Escape to the Country: Jules warns buyers to get their skates on
Escape to the Country's Alistair Appleton faced a challenging task when he noticed a house hunter seemed "underwhelmed" throughout the episode.
In the Wednesday instalment of the hit house-hunting series, Alistair guided Caroline from West London, who was eager to relocate to Pembrokeshire in Wales. Caroline, like many participants on the show, sought breathtaking views and ample living space.
Although Caroline was initially excited to start her property search, she was surprised by the lengthy travel time from London to Wales, which was twice as long as she expected, Alistair noted. Despite this, Caroline remained hopeful while assessing the first two properties from the outside.
However, her enthusiasm waned once inside, and Alistair sensed her subdued reaction. Inside the second home's major reception area, Caroline remarked: "Well fair size. Well-proportioned, low ceilings, needs imagination, of course."
Alistair, sensing her lukewarm response, said: "You seem a bit underwhelmed," reports Wales Online.
To which Caroline responded: "Erm, I think it's because I was overwhelmed by the outside again."
As the show neared its end, Caroline eventually revealed why the house hunting experience didn't excite her much. Highlighting that the third property on Alistair's lineup caught her interest the most, Alistair expressed: "So you loved the mystery house but I can feel a 'but' coming."
Caroline retorted, "The but started on my inbound journey coming into Pembrokeshire actually, I have to say so. While I studied in depth the different routes on getting to and from London, while I realised I wouldn't be living somewhere that isn't a skip and hop, I hadn't expected it to take more than double the amount of time on paper."
She then described the ordeal as a "step too far" and continued: "Rural doesn't need to be remote, that's the biggest lesson I've learned."
Viewers at home who had already tuned in to the episode took to social media platform X to share their reactions, with one commenting: "Oh I remember this posh woman. She had no idea how much property in Wales cost."
Another chimed in with criticism: "And didn't she decide Wales was a long way from London in the end? Despite the 8-hour train journey. Can't see her getting her hands dirty to look after animals."
