the house sale, this will have to be home.
13:13We've got some sheep friends to join us, so that will be exciting.
13:20So are you on holiday?
13:22Feels like we're on holiday.
13:23We're buying a house in Mid-Yale.
13:25Yeah, in Mid-Yale.
13:27Yes, that's the one.
13:31A few days later, the house sales still hasn't gone through, but the owner said it's okay to camp out on the driveway.
13:40Oh, man, what a relief. Made it.
13:51We're actually here.
13:53Yeah, this is real.
13:55This is real.
13:57It looks smaller than I remember in the pictures.
13:59Yeah.
14:00Yeah.
14:01But it probably won't be like that.
14:02No.
14:03That looks much bigger.
14:04Yeah.
14:05That's the bit I'm excited about from Honesty Garden.
14:07And the view.
14:09So stunning, even Freya, the family's resident teenager, is well impressed.
14:13Even though you've had many breaks that aren't about it, you've stuck with it, and you've made it happen for us as a family, and I'm really grateful for that, because me and Libby now are going to get to grow up a hell of a lot happier than we would have.
14:29Oh, and you're really proud of us, aren't you?
14:32It was stressed.
14:33She said that.
14:34Yeah.
14:35Ultimately, we have each other, and we have the support of our friends and our families, and it doesn't matter where you are in the world, as long as you've got that.
14:44After a nail-biting first week on the island, there's good news.
14:55The sale has finally gone through.
14:58Ready?
14:59Catch.
15:00And the cooks can open the door on their new life.
15:03Where do you want to go?
15:05Here we go.
15:06With more living space and twice as many bedrooms, they now have the family home and the lifestyle they've been dreaming about for the last decade, both inside and out.
15:17You shut your eyes and you listen, and it's everything that I wanted.
15:22I can't hear the traffic.
15:23I can't hear my neighbours screaming yet.
15:25Hopefully they can't hear us either.
15:27But, um, yeah.
15:30Though sadly for Jen, her mum passed away just a few days before they got the key.
15:37The first thing I wanted to do when I came through the door was tell mum.
15:41And, you know, the sun's shining, the view is amazing, and what better tribute could I give my mum than to have made our dream come true, and she would be so incredibly proud of us.
15:54She told me she was.
15:59She would love this, absolutely love this.
16:01I know we've got her approval.
16:02We have.
16:03Got mum's approval.
16:04Yeah.
16:12It's seven weeks since the cooks first arrived on Yale, and so you know what?
16:16I'm grabbing my bobble hat and heading up there.
16:19The last time I saw Alan and Jen, they were talking about wanting to take the family on a great adventure.
16:29And this is where the adventure has brought them, to the beautiful, atmospheric islands of Shetland.
16:37Oh, my goodness.
16:38I'm quite jealous.
16:39Having made the bold move and become mortgage free in the process, the next step is finding new ways of earning a living.
16:50You always need workmen and creative people.
16:52Oh, this is very true.
16:53It's a perfect blend.
16:54Oh.
16:55After all, up here, the cost of food, fuel and other services can be way higher than prices on the mainland.
17:08Hello.
17:09Hello.
17:10Look at where you are.
17:12Welcome.
17:13Welcome home.
17:14Even in the dresel.
17:15It is spectacular.
17:16Just a little bit.
17:18Can I come in?
17:19I think you want to.
17:20All my dampness.
17:21Yeah.
17:22Come in.
17:23Right.
17:24Oh, my goodness.
17:25So, what have you got?
17:26So, we've got the kids rooms upstairs.
17:28Yeah.
17:29Just two rooms.
17:30Yeah.
17:31Bedroom for us.
17:32Lovely.
17:33Yeah.
17:34Living room.
17:35So much bigger than last time.
17:36Isn't that lovely?
17:37Yeah.
17:38Yeah.
17:39It's so bright and light everywhere, isn't it?
17:40It's gorgeous.
17:41Absolutely.
17:42Definitely an improvement.
17:44Island Life clearly agrees with them, especially Freya and Olivia.
17:49We hadn't even got here, really, you know, a full day.
17:52They were off finding friends and going out playing.
17:55Really?
17:56They've got more freedom, so we are getting to just be together.
18:00Though for Jen, the loss of her mum has been really tough.
18:05This is such a big change of life.
18:10Yeah.
18:11I lost my dad this year, and you, you know, it's a, you suddenly feel like you're the grown-up.
18:17Sorry.
18:18I'm going to get to one of my struggles.
18:19Really sorry, Kate.
18:20I didn't know that.
18:21I knew that I wasn't going to see her again, so that goodbye was very poignant and pivotal.
18:34So, to be fair, she's everywhere here.
18:38And, um, I don't think I felt any closer to her when I went back south than I do here.
18:48As for the future, the cooks have big plans.
18:51Once any permits are in place, they're converting the horse box into a holiday let and making the most of that view.
18:58Wow.
18:59Now you can see why we're here.
19:01Well, I can see why you were here before, but this, oh my goodness.
19:06This is what I get up for every day, regardless.
19:09It's just beautiful.
19:11Right, horse box.
19:12Yes, that's what I want to see.
19:14I love it.
19:15I mean, it's a proper old-fashioned one, isn't it?
19:18Oh, she's gorgeous.
19:20So, just mind your stepped one there.
19:22You've got saddles and everything.
19:24Yeah.
19:25Once up and running, Alan hopes it will bring in around £200 a week.
19:30I want it to be able to accommodate maybe a family of four, you know, to adults and children, that kind of size group, at least, you know.
19:35Can I have a peep in?
19:37Yeah, go on, give the door a good tug.
19:39So, what would be the plan in here?
19:42Oh, sorry, continuation of the living area, really.
19:45Woodburner, possibly.
19:46Yeah.
19:47Nice idea.
19:48That would be good.
19:49Do you know what I would say?
19:50I'm interfering.
19:51Go on.
19:52Again.
19:53I would go just the couple's route.
19:55After all, with an outlook this fabulous, I'd say the horse box should be marketed as a romantic getaway.
20:02It's fab, isn't it?
20:04Yeah.
20:05I love it.
20:06Oh, it's so beautiful, Jen.
20:09I know, I know, I love it.
20:11Especially when you consider where Alan plans to park it.
20:15So, if you can see the view we've got from here still with the height at the top of the field.
20:18Horse box in the corner.
20:20I mean, how far away does Exeter feel?
20:24Half million miles away.
20:26For the Shetland Islands, 70,000 tourists, the horse box is just the beginning.
20:33Alan's also building, Jen, a writer's studio, which will be available for visiting authors in need of a bit of peace.
20:40The going rate, around £60 a night.
20:43So, we're busy clearing.
20:44Yeah.
20:45Looking at perhaps Jen's writing studio here in this area.
20:49Let's imagine that we're in your writing heart.
20:51So, how's it going to be?
20:52Where's your desk going to be?
20:53So, my desk is going to be over here, I think.
20:56Right.
20:57Yes.
20:58Because I suspect it might be a bit chilly out here at times.
21:00A little wood burner?
21:01Oh, I don't know.
21:02Can I have a wood burner?
21:03You could do a little wood burner.
21:04Could you let me buy another one?
21:06You know that debt-free thing?
21:09Yeah.
21:10So, if anybody can make it work, it's these two.
21:14They say that dealing with the loss of a parent and moving house are two of the most stressful things in life.
21:20And Alan and Jen have had to deal with both those things in just the last few weeks.
21:25But they're here now.
21:26And this is their dream.
21:28What I hope is that they do put themselves out and meet the community.
21:33They just need to make that leap.
21:35Next, as the cooks gear up for the party of the year, they're hit by one of the island's epic storms.
21:42It's blowing and absolutely holy here.
21:45The maddest night.
21:47And in order to embrace island life, they're doing whatever it takes to upskill.
21:52I used to find cooking boring and now it gives me great joy.
21:57Kids actually eat it.
22:00Everything from baking to wildlife tourism.
22:03Authors are very sensitive to disturbance.
22:05If they're aware of us coming before we're aware of them, they'll be long gone.
22:19I'm on my way to the island of Yale, where two years ago I was helping the Cook family adjust to their new life.
22:26With the Shetland Isles closer to the Arctic Circle than London, it hasn't just been a change in pace.
22:33The climate is getting in the way of Alan's DIY.
22:37There are many days where you get beautiful sunshine and no wind.
22:41So things like this, climbing up on roofs, etc.
22:44It's just nice to have a wind-free few minutes.
22:47Following a challenging winter, he hasn't managed to even start converting the horse box into a holiday let.
22:55Though by the end of the day, he should have fixed the leak in the roof.
22:58Jen, meanwhile, is paying a culinary tribute to her mum.
23:03I'm just making some gluten-free chocolate concrete that my mum used to make.
23:10Before giving up her job in sales, Jen was the main breadwinner.
23:13After working 40-plus hours a week, making tea was a bit of a chore.
23:18I used to find cooking really, really stressful, boring, unenthusiastic.
23:24And now it gives me great joy and I get to do stuff with love and kids actually eat it.
23:33Food's ready at a decent time.
23:36It's ready by five.
23:37And I never used to have tea ready until, I don't know, gone seven or later because we were never in.
23:44And keeping a watchful eye over Jen's efforts, a treasured photo of her mum.
23:50She's up on my wall so I can chat to her and I either have a good chat or I cry.
23:56But it's, yeah, I guess it's processing and moving on.
24:04But baking isn't Jen's only new skill.
24:07She's also indulging her love of music by joining the local choir.
24:12Hello, hello, I'm coming.
24:14It's just been really nice to get involved with a new group of people who are, yeah, really nice to spend time with.
24:22Are you all well?
24:23Yeah, good, yes.
24:24Yes?
24:25Excellent.
24:26We'll start as it is and see how we go.
24:28Is that okay?
24:29Yeah.
24:30Yes.
24:31Sweet bonnie boat like a bird on the way.
24:36Quite is, isn't it?
24:37After her mum died, the easiest thing for Jen could have been to hide away.
24:48But instead, she's embracing her brand new community.
24:52And that's what this move was all about.
24:55Loud the winds howl.
24:58You guys are good.
24:59Loud the waves roar.
25:02Thunder clouds rend the air.
25:08With the weather slowly improving, I think it's time to shake things up a little.
25:15Oh, it is such a treat to be in Shetland again.
25:19And I really wanted to catch up with Alan because although he's got his part time job, one of the things that he was really looking forward to was time out in this beautiful landscape.
25:33And I think for him to really appreciate it and be able to discover it, he needs to meet somebody I know.
25:40That's all.
25:41Keen to put his bushcraft and adventure skills to use, Alan wants to get involved in one of the island's biggest tourist attractions.
25:49Spotting the local wildlife.
25:52Hello.
25:53Hello.
25:54Hi, Kate.
25:55How are you?
25:56Absolutely fantastic.
25:57So I'm introducing him to renowned wildlife expert, author and tour guide Brydon Thomason.
26:03Brydon, how are you doing?
26:06Good morning.
26:07Lovely to see you again.
26:08How are you?
26:09well yourself this is Alan Shetland born and bred Brydon's taking us in search of
26:16Yale's most popular resident authors are very sensitive to disturbance and they
26:22can be very shy and elusive if they see if they're aware of us coming before
26:26we're aware of them they'll be long gone
26:31we'll stop here and hold back to the because there's actually a bathing pool
26:35just around the corner you can see a sheep she has to do it that's classic
26:40Shetland sheep coming down and eating eating the seaweed wildlife tours a big
26:45business across Britain from otter spotting to whale watching people will
26:50pay between 75 and 150 pounds a day for an immersive experience I know break the
26:57skyline do yeah I keep really long after lying in wait our first spot is a curious
27:03seal oh yeah they're in line with a lighthouse you think
27:08straight straight out yeah just out yes eventually we're rewarded by the sight of
27:14this beautiful creature brilliant
27:20wasn't that amazing super it didn't see us at all because we were right in the
27:24shadows here and just went with us do you feel the same elation now as you did when
27:28you first saw never really leaves you you know yeah yeah really does it stays with
27:33you it's a feeling that brings thousands of tourists to Shetland every year from
27:41otters to migrating birds and even orcas the islands are a haven for wildlife it
27:47could be a real opportunity for Alan the reason that I wanted you to to meet Alan has a
27:54great passion for the outdoors but also you have some quite useful skills I was
27:59able to work as an activity instructor and coach in the outdoors a sort of
28:03educational kind of learning yeah bushcraft canoe coaching guiding that kind of
28:09stuff it would be amazing to be able to combine all of that with my new
28:12environment well but it sounds I mean you've got loads of skills that would be I
28:15mean really they do a useful and I mean definitely there's ways that we could
28:19potentially collaborate ways we could work together yeah I'd really like that
28:23conversation yeah maybe a point yeah so when it comes to local tourism there's
28:33really only one contender for the event of the season it is the night on the
28:43neighboring island of arms and this is really what the cooks wanted this idea of
28:52community of feeling part of something traditionally the festival marks the
28:59end of the Yule season and has been celebrated for the last 140 years in fact
29:05this is just one of 12 possessions happening across the Shetland Islands
29:09bringing together over 200 torchbearers and many a party goer it's just the
29:16maddest night it's blowing and absolutely holy here there's sparks everywhere when the cook said they were gonna move north I thought they were mad but being here being part of this I completely understand why they fell in love with this wonderfully eccentric place
29:39after making after making its way through the village the procession ends on the shores of Easterloch where the bearers throw their torches
29:46onto a replica Viking longship
29:48so they're gonna set fire to this oh my goodness they really are and watch it go
29:54ceremoniously up in flames and what follows is a party guaranteed to carry on into the wee
30:03small hours next it's been two years filled with drama and adventure but I'm back wasn't this the area that you had set aside for Jen's writing then unfortunately do you remember that yes
30:20I never forget to see what the cooks think of a country life in one of the
30:28remotest spots in Britain it is really hard and at times you know the
30:34heating's not been working properly and various other bits and pieces have not
30:37quite gone to plan
30:49it's two years since the cooks left the busy town of Exeter for the remote island of Yale in
30:56the Shetland Islands the goal was to be debt and stress-free with more time to spend as a
31:02family the last time I was here they'd thrown themselves into island life since
31:10then they have been through two northern winters and the small matter of a world
31:16pandemic so how has their life on this beautiful but very little island panned out
31:32so I mean how have you both been on the whole really good yeah I think so yeah yeah does it it now feel just like you've
31:58always lived this way almost it's a funny thing I remember somebody saying to us
32:04make the most of that first feeling of feeling like you're on holiday yeah and
32:08try and live as if you're on holiday for as long as you can and I mean the reality
32:13is with lockdown all the rest of it you know and and life is real and things
32:18happen there were bills to pay etc but I think you know it's it's kind of like
32:23we're still on holiday it's great
32:28Freya and Olivia have also settled into island life like all 16 year olds on
32:35Yale Freya boards at school 42 miles away in
32:38Lurwick during the week and still at primary school animal loving Olivia is
32:43enjoying caring for their new pets she's even named one of their sheep after her
32:49favorite TV presenter oh you're gorgeous so with these pet lambs have you
33:03hand read them yes well said was supposed to be a pet yeah humble wasn't
33:09supposed to be a pet we thought you know he could maybe be Livy's test of
33:15rearing him and then taking him to market but yes so they both came as
33:19orphan lambs right and obviously we're suckers because we're incomers they were
33:24not quite as hardy of mind and we did actually have a little third one Duke or
33:30Sir Duke he was so tiny but sadly he didn't make it right and after he didn't
33:35make it we thought these two were such good friends that they both have to stay
33:38yeah because they give each other company and actually that was quite nice and
33:42they are characters it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever ever seen well I
33:50have to say I am very very flattered by my namesake well you're adorable coming
33:57oh come on then come on boys with a couple of sheep in the garden the cooks
34:03really are proper Islanders now the last time I was here this spot was to be home
34:09to Jen's writers room but green-fingered Alan seems to have had other ideas well
34:15this has transformed from a kind of just a rough it was yeah absolutely I'm
34:23guessing that growing in conditions up here is a little bit different from
34:27conditions down in Exeter very much so yeah very much the seasons very different
34:33yeah shorter yeah the kind of stuff you can grow outdoors is different obviously
34:38you've got so much more you can choose from in the south yeah that's my indoor
34:42growing area this now this is is it's an extraordinary design because you know I
34:47mean polytunnels are very susceptible to high wind so is this particularly
34:52designed yeah yeah so the key there is being designed with a whole framework in
34:57mind and wind tested to 140 miles per hour Wow so fingers crossed it should be
35:03fine wasn't this the area that you had set aside for Jen's writing then huh
35:08unfortunately do you remember that yes you squeeze her out although the logic
35:17was that I didn't want her to be squeezed in here and then not have such a
35:20good view so I've moved you into position where she's got a better view like
35:24pretty much everything on the island food is more expensive than on the
35:28mainland so Alan's super wind resistant polytunnel means they can cheaply grow
35:33fresh veg all year round tropical in here it's amazing yeah so what have you been
35:39able to grow um so I started a bit late took a while to get this thing up so we've
35:46had lots of tomatoes cucumbers we've got chilies yeah chilies strawberries and the
35:52popping corn that you see there that's magnificent that's like something out of
35:55a fairy tale it's just crazy isn't it yeah you know it's nothing better is it
35:58than coming out digging up your own potatoes or cutting a courgette and
36:01straight in the pot it's the best feeling in the world yeah yeah I can't
36:04believe you shoved her out of this corner
36:09lockdown has slowed everything down and materials for Jen's writing room have been
36:14hard to get so she's resorted to a temporary space for now and this is it is
36:23this the studio of a best-selling writer I don't know about that but it certainly
36:28keeps me happy well it's not right what you were envisaging not actually not yet no
36:36but does it work are you writing a little bit no well no I do have time but I currently probably
36:46choose to put my time elsewhere more so I think as time goes on and I start to get more settled
36:53again and in a better routine yeah the plan is I come out I'll train the dog we'll have fun and
36:58then I'll go in she'll curl up at my feet and I'll write I mean I have to say it is the most
37:04magnificent view I think I would be constantly distracted by it well I think what's really
37:12lovely is the fact I can be distracted by it but it's also really soul nourishing so I can get in
37:19there and stuff pings into my head so no I may never write a bestseller but ultimately does it
37:25really matter for me I just want somewhere to be yeah it may not be fancy but actually it doesn't
37:32have to be it's it's a sacred space for me yeah that the kids stay out of and I can lock them out
37:38and I can lock Alan out it's just a quiet space and you've moved here you've had lots of plans
37:45but actually what's taken over it's just this this new life
37:50and what about their main money-making scheme the horse box that moved them 800 miles from Exeter
38:03was destined to be a holiday let is it ready for guests yet you're in for a real surprise Kate
38:09go on a real surprise you shall we
38:15go on
38:16ta-da
38:17well it's got a chair in it Alan but it hasn't really moved on since I was last here
38:24so we when we got up here we were quite relaxed about the whole process of converting and we had plenty of time yeah of course lockdown came along and we just couldn't get materials we needed right and we just thought let's put it on hold yeah
38:39uh and that's what we've done we we've kind of got to this stage uh it's become a fantastic party venue so Freya had a 16th birthday in here which is wonderful um of course we've been going through the prices again and everything's gone up in price as well so now we've been a bit delayed by uh the fact that we just need to fund it yeah have you had any other thoughts of other kind of income generating schemes as well as this one one of my favorites actually is to build a
39:06uh a miniature viking longhouse at the bottom of the park which um becomes a sort of a teaching room bushcrafty building but also somewhere you can stay you know have a little fire so for those people that like something a little bit different and want a long weekend pretending to be a viking they can go and go and sleep down there yeah
39:22Alan and Jen moved here so they could work less and have more family time but there's been a big change since i saw them last they've both taken on jobs on the island which is helping them to integrate with their new community
39:39um Jen you went through the mill right at the start with losing your lovely mum just after you'd moved and i also remember that you you were quite nervous about meeting people and and becoming part of the community
39:58i think it's been really helpful actually that we both work in the community so therefore you know it's it makes it far easier to meet people obviously i think at home
40:07i um amazingly managed to um get work covering maternity cover in the office at school but now i'm just i'm cleaning at the school permanently and um doing the relief covers of the office and you know schools are the heart of a community you get to meet the families the children the staff it's wonderful
40:26but also one of the big advantages was that it made you mortgage and debt free but now you're working again is that by choice or necessity
40:38a bit of both necessity because it's good for your soul i think to still be part of something and i needed that yeah that was important the fact we don't have a mortgage is still wonderful but you still have life expenses you still have bills you still
40:52got to eat life doesn't stop having expensive just because you've moved somewhere beautiful um it's just different sometimes yeah i think has island life surprised you
41:04one reality i suspect is that it doesn't seem to matter how far away i'm living from london
41:12actually you can't run away from the world and you can't isolate yourself you know that was something i was really looking forward to perhaps is just sort of burying my head a little bit for a while and
41:22and not not being impacted by what's going on but actually you are you know it still happens island life doesn't stop you socializing as a human being and
41:31and becoming a sort of a worldly person you know it's not as isolated and um
41:37but i think there's something really special about it but you can't put it into words right yeah yeah
41:43but has a more relaxed island lifestyle minimized all the stresses they were so keen to leave behind
41:51it's the way it is like you say you have to embrace shetland life and part of that is adapting your life to fit in with that so
41:57if the weather's good and you've got jobs to do outside you crack on with them if it's not you crack on with the indoor stuff you know
42:03yeah it is really hard at times you know the heating's not been working properly and various other bits and pieces have not quite gone to plan the car we've had lots of trouble with the car and it's really hard to get it fixed up here because of the kind of car it is
42:16yeah i think the biggest difference that we found is that we would have had all of these challenges in the south the difference is we've got time to think about it to do something about it
42:26and it doesn't feel so hard we're starting from a much more relaxed point whereas before we were already up here like this and then something would go wrong and it would just it just made it awful whereas here stuff still goes wrong
42:43but you can you feel you can cope with it a little bit better or we feel we can cope better
42:49yeah when i last saw you you said we've done the best thing ever 18 19 months on what are you saying now
43:00absolutely yeah it's still the best thing yeah absolutely no regrets better than i think we could have imagined
43:07yeah even better yeah absolutely no regrets at all no no alan i remember you saying so clearly
43:18we just think it's time for our family to have an adventure yeah absolutely yeah what an adventure
43:25it's been that's not over yet i'm so pleased to hear you say that
43:31the last two years have been incredibly tough for everybody and i did worry that jen and alan would feel
43:44particularly isolated here in their new island homes so far away from everyone and everything that they knew
43:53but that's me underestimating this extraordinary family who have clearly totally embraced island life
44:01and what started out as a great adventure has clearly as they said themselves been the best thing they've ever done
44:23and what's been it's been the best thing to hear about them i'm so proud to hear you and i'll just go ahead and see you
44:42up in your house and tonight i'm sure you asked me if i was really going to get to the school
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