The idyllic countryside and heritage of West Devon has been highlighted in the BBC TV popular daytime programme Escape to the Country.

The programme is on BBC iPlayer and will show in repeats after airing for the first time yesterday (Tuesday).

The show helps people find their dream home in a beautiful part of the world - and as those who live here know, this area is certainly that.

The programme saw mum, dad and daughter, who currently live in Kent, being shown prospective homes in South Brentor and Lewdown near Tavistock; and Dunsford and Longdown near Exeter.

Parents Dennis (diagnosed with dementia) and Liz and daughter Jo being given expert help looking for a home with ground-floor accommodation for Dennis and Jo’s yoga teaching and outside space and outbuildings for horses, a field to grow flowers and space to grow enough produce to be self-sufficient.

They were delighted at the countryside and Tavistock heritage where they were shown Tavistock’s award-winning pannier market, Bedford Hotel and the town’s dramatic architecture.

Simon Dell, the town’s historian and tour guide, featured in the programme, telling the presenter that Tavistock was rightly visited for its world heritage status with canal and river, abbey and copper mining remains.

The presenter mentioned the market and the claim that Tavistock invented the cream tea and lauded the wide choice of independent traders. One of the traders Fergus Biram, who runs the delicatessen Roots and Vines, said many shops sold local products.

Because of the importance of local care for Dennis, the family talked on-screen to the Tavistock Memory Cafe charity chairman Graham Coiley and coordinator Heather Rayne who said the cafe offered support for carers and others living with dementia.

Brentor Church hosts an Easter crucifixion drama
Escape to the Country showed a glimpse of the dramatically situated Brentor Church to the latest house seekers. Pictured is the church’s enactment of the Easter story. (Tindle)
Sourton was one of the villages visited as a place to live in the BBC’s Escape to the Country. Pictured is the Bearslake Inn at Sourton. Picture: Google (Submitted)
Tavistock's Bedford Square, within the town's conservation area.
Tavistock's heritage is highlighted in the BBC’s property programme Escape to the Country. Bedford Square (pictured), the Bedford Hotel and the pannier market all feature. (Tindle)