Rural haven for that great escape

Turn on the television news and it’s all gloom – hit the wrong button and the channel might be blasting you with bad news 24 hours a day. It’s then that you wish you could get away from it all, hide somewhere and leave the world on the outside.

You might think this means buying some remote island, travelling there at vast expense after getting yourself in hock to The Devil to buy it in the first place.

But you’d be wrong. For around £10,000, no more than the return fare to some luxuriant foreign hideout, you could be the owner of Hiddenwell, which literally lives up to its name.

The property sits enclosed by hedges and only accessed through a locked door above the Somerset Levels. It is agricultural land but the current owners have used it as their own personal haven for the last 30 years and turned it into the perfect secret “garden” and weekend retreat.

At one end there’s a small cedar wood cabin with bunks and everything you might need for your summer picnic – but you’ll need to bring your own sandwiches. There’s even a shed housing a chemical closet that will need to be emptied off-site – the ultimate hidden midden!

Birdlife is abundant but stresses and strains are rare. An active, newly-retired couple might find it ideal but the 190 by 30 foot plot might be the perfect bolt hole for anyone else who wants to forget the world on a regular basis.

Set between the villages of Wookey and Bleadney, Hiddenwell is accessed from a quiet country lane through a door in the hedge adjoining a layby.

“There is no mains water, but the owners have dug their own well from which they have sourced a limited volume of water – but there’s no guarantee it will continue,” said Tori Osborne, Property Sales Manager of the Wells office of Dreweatt Neate, who has been tasked with fending off the potential tide of buyers.

“The owners have signed a Statutory Declaration stating that they have used the land on a very regular basis since 1976 but purchasers should apply for any consents they may think fit.

“As the property is locked, anyone who wants to see it must make an appointment to view. It’s no good just driving by hoping for a glimpse as you can’t get one. It really is that secret!”

Guide price for the property is £10,000 and sealed bids must be received by Dreweatt Neate by Monday, August 4, 2008.