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00:00Today I'm house hunting with someone famously opinionated.
00:06I don't like seeing the neighbours. I hate the worktop.
00:09I don't like the fence.
00:11Bodged.
00:12An arbiter of style and taste.
00:15What is it, Feng Shui?
00:17Yeah.
00:18I don't believe in any of that.
00:20But can we make a believer out of her?
00:22It looks like a spaceship has landed.
00:25And find a property out of this world.
00:29Oh, wow.
00:30I could see myself in this house by myself.
00:33Perfectly happy.
00:52Estate agents of the nation, brace yourselves and gird your loins
00:57because a broadcasting icon, fearless journalist
01:00and one of the nation's noisiest national treasures
01:03is escaping to the country.
01:06So, please welcome a lady who really requires no introduction
01:11other than these three little awe-inspiring words.
01:15Janet Street Porter.
01:19Well, I'm a complete Londoner.
01:26I was born in Fulham.
01:29My dad was an electrician and my mum was a school dinner lady.
01:33We didn't have a bathroom.
01:35We had an outside toilet and we were allowed to use the inside bathroom
01:42on Sunday afternoons between two and five.
01:46Now people might wonder why I turned out the way I did.
01:51From humble beginnings, Janet Street Porter has spent over five decades
01:56shaping British media.
01:58After cutting her teeth on Fleet Street,
02:00she revolutionised youth television as a producer and broadcaster.
02:05Now holding court on loose women and in print,
02:08she's still as opinionated, sharp and unmistakably Janet as ever,
02:13including when it comes to her home.
02:21When I'm in my house, I don't want to be overlooked.
02:24I don't want to hear neighbours.
02:26I don't want to hear screaming kids.
02:28I don't want to see a trampoline.
02:31If I could ban one thing, if I'm running Britain,
02:33trampoline's going to be banned.
02:36Thankfully, she's as sure about the things she loves
02:39as she is about the things she doesn't.
02:42I've lived by water since 1973.
02:48The repetitiveness of waves is very calming
02:54and I'm a very busy person.
02:57I've got loads on my mind all the time.
02:59I just find water.
03:01It just does it for me.
03:04Since studying architecture as a teen
03:06and designing her own home in the 1980s,
03:09curating her environment has always been important to Janet.
03:13And with an apartment in central London,
03:15she's now looking for a coastal hideaway in East Anglia
03:19for her and husband Peter.
03:21Keeping her in check is designer and art director Christopher,
03:25a Suffolk resident and Janet's long-time friend.
03:29She's got an extraordinary knack and ability for creating spaces.
03:35And they have a very strong point of view, unsurprisingly, with Janet.
03:39But she's got a very sure hand with her spaces.
03:43She's not remotely interested in an idea of good taste.
03:46It's very much her.
03:48It's a unique vision, very clearly articulated.
03:51I think you've got a real challenge finding me something.
03:57I think I've set you the impossible dream.
04:00Janet wants somewhere where I can be private.
04:06I can be silent.
04:08I won't get annoyed by neighbours.
04:11Go walking.
04:13Just be myself.
04:17Without people coming up to me every bloody five minutes
04:20and saying, are you Janet Street Porter?
04:23So if you see Janet in the supermarket, you have been warned.
04:33When it comes to Janet's wants and needs for her escape into anonymity,
04:37there are just three things she insists on.
04:40Absolute peace, sweet isolation and an uninterrupted view of the sea.
04:46She's got up to one million pounds to spend
04:48and roughly zero tolerance for compromise.
04:55The UK has thousands and thousands of miles of spectacular coastline
05:00for Janet to escape to.
05:01But she wants to focus our search here in gorgeous Suffolk.
05:05But I'm going to let you into a little secret.
05:09Just because the search starts here
05:11doesn't mean that it's going to finish here.
05:13So watch this space.
05:17Set on England's east coast,
05:19Suffolk is close enough for the convenience of the capital,
05:22yet far enough away to enjoy fresh sea air
05:25and the solitude Janet craves.
05:29A detached home here averages around £439,000,
05:33just a touch above the national figure of £438,000.
05:39So you get all that charm without the London price tag.
05:46From the gentle beauty of constable country in the Dedham Vale
05:50to the medieval streets of its famous wool towns,
05:53much of Suffolk's quiet landscape has remained unchanged for centuries.
05:59But along its 50 miles of coastline,
06:02the traces of modern life are harder to miss.
06:05In Southwold's lively amusements
06:07and in Oldborough's bustle of galleries and cafes.
06:11And it's here that I'm meeting Janet and Christopher.
06:16Janet, thanks so much for doing this.
06:18It's a pleasure.
06:19I'm so excited to meet you too as well, Christopher.
06:21Nice to meet you too.
06:22Thank you for keeping us company.
06:23See, I have nice friends.
06:24Nice friends with good taste, I hope.
06:26Yeah.
06:27I'm your emotional support animal, I think.
06:29Yeah, I give him a good kick in every now and then.
06:33Because many people, I guess, will know you from TV,
06:35but they might not know that you started in architecture.
06:38Yeah, I studied architecture.
06:40When I left grammar school,
06:42I got into the Architectural Association in London,
06:44a very prestigious college.
06:46I did two years at the EAA
06:49and then I got a job on a magazine
06:51and I immediately whisked up into journalism
06:55and within a year I was offered a job
06:58as a fashion editor and columnist, so...
07:01Fashion took you away from architecture.
07:03What a lot.
07:04Yeah, but not really,
07:05because I've always felt that architecture
07:08is one of the major loves of my life.
07:11Well, you had a beautiful house built,
07:13which has been listed,
07:14so you must have excellent taste.
07:16That's not what they thought at the time, though.
07:19I know they didn't.
07:20Let me point out that when I built my house,
07:23we had to go through every single protest group
07:27that could possibly have come up with some pitiful reason
07:32why my house couldn't be built in the city of London,
07:35you know, in central London.
07:37And then, what happens?
07:3920 years down the line, it gets listed.
07:41You're a prophet.
07:43Christopher, I'm going to...
07:44You're not so very far away here.
07:46No, yeah.
07:47It's quite busy now, Suffolk.
07:49It's quite trendy.
07:50Lots of people live on the coast.
07:51Do you think we're going to find...
07:52There are still pockets.
07:53There are still pockets of kind of complete solitude.
07:56It is quite isolated.
07:57It's not really on the way anywhere.
07:59Is Suffolk the only candidate?
08:01I'm going to be honest with you.
08:03Every week, I scout the property pages in the newspapers.
08:07I do look online.
08:09I look at Scotland a lot.
08:11Oh, yeah.
08:12I go to Scotland on holiday every year.
08:14I like fishing and walking.
08:16So, that's something I would consider.
08:18Shall we crack on and see the first house?
08:20Yeah.
08:21Yeah, come on then.
08:22Follow me.
08:23OK.
08:24Our search begins a few miles inland, surrounded by the rolling countryside outside the village
08:31of Levington.
08:33It's just a four-minute trot to the nearest pub and only a ten-minute drive to dip your toes in the sea at Felixstowe.
08:44Coastal views might be a little out of reach, but the property does overlook the nearby Orwell Estuary.
08:50In the surrounding open fields, wild deer are said to wander, and there's a calm over this peaceful landscape.
09:01Which is more than can be said for me right now.
09:03Obviously, it's a bit nerve-wracking showing you property because you're such a property mogul.
09:11I'm not a mogul, Alistair.
09:14I know what I like and don't like.
09:16So, what do you think about this house?
09:18Here we are.
09:19I don't like seeing the neighbours.
09:20Yeah, we thought that might be a bone of contention.
09:23I'm kind of interested because bungalows have always been something I'd love to get my hands on and remodel,
09:31but this bungalow has been turned into a multi-storey dwelling.
09:36So, we'd have to go inside and see how the spaces all flow together.
09:40Shall we do that?
09:41Yeah.
09:42Come on in.
09:45This detached home was originally single-storey and has since been extended to offer just under 2,000 square feet of accommodation.
09:54We're heading into the newest part of the property, which is sleek, bright and unapologetically modern.
10:01So, a big open plan space, kitchen, acres of glass looking out.
10:07I like open plan.
10:09I like an island because you can put a lot of storage in it.
10:14It's a social hub, but at the same time, I've never wanted to eat on a stool under a counter, ever.
10:22I just want a kitchen table.
10:24You want a big kitchen table?
10:26Yeah, and also, when I'm doing a house, I like to have old furniture and new furniture side by side.
10:33I don't like everything being of the same age.
10:37So, let's just assume that whatever I'm going to show you, you're going to completely gut and start again.
10:42You have to see the actual space, the shape, the rectangular shape of the room, and then you've got this coming off it.
10:51It all flows through in one kind of rather bland, seamless, big room.
10:58Ha! I think we all expected Janet to have strong opinions, but personally, I think most people would love a layout like this.
11:05But, as we know, Janet isn't most people.
11:08I wouldn't have a TV room per se.
11:11You know, never had a television in a bedroom.
11:14I've never had a television in the living room.
11:16I would put the television in a cosy room.
11:18Because you go to watch telly, and you might watch it by yourself, or you might watch it with your partner and the dog,
11:24and have a bit of a row about why we're watching this sh**, and why you're watching reruns of Bottom yet again,
11:30and where everything's been erased off the planner.
11:33So, this is the opposite.
11:35So, if you did have a space like this that is the living room, how would you arrange it?
11:39What is the focal point?
11:40Oh, big sofas.
11:41I would make a grouping to enjoy the view, look out at the garden.
11:46If the fireplace works, I'd create a focal point around the fire, definitely.
11:53I don't think it should be both TV and fire.
11:56I think it needs to be one or the other.
11:58Yeah, I agree.
12:00OK, we've done two rooms. How will the rest of downstairs fare?
12:05Oh, my God, we've got the spooky glass wall.
12:08See, that disconcerts me enormously.
12:11Against my better judgement, I'm leaving Janet and Christopher to explore the remaining ground floor accommodation,
12:17where there's three bedrooms.
12:20You'd have to put the bed like that, and then you look out at the back.
12:24You're at the back of your outdoor kitchen a bit.
12:26Your tiki bar area.
12:27Yeah.
12:30I mean, I quite like these.
12:32Janet wasn't a fan, but I think it's quite nice.
12:34A little stool by the breakfast bar.
12:37I've never had a house tour like this. It's amazing.
12:39The house is really a backdrop to a lot of Janet's wonderful opinions about houses in general.
12:44But I think it's interesting what the house that Janet's looking for is about.
12:51What's the story?
12:52Because it's clearly not about big family spaces and modern open plan.
12:58It's something cosy and probably a bit more remote than this.
13:07So, look, here's another bed in the corner.
13:09Oh.
13:10Oh, they've got two beds.
13:11Obviously, you'd have one.
13:13I'd always put the bed facing the door if possible.
13:16I think...
13:17I know there's all those kind of rules about, what is it, Feng Shui?
13:21Yeah.
13:22I don't believe in any of that.
13:25One thing you can say about this house, it's got all the modern touches.
13:29Oh, God, what's this?
13:30Which might be exactly the problem.
13:34What's that do?
13:35I can't...
13:36Ah!
13:40Before Janet presses the button which seals all the doors and turns out the lights,
13:44I'm steering her and Christopher towards the principal ensuite bedroom.
13:49And it has views.
13:51Oh, yeah, it does have great views.
13:52Oh, this is great.
13:54And a balcony.
13:56What do you think?
14:00I like the mixture of industrial and countryside.
14:05Yeah, you've got the Felixstowe container port over there.
14:09I can't tell whether you're struck down.
14:12I'm thinking it's a view, but it's a good view, but it's not a fabulous view.
14:18I'm quite clear in my head that when I see the right place, I'll go, wow.
14:24It'll be like reading a book or seeing a painting for the first time.
14:29You'll see it and you'll go, that's me.
14:31It may not have Janet's name on it, but there's a lot that sells this exquisite house, including the slick outside kitchen with built-in barbecue, the extra large terrace which extends onto the low maintenance garden and those good, although I personally think great views.
14:52I don't need to be a property Sherlock to know that maybe this one is not for you, but for the record, how much do you think it's on the market for?
15:01849.
15:02I think it might be a bit more.
15:03No.
15:04870.
15:05So this is on the market for, hold your horses, £960,000.
15:08For the right family, it's the right house, but maybe not for Janet.
15:20I don't want to come across as a curmudgeon or a nitpicker, but can I remind you of what I asked for?
15:27Sure.
15:28View of the sea, peace and quiet, yes, but something that I would find, you know, invigorating and would resonate with me.
15:37Give me something that I can remodel, that I can make mine.
15:41Because this house, I couldn't turn it into Janet's house.
15:44It's just not possible.
15:46Well, we could give you a bit more sea.
15:48How about that?
15:50Yeah, you're being very cautious.
15:52Of course I'm cautious of you.
15:54You're sensing a knockback already.
15:57That's not good enough, Alistair.
15:59You've got to be a bit more competent with me.
16:02OK.
16:03Right, we're going to the sea and you're going to love it.
16:04Great.
16:05I'm not sure what makes them.
16:09Janet's very honest feedback has taught me that no amount of countryside views will make up for the inability to remodel the house to her own taste.
16:18Modern and ready to move into?
16:20Not on Janet's watch.
16:23Consider me firmly corrected.
16:25i guess people do think of you as very outspoken people think i think the main thing is that if
16:39you're on television quite a lot of people feel related to you and then they see you in the street
16:43and they honestly think quite often you're a relative and quite often people come up to me
16:49you know hello how are you yeah and i think but you don't know me yeah so your home has to be a
16:54real sanctuary from all of that where you can completely relax and also wear horrible clothes
17:00i mean the thing is now i've got like you know the trackie covid turned us into such slops
17:09and it's quite hard to come back out of it and wear non-elasticated waist trousers
17:15so that's you know that's what happened you don't wear a corset at home
17:20our next destination is in the historic coastal village of thorpe ness
17:28dreamt up by the ogilvy family in the early 20th century thorpe ness was designed as a seaside
17:37escape for the fortunate few today all are welcome with many stopping by for cozy cream teas
17:44rounds of golf and relaxing on the boating lake
17:47from the wild and windy shingle beach it's only a 35 minute stroll to old bros cafes and boutiques
17:57the property we're visiting sits on a private road raised up just enough to make the most of its good
18:04looks welcome into our second offering it's very imposing it's a nice solid looking house as well
18:14now you wanted the sea yes you couldn't get any closer to the sea unless you were in the sea
18:18yeah i like the sound of the sea so i'm being drawn towards the building by the sound of the sea then
18:25let's skirt around the building go straight to the sea let's do that this detached black and white
18:32beach house has been watching the waves since the 1920s but will the view be up to janet's exacting
18:40standards wow great view thank goodness unimpeded horizon really like it it would keep me happy
18:52oh yes i can see another very ugly house over there this house is a bit set back so that's uh fine
19:02this is your path down to the beach there's some sleeper steps that take you to the beach
19:06okay and we're facing east the sun will rise over here because i've got a compass right okay so nelly
19:13eats sour watermelon so that's south yeah yeah so yes you're right it'll set on that side of the house
19:18what was that nelly thing nelly nelly eats sour watermelon that's how you remember the points
19:24of the compass my first janet street porter eye rolled it's like getting a handshake from paul hollywood
19:32well is that a jacuzzi hello what's under that rug would a jacuzzi be a good thing or a bad thing
19:40no it'd be a symbol of everything i hate me too let's get inside before she vetoes anything else
19:49so here we have the living space how have they done on the focal point front
19:54i think it works uh really well because if you own this house you'd spend a lot of time in this
20:01room it's the room with the view and because of the big expanse of glass that is going to be as good
20:06as having the television on easily yeah and it's nice that they've got they've kind of retained some
20:11of the the original features i mean this fireplace is a nice original fireplace i like the fact there's
20:16no curtains yeah i could work on this room i mean i could do something what would you do i'd probably
20:23lighten up the floor a bit to bring more light to the back of the room should we continue the tour so
20:28there's another dining room it's uh it's all facing the the sea beautiful big dining space yeah um do you
20:36really need a separate dining room i'd probably use it as an office oh even better i'll be sitting
20:41on my computer staring out of the sea dare i say it it's going quite well next door to the dining room
20:50is the kitchen which much like the other rooms downstairs overlooks the sea and there's no breakfast bar
20:56in sight so here's the kitchen you've got a utility room yeah and uh stove yeah and at the end of the
21:06kitchen you've got this i think quite unique feature where you can open up all the windows so it's become
21:11sort of outside inside what do you think of the kitchen yeah no it's good good wow but i'm starting
21:17to realize with janet there's always a but you have the hot boiling hot pan you've lift you've
21:25you've got a pan on here you've lifted it off that lid's down where'd you go so i haven't integrated it
21:32into the kitchen this way or that way there's a gap and you've got to i think it it's difficult but you
21:39can shoot um you could extend the worktop yeah i did it looks so um bodged so what i'm noticing is
21:47that you are talking a lot about this house you're looking at things which wasn't the case in the
21:52first house does that mean that this kind of it's inching towards being acceptable but it still feels
21:59hemmed in at the sides because look oh yeah you have got the stockade the view is incredible and
22:07there's some really nice details as well even even the sort of cabinetry is nicely detailed and
22:12the artwork and the pools yeah it's done it's done uh to a high standard i'm going to let you
22:17explore upstairs and uh when you're done let me know yeah well you could check out the utility room
22:24also they're very thorough these don't feel right there feel these big tiles feel like that
22:32they're on a hollow floor they've been placed on a wood block floor yeah on boards but nice sink
22:42four double bedrooms await janet and christopher upstairs
22:46the family bathroom is ready for a refresh whilst the principal has the benefit of its own ensuite
22:54okay well this is good you can line in the bath and look out and see
22:59very nice i would get rid of these built-in covers all they are is boxes to put things in outside and
23:07never so they don't add any plus to the room to the character of the room would you put the
23:13fireplace back in maybe yeah and then i'd i'd stress out about how near to the end of the bed the fire was
23:20probably anyway the dog would lie in front of it and block it um it's very striking in this house
23:28there's a lot of tapping the wall looking at the floor checking the windows there's an engagement with
23:34the property that was completely absent this morning and although janet's never going to be the gushy type
23:40i do feel that there are some sterling qualities about this property that she likes
23:47another bedroom right i think there's quite an argument in this house for knocking these two
23:54rooms back into one so that you've got one really lovely big second bedroom for guests
24:01and then you've got another room that could be an office or a study or whatever yeah so you'd have
24:11two i like the idea of having the balcony that's great i mean it's fantastic but if you're not
24:17through you'd have two bedrooms two bathrooms and an office yeah that's great which is what you need
24:22and then downstairs is more open plan yeah
24:24yeah aha when they start redrawing the floor plan you know it's serious maybe janet is starting to
24:31imagine her new life here do you think it's not it's it's not secluded enough still
24:37it's definitely not secluded standing on its own on the end of the beach i'd feel that the people on
24:42either side will want me to come in for cocktails but they probably i can't do that okay so cocktail
24:51arrows are no but how about something a little more their style a quick game perhaps so i'm going
24:58to take advantage of the fact that we've got two trendsetters in the world of property and interiors
25:03with us today and i'm going to check what is in and what is out with interior design objects from all
25:12sorts of eras um and the choice that christopher and jennet have to make is fab
25:24okay so we're going to start with a good one i think for this lacal which are horse brasses
25:29so a very traditional thing that we see often mounted on leather by fireplaces
25:34uh interesting i'm going to say fab because i'm seeing a black room with maybe 400 of them pen to
25:42the wall simply oh he's designing a chill out room in a hip pub or something yeah i'm thinking if i
25:50walked into a house and i had those there i'd just turn around and walk out yeah no no really jennet don't
25:56hold back okay so this is a standard classic double double drab double drab there's no place for
26:04no place and there never will be what about in a bright color if it was done by a famous british
26:11artist and worth a lot of money double drab sorry fake fruit fake flowers why would you have a fake
26:20lemon when real lemons are lovely well because they don't rot i do see it a lot why don't you go
26:28through these houses and just purge the glug jug difficult tricky oh i'm going to save both
26:37fat drab what about you janet i can't be bothered with it do you know what i mean one last go before
26:44i lose their good will entirely pithy wisdom painted on a sign in the kitchen it's okay if you
26:51disagree with me i can't force you to be right i don't understand it basically that you're right
26:58well i know i'm right i'm taking that's a drab drab doesn't really cut it does it drive it's
27:03disgusting it's beyond drab i would never bother with the slogan in my house because
27:08anyone who comes around knows it's my way or the wrong way turning our attention back to the house
27:21there's plenty that's fab about its setting the lawned front garden is neatly manicured
27:28whilst out the back the extensive timber deck is good for big get-togethers or solitary moments of
27:34reflection so we see inside the house what do you think the price tag on this one is hard to tell
27:45but i'd guess 890 000 they'd be asking 890 000 i'm gonna say 1.1 1.1 million yeah well i think that's
27:56hopelessly optimistic because in the financial climate we're in i find that hard to believe that they'll be
28:03able to shift this house but it's on at 895 000 pounds i was gonna say at night 895. every room
28:12frames a view of the sea in this four bedroom detached beach house giving it instant appeal
28:18and at 895 000 there's scope for janet to make it her own the question is can she live with company this
28:26close by with our property tours wrapped for the day it's only right we head to the beach for a quick
28:37debrief before the sun goes down well janet how do you think we've done today well um i think you've done
28:46pretty well i'd say b minus you know b but the bottom line is neither house offer me solitude
28:57they offer me the sound of the sea and seagulls seagulls yeah but i think you failed what we're
29:04struggling with is there's not enough isolation there certainly isn't i think we're going to have to go
29:09further afield you mentioned scotland how do you feel about scotland thrilled come up with somewhere
29:14there's your challenge okay you gave me a challenge i'm gonna rise to it bring it on scotland here we
29:21come with a name like alistair appleton i'm always aiming for straight a's so next stop scotland
29:39we're taking a 500 mile leap of faith to the hebridean island scattered off scotland's west coast
29:51a diverse chain of interconnected isles the hebrides are divided into two distinct groups
29:56defined by how far they lie from the mainland
30:03furthest out to sea are the outer hebrides
30:06a wilder more remote stretch running for over 130 miles and home to lewis and harris
30:17closer in lie the inner hebrides a little bit more connected yet every bit as captivating
30:23made up of 35 inhabited isles sky is the largest and best known
30:28so which hebridean gem are we heading for
30:47welcome to isla isn't it beautiful and only 3 000 people are lucky enough to call this island home
30:53which equates to five people per square kilometer compared to 200 people per square kilometer in
31:00suffolk and as for coastline well isla has 130 miles of the salty stuff
31:09lying at the southern tip of the inner hebrides is isla is celebrated for its rugged beaches abundant
31:15wildlife and world famous whiskeys it forms part of the unitary council area of argyll and bute where
31:24buyers can expect to pay around 315 000 pounds for a detached home 28 lower than an equivalent property
31:33in suffolk nine distilleries craft isla's signature peaty single malts many named after the island's
31:42landmarks from bemore the capital to macha bay a sweeping beach on the west coast
31:49the village of portner haven doesn't have a whiskey named after it but we got some really nice shots of
31:55seals here so thought it was worth a mention we've arrived in the harbour town of port ellen which thanks
32:02to the ferry terminal is the first glimpse many visitors have of life here i promised you scotland
32:09here it is yeah in all its wondrously windswept glory yeah it's just the kind of weather i like is it
32:16yeah loads of cloud we'll probably get five different weathers today and that'll be fine it's good and we
32:22can have a bit of isolation here yeah once we get out of this town yes i mean there are not many towns
32:28to be fair we had to start somewhere christopher are you a fan of scotland i love it i like this
32:32weather i think it's they call it drink weather yeah i think this is actually officially balmy
32:38yeah drink is when it starts raining all right yeah have you been to isla before no i haven't been to
32:46isla i've filmed on some of the scottish islands before i went storn away a couple of years ago
32:52beautiful i rented a house on ali and shona um so this is exciting for me very exciting do you know
33:00christopher have you been to isla not to isla i've been to tyree which i'm hoping this is similarly
33:05beautiful it looks like it is i've never been escape has never been so this is a first for all of us
33:10yes and we've got uh houses yeah plural houses plural it's so hot it is exciting should we go and
33:19see all one of them yep our first stop on isla is seven miles south of port ellen on the windswept
33:29cliffs of the o peninsula protected within an rspb nature reserve this distinctive corner of the island
33:38climbs to over 200 meters above sea level at its highest point the property we're here to see is
33:46over a kilometer from its nearest neighbor and is the most southerly inhabited house in the whole of
33:53the western isles janet you wanted remote is this remote enough it's got everything that i like about
34:01the approach to a house you drive through absolutely arid nothing happening countryside
34:08with fabulous views you pass that and you end up here amazing right it's perfect it's so beautiful
34:16and of course you've got the lovely cows i love a highland cow if i was to live here the cows wouldn't
34:22be an issue and they've got big horns these ones nothing to me christopher what do you think of the
34:28location it's spectacularly beautiful i love the remoteness and i like the and lots the end seems quite
34:34flat and then suddenly at this end it gets also crinkly it's beautiful really beautiful i mean the
34:39thing about these houses in such exposed places is they generally are pebble dashed which is a bit of
34:45a you know you've got to get past that because i don't particularly like pebble dash but it's okay it
34:52looks like it's reasonably well maintained i like the fact the windows are all painted dark it looks like
34:58it's been built for weather yeah yeah yeah it looks solid let's go develop should we have a look yeah
35:04come come thought to have been built in the late victorian era this detached farmhouse is typical of
35:12many on isla inside the porch makes for a handy keeper of wellies and waterproofs and leads into the
35:20welcoming hall lovely stone floors and very spacious feel to it this is the main sitting space very nice
35:31high ceiling yeah gorgeous and the and the view is just there isn't it it's fantastic what are your
35:37thoughts janet well it it's a lovely proportioned room it's clearly been looked after by someone who's
35:45got good taste so it's a very pleasing room to be in just the way that it is you've got a view from
35:52every window yeah it's a an impressive room and what's also nice because often in victorian houses
35:59the kitchens were stuck at the back where the servants were but here they put it at the front so
36:03it's also got lots of light here's the kitchen which is oh i love it it's a real
36:11old country kitchen this is great again it's good to have such a light kitchen
36:19with my main beef about kitchens is a lack of light that's fabulous down the back you've got a kind of
36:26walk-in pantry but you've also got this gigantic utility room at the back of the house which is
36:32really lovely so this is more of like a social kitchen this is actually where you would eat
36:35this is good yeah it's a good size kitchen to eat in it's interesting uh janet when you i think you
36:42quite like this you're much more subdued than when you don't like something where there's more animation
36:47well because it happens to kind of resonate with me it's got character and it's decorated in a
36:53characterful way so that's good that i'm fine with that janet is clearly seeing the potential of this
37:00property and i'm delighted downstairs there's a small study however i'm imagining janet would
37:07prefer to write in a room with a view like the conservatory perhaps which they're checking out
37:13by themselves i mean the position of this is fantastic i'd take this off and start again
37:20you think it's true it just feels a little bit like i know you've been a bit of a snob about
37:24the fattest plastic window there's a bit like those places with those those places where people
37:29were kind of wheeled out to take the sunshine yeah it's an old party it's an old people's sun lounge
37:33yeah i'm an old person now i'm like i'm finding the plus side maybe this is ideal structure
37:40upstairs there are four double bedrooms for her principal janet can choose between the largest room
37:47or a slightly smaller one that comes with a non-suite shower so let's go in this bedroom
37:53oh is this the master do you think don't know it smells damp i think this feels really nice
38:00yeah really nice you're just drawn to the view but i do like these deep window returns so it feels
38:05like you're sort of yeah protected a bit from the wind it feels so cozy yeah a family bathroom more
38:14than does the job but it could be a great little project unless of course she's eyeing up a bigger
38:20challenge in the remaining two bedrooms it's a single bed i quite like this i would sleep here
38:28a little monastic cell i hate single beds a decent sized room but they've obviously cut it
38:34into it to make a bathroom or another room but maybe you could use maybe there's a way of changing
38:41that okay let's have a look at the other room all right immediately you take that wall out just
38:48no question you want a bedroom with front and back aspects so yeah that's it full stop it's such a
38:55contrast to the houses in suffolk where there's a lot of commentary but not much engagement here
39:00i can hear christopher and janet really kind of thinking about what they would do what they would
39:04get rid of what they would change that's good engagement oh yeah share them all right it's a bit
39:10like a tardis well that's perfectly okay and i wonder where that is is that the house which i think is
39:17just tremendous is it the location is it the combination of both it is hard to imagine a better
39:25setting but beyond the views there's also opportunity three substantial barns lie in the grounds two of which
39:32are empty one is used for storage but there's tons of this look plenty of scope for um okay oh i love
39:43the corrugated roof oh my god oh how fabulous look at this this is amazing treasure trove this is
39:51fantastic and it goes around in sort of quadrangle so you can have so you've got a full set of out
39:57buildings with leaky roofs all of your guests in these then you could have the top the top floor
40:03of the thing well it's made me think no i would not make this a space into anything more than a
40:11fabulous space perhaps to work in but this is a big costly project yeah i don't know what you do with
40:17this it's a bit of a folly let's be honest it's a good fully though it's a nice funny
40:22on a plot of just under an acre the farmhouse enjoys a southeast facing garden overlooking
40:30the surrounding rspb nature reserve and the cliffs beyond it's a view that stops you in your tracks but
40:38has the house had the same effect on janet and christopher
40:44you were away for ages that's a good sign yeah how did you find the outbuildings they were quite
40:49exciting yeah we're just indulging our fantasies really is it a money pit you know but it doesn't
40:56have to be done at once i mean it's a it's a project that there's a lot of outbuilding
41:01yeah but at my age i don't let it i wouldn't be hanging about i'll be doing it straight off
41:06so i guess you need to know how much it costs yeah what do you think the prices of this one
41:10low 300 330 330 000 340 000 what do you think christopher i will say 320 000 even lower okay so
41:24this you may be surprised to know is on the market for offers over 550 000
41:29it sits well within her million pound budget
41:57we do have another house up our sleeve well thank goodness because i've come a long way
42:04i just don't want a choice of one shall we go yeah
42:19whether property shopping in scotland or england the good news is you don't need a
42:24million pound budget to bag a property with a sea view
42:29take this detached home in the popular coastal town of southwold in suffolk where our search began
42:36with two bedrooms and a veranda that leads straight onto the dunes it's available for 500 000 pounds
42:42a similar budget on isla would get you this large detached home with three reception rooms and five
42:53bedrooms its elevated gardens offer views to loch gorm and the paps of dura and is priced at offers over
43:02four hundred and ninety five thousand pounds
43:21for our finale we're not straying far remaining on the o peninsula but traveling slightly inland
43:26we're now within four miles of the town of port ellen though you'd never guess it out here
43:35the property we're visiting is one of two nearby holiday lets currently on the market yet their
43:41turfed roofs blend so seamlessly into the landscape that each feels entirely secluded
43:47as you may have gathered janet is a hard audience to please and for a mystery house well what do you
43:56show someone who is really a a striking sharp-edged feature of the national landscape well you show her
44:05something like this with its sense of splendid isolation sweeping sea views and impeccable design i'm hoping
44:15this is the one that finally wins over janet and christopher
44:28ta-da this is the mystery house wow wow it looks like a spaceship has landed it does like an
44:34alien eyebrow right it's a bit hobbity as well it's sort of nestled in its nature it's got a nod to the
44:40hobbits yes yes no i love it it sits very well in the landscape yeah i'm not too happy with seeing
44:46the roof of that house there but now i'm being really picky um and i don't like the fence except
44:53there are cows there are cows yeah christopher any thoughts from from the i really like the way it's
44:59so satin to the hillside it i mean i mean it really is really successfully done it's lovely the color
45:06scheme of the materials just blends right in and it looks solid it looks like it's not going to be
45:12at the mercy of the elements it's a robust structure should we go inside yeah this stone-clad lodge has a
45:20living roof and a ground source heat pump to make it super eco-friendly built 13 years ago its centerpiece
45:29is the open plan living space oh wow what a big room this is great you can't tell it's going to be this
45:38big from outside and it's got 180 degrees of view you've got underfloor heating under this native um
45:47it's cozy yeah and you've got a nice big kitchen here with a stove i know you're a great great chef
45:53well i'm not a chef i'm a decent cook yeah it's a it's a good size kitchen ate the worktop obviously
46:03nothing's perfect but nothing is perfect love the space i just think the space suits one person as
46:11much as it suits four so it's really good and i could see myself in this house by myself perfectly happy
46:19you are tucked away here you haven't got anyone overlooking you at all is this rented out these are
46:27holiday lets i believe at the moment well it's it's decorated to a very good standard for a holiday
46:32there yeah it really is if i rented this for a holiday i'll be absolutely pleased it's very cozy
46:38there's an outdoor bath because there's a sauna oh how lovely yeah do you like a sauna i love a sauna me
46:47too and then a plunge pool the ice cold water do you do that not so much this would be a great
46:53house for me to write in yes really really great house to work in it's really good i'm a keen writer
47:00myself and i can't think of a better view to stir the imagination and when you're done writing page
47:07turners there's only one place to head to decompress oh my goodness the sauna it's actually quite spacious
47:15it is a spacious sauna it's right get him oh yeah yeah i'm not feeling it you're not feeling it well
47:27we haven't got to switch the sauna on how many people could you get in here because i would never
47:33share the sauna with more than one i don't know about you get out i wouldn't be i wouldn't be sharing
47:38with anybody when it comes to bedrooms there are two to choose from both ensuite all right it's
47:46big room spacious i love the ceiling yeah it's great isn't it oh look at the view from the bed
47:54it's a pretty good view i mean you would lie in bed and watch it all happening i mean you wouldn't
47:58need to have a garden no i don't want a garden let the scrub grow up to the edge it's lovely yeah
48:04and i mean i could imagine putting artwork in here yeah having lovely rugs they're a great place to sit
48:10and read yeah when janet's liked a property in the past she and christopher have enjoyed talking in
48:17detail about how she could make it her own in this property with almost nothing to change janet's free to
48:25picture how life might actually feel here second room's also really good size and you wouldn't
48:30really squabble over who got what bedroom no i think this is great too and the bathroom's nice though
48:38this is great i mean there's a pressure this is like a bathroom i would design for me you walk in
48:46you can put your arms out and it's two meters across garden wise there's roughly half an acre of
48:53grassed grounds that come with the property though when the weather turns i'd be inclined to enjoy it
48:59from the comfort of the sofa oh it's bracing out here yeah it certainly is good for the soul actually
49:06this is a nice aspect of the house what do you think of the house now from having seen inside i really
49:11really like the house it's got a lovely lovely sense of space inside it so you know you gave us
49:17those cards the other day i kept to i nicked them oh when we played fab or drab how are we doing with
49:26this one yay okay what does it what does a fab property in this location cost though i've got an
49:36idea in my head do you want to go first this time christopher um i'm going to say 460 000 pounds no i think
49:45three seven five well janet you were wildly out on the last one but you are spot on for this one
49:51that's amazing that's infuriating well offers over 375 000 so he's way out i think it's worth 375 000.
50:03easily within budget this private lodge promises peace sea views and just the right amount of luxury
50:10leaving janet beaming from ear to ear it could be a hideaway for all seasons and to put that to
50:17the test we've got a little surprise in store now you did mention that you could imagine spending
50:24time here writing yeah i did would you like to spend this evening here because we've booked it for you
50:30too have you yeah lovely can't wait can we go we can go in the sauna you can go in the sauna i can
50:37make christopher have a cold bath i've checked there's actually warm water as well so you can get
50:40it warm for you excellent but i thought it'd be nice to have a test run right yes yeah i think we're
50:45gonna have supper here then as well well save me something for breakfast that's exciting oh we're
50:50really excited yeah we'll we'll bring your we'll bring your bags and you can settle in excellent gosh
50:55oh really excited with their belongings brought in from the car janet and christopher are free to
51:02settle into the lodge for their hebridean test drive are we going to squabble over who gets what i'm not
51:08going to fight i'm i think i don't like that fact that it's too bad to put you together so i'm going
51:14to give it to you okay all right all right so this is yours yeah as long as it's long enough i'm going
51:19to hear me snoring through the partition hang on let me listen to the wall well i've got my ear
51:26plugs anyway it's probably going to be mercy the weather for once is on their side so janet christopher
51:33and the stag decide to make the most of it so with boots laced and spirits high they head out on their
51:42own to explore the island could you cope with us do you think could i live here all year round no
51:50no but i'd come here all the time i'd miss it when i wasn't here and i'd think about it when i was
51:59and you could write your columns here and do your
52:02make your plans for world domination from a james bonderi
52:10after a windswept wonder along kilnorton bay it's on to port ellen to secure dinner
52:15and something suitably scottish it's really beautiful
52:21then back to the lodge to unwind while dinner cooks here i am in the sauna
52:27oh are you relaxing
52:32dropping a bit more water on now why isn't my cameraman in the bath outside in the freezing cold wind
52:42doesn't um attract me strangely goodbye
52:50a few final touches to the table
52:52there we go and dinner is served and we're off delicious fantastic lobster dinner
53:02boiled scottish potatoes courgettes fennel and rocket salad cooking with hot courgettes cooked by me
53:09great beautiful grilled lobster grilled by christopher excellent delicious well cheers
53:18all right let's start
53:22as night falls the lodge and its guests settle into the stillness of island life
53:28and by the morning the sky is awash with pink glowing just as brightly as i hope janet and christopher are
53:44after their overnight stay sadly by the time my alarm sounds the weather has dramatically turned
53:51this is proper scottish weather
53:54but it's nothing some tea and pastries can't fix good morning hello hello
54:07we've seen an incredible range of property in two stunning locations but how are janet and christopher
54:13feeling as the search draws to a close
54:16well it feels like we've been house hunting for weeks i know it's taken its toll
54:24but how did you sleep in here really well really really well and how was your lobster
54:29the lobster was absolutely memorable i think if i lived here i'd be on a seafood diet it would just be
54:36absolutely fantastic because you fish right you fish i fish i can catch mackerel well it's a shame
54:42we're not doing a cookery show but we are actually doing a property show so what are your feelings
54:46about living here what about this property the reality is that when we sat here last night and
54:52the light was going down and the cows came right up to the fence i immediately said uh to christopher
55:00do you know i'm going to rent this for a whole week to see what it feels like when you're here day
55:06after day um and then take it from there so i don't have to read between the lines very deeply to
55:13see this is probably your favorite of all the houses we've shown you well it's definitely my favorite
55:19i don't know about yeah but i don't know about him because he doesn't always agree with me what do you
55:25think i love this house but i would be more excited by owning the one on the hill here just because it
55:32was more dramatic and more on its own and more thrilling it was strangely thrilling yeah and
55:38overall do you feel that uh we've shown janet a good spread of absolutely i'm always sad about
55:45suffolk because it's my county and i and i love it um but i could see it didn't offer janet the
55:53combination of elements that she required uh how's it been for you janet has it been a worthwhile
55:58experience oh i've loved it i've come to scotland at the drop of a hat it's been a pleasure it's been
56:04a pleasure i've loved it it's been great fun thank you well keep us in the loop i'll keep you in the
56:08loop send us some pictures of what you do with the decor certainly not
56:20ah splendid scottish weather now i know i've looked completely cool and composed on the outside but i have
56:27on the inside been quite nervous this week because janet is famously outspoken and she's also very
56:33very knowledgeable about property but i think it all paid off the journey from suffolk to scotland was a
56:38big hit and it's very lovely to see how much she treasures the silence and stillness here in isla
56:46and she's going to book the mystery house for another week's trial run so i hope the weather brightens
56:52and i hope you join us next time for more escape to the country if you would like to escape to the
56:59country in england northern ireland scotland or wales remember you don't need to be famous so why not
57:08apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
57:20so
57:28so
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57:49you
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