- 12 minutes ago
Escape to the Country Season 26 Episode 38
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00:02helping people realize their dream country move often leads to some priceless moments
00:08could i call that the million pound view do you think as long as we're doing it for half price
00:16sometimes things can get a little spicy you're over there cooking your curries i can be over
00:20here doing whatever it is i need to do without getting your way i'm not sure about that that's
00:26when i like to cool things down and maybe provide a humorous nudge i promised you an ice cream didn't
00:32i you've got to make a promise to me you buy one of our houses
00:59whether you're a dedicated landlubber a sworn salty sea dog or a foodie fanatic who likes
01:06some surf with your turf today we're heading for a county that most definitely has something for you
01:12take a deep breath in can you smell that fresh salty sea air with maybe just maybe a hint of
01:24freshly baked scones yes that's right we're in devon located in the southwest of england and bordered by
01:33the sea to the north and south the county of devon is a living landscape putting food on the table
01:39for both locals and the nation i grew up on a farm down here i'd say usually the best thing
01:46about
01:46living in devon is the community and it really makes you proud to be from here a mild climate
01:53and beautiful beaches means south devon's tour bay is known as the english riviera seafront promenades
02:00and sheltered coast give easy access to both land and sea local users and crew of a sailing association
02:07are just some of the area's dedicated fans the weather for some reason who seem to go here
02:15here you walk out of the hotel and it's all flat and it's it's just lovely it really is
02:23you've got dolphins you've got the birds and you can have a go on the helm so you can feel
02:29the boat
02:29moving under you i've lived here all my life and we're very very fortunate that we've got the natural
02:37beauty and the wildlife and probably more important obviously they're meeting fantastic people
02:50although today's couple have lived inland for many years they've decided that the time is right to get
02:56back to their roots and live by the coast and they've chosen this beautiful county hello i'm lynn
03:05and i'm alan and uh we've just retired from a really stressful job in the prison service
03:11um so now we're just looking for a really really relaxed nice way of life having served their time at
03:20work husband and wife lynn and alan are ready for a change they want to escape the confines of their
03:26empty nest downsized bungalow in a village near the city of milton keynes a home that's now cramping
03:33their style i think we downsized a little bit too much we thought there's only the two of us and
03:39hindsight that was probably a mistake this is our kitchen it's small and to be honest we've outgrown it
03:47since we've both retired we find we're cooking a lot more especially alan he doesn't mean curry from
03:53scratch joined by their dog lowkey the couple hope to rediscover a way of life they enjoyed around the
04:00lake district where they both grew up i spent most of my childhood fell walking rock climbing abseiling
04:09all that kind of stuff so one of the reasons for me wanting to move down to devon is to
04:13get back into
04:14outdoor lifestyle i want to buy a boat so i can go fishing i can take the grand boys out
04:19on little fishing trips for lynn who's recovering from hip surgery it's all about the joy of the open road
04:29one of our hobbies is motorcycling we've both been riding from an early age
04:35and this is our latest bike it's as you can see a lovely big cruiser and ideally we would like
04:45to be
04:45able to get both bikes out on the road so we can ride together we've looked ourselves and up to
04:52this
04:52point we've we've had no luck really so yeah we just need your help to uh to get us moved
04:59and to get
05:00us to fulfill that dream that we've had armed with a 500 000 pound budget lynn and alan are calling
05:07for
05:07help to find a bungalow or home with single-story living that offers a good-sized kitchen four bedrooms
05:14a garage and a manageable garden they want to be close to the coast and community of the tall bay
05:21area
05:31i would have loved my grandfather to aboard a boat and taken me fishing when i was growing up i
05:38mean
05:39idyllic i was brought up by the coast and it had such a profound effect on me i mean it's
05:45getting back
05:46to nature fishing paddling we used to love to go shrimping with our parents and our grandparents
05:51it was one of the highlights of the summer holidays and i think they can achieve all of that
05:57and an awful lot more down here in devon
06:02alan and lynn are big fans of devon's tall bay coastline
06:05so that's where we're meeting before i start showing them potential homes
06:12well lynn and alan welcome to glorious south devon this is the dream isn't it you can't blame us for
06:19wanting to be here and why to the coast she says looking over her shoulder yeah we come from the
06:26coast we originally came from carlisle and now that we're both retired yeah we just wanted to get back
06:32to it for the last sort of four or five years we've been having little short stays in different parts
06:37of
06:37the country to try and work out where we wanted to live when when we retired and um and we
06:42settled
06:43on devon it's just finding the house that we can't do right okay that was the tricky part so what
06:47do
06:47the family think about you making the move our grandsons are six and eight so at first it was like
06:53we don't want you to are they local to where you are yeah but then when we showed them a
06:57few of the
06:57attractions of the area potentially it's like oh yeah that'd be great summer holidays are sorted aren't
07:03they down here exactly yeah this is it so we've got to have enough space for everybody exactly yeah
07:08making your money work as much as we possibly can for what you're after i know you've been down here
07:13quite a bit but we've got other areas places to show you and of course obviously our properties as
07:18well so should we get started i think we should the first option i've got lined up is right by
07:27the sea
07:27in the coastal location of dawlish now you may feel it's something of a black swan event kicking
07:33off a country escape in this small seaside town but with one of the largest populations of the birds
07:39in the uk first introduced from new zealand in 1906 dawlish offers a laid-back village vibe with a lovely
07:47beach
07:49shops cafes restaurants and a railway station to boot it's just a short walk from there to the property
07:57which is located in a quiet cul-de-sac less than 400 meters from the sea and here is your
08:04first
08:05property oh that is pretty it looks like it's been well maintained as well yes imagine the view from
08:09that dormer window i know it's going to be great as you can see we do have ample parking here
08:14the current
08:14owner has really thought this through and you probably noticed there's a garage at the side as well
08:19so the front door is actually there but on this occasion i'm going to take you around the side and
08:24you'll see why ready lovely let's go to go this 20th century dormer bungalow has been extensively
08:32renovated by the current owners pretty entrance it is nice it is very pretty set on a slope we're
08:41taking steps via the garden to reach a terrace level at the front of the home before i let you
08:47into the house i've got to show you this haven't i oh yeah i mean that is a view it's
08:55gorgeous isn't
08:56it absolutely yeah that is definitely a view could i call that the million pound view do you think
09:01as long as they're doing it for half price sliding doors lead us into a reception room with double
09:10doors that open onto the kitchen beyond i like those doors they're nice doors and you can keep it open
09:17or if you want to yeah close slide them too glass so it keeps it lovely and light yeah with
09:22the fabulous
09:23views obviously it's nice i like it it's slightly hairy in here which is what you want for the living
09:29room it is and it's good life i mean you've got that view yeah i mean probably most of the
09:34time
09:34there's only going to be being new here i know should we continue yes okay so you've seen a little
09:39bit of it here's the kitchen good spices yeah nice units i love those units there's nothing to do in
09:45here is there no no i mean the whole house really is looks like it's been well maintained yeah now
09:51on this
09:51floor you've also got an additional bedroom you've got a shower room next door so fantastic access
09:58downstairs you've got everything but you've got two further bedrooms upstairs as well as offering the
10:04option of single story living lynn and alan have asked for there are two ensuite doubles partly set
10:10into the eaves on the top floor the smaller of which i'm leaving them to explore on their own
10:16should we have a look at the ensuite yeah i mean it's fine for a guest room absolutely you've got
10:21the views and that just leaves bedroom three for me to show them another ensuite double i like this so
10:31there's the ensuite very nice sorry about that again just yeah we'll just spend our time looking
10:37out the window the garden is terraced with steps from the back to access the highest level this has a
10:45lawn seating a shed and fruit trees to the front is a sizable garage with low maintenance paving and gravel
10:53looking out to the sea i think this works this on all levels yeah sorry about that was a bad
11:04joke
11:05question is how does the asking price level with their budget how much is this shallow bungalow on the
11:13market for you know you go i i am i did have a figure in mind but after seeing everything
11:20there
11:21is to see i'll take it up to four nine five four hundred and nine five thousand pounds that's right
11:25at
11:25the top of your budget isn't it just about okay i'm going to go with four eight five the asking
11:31price is
11:33four hundred and fifty thousand pounds now why it has just come down because the owner is keen to
11:41move right so go and have a wander be our guest thank you take your time
11:48significantly within budget this seaside dormer bungalow comes with a kitchen diner
11:54and three double bedrooms including one on the ground floor there's a large garage a low maintenance
12:00terrace garden and sea views with the beach and facilities of dawlish just a short stroll away
12:08when i first saw it i was thinking it might be a little bit small for us
12:12but actually when you go inside it the rooms are actually quite spacious
12:17we always hoped for the sea view but we weren't convinced we were going to get it this might be
12:22able
12:22to give us the lifestyle that we've been chasing and i think now it's kind of given me the feeling
12:29that actually might be within reach i really like this place i think it's beautiful it's so peaceful
12:38it's it just says no stress no stress yeah i really do think it's a it's a perfect place i
12:47certainly hope
12:48this will be our forever home unless of course you know something else crops up
13:01the sea may be my buyer's main draw to devon but alan and lynn are also after a friendly community
13:07to
13:07make them feel at home located on the edge of dartmoor national park is the town of buckfastly
13:16it's a nice little place an abbey founded here in the 11th century saw monks farming fresh produce
13:24and as the town sprung up around them a pride in providing local food continued to grow
13:31could you imagine getting all your fresh veggie here every week i know it would be nice wouldn't it
13:38we specialize in producing bread made using stone ground organic flowers and working directly with
13:44farmers and millers we're trying to encourage the farmers to make a switch from modern grains to a
13:50more regenerative system using more heritage grains and farming methods that work better for the soil
13:56extend the harvest that we can get out of the earth yeah and i think the direct relationship with our
14:01farmers is super important because it means that we can react and kind of work with whatever is
14:06coming off the land in that harvest a lot of the highest quality produce that's grown in the country
14:11is growing here so if you live here you've just got access straight to it
14:15five night fishing chips got the chippy and i bet it's all fresh fish as well from
14:20up yeah it's bound to be on hurried streets lined with characterful cafes and small independent shops
14:29combine with a hive of activities could you talk about a hive yeah from beekeeping to knitting groups
14:36we retired down here to the buck fastly about a year ago we have a wonderful um community center the
14:43more imagination center just up the road we've got a wonderful cafe come bar the dough the community is
14:49amazing very friendly everybody wants to help you out there's always events things going on we've
14:55been so busy and happy here it's been amazing yeah the town is a boarding point for south devon railway
15:05a heritage steam line hello you have two tickets please there you go lovely thank you very much
15:16the grandkids are going to love this one i know they will they will we run from buckfast lee on
15:22the
15:22edge of the dartmoor national park down to topness which is where the river dark becomes tidal
15:28i mean look at that it's lovely isn't it that's my happy place we've got dartmoor just up the road
15:33we've got the coast and we're directly between extra and plymouth so we've got so much choice really
15:40and buck fastly seems to be on the right track when it comes to lynn and alan's country escape plans
15:46that is a lovely trip that is glorious i've really enjoyed that now back to finding a home for them
15:54to embark on their journey here
15:59we're at the coast once again for my next property offering in the historic fishing port of brixham
16:07a favoured spot of my buyers allen's longed for boat could find good company sharing sea room with
16:14a replica of the 16th century golden hind which famously took sir francis drake around the globe
16:23there are places to try the catch of the day or a cream tea and regular buses take in destinations
16:29around and out of town from the harbor it's a 15-minute walk to the property i want to show
16:36them
16:37now one of the places that you were definitely interested in looking at was
16:41brixham so we have managed to find you this chalet bungalow pretty little bungalow to be honest with you
16:48yeah yeah it looks well maintained i'm not giving you a project with this property no not the house anyway
16:56there's something plotting uh-huh should we take a look yeah let's do it come on then
17:03this semi-detached mid-century modern dorm bungalow features rendered brick walls
17:08with a tiled roof and comes with a detached garage the footprint extends significantly behind the home's
17:16modest frontage it's long it is it is long which is accessed by a door along the side of the
17:25property
17:26in you come welcome here across the hall we find the first of the reception rooms
17:32it's a good size isn't it access out onto the garden which is always good you would have a little
17:37barbecue area out there couldn't you yeah could even get the fire pit out there we've been outside
17:42in the fire pit till like two in the morning just chatting away have you really yeah the fire pit
17:46going watching the stars and just just chatting away i'm not getting the same wow factor as i have
17:52might have had previously would that be true that would be true but i'll show you around and then
17:57you'll get the full picture let's go and have a look at the kitchen taking the hall further towards
18:03the back we pass through a smaller reception to reach the kitchen a good size kitchen it's not enormous
18:10but it's nicely laid out there's enough room for both of us to be in here and move around comfortably
18:15without being in each other's way too much you're over there cooking your curries i can be over
18:19here doing whatever it is i need to do without getting in your way i'm not sure about that because
18:24i'll spread out over here as well we've got additional space behind us it's not quite a utility the
18:31way it's laid out at the moment one double bedroom downstairs dining room which could be converted
18:36to another bedroom because with the two upstairs that makes the four grandchildren i'm sure we're
18:41very happy upstairs let's see what you make of it have a wander and i'll meet you in the garden
18:46okay
18:47thank you okay thank you thank you the first room for them to check out alone is that smaller reception
18:53room it is it is it is nice this room it's cool it's cool as well on our day isn't
18:58it yeah we could
18:59put a sofa bit in here then back along the hall a ground floor shower that's a good side shower
19:06it's
19:07not bad at all next to this is a handy cloak room as well as a family bathroom
19:14and yet further along the hall at the front is the ground floor bedroom they've asked for
19:20is that a king size that's a king size it's the same size as always it's certainly big enough for
19:24us yeah with all the wardrobes yeah it's that ready-made downstairs bedroom as well yes that we wanted
19:31so that's the single story living taken care of and completing this floor is that dining room that
19:38could also work as a bedroom again at the front that just leaves the remaining two bedrooms upstairs
19:47that's a good double yeah it is a good double a chance i think for chappers to earwig i'm picking
19:53up actually quite a good vibe i'm gleaning from this they're looking at it more as a home so will
19:59it be
19:59the wow factor or will it be the family home with a further double room featuring a large dormer window
20:09there's certainly a lot of options for accommodating overnight stays from family and friends
20:16and there's more than enough room for a get together in the south facing garden too with veg beds a
20:22large
20:23lawn a greenhouse a shed and raised deck as well as lovely views across to the surrounding hills but is
20:31this much too much with wanting to get a fishing boat for the kids volunteering getting involved with the
20:38community i think this manor garden it might just scare them
20:45it's bigger than i thought it was going to be i must admit all that space on that side because
20:51there's so much space you're always going to get the sun at some point so this isn't scaring you the
20:57size of it no no not at all i was wrong i thought you were going to look at this
21:01and go oh yes there's
21:03a lot of lawn but the maintenance of that is just cutting it once a week yeah and also it's
21:07very very
21:08fashionable now to let things go a little bit wild because it does help the pollinators and the insects
21:13it doesn't have to be pristine anymore no exactly which is just as well yeah yeah i can only see
21:19one
21:20downside really go on how badly it's overlooked right yeah i'm now going to nudge you to put a price
21:27on this chalet bungalow with this beautiful because it is beautiful garden it is it is i'd probably
21:34think 470 ish given it's brixham because i mean brixham is a very popular place oh yes it is yeah
21:43i'd be down to 430 ish 430 000 he's a lot harder than me yeah he's also closer than you
21:51our scheme
21:52price has come down yeah yeah to 425 000 pounds right okay that is that it's a surprise i must
22:01admit
22:01it is i thought it would be more given the look yeah yeah i think you should go and have
22:05another look
22:05around okay yeah this attached mid-century dormer bungalow comes with three to four double bedrooms
22:13including one on the ground floor a large level garden with countryside views plus a detached garage
22:21and it could put them in one of their favored locations within a 15-minute walk of the sea
22:28oh that's a good size so i could get my tools along the back there get the bike in and
22:33then i can put
22:34my fishing gear up there when i first turned up and looked at the house for the first time i
22:39thought
22:39i don't think there's enough space in there for us but the footprint is a lot bigger than you
22:43would ever expect you've got three reception rooms downstairs it's yeah and a bedroom the only
22:48downside was not having a bathroom upstairs thinking of visitors it's not ideal the garden
22:56probably on reflection maybe a little too big it's probably a bit too big for us at our age i
23:02don't
23:02know about you but i don't think this house is quite right i don't think it's us you know wow
23:07still such a lovely day it is it's beautiful devon sunshine devon sunshine and we've seen two
23:13properties which very very different let's be honest yeah but we can't bring you all this way
23:18and not go down to the seaside fancy a little bit of a chat on the beach yeah i can
23:23do that shall we
23:24yeah yeah and if you're really good and i find somewhere i might even buy you an ice cream oh
23:28no
23:29now you're talking now you're talking and chappers is nothing if not a woman of her word
23:37what a way to end the day this is the life it is it's beautiful this is exactly why we
23:42want to come
23:42here get me bought get them get the bike out yeah and then what sort of boat are you going
23:48to get
23:48you decided yeah it's only it's only going to be a small one big enough big enough so i can
23:54go out
23:54do a little bit of sea fishing link and some bath on the on the front or something like that
23:58while i'm
23:58fishing you know so we can we can do it together having seen the houses today and we've driven
24:03around such beautiful little hamlets and villages still completely sold absolutely yeah nothing's
24:09changed no no the scenery we've driven through parts that we haven't been to before good oh that's
24:15good to know it's got a good feeling about it everybody is so friendly you seem to be quite
24:20pleased as well that we're actually wanting to move and live here we want to be part of the community
24:27and and just settle here and this will be home i promised you an ice cream didn't i
24:33you've got to make a promise to me go on you buy one of our houses we will we'll we'll
24:41confirm or
24:41deny tomorrow okay i'll take that after the mystery house
24:59with an enviable climate and beautiful coast and countryside it's no surprise that buying a home
25:05in devon does come at a premium the average price for a detached house in the county is 488 000
25:12pounds
25:13significantly above the uk figure of 436 000
25:19for those on a lower budget however there are still options to be found
25:26this detached grade 2 listed a two-bedroom cottage in the cow town area of brixham has character and
25:33coziness as well as a sunny courtyard it's on the market for 270 000 pounds
25:41this four-bedroom stone barn conversion in a quiet hamlet is offered in a choice of packages the home
25:48and enclosed garden is priced at 775 000 pounds or there's the option of three further acres and
25:55equestrian facilities for 975 000 pounds for a short but sweet taste of devon this 19th century boathouse
26:06on the river dart accessed on foot via 71 steps sleeps up to four and costs from 333 pounds per
26:14night in low
26:15season rising to 616 pounds in the summer peak with a minimum three night stay
26:27so we've got a lot more to explore here today in gorgeous devon with alan and lynn
26:33and we've also got to show them a mystery house now it might not have incredible sea views but this
26:40property has definitely got something very special about it
26:49for the mystery twist i'm taking my bias a few miles inland to the hamlet of wilbra
26:58another beautiful sunny day in south devon it is it's gorgeous really lovely and what a way to see
27:05this wonderful hamlet it is exquisite isn't it yeah it's lovely it's a very pretty place it's so
27:11quiet it's yeah all you can hear is birds yeah there is a pub quite close by you can walk
27:16because
27:18there is a reason i've brought you to this hamlet which you're probably guessing because we are talking
27:22at the mystery house so i'm just going to get it ready so i'm going to send you off have
27:26a wander around
27:27and then i'll meet you back at the mystery house and we will do our final tour how does that
27:32sound it
27:32sounds good yeah as well as a pub in the hamlet itself a little over a mile down the road
27:38the
27:39large village of kings curswell provides shopping and amenities including a pharmacy a health center
27:45a mobile post office every tuesday and thursday local activities and more places to eat and drink
27:53while lynn and alan check all that out i'm staying in the hamlet of wilbra for the inland mystery property
27:59i've got up my sleeve as we like to say on escape to the country now for something completely
28:07different a mystery house and when i say different i'm talking centuries and centuries
28:14in fact this semi-detached cottage divided from its neighbors to the side of its two lower and upper front
28:21windows dates to the 17th century and is grade two listed this is like stepping back in time a
28:29traditional beamed historic cottage in the countryside we might not have sea views but the characterful
28:36cottage makes up for it with all its lovely features now to see if the charms of my period mystery
28:43cottage
28:44make up for being around a 15 minute drive rather than a short stroll away from the seaside take a
28:51look this is your mystery cottage oh that is so full of character it is isn't it it's a proper
28:59country
28:59cottage it is yeah should we step inside yeah yeah play originally built as a single dwelling this four
29:07centuries old rendered rubber and brick cottage is thought to have been divided from its neighbor in the 19th
29:13century when it also saw alterations including a rear extension the 20th century heralded in a new roof
29:21whilst the current owners have renovated the interior we're heading for the main entrance at the side
29:27where a hall takes us to the main reception room oh look at this this is english countryside we have
29:34beams
29:36isn't this gorgeous as a kid when i was going around the later street hiking and things yeah we used
29:40to
29:40walk past cottages like this and i always said i want to live in one of them we thought it
29:45was worth
29:45showing you this oh yeah i'm glad you did yeah i'm really glad you did yeah i'm taken in by
29:50this so
29:50far yeah would you like to see a little bit more oh yeah look at your lovely face i'm just
29:56noticing
29:56there's a gate between you rather than a door it's just a gate which is so nice come and have
30:02a look
30:04access by either the gate or the hall is a dining room in the oldest part of the home so
30:10through here
30:12you have a dining room that will fit any size table yeah yeah powers will definitely fit in here
30:19with room to spare leading to our kitchen the remainder of the ground floor including the kitchen
30:26is located in the single story rear extension thought to have been added in the 19th century
30:31but recently refitted by the current owners with bifold doors out to the garden oh wow this is nice
30:40beautiful yeah it's such a transition from the traditional yeah into this is so modern when you
30:46look at all the worktop space it's i mean oh blimey that is curry central is it that is curry
30:53central i will
30:54make a mess plenty of space for you to make a mess i can see you two are really enthusiastic
31:01there's
31:02an energy level i'm getting from you i can see myself in here i really can't see myself in here
31:07so can i he's had the happy face on since he wasn't
31:13would you have looked at this property on your own
31:17no i don't think we would have that's that's the that's the joy of the mystery
31:21it is absolutely yeah and through the door at the end you have got a downstairs shower room
31:27and a bedroom you've got four bedrooms in total with this property the one downstairs and then
31:32you've got three more upstairs right would you like to head on upstairs and have a look at those
31:36bedrooms okay yeah i'll meet you out in the garden how does that sound yeah good fine stairs from the
31:43hall this is a lovely staircase it is lead up to the top floor accommodation partly set into the eaves
31:50at the attached end of the home a large double has a dormer window to the front and another window
31:55to
31:56the rear oh this is beautiful oh look at this it's amazing how much room there is i know i
32:05was kind
32:06of expecting the upstairs to be head height a bit yeah the head height a bit below but yeah next
32:12to this
32:12is a smaller room also with a front facing dormer window you'd get a double in here oh easy good
32:18guest room yeah yeah oh hang on a minute look at that yeah pretty you do like your stained glass
32:27isn't it lovely when you walk into a property and it evokes memories from yesteryear and i could really
32:34see alan you know he was beginning to well up as he walked in the door um because it takes
32:39him back to
32:39that happy place and we want this next house to be their happy place i'm keeping everything crossed
32:48the family bathroom sits to the rear gable end brightened by a skylight window
32:53i do like i do like this bath it's nice and opposite the final bedroom number four features a gabled
33:01end window another good double another good it is yeah there's enough room for everybody to come there is
33:09outside the garden is fully enclosed to the side and rear offering paved patio seating and a terraced
33:16level lawn although with no garage it does call for compromise and creativity from the couple
33:23now is this a low maintenance garden yes it'll do that's it yeah it'll do that's it and you're not
33:29overlooked at all no let's cut to the chase then you've had a good look around the property
33:34what do we think the asking price is for our mystery house remind us of your top budget it's 500
33:40000 yeah so i can't imagine this being any less than that at all 500 000 pounds 500 000 pounds
33:49i might even think you've been a little bit cruel here and gone slightly above us i'll go 510 on
33:53the
33:54optimistic side asking price is 475 000 pounds oh my goodness that is a lovely house for that money
34:01have another look on your own and i'll meet you when you're ready okay thanks very much thank you
34:07for offers in excess of 475 000 pounds this attached grade 2 listed 17th century cottage offers a
34:16spacious modern kitchen two period reception rooms and four bedrooms including a ground floor option
34:23there's a low maintenance garden and it's just a short drive from the coast there's enough of a
34:27turning circle here to get the bike in yeah we could steal some of it if you like get a
34:33firmin to dig it out
34:34it's got a perfect mixture of traditional and modern yeah it's got all the modern things where you
34:41need them kitchens bathrooms and it's got that lovely homely traditional lounge dining room it's a
34:49typical english country cottage yeah and it's lovely it just took me back to walking through the late
34:56district it's like you know when memories take you back to your childhood it's a head turner it's one
35:01if you're driving past it and you don't know the place you will you would take a look at it
35:05and oh
35:05this is nice
35:11lynn and alan have a lot to think about when it comes to moving to devon but here's a couple
35:16who
35:16have already settled here and are making the most of life in this wonderful county
35:25hi so this is our very lovely house when we first saw this house this was what really sold it
35:32to us
35:33there's so much space down here to have all the toys out all the time
35:41jack moved to devon from the surrey town of woking with his family at the age of 18. he met
35:47born and
35:47bred devonian isla whilst walking on dartmoor i kind of grew up exploring um being very out
35:53kind of out and about up on dartmoor um a bit different from you yeah absolutely i mean i was
36:00right on the edge of woking i used to live in a in a flat i wouldn't want to swim
36:04in any of the rivers
36:05around there no along with their seven month old baby arlo and jack's six-year-old son aussie the couple
36:12now live in a village in dartmoor national park and run a business devising family-friendly local walks
36:22we've pulled up to dartmoor to go on one of our walks
36:26this is in our family-friendly guides um it's a beautiful one it's an easy one as well
36:35okay let's have a look in here guys now tried and tested by us and both of the boys for
36:41things like
36:41are they buggy friendly do you need to use a carrier um good places to have lunch that sort of
36:46thing
36:48i'm popping by to visit them at home and with luck bag myself an invite to one of their easy
36:54peasy
36:54curated strolls well jack and isla lovely to meet you both hi you two have come up with a really
37:01interesting project haven't you was it a light bulb moment were you literally out there pushing the
37:06chair and you know little boys running around thinking actually you can come out here and enjoy
37:11this fantastic scenery you just need to have a little bit of prep yes it was oh my goodness we've
37:16got to get the baby to sleep but we've also got to entertain aussie we've done this route today
37:22where are we going to go tomorrow yeah um yeah and coming home and putting those routes together
37:28and talking to lots of other parents we realized how many families don't feel confident to take their
37:33families up onto dartmoor take their kids out and about um so we've created 35 routes specifically aimed
37:39at encouraging and enabling other families to get up and out onto dartmoor what a wonderful idea so
37:45what can you expect to see on these walks so we've got um open moorland which you really you only
37:53want to go there when it's kind of the wind is quite low and if it's really rainy which it
37:57often is
37:58here um we suggest you kind of escape into the woodlands as well so um we kind of we we
38:05want to
38:05educate as well about look there are loads of different places that you can go yeah we want to try
38:10to
38:10help and make everybody aware that it is out there yeah and it is easy we can help work that
38:20all out
38:20and then they can have the information yeah i can't wait to see some of these trails i must admit
38:25yeah should we go take a look yeah for sure yeah let's do it
38:32to cater for different ages and fitness levels most of jack and isla's walks feature a primary route of
38:38up to five kilometers as well as a longer option some of which are also wheelchair accessible
38:45today's route with baby arlo offers natural protection from the scorching sun of a mid-summer
38:51heat wave
38:54i love the tree canopy yeah dappled light just coming through especially on a hot day like today
39:00yeah absolutely it's much cooler down here yeah so this is about 10 minutes from our house
39:05right on your doorstep right on our doorstep yeah and i love the sound what water is that
39:10what stream is that this is the river avon it's coming down off the high more so it's really kind
39:15of filtered as it gets down to here it's really clean yeah it's lovely the roots come with information
39:22about activities to enjoy along the way and whilst most might be intended for children there's nothing to
39:28stop the big kid in all of us joining in too so i'm thinking while we're here surely we've got
39:35to
39:35have a game of poo sticks definitely so that's my stick yeah here it is okay a different variety let's
39:42see
39:42okay one two three oh chappers oh let's have a look let's have a look oh there's one whose is
39:59that
40:00oh oh yes that's mine is that you jack you're the winner great
40:07i wish this young family all the very best with mapping out their local knowledge for all to enjoy
40:14but here's hoping my house hunting this week has more success than my poo sticks
40:21we've shown alan and lynn a great variety of properties and two got incredible reactions
40:28the question is what are they going to do next let's find out
40:38well this is a lovely spot isn't it so we've looked at the location we know you're sold on the
40:45lifestyle we looked at such a variety of properties i thought we'd started off very strongly with the
40:52sea view house the sea view house was was lovely and those sea views you just cannot you just can't
40:59get away from those sea views they're absolutely stunning but the mystery house it's got that feel
41:04and that character yes it hasn't got the sea views but it's got countryside views coming out of
41:11every tears you know you you can't you can't beat that and you both loved it instantly didn't you
41:18yeah it's got all the rooms yeah but it's still got that cozy feel to it so you don't feel
41:23like
41:23you're rattling around yeah in something that's too big for you so you've looked at quite a few properties
41:28yeah we have yeah is this the closest you've come then to the perfect home i would say so yes
41:35i would say so we've tried so hard and you've you've you've done it nailed it wonderful do you know
41:42what's coming next what is the next step then because you've sold your home i know you haven't
41:46moved out yet but you've sold your home yeah after this we're going to contact the estate agent
41:51and we're going to try and do another second viewing tomorrow brilliant and we'll be considering
41:56an offer i would imagine yeah yeah ideally hopefully we'll be making the move soon yeah but do let us
42:04know how you get on and we would dearly love to come back and revisit and see how you're getting
42:09on
42:09yeah that would be good that would be good having already viewed plenty of properties already in this
42:20county i must admit i did have my doubts whether we were going to be able to give alan and
42:25lynn
42:26the lifestyle that they so wanted however the mystery house has worked its magic again and the
42:33fantastic news is they're going for a second viewing first thing tomorrow morning we're keeping
42:39everything cross for them and hope they can start their new life here in the beautiful devon countryside
42:45as soon as possible and i'll see you again very soon if you would like to escape to the country
42:53in england northern ireland scotland or wales and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk
43:01forward slash take part
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