Escape to the Country Season 26 Episode 5

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Transcript

00:00Here on Escape to the Country, we aim to please.

00:06It's incredible.

00:08But pleasing everyone? Well, that's easier said than done.

00:12Could this kitchen work for you?

00:14Yeah, definitely.

00:16Yes, I would say it could work.

00:19I say definitely, you say it could.

00:21Differences of opinion are inevitable.

00:24We're going to get new furniture.

00:26Oh, OK.

00:28Are we?

00:30Depends on the cost of the house.

00:33But trust us to lead you to your dream country home.

00:37Oh, wow.

00:38Oh, wow.

00:39That's perfect.

00:58The county we're exploring today has two sprawling national parks within its boundaries.

01:12And more miles of dry stone walls than anywhere else in the UK.

01:17It is, of course, God's own country, North Yorkshire.

01:21I've got a question for you.

01:26When you think about Yorkshire, what immediately comes to mind?

01:30Maybe tea?

01:31The Moors?

01:32The Dales even?

01:33Oh, pudding with gravy?

01:36Well, for me, it's this little fella.

01:39Hey!

01:40Percy.

01:41This is Percy.

01:43Percy is a Yorkshire Terrier.

01:45One of the many wonderful and adorable things that this great county has given to the world.

01:52Do you want another one?

01:53Hey, Percy, I've got another one for you.

01:55Oh, you're such a good boy.

01:56You're such a good boy.

01:57In the north of England, you'll find the country's largest county, North Yorkshire.

02:05It stretches over 90 miles from the east coast to Cumbria and Lancashire in the west.

02:14I think North Yorkshire has it all.

02:17So, trial out different areas and different villages, towns.

02:20It's such a big and expansive place.

02:23There's a place for everyone.

02:26Ripon, one of the smallest cathedral cities in the UK, does a fine line in Georgian townhouses

02:32and Victorian terraces, always popular with home buyers.

02:37Whilst the village of Burton Leonard is all Yorkshire stone cottages, set around the peaceful green.

02:44I think it's the most wonderful part of England in some ways.

02:47There's just so much here.

02:49So, great walking, great riversides.

02:52When people come to visit, they just, they'll always fall in love with it.

02:55A love of the outdoors can really begin at any age, which is why today's couple are hoping

03:04to find their home here for them and their little explorers.

03:08Our two littlest ones absolutely love being outside and they love to get messy.

03:17They love to explore, so more space would be brilliant for them.

03:26This four-bedroom detached property in the Hampshire town of Alton is home to Alex and Abby,

03:31who, between them, have four children and a pressing need for more space.

03:36Alex works from home and currently his office is in our 15-year-old's bedroom, which is not an ideal setup.

03:46I'm really excited to move house because it means I'll get a bigger bedroom and a bigger garden to run around in.

03:55We're really looking forward to having a lot more freedom now, particularly with our young family.

04:01We'd like them to be able to make loads of noise, have lots of fun and explore the countryside.

04:07Alex works for a telecommunications company and, for Abby, a new business venture beckons.

04:15So, around 18 months ago, I started my own baking business or gluten-free bakes.

04:20And it's something that I would really love to do when we make the move to Yorkshire.

04:24And the dream would be to have a pantry so that I can put all of my baking supplies in there.

04:30A woman after my own heart.

04:33Abigail and Alex want a detached, character property with a modern interior.

04:39Five bedrooms, a study and a spacious kitchen diner are musts, as is a large garden and countryside views.

04:47For the perfect home, they can stretch to £800,000.

05:02Well, Abigail and Alex certainly have their hands full with their big family.

05:06This will be the first time they'll be looking at a property in North Yorkshire.

05:11So, it might be a little bit overwhelming, but very, very exciting.

05:16I need to make sure we make the most of this time away from the kids for their exciting move that will hopefully benefit everybody.

05:25Our day starts in the grounds of Ripley Castle, three miles north of Harrogate, where I'm meeting Alex and Abby to chat more about their move.

05:40Welcome to North Yorkshire.

05:41It's beautiful.

05:42It's all right, isn't it?

05:43Yeah.

05:44Is this what you were hoping for when you think countryside?

05:46I could have had a bigger garden, I think, but this is beautiful. Yeah, absolutely lovely.

05:52So, what draws you to North Yorkshire? Mainly this for the children.

05:56I used to spend every year up here while I was younger with my family, so I've got really fond memories, a bit of heart connection here, yeah.

06:03And we show a little passion, don't we?

06:05We do indeed.

06:06Thank you!

06:07Oh, how exciting!

06:08So, talk to me about your baking.

06:09So, I'm a gluten-free home baker.

06:11Wow, okay.

06:12Yeah.

06:13So, being celiac, I did find that it's quite hard to find specifically celebration cakes.

06:17I need some tips on that.

06:18Yeah.

06:19Fantastic.

06:20Well, lots to do, lots to see, lots of baking to talk about. Shall we get going?

06:25Yes, please.

06:26Right, come on then, let's go.

06:30Our tour of North Yorkshire begins in the hamlet of Great Fencote, just under a mile from the village of Kirby Fleetham.

06:37Many of its 600 residents live in the bonny properties surrounding the green.

06:47The village has a primary school rated good by Ofsted, a community hall with a twice weekly cafe and electric vehicle charging point, plus an award-winning pub.

06:58A 15-minute walk from which sits our first property.

07:03I thought this was one thing.

07:05Yeah, I think it is.

07:07It's a stone-built, linked, detached house thought to take back to the mid-1600s.

07:13What do you think?

07:15Your first in real life property in North Yorkshire.

07:18It looks really pretty.

07:20I really like it.

07:21Yeah, it's a really beautiful house.

07:23I think the stonework's really gorgeous.

07:26Quite a fun and random fact that you have on your roof the Wi-Fi hub for the hamlet.

07:32Which means that you get free Wi-Fi.

07:34Wow!

07:35Oh, there you go.

07:36And they pay you a little bit every year towards the electricity.

07:39Wow!

07:40It keeps getting better.

07:41That's amazing.

07:42Right, you ready to have a look inside?

07:43Yes, please.

07:44I can see you're itching, aren't you?

07:45Yes, I am.

07:46Come on, come on.

07:47Let's go.

07:48I feel like you're going to tackle me if I don't take you in soon.

07:53The front door opens into an entrance hall which leads into this spacious open-plan living dining room.

08:02Wow!

08:05It's really nice.

08:08You look a bit surprised.

08:10Yeah, I didn't know what to expect.

08:12But I'm pleasantly surprised.

08:14It's really nice.

08:15I like the beams.

08:16It's very characterful.

08:18Yeah, I didn't know I'd like the beams.

08:20But I do.

08:21I've got my mum head on right now and I see, obviously, the brick, the corners.

08:26Yeah.

08:27And I see the...

08:28The little trip in there.

08:29The trip in there, the stairs.

08:30You know, Teddy and Arabella will just...

08:32We are very wild.

08:33We are very wild children.

08:35Yeah.

08:36That's my only concern.

08:38So, yeah, I think there would be some changes that I would feel we'd need to make for our

08:43family to live comfortably in this space.

08:45OK, well, let's go and have a look at the kitchen.

08:47OK, perfect.

08:48Always my favourite room.

08:49Yes.

08:50And obviously...

08:51Yes.

08:52..my fellow baker.

08:56The kitchen sits directly next door to the dining area.

09:00Oh, look.

09:01Welcome to North Yorkshire, Abigail and Alex.

09:03Oh!

09:04Wow.

09:05Come on through.

09:06That's nice.

09:07Isn't that nice?

09:08Oh, this is really lovely.

09:10And it's a good-sized space.

09:12There's more, though.

09:13Because there's a pantry and a utility through there and a downstairs loo.

09:17Oh, that's amazing.

09:19So, yeah, could this kitchen work for you?

09:21Yeah.

09:22Definitely.

09:23Yes.

09:24I would say it could work.

09:26I say definitely.

09:27You say it could.

09:28You can see he spends more time baking and...

09:31In my ideal, ideal property, I would have a large kitchen diner

09:36so I could have the kids in the kitchen.

09:38But, you know, the dining space is just there.

09:41So, have you ever looked at a house like this before?

09:43Never.

09:44So, no, it's all very overwhelming.

09:46Yeah.

09:47We used to, we used to have plain white walls and no character

09:51and, you know, perfectly symmetrical spaces.

09:56Yeah.

09:57This is all very different.

09:59But good different.

10:00Yeah, it's lovely.

10:01Ready for that different.

10:06Moving on, the single-storey annex might provide them

10:09with a little more of what they're used to.

10:12Built in the year 2000, it's accessed via the kitchen

10:15but has a separate entrance, a family bathroom, a double bedroom

10:20and this large living room, complete with kitchenette.

10:25What you have to think about with this doesn't have to be an annex.

10:28It can just be a continuation of your house.

10:31Yeah.

10:32I think this is immediately way more what we're kind of used to

10:35and probably feel more comfortable in.

10:38Mm-hmm.

10:39So, I could definitely imagine us using this as more of our everyday lounge even.

10:42Yes.

10:43Yes, you're right.

10:44100%.

10:45This is the everyday lounge.

10:46This is the cosy place to get the family, all the kids in to watch the movie.

10:50And, yeah, that's exactly it.

10:52I like it.

10:53And I really like the wallpaper.

10:55I do as well.

10:56I really like that.

10:57This is the sort of thing I want to do when we move is be really adventurous for things like this.

11:03And I've never been able to bring myself to do it.

11:06I think.

11:07So, I wouldn't have to because it's already here.

11:08They've done it for you.

11:09Yeah.

11:10Well, Abigail, there's more statement wallpaper in the bedrooms upstairs.

11:16This is our main bedroom.

11:17I say R like I'm moving in as well.

11:18Yeah.

11:19Lovely big bed.

11:20There's loads of space in here.

11:21It's huge.

11:22Yeah, loads of space.

11:23They've got excellent taste in wallpaper.

11:24Yeah, it's great.

11:25It's bigger than what we need.

11:26It's bigger than what we've got.

11:27It's bigger than what we're expecting.

11:28Yeah.

11:29I'm not sure what they were expecting.

11:31Perhaps not this.

11:32The smallest of the four bedrooms here has been turned into a...

11:33Walking more, Jo.

11:34Yes.

11:35We wouldn't change this room.

11:36I think we may need it for one of our children though.

11:37I think you're right.

11:38A third bedroom is in use as a study, with the fourth and final bedroom another bedroom

11:45is a small bedroom.

11:46I think it's a small bedroom.

11:47That's what we were expecting.

11:48Yeah.

11:49I'm not sure what they were expecting.

11:50Perhaps not this.

11:51The smallest of the four bedrooms here has been turned into a...

11:53Walking more, Jo.

11:54Yes.

11:55We wouldn't change this room.

11:56I think we may need it for one of our children though.

11:58I think you're right.

12:01A third bedroom is in use as a study, with the fourth and final bedroom another

12:08good sized double.

12:09They're served by a modern family bathroom and a separate shower.

12:15Outside, let's start with the neighbours.

12:19On this side, meet Ginger.

12:21Loves carrots, so I'm told.

12:23On the opposite side, four alpacas regularly poke their heads over the hedge.

12:28Hello.

12:29You look very surprised to see me.

12:33Hey, will you be my friend?

12:36Yeah.

12:37Although today they're feeling camera shy.

12:39You've got something in your teeth.

12:46In addition to a large lawn, the south facing garden has a summer house, which could be converted

12:51into an office for Alex, and a paved patio with a pergola and brick built barbecue.

12:57I could imagine us here on the evening, looking out into the fields, having a nice barbecue.

13:04The kids running around you, I think the garden's really nice.

13:07Well, let's talk price.

13:08I don't have a clue.

13:10Great.

13:11A clue.

13:12Abigail.

13:13Okay, I'm going to say £755,000.

13:20Okay, £755,000.

13:21Alex?

13:22Erm, I'm going to go £695,000 optimistically.

13:27£695,000.

13:28Yeah.

13:29Okay, well you're both wrong.

13:30Oh, okay.

13:31But in a good way.

13:32It's actually on the market for £675,000.

13:35Oh, wow.

13:36Yeah, I did not expect that.

13:40That's a very good price.

13:42So it also could give you a little wiggle room if you did want to make a few slight changes

13:47to the house.

13:50This 400-year-old link detached property offers an open-plan living dining room, a stylish

13:57country kitchen, four bedrooms and a separate self-contained one-bed annex.

14:02The large, south-facing garden overlooks paddocks with horses and alpacas.

14:07And it comes with a price tag of £675,000.

14:12It's really interesting and characterful, but I think we're looking more for the character

14:17on the outside of the house and the inside to be a bit more modern.

14:23Whilst I don't think this is the house for us, I think it's definitely made us curious

14:29to see the next house for sure.

14:33I do absolutely love the look of the property.

14:36The outside space, the views is everything we've been looking for.

14:39Unfortunately, I do feel like the inside space just wouldn't work for our young family right now.

14:46On the banks of the River Eur sits the historic coaching town of Boroughbridge.

15:04Some might say it's under the radar, but as the residents will tell you, that is its charm.

15:12Boroughbridge is an amazing town. It's my hometown, so I'm a little bit biased, but great place to visit.

15:17Very vibrant town centre, lots of lovely walks, areas to visit locally.

15:22We're on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, so what not to love and lots of local villages which are great to visit too.

15:29We're very lucky to live here.

15:34Some 3,000 folks call the town home and proudly support their local high street.

15:39I think Boroughbridge is just a great place to live, work and do business.

15:4490% or so of our shops are locally independent businesses.

15:48You can pretty much get anything you like in Boroughbridge. You really don't have to go far. You name it, we have it.

15:53And that includes a plentiful supply of places to eat and drink.

15:59Sunflower Bakery is one of the newest arrivals, having opened its doors two and a half years ago

16:04to offer freshly baked goods, baking supplies, as well as workshops for kids and adults.

16:10What's your best seller?

16:12That's a really hard one to pick, actually, because we have over 40 different flavours that we do.

16:16But I'd say probably some of our best sellers is our birthday cake blondies and the cookies.

16:21However, recently our pistachio range have solved really well as well.

16:29Alex and Abigail, of course, want to treat themselves to a tasty slice of the North Yorkshire countryside,

16:34so let's get back to it.

16:43The village of Sutton-on-the-Forest is our next stop, eight miles north of York.

16:48Formerly the estate village to the now privately owned Sutton Park, which has a tea room in the grounds,

16:55many of the properties date back to the 1700s.

16:58The 700-strong community enjoys a primary school with a good Ofsted rating,

17:06a village hall that hosts numerous groups including a nursery, a pub and regular buses to York.

17:13On the village outskirts, in a quiet cul-de-sac, we find our next property.

17:21Built in the 1970s, it has been transformed by the owners into a contemporary, lavish and versatile family home.

17:30Here we are.

17:36I love it.

17:37That's a happy little face.

17:39Yeah, I love it. I love the tree.

17:42I love the front garden. I love it.

17:44I absolutely love the look of it.

17:46Abigail's happy, unhappy.

17:48Yeah, it's a lovely-looking house.

17:51So, yeah, first thoughts that it really could be us.

17:55Yeah, 100%.

17:56I can't wait to have a look.

17:57It reminds me of my grandparents' house.

18:00It's exactly like that style and I always loved it growing up.

18:04So, it's really nice to see.

18:06Do you want to go in?

18:07Yes, please.

18:09Silly question.

18:10Come on then.

18:13Particular attention has been paid to this property's green credentials.

18:18Installing solar panels and an air source heat pump has improved its environmental impact rating from D to B.

18:27If full cavity wall insulation were added, a cost of about £1,500, it could be elevated to A, the highest rating,

18:35and save Alex and Abigail a further £340 a year on energy bills.

18:40The best bit, all these eco-friendly features are wrapped up in an interior that's just about as cool and glossy as it gets.

18:52Oh, wow.

18:54That's perfect.

18:56That's good.

18:57Kitchen diner.

18:59Yeah, I love it.

19:01I love the space.

19:02Yeah, it's great.

19:03It's really big, really open.

19:04It's a wow at the moment.

19:05It is a wow.

19:06You can get all of us in here quite easily.

19:08Yeah.

19:09That's exactly what we're after.

19:10So you wanted a spacious dining kitchen area.

19:13Mm-hmm.

19:14Do you fancy a spacious dining kitchen living area?

19:17Yes.

19:18Shall we go and have a little look?

19:19Yeah.

19:20Go down there.

19:22Yes.

19:23Spot on.

19:24From this island, you can see...

19:25You can see everything.

19:26Everything.

19:27You can see in the garden, you can see in the living space, and you can see in the dining room.

19:40So if you're watching little ones...

19:41Yeah.

19:42It's brilliant.

19:43It's ideal.

19:44Everything we wanted.

19:45Yeah, amazing.

19:46Yeah.

19:47Yeah.

19:48Yeah, yeah.

19:49There's more.

19:50Through this door is a separate lounge.

19:54This is a really lovely room.

19:58I would leave this as a living space.

19:59Yeah, this is great as well.

20:00Yeah.

20:01But a toy-free zone, I think.

20:02A nice cosy space to retire to in the evening.

20:11Also on the ground floor is a bedroom suite consisting of a double...

20:15I think this would suit Leo.

20:17I think he'd love playing these games in here.

20:20Yes.

20:21And hiding away from everybody else.

20:23Yeah.

20:24Absolutely.

20:25It leads through to a utility room and a very fancy ensuite shower.

20:32Upstairs, the largest bedroom also oozes luxury.

20:36Oh, this is a really nice room.

20:39Oh, there's lots of built-in storage, which is really good, Alex.

20:42Cos I've got a lot of clothes.

20:43You've got a lot of clothes.

20:44A lot of clothes.

20:45So that should do me nicely.

20:47Oh, a really, really lovely bath.

20:51Yeah, it's a perfect bath for you.

20:53Yeah.

20:54And another fancy shower.

20:55And two sinks.

20:56Wonderful.

20:57Yep.

20:58Very happy.

20:59Very happy indeed.

21:01What we're discovering about Abigail and Alex is that maybe they don't want quite as

21:07much character as they first thought.

21:09They're really enjoying the modern aspect of this house.

21:16There's a third double bedroom at the rear, a fourth at the front, a family bathroom and

21:22a fifth and final bedroom, another double.

21:28For Alex's office, the garage could be converted, subject to planning, or there's space in the

21:35large north-facing garden.

21:39There's some hidden sheds round there.

21:41If you took down some of the shrubs, built a proper little office out there.

21:45Good work.

21:46There's options.

21:47There is lots of options.

21:48I think the one compromise we would be making here is the views from the back of the property,

21:55from the garden.

21:57Really beautiful from the front.

21:59I think in an ideal world, we'd have those views, the fields, all around the house.

22:05Let's talk about price.

22:07Okay.

22:08I'm going to go £749,000.

22:12£749,000.

22:13Okay.

22:14I'm going to get a little bit higher.

22:15Oh, okay.

22:16At £780,000.

22:17I think it's really close to the top budget.

22:19Okay.

22:20£780,000.

22:21Yeah.

22:22You're both wrong again.

22:23Really?

22:25Also, in the great way, it's actually on the market for £695,000.

22:29No way.

22:30Yeah, way.

22:31Under £700,000.

22:32I know.

22:33Yeah, that's surprising.

22:34That is surprising.

22:35So, again, it could give you a little bit of wiggle room.

22:36Office outside, yeah.

22:37There's options.

22:38Yes, I'm feeling more comfortable about that now.

22:39Mmm.

22:40Funny how the price can do that, isn't it?

22:41It is, isn't it?

22:42This beautifully renovated, 1970s, detached house.

22:45It offers an enormous open-plan kitchen, dining, living area, a separate lounge, five bedrooms

23:06and three bathrooms.

23:08Outside, there's a double garage with a large rear garden and it's marketed at £695,000.

23:14I really, really like this house.

23:20For me, it's definitely a contender.

23:23There are things that we do need to think about.

23:28I think, for me, it's the view and I think I need to really think about what is the most important thing going forward.

23:36Yeah, I totally agree.

23:38It's not necessarily the picturesque views of North Yorkshire that I was really...

23:43I think we're all really wanting.

23:45Yeah.

23:52All right.

23:53Yes.

23:54So, that's it. That's the end of our first day.

23:55Yes.

23:56Shall we have a little sit down and have a chat?

23:57Yes, please.

23:58Sounds great.

23:59Thanks.

24:10Our day ends where it began, in the grounds of Ripley Castle, with a phone call to their ten-year-old daughter, Summer.

24:17Hi, Summer. How are you?

24:21Good.

24:22We've seen a couple of houses today with big, big, big gardens.

24:26Hey, let's go.

24:28What would you most like in the garden?

24:31A tree that I can climb on.

24:33Oh, a climbing tree.

24:34Nice.

24:35I'd also like the tree to be a wisteria tree.

24:39I like that. It's very specific. I like it.

24:42Anything else on your wish list?

24:44And you wanted a new bike, didn't you?

24:46Is there going to be a race track in the back garden?

24:49I like it. High expectations, Summer. It's good.

24:52Summer, you're an absolute superstar. Thank you so much.

24:55Thanks, darling. Bye-bye. Love you.

24:57A race track, that's new. That's a new one, but sure, absolutely. All the kids would love that.

25:02They would, yeah. I mean, I'll see what I can do.

25:04We've got the mystery house tomorrow, so who knows?

25:07Well, I think you're both going to have a good night's sleep after all this fresh North Yorkshire air.

25:12And we'll go again tomorrow, shall we?

25:14Sounds wonderful.

25:15Excellent.

25:19Searching for a rural retreat in North Yorkshire? Here's what you need to know about property prices.

25:35Homebuyers pay a premium to live in one of the county's two national parks.

25:40That means the average cost of a detached house here is around £433,000,

25:46only a few thousand less than the UK average of just over £437,000.

25:57Take a look at a selection of properties also on the market.

26:03This two-bedroom terrace cottage has a living room with exposed stone walls,

26:07a modern kitchen, and a surprisingly large rear garden. Offers over £220,000 could make it yours.

26:19With a guide price of £495,000, this deceptively spacious five-bed end of terrace has a stylish kitchen diner,

26:27two receptions, two receptions, and a good-sized garden.

26:32For those in the market for a rental, there's this three-bed cottage which overlooks the beck in the centre of a popular village

26:39and is priced at £1,200 per calendar month.

26:44Yesterday was quite literally the first time Abigail and Alex had looked at properties here in North Yorkshire,

26:56which was very exciting, if also a little bit overwhelming at times.

27:01I think I showed them some pretty good options and they've had plenty to ponder over,

27:07but I hope they've woken up today well-rested and raring to continue our Yorkshire road trip,

27:13because, yeah, you've guessed it, it's Mystery House time.

27:19We're heading for the village of Topcliffe.

27:26On the banks of the River Swale, this pretty village has two pubs,

27:30a church, a village hall and a shop with a post office.

27:36The primary school has recently received an outstanding Ofsted rating.

27:40A ten-minute walk from the village centre sits our mystery house.

27:44Dating back to the 1750s, this Grade II listed former mill house magnifies the character of the first property we showed them.

27:55And supersizes the space of the second house they viewed,

27:58by delivering a whopping 4,000 square feet of dream living space,

28:03including a kitchen fit for a baking queen.

28:08If I had to describe the perfect country kitchen, this would be it.

28:12And I can definitely see Abigail whipping up a gluten-free storm in here.

28:16Let's go see if they like it.

28:18I love it, the team loves it, we just need Alex and Abigail to love it.

28:29OK, this is very nice.

28:31Welcome to your mystery house.

28:36Wow.

28:38Yeah.

28:39It's incredible.

28:40Yeah, I'm happy.

28:41I'm very happy.

28:43I think I'm in love already.

28:44Yeah.

28:45It's perfect.

28:46I think this could be your forever home.

28:49This is somewhere that you can grow together as a family.

28:52I really hope so.

28:54It's just gorgeous.

28:56Well, should we go and check out some of this square footage?

28:58Yeah.

28:59It's going to take us a while, isn't it, to get around 4,000 square feet.

29:01OK, right, come on then, let's go.

29:06The main entrance is at the side of the house.

29:09It opens into a hallway off which is a cosy snug,

29:12but the main living accommodation is straight ahead.

29:17Come on through.

29:22Oh, that's really nice.

29:24Yeah, it's Abigail's style.

29:25It is my style.

29:26Speak on your behalf.

29:27Yes, yes, it is.

29:28No, he's right, it is my style and I love the little bench over there.

29:31Do you know what I really love?

29:32They've thought this through.

29:33They've got the range cooker, but they've also got a modern electric one as well.

29:37Oh, that's good, cos I wouldn't know how to use that.

29:39Get online and they'll teach you everything on there.

29:41OK.

29:42Watch some videos, it'll be fine.

29:43So, what do you think?

29:44Could you see yourselves here?

29:45Yep, definitely.

29:46If it works for her, it works for me, yeah.

29:53You could be forgiven for thinking we're standing in the dining room,

29:56but this is more of a breakfast area, because next door is...

30:01This massive alternative dining area.

30:04It's huge!

30:05And then if you come round here...

30:07Yeah.

30:11Oh, that's really nice.

30:12Beautiful living area.

30:13Yeah.

30:14And I love that fireplace.

30:17I really do love this space.

30:19I'm really, really, really happy.

30:21Oh, good!

30:22Yeah.

30:23Good.

30:24And are you starting to picture it with your furniture in, rather than this furniture?

30:26Yes and no, cos we're going to get new furniture.

30:29Oh, OK.

30:30OK.

30:31Well, we might.

30:32Are we?

30:33Depends on the cost of the house.

30:35It would be nice to get some new furniture.

30:37OK.

30:38The kids have destroyed us.

30:39Oh, OK.

30:40They do that, the kids living.

30:41They do.

30:42Yeah.

30:44It'll take a lot of furniture to fill this house.

30:47It's set across three floors.

30:50The first floor landing is large enough to be used as a library-cum reading nook.

30:55It gives access to a bedroom used as an office and music room, a family shower room, a second double...

31:04Be good for either of the girls, what do you think?

31:06Yeah, it's really nice character as well.

31:10And a third equally generous double.

31:14Oh, this is a lovely room.

31:16Be good for Teddy.

31:17Perfect.

31:18Teddy or office.

31:19Yes.

31:20Speaking maybe office.

31:21True.

31:22View the fields.

31:23Oh, that is such a, such a lovely view.

31:27At the end of the landing is the principal suite.

31:32Oh, this is a really, really lovely space.

31:34Yeah, lovely.

31:35Yeah.

31:36Great size.

31:37Oh, my goodness.

31:38It's a dressing area.

31:40Also, a place for you to work.

31:42And you can see the river.

31:45Oh, wow, you can.

31:49It also has its own ensuite bathroom.

31:54The postman has just been to deliver a package and he left two dog biscuits for the dogs that live here.

31:59I mean, if that isn't countryside living, I just don't know what is.

32:06Onwards to the second floor.

32:08Oh, my word.

32:09What?

32:11There's yet more to see.

32:14A family bathroom, another two spacious double bedrooms, plus the seventh and final room.

32:21This could be a bedroom or massive playroom.

32:24It could be a playroom.

32:25Yeah.

32:28Phew.

32:29I told you it was enormous.

32:32Hi.

32:33Hi.

32:34Well done.

32:35You didn't get lost.

32:36Almost.

32:37How many bedrooms did you count?

32:38Seven.

32:39Seven.

32:40Seven bedrooms.

32:41Yes.

32:42Is that enough?

32:43I think that could be definitely workable.

32:48I think the garden is too.

32:50West facing, it catches the late afternoon and evening sun with lovely deep borders of trees and shrubs.

32:58At the end of the drive is a garage and potting shed and to the side of the house is a smaller patch of lawn.

33:06It's really nice.

33:07It's perfect.

33:08Gorgeous.

33:09Lovely.

33:10It feels very contained.

33:11Yeah.

33:12It feels very safe for the kids.

33:13Yeah.

33:14Whilst also you can hear the birds, you can hear the river.

33:18It's lovely.

33:19Yeah.

33:20Yeah.

33:21Let's talk about price.

33:22Yeah.

33:23And I do think that you've pushed the budget.

33:28Maybe gone over slightly.

33:30I'm going to say eight to ten.

33:33Eight hundred and ten thousand pounds.

33:35Okie dokie.

33:36Alex?

33:37I'm not sure I quite believe this, but I'm going to go seven, seven, five only because that's what I'm hoping it will be.

33:44It would not surprise me if you said eight fifty plus.

33:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.

33:48Well, you're both wrong again.

33:50Yeah.

33:51It's on the market for seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

33:56Sold.

33:57This detached grade two listed mill house boasts four receptions, seven bedrooms and three bathrooms.

34:10It's set on a large enclosed plot to the edge of a popular North Yorkshire village and has a guide price of seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

34:18It's absolutely huge.

34:19So beautiful.

34:20I really didn't expect to be seeing a property like this in our budget.

34:28It's exactly what I've been picturing in my mind and we can really host an amazing Christmas bash every single year in this kind of house.

34:41So, yeah.

34:42All in all, I couldn't ask for more.

34:48Life can throw up all sorts of unexpected twists and turns, which can sometimes lead to a whole new way of life or even a whole new location.

35:06Just as Owen and Jessica discovered last year when they moved to Yorkshire.

35:10This is my bird watching out for a detect bird song and tell us what bird's ears.

35:16It is important to say that our life has changed because previously our most used apps were like Uber and...

35:23Just Eat.

35:24Just Eat, yeah.

35:25And now Merlin Bird, I mean.

35:30Eight years ago, following a diagnosis of ME, Jess quit her London lifestyle and, in search of something new, moved to the city of Winchester in Hampshire.

35:39There, she started her own sales consultancy and met, then married, Owen.

35:44When Owen's job in the military posted him to Ripon, Jess unexpectedly stumbled upon the lifestyle she never knew she wanted.

35:52I never thought that I would be starting a blog to talk to people about things that they could do in North Yorkshire.

36:01I thought I was always going to be working in a city job and doing the things that I've always done.

36:07And instead we're surrounded by birds and bats and plants and living our best Alokman lives.

36:16In just a few weeks we've had kale, spinach, beetroots and we've got potatoes, onions and peppers still ready for the summer.

36:24We have found the strongest community here of people that absolutely will go out of their way to help anyone.

36:33I mean, today we got given lemon curd for somebody.

36:36In trade, to be fair, for our lovely art of flower cordial.

36:39The pair is living the good life and, by the sound of it, their best life.

36:48And it's not just lemon curd that the residents of Ripon have gifted them.

36:52No, no, there's an intriguing story involving the postman and a colony of bees.

36:57Hello. Hiya. How you doing? Good, come on in. Good, thank you.

37:07To hear more, I'm stopping by for a cuppa.

37:10Oh, here we go. Lovely. Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you.

37:13You're welcome. Thank you.

37:16Now, about these bees...

37:18I got offered some free bees from the postman.

37:22Wait, wait, wait, hang on.

37:24Not like free bees, as in like...

37:26Maybe that.

37:27Free bees. How did that come about?

37:29We got to chatting about honey. I'm not sure how.

37:32And he was like, do you like bees?

37:34And I said, well, yeah, I think bees are pretty cool.

37:37And he said, do you want some?

37:39And I was like, yeah, okay, fine.

37:41Like, he brought round some bee books that afternoon.

37:44I wasn't sure he was serious about it.

37:47Nine weeks later, Alan came over.

37:50And he brought them over, like 40,000 bees in a little, like, hive.

37:54And he's been giving us beekeeping lessons ever since.

37:58Like, he's our bee guru.

38:00Genuinely, we had a bit of a bee emergency yesterday,

38:02and I texted him and was like, this is what's going on in the hive.

38:06And he was like, I'll be straight there.

38:08So he's absolutely lovely.

38:09And for me, it sums up Ripon.

38:11That's how we fit in here, because people here are nice.

38:14Everybody looks out for each other.

38:16The community works.

38:19Well, I've got to meet the bees that have made such an impact on Jess and Owen.

38:24I'm ready.

38:25You look great.

38:27Let's go get some bees.

38:29Okay.

38:30Keeping bees is no small undertaking.

38:33It requires knowledge and skill.

38:35Finding a mentor like Jess has in Postman Allen is a great way to get started.

38:40So normally, we'd have got the hive open for you so you could have a proper look inside.

38:44But unfortunately, rainy weather means that all the bees congregate back in the hive,

38:48and that makes it kind of dangerous to open for us,

38:51because they'll swarm upwards and be quite angry about that.

38:53But also for them, because if the air gets in and it's cold and wet,

38:57you can actually kill off an entire colony.

38:59Oh, gosh. Well, let's not do that then.

39:00Start-up costs average between £500 to £1,000, depending on your choice of hive, equipment and bees.

39:10The bees only live six weeks.

39:13So in a bee's lifetime, it will only actually produce a teaspoon of honey.

39:16Really?

39:17Yeah.

39:18And then in a winter, the house bees can live about six months,

39:22because their job is just then to keep the hive warm.

39:24But in this weather, they're out, they're going to get the pollen,

39:27they're flying over to the local garden centre to get some of the nectar,

39:31and then they're bringing it back to the hive.

39:33And they've got about a three-mile range,

39:35so they're going quite a long way on tiny wings and coming all the way back.

39:42Beekeeping is a year-round commitment.

39:44That's busiest in the late spring and summer.

39:48Well, thanks for having me. This has been very cool.

39:51No, you're so welcome. Honestly, come back any time for honey.

39:54Thanks. Well, I've got the suit now, so...

39:59Let's see if we've managed to find Alex and Abigail

40:02a bee-eautiful new home in the North Yorkshire countryside.

40:06We've popped down the road to the pub.

40:10Let's go and find out if this could soon be their local.

40:12Hello.

40:13You all right? How's it going? How are you feeling?

40:14Really good. Yeah?

40:15Really, really good.

40:16You both look quite contented.

40:17Yeah. Quite peaceful.

40:18Yeah. After that last property, I think I do feel like that.

40:21And Alex, you've been quietly contemplating a lot of the time, absorbing everything.

40:25I felt that you really had an emotional connection to that last house.

40:28Yeah, I think the last house definitely was something that I feel I've worked my whole life to achieve.

40:33It was the dream home, I think, was how I felt walking up to it.

40:53You know, the river setting was amazing, the fields either side of the house as well.

40:59You could literally step outside your front door and that's it, you're ready for a walk.

41:03You wouldn't have to get in the car and go anywhere.

41:05And that's what we didn't want to have to do, we wanted to finish up dinner of an evening

41:09and say to the kids, right, we're going out for a walk.

41:12That's exactly what we're looking for.

41:15Lots of dreams that could become reality.

41:17Yeah, it feels all too good to be true.

41:19So what are your next steps going to be then?

41:21The practical side, we need to do a little bit of research into the Grade 2 listing,

41:27what that means, what you can do, what you can't do.

41:30I mean, I've already had a look at train links and we've looked at local school.

41:35I've found a school.

41:37Location, I think we know is a good one, the house we think we know is a good one.

41:41I think it's just, you know, in terms of there's some wiggle room on the budget,

41:45can we do what we want to do with it?

41:47But it's definitely a strong contender and something with Daphne.

41:53Yeah, I think there's some work that needs to be done.

41:56Yes.

41:57Which we would need to take into consideration before an offer went in.

42:00Well, I wish you all the best.

42:02Please keep us updated.

42:03We want to know what happens.

42:04Who will do.

42:05Thank you so much for helping.

42:06Thank you so much.

42:07It's a pleasure.

42:08Cheers.

42:09I've had a brilliant time accompanying Alex and Abigail at the beginning of their North Yorkshire dream.

42:20And I hope we found them just that, the dream, the country dream.

42:24And it sounds like the mystery house has turned that into a reality and they do deserve it.

42:31I want to wish them and their beautiful family the best of luck with whatever happens next.

42:37Join me next time on Escape to the Country.

42:42Alex and Abigail are still waiting to sell their home in Alton, but once they secure a buyer,

42:47they plan a second viewing of the mystery house with all the family.

42:51We hope things progress for them soon so they can begin living their best life in North Yorkshire.

43:00If you would like to escape to the country in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales

43:05and need our help, why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part.

43:35Thank you, everyone, alright there.

43:37Have a great day.

43:38Rebecca

43:47Caitlin

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