Bletchley, MK3 7QP

Sitting in his conservatory, gazing out across his garden, Stuart watches the kites circling in the skies and the smaller birds nesting in the trees. “There is an area of woodland behind us where we see lots of birds,” he explains. “Although we live in a very convenient area, just 10 minutes from everything we need, we are also very close to nature, which I love.” Indeed, his outstanding memory of seeing Tarka, his Otter Close home, which was named after the fictional creature, nearly 19 years ago, was of how natural it felt. “It was springtime, and as we came down the road, there were the most beautiful cherry trees in blossom on both sides of the road. The area seemed very leafy and as we stepped out of the car, we could hear the birds,” he recalls.