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I Escaped to the Country Season 10 Episode 2
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FunTranscript
00:00oh look at that and we're here to help people take that rural leap of faith
00:06we venture to the four corners of the UK searching for peaceful country properties
00:17couldn't be more stunning could it in truly spectacular scenery it is absolutely stunning
00:26isn't it wow I want to get inside and have a look the sheep in the field it's an adventure of a
00:32lifetime my heart is pounding in my chest it really is wow paving the way to a brand new
00:42lifestyle we we pinch ourselves that we're actually living here we're so happy so join
00:50us as we catch up with those who transform their lives when they escape to the country
00:57over the years we've met so many wonderful house hunters all with one big dream in common
01:20a fresh start embracing a whole new way of life in the beautiful British countryside but sometimes
01:28making that leap can feel daunting and that's where we come in because as you're about to see
01:35calling on us can make the difference with turning that rural dream into a reality
01:41we'll be traveling back in time by returning to East Devon on England's southwest coast before
01:49crossing the country to the eastern shores and the county of Suffolk where only last year Jules Hudson
01:56was helping Nigel and Fiona to find a new home and a business opportunity as well but first I'm
02:04checking in with a couple who'd never lived in the countryside before and were well ready to make the move
02:11in June 2024 retired police officers Beverly and Neil had sold their home and were about to move out
02:28we are all boxed up and ready to go into storage and temporary accommodation in
02:35oh a few days time actually they'd lived in the greater London town of Bromley for 30 years but craved the great outdoors
02:45we love to go hiking we like to go camping we love to go to the mountains but one of my big passions for me
02:52is sea fishing they hope to find all this in East Devon along with the detached character property that
03:00had three bedrooms two bathrooms and a manageable garden with rural views near the coast all for 675,000 pounds
03:10with time of the essence they'd summoned our help so I started by taking them to the East Devon village
03:23of Yarkham half a mile from the village center in an elevated spot the first property prompted a strong reaction
03:31I do feel a little bit sick do you is that nerves anticipation I think a bit of a mixture of both
03:40actually are you choking up my heart is pounding in my chest it really is I'm gonna put you out of
03:50your misery I'm gonna take you inside yes please this 18th century detached stone cottage had been
03:56extended but restarted in the original part so let's see if the reactions inside that's good as
04:05the ones that were outside oh oh oh oh oh your face and you came through the door I love it the
04:16kitchen's huge we love that style of living where we can entertain and be in the kitchen and be a part of
04:23the entertainment there as well so it works and we have got a lovely table that would fit we've got
04:28our sitting room here shall we yes let's please this is a really good size what a lovely space and so
04:39much light all three sides access outside oh my gosh arranged across one level there were three bedrooms
04:49and the largest was on suite it's lovely beautiful it really is isn't it are you still feeling the same
04:57vibe as we're walking around there there is nothing that you have shown us that has made me think no
05:03and there was more to think yes about as outside the grounds covered almost an acre with several
05:10outbuildings and some woodland this is just beautiful all the grandchildren would just have a ball given
05:21Beverly and Neil's situation we'd taken a slight gamble with the price I think it's got to be top of our
05:29budget and I'm going to say six hundred and seventy five thousand pounds we have been a little bit cheeky
05:38with this house oh the asking price is six hundred ninety five thousand pounds okay now I can see why you
05:47are in a fantastic position let's not forget that you are ready to go but just have that in your mind it
05:55really does strengthen your hand this 18th century cottage had captured their hearts from the moment
06:01they saw it and given their strong negotiating position the price didn't deter them brilliant
06:09stop brilliant stop I can really see myself living here it's gonna take some beating we love a challenge
06:17and so we continue to the village of Fenerton just west of the East Devon National Landscape where our next
06:23offering was on a quiet lane classic chocolate box cottage isn't it yes it does lose charm it is
06:33literally right on a road so just that that's my first yeah okay this property had been built in the
06:411780s it was believed to have once been the village shop I had a few treats in store it's got lovely thick
06:53walls isn't it yeah I like the stone yeah that's nice I like the fact I wouldn't need a ladder to
07:00paint the ceiling next to that was a kitchen diner with a range cooker and they were beginning to warm
07:08to the home this is nice I think that whereas they've got the dining table in there in actual fact you could
07:18have the dining table in here as a kitchen diner and therefore you make the living room into a bigger
07:25living space and planning permission had previously been given to expand the kitchen into the large double
07:33garage upstairs there were four bedrooms this is a nice sized bedroom this is a good size bedroom one
07:41was en suite and another had a walk-in wardrobe it goes on and on doesn't it outside there was a drive and
07:49separate outbuilding then to the rear was a patio with steps up to a shed summer house and appealing
07:56vegetable patch I love this I love the fact that they you've got the walkway dividing them into
08:03little subsections and that's really useful for when you rotate oh she is good my rotation so that
08:11you know you you keep the goodness in the ground and I could make very good use of that space so asking
08:19price I'm probably going to go around about six six five the asking price for this property is five
08:26hundred and seventy five thousand pounds oh my goodness so a hundred thousand pounds under your
08:32top budget oh wow this former shop had one bargain left and with four bedrooms plus large kitchen
08:40diner potential left a sweet taste in the mouth well what a day that was right from the get-go house
08:51number one that lovely 18th century cottage a house that made them feel nauseous nervous gave them
09:00heart palpitations and watery eyes all of which meant that my soon-to-be-revealed mystery house
09:07it's going to have to be a very special property indeed we made our way to the south coast near
09:14the border with Dorset headed for the village of Roosden and an exclusive 350 acre estate right here
09:23we go wow it was originally a Tudor style mansion with separate buildings and our mystery house was a
09:33recent end-of-terrace addition they liked the outside oh my goodness
09:40yikes it's beautiful but the hidden bonus feature blew that out of the water this estate has its own
09:51private beach oh my gosh this is really interesting now I mean it looks gorgeous the house had been
10:03built in 2005 blending the heritage of the estate with modern finishes to lose yourself in I want to
10:10start off with the sitting room where have you gone were you having a sneaky peek then sorry sorry sorry
10:22do you know it's okay I'm striding in you're very good Neil I'm striding in to say let's start with the
10:29city room turn around on I'm on my own I think this is a this is a great that looks beautiful fireplace yeah I love that you've got the
10:37the doors there doors there window there everything is saying oh wow lovely but I need to see more yeah
10:45to see where it fits well that was only the first room or second if you count peeking in the kitchen
10:53so some of us have already had a look inside the kitchen but Neil for you thank you I'll give you the
11:00proper tour this is a beautiful kitchen lovely size I mean just look how many
11:05covers there are it's just perfect isn't it there were four good-sized double bedrooms look at the shape of this room oh yeah look at that's a great shape
11:14one of which was on suite oh another bright room really lovely and a spacious family bathroom
11:21oh wow this is huge this is huge look at that we need words with Nikki I think she's in trouble now
11:30she's now making us having to think too hard she's made it so difficult she's made it so difficult
11:34the garden made it even harder as this house had been built in what was once a Victorian walled garden
11:42in addition to the private space it offered extensive views of the pristine estate grounds
11:48there was just one potential chink in the armor
11:51so let's do money six hundred and sixty thousand pounds six hundred and seventy thousand pounds okay
12:01the owners are looking for offers around six hundred and ninety thousand oh crumbs right okay
12:10being chain free and ready to move but Beverly and Neil in a strong position to negotiate on this
12:19four-bedroom home that offered space and heritage with all mod cons three very different property
12:27options and thanks to me to very confused house buyers I left Beverly and Neil with their heads in a spin it
12:35was between our first property and the mystery house but which would win out
12:40Beverly and Neil wasted no time securing a second viewing at drumroll please our gorgeous first home they loved it just as much the second time so much so they put in an offer and the rest as they say is history I can't wait to meet up with them again and find out how they've settled in
13:08four months after our house search Beverly and Neil moved into the gorgeous 18th century cottage during the autumn
13:19it's given them a gentler pace of life more time for Beverly to enjoy gardening and for Neil to practice his golf
13:28although he might need a bit longer
13:40well hello hello again so good to see you oh my goodness it's like deja vu isn't it I've been here before you look so happy yeah we are we are very very happy
13:57it is amazing yeah yeah we're really really happy am I allowed to come in and have a look around please do
14:03thank you go on no you lead the way thank you very much they're the rules this time round
14:08oh yes it's all coming back to me now it's such an impressive room when you walk in
14:17it knocked us out on the day that you brought us here and it knocks us out every day we we we pinch ourselves that we're actually living here it
14:28we're so happy that's so lovely to hear and I can see why Neil you said you were speechless
14:35I was in fact I was very emotional yes and I came through that door and I saw that fireplace and these beams
14:40beams so what have you done then what little changes have you made um not a lot in here
14:45not in this section just minor touches yeah we put a new we put that light up
14:49oh yes just just little bits and pieces have the grandchildren been here they have they have and it
14:57I mean it's it's perfect it's perfect for hosting we've had friends we've had family the grandchildren
15:03there's a lot of people around it yes we can yeah Christmas around it Christmas how was that
15:09Christmas amazing amazing it was magical where did the tree go we had two trees of course you did
15:16with the property this side you need two trees the main one was in the living room yeah and then
15:23a small one was in the alcove there next to the next to the roaring fire oh yeah and you mentioned
15:30there's a living room next door can I indeed I'm going to leave now like the old days
15:36I can't I forgot I just how big this property is and who needs some a picture when you've got
15:46the window looking out on the cows come over to the fence and look over and sheep in the winter
15:51brilliant they put their head over the fence and eat the apple trees yes and then in the winter when
15:57the leaves go you can then see the views of the valley and the sheep in the field which is just
16:03brilliant see in the distance yeah and you from the top of the garden when the leaves are down you
16:08can see this oh I miss that sea view yeah oh it's so lovely but there's plenty more let's show you one
16:19of a better yes thank you Neil and Beverly have made subtle changes but this really feels like home
16:28with photos on display of all their family and friends oh oh no yeah recognize anybody in there oh it's a
16:41that lovely filming I know the Hall of Fame look how happy we look there it was so wonderful and one family
16:50member certainly feels at home this is the main bedroom and this is this is Ziggy in his usual
16:58position all I can say is what a handsome dog and what a life look at that face is this your bedroom
17:07yes no it's his we borrow it from time to time but no he's well you can see that he's completely
17:15lovely room lovely aspects looking out what's lovely from this bedroom is in the morning the sun rises
17:24just over there and the birds from about 5 30 in the morning are on the bird feeders and we sit there
17:34watch the sunrise and the birds all swarming onto the bird feed we've seen so many birds it's just
17:40beautiful well should we head outside because it's another nice day is beautiful yeah Beverly has wasted
17:48no time in getting on top of the vegetable patch which appears to be a roaring success and I can see
17:54Neil's made use of the garden room no doubt playing the police and ELO or a lower lower low get it but I want
18:03to know more about how Beverly Neil secured their dream home this is lovely I want this I want this
18:15look at the views as well well Beverly Neil I'm glad we're still friends because when we left you well we
18:25thrown a spanner in the works hadn't we you had yes yeah we were torn between the first house and the
18:32mystery house yeah so what happened since we last saw you then we went back and viewed this house the
18:39next day the next day and that was it I think we didn't need to view the other house so you didn't go
18:45back no we didn't see we just knew we just knew that this was the one so your budget for the booth
18:51was 675,000 pounds that was a top wasn't it yes and we slightly pushed you with this first house
18:58yes to 695,000 pounds yes did you have to pay that in the end or were you able to negotiate
19:05we negotiated and in the end we paid 680 5,000 over your top budget yes oh that wasn't too bad was it
19:15oh now I can hit it's at the cows we can hear yes that's our neighbors people complain about neighbors
19:23making noise we don't not not anymore listen to them yes but this is this is the noise this is country
19:31life welcome to yeah and how how lovely is that give me that over urban noise any day the bizarre thing
19:39is it you'd think that it's remote but in actual fact we're not far from the village we can walk to
19:47the village in about seven minutes and that's perfect for us and you've got the lovely village hall
19:53and you've got the pub that's just opened again so that's fantastic and there's so much that goes on
20:00so on a weekly basis we joined the short mat bowls club oh it's proper bowls as you see um but it's
20:09on a mat it is a foam mat now had you ever played it before no never and we thought well that sounds
20:16like fun we'll we'll join that and there's a lovely little group of people yeah and we did that early
20:22on so we got to know some of the villagers really early which was great well i don't mind a seven
20:31minute walk to try a new sport and meet their new friends who look like they know their way around the
20:37mat hello everybody hello so neil is giving me a crash course wood has a weighted side yeah the smaller
20:47sticker which will make the ball curl in towards the smaller sticker and you mustn't hit the wood
20:53in the middle you have to what's that called it's called the wood
20:59took a long time for someone to come something like this hopefully door
21:03that looks easy enough so i put one foot here and i put one foot here yeah okay here we go
21:22i don't know
21:26oh it's a bit heavy
21:32if you've never seen short mat bowls before that's not meant to happen
21:37am i allowed another go yes yes but make sure the ball is lined up with the arm oh okay like that
21:45yeah yeah because that also makes a difference here we go oh
22:02i have redeemed myself
22:06well i'm thrilled that we were able to find beverly and neil a beautiful home and that they found
22:11themselves a lovely welcoming community looks like i've also found a new hobby so if i'm in the
22:18area on a thursday afternoon maybe i'll pop back right then well it is now my turn to catch up with
22:27another pair of countryside escapees last year fiona and nigel had sold up and they had decided that
22:33suffolk was their destination of choice they were certainly out for a challenge but that gave me one
22:39as well to find them not only a home but also a business to go with it
22:48fiona and nigel from the berkshire town of maidenhead had retired from nursing and finance
22:53respectively and were embarking on a new chapter hi i'm fiona i'm nigel and this is our home where
23:02we've lived for the last 16 years and it's where we've raised our four kids but the last one's about
23:07to fly the nest and so it's time to move on like me fiona had grown up in her parents guest house
23:15and the couple had an idea to develop a doggy daycare business in their new suffolk home
23:21people will come with their dogs to stay with us and then they could enjoy lots of lovely walks in
23:25the countryside all around us inside space was also important as nigel had an extensive collection of
23:33models and military memorabilia selling up in the desirable home counties gave them a substantial
23:40budget of 1.5 million pounds and for that they wanted a four bedroom home with a hobby room a separate
23:47holiday let and a dog friendly garden all situated in a peaceful location
23:52they'd fallen in love with suffolk on a recent holiday so i took them to the village of waldringfield
24:03and only around half a mile from the river deebon was our first property so how about this little
24:10complex of buildings what do we think is it both absolutely yeah oh wow main house looks lovely
24:18yeah it's huge yeah it is yeah and then the annex exactly shall we have a look let's go inside yeah
24:24definitely we started with the main house a modern home benefiting from solar panels and an electric
24:32vehicle charging point oh i like yeah yeah very light and airy really nice proportions you know you've
24:42also got a lovely snug tv room as well here and we don't like watching the same thing so i'm in one
24:48room watching something and he's in another room watching his war stuff you know so yeah yeah that's
24:53right i'd be with you mate yeah with a period of beer classic war movie yeah get them on yeah
25:00off the hallway was a spacious triple aspect office a dining room and finally a generous kitchen diner
25:07oh yes this is nice yeah a lot of space i mean i do a lot of baking if you're into baking that is the
25:16thing to use so we like what we see yeah very much there were five bedrooms so plenty of options for
25:23visiting family i mean one of the bedrooms we can convert into hobby room i mean i'd rather it was
25:32somewhere else like still in berkshire the main bedroom had an ensuite and a juliet balcony oh wow
25:41yes what a view look at that yeah that's yeah that's so nice not sure about your hay fever nigel
25:49i think even for the hay fever that's worse with luxury on tap the family bathroom had a spa bath
25:56and there was still another property to view the two-story one-bedroom annex but this is lovely an
26:03enormous social space kitchen through there and then upstairs lovely double bed really big space
26:10and bathroom to go with it so for what is effectively a let for two people it's big maybe sofa bed for
26:17children yeah yeah something that accommodates children as well again will broaden the market that you can
26:22ability yeah there was enough parking for family and holiday makers plus a detached garage where the
26:29hobbies might get relegated the enclosed garden was ideal for dogs but might ruffle the feathers of the
26:37current residents let's have a think then about what this might be on the market for i would say 1.1
26:47million pounds oh interesting this is currently on the market for 1.4 million pounds right this is
26:56effectively commuter belt with great rail links into central london so all of that is going to help feel
27:04the height of the prices here right right plus also it's a big house slightly more than they expected
27:12for this five-bed modern home and annex but the premium to pay for being well connected might be
27:18recouped by attracting more holiday makers wanting more bang for their buck i took them further north to
27:25the village of all saints south elmer along a quiet country road was an attractive cottage with a ready-made
27:33holiday business pretty very pretty curbside appeal i think they call it don't they not only
27:41do you get that but you also get that oh oh so you get a smaller house yeah but you get a really
27:49good income to come with it so yeah let's have a quick look in here and then we'll go next door
27:54and talk about the business right come and have a look
27:56despite appearances this cottage was less than 20 years old and we started at the rear in the kitchen
28:05quite modest yeah but it is just for you too because you're going to be busy
28:13i think this is a perfect sign yeah yeah to one side of it was a dining room and at the other a summer
28:18room oh this is bright isn't it i can see the military history oozing from the shelves absolutely
28:26i think we could get all our books in there and there was another reception room triple aspect
28:31nice and airy and looking out onto the gardens beautiful as well yeah yeah a french window so
28:35you can open up yeah yeah so far so good i reckon yeah upstairs the family bathroom was shared by
28:43three double bedrooms while a fourth was ensuite i'm not sure our bed would fit in here no no
28:49maybe we'll have separate bedrooms yeah they could have separate buildings as the start attraction was
28:57the barn conversion that provided four separate holiday lets along with a large communal space
29:05there oh wow that's huge isn't it hobby room it's even too big for you for a hobby room when it's full
29:14all this is going out for three thousand pounds a week all right wow yeah okay the lets themselves
29:23comprise two one-bed apartments and a pair of two-bed options all the rental furniture was included in the
29:30price and there were already bookings for the following year this is a two-bed they've all got very
29:37similar appointed kitchens but as you can see absolutely ready to go for the next set of guests
29:45that they are expecting yeah high spec but easy to clean yes very nice and with 1.3 acres outside there
29:53was scope for a dog exercise area that left just one element of the balance sheet to work out i would
30:01probably go in at 1.4 million this is on the market for offers over 1.1 million pounds right oh
30:18while this one would have downsized their home it would have supersized their business and at that
30:24price the sums for this four bed cottage and barn conversion seem to add up to a bargain
30:31so day one was done two good options i thought that seemed to go down pretty well
30:38with fiona and nigel but the next day we had one more property to view an appointment with our mystery
30:45house our final offering was in the peaceful village of cransford and while this substantial
30:53barn conversion didn't have a holiday business yet there was planning permission to convert another of the
30:59barns nigel's dream house i've always wanted a bar conversion well today is your lucky day it looks
31:05good from the outside and the inside of this 200 year old barn had been refitted and redecorated from
31:13top to bottom by the current owners oh wow look at this that's very glamorous isn't it that's the dream
31:21isn't it yeah very dramatic yeah that's got the wow factor as soon as you walk in yeah like a real statement
31:26yeah yeah come on have a look when are we moving in oh this is a bit special isn't it yeah
31:35this is beautiful absolutely beautiful that's that's yeah yeah yeah
31:41all sounding pretty positive there was underfloor heating downstairs throughout
31:48and on the opposite side a dining room led to the kitchen
31:54locally handmade hardwood kitchen yeah which is really lovely the attention to detail that is
32:00fabulous isn't it yeah yeah that's lovely it leads into the courtyard this is stunning yes what a
32:08space that's beautiful isn't it yeah beautiful over there you've got the outdoor bar hot tub
32:15the look on your face says to me a man who has arrived at the destination he was hoping for i think
32:23we're there yes with no shortage of space there was also a downstairs games room and gym while upstairs
32:32boasted five bedrooms this is lovely oh wow this is yeah oh look at that this is really pretty yeah
32:40see our bed would fit in here it would fit perfectly oh it's ensuite as well lovely and there were two
32:48family bathrooms each with a clawfoot bath the plot covered three quarters of an acre and included a pond
32:55plus outbuildings providing the business potential subject to planning so the big question
33:00was if there'd be enough left in the budget to do the work i'm going to say 1.2 million pounds
33:07i think you're probably looking more about 1.35 million pounds okay so here it is uh mystery house
33:15is on the market for 1.3 million pounds okay okay 200 000 pounds left over to add the business
33:29opportunity to this enormous five bedroom barn conversion of nigel's dreams
33:36we've shown our couple three strong contenders for their new home in the suffolk countryside
33:41with businesses ranging from ready-made to their personalized startup and it was that option with
33:47the barn conversion that was the front runner
33:50well i am delighted to be back in suffolk where fiona and nigel can now proudly call themselves locals
34:02and i remember being very excited about that barn conversion that i showed them but that is not
34:07where i find them today
34:08however we must have got something right because although they didn't buy our barn conversion
34:16they did buy this one
34:20to say we came close with the mystery house is something of an understatement
34:27as this 18th century property is a similar period it's a similar construction and it's just seven miles away from it
34:38i don't know
34:42isn't this lovely oh
34:46hey hi hi how are you i'm very well hello
34:52wow this is great you've done it yes made the move
34:57where'd you get this idea from then
34:58um wow very similar to the mystery house isn't it very similar
35:04wow it is lovely it is lovely we do still pinch ourselves that we're here
35:08can i have a look in here of course come of course come oh i love this soft color of the beams
35:14these are not the original beams they were put in when it was converted but then you've got the
35:18old beams around the side of the room as well and we still keep finding new little looks and crannies
35:23little bits and pieces and nigel found these after we've been here for a while all right and apparently
35:29it's uh it's a good look thing yeah these are clay pipe bowls these are these could well be 18th century
35:36oh i mean i mean these were the cigarette butts of the day i mean they really are quite exquisite
35:42for like they really are and like all these buildings you know if if the beams and the walls could talk
35:47absolutely you know who left that behind who was it yeah it would be so interesting yeah so they
35:52are they're great aren't they so yeah we're still finding a year on odd little things like this we'll
35:56make an archaeologist if yet i can dig up trouble anyway aside from the historic findings there are
36:06modern comforts like underfloor heating throughout the whole of the ground floor oh yes yes oh nice big
36:15kitchen yeah i mean this is what everybody dreams of farmhouse kitchen yeah for sure yeah we're really
36:21pleased with it this is lovely and it obviously works for you what about the business the holiday lets
36:26wow it's been hugely successful yeah we're really pleased with it yeah and where are they so there's
36:32a courtyard garden here right and then they've got a one bedroom apartment there and they have the full
36:38use of the courtyard because obviously you know people are hopefully coming with their dogs
36:42but it has done so so well far better than we anticipated was it was it a holiday let already
36:48so they had done previously but not for eight years so we've literally just sort of you know repainted
36:55it presented it and presented it changed the floors and we are pretty much 100 occupancy wow yeah yeah so
37:04we're fully i mean for months we've been fully booked all the way through till november isn't that interesting
37:08yeah and then we're taking bookings we've got some bookings out as far as march next year yeah
37:13the business is clearly working well for fiona and nigel and the houses too they've got a study to manage the
37:20bookings while admiring the view a games room to entertain visiting family who'd have their choice of the seven
37:29bedrooms and i'm relieved to see there's space for nigel's models and memorabilia
37:35it really is glorious so what i want to know is how did they find it
37:42you will notice that all the mugs have dogs on obviously let's just dial back then if we can to
37:47the moment we waved you off because i knew you were very interested in our mystery house and why wouldn't
37:51you be and it revealed to you what a well-done barn conversion can offer it did so we a week after we
37:59saw you um we took a builder with us and so we could have a look at the plans because the owners
38:06already had plans for that cart lodge to be converted what we didn't know was behind that cart lodge was a
38:12huge oil tanker as well which was going to have to be moved the plans that they had to convert it
38:18weren't what we would have done were they yeah so we would have had to resubmit plans
38:22unfortunately it just took us right over budget so undaunted but inspired yes you continued to
38:31search yeah i'd seen two of the properties online and said to nigel well look well while we're down
38:36here let's just have a look yeah so we had a look at both of these properties and they were with the
38:41same agent neither was and neither was quite right and at the end of the day she said to us i've
38:48listened to everything that you've said and i think i know the property for you so the next morning
38:56yeah we came here didn't we we came here and it had the property let the hobby room the barn
39:02enough bedrooms enough space i walked in you know look round neither walked in we didn't say anything to
39:07each other did we and then we got in the car closed the door i turned to you you turned to me we both
39:12grinned and high-fived and we just and we just knew dare i ask how much did this lot cost you we paid
39:201.25 million pounds and just remind me of your original budget 1.5 million you've done it under budget
39:27yep absolutely yep i keep reminding him that there must be some leftover for me to do something with
39:33they did make one extra purchase buying this four acre field next door for 50 000 pounds and they have
39:44big plans for it if you only wants to have a pond this will definitely be a sort of more of a wildlife
39:50pond so this will be sort of shallow at either end sort of going deeper in the middle so so amphibians
39:56will winter you know in the deeper water over the winter and it will have a little seating area around
40:02it planning um is in at the moment all being well touch wood uh that we get the planning through then
40:09we're looking at having it dug um october november time so it will fill up through the winter and start
40:15to establish itself that's the idea so by the time we get to next spring you know it should be well
40:20established there's going to be a wildflower meadow as well and the guests will get to enjoy this too so
40:25how big is it going to be there i've had to scale it back because someone just sort of said that's
40:31really silly fiona so if you march that way all right and i'll tell you when to stop here we go all
40:38right keep going yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah stop and then
40:47yeah probably about that long pretty good 15 meters across yeah yeah i can see why you scaled it back a
40:54bit night yeah it was the thought of the water meter to fill it i think that they said oh goodness
41:01me that'll take two years to fill well hopefully you'll get you know a decent rainfall through the
41:05winter which will do it we get lots of monk jacks in here don't we um there are sparrow hawks in here
41:11we can hear the owl um neighbors over there have got a pond they provided a takeaway service by putting
41:17fish in the pond and two otters she got on their night camera and came in and emptied the pond
41:22so there'll be no fishing hours so there's a lot of wildlife and i just think it would be really
41:27lovely to you know to for the guests and for us to enjoy so you know seeing that there's just one
41:33thing i would add to that go on a nice outdoor model railway running around the pond what a great idea
41:40come on no come on high five no no no i think i should leave now nigel and fiona's escape to the
41:52country just goes to show that a new location and outlook can provide fresh inspiration for bigger
41:58plans than their previous lifestyles could ever have afforded and we wish them all the best for the
42:04future
42:11now when it comes to finding your dream country home 99 of the time it revolves around a certain instinct
42:19that you finally found what you're looking for it's what we in the escape business like to call
42:25the feeling certainly beverly and neil found it when they saw that property that they've fallen in
42:30love with and as for fiona and nigel whilst it may have taken them a little bit longer they did finally
42:35find a property that elicited just that response and look at the life they are now leading here in
42:42suffolk that my friends is what escape to the country is all about and in my experience if it feels
42:49right and it generally is right i'll see you next time cheers if you would like to escape to the
42:57country in england northern ireland scotland or wales and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk
43:05forward slash take part oh that's better neil
43:18so
43:26so
43:28so
43:30you
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