The first episode features the Cook family from Exeter, who plan to move to the other end of the country and make a fresh start in the Shetland Islands. They plan to fund their new lifestyle through AirBnB and an isolated space for authors, but their move is complicated by a serious illness in the family.

Kate meets a family from Essex who have bought four acres of woodland in Suffolk to escape the growing development and noise pollution of their Rochford home. They plan to develop bird photography and beekeeping businesses, while a vegetable garden offers the opportunity to become completely self-sufficient.