25-02-2025
Ben Fogle discovers major downfall to idyllic Isle of Wight farm
Ben Fogle discovered a couple living off grid in the Isle of Wight faced the risk of their home dropping into the sea at any moment.
In the latest episode of his Channel 5 show New Lives In The Wild, which aired on Tuesday, 25 February, the TV presenter admitted he was surprised to be travelling just a few hours from his London home to the Isle of Wight. There he met Gavin and Lucy Roberts and their 12-year-old son Boe, who live on a small plot of land with a private beach in a desirable holiday spot.
Gavin revealed he had bought the land for a bargain price because it has a high risk of land slide - with the previous house on the property collapsing into the sea. They told Fogle he was staying in a holiday cabin built on the very site of the landslip.
Fogle was impressed with the idyllic lifestyle the Roberts family were living on their coastal farm on Permaculture Island. But he could not work out how they had managed to afford the plot of land, with a private beach, on the highly valued holiday hot spot.
Gavin confessed that he had been able to buy the land because the previous house there had collapsed as the result of the landslide - and his own home was at risk of falling the same way. Following the landslip in 1994, the couple managed to buy the 1.6 acre plot of land for just £6,500.
Gavin admitted: "This is cheap land, as you say, you know, who's gonna want it in a sense, and it was worth the risk, as it were, because of the price. We've always got that somewhat shadow of landslip. On the back you can never forget that this is landslip."
He added: "We've built this place, you know, it's taken us 21 years to build it all, and it's like one bad winter and it could all could all fall off the cliff."
The couple admitted that it had taken four years to get planning permission for their solar powered home and permaculture farm, which allows them to live off the land. The project faced fierce opposition from some local residents, who were suspicious about the proposals for a sustainable home being built and they were even dubbed "hippies".
Lucy told to Fogle: "A lot of time was was spent perhaps worrying what knock-on effect is that going to have, because this is, this was our home. When that is threatened, it's personal, it's very personal. We put blood, sweat and tears into it, and, yeah, we'll defend it. And I have been emotional, but I think,, that makes you stronger."
Neighbours Tim and Gill told Fogle the community were suspicious of Gavin and Lucy at first. Tim said: "There were one or two comments that were going around about, you know, what's 'that sort' doing here?' " Gill added: "Are they hippies, that sort of thing."
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Fogle helped trim the hooves of pet goat Uther. Lucy told him: "You're going to straddle him, hold his big horns, and it will look like you are riding a motorbike."
Fogle straddled Uther nervously, asking: "Okay, so we, right, I'm imagining I'm on a motorbike. Have you done his hooves before? I don't think we should waste much time. He's very strong, isn't he?"
After dismounting Fogle said: "I'm going to smell of goat."
Ben Fogle's New Lives In The Wild is available to stream on My5.
