Escape to the Country Season 17, Episode 53: Somerset

1

Dorset

Sonali Shah is down on the Dorset coast with a couple who are hoping to find literary inspiration and some seaside serenity for their £500,000 budget. Whilst in the region, Sonali meets a pair of printmakers already taking influence from the county's rural splendour for their beautiful handcrafted designs.

45 min

2

Cambridgeshire

Nicki Chapman is in Cambridgeshire helping a couple from south east London with a budget of £625,000 to find an idyllic rural home closer to their family. Nicki also visits a fenland potato farm, where she develops a brand new flavour of crisp.

45 min

3

South Somerset

Ginny Buckley travels to the Somerset countryside to help a couple with a £450,000 budget find their very own patch of greenery after 18 years without a garden. Whilst in the county, Ginny visits the Rural Life Museum to join the medieval multimillion-pound refurbishment project.

45 min

4

Northumberland

Jules Hudson is tasked with helping a retired lecturer find some peace, tranquillity and creative inspiration in the countryside of Northumberland for a £200,000 budget. Jules also visits a centuries-old castle to find about the rare historic treasures within the castle walls, as well as the prehistoric ones found roaming the grounds.

45 min

5

North Devon

Nicki Chapman is house hunting with a creative couple who have £375,000 to start a new life in rural Devon where they can indulge in their arts and crafts. Whilst in the area, Nicki visits a vast collection of military memorabilia and experiences a short journey travelling in a World War II tank.

45 min

6

Herefordshire

Ginny Buckley is house-hunting in Herefordshire with a couple who have a budget of £330,000 and want to move from the coast to the countryside. Ginny also finds out how a mobile cider press is helping locals to turn their own windfall fruit into a tasty tipple.

45 min

7

North Devon

With a budget of £375,000, Ginny Buckley goes house hunting for a rural home in North Devon and land for animals is top of the wish list. During her time in the county, Ginny joins the harvest at a traditional Devonshire orchard where over 70 of the country's heritage apple varieties are grown.

45 min

8

North Wales

Jules Hudson helps a pair of returning expats find their ideal country home in North Wales with a budget of £350,000. Whilst in the region, Jules heads out with a local fisherman to gather wild mussels using an ancient method that has been used on Wales' northern coast for 200 years.

45 min

9

Cornwall

Today's house-hunting duo are a couple from Hampshire who are about to marry one another for the second time. Ginny Buckley is helping them spend their £700,000 budget to find the perfect home in Cornwall where they can make a fresh start together.

45 min

10

Norfolk

Sonali Shah is property shopping in Norfolk with a dog and horse-loving couple who have an £850,000 budget to find a dream country home with enough land for all their animals. Sonali also visits a unique collection of vintage engines, organs and fairground rides.

45 min

11

Cambridgeshire

Jules Hudson is property shopping in Cambridgeshire with young newlyweds who have £800,000 and want to escape London in favour of some space and serenity in the country. During his time in the county, Jules can't resist the chance to get up close and personal with some iconic aircraft at his favourite museum.

45 min

12

South Devon

Margherita Taylor has £750,000 to spend in South Devon as she helps a married couple find their ideal rural home with enough space to house a collection of over 3,000 books.

45 min

13

Cornwall

With a budget of £560,000, Jules Hudson is assisting a retired couple in their bid to move to Cornwall, where they hope to get involved in the local community and volunteer for the National Coastwatch Institution.

45 min

14

Welsh Borders

After tying the knot last year, a super-active and self-employed couple now have desires for a new rural backdrop for their married life and business. Jules Hudson is helping them find that base in the Welsh borders with a budget of £365,000.

45 min

15

Leicestershire

Alistair Appleton assists a couple with a love of entertaining who have £450,000 to find a country home in Leicestershire where they can host family and friends.

45 min

16

East Devon

Nicki Chapman finds herself in the beautiful east Devon countryside with a couple who have £750,000 to find a more pastoral life and business.

45 min

17

West Sussex

Jules Hudson heads to West Sussex to help a couple on a budget of £700,000 find their first shared home together. Jules also finds time to meet master craftsmen keeping the county's traditional trug-making heritage alive.

45 min

18

Cornwall

Margherita Taylor is in Cornwall to help a couple from London with a budget of £750,000 make their first joint property purchase. Margherita also makes time to help out the head gardener at Trebah, one of the Great Gardens of Cornwall.

45 min

19

North Wales

Nicki Chapman helps a rural property shopper who has £250,000 to buy her ideal country home in north Wales and has drafted in her best friend for moral support.

45 min

20

West Sussex

Alistair Appleton goes house-hunting with a couple who want their £950,000 budget to buy them a family home in the West Sussex countryside that will give them a better work-life balance.

45 min

21

Dorset

Nicki Chapman is on a property-hunting mission in Dorset with a young couple from Surrey who are seeking a rural home for their £350,000 budget.

45 min

22

Derbyshire

With a budget of £475,000, Alistair Appleton is helping a couple and their young sons to quit London and make a new life and home in Derbyshire.

45 min

23

Cornwall

Nicki Chapman heads to Cornwall on a property search with a couple who have £750,000 to realise their dream of starting their married life together near the Cornish coast.

45 min

24

Dorset

Nicki Chapman helps a married house-hunting couple who have a £500,000 budget to buy a slice of romance for their retirement years in the Dorset countryside.

45 min

25

Welsh Borders

Margherita Taylor helps a couple who have £500,000 to make a much-yearned-for leap to a country life on the Welsh borders.

45 min

26

Worcestershire

Jules Hudson is on a house-hunting mission in south Worcestershire with a young couple who have just got engaged and are looking for their first joint house purchase with a budget of £300,000.

45 min

27

Gloucestershire

Jules Hudson is helping a self-confessed city-lover to break free from the big smoke and find some countryside calm where she can raise her young son. With a budget of £850,000, Gloucestershire is the chosen location, and her little sister is coming along for support.

45 min

28

Buckinghamshire

Alistair Appleton helps a house-hunting couple find a country home with their £700,000 budget and get back to nature in Buckinghamshire. While in the area, Alistair visits an entrepreneurial snail farm which produces high-end snail caviar, where he samples this unusual gastronomic delicacy.

45 min

29

North Yorkshire

Jonnie Irwin helps a house-hunting couple with a £750,000 budget break away from their London suburb and find a rural family home in North Yorkshire. While in the area, Jonnie learns how to make a traditional wooden walking stick from a craftsman based in the heart of the Yorkshire Moors.

45 min

30

East Midlands

Sonali Shah is on a mission to help find a country home for £300,000 in the East Midlands for an eager buyer who has brought along her neighbour for support. While in the region, Sonali pays a visit to an Edwardian house in Worksop, now managed by the National Trust, and steps back in time to learn about everyday life and work in the East Midlands during that era.

45 min

31

Snowdonia

Jules Hudson heads to Snowdonia with buyer who wants to downsize and move closer to relatives. For a £350,000 budget, she's after a new house as well as a new business and has brought her son along to help. Away from the house hunt, Jules joins one man and his dog to learn about shepherding in the region's protected landscape.

45 min

32

North Yorkshire

Margherita Taylor is in North Yorkshire helping a lady who has £500,000 to find a country property back in her home county. During her time there, Margherita hits the production line at an organic farm which specialises in seasonal fruit-and-veg boxes.

45 min

33

Dorset

Jonnie Irwin is house hunting in Dorset with couple who have a £650,000 budget to realise their dream of retiring in the country. Jonnie also gets a real taste of the county when he visits an award-winning dairy farm putting the county's cheeses on the culinary map.

45 min

34

Rutland

Margherita Taylor is in the country's smallest county helping a young mother to carve out a new country life for her family with a budget of £450,000. Margherita also visits Rutland Water, where she gets a hands-on course in fly-fishing to find out what she might catch for dinner.

45 min

35

Oxfordshire

Jules Hudson helps a couple who have a £500,000 budget to start a new life in the Oxfordshire countryside, closer to loved ones. Jules also visits an impressive 17th-century Jacobean house where dust and cobwebs play a vital role in its story of survival.

45 min

36

West Sussex

Nicki Chapman helps a couple who want to turn their backs on London life to fulfil their long-held dream of moving to the countryside. Armed with a budget of £1.1 million, they have set their sights on a new life in West Sussex. Away from the house hunt, Nicki visits one of the county's greatest architectural gems, Chichester Cathedral, where she tries her hands at ringing the bells.

45 min

37

Lancashire

Ginny Buckley helps a couple with a £600,000 budget relocate to the Lancashire countryside, putting them a healthy distance from their grown-up children. Along the way, Ginny heads to the Victorian seaside resort of Blackpool and gets her teeth into the heritage of the stick of rock.

45 min

38

North Dorset

Ginny Buckley is tasked with helping a couple who have £375,000 to find their forever home in the Dorset countryside. Ginny also visits the renowned Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy and takes an exhilarating trip in a traditional sailing vessel.

45 min

39

North Devon

Sonali Shah heads to the north Devon countryside to help a career-minded couple with £950,000 to spend on a family home and start up a holiday-let business. While in the county, Sonali visits the UK's first Unesco biosphere reserve to learn about the long-term ambitions to connect people and nature, as well as the efforts to conserve one of the most fragile grassland areas in the south west of the country.

45 min

40

Shropshire

Margherita Taylor is property-hunting in Shropshire with a couple of keen gardeners on a £425,000 budget who want to buy a country home with ample space for them and their hot tub. While in the county, Margherita samples some of Shropshire's pioneering local produce at Chadwell Park Farm, which has successfully turned its hand to making vegetable juices from its salad crops.

45 min

41

North Cornwall

Ginny Buckley is on a house-hunting mission to help a couple with a £525,000 budget find a country home in north Cornwall to retire to. Along the way, Ginny visits the annual Royal Cornwall Show, which has showcased the county's heritage for over 220 years. While there, Ginny samples the traditional nettle-covered yarg cheese and sees if a very rare breed of sheep manages to win a best-in-class rosette.

45 min

42

South Wales

Jonnie Irwin is house hunting in the South Wales countryside with an itinerant couple who have £600,000 to find a rural retreat close to their growing grandchildren. While in the area, Jonnie heads to the south coast of Monmouthshire, and tries his hand at catching a salmon using the rare art of lave net fishing, a traditional skill which stretches back 400 years.

45 min

43

Yorkshire

Sonali Shah heads to Yorkshire to help a couple of retired teachers with a £450,000 budget find a country home and finally return to their family roots. Along the way, Sonali meets a young Dales farmer who is using his dairy herd to produce Icelandic-inspired Skyr yoghurt.

45 min

44

Yorkshire Dales

Nicki Chapman is on a house-hunting mission in the Yorkshire Dales with a pair of brothers, one of whom wants his £500,000 budget to furnish him with a country home in rural isolation. While in the area, Nicki joins the Dales park rangers and helps them on their everyday rounds, as well as learning about the growing popularity of geocaching with walkers.

45 min

45

Somerset

Sonali Shah is in rural Somerset helping a retired teacher return to her West Country roots and find her country home with a £385,000 budget. While in the county, Sonali visits a local farm which has diversified into lavender growing. With the fields in full bloom, Sonali sees how the crop is harvested and has a chance to try her hand at making traditional lavender products.

45 min

46

Norfolk

Nicki Chapman is in Norfolk to help a father and daughter who hope their £700,000 budget will provide them with a large equestrian property and annexe to house their family of four, along with their horse. Nicki also heads to the Norfolk Broads and learns about the restoration efforts of the Norfolk Wherry Trust before heading out on to the water to sail one of these traditional wooden boats.

45 min

47

Shropshire

Jules Hudson plays house-hunting Cupid in Shropshire with newlyweds who have £400,000 to buy a country home that gives them room in the future for a growing family. While in the county, Jules visits Weston Park, an estate shaped by the historic pioneer of landscape design Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. Jules learns more about Brown's life and legacy in the year which celebrates the tercentenary of his birth.

45 min

48

Wiltshire

Jonnie Irwin is helping a couple with a £425,000 budget head for rural Wiltshire in a bid to enjoy more wildlife and outdoor pursuits. While there, Jonnie goes underground and learns more about the secret intelligence activities of the Auxiliary Unit during the Second World War. This intriguing operation was masterminded by Captain Peter Fleming, brother of Bond author Ian Fleming.

45 min

49

Somerset

Jonnie Irwin helps a couple scour the Somerset countryside for the finest rural homes they can buy for their £900,000 budget, complete with space for a helipad. Along the way, Jonnie meets Taunton farmer Ed Ling, who was the bronze medal winner in trap shooting for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics. Ed and wife Abby take a break from the harvest to show Jonnie how to trap shoot like a professional.

45 min

50

Shropshire

Alistair Appleton is in rural Shropshire with a couple who want their £500,000 budget to give them and their young children a life in the outdoors with community close by. While in the county, Alistair visits the mansion of Attingham Park to see the recent restoration successes for himself, as well as discovering some intriguing stories from its past.

45 min

51

Gloucestershire

Nicki Chapman is in the Gloucestershire countryside helping a couple with an £850,000 budget find a rural home with holiday-let potential and land for alpacas. While in the county, Nicki visits Rodburgh Common and gets the scoop on a family who have been making ice cream there for nearly a century.

45 min

52

Scottish Borders

Jules Hudson heads to the Scottish Borders with a couple who want their £450,000 budget to buy them an equestrian property in the country. Jules also visits the dramatic ruins of Melrose Abbey, where the heart of Scotland's medieval king Robert the Bruce is believed to be buried.

45 min

53

Somerset

Jonnie Irwin is in rural Somerset with a retired couple who have a £700,000 budget and firm ideas on the vision for their perfect country home. Along the way, Jonnie masters the thrilling sport of land yachting at Brean Sands where, thanks to a prevailing wind, he picks up the pace along this beautiful stretch of beach.

45 min

54

Worcestershire

Time is of the essence on this country relocation in Worcestershire, where Ginny Buckley is helping a married couple find their ideal rural property for a £410,000 budget. Ginny also meets dedicated volunteers devoted to rescuing and relocating historic buildings from around the country.

45 min

55

Suffolk

Alistair Appleton travels to Suffolk with a retired couple who have £525,000 to find their dream country home with an annexe for mum. Away from the house hunting, Alistair visits a pioneering farm where local volunteers dig deep and share the rewards of their harvest.

45 min

56

East Sussex

Nicki Chapman goes property shopping with a London couple who have a £700,000 budget to leave the capital and put down retirement roots in East Sussex. While in the county, Nicki rides the Hastings East Hill Cliff Railway, the UK's steepest funicular railway.

45 min

57

West Yorkshire

Jules Hudson guides a couple on a West Yorkshire journey, where they hope to find a dream property for £500,000 that must have enough space to fit a beloved model railway. Away from the house hunt, Jules finds out if the caps fit at one of Yorkshire's finest heritage fabric mills.

45 min

58

Norfolk

Jules Hudson guides a soon-to-be-married, dog-loving couple who hope to start a new life as husband and wife in the Norfolk countryside on a budget of £600,000. Whilst in the county, Jules joins volunteers trackside at the world's smallest public railway before climbing aboard for a scenic sightseeing voyage through the countryside.

45 min

59

Herefordshire

Alistair Appleton is on a unique house-hunting mission in Herefordshire, helping two brothers who have pooled their resources to have £800,000 to find the right country home where they can live together. And it's the perfect time to be in the region, as Alistair is given an exclusive invitation to experience the best in British agriculture at the Royal Three Counties Show.

45 min

60

Oxfordshire

Jonnie Irwin is house-hunting for a handsome country property in Oxfordshire with a couple who have a healthy £900,000 budget. While in the county, Jonnie finds out about making charcoal the environmentally friendly way and samples some food smoked using locally sourced wood.

45 min

61

Welsh Borders

Nicki Chapman heads to the Welsh Borders with a retired couple of keen gardeners who have £500,000 to plough into buying a peaceful home in the country. While in the area, Nicki meets one of the very few weathervane makers left in the UK and, while trying her hand at creating one, she learns why it has been such a striking symbol gracing the tops of churches and manor houses across the countryside for centuries.

45 min

62

Exmoor

Alistair Appleton goes rural property shopping in Exmoor with a newlywed couple who have a £625,000 budget for a country home that will house his parents and provide her with land for horses. While in the area, Alistair heads to the coastal village of Porlock to find out how local oyster farming has been radically revived after more than a century. While the tide is out, he has the chance to sample them, fresh from the nets.

45 min

63

East Midlands

Jonnie Irwin heads to the east Midlands to help a couple find a comfortable country home that brings them closer to family for £450,000. While in the region, Jonnie visits the 'Leicester Line' of the Grand Union canal, a stretch where narrow boats have to navigate a total of 59 locks. Jonnie tries his hand at lock keeper's duties, including operating the floodgates.

45 min

64

Shropshire

Jules Hudson is in the Shropshire countryside with a couple of parents who have £575,000 to spend on a home for them and their young son. While in the county, Jules visits the Acton Scott Estate, home to an authentic Victorian working farm, and tries his hand at being a wheelwright's apprentice.

45 min

65

North Devon

Alistair Appleton is on a property-searching mission in north Devon with a house buyer who has been tasked by her husband to find their perfect country home on a £600,000 budget. While in the area, Alistair boards the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway and enjoys the thrill of driving a restored gauge engine across Exmoor, tracing the same rail route used by Victorian passengers.

45 min

66

Gloucestershire

Jonnie Irwin is in rural Gloucestershire helping a house-hunting couple of empty-nesters with £700,000 who want to buy themselves a slice of country village life. While in the area, Jonnie heads to the Cotswold Gliding Club and takes to the skies in a glider, giving him a thrilling bird's-eye view of the countryside below.

45 min

67

South Wales

Nicki Chapman heads to the south Wales countryside to help a couple with £500,000 to spend on relocating from Newport to a village community. While in the region, Nicki visits the only whisky distillery in Wales which uses the mineral-rich water of the Brecon Beacons - to potent effect.

45 min

68

Devon

Ginny Buckley is on a house-hunting mission in rural Devon with a couple excited at the prospect of buying their first home together with their £525,000 budget. While in the county, Ginny heads to Salcombe Bay and sets sail in a Salcombe yawl, once a traditional fishing vessel and now a popular racing yacht, which has special design features to help chart these choppy waters.

45 min

69

Herefordshire

Alistair Appleton is on a house-hunting mission with a dynamic couple in the Herefordshire countryside, hoping they fall in love with the homes they see for their £565,000 budget. Along the way, Alistair heads to the banks of the River Wye to get to grips with paddle boarding, an ever growing low-impact water sport.

45 min

70

Somerset

Jonnie Irwin helps a rural property-shopping couple with an £850,000 budget put down roots closer to family in Somerset. Along the way Jonnie visits Glastonbury and learns how its religious past and strong links to English legend still resonate with people there today.

45 min