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Escape To The Country - Season 26 - Episode 16: Powys
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00:02there are many theories about what makes a house hunter choose their dream country home some say
00:08it's all about the curb appeal absolutely amazing others put it down to kitchens and bathrooms well
00:17this is a kitchen isn't it that's a huge ensuite and some swear by location you get all of that
00:27look at that but here on escape to the country we like to deliver all of that within budget
00:34i'm i'm speechless
00:35he's genuinely speechless
01:00if you like your counties big on square miles but small on population join us as we head for the
01:06largest and most sparsely inhabited county in wales named after an ancient kingdom
01:14now here's a little geography lesson for you if i were to head 30 miles straight down that valley
01:20i would find myself in the banai brikeniog aka the brecon beacons a similar distance over that hill
01:26would land me on top of the black mountains and behind me here i am surrounded by just part of
01:33the
01:33brooding mass of the cambrian mountains which means only one thing today i'm in powys
01:41located in mid wales and bordering england the vast welsh county of powys has just 70 inhabitants per
01:48square square mile but those who live here enjoy seclusion without compromising connectivity
01:54or culture offered by border towns like welshpool montgomery and newtown
02:00my powers and gail lots of sleu oidh
02:04willedig gada mynyddhoidh ac um afonai ac uh slint llenoidh ac mae o'n sleu hyfrid iawn
02:15powys is a vast landscape with amazing greenery uh where we've got the river seven right on our
02:23doorstep being a musician it's important for me to be connected to the cities while at the same time
02:29having the escape to the countryside there is a lot of connected facilities that we do have here
02:34even though it is so wild and free
02:46well for today's couple their move isn't just about finding bricks and mortar they're after peace
02:52and serenity a new life and a new start here in wales hi i'm debbie and this is my husband
03:01neil
03:01we've been together 17 years and for 15 of those years we've been serial renters
03:08married couple debbie who works in intellectual property development and neil who works for a
03:14multinational communications company along with their fur family of two dogs and three cats
03:19were finally helped onto the property ladder two years ago with a new build scheme on the edge of
03:25the large and growing oxfordshire village of benson for us we were really happy to be able to get on
03:30the ladder but we always knew this wasn't our forever home we really do want to go and retreat into
03:35the country apologies for joe key um we'll always try and steal the show debbie needs to be able to
03:42commute to work in london one day a week but they can work from home the rest of the time
03:47meaning peace and
03:48space for some life enhancing hobbies is the priority i'd love to live somewhere where the road's a
03:56little bit quieter great scenery to go and explore on the roads and that's because of what you see in
04:02the background here um this is my bike it's my plied enjoy i throw my helmet on everything else goes
04:08away
04:08and i can just focus on enjoying myself out on the bike i discovered a few years ago that i
04:14was
04:14neurodivergent and as i've gotten older i really can't cope with things like lots of noise lots of
04:21people and i also absolutely love vegetables so i really want to grow my own i'd love a greenhouse and
04:26some raised beds which i think we'll have when we move to wales and i'd also really love chickens
04:32i would really love a lawn something with a bit more space maybe a ride on mower that'd be lovely
04:39debbie and neil are after a detached three to four bedroom home with a large dog friendly garden
04:44garage and peaceful surroundings neil prefers modern whilst debbie doesn't mind a project
04:51and their ideal budget is 550 000 pounds but they could stretch to 600 000 for the right property
05:05do you know i never tire of driving through the welsh landscape wherever i happen to be but here in
05:12paris well i've got the biggest county wales has to offer to explore now clearly access to a rail line
05:21to get debbie back to london is going to in some ways define where we can search and i'm also
05:29a
05:29little bit concerned as to whether or not they both really want the same thing however i am sure that
05:35the magic of wales the romance of this country may just iron out any wrinkles there may be
05:48powis landscapes don't get much more magical than the elan valley so that's where i'm meeting debbie
05:53and neil before the first of our viewings well neil dams welcome to escape to the country and welcome
06:00to powis how does it feel to finally be here getting your search underway wonderful and very exciting but
06:06how well do you know this part of the world not very well we literally just kind of woke up
06:11one morning
06:11didn't want to go take the dogs for a normal walk so we said let's just have a little jaunt
06:15to wale
06:16so we just did a day trip there and back been here what six times since january yes made a
06:20few trips
06:21and it's been it's overwhelmed us with its beauty and we feel that sadness as we're leaving the area
06:28and we know that it's going to be a while before we come back i always think one of the
06:32most important
06:33elements to any house search is for buyers to have an emotional relationship yeah with the region
06:39but when it comes to the property choices that we are going to make to try and satisfy both of
06:45you
06:45that is quite challenging because i think there is this kind of split down the middle as to what you
06:49both want for me i'm looking for more of a contemporary place uh something that's finished complete we can
06:56move into settle we don't have to move anytime soon and for you deb's i'm after a lambing shed um
07:04acres of
07:05land not so bothered about a house just a place to have lots of you know animals i want bees
07:10i want
07:10chickens i'd like some dexter cows i mean just to be absolutely clear i'm a property finder not a
07:15marriage cat all right rest assured i will try and you know bridge this gap between you in terms of
07:22what we find you fantastic let's go the first spot for our house tour is the small village of llandrinio
07:31located close to the border of england it's just a mile to the village of four crosses
07:36the vet serves both pet owners and the farming community whilst human ailments are catered for
07:42by a gps and medical center five bus routes take in the towns of welshpool and osworth street
07:50and national rail links can be accessed at shoesbury 19 miles away our first property
07:57is located down a quiet country lane around a 20 minute walk from the main village facilities
08:07little noises there is that a good squeal it is a good squeal very happy squeal good
08:12there you are let's have a look what do you think absolutely amazing yeah massive
08:17views everywhere got your garage garage i'm thinking bungalow so we're very open to a bungalow
08:24yeah i think neil could probably get away with a ride on mower here as well if i was being
08:27super
08:28technical i'd say you probably don't need but why not why not if you can well yeah why wouldn't you
08:33no let's check out inside yes yes
08:38this detached late 20th century brick and tile bungalow has been refurbished and updated by the
08:43current owners and first impressions are it has my buyers written all over it oh neil look i've got
08:50a sign here for us already perfect for us lovely lady and a grumpy old man there we are wow
08:58look at
08:59this space oh my lord i love the contrast in chimney color to the rest of the oh christmas trees
09:05i can see at least two in here probably one in the hallway we judge a place for how many
09:10christmas
09:10streets we can get in there well many people do you can imagine our sofas in that corner okay yeah
09:15the excitement is palpable and there is agreement i think yeah there is there is yes yes yes it is
09:20possible yeah your marriage casting skills are definitely coming out jules now come on let's
09:25continue through here you'll like this returning to the l-shaped hall we head to the back of the home
09:32where a dining room is divided from the kitchen by a half wall so here you go then kitchen diner
09:42wowzers yeah it is absolutely huge look at this the view through the doors is pretty spectacular
09:49that is amazing look it's not an old property this but when it was originally built this was two rooms
09:54and they realized that they were missing out on the kind of social aspects of cooking and preparing so
09:58they took them all out left this dwarf wall giving you this separate sort of kitchen zone through
10:03there you've got utility area boot room that's perfect for the dogs yeah really perfect and of
10:08course the joy is all of it is on one level so i imagine for your dogs actually they probably
10:12prefer
10:13that it's much better for them health-wise because we've got a great dane they can't go up and down
10:17the stairs a lot so you know it actually is much better for him as he ages aren't we and
10:20you
10:24the hallway leads to the other side of the home where there are four bedrooms to check out
10:29to the front are two good-sized guest doubles with generous windows and built-in storage sitting
10:36between these is the family bathroom which offers a bath and separate shower cubicle
10:42then to the back of the home a third bedroom is in use as a study
10:48and finally bedroom four could be for debbie and neil and possibly some of their fur family too
10:55so this we're thinking would be yours because it's got the shower ensuite
11:00through there wow this is great yeah it's massive massive wardrobe yeah not built in there's a big
11:06void in there yeah dog bed cat tree cat tree dog bed dog bed everyone's in here we've got to
11:13have a
11:13home for the cats as well yeah we've got we've got in the winter yeah they need their oh like
11:18a big
11:18sleep pile yeah anyway so maybe you could squeeze into this uh bed space here proportionally though
11:27i'm guessing is this bigger than what you've got now much much bigger much bigger basically i have
11:33a dog bed wedged in by the bedside table and i can't use my bottom drawer because there's a dog
11:37in the
11:37dog bed yeah and i shuffle these are concerns of the past from now on my friend we have nailed
11:44it
11:46all species catered for on the accommodation front i'm sending them to check out where neil's
11:51mechanical baby his beloved motorbike might find its home oh yes oh wow look at that there's a secret
12:00room back there there's loads of storage space an integral garage leading to a workshop oh my lord
12:09big chest freezer for the chest trees yeah for the dog food perfect yeah the house sits on a plot
12:15of
12:16around half an acre which has been fully dog proved by the current owners there are raised beds for
12:21growing produce as well as a separate orchard and several mature trees providing shade
12:29well do you know i'm just thinking for the cats and dogs out here feel how cool that is yeah
12:33and
12:34you've also got a little tool shed there and the greenhouse too so you know it sort of works doesn't
12:39it yeah i love the fact you've got that area there yeah it's like an outdoor living space beehives
12:45i'm spotting some beehives over there maybe yes and this would be a lovely little bank for them
12:50so let's think about how much this is currently on the market for then 585 000 585 000 pounds yeah
12:59yeah
12:59i'm gonna go slightly lower at 570. both of those doable within the framework of your budget
13:06here's the rub though this is currently on the market for 500 and 50 000 pounds
13:19okay you're a bit stunned i think yeah maybe you need to go and consider this further would you like
13:24to see more yes absolutely yes please i thought you might go and explore go where you like
13:31coming in at their ideal budget and comfortably below their maximum of 600 000 pounds this detached
13:38late 20th century bungalow offers large reception rooms and four bedrooms there's an integral garage and
13:45workshop for the motorbike and a half acre plot all in a rural location but not far from a choice
13:50of
13:50towns and a rail link to london oh yeah look all these fruit trees look you've got cherries plums apples
13:58and then i think having them like the chickens over here somewhere in terms of space outdoor space
14:04especially for our dogs we could be working from home throw the doors open and the boys can just be
14:08out
14:09so that's absolutely fantastic i would like to update some of the internals whether they'll be
14:15liquor paint or a bathroom suite but when you consider the price it makes it all the more achievable
14:21the property itself is huge really big rooms the garden is better than i could have dreamed of i
14:28think it's just absolutely excellent for me is a really big contender
14:41to say debbie and neil's dogs are key players in the move is something of an understatement
14:48these buyers are very much after dog friendly destinations with good walking options
14:53we're sending them to explore newtown with great dane duke and red foxlab copper to see if it gets the
15:00pores up oh look there's some nice cycling walking routes up there here's the station so that's where
15:05i'll be going yeah into london yeah as well as rail and bus links the population of 11 and a
15:11half thousand
15:12is served by a good choice of places to eat and drink many run by other escapees we actually came
15:19from saudi arabia it's a completely changing lifestyle for us we've had a lovely time and plan to stay
15:29everyone's warm friendly welcoming beautiful river it's a nice town to come and visit
15:35lovely pub that does look like a lovely pub doesn't it yeah i think if there's a beer garden in
15:40the
15:40back of that dev we could take them in there yeah every tuesday there's a street market where among
15:46the variety of food vans you can find lifelong resident and self-confessed food fairy heidi
15:52hiya can we order a couple of burgers just for our dogs where's the best places to take dogs for
15:56walks
15:57well there's the haveburn boardwalks which are absolutely fantastic you've got to take the dogs up
16:04good boys well done on the bank of the river seven which runs through the town is a cultural
16:11and community hub with a cafe where owners of canine companions can treat them to doggy ice cream
16:17what better way to follow a burger what's this one what flavor is this one uh i think that one's
16:22just
16:22vanilla and this one's peanut butter newtown certainly seems a perfect choice for debbie neil duke
16:29and copper now to see if we can track down the home that will really get the tails wagging
16:37the next property option is taking us further into the heart of the village of our previous viewing
16:42llandrinio the community hall has a playing field which like much of the area enjoys views towards
16:49the bride and hills located between powys and shropshire funds are raised for the facilities by a
16:56charity shop and other community minded events include a weekly soup club there's a dog friendly
17:02pub with beer garden that serves food including sunday lunch and it's just a five minute walk from
17:08that to my next house which is shielded from the main village road by tall dense hedging well you may
17:16have noticed that we are not a million miles away from our first property no but this is option number
17:22two
17:23that's fairly magnificent wow it's packed and i mean packed full of all mod cons
17:34if you like your gadgets this is the place for you the only drawback
17:39is the noise from the road yeah which we have to acknowledge yeah it is what it is but i
17:45think what
17:45you'll find when you get inside it's a gadget man's dream oh nice dancing stop the dancing
17:56built in 2011 but with nods to georgian architecture this brick home has an l-shaped
18:03layout on the ground floor and a smaller central second floor our tour starts through the portico
18:09entrance which leads into the kitchen diner immediately to our right okay then well this
18:16is a kitchen and a half isn't it wow wow indeed um this is a yeah i'm blown away absolutely
18:24beautiful
18:24blown away by this just this one room yeah finished look at the floor look at the floor that's gorgeous
18:30this sort of travertine that flows through the entrance hall which is again wide generous great for
18:35christmas tree every corner of this building is wired to allow you to effectively use your smart
18:42speaker to control the lights the music the whole thing it is gadgettastic come have a look through
18:48here this is a gorgeous kitchen and right off the kitchen you've got this purpose-built vaulted
18:55garden room how about that oh my goodness sewing room bag seed yeah exactly when you're doing your
19:01sewing or anything you need all that light natural light coming in and you've got it ceilings yeah on
19:07three sides it's lovely isn't it yeah it flows through this great big doorway into here it's an
19:14impressive room you don't know what to be more impressed by the tv the fireplace the finishings
19:20in the room it's lovely it is perfect isn't it there's literally nothing nothing would have to do
19:25i'd be really proud to invite our family over for instance yes you mentioned the tv it is perhaps
19:31one of the biggest i've i've ever seen um you're going to get one of those just to watch yourself
19:36now on well super high def i actually wouldn't get one of those i'd get the one that's next door
19:44come on look at this oh no no way no across the hall in the other wing is something they
19:52didn't
19:53ask for but i think they're going to love so how about this then your own home movie theater
20:01this is leon's dream room this is yes yes this is a room i could quite happily spend many many
20:11hours in
20:11it was built originally as an annex yeah right for you know an elderly relative um that circumstances
20:17has changed and hence now it's become this movie room but it does mean that upstairs you've really
20:22got two main bedrooms yeah i'm going to let you two explore it on your own you are loving this
20:26and i'm
20:27not going to interrupt you open the door go up the stairs and i will find you a little bit
20:31later
20:34next to the cinema room is a ground floor shower room whilst upstairs a roomy guest double provides
20:41countryside views and comes with its own ensuite shower a smaller room is in use as a study
20:49and then the largest of the bedrooms for debbie and neil to see is the principal ensuite
20:56wow that's a lovely ensuite look at that that's gorgeous that's a huge one sweet
21:02no this is massive i don't think we'd have a problem with the super king in here would we
21:07enough room for dog beds and look at these views neil look that's lovely isn't it gorgeous
21:15but of course we couldn't forget the motorbike so back on the ground floor
21:20accessed internally from the kitchen is some rather luxurious vehicular accommodation
21:39wow oh debbie you're never going to see me tea making facilities you're sorted yeah it's also got
21:45a toilet what do we think then
21:49the only thing that's disappointed me is i know that all the lighting isn't on yet
21:54ah here we go ready turn on hex lighting
22:05it's like daylight in here that is amazing
22:11outside the private driveway and hard standing offers lots of room for vehicles
22:15and there's an electric charging point as well as exterior lighting further power points and taps
22:21throughout the garden which includes paved and graveled seating spots as well as lawn
22:27not huge as you can see but it does go all the way around the property but it is
22:31nicely dog proof so all of that's very secured i just think the house is stunning i'm not sure about
22:38the garden yeah being big enough yeah the garden is less important to me personally but there's two
22:45of us moving in we do have to think about the road noise for you yeah as well well let's
22:49think about
22:51the price then of this one this is right at the top of our budget of 600 000 pounds because
22:57it's a smaller
22:58plot i think i'd probably say it's 590. okay here's the thing this is currently on the market for five
23:06hundred and thirty five thousand pounds
23:13i'm i'm speechless
23:19this 21st century detached house is turnkey ready with smart technology throughout and offers a
23:26contemporary kitchen diner vaulted garden room home cinema and two ensuite double bedrooms there's a
23:34luxurious integral garage a dog proof garden and countryside views the whole of the inside of the
23:40house is perfect it's really spacious and also the garage for neil wonderful seeing neil's face when he
23:47walked in there was perfection it's very important for debbie to get some space grow around vegetables have
23:54chickens in general it's a much smaller plot but the biggest elephant in the room is the road noise
24:03that noise will be intrusive for her we have to try to see if we can find common ground interior
24:12finish
24:12versus outdoor and tranquility wow what a day we've had what a day indeed that is a pickle
24:26but hopefully a sweet pickle come on
24:32to round off our first day i've brought my buyers to a tranquil spot on the ellen river to see
24:39if their
24:39infatuation with this part of wales is turning into a full-blown love affair uh have a seat oh it's
24:46waiting for the job isn't it oh full of a rock i really want to sort of tap into the
24:51fact that you've
24:52only recently discovered wales but now you've had a chance to see a bit more of it how does it
24:58feel
24:58now if anything it's sealed the bill it's just so peaceful here i i love it i think i think
25:05i've
25:05fallen in love with it even more i know i have i think the people are connected to the land
25:08here
25:09in a different way as well i mean one one trip we had in um a tractor stopped dead in
25:15front of us
25:15he hopped out picked up some litter and went on his way one thing that really stands out is the
25:21the pride you see in people a lot of people mention things like national pride and being very proud of
25:27where they come from and the difference here is people seem to live it and breathe it it seems to
25:32be
25:32less of a slogan more of a an act so we have one more property to come yep we're looking
25:40forward
25:40to it yeah good but before then supper and a beer why not let's go definitely feeling quite thirsty now
25:49me too me too
26:02the average sold price of a detached house in wales currently sits at 330 000 pounds with the
26:09figure for powers just slightly below this at 326 000
26:15but for those looking for a home in such a sparsely populated area
26:19it's worth widening the net to include options a few miles over the border into shropshire too
26:27for example this two bedroom detached cottage located in the shropshire hills offers seclusion in
26:34an area of outstanding natural beauty just four miles from the powys border it's on the market for
26:40offers over 240 000 pounds on the welsh side of the border this detached four bedroom two bathroom
26:50home offers a modern finish and an energy efficiency rating of b in a rural community setting this one
26:57is priced that offers over 400 000 pounds and renters have the option of this very rurally located stone
27:06farmhouse which has been recently renovated to offer internal insulation and an air source heat pump
27:13coming with four bedrooms it's unfurnished and costs 1500 pounds per calendar month
27:23well with one more day of house hunting left on this search it can mean of course only one thing
27:28it's mystery house time but what do we offer a couple who are so keen to find something which
27:33needs no work at all the answer is very simple a mystery house which is brand new my mystery pic
27:43is
27:43in the village of middletown close to the border of england and to demonstrate just how close
27:49i'm taking my buyers on a short stroll well today is all about the mystery house uh but before we
27:56get
27:57there i thought i would show you a bit of the landscape around it because you are making this transition
28:02from a life in england to wales and this little wall illustrates it rather nicely i think because
28:08this is england this is the border no and now we are in wales
28:19did not expect that yeah so this lovely landscape is absolutely on your doorstep
28:24if you like a mystery house which is but a stone's throw that way we skipped you later
28:29it had to be in wales yes it is in wales and we are just just just that does look
28:35like wales
28:35doesn't it that does look like english so i'm going to go ahead and open up the mystery house
28:42get it ready for you okay and i will see you there lovely on this side of the stream i
28:47would yeah
28:50located on the other side of the bryden hills from yesterday's viewings the village of the final
28:56house middletown lies on the main route between the towns of welshpool and shoesbury and has
29:02several buses a day running to those destinations the village hall is available for private hire
29:08and there's an inn serving food so as debbie and neil get a feel for all that
29:15i'm at the mystery house to give you a sneak preview
29:20so here then is our mystery house brand spanking new it's also super efficient and has an epc rating
29:28of a very hard to find in rural property plus it also has a very generous double garage with an
29:35electric
29:35door that i hope will satisfy neil's ambitions when it comes to looking after his beloved motorbike
29:43new properties have so far proved popular with my buyers but will showing them a total new build
29:49complete the winning streak that is it brand new oh golly gumdrops debbie
29:59we're in a brand new build at the moment not like this though a bulk buy one
30:04yeah we do love a new build yes i think it looks amazing brick wood yeah it's a nice mix
30:12want to see
30:13yes please come on one of a development of two houses and built with today's climate sensibilities
30:21in mind using low carbon construction materials there are solar panels an air source heat pump
30:28plus it all comes with a 10-year builder's guarantee smell the newness our tour begins through the
30:35bifold doors of the first reception room oh yes it's so warm very warm really tasty well you're getting
30:43all the solar gain from this being south facing through these double glazed bifold doors but it's
30:50all underfloor heating and it's ready for a floor covering of your choice coming over wonder though because
30:55the space here is what's so lovely i mean we've come in through effectively the sort of living room
30:58door yes i suppose technically your main front door yeah great big open for boots and things yeah
31:04you've got a little study in there yeah generous boot room utility room and then here you go
31:09kitchen diner that is lovely isn't it look at this i like the fact that you can cook in the
31:14center
31:14we've always said that's really nice yes but also just look at the views they are lovely i think you
31:19can make it really lovely in here you could dress it beautifully it's an amazing space yeah it's actually
31:24just buying things you know that's fun shopping yeah yeah come on let's go upstairs completing this
31:32floor is a handy cloakroom and on the floor above my mystery pick provides four well-proportioned
31:38bedrooms i'm leaving debbie and neil to decide what they might do with the guest rooms on their own
31:43starting with the smallest partly set into the eaves at the rear of the property these rooms are all
31:50good size huge rooms yeah but this would be a perfect office yeah really nice office and again
31:54views we'll be walking up there every morning yeah next to this is a family bathroom with a shower
32:01cubicle and a tub wherever we move we have to have this bathtub that is absolutely love that gorgeous
32:10oh it could sink into there right now at the front of the home is a guest double with an
32:16ensuite shower
32:17room and a further double bedroom with a dormer window that just leaves bedroom four the principal
32:25suite with bifold doors set into the crossed gable where we're catching up shower ensuite
32:33that's huge isn't it and then next door to it you've got walking wardrobe lovely yeah yeah and then
32:43you've got the views out that way that's lovely that's an amazing view yeah well let's have a look
32:47let's open it up yeah there you go five folds again there oh that's amazing that's great isn't it
32:55you get all of that look at that this view holy moly staring out over england from your castle in
33:02wales
33:02castle in wales yeah lovely the mystery compromise is that the outside space is rather more modest than
33:11majestic it includes a gravel drive with shared access for the other home in the development
33:16as well as a front garden laid to lawn but whilst there may be no room for livestock there is
33:22stabling
33:23for neil's prize steed in the form of a double width garage here is your lair that is the garage
33:31i need more than one bike no you don't to fill that i need no your bike and your personality
33:38will fill
33:38that alone thanks oh lordy the price the price the price okay notwithstanding the garden issue then
33:50let's think about how much our mystery house is going to be on the market for five eight five five
33:56five hundred and eighty five thousand pounds yep i would go that high so i'm going to go 570. this
34:05house has been priced to sell at
34:10four hundred and ninety five thousand pounds you are introducing
34:18the pickle again where you're introducing lots of pickles go
34:24debate
34:27this brand new detached house with builder's guarantee offers incredible energy efficiency
34:34including solar panels and a heat pump there's an open plan kitchen diner four bedrooms two of
34:41which are ensuite and a large garage there are glorious views of both the welsh and english
34:46countryside as well as good road links to nearby towns when i first approached the property i whispered
34:54neil's ear no because i saw the garden and i was like no the prices yet again
35:01scuppered us when we were walking through it and walking around it we thought we need the answer
35:07debbie greenhouse chickens vegetable patches we were struggling to see where it was all going to fit in
35:13here but for under 500 000 i could squeeze a lot on this land
35:18a lot
35:22right well that's it house tours are now over
35:26i can show you no more but hopefully i don't need to
35:29no i don't think you do no you can't confuse me any more than you already have
35:35we'd like to help
35:40you've probably heard of the magic five-a-day fruit and veg we need to eat to stay healthy
35:45but did you know that the uk only grows a fifth of the fruit and half of the vegetables we
35:51consume
35:52as a nation well an initiative in 35 acres of fertile land a few miles from the town of newtown
35:59is
36:00trying to change that i'm meeting gary mitchell from the future farm partnership to hear all about it
36:07gary it's notoriously difficult to get in to farming from any first-time entrance now i know you've got
36:13just over what 30 odd acres here in this lovely valley what have you put in and how is this
36:19plot
36:20evolving there's lots of issues in trying to get more fresh food produced in mid-wales and wales in
36:25general we've only got 0.2 percent of our land under horticulture in wales so we're a massive net
36:31importer for fresh produce and that doesn't have to be the way and what we've done is managed to access
36:36a bare land plot here in partnership with the local authority and obtain a 95 year lease on it and
36:43this
36:43initiative is specifically putting new younger growers onto smaller plots that are affordable for them
36:51in return for fresh food production so we worked with the local authority and we have changed planning
36:56guidance for the whole of powis county council and what it basically says is if you're willing
37:02to work on the land to produce sustainably produced fresh fruit and vegetables you should afford the right
37:09to live on it the new planning guidance means a home has been built for each of the small farms
37:17removing
37:17the economic and practical barriers growers face when it comes to running a business
37:23so how many new young farmers have you got on this site so we've got three new growers in terms
37:30of lead
37:31growers and each of them have got between seven and 12 acres well i'm looking forward to meeting them
37:38i can see some of them out here busy on their plots growers from powis and bordering areas have been
37:46chosen for their horticultural experience and include lydia with her partner charlie
37:52so lydia as i understand it you've got seven acres here yeah just over seven acres of beautiful
37:58ex-sheet pasture and you've not been here that long have you yeah three not even three months yet i've
38:04been running a market garden for the last three years down in south powis which was great and gave me
38:09an incredible amount of experience of doing this sort of thing but
38:13i would never have been able to even think about getting seven acres of my own if i had to
38:18sort of
38:18fund it all myself if you want to live on site as we are it's unbelievably expensive so yeah having
38:25this opportunity is yeah i feel very blessed as well as providing land with a home the scheme shares
38:32resources such as a processing and storage barn and also helps growers navigate agricultural form filling
38:39and accessing markets
38:44tillie is another grower who has taken on just over 12 acres
38:50were you a farmer grower before i didn't grow up on farms but i've been a grower on different farms
38:56for
38:56the last five years or so and then from a few different people but this is a whole new venture
39:01learning to do it for myself and it's great to be able to share skills with the the other growers
39:06here
39:06so everything within the these boundaries is is yours is it and beyond yeah on the other side of
39:11the field there wow i mean do you picture all of this under cultivation um most of it there's areas
39:19that i want to leave for wildlife so i'm going to create orchard and meadow and um create stronger
39:26like hedgerows and barriers around the river like buffer zones and yeah have a seven year rotation across
39:32it so some of it will just be in fertility building um look after the soil the ambition's obvious
39:39really i mean do you pinch yourself a bit when you come out here and think oh i'm doing it
39:43yeah it
39:44does feel unreal still a lot of hard work and a lot of risk but i'm willing to take it
39:50i'm passionate
39:50enough well i for one wish these budding growers all the best and i'm sure the people of powis will
39:57be
39:58enjoying the fruits of their labors too in the very near future
40:04well this has been quite a week for both debbie and for neil they are absolutely committed to making
40:11this move because they have already fallen in love with this wonderful part of the world but have we
40:15managed to find them a property to go with it well guys what could i say it has been a
40:25lot of fun
40:26but the million dollar question is have we managed to find you a home for your future all three were
40:31absolutely lovely we loved them in three very different ways but we felt like one kind of um
40:37won over all of them because it was just a better space for us to occupy i think wasn't it
40:42it is
40:43genuinely hard for me to tell which one is your favorite put me out of my misery which one
40:49might it be on our journey back after mystery house we had a conversation we made a decision
40:59and we rang the estate agents for house number two and put in an offer done it already yeah
41:10that's that's incredible have you heard back they're speaking to the vendors to see if the
41:14office accepted and uh we'll plan from there both of us instantly could imagine ourselves living there
41:20and to your credit you did say as much at the time and the look on your faces when we
41:25walked into that
41:25kitchen diner for the first time it was priceless actually and that's before you'd seen all the
41:32all the gizmos you know the cinema room the garage and all the rest of it but there was the
41:37issue of
41:37the road yeah yes also there was an issue over the outside garden space but you've overcome that
41:43clearly with great agreement i'm going to knock down the shed and we're also looking at um
41:48like sound blocking fencing to just go along that and just deaden that sound a little bit
41:53but you've offered and we're waiting to hear i mean look it was on the market for 535 000 pounds
41:58what did you dare offer the asking price that also speaks to how much you like the property yeah
42:04yeah yes we thought it was worth it yes definitely well guys i'm really really excited and i'll be
42:10honest with you in my nearly 20 years of hosting on escapes the country i could count probably on one
42:15hand the times when an offer has been put in so quickly during a search i can't wait for that
42:22phone
42:22to ring here's to you cheers cheers
42:31wow in my experience house searches do not get any better than the one we have just enjoyed we came
42:39we sought we found and now i can tell you the good news that neil and debbie have bought their
42:46offer
42:46has been accepted and they are about to embark on their very own welsh adventure in this glorious
42:54countryside i wish them all the very best of luck i'll see you next time if you would like to
43:01escape to the country in wales northern ireland scotland or england and need our help
43:06why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:12you
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