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00:01on escape to the country we like to present our house hunters with show-stopping features
00:07this is where the theater the magic happens here look at it oh and we always aim to reach new
00:15heights wow oh my goodness okay yeah oh that's beautiful sometimes we can forget who's meant to
00:24be buying the house i was gonna say you like it don't you do you like it but their happiness
00:30is
00:30always the priority now he smiled
00:58when the sun shines on west yorkshire its luscious countryside draw sightseers out to immerse
01:05themselves in its beauty but it can also feel rugged and untamed which perhaps draws its communities
01:11together if you've been here then you will know and if you haven't let me tell you yorkshire is a
01:17very friendly place even on a map it's as if north yorkshire is wrapping its arms around west yorkshire
01:24it's westy-besty west yorkshire is situated in the north of england and has always been well connected
01:32not just due to its location but also because it's often been at the forefront of transport innovations
01:42in 1774 a rising flight of locks was opened in bingley joining leeds and liverpool by water
01:48it was such an impressive feat that around 30 000 people turned up to celebrate the opening
01:56today the county has some of the most rapid electric vehicle charging points outside of london
02:02and perhaps it's this long connection with speed that's inspired the county's olympic
02:07and paralympic champions there is access to a wide variety of sporting events for every ability
02:14or disability of things like football rugby athletics wheelchair sports there's all sorts
02:20there's lots of things to do like after school clubs and things like that i really enjoy living in
02:28west yorkshire apart from the weather it is still amazing place it's absolutely amazing you're not
02:35going to be seeing reason in other parts of the country so yes come along enjoy yourself relax have
02:40a good time i probably shouldn't say this too loudly but i was born and raised just over the border
02:46in
02:46lancashire and despite the rivalry between my home county and yorkshire i've always enjoyed coming here
02:53taking in the scenery and having a chat with the friendly locals talking about locals it's time to meet
02:59today's couple who want to return to their yorkshire roots
03:07theatre general manager rich and costumier janey met working on the western show saturday night fever
03:13having moved from yorkshire to london for work we have loved it but we don't need that anymore we
03:20don't need to be near london and it was always the plan to get back up north and get to
03:24yorkshire
03:25they're surrounded by some of the country's busiest roads so getting about can be frustrating
03:31it's the main route from london's bright so it's quite popular one way to beat the traffic
03:39is running film yourself running it'll be fun they said their steep garden is also physically
03:50challenging and has janey's workshop near the top it's organized chaos i'd like to say it's not
03:57really organized it's just chaos but this is where it happens i've got various seating options after i've
04:03climbed the mountain to get up here but it's just a bit of a trek rich also often works from
04:09home
04:10i could be doing it anywhere so get me back up north they're moving with their son rupert who wants
04:17to settle in a new school before starting gcses and he's looking forward to new opportunities
04:25motocross motocross is that the dirt bike thing yep you've not mentioned that you're not yeah i'm not
04:31sure i'm not sure about that don't you have to be a bit older rich and janey want an unlisted
04:37detached quirky house they're after four bedrooms and hope to rent out a room as digs to theatre
04:43productions janey needs a workroom rich would like a workshop and they'd all like a flatter garden
04:50for a maximum budget of six hundred thousand pounds
05:04driving along roads like this with views like these i can completely understand why people would
05:11want to come back to yorkshire and i do get the pull of your roots i mean i've lived away
05:17from the
05:17north of england for a long long time but every time i come back still feels like home you know
05:23i do
05:24think the landscape the moors and the valleys of this part of the world are absolutely stunning and
05:29they often get overlooked for other parts of the county but trust me west yorkshire is well worth a visit
05:39one hidden gem is the village of oakenshaw near the center of the county which is the location of
05:45our first house but before we go there i'm meeting rich and janey in a nearby country park
05:53well hello hello oh it's so nice to be back up north with these familiar landscapes it's beautiful
05:59isn't it i'm sure over the course of the next few days my local accent will come out my langashire
06:03accent and i can tell from your actions of course that this area this part of the world is home
06:07for
06:07you is that the big pull for this area now for west yorkshire yeah why west yorkshire in particular
06:12it's a beautiful county yorkshire partly because we wanted to make sure that we maintained links to
06:18london yeah links to cities but had access to this yeah and being their family we've got family in
06:25holland derby yeah so it's liverpool yeah and are you all on the same page you're thinking what your
06:31vision of a house is here are you two look i imagine we're gonna find that out in the next
06:36day
06:38but yeah and and rupa as well i think he he's you know over the last couple of years we
06:43have been
06:44kind of looking online which is it's great and handy but you can't see the actual place you don't and
06:50that's what we were finding that's why we needed your help because we couldn't find the location
06:54well that's what we're here for should we should we crack on yes please
07:02the village of oakenshaw is on the outskirts of bradford the uk's 2025 city of culture
07:09it's around five miles from the alhambra theater which attracts top touring productions
07:14and if late back from a show there's a good range of takeaways as well as other village amenities
07:19including a pharmacy just a few minutes walk from the center is the house we're here to see
07:27so i thought we'd kick off with a traditional stone barn conversion oh interesting love it it's
07:34got a feel and that's important what do you think about the style rich you i like the style yeah
07:40absolutely
07:41i love the look of that window fascinated to get in and have a nose good well there's a there's
07:46a
07:46curve of elements inside that i'm going to show you one in particular that's going to make you
07:50feel right at home let's just say it's quite theatrical oh no okay well should we go and
07:56check it out inside yes please yes please this bomb was built around 1750 and converted in the 1980s
08:06the single story extension we're entering through was added by the current owners
08:13come on in oh wow so you've got a great big airy kitchen diner yeah really nice views nice island
08:22over the valley yeah no it's got a lovely feel to it you don't feel that you're coming into a
08:28modern
08:29part of the house do you no you really don't no no floorboards are lovely yeah yeah and it's nice
08:34yeah like this with height obviously even with the beams and it's still got the height worried that
08:39you would also cover it in fairy lights but i'm already thinking of christmas holly along there's a
08:45deal to be done on the fairy lights i'm sure oh we have plenty and are you dining room kind
08:50of people
08:50or are you a bit more this kind of vibe of a nice diet yeah yeah kitchen diner we play
08:56board games cards
08:57everything whilst rich cooks if we had a dining room we might do lots of things in it but never
09:03die okay okay well hold that thought because i'm going to come back to that idea okay okay i'll have
09:07a dining room for you to do some things in oh i'll show you that in a while also in
09:12the new extension
09:13there's a good-sized utility room and a double garage that could provide rich's workshop then the
09:20other end of the kitchen flows into the original bomb so here you go i think the mix is pretty
09:25seamless
09:26yeah it doesn't feel like we're suddenly in the old part of the house no no it really doesn't
09:31no it's great okay i would like it like the old coving and that beams quite yeah dramatic yeah
09:40but not too low and it's a great size space that's the thing that struck me about this room yeah
09:45you've
09:46got the nice double doors out onto the garden but it's really big yeah which is brilliant your main
09:52living room yeah no it's lovely there's so much in this house that i want to talk about and show
09:57you so let's move from here i mentioned theatrical and this is where the theater happens the magic
10:04happens here look at it oh wow oh goodness oh good lord think of the fairy lights you could have
10:14in
10:14here so let me just talk about the layout down here because you've got a dining room in there which
10:18i
10:18very strongly suggest you said is not a dining room that would become your work room i think okay
10:23now thinking about the digs so over in the far corner is another room there it's got a separate door
10:29off it and as you come in through the other entrance right next door to that room is a really
10:34good downstairs bathroom interesting okay yeah i can't read you rich come on oh it's hard he won't
10:41know he's he doesn't show he doesn't he's not going to give anything away until he's seen everything
10:45the problem is i think i've got a beaming smile it just doesn't resonate just say you're smiling on the
10:52inside yeah i'm smiling under the beard upstairs there are four double bedrooms two of which share
10:59the family bathroom while a third is ensuite as is the largest i like it's a great size yeah lots
11:07of
11:07storage let's build more dobes big thick walls i love the beam there's also an attic room which could
11:14work as a recreation space for rupert outside is vast with a gated driveway around 50 meters of flat
11:22south facing garden offering elevated rural views and a multi-purpose stable block i mean it could be
11:29another little workshop you know we could turn there's a lot of scope to do things with that i
11:34could have a potting shed for one one of them can i make a suggestion yeah i think one of
11:39them which
11:40would make an amazing log store yeah no he smiled yes absolutely yeah yeah the only compromise for me
11:50is the the noise because you can't hear the traffic inside it's staggering yeah it's really really lovely
11:56it's got everything we need and the flexibility for us to use it in different ways right well we have
12:02one
12:02question left to answer it is what is this property on the market for really well connected on the doorstep
12:10for leeds and bradford i'm going to say 580 580 000 pounds i was going to go 570
12:21okay you've actually both a little bit off the mark okay so it's actually on the market for just
12:26over budget 610 000 pounds because it is such a great property in such a great location yeah 610 000
12:37pounds for this extended barn conversion offering a large kitchen diner and four double bedrooms for
12:44the family from an income perspective there's opportunity to rent out digs as well as a workroom
12:51and workshop options not to mention the large outdoor areas and the views it's very different
12:58to anything i thought i was looking for but the space is so dramatic and exciting the light that comes
13:05in through this amazing window and the outside i reckon i could fit a lot of plants in there is
13:14a bit of a
13:14compromise in terms of the outside and the traffic noise but i think we just need to weigh up how
13:20much of a
13:20problem that is
13:32we might not have the best weather this week but it won't water down the beauty of the moors
13:38so we've arranged for local tour guide johnny briggs to show rich and janey the sights
13:44welcome to bronte country thank you very much what do you think of this extraordinary landscape
13:49oh it's breathtaking it is it's beautiful so in terms of where we are we have howarth the top of
13:55howarth is just there on the brow of that hill that's the heart of the bronte story
14:01but if we go that way a little bit you see those beautiful moors yeah that's where emily is going
14:07to cite wuthering heights right on that horizon there's nothing else beyond it apart from the blanket bog
14:12so kathy and heathcliff can just be alone brilliant i'm a keen runner it looks like it might be quite
14:20challenging around here this is the best fell running running across the moors will only give you strength
14:26and stamina yeah you'll be raised in amongst your local people as a legend for doing but maybe it's time
14:33we go and explore howarth lovely sounds good howarth is most famously associated with the bronte sisters
14:45the home where they spent the majority of their lives now has is a museum dedicated to them
14:51and the village's association with writers looks set to continue we've got a little bar up here called
14:57writer's block we encourage local poets to come along and talk about their works present their new
15:02works and foundations it's full of independent businesses many of them lining the historic
15:08cobbled streets it's got a real chocolate box kind of look to the village and a really great atmosphere
15:14there's always so much going on in terms of events and things to do so in july there's an arts
15:19festival
15:20and a comedy festival which is is great and brings people into the village and at christmas it is
15:26beautiful all the christmas trees out and they are everywhere but also there's a real welcoming of
15:31christmas on the church steps and it really really does bring christmas to life everyone knows
15:37everybody else you go hi steve hi dave you know what a lovely dog oh isn't it great weather we
15:43always
15:43talk about the weather but the community spirit is fantastic which is why we're having howarth's first
15:48pride this year there's a great choice of enticing restaurants and cafes for when it's time to sit
15:55back and take it all in we love the look of howarth it looks very very quaint and lovely love
16:00the history
16:01but where how would we go about meeting people if we were new and didn't know anyone in the area
16:05i think meeting people in howarth is probably much easier to imagine partly because it's a tourist town
16:11as well as a town where people live and there are lots of things that go on part of what
16:16drew us to the area is trying to find that
16:19balance between the rural countryside living but the accessibility of the the cities i mean is that
16:25realistic here oh it's brilliant here you've got the best of both worlds you've got the landscape and
16:32the moors but you've also really close to leeds bradford manchester we have brilliant rail networks
16:40so from keithley in 25 minutes you can be in the center of leeds on the train that's brilliant you've
16:45been
16:46so helpful thank you it's great to hear all of that and looking forward to seeing more of it yeah
16:50and great to know we can still have the links that we need into the cities such a pleasure to
16:55have met
16:55you and i'm sure wherever you go you're going to find you're going to bring so much energy to where
17:00you end up living thank you
17:08our next property is in the village of allerton the location is just two miles from the pretty
17:13historic village of thornton that's packed with culture and is celebrated as the birthplace of
17:19the brontes there's also a library gallery and an antique store as well as more day-to-day businesses
17:27the most striking landmark is its victorian viaduct and incredibly the house we've come to see is
17:34centuries older so welcome to one of the oldest if not the oldest houses in this area okay wow dates
17:46back to 1605 so it's got some stories to tell this one absolutely oh okay got his poker face back
17:53on
17:54the face back on you say it's one of the oldest buildings in the area is it is it listed
18:01it is it's
18:02got a grade two star listing okay you are not going to have to worry about that though because
18:07somebody else is worried about that and the whole thing has been beautifully renovated okay so
18:12there is nothing left to do inside that would cause you issues okay that sounds positive it reminds
18:18me so much of what i love about this area it reminds me of the brontes yeah and it reminds
18:24me
18:25of you know all the brilliant books that i grew up reading that were all set around here and this
18:29is the kind
18:29house that would be in one of those books yeah it seems to have the right sort of character and
18:35we
18:35always said feeling is you know quite important yeah i love the i love the garden i love the views
18:40you know and the dry stone wall it's gorgeous i think you're going to be charmed by this because
18:45i know i was i was going to say you like it don't you do you like it honestly i
18:50do i found myself
18:51going oh my kitchen table is sitting there which is not what i'm supposed to be doing well should we
18:56go
18:57and see if it is for you yes great come on this incredible property is semi-detached and full of
19:03period details immediately evident in the living room nice nice nice oh yeah no i could cope with
19:12this i know yeah they're so deep aren't they yeah and again you've got all that the history that you
19:20you want left in it you've got the beams you've got the beautiful exposed stone yes but it's not got
19:25the low ceilings which again is something that it's actually remarkably light look at those windows
19:29yeah just i know useful yeah okay a little bit gobsmatched he smiled you're smiling on the outside rich
19:42what does it feel like but what does it feel like because something's making you smile on the outside
19:49it's lovely homely it feels like a it feels like a good place to be it's got a good vibe
19:57i can't explain it but i came in and i just got the vibe and it just felt nice just
20:02seen the beam
20:02across the doorway that's totally awesome you've not seen anything yet off the entrance hall is a double
20:09suite which includes a shower and could provide the rental digs there's also a large utility room but the
20:16room i really want to show them is under that beamed archway i mean there's not just one beam
20:22there there's a whole series of them oh yeah wow and here's some more
20:30nice i can imagine stumbling up those steps
20:35very well done this is lovely it's nice isn't it yeah oh no lovely space and have you noticed
20:40actually how quiet it is in here yeah again it's just the thickness of the walls isn't it nothing
20:48it's gorgeous isn't it yeah interesting that they've got the telly in here this room is obviously
20:53where they where they spend their time yeah you know and that's what you said to me earlier yeah
20:59no absolutely beyond the kitchen is a second living room that's even larger and could be transformed
21:04into janie's work room which is lovely nice yeah yeah no it's lovely that's a look very good i'm
21:15already worrying about when she asks what it costs and it's just down there well you're going to have
21:22to worry a little longer rich as you haven't even seen the upstairs yet the exposed stonework continues
21:28throughout the house and in addition to the downstairs bedroom there are another four doubles
21:36oh wow amazing you know a hotel room that's got all the quirky features amazing beams yeah i think
21:46that might be a walk-in wardrobe uh yeah oh yeah plenty of space for my things anyway oh i
21:57like it
21:59the largest of the bedrooms has an ensuite moving outside there's an outbuilding that could be a
22:05workshop and the garden shares the views into the distance with the attached cottage i'm scared if
22:11you're asking us how much is no i love it i love the character i love the feel of it
22:17so shall we ask the
22:18question that you don't want me to ask but i do have to ask what do you think it's on
22:23the market for you
22:24see it's the whole grade two star listed thing that's thrown me a bit because i don't know whether
22:28that makes things more expensive or less expensive but i'm thinking 595. okay so right almost at top of
22:35the budget 600 000 pounds
22:41i'm gonna say 580 again i said it last time i was wrong last time i'm prepared to be wrong
22:45this time
22:46is this your theme you're just going to say that i think i think okay
22:51okay okay you like it don't you i do i think that annex is is beautiful and then so maybe
22:58we've
22:58gone too low i don't know okay you haven't gone too low actually it's on the market for 550 000
23:03so it's 50 000 pounds under your budget okay okay there was definitely a smile there as well
23:13so a semi-detached cottage with a grade two star listing which they originally said would be a
23:19complete no but there are exceptions to rules and this house is exceptional it has two living rooms a
23:26large kitchen diner a total of five bedrooms one of which could suit as a rental plus space for a
23:33work
23:33room and a workshop available to buy for 550 000 pounds this house is not short on character
23:43it's beautiful it's a very very warm feeling home it feels like a home it's not a house it's
23:50it's lovely it's so spacious the views are stunning there are a few compromises and a few questions
23:56we've got that we need to look at um i think we'll have another look around if that's all right
24:07in the north of the county close to the market town of shipley is the village of soltaire financed
24:14and built by philanthropists at titus salt so that workers at his textile mill could live in better
24:19conditions today the village is a unesco world heritage site and the mill which closed in 1986
24:28incorporates shops a restaurant and an art gallery that includes one of the largest collections of
24:34works by david hockney so i thought we'd end the day in one of my favorite places in west yorkshire
24:40somewhere i spent loads of time over the years it's salts mill in the village of solter i don't know
24:45if
24:45you've heard of it i i don't yeah i've been here before it's fascinating history and this is only 10
24:50minutes
24:50away from the house that we've just been looking at with its cafe and restaurant absolutely yeah
24:55on your doorstep to come and explore yeah definitely is it starting to feel real now we're here how's it
25:01felt today it is today's been really interesting and it's been eye-opening i think for us it's changed
25:06from the conceptual shall we move back to yorkshire to oh what would we put in that room yeah yeah
25:12so you
25:13can have lots to talk about with rupert when you call him we are i've had to turn my phone
25:18off because
25:18he keeps texting constantly wanting to know what we're seeing what's happening what's going on so
25:22yeah we'll have a very interesting conversation with him later on and with each other does yes
25:28it's been a great day but it's asked as many questions as it's answered yeah i think we've we've
25:34pushed you in a few different ways there yeah today but hopefully showing you what's possible
25:39as well no yeah really made us think yeah well you've got you've got tonight to have a think
25:44about some of the answers and then we get to do it all over again tomorrow yay excellent
26:02west yorkshire is beautiful and the house prices here are pretty attractive too
26:08as the average cost of a detached property is just under 359 000 pounds around 25 percent lower than the
26:16471 000 pound average across england as a whole but if you're in the market for a terraced home
26:24how about this canal side cottage priced at 240 000 pounds it's packed with period features
26:31including flagstone floors but it's the ceilings that really catch the eye with incredible stone
26:38archways in the kitchen and these feature beams in the two bedrooms
26:45just over the border in north yorkshire this barn conversion in an elevated position has a pristine
26:52garden and views to the horizon inside is spacious and light thanks to the enormous windows and stunning
26:59gallery landing there are five bedrooms and an abundance of original features all for 795 000 pounds
27:11back in west yorkshire on the rental market is a charming cottage off a cobbled courtyard in a gated
27:19development it blends a period feel with modern decor and has a large garden lined with mature trees
27:28it's available for 630 pounds a month
27:35a blustery west yorkshire awaits for the second day of our house hunt and of course today brings the
27:40mystery house so it's time to see if it can become the start of the show and earn itself a
27:45standing ovation
27:48for a final offering we're heading to the market town of hebden bridge situated on the confluence of
27:53the river calder and the hebden water near to where i'm meeting rich and jamie
28:00so i thought we'd kick the day off in another of my favorite places in west yorkshire welcome to
28:04hebden bridge excellent do you guys know it i don't but i'm very excited i've heard about it i've been
28:09here but not for a very long time but a beautiful place and such a sort of reputation
28:13kind of thing it has it's become a real kind of center and a hub for the arts for creativity
28:18it's
28:19got an amazing community spirit gets loads of people coming for days out which is where i used
28:24to come here over the years and it's just surrounded by beautiful countryside we're not going to let
28:30the non-summery weather put us off today it is part and parcel with living near the moors
28:35absolutely i grew up near them and this is a common sight all year round we love a pink brolly
28:41absolutely look i'm going to go and get the mystery house ready for you both brilliant you guys just
28:46have a wander around hedden bridge i know this is your first time jamie yeah so yeah take it all
28:50in
28:50thank you and i'll see you at the mystery house great thank you all right thanks partly to the steep
28:59hills and fast streams a number of water mills sprang up in the town it developed during the 18th and
29:0619th
29:06centuries then in the 70s and 80s the town witnessed an influx of artists writers and musicians and has
29:15enjoyed a reputation for the arts ever since the high street and market have won multiple awards and offer
29:21a wide range of independent shops cafes and other businesses it's long been popular with house hunters
29:29and the lack of available flat land means many homes in the town have four stories or more as is
29:36the case
29:36with our final property so our mystery house is nestled in a valley five minutes away from the center of
29:44hebden bridge and it is a building with a lot of history and a lot to explore so let's take
29:49a look
29:52this characterful property was built in the mid 19th century to house the carriage the horses and the
29:59workers for the owner of the local mill and the features inside are next level it's not that unusual
30:06to discover a vaulted ceiling in the homes that we visit on escape to the country unless it's a vaulted
30:11ceiling
30:12like this and while the view above is jaw-dropping the view below is even more breathtaking when it
30:20was converted to a residential dwelling in the 1980s many of the original features were retained and have
30:26become the star attractions as rich and janey are about to find out so here we have our hebden bridge
30:35mystery house excellent yes what do you make of the location i mean it's beautiful the view's amazing
30:42it's dramatic it's very close to hebden bridge yeah it's really interesting yes and it's got this
30:48fantastic ready-made annex absolutely which has got power water everything in so there's loads of options
30:54there yeah you know i'm loving the windows already yeah you can really see the character and the history
31:00yes and the mystery is actually exploring the house itself okay okay intriguing should we go and
31:07take a look yes please with four floors there is a lot of property with this one and we're starting
31:13on
31:13the ground floor which is in the middle so there's a lot to explore in the mystery house um we've
31:19got the
31:19kitchen here one of five bedrooms could make a lovely study oh lovely but i suspect this is where you
31:25would
31:26spend most of your time wow oh my goodness okay yeah oh oh my goodness that's beautiful what's down
31:37there there's a brook just in the valley that runs by we're about only sort of five minutes out of
31:42hebden bridge yeah yeah you see the what i thought was a bottle was to store wine yeah wine rack
31:47which
31:48shows how my brain works it's a ladder yeah wow yeah that you know you knew yeah i didn't i
31:54was like
31:55wine rack how do i get to the walls at the top and that would have been all the workers
31:59accommodation
32:00that have climbed up from the barn and the stables oh fascinating yeah it would be up that ladder
32:08better than me okay yeah it's a really interesting quirky house but i think we see quite a lot of
32:14vaulted ceilings we've shown you yeah and we've shown you a galleried area yeah but this sort of
32:20supersizes that a bit it does also on this floor there is a bedroom and then on the gallery landing
32:26above it's a close-up view of those beams and trusses so this is the area i thought rupert might
32:32like
32:33really lovely bedroom through there and then he's got his kind of own hangout area
32:38here oh he would love it whether he would be allowed to have it is a different thing but you
32:44could just imagine couldn't you bean bags and yeah a desk for doing his homework and he wouldn't want
32:50that okay there's another room on this floor bedroom that's used as a study but there's also
32:54a massive bathroom so he'd have his own bathroom okay okay floor to himself so long as he cleaned it
32:59there's a way for is there somewhere for us yeah where do we go you gotta clean your own bathroom
33:04i mean to be honest we could find somewhere else for rupert and you could have this for yourself
33:08yeah yeah yeah you could you really could like the bottles oh yeah over there it's a really interesting
33:18yeah it's making my brain hurt is it in a good way or are you not sure i just don't
33:25understand where
33:26everything is yet okay it's really quite simple janey two floors below on the basement level could be the
33:34digs with a bedroom sitting room bathroom utility room snug and potential workshop then at the very
33:40top of the house on the second floor is a fifth bedroom and a shower with me so far good
33:46because then
33:46out in the courtyard is a studio work room oh it's a space for me yeah that's a great space
33:54and what is it currently i'm not sure a creative little hobby i like it we'd have to try and
34:02stop
34:02rupert nabbing this place as well just don't tell them about it it's theirs the land here is the
34:09compromise with a gate that leads to a secluded garden with a small patch of lawn and a paved patio
34:15hello hi you didn't get lost we didn't not quite are you clearer about the layout no no sort of
34:24so
34:26final guess for you two now what do you think the mystery house is on the market for so unlike
34:32any other property you see i'm gonna go a bit low and i'm gonna say 530. 530 000 janey
34:41uh i'm gonna go 560. 560 000 pounds okay neither of you quite hit the mark on this on the
34:49mystery
34:49house i'm going rubbish at this uh it's just it's just under budget actually it's on at 595 000
34:55pounds okay and i mean that's because it's a substantial property it's a mile out of hebden
34:59bridge absolutely um and you know the price reflects the area yeah as well yeah
35:05five hundred and ninety five thousand pounds for this four-story former carriage house it's marketed
35:11as having five bedrooms but with so many reception rooms the potential configurations are extensive
35:18there's a studio work room and a workshop all just a short walk from hebden bridge
35:26we did two full laps just to try to get a a sense of the layout of it what's where
35:33what what could be
35:35where but it's i mean it's an extraordinary house i have never seen a vaulted ceiling like this it is
35:41absolutely stunning it's it's so dramatic and yeah it's worthy of some sort of stage show it's got that
35:49sort of feel about it rich and janie's escape from london to west yorkshire is about a return to their
36:04roots and others have made the same move but in very different circumstances for some people moving
36:11from the city to the countryside involves slowing things down putting your feet up but for others
36:17like emma and gavin a rural escape means some hard graft after working for the metropolitan police
36:24for 30 years gavin emma and their son harry bought a 36 acre traditional farm on the outskirts of hebden
36:31bridge we've never done this before it's a huge learning curve and we have lots of animals we have sheep
36:39goats and pigs goats are fantastic the sheep are a nightmare and the pigs love a cuddle
36:46six years since making the move harry is now a member of a young farmers club and takes part in
36:51their events harry's competing today in the auctioneering so this is one of the items he's
36:59going to be auctioneering off so let's hope he gets a good price from the age of 16 you can
37:04legally drive
37:05a tractor of up to 2.45 meters wide so harry can help out with many of the jobs you
37:12know usually it raining
37:13wouldn't be a problem getting the sheep wet and whatnot it'd be fine but because they're getting
37:17shorn tomorrow we don't want them to be damp so we'll bring them in tonight before it starts raining
37:22in addition to caring for all the animals the family also offers holiday accommodation for those hoping
37:28to share the idyllic scenery i could stare at that view all day but this is a farm and that
37:34means there's
37:37work to be done hey there hi hello goodness me i can see why you made an escape here that's
37:42a view
37:43it is pretty amazing isn't it are you settled in now does it feel like home it does very much
37:48so yeah
37:48it takes a bit of getting used to when you come from a city or suburban environment um but you
37:53get
37:53used to it and now when we go back into town it seems too crowded does it yeah it's just
37:57it definitely
37:57is home now it's wonderful i can see the appeal it's beautiful and you're obviously look really
38:03happy here it must be hard work as well they're running a farm that must have been a bit of
38:07a shock
38:07to the system yes yeah i mean we were we were police officers in london for 30 years so i
38:14guess you've
38:15always worked hard but this is another level you've got uh it's your life it's not a job it's it's
38:21just
38:21your life and it is blooming hard um but it's amazing yeah there's no days off like saturday
38:27and sunday is a working day bank holidays are working days you work every christmas um so you
38:32got to love it to do it and of course it wasn't just the two of you making the move
38:35you made the
38:35move with your son harry as well it's a big move isn't it coming from living in central london going
38:41to
38:41school there having loads of friends to being up here how does he settle down oh duck to water
38:46really does enjoy it he works at the local dairy farm um he's the farmer in the family we're not
38:52is he really that's so interesting and did he have an interest in this all before you moved up
38:57not at all um he was just like a normal kid growing up in a town or city but i
39:02think he loves
39:03working with the older leads on the farm especially when he was younger um and he just really enjoys
39:08the work this week harry is on half term so he's helping to look after the pigs hi harry hi
39:16well i'm betting that um feeding the pigs as part of your daily routine wasn't something you
39:20pictured when you were nine or ten oh never not at all give me a flavor of what life is
39:25like for you
39:25now well i think nowadays it's just i'm driving heavy machinery milking cows obviously where i work
39:31at the dairy farm feeding the pigs like i've just done then so yeah it's just completely different
39:36dare i ask if you've got a favorite animal on the farm oh i think it would have to be
39:40the goats
39:41they're the easiest to care for and they're the cutest they are the cutest as well but yeah they
39:45eat anything easy to birth yeah lovely animals the goats i need to pick you up on that easy to
39:50birth
39:50have you birthed a goat several times yeah it is obviously a bit gory you get covered in all all
39:56sorts of goo coming out of the goats but it is it's lovely to see life sort of in front
40:00of you that
40:00you've managed to create and look after brilliant well i wish you all the best thank you very much and
40:05what a beautiful spot you've all created oh yeah it's lovely enjoy thank you very much there can't
40:11be many bigger shifts than swapping 30 years with the police in london for a tranquil west yorkshire
40:16farm but despite all the hard work i can definitely see why a new life here would appeal
40:25it's been lovely reconnecting with some of my favorite places in west yorkshire over the last
40:30couple of days and we're back in another one now in beautiful howarth to find out what janey and rich
40:36have made of the house hunt
40:47hi hello that means it's time for a chance i guess doesn't it how are you both feeling
40:56shattered yes i get that but no it's it's it's been very very interesting yeah first house was lovely
41:04finished to such a high standard was fantastic inside i did like the courtyard side of it but
41:09we it was still the noise of the traffic i think that it's something we couldn't have changed if we'd
41:14moved there we couldn't do anything about that the mystery house just doesn't quite work for us the
41:20outside space didn't work for me it was too much of a compromise that's kind of it's almost my therapy
41:25he does running i do gardening and that's what settles me but it was an amazing house i think we
41:30are
41:30genuinely jealous of whoever gets that yeah definitely so that leaves us with one it does
41:36the grade two star list which we said we would never do the listed semi-detached house oh that one
41:43the two the two things that we said we were well oh yeah to consider it's very such a lovely
41:48house
41:49such a lovely house i think we probably need to do a little bit more research about the area and
41:55about
41:55schools and i guess the person who is so key in the search and joining you on it is your
42:01son repert
42:01yeah we've had constant messages from him asking for updates and photographs and this and that and
42:06from everything we've sent him be like number two the best okay well so we are all on the same
42:12path
42:12yep brilliant okay well we look forward to seeing where that path ends up marvelous thank you thank you
42:24growing up so close to west yorkshire meant that my childhood was filled with days out here and i've
42:29got really happy memories of the area so it's been lovely exploring it once again with fellow northerners
42:35janey and rich but you know it's even nicer to be leaving knowing that our theatrical couple are one
42:42step closer to raising the curtain on their next act and taking center stage in this wonderful part
42:49of the world join me next time on escape to the country if you would like to escape to the
42:55country
42:55in england northern ireland scotland or wales and need our help then why not reply online at bbc.co.uk
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