Escape To The Country Season 26 Episode 19 travels to beautiful Carmarthenshire, known as the Garden of Wales, where Denise Nurse helps retired medical professionals from Jersey find the perfect countryside retreat for themselves and their dog. With peaceful surroundings and nature on the doorstep, the search includes an unforgettable mystery house that could make their rural dream come true — complete with the possibility of beavers nearby.
Along the journey, Denise also meets a couple who swapped busy life for Carmarthenshire’s charm and opened a welcoming tea shop, showing how countryside living offers fresh opportunities and a slower pace of life. Discover the beauty, wildlife, and inspiring lifestyle that make this Welsh county so appealing.
#EscapeToTheCountry #Carmarthenshire #CountryLiving #RuralLife #BritishTV
Along the journey, Denise also meets a couple who swapped busy life for Carmarthenshire’s charm and opened a welcoming tea shop, showing how countryside living offers fresh opportunities and a slower pace of life. Discover the beauty, wildlife, and inspiring lifestyle that make this Welsh county so appealing.
#EscapeToTheCountry #Carmarthenshire #CountryLiving #RuralLife #BritishTV
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FunTranscript
00:01it's said that finding your dream home is like finding true love when you know you know I just
00:07want to sit down now get get myself a cup of tea and sit down and just let me help
00:12you out there
00:15although the course of true love doesn't always run smoothly thinking about it could have two
00:20ponds with a no I like it nice and firm no differing opinions are commonplace but they
00:28can be worked out plenty of space for a pond as well oh yeah I've got a lake here because
00:35we are
00:36built a lake fill it with carp all I say is be careful what you wish for oh oh my
00:43goodness come
00:44on I said you're gonna want oh my goodness me
01:16coastlines castles and countryside any ideas that's right Carmarthenshire also known as the Garden of
01:31Wales which makes this county the best county in which to see daffodils aka daffs not only are they
01:40the symbol of Wales their nature's way of saying the winter's over standby for spring and summer
01:47which means another great year of escaping to the country the county of Carmarthenshire in West Wales
01:57offers the best of both coast and countryside as Katrin born and bred hair can tell you
02:03the county town of Carmarthens sits on the banks of the river Tawi and is popular with young families
02:26seeking affordable homes good schools and nature on their doorstep lawn once the home of Welsh poet and
02:34writer Dylan Thomas is filled with colorful fishing cottages and a host of places to satisfy the hungry
02:41visitors who come to soak up the inspiring views in the communities around here the people are incredibly
02:48friendly they like to know about you they want you to know about them and they're very keen that
02:57anybody that moves into the area is welcomed and gets involved in local community life it has got as far
03:04as I'm concerned pretty much everything that anybody could possibly want and I love living here
03:12and so to today's couple who've sent us an SOS a message in a bottle if you will they want
03:18to
03:18escape from the tiny island of Jersey and we are more than happy to come to their rescue I'm from
03:25Swansea
03:25originally and there's a word in Welsh called here I which is like an extreme form of homesickness and a
03:33longing for your home and I really feel at my age that's that's what's happening to me now I really
03:39I'm missing home Nigel a retired GP and his wife Chrissy a retired occupational therapist have lived in
03:48this five-bed detached family home on the southwestern tip of Jersey for the past 27 years this is Jess
03:57our
03:57lovely cockapoo we've loved this beach we spent so many hours walking along here chucking tennis balls
04:04chucking stones but we're looking forward to walking on new beaches and new coastal paths in
04:09commandonshire Nigel plans to live his retirement at full throttle that's my Harley over there which I
04:16loved a bit and there's another reason wanting about the UK so I know every blade of grass on this
04:24island now and essentially you can either go clockwise or anti-clockwise on a nine-by-five
04:29island so I am kind of looking forward to feel the wind in my head what's left of it and
04:35put the bike
04:37through its places
04:42Chrissy and Nigel want a detached property with four bedrooms and around an acre of garden a double
04:49garage for Nigel's motorbike is a must and they'd like to be close to a village their budget 700,000
04:56pounds with a little bit of wriggle room if required
05:08after 30 years living on the small island of Jersey this is a big move for Nigel and Chrissy coming
05:15to the
05:16mainland are coming back to a part of the world they know really well oh I can see why Nigel
05:21cannot
05:22wait to get his motorbike onto the mainland look at this it's got roads that go for miles
05:32before our Carmarthenshire tour gets underway I'm meeting Chrissy and Nigel near the banks of the river
05:38Towie to learn more about their move Chrissy Nigel welcome to Wales a bit of a homecoming for you
05:47Nigel it's always coming home when I come back to Wales and for you Chrissy you spent a lot of
05:52time
05:52in this part of the world as well well we met here as students back in the late 70s and
05:56lived here for a
05:57while afterwards yes and I've got very fond memories of family holidays just across the estuary here so
06:02it's lovely to be back you've both retired yes yeah and you've decided this is where you want to
06:07settle down yes yes our children are now in the UK they're not coming back to Jersey so we want
06:12to
06:12be closer to them talk me through some of the things you'll be getting I suppose canoeing fishing
06:20kayaking cycling a little birdie tells me one more hobby or something you might want to put a water feature
06:26in I've always had ponds in every in every house we've been to and they've got bigger and bigger
06:31and bigger what's going to keep you happy my needs are much much simpler just being outdoors in
06:35wonderful scenery like they're just going for walks every day it's really important from out
06:39my headspace to be outdoors and walking either on my own or with our with our lovely dog we're going
06:44to have some fun aren't we we certainly are really looking forward to today our search begins in the
06:54small market town of Kidwelly 10 miles south of the county town Carmarthen Nigel has fond childhood
07:01memories of this place having fished here with his dad the Gwen Drive estuary remains a popular spot for
07:08fishing as well as bird watching and picnicking whilst the town centre has all the daily essentials
07:14covered on a quiet no through road on the edge of town is the first house we've lined up for
07:21Chrissie and Nigel to view so this is our first property my goodness wow this is the old vicarage
07:32okay yes and it was built in 1895 gosh it looks really impressive well maintained isn't it yes this
07:41obviously has views looking out onto the village the town you've got neighbours close by is that something
07:46you'd be looking for from this move to me that's quite important yes I wouldn't want to be too
07:50remote I mean the house it they're not on top of each other are they you're not really overlooking
07:55so it'd be absolutely fine it's quite a large plot looking at it how much ground is with it
08:00so it's just under about an acre really yeah that wraps around oh wow okay that's definitely sit down
08:07lawn moments there you go come on let's have a look inside the lawn's in better nick than mine at
08:14home
08:15this imposing property is every bit as grand inside as it appears outside
08:24right wow so many doors everywhere let me show you through this oh okay
08:31okay so a sunny daffodil room beautiful oh it's just glorious it's lovely oh look at that
08:40yeah yeah I must have had servants at one point spot-on and that gives us a clue of the
08:45number
08:45of rooms as well there you go one of my questions because it's got all these features is it a
08:51listed
08:52building are you limited what you can do that's a great question and a great answer for you is no
08:56wow it's not listed okay so you have the opportunities to do things and I think that's going to come
09:02into
09:02play as I show you through here with what was the kitchen so shall we have a look yes okay
09:08so here is the
09:09kitchen which would have been in the servants quarters okay yeah gosh what do you think of this space
09:16it's a little bit on the dark side a little bit on the dark side but you know workable isn't
09:20it you've got a
09:21nice worktop here um a fair amount of storage and look at this I know wow I think you probably
09:27want a
09:28slightly larger kitchen larger kitchen yes yes but it's workable with isn't it there's potential here
09:33to revamp it a little bit there's a massive pantry through there pantry don't have a look go on
09:42I'd love a pantry I have a little oh wow oh how yes oh look at that how useful is
09:48this this is
09:49brilliant the thing with this house is it's going to be like a magical mystery tour okay there are so
09:55many parts you're getting the feet already I think um if we were to move here I think I'd probably
10:00want
10:00to maybe extend into into there just to open the room up a little bit I was sent to start
10:05knocking on
10:06walls and how would you feel about doing some major works if you wanted to make alteration we do have
10:11a builder who could help us if we needed to do significant work to the property hmm I don't expect
10:19any concerns regarding the size of the largest reception this is a lovely isn't it gorgeous so
10:26light but I love this room I just love the openness of it yeah I'm just having all the fireplaces
10:33oh gosh
10:34look at that I mean this really reminds me of my parents house it's it's really weird next door
10:42there's a dining room as well as a ground floor loo a study and a fourth cosier reception oh look
10:51at
10:52this another great fireplace gosh is that hand painted you think I don't know it might be it's
10:57not tired is it no stunning it's all lovely we wouldn't see each other would we you know so
11:03many rooms we just have just bring the bell ding and you'd appear like a genie oh no I would
11:08not I
11:09so would not upstairs the generous proportions continue okay more like another light more high
11:22ceilings double aspect yes lovely and this is the main bedroom it is because there's an en suite right
11:28there okay can I see the ensuite yes as we specified okay well it needs to be replaced but that's
11:39fine
11:39yeah you could put a nice walk-in shower in here couldn't you it's in the right place it's a
11:44good
11:44size and actually an ensuite perfect the family bathroom serves four more roomy doubles including
11:52this one the largest oh my goodness another lovely bedroom we won't be short of space
12:03there's also room a plenty outside with a two-story former coach house that boasts a loft a workshop and
12:11a garage more bicycles than me that would take some day and the lawnmowers it's good storage place
12:16because we need storage for our bikes and also your motorbike there's been certainly enough storage
12:23here as for the garden this is big enough to justify a sit down just about really yeah and a
12:33pond
12:34would go nicely over there actually the bank would thinking about it could have two ponds with a no I
12:40like it no yeah the final piece of information you need is the price so how much do you think
12:49this
12:49property is on the market for perhaps five hundred and eighty thousand pounds yeah no I'd go higher
12:56I'll probably go 650 650 650 thousand pounds okay well you win this one it's on for five hundred and
13:05seventy five thousand pounds offers in the region of yes okay yes that's a stunning house nice but it's a
13:11beautiful house mmm and seeing it on a day like this just brings out the best in it really doesn't
13:16it
13:18this detached Victorian vicarage has four reception rooms and five bedrooms on a plot of just under an
13:25acre and with a two-story coach house it's on the market for offers in the region of five hundred
13:32and
13:32seventy-five thousand pounds it is a big house I've lost count of how many rooms there are within the
13:37property very very spacious maybe it's a little bit bigger than we actually need but it is a stunning
13:43property I'm weighing up the pros and cons because it will take a fair bit of work to get it
13:50to a
13:50level where we'd be happy with but emotionally it really has has actually hit me as well as we
13:56welling up looking at some of the rooms so that beautiful place well that was a good start wasn't it
14:03was a
14:03great start yeah the sun is out and we've still got more properties to see let's go look at them
14:22since we're in the neighborhood we're sending Nigel and Chrissy into Kidwelly to explore what the town
14:28offers its residents as well as those who live in the surrounding parishes and villages you'll be
14:34spotted for dog walking life in Kidwelly is fantastic we have the most amazing people really old Welsh town
14:44feeling people are still well connected you know they know their neighbors with very community focused
14:50and it looks really sleepy but Kidwelly has a lots of little groups we have three large community halls
14:57and you can do anything from green map bowling to archery radio-controlled car club which is my
15:03guilty secret Lindy hop knitting history clubs gardening club horticultural society is so busy
15:12Kidwelly boasts one of the best preserved Norman castles in Wales known by even the town's very youngest
15:18residents thanks to a popular Welsh nursery rhyme and when you back it really that is the old lady of
15:25Kidwelly it's a fable about the lady who was trying to get back into the castle and she dressed up
15:32in the
15:33west costume and went with a friend in to sell the west into the castle Peggy has been dressing up
15:41as
15:41the old lady of Kidwelly for the past 25 years did well it's very welcoming we're in between
15:48two lovely towns connecty and come on then and there's so much to do here for all ages a popular
15:57family destination is parky box farm shop and cafe on the outskirts of town almost cakes we have to buy
16:05some of those the trouble is none of this is gonna help my diet is really it started life 20
16:13years ago
16:14as an honesty box and a local smallholding hi guys you're right and Amy one of the staff here has
16:22kindly agreed to share her experience of living here well you're going to love this area it's fantastic
16:29yeah beautiful views great countryside there's lots of beaches around here we've got Pembrae which is a few
16:34little drive down the road that's lovely yeah that's a long beach if you want to take the dogs to
16:38a walk if you've got
16:39animals at all but I'm a keen cyclist okay so are there any coastal paths absolutely there are there's
16:45any one it's actually be one opening up come autumn so that's going to be the Towie Valley yeah and
16:50how
16:50long how long is that so it's going to be about 12 miles long right and that runs all the
16:54way from
16:54Aberglory down to Feva in it all on the flat all on the flat the old it's actually the old
16:59railway line
17:04to take advantage of the plentiful opportunities to explore this beautiful part of the world Nigel
17:10and Chrissy need a base so our house hunt continues we're making a beeline for the village of Clangannock
17:18five miles east from the town of St Clairs the 3,000 or so residents in the town are well
17:25served by a
17:25train station a supermarket a chippy several pubs and cafes plus a craft center an eight-minute drive
17:35from St Clairs in the village of Clangannock sits this impressive detached bungalow well this is the
17:43next property well that's not lovely Chrissy was at one point quite keen on a bungalow for when we
17:51become old and decrepit well I did wonder as an occupational therapist there's something you'd
17:56be thinking about for many many many years the practicalities the practicalities yeah so bungalow
18:01is a good one yeah yeah as we get older and it just looks really well maintained as well I
18:07like that
18:07I just like the sort of appearance of the gate and the paved driveway and the drive up to the
18:12house
18:12let's have a look inside okay absolutely built in the 1980s the vendors have lived here for the past
18:2220 years about 10 years ago they created this huge open-plan kitchen dining and living room
18:54yeah I love it absolutely love it the clean lines I love the color I love the style of the
18:59kitchen units I love the oven excited to see more you are aren't you I can tell well then let
19:06me not
19:06make you wait come this way so this leads around to a lovely sitting room area you wouldn't have to
19:15change anything would you in this area at all be very happy just to move in I could definitely live
19:20here I think it definitely see us living as much as I loved the previous out of the emotional attachment
19:26yeah a bit overwhelming and a little bit too much to do yes yes but this is clearly just walk
19:32in and
19:32uh yeah live here and off you go yes open plan living has hit the mark and this house offers
19:41even
19:41more oh yes oh indeed so that wasn't the main lounge now oh my goodness trying to take it all
19:52in so two
19:54lots of patio doors hmm two windows stunning fireplace that's what a heck of a fireplace and that is bath
20:00stone this is lovely and I like I just love the decor I love these muted colors the creams and
20:05the sort
20:05of soft grays yeah there's nothing I feel I'd need to do or change I don't expect the bedrooms will
20:16disappoint either three doubles all a similar size overlook the front of the house and share a family
20:24bathroom the largest double at the rear has fitted wardrobes and an ensuite shower room
20:31nice units hmm I don't know how we're dipping them up I'd have these four you could have those two
20:41the fifth and final bedroom is being used as a library comes snug another another room goodness me the
20:50cross train and the spinning bike would fit nicely here they could yes yes and your weights as well
20:57we could not have picked a better day to have this house tour the sun is shining the daffodils are
21:03blooming and I really feel that Chrissy and Nigel are taking to this house the temperatures rising for
21:08shore and they're even starting to plan where they'll put the gym yeah you wouldn't change anything would
21:16you well I would change library off the door into gym but that's just a screwdriver
21:25there's also an office oh lovely study area gosh we could have bookshelves all across the water oh my goodness
21:37oh this is lovely and a garden room oh this is really nice
21:42we could be posh and call it an orangery this is looking good looking very good the space inside is
21:50matched outside take it all in gosh I'm absolutely loving the size of this with a plot that extends to
22:001.2 acres
22:04oh my goodness it's really well maintained and plenty of space for a pond as well
22:08I've got a lake here
22:11there we are build a lake fill it with carp yeah my mind's racing nice vegetable plot somewhere
22:17yeah absolutely vegetable plots absolutely pond possibly a little orchard at the top
22:23and there's a little greenhouse behind there that's a greenhouse as well
22:26yes and the neighbor has a digger so they can help you with the pond
22:29I don't know what to say it's got everything
22:34one more thing
22:35guess the price
22:37oh my goodness
22:38do you think
22:39I would think well over 600,000
22:41650,000
22:42650,000 pounds
22:44I'm thinking more
22:46I'll just go above Chris I'll say 675,000
22:50675,000
22:51oh it's even Stevens
22:53this one goes to you
22:54excellent
22:55really
22:57it's opposite the region of 675,000 pounds
23:01yeah I can see why
23:02yeah yeah
23:03that's brilliant
23:05this modern detached bungalow features an open-plan kitchen living room a separate lounge and five bedrooms
23:14on a plot of just over an acre it's on the market for offers in the region of 675,000
23:21pounds
23:23I love the fact that it looks an extremely well maintained property I love the colours the muted colours I
23:29love the kitchen
23:30walk-in condition really wouldn't have to do anything would we
23:33possibility of a gym a study a nice big garden for me to play in which makes me very happy
23:41this house
23:42this house is certainly edging it at the moment
23:44definitely
23:45edging it by some
23:46significantly
23:47significant margin
23:53we're wrapping up our day back where we started
23:55overlooking the river Towie
23:57but this time Nigel and Chrissie's twins are joining us for sundowners
24:03well Tom and Karis welcome to Wales
24:05thank you
24:06is this a part of the world that you know well did you used to holiday here as kids
24:10yeah we used to visit our grandparents here quite a lot because they lived in Swansea
24:14and it was just it's a really lovely beautiful place so it would be really lovely to visit mum and
24:18dad here
24:18and I studied at university just down the road in Swansea as well
24:23wonderful this is about being closer to you as well as getting back to a part of the world that
24:28you really love
24:28all due to these two
24:30mostly
24:32buttered
24:32well we've got all the family together shall we have some family games
24:35no problem
24:36I've got one for you
24:37how many of dad's hobbies can you list
24:39oh gosh
24:40it's golf
24:41alright
24:42tennis
24:43gardening
24:44rugby
24:45oh male voice choir
24:48cheating
24:50don't know what the family rules are
24:51that's cheating
24:52that's how cheating
24:53what is cheating going on
24:54baking
24:55baking
24:55no we have
24:56no baking
24:56no baking
24:57it's like the generation game
24:59it goes fast
25:01yoga
25:03tennis
25:04fishing
25:05fishing
25:05what is fishing
25:05I don't fish
25:09I appreciate the wiving
25:10it helps
25:11oh gosh
25:12cycling
25:14rowing
25:14he's still not finished we'll be here for another half hour
25:17and everyone forgot the big one or the new one
25:20oh
25:20riding on his sit on mower
25:30there's one hobby that's not on Nigel's list photography should grab a selfie
25:36absolutely all right I've done this before everybody in one two three
26:05if Carmarthenshire's coast and countryside is calling you here's the lowdown on property prices
26:11the average price of a detached house across Wales is just under 331,000 pounds head to West Wales and
26:20your pounds will stretch further with Carmarthenshire offering the best value for bunny in this region
26:25where detached homes cost on average just over 281,000 pounds let's have a nose of what else is
26:34currently on the market offers in the region of 299,000 pounds could land you this detached three
26:45bed property with a living room modern kitchen and scenic views this detached four bed four bath family
26:55home has two receptions a kitchen breakfast room and an enormous sunroom outside there's a double
27:04garage and an extensive timber deck with views across the countryside it's priced at offers in excess of
27:11500,000 pounds for a short break this characterful stone cottage sleeps up to four guests in the two
27:20upstairs bedrooms on the ground floor there's a comfortable lounge a spacious country kitchen and
27:27access to the garden with its estuary views prices start at 295 pounds for a short stay for two people
27:38it's time for your favorite part of the program and mine it's the mystery house and I cannot wait to
27:44show Chrissy and Nigel what I've got up my sleeve what's that pond you say Nigel I think we can
27:50do a
27:50little better than that the mystery house sits in a remote location three and a half miles from the
27:59village of Bank of Ellen here Nigel and Chrissy will find the local chapel a village hall a pub a
28:09shop with
28:10post office and a fresh milk vending machine stocked by the local dairy farm a 10-minute drive from the
28:17village in a secluded spot sits this detached character cottage built in the mid-1800s on the
28:24site of a former water mill it's the smallest property we're showing Chrissy and Nigel but it comes
28:31with a super-sized plot forget about the pond Nigel we found you a lake Nigel and Chrissy asked for
28:39nature they asked for water and great walks and for the mystery house we're giving it to them all in
28:46their back garden look at this
28:57to me this is what escaping to the country is really all about a remote spot lots of nature and
29:05the sound of
29:05birdsong now this plot has nine acres and a couple of lakes that could sound quite daunting but it's
29:12also a wildlife reserve so all you have to do is let nature take its course and welcome in the
29:18ducks the
29:19geese and even some beavers the beavers have been here for the past six years and were introduced by the
29:27Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales who work with community groups and landowners on initiatives to
29:34rebuild biodiversity beavers are nocturnal so I'm not sure we'll spot them today but that's not going
29:41to stop us from trying oh my word oh my goodness me come on I said you're going to want
29:48to keep coming
29:49oh my goodness me come with me I wanted a pond but it's jaw dropping and I wouldn't even have
29:56to take my canoe anywhere I could just I could just I could just go round and round all day
30:01couldn't it with his lunch and his fishing
30:09and the added bonus is that you get neighbors right here in the form of a family of beavers oh
30:16this is too
30:18much this is unbelievable we could never have anticipated it would be anything like this I'm not often speechless if
30:30you think you've known me now Denise on for a couple of days you have stumped me
30:35I'm speechless let's have a look at the property itself yeah okay and then we'll get back out here yeah
30:41really explore some of this fantastic thank you
30:48so we're in the house now and this is the living room which of course allows you to sit
30:54and continue to look at the view yeah I could look just look there all day you could couldn't you
31:01just all day no you're not going to get us out of here I don't mind you might have to
31:06pay for it
31:07first but what do you think it's lovely but I actually don't care about the house now I'll leave
31:16the house up to Chrissy so Chris I love the lounge I'll be sitting in your lounge and just to
31:21be
31:21looking out on something like that fantastic the vendors added the awning across the patio as part of
31:29refurbishment works which included overhauling the kitchen breakfast room it's the kitchen oh this is
31:37lovely this is really nice very cottagey isn't it oh look at the beams you've got the beams gosh now
31:45this is really really nice it is big enough and there's the oven under and the table in you lots
31:51of storage
31:52yes I love the color and just across the way there's a massive utility room as well lovely opposite
31:59the kitchen across the entrance hall is the sitting room currently used as an office oh this is lovely
32:10yes really nice it's really very cottagey again yeah your desk here couldn't tune bookcases lovely no
32:18it's lovely I love the stone works it's got a lovely feel it's obviously a nice family home isn't it
32:23as
32:23well lovely feel about the place upstairs the family bathroom serves a double bedroom with a roof light a
32:32single bedroom and a small double I don't know how would the current owners can leave it must be a
32:38real wrench for them it's a stunning property it's a real shed the kids out where this isn't I know
32:43I
32:43know they'd be putting a deposit down for us the fourth and final bedroom is the largest oh this is
32:54lovely so double aspect ensuite it's very spacious room isn't it fitted units I think it's bigger than I
33:04our current bedroom it's much much bigger than our current bedroom there's an ensuite yes there is an
33:08ensuite excellent that's all you need isn't it yeah yeah really nice everything we've seen has been
33:16absolutely perfect now to the nine acres the site sits at the confluence of two rivers and is enclosed by
33:26a
33:26predator-proof ring fence it includes half an acre of meadow a large lake with several islands and a
33:34smaller lake in addition to a garage there's a former cow shed and hay barn both in need of repair
33:41plus a newly built timber summer house but you could do a lot with this it's been really nicely made
33:47yes it
33:48has I could live out here and Chrissy can have the house I live in the shed oh it is
34:03stunning here
34:05beautiful but there's one thing we still need to talk about and that's how much I think it's on the
34:10market for upper end of our budget this may be a bit more seven hundred and fifteen thousand pounds
34:17okay so opening big seven hundred and fifteen thousand pounds this place is priceless would you
34:23say seven seven hundred and fifteen I'll say seven hundred and sixteen thousand pounds seven hundred
34:31and sixteen thousand pounds okay this house is on the market for six hundred ninety nine thousand nine
34:40hundred and ninety nine pounds in the region of okay that's interesting it's worth stretching for this
34:47isn't it no you know you're not going to people you're not going to find anything like this are you
34:50well you do you obviously did but once you've got it no one else
34:58this detached character cottage has two receptions a contemporary country kitchen and four bedrooms
35:05the nine acres of land includes two lakes several islands and a family of beavers the price
35:12offers in the region of six hundred and ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine pounds
35:19wasn't expecting a lake which has just blown my mind two lakes two lakes I could just sit here all
35:28day
35:28I've already imagined myself in my canoe with my fishing rod and the sit-down lawnmower I love the
35:37house when I first saw it and the location is absolutely stunning I just wonder if
35:42it's if it's big enough but there are options to extend the property I'm sure and that's
35:47something we'd need to look at quite closely
35:56more often than not when people move to the countryside they're looking for a slower pace
36:01of life some peace quiet and a chance to embrace some me time however for others a move to pastures
36:09new
36:09is about exciting new challenges and for Nick and Paul a brand new business so hi Nick what you're
36:18baking there hello good morning I'm doing a coffee and this is one of our popular cakes in the shop
36:25it's
36:26always a good selection of cakes here and this is always one of the routine jobs the mix doing every
36:33day eight years ago Paul Raven a tea connoisseur and Nick Leah Keane Baker ditched their careers in
36:40adult education in the North Wales City of Wrexham to pursue a completely new life in Carmarthenshire it's a
36:47blustery day here we are at Kidwell in key one of our favorite escape spots here on the Carmarthenshire coast
36:56just just a few minutes away from where we live and whatever the weather this is what we like to
37:01do get out in the countryside and enjoy the area the pair combined their two loves tea and baking to
37:10open
37:11a tea shop in the centre of Carmarthenshire that looks nice well I've never been one to pass on a
37:18cup of tea so let's go and
37:19say hello hello hello hi I'm Denise nice to meet you hi Denise lovely to meet you well thank you
37:29for inviting me to your tea
37:31shop Nick and Paul it is gorgeous the couple stocks over 100 varieties of tea from all across the globe
37:40including several from Wales one of the most popular is their own blend of Welsh breakfast tea and they've
37:48set up a business right in the heart of town and it feels like a quite a community space as
37:53well I see
37:53all different activities you have going on here I think that was part of our focus right from the
37:59beginning not just to land the shop here to but to open the doors to celebrate what's going on in
38:04the town our window displays are always nothing at all to do with tea but more to do with what's
38:10happening what are the events what are the things that we can join in and celebrate together so the
38:16local theatre the youth theatre we get involved with the river festival we've got a window display
38:21full of fish at certain times in the year and how have you been received I'm sure you've been
38:25embraced by the local community oh yes hugely we had a comment the other day and said you must never
38:30leave Carmarthen which is you know a compliment in itself so I think we're here to stay at the end
38:38of
38:39each day the couple leave the hustle and bustle of Carmarthen behind and head for the sanctuary of their
38:44home in the Gwendryth Valley it's a wonderful spot overlooking the valley every day we look out of that
38:52and don't take it for granted it's it's wonderful it's almost it's almost that you can breathe differently
38:59they definitely unwind at the end of the day and you're learning the Welsh language which is lovely yes
39:04this is a really Welsh community Carmarthenshire is about 50% Welsh speaking and the village where we
39:11live is very much a Welsh community as well so I thought it was important to have a go so
39:19doing
39:19dusky can right I'm learning Welsh and I'm able to chat with customers I wear a lanyard that says I'm
39:25learning Welsh and that means that customers are prompted to chat with me in Welsh sometimes they try
39:31an order in Welsh and I say well I hope I'll bring you what you want what you're ordering and
39:36most
39:36the time it works perfectly okay so yes it's it's really supportive they're really encouraging even
39:44when I make mistakes people appreciate that we're having a go and they really like the fact that we've
39:49taken the effort to join in and even if it's just hello or how are you it goes a long
39:57way does it
39:58feel like you feel like you've made an escape oh definitely it's still a really good feeling
40:04to know that we've come here we've we've done it and it's something I I wouldn't give up at all
40:14I tell you what neither would I tea and cake in the Carmarthenshire countryside is nothing short of heaven
40:24to find out if we've found Nigel and Chrissie their own slice of paradise we're reconvening here on
40:30Clan Stefan Beach well we've made it down to the water's edge here how are you feeling now that
40:39you've seen everything had a moment to kind of mull it all over there is definitely a frontrunner we are
40:44going to go back hopefully this afternoon to visit the mystery house just to open that gate and look
40:51at that lake and the surrounding scenery in the rivers and the ducks and hear about the otters
40:56and beavers Wow I have to say there's a bit I'd like the second house a lot but the mystery
41:02house
41:02just blew me away I could see myself living there now Chrissie thinks a little bit small but I've have
41:08offered to throw all the furniture away I think we need more accommodation both downstairs and upstairs so I
41:14would be tempted to put a very large conservatory on the front of the house overlooking the lake
41:19upstairs I'd like to make a fourth bedroom I mean as it is you can get in there and live
41:24there and
41:25what I call minor issues the Chrissie's race are all fixable we don't need all the furniture we've
41:32got in Jersey and to be honest them the more we take the more expensive it's going to be to
41:37move
41:37and I never thought we would be talking about downsizing on this trip because the plan wasn't
41:41to downsize as such it was to take everything from our detached five bedroom house where we are now
41:47which is crammed to the girls and move all of that to South Wales but it sounds as if we've
41:54kind of
42:05the lake many times with his ride on lawnmower what do you think you'll take away from this journey to
42:12expect the unexpected and embrace the unexpected really because we weren't expecting to see a
42:17property like that it's been an absolute pleasure cannot wait to come and revisit you here thank you
42:22I look forward to you visiting
42:29Chrissie and Nigel came to us with a longing to return to this beautiful county and they had open
42:35minds as to exactly what kind of property would be right for them they've embraced everything we've
42:40shown them from the old to the new but I think Chrissie said it best in life as on this
42:45show you have to
42:46expect the unexpected one thing's for certain Carmarthenshire will soon be their home I'll see
42:53you next time on escape to the country if you would like to escape to the country in Wales England
42:59Northern Ireland or Scotland and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:25you
43:26you
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