It's an idyllic scene; a rural retreat, no neighbours, sweeping countryside vistas, a unique home and plenty of land to keep animals. This is an escape to the country that so many people dream about.
And it's what many people are seeking when they appear on BBC's popular daytime property programme Escape to the Country hoping the series production team can find them a home to fall in love with in the desired corner of the UK that is calling them to leave their urban existence behind.
It's not a surprise to find that the gorgeous Welsh county of Pembrokeshire is regularly featured on the programme. So many house hunters are eager to start enjoying the award-winning beaches and thriving communities that pepper one of the nation's most popular coastal counties
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Once named the second best coastal destination in the world, Pembrokeshire turned the head of freelance designer Caroline who lived in a flat in Chelsea, London. She is keen to have more space, more outdoor activities open to her on a daily basis, and is bewitched by the possibility of living near the rugged coastline of one of the UK's most westerly counties.
Armed with a budget of up to £600,000 to spend, Caroline and presenter Alistair Appleton brave the Welsh weather to look at three properties that hopefully tick the boxes of character, land, views, space and a remote location.
The first property has Caroline lost to words as it comes with 24 acres of land, so the opportunity to have a herd of animals, not just a small selection, is on offer. Alistair decides it's not the prettiest of Pembrokeshire cottages - how rude - as it's a 1950s rebuilt farmhouse that is more of a blank canvas than a character packed period property.
The views of the Prescili Hills and being close to St David's and the surrounding beaches were mesmerising but the price wasn't, with Caroline guessing £420,000; she had a shock as it was on the market for offers in the region of £595,000.
It wasn't the one for Caroline, so maybe the second house would come closer to perfection? More characterful and with a garden that was so pretty and so unique with a gothic ruin as part of its charm, maybe this five bedroom house could be Caroline's new Welsh home?
She loved the garden but not the neighbours, was underwhelmed with the house and even decided it was facing in the wrong direction to make the most of the best garden vista and idyllic view beyond.
Caroline guesses £565,000 but is surprised to find it's only £450,000 but it's just not grabbed her heart as her new Welsh home. So it's down to the mystery house to, once again, to save the day as it so often does on this popular property programme.
And it is a wild one. It's a 1970s version of a Spanish villa - the owner wanted to replicate a villa he fell in love with in Spain and have his own version in the middle of nowhere in Pembrokeshire.
It is truly unique and has views, land and no neighbours but Alistair is nervous as it is so different, will Caroline be impressed or get back in the car? But he needn't have worried - Caroline loves it!
She loves the huge windows, the light, the space and especially the double-height hallway that would be perfect as a gallery for creative Caroline. 'Unexpected but interesting' she decides and the house has exactly the two acres of land she wanted too.
Inside there's gushing too - the views, the light - Caroline is very positive: "It's spectacular, more than you could hope for." There are five bedrooms, three reception rooms and a very charming wood-framed outbuilding perfect for Caroline's artist studio.
Caroline thinks this slice of Spain in the Welsh rain was on the market for the top of her £600,000 budget but Alistair reveals the asking price is £585,000 - another bonus that surprised her.
So, come the final meeting with Alistair the next day he must have been hopeful that this perfect Pembrokeshire pad for this picky Londoner had been found, with Caroline obviously very excited about the mystery house.
With words such as 'spectacular, huge, beautiful, so much you could do with this!' being thrown about, Alistair even felt like she was about to put an offer in on it.
Not even close, sorry Alistair.
The mystery house did have all the right ingredients bar one - it's not close enough to London. The doubts about moving to Pembrokeshire started on Caroline's in-bound journey, which took eight hours, so even if Alistair had shown her a palace by the sea, he was still on for a property finding fail.
Bless her, Caroline had done her research on paper, plotted out the course and different routes from London to Pembrokeshire, and it seemed manageable. She obviously hadn't taken into account train delays and then wandering sheep, winding roads that seem to go in circles, and country lanes that lead into the depths of the Welsh wilderness.
She explains to a bewildered Alistair: "I hadn't expected it to take more than double the amount of time on paper! So given that I really do hope friends will come and stay - that's a big part of the equation for me."
Alistair replies: "So in a way even before you got here there was a big question mark about whether this was the right move for you? Maybe London to Pembrokeshire was a step too far?"
Caroline says: "As the week went on that first niggle became really significant, so by the time you did present me with the perfect property, it was already too late! Rural doesn't need to be remote, that's the biggest lesson that I've learnt. The search continues, this really was just the beginning, and I thank you enormously."
Alistair looks disappointed, he found the perfect house in the wrong location; so near, yet so far - literally.
The perils of house hunting when you have never actually visited the location is a lesson here too, but at least the programme has helped Caroline now knows what she doesn't want. Now she's moved her search location further east in Wales or back into England, and hopefully now prioritises making the journey there from London.
Alistair comments: "I'm sorry Pembrokeshire didn't draw you in completely but I hope to hear from you when you do find your country idyll."
This house hunt was series 22, episode 14 of Escape to the Country, currently available on iPlayer. And if you never want to miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent out to your inbox twice a week.
