I was poking around on the internet, and found this for download, just billed as "1970s sci-fi, very good". I had never heard of it before, but much of what comes out of the BBC in that era was quite good, and this one did not disappoint. As with most British shows, it did not scream "I WAS MADE IN THE SEVENTIES!", like most American shows do. Certainly you can tell, but it was made well enough that it can stand the test of time.
As some have commented on the ending being Merlin, that was true. Nicky explained it as Merlin had found the force and had become one with it, so it was Merlin, and more; it was sort of a focal point for nature's "mind" (my language, not the show's).
I am now going to track down copies of the three Peter Dickinson novels that the series was taken from.
If you can find yourself a copy of this floating around the internet, it's well worth the download. Hopefully they will release it in a proper form some day.
I find it interesting, though, in the cast list here, that they do not list Nicky; the main character in the cast list. Even curiouser is that if you search for Vicky Williams, it is listed in her credits. A bug?