Escape to the country: The Finale

Our final day. it’s sunny today. We drive off towards Tetbury and near the outskirts, we visit an Arboretum Park replete with observation centre, and massive amount of trees from all over the world. We walk a little bit around these beautiful trees and park,and then find a bench to sit on – we ruminate on all the houses we have seen as Alistair probes us for our feedback and two cameras point relentlessly at us.

It’s interesting to look back at the various houses and see how they showed us first a character house in the cotswolds and then a house with huge space and then character with space and then something completely different. Much food for thought. I know Nidhi like the Tetbury house and the split between guest house and art gallery.

I fell in love with the farm and saw myself as gentleman farmer and bee keeper. It’s a incredible experience as we hug the crew and wave goodbye and hit the M4 to London. We’ve got an appointment at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower off Sloane Street. Back to traffic queues and reality with a bump!

Escape to the country: The Finale

Escape to the country: The mystery house

A full English breakfast with the crew. They run off with bacon sarnies in hand. Today’s the mystery house! Usually it’s something offbeat or left field. We’re taken to Tetbury, apparently England’s third most desirable town to live in. We’re shown a fitness centre right in the centre of town as Alistair explains that this isn’t the mystery house, but he wanted to show us how Nidhi could have an art gallery in one location…and, then they whisk us off to the centre of town to a lovely 4 storey town house. Elizabethan, but refurbished and stripped down to floorboards. 3 upmarket, arty bedrooms en suite, perfect for a boutique B&B and actually the owners are renting it out for weekends and also weekly.

We suddenly see the light! How we can have a separate guest house and a separate art gallery/meditation space. This is their mystery. Great idea!.

We wonder around the Market square and visit Highgrove, Prince Charles’s shop in Tetbury, before stopping at Café 53 for a bagel and Panini. More walking around the town, checking it out before an early break and back to the hotel. That’s great. I got the time to write an article about the power of colour for the grow newsletter.

Escape to the country: The mystery house

Escape to the country: Day 3

An early start to the day with breakfast with the crew and our presenter, Alistair Appleton in our hotel in Cirencenster. They’re a nice bunch of people and obviously love what they do. They seem to like Nidhi and I, which is sweet and constantly tell us how natural we are. What is more impressive is they really like the concept of our holistic healing guest house idea, promising fervently to visit and ‘recharge’ their batteries.

Off in convoy to the 3^rd location. We’re with Mariella in the car, our lovely ‘minder’, following the crew who left earlier. It’s a cool, grey day, pregnant with mist and water – lovely! Especially coming from Doha.

Through the Gloucestershire countryside, very hills and dales, we cross the Severn Bridge, the largest bridge in England and finally arrive at our secret destination. Much effort is made to ensure we don’t peek!

So we wait on a public footpath, by a small bridge, looking at the flowing river below. It’s beautiful here; we’re in a valley with undulating hills around us and water in front – very good feng shui! The house itself is a revelation. It’s a farm in Lyndney, with a main house with 5 bedrooms and a separate cottage style house with a further 5 bedrooms. It’s also got a separate large annexe perfect for a meditation centre. This is it, methinks, as we proceed to visit each room and the amazing kitchen where stairs lead to a separate dining room overlooking the kitchen and French doors to the garden. The farm has 14 acres! About 10 more than we actually need. Oh dear! It’s bound to reflect in the price which Nidhi and I have to guess at, on camera.

It’s an amazing place, perfect for our holistic healing guest house, a bit remote, but wonderful energy.

In the evening we go to the Wild Duck, a remote but charming traditional pub with knockout English food. HIGHLY recommended. Apparently Gordon Ramsey tried to buy them out, but they refused, good on them!!

Escape to the country: Day 3

Escape to the country - Saying Cheese in Gloucestershire

Heavy filming day. We went to Tewkesbury, old and very pretty medieval town in Gloucestershire and we got taken round by a guide who showed us the sights.

Went and had a sandwich and a great coffee at a deli there and then we got whisked off to a village Bourton on the Water where we met a herbalist and went with her to pick herbs for tinctures.

Then back to the car to go home, but on the way, a glorious sunset. Had dinner with the BBC executive producers and commissioning editors, so I am well on the way to be the next TV presenter!

Tomorrow we meet Alistair Appleton, the Escape to the Country Presenter, and it's another day's filming.

Now we get to see the houses! Very exciting.

Escape to the country - Saying Cheese in Gloucestershire

Escape to the country - day one

We've arrived at the Corinium Hotel in Cirencester. Site of the oldest Norman church in England on our first day of filming for Escape to the Country on BBC 2! It's a 2 hour journey from London and really easy to get here. Once you drive into the town centre, it's another world of Olde Worlde England.

We went for a walk in the town and it is very nice. Lots of Cotswold stone and very, very quaint. Quintessentially England. The sticky toffee underbelly of bread and butter pudding land. I mention this only cos we then went out for dinner to a pub called the Wild Duck which was absolutely FAB!! Seriously good pub food. English fayre. Apparently Gordon Ramsay wanted to buy the place, but they said no. Good on them.

Tomorrow we go filming around the Cotswolds and we have to take 2 sets of clothes along as we are shooting two scenes over 2 days tomorrow. Aah. The trials and tribulations of a movie star.

I'll be back in London for next weekend before leaving for Doha again and grow.

Escape to the country - day one