Escape To The Country Season 26 Episode 39 heads to stunning Cornwall, where Alistair Appleton helps a couple swap busy city life for a peaceful coastal home by the sea. With golden beaches and a nearby golf course high on their wish list, the search includes beautiful seaside properties offering the perfect balance of relaxation and outdoor lifestyle.
Along the journey, Alistair encounters a cheeky ice cream-stealing seagull and visits a regenerative farm focused on improving soil health while supporting wellbeing and sustainable living. This inspiring episode highlights the beauty of Cornwall and why coastal country living continues to capture hearts.
#EscapeToTheCountry #Cornwall #CountryLiving #CoastalHome #BritishTV
Along the journey, Alistair encounters a cheeky ice cream-stealing seagull and visits a regenerative farm focused on improving soil health while supporting wellbeing and sustainable living. This inspiring episode highlights the beauty of Cornwall and why coastal country living continues to capture hearts.
#EscapeToTheCountry #Cornwall #CountryLiving #CoastalHome #BritishTV
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FunTranscript
00:00.
00:04Pinpointing the prime escape spot is not just about what's within a home's four walls.
00:09So there's always, like, space to spin out.
00:12It's quite deceiving from the outside, the amount of space you get inside.
00:15We sometimes snare the catch of the day.
00:18So, as you see, this is a very different kettle of fish.
00:22Wow.
00:23And feel like the cat that's got the cream.
00:27Goodness me.
00:28Wow.
00:30Or perhaps the seagull that got the ice cream.
00:34Oh!
00:35Oh!
00:36It happened!
00:37Ha-ha-ha!
01:00Cornwall, a coastal county shaped by time and the tides of man and nature.
01:06Capturing artists with its ever-changing moods and always ready to offer a refreshing dip.
01:13So, why not take the plunge as we head to the seaside?
01:16If you haven't been to Cornwall, you really should.
01:20You need to put it on your bucket list.
01:22But don't forget to actually bring your bucket.
01:24And this.
01:26And this.
01:27So you can have lots of fun all along this amazing stretch of Cornish coastline building sandcastles and rock pooling.
01:38The peninsula at the south-western tip of England is today known as the county of Cornwall.
01:44But its ancient Celtic inhabitants called it Curno, the people of the Horn, whose distinct culture and language is seeing
01:51a revival.
01:55For theнаком and the South-western, the Scottish coastline is ANDY.
02:05Living in when it grows up in Cornwall.
02:07It's amazing because you've got the gorgeous countryside, but then you're never too far from the sea.
02:12You've got a plethora of watersports as well, and you're able to kind of have fun with your friends in
02:19a safe place.
02:21it all paints a very appealing picture I celebrate the natural beauty of Cornwall you know dogs with
02:29wet noses kids with ice cream faces sandy toes just fun and those happy memories that will just
02:36fill our souls for the rest of our life the more time I spend in all of Cornwall's amazing coves
02:48and beaches the more convinced I am I was right to make this my latest escape to the country but
02:53enough about me our buyers this week never had any doubts they were certain that they wanted to
02:59come here to make this this is Terry and I'm Sandra and we're looking to escape to the country down
03:07to
03:07Cornwall at the moment we're living in woven sands and it's in the middle of the country nowhere near
03:13to the beach where we really want to be Sandra a fitness instructor for the over 60s and Terry the
03:21director of an overseas property fund are looking to swap life in the town of Woburn sands near the
03:27bucks city of Milton Keynes for more golden sands on the Cornish coast to spend less time working and
03:34more time together we want to be able to get up in the morning go for a walk maybe sound
03:39for a swim
03:40do some sightseeing and maybe a round of golf once or twice a week and a nice gin and tonic
03:47in the
03:48evening in the garden Sandra's keen for their Cornish home to reflect a new stress-free outlook
03:55too I'm not allowed an office in my in our new house when we move down there because I spend
04:01too
04:01much time in there on the computer we want to be able to relax slow down a little bit might
04:07be difficult
04:07but that's the plan and we'll obviously welcome family and friends having just come down and
04:14visited my parents in Woburn sands we have found out that they are moving down to Cornwall we've
04:20wanted to go down on a holiday good excuse to use the modified camp and take up surfing although we've
04:27looked around we haven't really found what would be the perfect house for us so they're looking for
04:34help to track down a detached property with a generous kitchen three bedrooms a manageable garden
04:41and enough off-street parking to accommodate themselves and guests the keen golfers would
04:47like a course nearby plus a beach within walking distance and they have a budget of up to 600,000
04:54pounds
05:04oh it's so nice to have a couple who are just committed to living by the sea and what a
05:10lovely
05:10place to be Cornwall I mean I'm biased because I live in Cornwall now but it is magical and I
05:15think it's
05:17one of the best places to retire because Cornwall is very time rich people seem to just they do
05:23everything directly that's a Cornish saying directly it's a bit like maniana but much slower we'll be
05:35getting stuck into our house viewings directly in Lou a coastal town boasting one of Cornwall's finest
05:41sandy beaches
05:45here we are on the beach here we are how fabulous you wanted to be on the beach but damn
05:50here we are on
05:51the beach and what a beach it's a great beach isn't it have you been to Lou before no never
05:55been here
05:56before it's amazing so what are you going to do that what's what's the dream when you first arrive
06:01have you imagined that first morning walking down to the beach along there having a nice coffee
06:07if it's later a beer maybe and then going for a walk later on playing some sport golf so it's
06:15going
06:15to be quite an active retirement I do move it or lose it classes so obviously I still want to
06:19maybe
06:20just do a couple of classes because it's really good all-round body exercise low impact so and you
06:27can do that up to the age of a hundred retirement vibes are they we're ready we're ready as soon
06:32as
06:32we find the house we're off I mean who wouldn't be it sounds great yeah and how long is it
06:38before
06:38you can kind of give up work completely I want to keep busy I won't I'm not allowed an office
06:43in the
06:44new place so I won't change my mind on that not allowed a computer well you do want to relax
06:51you do
06:51need to let go absolutely yeah absolutely and your house in Buckinghamshire is on the market yes yeah we
06:56you know reduced it yesterday for a big aggressive push push and we've made that decision of me so
07:02we're you know we're committed now to moving down well we've got some really nice houses lined up you
07:08excited to see and the first one is actually not far from here 10 minute walk from this beach
07:1710 minute walk oh my goodness should we go and see it yes please thank you follow me
07:25as well as its very attractive beach and seafront Lou provides a host of facilities for residents and
07:31visitors alike there are characterful pubs and shops selling those seaside buckets and spades
07:37as well as grocery and health care options and just that promised 10 minute walk from the beach
07:44is our first slice of cornish property pie here we are yeah really like it I love the porch actually
07:53it's a 1950s house this was a garage and this was extended around 2011 sort of like a annex really
08:00you could let it out excellent for visitors then excellent I can imagine one of our daughters with
08:07their family would be first on opening that door exactly I love the fact we've got plenty of
08:12parking space here because I know it can be a premium some places and lovely garden I mean
08:17lots of lovely plants in it oh wait till you see the back garden oh wow let's have a look
08:22inside
08:24along with generous parking the frontage of this detached 1950s dormer bungalow includes fencing
08:31screening of a section of garden taking the main entrance and turning left from the hall
08:36this is when we're coming straight into the kitchen reveals doors opening into the front outside space
08:44so this is an extension again in 2011 they put this out and remodeled the whole kitchen I think it's
08:50really nice it's really lovely isn't it homely it does feel good yeah and obviously when you've got
08:56company and everything it's quite nice to be out there but what's lovely is these are bifold doors so
09:01essentially your kitchen goes out into this whole area leading back along the hall to the rear of the
09:09home nice big area lovely yeah we find a dining room with more bifold doors oh oh great dining room
09:19goes on to a sort of veranda and next to this a large rear reception room opening into a conservatory
09:27so there's always like space to spill out yes it's quite deceiving from the outside the amount of
09:33space you get inside isn't it yeah that completes the ground floor on the main house but there's also
09:40that attached single-story one-bedroom annex which I'm letting them explore on their own wow this is nice
09:48actually this is very nice isn't it on the suite yeah shower wow I just feel like you could actually
09:57make this the main bedroom and then we've got in here is oh oh kitchen should Sandra have a change
10:09of
10:09heart over a home office there's one back in the hall of the main house upstairs in the loft level
10:15are
10:16three further bedrooms a spacious guest room is filled with light from a front facing dormer and
10:22side window an additional double aspect guest room has a wash basin and there's also a family bathroom
10:30with a shower serving all the bedrooms including the final and fourth one a double overlooking distant
10:37countryside that could also work as their principal where we're regrouping wow that is an amazing view
10:45isn't it would you turn one of the bedrooms into a study or something dressing room I think yeah I
10:50like
10:51to have a bit of space in the bedroom I don't do my makeup or anything I do that in
10:55my dressing room
10:56maybe you can make it a bit more spacious I feel we've already seen the off-street parking as well
11:06as
11:06dedicated spaces to let each of the living areas spill outdoors as well as that there's a landscaped rear
11:13garden where gravel paths divide planted borders it's a lovely garden it's in some little areas you've got a
11:21big shed it's very very pretty are you big gardeners uh not really no but having said that us having
11:28more time available but retiring he's gonna do I need a project because that's what our retirement's
11:34about we want to enjoy our time and do potter around the garden and this is a lovely garden to
11:39potter in and we've got a prime plant the rhubarb I'm at home so how much are you going to
11:45pay for
11:45that rhubarb crown plus a house absolutely I don't know somewhere around the 500,000 mark
11:51I'm going to go more five to five 525 yeah and you say about 500 500 well actually this is
12:01on the market for
12:01550,000 right wow yes but it's a great house this detached 1950s dormer bungalow has a kitchen breakfast room
12:12and two further reception rooms each with outdoor space there are four bedrooms including the annex
12:19and a manageable garden all within a short distance of the sea and the facilities of loo
12:27personally I love this garden he's got lots of different areas different plants without the lawns
12:34you have to mow it's you know you can concentrate on each little area it is lovely it's very pretty
12:40nice curb appeal had a nice outside plenty of parking spaces for the family and friends when they visit
12:47us and a separate entrance for the annex so yes it will very pleasantly surprised I think it's got
12:54everything we want in the house and more actually I do love the kitchen I think the kitchen was really
13:01worked for us and just sitting outside the front it was nice location neighbors which we wanted the
13:09only downside is probably it's a bit too big
13:21as they wind down from busy working lives sandra and terry are seeking their happy place in cornwall
13:28and as the locals here say there's a reason why their tiny port town of foy rhymes with joy
13:36it's all very pretty isn't it are amazing
13:41although the happiest of all may be the feathered residents ruling the roost
13:46first thing about foy is probably got to be the seagulls as you can hear in the background
13:51they are vultures they will if you're walking along with pasty be careful because they'll have it out your hand
13:57oh that is absolutely stunning isn't it you can get a ferry across to the other side yeah
14:04like being abroad almost but being in your own country especially when the sun's shining
14:09great quirky shops great restaurants some nice pubs
14:14lots of history fantastic church which is behind us
14:19it's amazing church isn't it there's fishing boats in foy so i get a lot of fresh fish
14:25crabs lobsters scallops and there's lots of local farms literally within two or three miles
14:30of the shop we're flying the flag for fresh produce
14:34and look at these saffron buns
14:36cornish pasties yeah we'll get some for dinner
14:40what can we get you really intrigued about the saffron buns are they cornish yes they're a
14:45traditional bun it's a current bun that's got um saffron in that was brought over by the pirates
14:49on the ships oh wow gosh that's exciting
14:52and what about the cornish pasties
14:56uh so we've only got our traditional steak at the moment i think we might have to have one of
15:00those
15:01too yes thank you is that everything for you oh that's great thank you we'll be back again tomorrow
15:10when it comes to getting about foy's steep streets provide a free workout mother hill
15:18or there's the community bus which will whisk you to most destinations in town with ease
15:24and for an even more leisurely journey boat trips include scenic river cruises and sea excursions
15:32it's quite a small place at first glance but having studied at the university of bristol that's
15:37quite a contrast uh living down in cornwall so i was always very excited to get back down here and
15:43just to be out and around them in nature and be by the sea again foy has all the ingredients
15:49to have
15:49my buyers coming back for more so please we stopped at the bakery saffron buns cornish pirates
16:01what a beautiful picnic on a beautiful day looking at a beautiful view now to see if we can find
16:07a
16:07tasty property to wet their appetites too
16:15next we're heading to the coastal settlement of carlion bay
16:21its famed beach was formed by local tin and clay extraction and old coastal mine workings also
16:28provide a picturesque spot for an 18-hole golf course there's a selection of shops with further
16:36facilities found half a mile down the road in the village of charlestown where the grade 2 listed
16:43harbor once featured in the tv series paul dark back at carlion bay the property we're here to see
16:50is set well back from the main sea road and reached via its hedge lined private driveway
16:57so here it is it's really lovely long drive yeah it's an amazing drive what do you think from the
17:04outside it's nice yeah and it's in carlion bay which is where you wanted to be yes absolutely so it's
17:10about a 16 minute walk to the beach but it's only a 10 minute walk to the golf club yep
17:16wow even better
17:18yeah thought to date to the 1960s with the later addition of a garage and rear dormer
17:26to the loft level the current owners of this detached property have thoroughly brought it
17:31into the 21st century starting with an open plan kitchen dining and living room so as you see this
17:39is a very different kettle of fish oh my goodness wow this i think has been beautifully opened up they've
17:45knocked through here right yeah made a great lovely scandy nice flooring yeah kitchen for an
17:53entertainment point of view it's great it's so light yeah yeah it makes a big difference so the
18:00sun rises this side so you get all the morning sun here and it sets over here you get all
18:03the evening
18:04sun oh right so you'll be gin and tonics on your little terrace there i really like it yeah i
18:10really
18:11like it upstairs it's just three bedrooms right so if you want to go upstairs or just explore around
18:15i'll find you down in the garden lovely thank you very much thank you i love this house this would
18:24work perfectly i think leading off the open plan space there is a cloak room and a utility come
18:31study with sliding doors to the rear deck nice laundry room and then just a desk here for me with
18:38my
18:38computer you can sit outside if it gets hot yeah this home seems to have sandra warming to the idea
18:45of
18:46a home office for terry and there's more to guide her in that direction upstairs in the first of the
18:51three bedrooms a guest double with a front-facing dormer window oh thanks i do you've got your desk
18:58here you could be able to work here wouldn't you but for guests it's perfect yeah it's a nice size
19:04room
19:06a smaller guest room sits to the rear of the home and next to this is a family shower room
19:15i love this place i think this is great it's so light and easy and breezy for them to they
19:20could
19:21move straight in and they could just put all their stuff down and just retire which is kind of what
19:27they
19:27want delivering yet more of what my buyers have asked for is bedroom three
19:33a principal suite spanning the depth of the house gosh this is a lovely room isn't it nice and light
19:40yeah and an en suite so that's really lovely you've got a double shower there's the walking wardrobe here
19:49which you will love that's perfect yes that is just amazing isn't it outside as well as the attached
19:58garage there is off street parking whilst the rear decking provides an al fresco area leading down to
20:05the garden this is great out here it's a lovely big sort of veranda terrace and a i think a
20:14more
20:15manageable garden with all that on offer i'm expecting smiles but of course we still need to discuss the price
20:23i think this is a great garden for you guys pretty much the perfect size for us we've got the
20:27lovely
20:28decking area for entertaining and just sitting out having our dinner obviously we've got all this
20:33space down here it's more than i think it's perfect more than adequate perfect for what we want yeah how
20:38much do you think this is costing well i'm going to go for 535 and 550 okay well that is
20:47wrong
20:48this is on the market for 500 000 pounds really wow wow that's exciting that's good news
20:57comfortably within budget this detached 1960s dormer bungalow has open planned living and the
21:04three bedrooms they've asked for as well as home office options for terry the garden requires minimal
21:11upkeep and the location puts them in close proximity to the beach golf and shops it's got everything that
21:18we want feel really at home in here and it is the perfect location for us because we could walk
21:25to the
21:25golf club which is what we wanted to do and beach shops around the corner i could see us living
21:33here yes
21:36oh that was a lovely house second house done i think that's a contender i do yes it does really
21:43give us everything that we want we've still got the mystery house tomorrow yes so come let's have a
21:48little okay time to ponder ah there's nothing quite like a cornish beach on a sunny day although armed with
22:08sweet treats i do have to issue a little local wildlife warning got ice cream you have to watch out
22:15for the
22:15seagulls here yes they'll come and get you um how are you feeling after the first day it's been an
22:21amazing first day really loving it i'm really excited to think that this will be something i'll
22:28be doing every day so could you literally spend the whole day on the beach i certainly could and often
22:33do really i'm hoping to stay here all the time yeah so yeah it's one of my favorite happy places
22:41i say
22:41are you the same terry no i like to go down in the morning sit there in the sun for
22:46two or three
22:47hours then i'll be up at the bar having a cold beer you're also very fixated on golf so that's
22:55also
22:55a really important place for you yeah i mean it's important to keep our fitness and golf is good for
23:01that the swimming is good walking and cycling we want to be out and about all the time maybe just
23:08play
23:08once or twice a week yeah friendly social golf and in terms of today's house hunting are you
23:14pleased what we showed you yes both properties were really good i think for me the second one was
23:20best suited um quieter location in the place that we love anyway and in terms of uh tomorrow the
23:27mystery house any ideas what that might be oh i don't know well i suspect you're going to find somewhere
23:32miles from the beach no golf course no golf course lots of character in the form of oak beans in
23:40the
23:40building but no we don't really know maybe somewhere a bit more oh it happened that was amazing
23:50right so what do you do now share yours have mine as usual
23:56what did i say perhaps my buyers will be inspired to swoop like a cornish seagull on one of my
24:02properties as our search for their next home continues tomorrow
24:17the price paid for a detached house in cornwall currently averages 427 000 pounds around 15 000
24:24pounds lower than the uk as a whole but there's huge variation across the county at the top of the
24:33charts st moore's buyers parted with an average of 3.3 million pounds for a detached home there last
24:41year but head just 16 miles up the coast to st austal and that figure drops to 414 000 pounds
24:51here are some other options in the area my buyers are looking at the bones of this traditional attached
24:58one-bedroom stone cottage located in a rural setting on the edge of foy give a cozy hug to recently
25:05renovated interiors soak up the sun in the front garden or rear courtyard on the market for 245 000
25:17this mid-19th century lodge house of an historic estate near lou is grade ii listed it comes with
25:25classic interiors two bedrooms and a third of an acre garden with mature trees plus the bonus of a
25:32static caravan a holiday let perhaps priced at 415 000 pounds and talking of holiday lets one of the
25:43many self-catering options in the county is this shepherd's hut soak in the wood-fired hot tub or sit
25:51out
25:51and enjoy the peaceful setting of the farm it sleeps two and costs from 71 pounds per night in low
25:59season
25:59to 126 per night in the summer peak
26:07oh this is the way to start the morning in fact this is the way that sandra and terry could
26:12be
26:13starting their morning soon because i think we're getting closer and closer to finding them their perfect
26:18retirement home here in cornwall but we've still got the mystery house which takes them even closer
26:23to the beach can you imagine but it does have a twist
26:28for the mystery option i'm taking my buyers to a location they're less familiar with
26:33the seaside settlement of seaton we're saying dista or good day on the shingle beach where the river
26:41seaton from the cornish for little arrow gives the area its name have you ever been here before never
26:48been here no this is my first visit too it's really gorgeous beautiful this is where the mystery house
26:54is so this could be your beach gosh that's amazing isn't it but as always the mystery house is a
26:59little
26:59bit of a curve ball it's not exactly what you asked for oh but it is close to the beach
27:04uh huh time how
27:05far it is when i go there but you guys hang out here and explore and check out all the
27:09amenities
27:09lovely yeah and then i'll see you at the mystery house exciting thank you a bit
27:16i think this would be really important to us coming down here having a nice lunch down on the beach
27:22it'd be lovely i wonder what the mystery house is going to be like though it's close by perfect
27:31less busy than some of the more well-known beaches seaton is sheltered from wind and waves by cliffs to
27:37the west and lies in a tree-covered valley the country park is one of only a handful in the
27:44county
27:45there's also a cafe bar and restaurant a pub serving local fare and a couple of bus routes running in
27:52either direction along the coast there's lots happening in the community for sandra and terry to
27:58get a handle on too and i'm giving you a handle on what makes my next pick a bit of
28:03a mystery
28:06huh i timed it three minutes 18 seconds that's pretty good to the beach right
28:15this mystery house is is almost box fresh it's just five years old a little bit smaller than our
28:21offerings and then you save quite a lot of money and you can spend that traveling around cornwall playing
28:26golf on all the courses that you like so let's tee this mystery off with my buyers it's this one
28:35oh
28:36hi hi what a lovely quiet road it's amazing and this little valley kind of like a hug yeah but
28:43come this
28:43way i want to show you that instead of you from the back wow leaving behind the gated parking for
28:49three
28:50cars and a front garden featuring a small bridge over a stream we're making our way to the garden at
28:56the rear goodness me wow to get a better sense of my smaller single-story mystery oh my goodness oh
29:09lovely
29:09what are your thoughts lovely yeah gorgeous yeah the reason this is the mystery house is this is a
29:15different sort of parcel for your retirement it's very low maintenance it's almost brand new but it's
29:20a snugger house yeah okay so let's go and have a look inside thank you still under the builder's
29:27guarantee and with insulation and a heat pump to give an energy performance rating of c we're starting
29:34our tour through the bifold doors so you're straight into the main living space which is gosh that
29:40is amazing kitchen here yes sitting room there love the color of the units it's nice isn't it yeah
29:46it's all pretty much brand new it's all plugged in you've got a dishwasher fridge freezer but it is a
29:51smaller option i think this space would work for us as a couple which is the most important thing we
29:57can't you know just pay out to work our space for family and friends coming but this would work on
30:03our
30:04everyday lifestyle i think you've said all along that we don't want to pay a lot of money
30:10for space just to do the odd entertainment or there's always hotels basically i think this is
30:17this is the right place i had thought that carlin bay wouldn't be beaten but i've changed my mind
30:24so i'm going to let you have free reign of the house now just to warn you that they're packing
30:28up so
30:29two of the bedrooms have got stuff in them lovely thank you very much thank you
30:36i love it when the mystery house just turns everything upside down in a good way
30:42to one side of the open plan layout is a laundry room and pantry and the other a wing containing
30:48the three bedrooms starting with the principal ensuite with a view to the side this is a lovely
30:56bedroom isn't it it's nice on sweet i love it because it's new it's a modern house but it's been
31:03done to a quality standard that leaves the two guest rooms oh yeah this is a smaller room but at
31:11least
31:11we've got three bedrooms that's good yeah you can use this as a dressing room you've still got a guest
31:17bedroom nice family bathroom i i think it's kind of perfect really yeah
31:25there's always a bit of a risk with the mystery house because i mean they could have turned around
31:29and said it's way too small but actually i think sandra is completely smitten which is wonderful news for us
31:38the thoughtfully designed outside space includes a couple of versatile garden rooms one of which could
31:45easily be turned into an office away from the main home for a little property there's lots going on
31:52isn't there absolutely it's got everything we wanted really and how much do you think this one costs
31:57i was going to say about 435. okay um i'm going to go 450. okay well you're in the right
32:07ballpark
32:07but a little shy so this is on the market for 465 000 pounds it's amazing well done you i
32:13think it
32:14is just perfect for us really surprised yeah very good you go explore yeah when you're done meet me
32:19at the front and then we can go find somewhere else to scratch our heads okay thank you
32:26it's a magic mystery house saving a sizeable chunk of their budget this recently built detached bungalow
32:34offers contemporary open plan living three bedrooms and a garden requiring minimal upkeep
32:40there's the off street parking they want and it's in a friendly active community within a very short
32:46stroll of a beautiful beach i love this little bridge yeah it's good isn't it it's got a lot of
32:52character
32:52plenty of parking up front yes the mystery house has answered lots of my questions really of what i was
33:00looking for it's got the beach which is just to die for and it seems to have lots going on
33:07in the
33:08community which i think would be really lovely in our retirement yeah i think i can get a lot of
33:14good living here i think the space although it's smaller really still works for us we could move in
33:20without doing any major work it's got the office for me in the garden this is top of the pile
33:26for me
33:37immersed in cornwall's tranquil beauty it's easy to forget how land use impacts climate and nature
33:45i've come to 80 acre earthbound farm near the foy estuary to meet milo corcoran
33:53hi alistair what an amazing place can you give me a little tour absolutely he left city life in
34:00london 11 years ago to pursue a dream of creating connections with countryside and community whilst
34:07healing the earth how long have you been here been here for three years now gosh three years that's
34:12pretty fast work helping hands in the form of friends family and volunteers are a key part of
34:20production here so tell me what to do mal i'm a very good worker fantastic so i'm getting stuck in
34:26with
34:26today's job of planting out onion seedlings so tell me about the the dream how did when did it start
34:32how did
34:33you have this idea so i've been farming for about 10 years now and um getting my hands in the
34:39ground
34:40and i saw the opportunity to have a piece of land where people could come together and really connect
34:48to the whole process of growing the food and enjoy it in situ and see that there is value in
34:55growing
34:56things with a lot of love and care do you come from family farming stock no i uh i feel
35:02very fortunate to
35:03live uh in the age of information i've found i was lucky enough to have some good teachers and uh
35:08find
35:09my way into some really beautiful farms where i was able to learn all sorts of things oh who's this
35:16this is pie hi shepherd's pie so tell me about the ethos what's your elevator pitch for earthbound a
35:22regenerative farm should be aimed at regenerating community and regenerating human beings that is
35:28inclusive of the community around them we found that people want to connect to nature and finding
35:34opportunities to provide has been a real delight milo's vision means volunteering here is a well-being
35:42experience with a camping field and a recently completed sauna to run year-round as well as plans
35:50for a program of workshops from yoga to tai chi all things that are improved if you can take your
35:57shoes
35:57off and put your feet on the ground about meditation absolutely that's one more venue for me how does
36:05it work can they come for a day we encourage people to stay for at least a week just so
36:09that they can
36:09settle into the routine here but yeah all are welcome you seem like kind of a modern groovy guy how
36:15has
36:16that been like being in the community that's already pre-existing the old farming ways you know there are
36:22some old practices that um it's quite hard to shake when people have been doing it for so many years
36:27everyone is so friendly here i think there was always an openness to having conversations and to
36:33learning from new energy new ideas you know we're attracting lots of young people and engaging them and
36:40inspiring them about living on the land leaving it in a better state than we found it whether it's planting
36:45trees or encouraging more wildlife it's a shared value i hear that you also have chickens can i go and
36:53see those he must must
36:57set up just two and a half months ago by animal welfare research scientist lizzie rowe
37:03i'm heading to the hen house to see the farm's fledgling project for myself
37:09lizzie you must be the chicken lady look surrounded by all these lovely girls oh lizzie you've got a
37:15little one yes this one's about uh four weeks old now i'm just doing things quite differently here so
37:22this is my nursery flock so in kind of conventional systems you would get chicks that would hatch out
37:29from an incubator and then be put under a heat lamp and they don't get any maternal influence at all
37:35so what i'm doing here is i put fertilized eggs under my flock this little girl here she's a bantam
37:41so bantams are reliably going broody like sitting on eggs like catching them out and then they're really
37:46good mothers and having that influence of a maternal figure in the chicks lives is is amazing for their
37:51long-term welfare so being exposed to the mother hen's um healthy microbes from their skin from their
37:58feathers from their poo that improves their own gut health which um links into their mental health
38:05it links into their immune system and then also the mothers teach them what's good to eat where they
38:10can find food research has found that they just express fewer abnormal behaviors so feather pecking is
38:17a really big issue they wear chickens just uh pulling each other's feathers out and and it's thought
38:22to be redirected foraging behavior so chicks that have been raised by mother hens show much less
38:28of that type of behavior i feel bad for chickens like laying an egg every day that's crazy that's
38:33exhausting it's a huge strain on their body and it's you know unnatural we've bred chickens to be
38:38that highly productive so the other thing that we've done in conventional farming is that we've
38:42highly specialized not only the egg layers but also the meat chickens and those fat meaty ones
38:47um have been bred to grow so quickly that they're slaughtered you know at just six or eight weeks
38:52of age so this little guy or girl i haven't been able to sex them yet um is a light
38:57sussex breed
38:58and has a lower egg laying rate so much kinder on their bodies much more kind of natural but it
39:05also
39:06means that they have more energy to put into laying down meat and their welfare is better what about the
39:10boys because obviously these are all girls they're laying eggs they're being broody yeah absolutely often
39:15the boys get i will be raising the males for meat if people want to eat meat they should be
39:20eating
39:20meat from animals that have been really loved i'm a vegetarian i work me too as long as you're happy
39:27yes you know i'm gonna have a good life that's my yeah utmost priority wonderful work you're doing
39:32thank you so much appreciate it that means a lot to me i'll maybe come and have an egg i
39:36do eat an egg
39:37well i can show you so i've actually collected some for you if you'd like some visiting this farm really
39:42does plant a sense of well-being and it's not just the soul being nourished oh good god a whole
39:50range
39:50you've got courgettes eggs from the chickens you've just met and tomatoes beans oh that's really kind
39:57thank you enjoy now to see if there's a cornish home i'm gonna tuck into this
40:05that puts a regenerative spring in the steps of my bias this week
40:14the mystery house has done its job and upset the property apple cart
40:18who knows which way sandra and terry's mind will go
40:22let's go and find out and take a little bit of sea air while we're doing it
40:34so we're just a hop and a skip from the mystery house so you can see lou in the distance
40:38yes
40:39spectacular absolutely spectacular so how's the wheat bean for you have you got a glimpse of like
40:44the lifestyle all three houses were close to the beach which is perfect the beach was great
40:51sea i think there's some swimming clubs that i can join so yeah our life is beginning to the puzzle
40:59is
40:59coming together so does it feel real does it feel like it's real real yes it feels really real now
41:05just can't wait to get here yes three times we fell in love with each property and yeah yeah i
41:14i think the second house for me was the one that i almost fell in love with until the mystery
41:20house
41:20today so now we're on the horns of a dilemma yeah absolutely so definitely we'd love to go back and
41:28see
41:29the mystery house and and we'd like to go back and see the carline bay one as well so you
41:35have two
41:35revisits yes yes definitely and then what are the next steps what's uh we're in the process of trying
41:42to sell our house so hopefully that will go through very quickly and uh and we'll be here as soon
41:49as we
41:49can well let us know what happens yes we will come and visit yes absolutely
42:00as a new escapee to cornwall myself i'm always delighted to charm people into this magical county
42:07and it's interesting on our show because sometimes we show people what they want
42:12and then sometimes we show them things that they didn't know that they wanted for example a small
42:16house in a different location and i think that they might like the mystery house more whichever one
42:21they buy i'm very excited that they might become my neighbors one day and i hope that you watch us
42:28again very soon sandra and terry returned to both options but were pipped to the post putting an offer
42:37in on carlion bay however they are now in the process of purchasing a new build on the north coast
42:44of
42:44the county we wish them all the very best if you would like to escape to the country in england
42:53northern
42:53ireland scotland or wales and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:17so
43:25you
43:26you
43:27you
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