Escape To The Country Season 26 Episode 33 heads to Scotland’s stunning Central Lowlands, where Sonali Shah helps Canadian couple Stewart and Derek search for their perfect countryside home. Among the beautiful properties is a spectacular mystery house featuring a staircase worthy of a grand entrance, adding a touch of elegance and drama to their property journey.
Sonali also meets a family from California who took a bold leap of faith by purchasing a Scottish home sight unseen — and absolutely loving the result. This inspiring episode highlights the beauty of the Central Lowlands and the growing appeal of rural Scottish living for buyers from around the world.
#EscapeToTheCountry #CentralLowlands #Scotland #CountryLiving #BritishTV
Sonali also meets a family from California who took a bold leap of faith by purchasing a Scottish home sight unseen — and absolutely loving the result. This inspiring episode highlights the beauty of the Central Lowlands and the growing appeal of rural Scottish living for buyers from around the world.
#EscapeToTheCountry #CentralLowlands #Scotland #CountryLiving #BritishTV
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FunTranscript
00:02some couples share a dream that can differ on the details and he's happier to be more isolated but I
00:09would like to be attached to a village of some kind he's always said he'd like to walk to a
00:12coffee shop there can be confusion over which direction a house search should head I'm gonna
00:19flow this way yeah they've already got their separate entrances and exits so we like to offer
00:28a reminder of the bigger picture this is incredible the views are amazing this is what you move for
00:34absolutely yeah absolutely
01:04the heart of Scotland a fertile mineral rich landscape bestowing wealth influence innovation
01:13and some very beautiful countryside homes so join us as we head to the central lowlands
01:21caught between the wild beauty of the highlands and the gentle rolling hills of the lowlands
01:27Scotland's central valley is a true sweet spot it's the kind of place where you can hike up a
01:33hill in the morning hit a gig in the evening and still be home before the midges get you
01:42also known as the central lowlands the central valley spans Scotland's waistline covering council
01:50areas including parts of the Scottish borders the Lothians and North and South Lanarkshire it's
01:56relatively flat fertile soil along with iron and coal fueled settlement and it's where three quarters of
02:04Scotland's population now reside enjoying a combination of remote rural terrain with no fewer than six of
02:12the nation's eight cities so we are quite very central very central hub here so excellent routes to
02:19Stirland to Edinburgh to Glasgow people come from all over it's very easy to get to here you're quickly
02:26into one of the wildest or most exciting and fresh environments of nature you want to explore it within
02:33reason respectfully and you also use it as a way to recharge historically lowlanders spoke Scots closer
02:40to English than the Gaelic of the Highlands and developed a culture based on the bar or community
02:47which continues today I think the sense of community can really be measured by the amount of volunteers that
02:54are giving up their time really there's lots of opportunities for volunteering and people of
02:59different faiths and cultures coming together is always a welcome sight from the prairies of Canada to
03:14the picturesque central lowlands of Scotland leaving vast open spaces for scenic landscapes and historic
03:22towns today's couple had a full-on life in Canada but for one of them coming back to their Scottish
03:28roots
03:29was always part of the plan my name is Stuart and I'm Derek and we arrived here from the Canadian
03:36Prairies January 2025 Scotland was the natural choice for us because Stuart's family is from here
03:43originally and he's still got loads of aunts and uncles everywhere eight aunts and uncles and about 25
03:48first and second cousins married couple Stuart a financial planner and Derek a professional fundraiser from
03:56the Canadian city of Winnipeg are following Stuart's lifelong dream to return to the land his parents
04:02emigrated from using their respective ancestral rights to UK and Irish citizenship they're staying
04:09with extended family in the central lowlands town of Bowness while looking for new jobs and a new home in
04:16terms
04:16of escaping from Winnipeg to Scotland the weather goes without saying or maybe it doesn't because people in
04:22Scotland have been apologizing for the weather here since we arrived people here keep saying oh my goodness
04:27it's so chilly there's a chilly wind but where we're from in the Canadian Prairies minus 30 for almost half
04:32the
04:33year people here can't comprehend what it's like for us joined by their canine companion Susie Master Gardener
04:41Derek is keen to take on a large swathe of land he can turn into a biodiverse and climate resilient
04:47landscape in as secluded a spot as
04:50possible and Stuart seeks community connections in the land of his Scottish ancestors
04:57I'd actually be okay without having any neighbors within sight although I think Stuart might prefer to
05:03have some closer by I would our Winnipeg neighbors in particular they were like our family and I question
05:09whether we can be without neighbors here armed with a seven hundred thousand pound budget the couple want a
05:17detached property with large rooms including two separate receptions and three bedrooms it should
05:23have a sizable plot and they'd like Glasgow or Edinburgh within an hour's reach
05:40This is such an epic move and it's been something that Stuart has been planning for years he spent his
05:47summers here growing up
05:48They've already started living their life here and the final piece of the puzzle is finding them a home to
05:54call their own
06:00Our viewings kickoff in the Scottish Borders village of West Linton where I found one of the many quiet spots
06:07for Derek Stuart and I to get acquainted
06:13Derek and Stuart I can honestly say this is the first time that I'm helping someone move to Scotland because
06:20of the warm weather here
06:23Do I need to take your temperature are you feeling okay
06:27You have looked at a few houses you haven't found somewhere yet what isn't there so we've seen some
06:34Houses that look like they might have the acreage and be okay houses, but they're just a little bit too
06:38Far that wouldn't give us the convenience of access to the cities that we're looking for
06:42Derek is it for you it is the outside space a little bit more
06:48Absolutely, I will spend my time outside shaping the property and making it wildlife friendly and gorgeous
06:55And that's where I spend all my time and yet you both want a life because you want to be
06:58in the city when you need to be
07:00Yes, yeah, yeah
07:01You want it all yeah, we do yeah
07:03It's such a small ass
07:04Let's just get on with it
07:05Come on, let's get
07:06Let's get you everything
07:13Located in a conservation area the village of west linton offers a little of what both my buyers are after
07:19there's open countryside to satisfy Derek's back to the land ethos and community for self-confessed people person
07:27Stewart with a grocery coffee stop and brunch options
07:32The man who owned the first motor car in scotland was born here in 1855 so perhaps
07:38Appropriately an a road gives swift access to edinburgh whilst a more climate savvy option is offered by regular buses
07:47But for us, it's just a short stroll to the house. We're here to see
07:53So this is exciting
07:56As with many rural scottish homes it presents its best face to the garden
08:02So i'm sort of showing you from this way because look
08:06wow
08:06Okay
08:08Beautiful
08:10I think it looks great to see an old stone building is very scottish to me. I am excited to
08:15see views. I mean, that's always a bonus
08:17And the village looked to be very cute
08:19And he's happier to be more isolated, but I would like to be attached to a village of some kind
08:24He's always said he'd like to walk to a coffee shop. I think you're gonna like the proportions, but I
08:29can't tell because i'm five fun
08:31I'll let you decide
08:35This stone house with tall-shouldered chimney stacks gabled dormer windows and pointed arch doorways was built as a manse
08:43for the minister of the
08:44Neighbouring st mungo's church
08:47It's category c listed so faces more stringent planning rules than unlisted homes
08:54From the garden we head to the main door at the side
08:58So you come into this lovely entrance huge hallway
09:02And start our tour where two reception rooms have been knocked through to give an open plan layout
09:10And you've got this great double
09:13living room
09:14Mm-hmm. It's very high ceilings. I love the coving work beautiful
09:19It's the size of the windows is great. So there's definitely a view of rolling hills
09:23And it has the wooden shutters actually for folding in you could add a dining table in here
09:28There's so much beautiful light in here. Yeah, right. There's plenty of room with all this furniture in here gives
09:33us an idea of how much
09:34It can accommodate. It's nice to have this opened up already
09:38Crossing back on the other side of the hall is a smaller room. So pop your head in there
09:45Oh, yeah, this would make a lovely home office with the great views and to have a fireplace in the
09:49home office would be quite exceptional
09:52And moving further to the rear is a well-proportioned kitchen diner
09:57Great size
09:59We did not have the number of skylights in
10:01Canada
10:02I think probably because they would get covered in snow for five months of the year
10:05Is maybe the reason but I love all the skylights here i'm noticing the neighboring house is right there
10:10But you know wherever we've lived our neighbors have become like our family maybe they're like you know future family
10:16members
10:18Also on this floor is a cloakroom the stairs with a cast iron and timber balustrade lead to the attic
10:25level and four bedrooms
10:27Starting with the largest featuring a dormer window
10:31So this is the main bedroom
10:33Look at those views. Oh, wow lovely rolling hills
10:36I'm also noticing the very full ceiling because we're not huge
10:39But you know, you don't like to have your head cut off on the walls
10:42There's no guarantee to have this height and upper floors for sure it's great and the view is spectacular
10:49I'm sending derek and stuart to assess the three further bedrooms
10:53First a double with an outlook towards the village tennis courts
10:58And we can actually see if they're free before wandering down we'll have to pick up tennis
11:02Okay, okay
11:04At the back of the home is a bedroom laid out as a twin and next to this the fourth
11:09and final bedroom
11:10Again with a gabled dormer window
11:13Another good-sized room
11:15It is relatively open to the neighbors back here
11:19There's a shower room with a victorian style stretcher bond tile pattern which serves all the bedrooms
11:26But i'm not sure this former minister's house is quite preaching to the converted as yet
11:33Outside there's a generous plot which provides areas for their dog susie to play on
11:37A variety of mature trees and a paved patio
11:41But how might this sit with derek's plans to create a biodiverse and climate resilient garden?
11:50Ideally prefer something more so that I can
11:53You know put in a pond and then garden with trees rather than just with plants and shrubs and sort
11:59of reimagine the landscape
12:00Shall we have a chat about how much this property is on the market for?
12:07547 000 pounds
12:09Okay, so derek's just jumped right in there keeping in mind this offer is over so offers over 560 000
12:14pounds
12:15I'm wondering if it does reflect how you feel about the property because it is on the market for offers
12:19over 650
12:21Oh wow
12:22That's quite a lot of house you're getting there. Yeah, right on the edge of a village
12:28This former church minister's manse in the scottish borders may not be derek and stuart's idea of heaven
12:34But with period details outside and in a large kitchen diner and four double bedrooms
12:41It will surely answer someone's property prayers
12:44There's a plot of just over half an acre and it's on the edge of a village
12:49Of course, i'm the biased one who wants to be more in the country and maybe want to double check
12:54with steward on this
12:54But we're walkers. We don't have to be right in the village per se
12:58Derek would prefer to be completely isolated so our compromise is sort of edge of a village
13:02I can walk in the direction of the village derek and walk into the into the going into the woods
13:07He can be off on his own somewhere
13:25Derek and stuart are in the process of rewilding their former city lifestyles
13:31lots of tourists lots of locals accents from everywhere
13:34And in the central lowlands town of fulkerk a former brownfield site that once held industrial estates
13:42has been transformed into an eco park spanning 350 acres
13:49It features giant equine sculptures that have become one of scotland's biggest tourist attractions
13:56Guide kirstie connell is on hand to explain how the ancient spirits of the land have come to raise their
14:02voices here once more
14:05So kirstie excited they come to be what was the vision and and they're massive like
14:09They absolutely are the world's biggest horse shape sculpture so we believed a long time ago
14:15There were magical water spirits that lived in the water and come onto land and turn into a horse
14:21Because if you touch a kelpie you become stuck to them
14:24They then drag you into the water where they drown you then they eat you
14:29Which is lovely
14:30Okay
14:31The artist andy scott who has a very strong connection to fulkerk wanted to celebrate fulkerk's history as a foundry
14:38town
14:38So that's why the kelpies are made of steel
14:41And he wanted to celebrate the clydesdales that used to work along the fourth and clyde canal
14:45Which is what runs through the kelpies in fulkerk as well. So that's why they are modeled after clydesdales as
14:50well
14:51But not all the town's industrial and engineering prowess has been put to pasture
14:57What an engineering marvel. I actually really like the building too
15:01At the intersection of the fourth and clyde and union canals is an eye-catching 21st century boat lift
15:09The fulkerk wheel is the only rotating boat lift in the world
15:12You see people just watching it to turn nice and slowly around with the boats and in pure amazement
15:17So there's a giant gear and that keeps the two gondolas
15:20Turning either side through water displacement archivedi's principle water displacement both gondolas always weigh the exact same amount
15:27So it's always in perfect balance and that's what makes it so efficient to operate
15:32As well as canal boats travel to and from the town includes trains
15:36With a station serving the edinburgh to dunblane line and another on the glasgow to edinburgh route
15:42And an eclectic selection of shops also caters to those who prefer to arrive by broomstick
15:52Fulkerk shows that the central lowlands can deliver derek and stuart that sweet spot between coffee culture and green surroundings
16:01Look they're sitting over there another cafe and swans we'll have to get some swans swans and who doesn't love
16:07swans
16:08Now to see if we can unearth a home that feels like their natural nest too
16:21My next option for them is a mile and a half from the west lothian village of west calder
16:27Where intriguing hills tell a tale of the world's first ever oil refinery opened by chemist james young in the
16:361860s
16:37plant life now covers the spoils to form a protected heritage site romantically named the five sisters
16:45for those looking to green their own fossil fuel output there's a train station and a good choice of buses
16:51add in plentiful shops and services including a cycle outlet and reducing car use is made that bit easier
17:00It's just a nine-minute bike ride or half an hour's walk down a quiet country lane to the rurally
17:07located property
17:08I have lined up
17:10It's actually that
17:12All right, that sort of classic low scottish cottage, but I want to make sure that derek is taken care
17:19of first
17:20Okay
17:20It is so we're going to head this way
17:23All right, right
17:24Let's come
17:25You can come
17:27We're setting the stone cottage built during the local oil boom of the 1860s to one side for now and
17:35heading into the wild woods
17:38Around an acre and a quarter of tree-covered bliss that could be derek's own private nature cocoon
17:46You already have a woodland that comes with the property that's there, but he's across the road
17:52Out of his hair
17:57Yeah, mature trees are fantastic. It's a great mix of trees too. You've got broadleaf and you've got pine you've
18:03got tall mature trees
18:04You've got a shrub layer. You've got a ground layer with the ferns. It looks like a healthy ecosystem
18:09Is that a fire pit? Can we have like fires there? Do you think it's your land?
18:13As long as it's respectful you can do what you want. Yeah, i'm very excited. This is a great way
18:18to start
18:19And if you're happy, you're exactly i'm generally happy if he's happy should we now go and see the house
18:25sure love to yeah, let's do that
18:27Back across the quiet lane a sizable purpose-built
18:33Cattery run by the current owners until recently sits beside the long rendered and painted single-story 19th century cottage
18:43Yeah, what do you think of it? I think it's pretty yeah, I like the white stucco fence on the
18:49cattery on the house
18:50Unifying it all together. Yeah, it looks like a complex then yeah
18:56From the central front door a small hall leads to a reception room
19:02So if you use the front door which you might not
19:05This is what you'd come into
19:08Nice what I like about it right away is that there's flow there's three different doors going to three different
19:13places
19:13You're quieter now. We've taken care of derek, but sure
19:17Well, I'm thinking that this room is almost like a bit of a hallway right because everything sort of works
19:22through here
19:22I'm, also wondering is it the only lounge in the houses well
19:26It's an open-plan kitchen diner living space. Okay, let's head over here. Okay, perfect
19:37Located at the back the well-appointed kitchen opens into dining
19:41That could also work as an additional sitting room with doors out to the garden
19:48I think this would make a nice tv room bit outdoor seating there outdoor seating here
19:53And this is a big room. It's a nice room come on through
19:57And that also goes through to the bedroom
19:59So when you were talking in terms of flow
20:01Yeah, it does have that flow which is very helpful and beautiful view out this kitchen window
20:06Yeah, it is
20:08I'm actually thinking do we even need this table in here?
20:10Could this be like a bit of a family room with the kitchen?
20:12Because usually we're just either eating in front of the tv or we could eat it like the breakfast bar
20:17And when derek's cooking i'll be on the couch and make sure that everything's flowing okay
20:21And you've got the utility boot room space again that goes out. Oh great super. Can we see the rest
20:28of the house?
20:28Yeah, i'm gonna let you do that on your own
20:30Okay, and then come and find me outside super. Thank you. Thank you. I'm gonna flow this way. Oh
20:37yeah
20:37they've already got their uh
20:40separate entrances and exits
20:42And the bedrooms are a tale of two halves at one end a good sized guest double with a window
20:49to the front
20:50Then next to this a smaller guest room also with a front facing aspect these are served by a family
20:57bathroom
20:58lovely size
21:00big bath and then the window again this would do fine
21:04At the other end of the home is the principal bedroom which has an ensuite shower room with a black
21:10and white finish
21:13This brick is very cool
21:16Like that looks like a significant amount of storage closet space which was always nice and even a sliding barn
21:24door which i like
21:29Justee
21:31Derek is over the moon about what he has seen over there, but I have not one steward over I
21:38can tell
21:40outside there's more to woo Derek with a garden approaching half an acre which
21:45already has a small pond and as well as the cattery building there's a garden
21:50studio previously used for recording music a task made easier by the very
21:56peaceful location but if all this seems to be catering to one half of my
22:00couple's wish list I have got a little something up my sleeve for the other
22:05half too the house comes with planning permission and this is what it could
22:12look like from here this is already in place this planning permission you have
22:18it for about another year that's a wow house that's something wow isn't it just
22:23okay stuff to think about do you know what I'm about to ask with the extra
22:30woodland maybe a little bit more six sixty thousand pounds you think it's
22:36priced at six hundred and sixty thousand pounds yeah okay offers over six twenty
22:40five thousand pounds gents it's on the market for offers over five hundred and
22:46fifty thousand okay so potential then to actually act on the redesign this mid
22:5719th century cottage has an open plan kitchen and dining room three bedrooms and
23:03current planning permission for a significant extension there are one and
23:07three-quarter acres spread across garden and private woodland and it's in a
23:12quiet rural location but close to a village with shops and services in terms of
23:18peace and quiet this is certainly a restful setting I don't think we've heard a
23:22car go by it's got nicely curated gardens with you know opportunity to do more
23:35the average price for a detached house in Scotland comes in at just over three
23:40hundred and forty seven thousand pounds but within the central lowlands that
23:46figure varies considerably approaching four hundred and thirteen thousand pounds in
23:51West Lothian but sitting at three hundred and thirteen thousand pounds in North
23:56Lanarkshire
23:59I'm meeting Zoe Davidson from rights of camps the estate agents to find out what
24:04those less familiar with buying a house in this part of Scotland need to know
24:10what's going on so it I absolutely need your expertise on the local market here when I've
24:16looked in other parts of Scotland perhaps a bit more West the offers over hasn't been always the
24:22case when it comes to the price but it feels like it is in this area yeah the
24:26rest of Scotland does do a little bit different from other areas we tend to do
24:30the offers over because and that can help to drive a seller's price up a little bit for
24:34them and getting the best place that is out there and we're finding the houses in our area are
24:38selling you know within a week it's moving very very quickly at the moment how
24:42can people be best prepared if they are looking in this kind of what's sounding
24:47like a seller's market yeah it's making sure that when you see a house that you
24:50do like you are ready to offer that you have all your finances in place you've got
24:54your solicitor ready a lot of people don't realize that if they're buying a
24:57house in Scotland and they are from England you will need to have a Scottish
24:59solicitor appointed as well in Scotland anything over your home report you have
25:03to have that cash available it's not that you can get a mortgage on it so making sure you
25:07keep that in mind as well because it does differ from area to area but there's a
25:11lot of houses sort of that are still within sort of access of Glasgow and
25:15Edinburgh but those hosts have increased in fact by about 30% since 2020 you're
25:20certainly busy aren't you we are yes Zoe thank you thank you I know how busy you are so
25:24thank you so much you're welcome if all that sounds a little intimidating there are
25:31still fixed price options to be found for example this detached home in a village a
25:37few miles south of the town of Falkirk is recently refurbished and offers four
25:42bedrooms and two bathrooms for the fixed price of just under 280,000 pounds on the
25:50other hand in West Lothian where the markets a little hotter this detached
25:54four-bedroom three-bathroom village home calls for offers over three hundred and
25:59seventy-five thousand pounds
26:03for a short stay this two-bedroom self-catering cottage has that regional
26:09sweet spot combining the best of rural surroundings with the city of Edinburgh
26:14just ten miles away sleeping up to four it costs two hundred and forty pounds a
26:19night
26:24you've caught me taking a breather before we head to our mystery house it is this
26:28grand building with magnificent grounds but are Stuart and Derek willing to share
26:35it the mystery option is taking us to the outskirts of the East Dumbartonshire
26:41village of Milton of Campsie located ten miles northeast of Glasgow this is the
26:47closest we've been to a city so far but on the slopes of the Campsie fells
26:54looking down at the Rift Valley it certainly doesn't feel like it
26:58Wow look at this oh my gosh this is Scotland this is incredible the views are
27:05amazing this is what you move for absolutely absolutely so I think I can even
27:10see Glasgow from up here I'm glad you've spotted that because that is what the
27:14location of the mystery house demonstrates you can be within a
27:19reasonable distance of Glasgow but then also striking distance of all of this
27:25right that's what we're after we drove through briefly in January so being back
27:29here today is quite interesting because we knew the proximity to Glasgow was good
27:32so can we see the mystery house from here I'm gonna let you figure that out I'll
27:37send you the address don't be late boys okay all right thank you the fells stand
27:47commandingly over the village of Milton of Campsie where there's a coffee house
27:51for Stuart to get his caffeine and community fix as well as a post office and
27:57a supermarket dog Susie would have hairdressing options and there are regular
28:02buses to Glasgow city centre while my buyers dream of their future home
28:07together I've gone ahead to my mystery property to let you in on the twist in
28:13the tale I don't want to tell Stuart and Derek that I'm nervous about showing them
28:17this mystery house and that's because they have said they don't want very close
28:23neighbors and with this mystery property which is amazing by the way they
28:27would have neighbors on top of them and it's the bottom that is our mystery house
28:31designed by a renowned Glaswegian architect for a wealthy accountant to
28:37the British colonies in the 1880s the more recent horizontal division still
28:43leaves a ground floor home of more than 3,000 square feet that retains the
28:48ability to make a striking impression this gorgeous staircase which doesn't go
28:54anywhere by the way it's blocked at the top but it comes with the property
28:57shows how grand this mystery houses but you get all of this in the countryside
29:07and as Derek and Stuart approach via the home's shared driveway I can't deny my
29:13butterflies yes what have you found here yeah so what I have with the mystery
29:19house is a grand old Victorian nice you've got this you know that the
29:24proportions that you love but with a mystery the twist is it's not the whole
29:29house oh okay okay and it would be the bottom level that would be yours okay
29:36bottom half and then separate is upstairs yeah the upstairs entrance is exactly so
29:43how do you feel about exploring that kind of mystery house yeah I'm intrigued I
29:49mean these old stone manor homes are just stunning and solid should we head in
29:55absolutely definitely definitely thank you few built from high quality cut
30:00sandstone with stone mullion windows decorative masonry festoons and a
30:06covered veranda facing a tennis lawn to the front the main entrance for this
30:11ground floor home is at the side of the property where breathing a sigh of
30:15relief I'm taking them through into the central impressive hall oh my gosh look at
30:22this the staircase comes with the property it's not just the doors that are
30:27large yeah yeah and this staircase comes with the house just doesn't take you
30:33anywhere if there's guests here you could make a grand entrance from nowhere okay I
30:38mean what is that giants lived here so it's like 12 feet what you're feeling
30:43right now is how I feel every single day isn't it just magnificent yeah yeah yeah
30:50it's um it's very grand living room one yes please yeah okay so there's one oh my
30:55goodness wow okay this is plenty of space to say the least this bay window is more than a
31:03bay window it's like a an extension a bay room and extensive and expansive yard to
31:11look out on I'm intrigued to see more yeah like Giants really lived here so we will
31:19pass by the second living room okay next door along the hall is the additional
31:26reception room they've asked for which is cozier I think it's beautiful relatively speaking cozy
31:35you could describe it though still very generously proportioned and another fun mental piece there
31:42lots of built-in storage the amazing detail in the ceiling and the ginormous windows again I
31:48like how the white trim pops at the top as opposed to being all white from that level up I
31:53think that
31:54looks great there are five bedrooms in total we're starting with the largest the principal
32:01with ensuite dressing room and bath how's this for a bedroom it's a bedroom that is bigger than the
32:10first flat yeah yeah okay it's pretty amazing and there's a bathtub like right and like right there
32:20and you would be taking in that whole park like setting and I love large rooms especially work
32:26because we're coming from North America right and a lot of the housing here is smaller room so I love
32:30the larger rooms you have a huge walk-in wardrobe in there it's big enough to be a bedroom but
32:37you
32:37don't need it to be a bedroom because there are plenty with this house go and have a look at
32:40the rest of
32:41the property without me okay and then yeah meet me by the telescope there are four guest rooms for them
32:49to
32:49see including a room by the entrance with a view to a private walled courtyard and next to this a
32:57bathroom
32:57with exposed stonework plus a contemporary freestanding bath then along the corridor is a shower room next to a separate
33:08WC
33:08partly set into the eaves of a lower level extension which serves a further three guest bedrooms oh what
33:16a lovely green relaxing view outside and then another bedroom or home office or something yeah oh right
33:26the mystery has been revealed they seem all right the proportions completely suit them my job sort of
33:33almost nearly done completing the interior tour is the kitchen breakfast room wow plenty of room here
33:41double oven tons of counter space and look at the size of the table lots of room here's also a
33:47wine
33:47chill chiller oh that's a nice little treat for the wine drinker who drinks wine see ya huh that is
33:56in
33:57fact the utility room which has access out into the garden like the house the grounds have been divided as
34:05well as the shared driveway and a shared garage there's a shared tennis court with the land to the right
34:11apportioned to the upstairs neighbor and that to the left a plot of around an acre to the ground floor
34:18home
34:20this includes wooded areas with access to a river so now they've seen everything the mystery has to
34:27offer I need to draw them on what they think they might have to pay for it it's the final
34:37time to
34:37guess the price of the property what do you think the mystery house is asking for six hundred and twenty
34:45five thousand pounds is my guess I think it's got to be up near our ceiling so six hundred ninety
34:49thousand pounds offers over it's offers over five hundred and ninety five thousand pounds yeah yeah
34:58well I'm surprised it's under six okay well there you go wow this ground floor share of a grand
35:05Victorian architect designed mansion has showcased two magnificent reception rooms a well-specced kitchen
35:13breakfast room and five bedrooms there's around an acre of private garden and it's just ten miles
35:19from the city of Glasgow we've known of people to have lived in you know a great big manor house
35:25that's been split up before I could live in something like this it's very interesting house so
35:30walk through the mystery house the idea that there was someone living upstairs just didn't seem to be of
35:35any concern the Kansas City Fowles is an amazing location you're really close to Glasgow and so I think
35:41this area has a lot of potential and it's a great spot as far as big moves go Derek and
35:55Stuart's is
35:56pretty up there but not unprecedented Annie and Zach hopped across the pond a year ago from California to
36:03the East Lothian Steady go
36:17hi I'm Annie and this is my husband Zach and this little guy is our one-year-old border terrier
36:22puppy
36:22Finnegan we made our own escape to the country from California to Scotland with our three kids in tow
36:29well Annie and Zach gave up their home and jobs in California's Silicon Valley to return to the
36:38country Zach was born in sometimes people ask us why would you move from California to Scotland I think
36:43it's obvious the weather and the beaches exactly so this house is purchased sight unseen we did a video
36:50call with my parents they gave us a thumbs up and we just went for it we have a better
36:55work-life balance
36:56and are spending more time as a family and the kids can just be kids which is the biggest thing
37:02for us
37:02really so the family swapped Silicon Valley for the Central Valley and I thought I'm in the area I'll pop
37:11in and
37:11let's see how they're getting on
37:17Hi Sonali welcome in
37:19Come on in
37:20Thank you
37:23This is gorgeous in here
37:26Ah thank you so much I'm curious how much of your home in California then looked like this
37:33Absolutely none of it
37:34Oh right
37:34We had a very mid-century modern home back in California and then we moved to this more cottage-esque
37:40style so we really started from scratch
37:43Every time I help a couple move from the states over here proportions and size has always been the struggle
37:53Yes this place is half the size of the place we moved from which has been amazing because we just
37:59don't have space for all that extra stuff we didn't need
38:01But we did have to learn that doorways are even smaller so we didn't even think when we got an
38:07American sized fridge that we'd need to check the doorways
38:11Millimeters it fit by millimeters
38:13The clue is in the word American even the people are smaller here
38:16Look
38:17Look
38:19What does life feel like look like here now?
38:23It's a much more relaxed pace we have time and more energy to do the things that we want to
38:30do
38:31We're now closer to beaches than we were in California
38:36We really have been loving the walkable lifestyles and our wonderful little town it has everything you could imagine we
38:43actually want to go show you that
38:46It's a gentle riverside stroll to one of Zach and Annie's favorite spots
38:52This is stunning
38:53Thank you yeah we fell in love with it the first time we saw this little area it just stole
38:59our hearts
39:00The scale of St. Mary's Church reflects when this was Scotland's first royal borough the formerly English Haddington along with
39:09the rest of Lothian
39:10Given to Scottish King Kenneth in the 10th century
39:14Nungate Bridge one of the nation's most ancient takes us over the river
39:19We get geese out here too sometimes
39:22To a family-run bistro that lives up to its name
39:26So life is basically all shortcake and coffee
39:30Pretty much
39:32Often people find that they move and that they've just taken the life that they had to another place
39:38What's been the biggest change?
39:40The biggest change is just what we've been able to give our kids in that childhood that we've talked about
39:46Were there any nerves about moving?
39:48So many
39:49Yeah
39:51Countless
39:52Kids, jobs, like everything basically
39:55Finances
39:56When you look back on it it seems overwhelming
39:59For us getting the house is obviously the biggest check mark on the list
40:03And after that things just kind of found a place
40:05They did
40:05Well, cheers to your new life
40:07Cheers
40:07Thank you, cheers
40:19Just look at them having a well-deserved rest after our epic journey
40:25Searching high and low through Scotland's Central Valley for a dream property for Stuart and Derek
40:33Let's find out what they're thinking now, eh?
40:41Well
40:43We've come to the end of our journey together
40:46What do you think your next steps will be, gents?
40:48I think we're probably going to keep on looking for properties since we have the incredible opportunity of staying somewhere
40:56while we do our journey
40:57So we're not in a rush and we can really afford to find the absolute perfect slice of heaven that
41:03we're looking for
41:04Did we get closer on the house or the outside?
41:07I think we got pretty close with both
41:11Both
41:12I think you've shown us that properties exist that are close to the big city centres
41:17Where you can get more than an acre
41:19I know I'm getting my country so Derek will ultimately be the one that chooses the house
41:24Alright, I'm glad we got that on film
41:27I kind of wish you'd told me at the beginning of the search
41:30Because I would have just gone straight to him
41:32But okay
41:33Me too
41:35He's like 99% charge, I get 1% veto
41:38That's not much
41:39But we're almost there, that's really heartening
41:41You aren't in a rush
41:42You're not going to adjust your criteria just yet
41:45When you have a lovely place already to stay, you've already made the move
41:49Mm
41:49And that's the thing, the central lowlands are already your home
41:54Mm
41:55And this is the dream, I mean look
41:57Yeah
41:57Right?
42:02Scotland was really showing off for us this week, wasn't it?
42:05Not just with this weather, but with its property stock
42:08And I think we've set Stuart and Derek well on their way to finding the one
42:14We came pretty darn close, didn't we?
42:17And the great thing is, they already call all of this home
42:21And Stuart has been able to fulfil his lifelong dream of returning to his Celtic roots
42:27I'm so pleased that they called us for part of that epic journey
42:32And wish them the very best
42:33See you next time
42:36Since we left them, Stuart and Derek decided to focus their search close to the town of Falkirk
42:43As they loved its green spaces and great transport links so much
42:47We hope to hear they've found their dream home soon
42:51If you would like to escape to the country
42:54In Scotland, Northern Ireland, England or Wales
42:57And need our help
42:59Why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:15The end of the song is to be a part of the episode of the city
43:15We hope to hear it
43:27And we hope to hear it
43:27We hope to hear it
43:31In Ireland, England or Wales
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