Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire

Sonali Shah visits both sides of the Wales-England border, with one couple looking to get away from it all and the other wanting to get stuck in the thick of it.

In the summer of 2021, Sonali Shah was with two newlyweds after their very own slice of rural bliss in south Wales, away from the hubbub of busy London life. Having now realised that dream, Sonali is rendered speechless by the creative couple’s new home, and finds herself getting down and dirty in the garden.

Moving across the border into Gloucestershire, she reconnects with a retired vicar and her husband who were in search of a lower maintenance home, a new community to embrace, and proximity to family. Sonali delves into this sociable couple’s new country life, and gets the opportunity to meet some of the key players involved in their success story.