Herefordshire Escape to the Country

This amazing yew tree lies within the grounds of an English Gothic church

which was built in the early 13th century.

But which is older - the tree or the church?

Well, you'll find out in just a moment.

'On today's show, we'll help a couple find their dream family home in the country.'

-Ideal is the word.

-Perfect.

I got a smile and I got an "ideal" and "perfect". I'm happy.

'We'll gallop round some fine rustic retreats.'

-We like.

-You like? She likes!

-LAUGHTER

'And I've got a lot riding on our mystery house.'

Today, I'm in the village of Much Marcle in Herefordshire

at St Bartholomew's Church which was built in around 1220 AD,

but experts reckon that the yew tree was planted 700 years earlier in 500 AD,

which, by my maths, makes it over 1,500 years old.

With a massive trunk measuring nearly 31 feet in circumference,

it's also one of the oldest living trees in England,

but it's not the only impressive part of the Herefordshire landscape.

As the fourth least populated county in the UK, it is also one of the most rural

with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty spanning over a quarter of its land mass.

There's a rich geological and historical vein running through its landscapes

from the Iron Age hill forts on the Malvern Hills Ridgeway

to the ravine woodlands and limestone gorges of the Wye Valley.

There are historic properties with the striking Tudor timbered buildings

of North Herefordshire's black and white villages and remote farmhouses set in splendid scenery,

all of which make this county a perfect rural escape.

Until now, Herefordshire has been largely overlooked by its celebrity neighbour Gloucestershire,

but things are about to change.

There are rumours that the recently restored Duchy of Cornwall's 900-acre Harewood Park

has been earmarked as a royal country residence for Prince William

and where the royals go, everyone else follows.

The days are gone when you can bag yourself a cheap, derelict cottage,

but if you're looking to find yourself your very own royal escape to the country,

then take a look at some of these properties on the market in rustic Herefordshire.

And this 46-acre country estate near Bromyard is certainly fit for royalty

at £2,350,000.

This five-bedroomed house has six impressive, sometimes quirky reception rooms

and there is always the lakeside summer house to retreat to.

A more realistic £580,000 will get you this stately five-bedroomed house in Leominster.

It's not short on space with two large sitting rooms, a separate dining room

and two lavish bathrooms.

And no expense has been spared on this three-bedroomed barn conversion in Lea for £385,000.

It has light, spacious interiors and lots of character details

with the original stone wall facades still intact.

With no shortage of fantastic houses for sale,

I'm hoping that the properties we've found for today's buyers will live up to their expectations.

And our couple are ex-property developers Paul and Kesri

who want to leave Surrey and head for the hills of Herefordshire with their two dogs

and ten-month-old twins Kayla and Jaden.

They've made quite a few moves. 11 years ago, they quit their jobs in South Africa, came to England

and have moved seven times while developing properties, but this time it's different.

We're hoping this will be our last move. We're looking for our ideal family home in the country.

We believe this is an opportunity for the children to grow up in the country and be children for longer

and just live a wonderful life in the country.

This dynamic duo also run a business training company

and this move means taking that business one step further.

We want the farm to be a sort of learning retreat, so people could come and have some time out

and do team-building activities.

We'd like a minimum of four acres, up to as many acres as we could get for our budget.

They'll need all that land for the chickens, pigs and couple of horses they want to keep.

As well as a lifestyle overhaul, they've got a clear vision for their dream home.

Absolute must-haves are a large, farm-style kitchen, three double bedrooms

and lots of character in the house - beams, fireplaces.

With twins, dogs, farm animals and a business to look after, are they nervous about this move?

Our families think we're crazy because we make a decision, then we just do it.

It always seems to work, so we'll keep doing it, whether they don't like it or not.

Kesri and Paul need to know how much their current home is worth,

-so we arranged for an estate agent to value their property.

-This is a cracking family house.

It's been well renovated, lots of very good schools locally.

I would put it on the market at £550,000.

I was a little disappointed with the valuation of 550,000.

However, in today's market, we expected it to be lower than what our expectation was.

So how much do they have to spend on this final move?

Our budget for this move is £800,000.

Ex-property developers Paul and Kesri are looking for the perfect home for their final move.

It's a good thing that we like a challenge because Herefordshire is not a cheap place to buy.

Houses around here come in at 10% more than the national average.

The two of them have an extensive wish list for their £800,000 budget.

They're looking for a period property with a farmhouse style kitchen,

but they also want to work from home and they need a barn on the land.

We all know that barns, especially converted ones, mean bucks.

You add to that enough land for them to have horses on

and suddenly that £800,000 budget doesn't seem quite so rosy.

As Paul and Kesri plan to work from home, they're not too concerned about location,

so we'll cast our net wide and look at properties around Leominster in the north of the county

and Ross-on-Wye in the south.

I'll show them some great houses, but I won't reveal the price until they've guessed first.

And as ever, there's the mystery house which could just be love at first sight.

Hello, Kesri, Paul. Welcome to Herefordshire.

Great county. How excited are you about starting this search?

-Very excited. We've been looking to move to the country for a long time now.

-And you're ready to go?

-Yeah.

I hope you are because I understand there have been seven moves in 11 years.

-Are you sure that this is the one, you'll settle down now?

-We hope so.

What causes you to get to this moment where you'll put some roots down and not move any more?

We've recently had twins and we want them to grow up in the country.

-You're not going to make them nomads?

-No. Impossible with babies.

You are property developers as well,

so is this a move where you'll want to rip everything out and start again

or are you willing to just go into somewhere, settle in and have a gentler life?

I guess it depends what we finally decide, as far as the property that we find,

but we wouldn't be scared to do a little work on the property.

Your budget, £800,000, is very healthy, but you have got a pretty extensive list

-and you want to run your business from home.

-Yes.

We've got fantastic properties for you to look at and also the mystery house,

-although everything is a mystery to you, I'm sure! Shall we get going?

-Brilliant.

-Come on, let's go.

So, with a budget of £800,000, Paul and Kesri are looking for a family home that gives them...

It's great for horse riding out here in Herefordshire. Is that what's drawn you to this county?

That's one of the major reasons why we're quite keen to come to Herefordshire,

but our dream has always been to have a farm or a smallholding

and it's a great opportunity to do that here in Herefordshire.

A smallholding is some commitment and a big change of lifestyle for the two of you.

Do you know what you're letting yourselves in for?

We have had the opportunity to look after a five-and-a-half-acre field where we had two horses.

We did that for six months and we coped pretty well.

But now we've got the twins as well, so a little bit different.

-We've got the twins on a good routine, so we're confident we can manage.

-Don't scare us off.

-They'll grow up soon enough. You'll have them out mucking the horses out.

-That's the plan.

Our first property takes us to the village of Bosbury, 20 miles from Ross-on-Wye.

The village lies in open countryside with plenty of dog-walking opportunities for our couple.

Bosbury's country lanes are lined with charming period cottages.

At its centre is a well-preserved Norman church and local pub,

along with a well-regarded primary school.

Our first property is in a quiet, rural setting outside the village.

Right, here we are.

This is the property I want to show you. What do you think?

-It looks lovely.

-I think it looks great.

-To our right, we've got this office.

-Great.

-We'll come back to that.

-You've got garages there. There are also some stables. There's quite a lot here.

-Wow! Fantastic.

-I think the thing for us to do is check out the inside.

-Great.

'So it's a good first impression which will hopefully continue inside.'

Here we are, straight into a very big hallway

which sets the scene for this property, this barn conversion.

It's very wide, open-plan which you'll see more as we go into the next room. Follow me.

To this side of the hallway, we've got one of the reception rooms.

In this property, you've got really big rooms, a lot of space.

It's just lacking some of the rustic charm that I like.

You know, it's an old barn, but it doesn't really have beams, fireplaces, that type of thing.

-I see exactly what you're saying, but you've got the potential.

-Yes.

-It's a nice size as well.

And you've got great views. Let's keep exploring, let's see what the kitchen's like. Follow me.

'This is a great space for family living and they can add their own touches of character.

'On the way into the kitchen, there's a modern WC and a cloakroom

'and I'm sure they're going to like this space.'

From up here, you get a pretty good view of the open-plan kitchen.

They've brought in some of the beams that you might expect in a barn.

-You've got these windows running right across, looking out to another patio area.

-It's lovely.

-I really like the beams. There's a nice light in here.

-Yeah. I love the windows.

It's like bringing the outside in.

Ideally, we want a large kitchen where we could eat and the kids could be playing, so this is perfect.

-It could be a good heart of the home here.

-We wanted the kitchen to be the heart of the home. That's great.

-This is not the only entertaining space in this property. There is more. Follow me.

-Great.

As well as a big kitchen-diner,

you also get a pretty huge dining room as well.

-Again beautiful light, nice views.

-The space is lovely.

Really nice space. We'd have to add some character into this room as well.

'Next door, there's a second sitting room with more great views over the garden.

'We'll go upstairs and take a peek at the bedrooms.'

Up here is this lovely galleried landing and you can see more of the beams.

-Yeah, great.

-So you get a bit more character.

-Definitely.

'Leading off the landing, there are four bedrooms - one double room

'and a large single room, both with expansive windows,

'and there's a family bathroom with walk-in shower, but now we'll check out the remaining two bedrooms.'

-This room is already a child's bedroom and it could be perfect for one of your two.

-Great room.

Great size, lovely character, beautiful windows again.

-At the moment, they share, so this would be perfect.

-Yeah, they could share until they grow older.

I'm glad we've found a place for the little ones that excites you,

-but I want to excite you about where you'll be. Let's go and see the master bedroom. Lead the way.

-Great.

This is where all the beams are hiding.

-This is lovely.

-Fantastic room. Really great.

-Good storage here.

You've got another room with more windows behind me. It's your en-suite.

-Great. That's where the bath is.

-Yeah, this is lovely and the beams look great.

-We didn't need an en-suite, but great to have one.

-Yeah, it is an extra.

-Brilliant.

-The bath is lovely.

'This barn has been converted into a great family home.

'With all this space, they could use their property developing expertise to make their mark.

'I wonder what they'll make of the outbuildings?'

Now, the bonus with this property is this office,

-all kitted out and ready for you.

-Mm-hm.

At the back there, you've got a fully fitted kitchen, a cloakroom and a spare storage area.

-Could this work for you?

-It's a bit small for the sessions that we run.

-What sort of thing do you do?

We do sort of leadership, team effectiveness programmes, so we have about 25 people at a time.

It's probably a bit too small for that type of thing.

Five rows, give them name badges and have them run around your fields.

They'll certainly do some of that.

'Well, perhaps there's enough land for all their other projects.'

So, four acres in all, guys, plus all these other little sections.

You've got lots of play areas for the children, potential for the stables,

space for the horses, even space for the sheep, pigs and chickens.

-There's a lot that you want to do.

-Yeah.

-But how much do you think it's on the market for?

I think that it's got more or less everything we want.

Probably because it's a little short on the land, it might be just slightly under our budget,

so I'm going to say around 775.

I'm going to go low - 700.

Well, Kesri, you win this round. You are almost right on the money.

This property is on the market for 695.

That gives us a bit of leeway to put some extras into the property, to try and add some of that character.

I think that we'd still like a little bit more land for those chickens for the kids.

It gives us an opportunity to put our own stamp because there are a lot of things I'd like to change.

Wander around that house, think about the things you would change and I'll find you later on.

Brilliant. Thank you.

That was a good start. Paul's right. This property gives them pretty much everything they've asked for.

And at that price, they've got scope to put their own stamp on it and buy some horses.

At £695,000, this barn conversion would give them £100,000 in hand,

so they could add all that character and get the business premises working for them.

When I first saw the barn, I thought, "Fantastic - barn conversion, really like the open-plan feel."

I thought it was absolutely fantastic. I love the windows, the stone features.

I love the proportions. Really, really great space, the number of rooms was perfect.

But it didn't have as much character as I thought it would have.

Downstairs, it didn't have many beams or fireplaces.

The office space I thought was a great space.

However, for the number of students we have on a regular basis, it was not quite the size that we required.

And I think although the paddock was really great for two horses,

it probably won't fulfil our dream to have chickens, pigs and sheep.

-A-ha! Now, have you seen enough?

-Yes.

-Just about?

-Yeah.

-Good, because there's a lot more to do, so let's keep moving.

-Great.

With a move to Herefordshire,

Paul and Kesri will be able to enjoy some of the most beautiful landscapes in England

like the Wye Valley through which the River Wye meanders where towns like Ross-on-Wye have prospered.

As the river is most accessible in this area,

it became a popular visitor attraction by the mid-1800s,

so much so that Ross is now commonly known as the birthplace of English tourism.

Paul and Kesri are meeting Ross-on-Wye's Mayor John Edwards to find out how it all started.

The tourist trade really started here when Dr John Egerton, a local resident,

decided to take his friends up and down the river in boats.

This inspired a friend of his to write a book about the attractions of the River Wye.

It was the first illustrated tourist book and it brought a tremendous amount of trade down to the Wye.

This snowballed the whole thing, so at one stage, there was a fleet of boats going up and down the river,

taking tourists of all walks of life, people like Charles Dickens, Lord Nelson, all kinds of people.

They came here to see the beauties of the River Wye and this is one spot they would've started from.

'Thanks to the river, Ross has also been a renowned port of call for traders

'with an ancient market dating back to the 12th century which still thrives today

'around the town's 17th century Market House.

'Paul and Kesri could certainly enjoy Ross's historic town centre and stunning riverside scenery

'if they move to this area which is a possibility

'as our next property is only seven miles away in the village of Whitchurch.

'Besides the village's obvious charm, there is also an excellent primary school for the children.

'In the surrounding fields there are more isolated farmhouses

'and I think we've found one for Paul and Kesri.'

This is the property. You can see we are on a bit of a road, a lane,

but really, this lane leads to this property and a farm,

so I wouldn't expect much traffic down here at all.

The property itself, oodles of character, there's a lot of land and outbuildings with it.

-I love the stone.

-The stone is absolutely beautiful.

-Fantastic.

-I think we should go inside.

-Great.

-Ready?

-Great.

-Come on.

You come straight in to the 15th century part of the house.

-Kesri, my dear, you wanted some character.

-Yeah, we've got oodles of it here.

-Absolutely.

-Lovely doorway. Oh, amazing!

-That's a feature, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

We can see here it's a dining area, but these beams are everywhere.

-Lovely.

-Beautiful.

-Really great.

-It's exactly the type of character we're looking for.

-Great. That's a good start.

-Let's have a look at the living room.

-I love the wall.

-A lot more in this room.

-Wow, that's fantastic.

-What a great inglenook!

-It's fantastic.

-Yeah. It's nice and cosy. We like this type of thing.

-Tick, tick!

-Brilliant.

-Good. We've got off to a rocking start.

-I want us to go through to the kitchen now. Out there and turn right.

-Great.

-Great.

'So here's hoping for more of that thumbs-up as we check out the kitchen.'

So here we go.

This is the kitchen/breakfast room for the property.

-I think the biggest draw is that window.

-Beautiful view, yeah.

-An amazing view.

-It is.

It's a bit small compared to what I wanted.

-Out the back here, you've got a little office area.

-Yeah.

-You do have a downstairs WC.

I think that we can change this and make it feel a lot more country.

-Let's have a look upstairs.

-Great.

'It's good to see Paul's considering everything this house has to offer, so we'll head upstairs.'

The character continues up the stairs.

Up here, we've got the family bathroom. We've got these lovely wooden doors.

The single bedroom and two main bedrooms that I want to show you, so come this way.

This is clearly a young lady's bedroom at the moment.

-And you've got the beams...

-It's a good size.

-..and the views.

Yeah, it's got nice character, again I like the beams.

It's an unusual shape which is nice, probably nice for the kids.

'Brilliant. They seem pleased by the character and views that this property offers,

'so let's check out where they would be sleeping.'

-In this room, which is the main bedroom, you get one of the best character features.

-It's lovely.

-Very nice size as well.

-The crook beam there going right the way across.

-Yeah, I love it. Very nice.

-Those are strong words - "I love it."

-Yeah, I know. I love that beam. Wow!

'Along with all the character, there's a dressing room tucked away round the corner and a small WC.

'Now we've seen the main house, we step outside to explore the building next door.'

Over this side, you're into the annexe.

-Wow!

-I thought this would surprise you.

-Lovely.

-Much bigger than we thought.

You've got two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom.

Down here is the living room, a kitchen and a tiny study/office.

But I was thinking that perhaps you could cover over that walkway that joins the two buildings,

knock this through and make yourself one big kitchen/diner over here.

-Yeah, we could do that.

-Great idea.

-That would give you all the space you wanted.

-You've got that wonderful feature fireplace.

-Which would fit into the new kitchen.

Full of great ideas, we are. Come on.

Out here, we've got outbuildings, any number.

We've got them all around here, there's a shed over there.

To your right, we've got a home office, but probably not big enough to do your client training sessions.

Have a look over there and tell me if that structure is big enough.

It's 90 foot and it houses two lorries.

All in all, with this property, you would get 11 acres.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-And as you can tell, the current owners are a registered smallholding.

-Yeah.

So they've got Gloucester Old Spots, the chickens, one cow, some goats, a few sheep, everything you'd want.

-Can we get those little pigs too?

-You might have to negotiate for those. They are gorgeous.

-So cute.

Is this what you were imagining? You talked about having a smallholding.

-This is fairly sizeable.

-Yeah, and you can look over all the land which is fantastic.

-We'd want to be able to see our animals from the house.

-Yeah. COCKEREL CROWS

The question is... Yes, he's asking the question! How much is it worth?

Because it doesn't have the perfect building for the workshop, I would go for 750.

I think it might be closer to the 800,

so I'm going to go 775 again.

You're sticking with your number.

OK, it's actually on the market for... And you are closer. ..£795,000.

-Yes!

-So five grand short of your budget.

-So it's one-all.

Not that the two of you are competitive in any way(!) I'd hate to see you horse riding.

I think you need to have a bit more of an explore around what could be your land and your property.

So off you go and I will see you later on.

'I think Paul and Kesri have been won over by the period charm and the amount of land with this property...

'So lots of scope for the smallholding, business premises and even a riding school.'

I absolutely love, love, love the character in it.

Beautiful beams, the doorway into the lounge, amazing. Absolutely amazing.

The beautiful woodwork was exquisite, just what we'd look for.

-This would make a great office for both of us to work in. It's large enough.

-Yeah.

-But probably not big enough for a learning retreat.

-Perhaps we could use that huge shed down the bottom.

-That's my indoor riding school.

-OK.

We could consider these smaller buildings on the side of the house.

It's really important to have a learning retreat and, to be honest, I can't really visualise it here.

The land is perfect, exactly the size we would need.

11 acres for our four horses would allow us to have the extra animals

that we always dreamt of having, so absolutely wonderful.

I think that this is a place that we could certainly make our home.

-Hello, guys. Plenty to think about now, haven't you?

-Yeah, lots of things.

-But the journey isn't over yet, so let's keep moving.

-OK.

'As Paul and Kesri are planning to move to an older or converted property,

'set in such a rural corner of the country, it's also likely they'll be living under the same roof as bats,

'as there are 15 of the UK's 17 bat species thriving on insects

'around Herefordshire's woodlands and rivers.

'Bats are a vital indicator for Defra in monitoring our biodiversity levels

'and they are legally protected.

'I've come to this house close to the River Wye

'which is the largest bat roost in the West Midlands and home to some 1,200 bats.

'They're elusive little creatures and I'm here to meet James Bissett,

'one of 2,000 dedicated volunteers from the Bat Conservation Trust, to find out more.'

This looks like an ordinary house. How is it possible it's the largest bat roost in the West Midlands?

It's in the perfect location for bats. You've got the beautiful trees and some natural surroundings.

You've got the River Wye 200 metres down there, so enough insects to keep as many bats as you want happy.

-What kind of bats do we have here?

-Soprano pipistrelles.

-Can we go and look at one?

-Certainly.

-OK.

-Ah!

-Denise, can I introduce you to Rebecca Collins?

-Hello.

-Hi, Rebecca.

-Pleased to meet you.

-You're a bat volunteer warden?

-Yes, like James.

Why do we need bat volunteer wardens?

Basically, people like me and James are here to help people who don't know about bats

and if people find bats in their home and they're not quite sure what to do,

we can go along, find out what they are and give them some advice.

-What's in this box?

-This has got one of my injured bats.

Members of the public bring us injured bats.

We try and fix them and take them back to where they were found.

-OK.

-We'll go and find him. He's an opinionated little fellow.

-What's wrong with him? What's his injury?

He has a defunct wing. I'll show you his wing. You see how fine they are?

This is why they're really easily injured.

This is his wingspan. See how big they look when they are flying.

That's his thumb at the top there.

When the wing is folded, that's how they pull themselves out.

Pipistrelles feed around the edge of habitats, so these are the ones people often see in their gardens.

They're the best adapted of all of our species to live alongside humans

because they're so small they fit into tiny crevices.

Well, they certainly fit in here and...the sun has gone down.

I think some are ready to come out. Shall we go and have a look?

We should put this little one away and go find those 1,200 bats.

'So we assume our positions and hope to spot a few.'

Oh, it's started raining!

-Is that going to put them off?

-No, not at all. They're quite happy. They're very hardy.

-Happier than I am.

-They're that close to woodland, they drop out

and then straight into the trees, which the rain doesn't penetrate. So they'll feed in the woodland.

Shall we have a listen?

-This is their bat sonar.

-This is above our hearing.

And there they are. This is a really special moment.

-Thank you very much for inviting me here to meet you and see the bats.

-No problem.

-Thank you.

With our first day of house searching over, Paul and Kesri take stock of what they've seen so far.

-What about the barn conversion?

-It was great in terms of size of rooms

and the number of rooms it had.

-But it really lacked character, especially downstairs.

-Yeah.

I think the kitchen looked good with the beams, open plan, nice size.

-I agree that the lounge was a little characterless, but the windows were great.

-Yeah, amazing views.

The office was probably too small for a learning retreat as well.

-And the land probably not enough.

-Definitely not enough land for the horses we want.

-But a good start. What did you think of the smallholding?

-Really liked the stone building,

-the arch at the front door. Inside was amazing.

-The character.

-Just absolutely loved that.

The stonework inside, the beams and so on. It looked great.

It didn't have the unique building we wanted for our learning retreat.

I thought the small office space was good. The outbuildings were probably not suitable for you,

-but I did really like the large shed. That would make a great indoor school.

-Riding school.

-Are you looking forward to tomorrow?

-Yeah, absolutely. If the properties improve as they did today,

we'll definitely find one we want.

Paul and Kesri want to leave the town of Haslemere, Surrey, behind

and saddle up for a horsey life in Herefordshire. With £800,000,

they're looking for a character family home with outbuildings for their business

and land for horses and a smallholding. They've seen two properties, but coming up...

a retreat room of their own.

-Very nice space.

-Away from the kids.

-There you go!

A well thought out family home!

'And there's two buildings for the price of one with our Mystery House.'

It's day two of our property search and so far I've got to say

their desire for this property full of character seems to relate more to the business that they want

than their family home. So today we'll keep trying to fulfil that wish,

and with their budget that's still quite difficult, but I'm really waiting to see

when that magic word "compromise" becomes part of Kesri's approach.

Our next house is close to the village of Garway, 10 miles from Ross-on-Wye.

It's a quiet village, perfect for sampling outdoor life and a pint of real ale.

And truly befitting its rural surroundings, the local primary is an award-winning eco-school.

Our next property is just outside the village centre in Garway Hill.

Right, here we are. Another day, another property.

I think this will be a special one. Just come up here.

-And take a look at this barn conversion.

-It's lovely.

-Absolutely beautiful. Very good.

-Stunning. I love the stone.

-It's really beautiful.

-I can't wait to see inside.

-Yes, let's have a look.

-Great.

Right. Come on in.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-Ahh!

Are you surprised?

Very. Nice and big.

Yeah, lovely size. And some of the features of the beams are beautiful.

Plenty of space for a kitchen table, doors out to the garden.

Those floors. I always wanted a big, open-plan space. This fits the bill.

-Perfect the way it is.

-Yeah.

-Ideal?

-Ideal is the word.

-Perfect.

I got a smile! And "ideal", "perfect". I'm happy.

'This stunning barn conversion has a higgledy layout, spread over four levels.

'Down a few steps from the is a massive utility room

'and upstairs on the first floor is an awe-inspiring reception room.'

-You wouldn't believe you could get that much space again, but you pretty much do up here.

-Wow.

-Gorgeous. Wow, look at those beams.

-Amazing.

A smile and a laugh. What do you think?

It's amazing how they've done it. This is one of the best barn conversions we've seen.

-Yeah, by a long way.

-Can you imagine this being your family home?

-Totally, yeah.

-Plenty of room to grow, for the children to play, just in these two rooms.

Jaden would love swinging on those beams!

Let's check out the bedrooms. We've got another level to go up and then back down to the master.

'On the second floor are three of the four bedrooms, including a sweet single and a good-sized double.

'And a handy bathroom for the children.'

-First I want to show you this room.

-It's a lovely size, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's lovely.

-Nice stone.

-Loving your stone!

-I was thinking it's a nice room for the kids to share

-while they're still young.

-Yeah, and then they could have their own rooms once they're bigger.

-Yeah.

'So back downstairs to the lower floor, where we find the spacious family bathroom with stone walls

'and wonderful oak panelling. Next door is the master bedroom,

'which I'm sure they'll love.'

-Wow. What a nice-sized room.

-Ah!

-Beautiful size.

-Lovely and light as well.

-Beams, space.

-Something in there.

-A dressing room.

-Very nice space.

-Away from the kids.

There you go. A well thought-out family home.

It's an outstanding property.

It's really beautiful, really quirky.

It's got all the features we wanted inside. really pleased.

'They seem won over by this house, so we're heading outside for hopefully the same wow factor.'

Right.

Here you go. Just at the back of the house.

A nice little garden, some flowers, a seating area to sit outside and appreciate it.

-Mm.

-Mm?

It just feels really closed in to the house. I want to be able to see the land

and feel the space. I don't feel it.

-Yeah, it is kind of...

-This feels too small?

-You feel like you're in a little garden.

-Claustrophobic, yeah.

-Yet it's a big garden.

-Yes. Let's look at the rest of the space.

'Well, looks can be deceiving.

'This humble garden shed is actually a rather spacious office and there's a whole lot more space on offer

'just around the corner.'

Right, come back here and start talking about the land that really comes with this property.

-It's not just that tiny little garden. It is, in fact, a whole 36 acres.

-Wow.

-36 acres, wow.

-I never expected you to say that.

-I know you didn't!

Wow, indeed.

-Mmm.

-Is that enough space for you, Kesri?

Yeah, that's more like it, but is all the land steep like this?

Some of it is tiered, yes. It goes up behind there and there's a forest area, a stream runs through.

-A stream's nice.

-This is not great for horses?

-No, a bit too steep.

-And the horses are important.

-Yeah.

-I have a solution for that.

-Shall we go and have a look?

-Yeah.

Right.

Round here we can see some more of your 36 acres. Come on through.

-This is more like a paddock for the horses, isn't it?

-Mmm.

-This would be great for the horses.

-This one, that one and up that hill.

-Yeah, this is much better.

-The horses would be happy here.

Good. We've found a space for the horses. Now your business.

-Yeah.

-Which I know is a key driver with this move as well.

We've tried to show you a great property and enough land to do as you wish, to create your vision.

-Lots of scope.

-Yeah.

-How much do you have to pay for it?

Well, I'd say, considering the beautiful property and the land and it's really quite remote,

I'd probably say around...

-770.

-OK.

I think this is a hard one. They've spent a lot on the conversion,

but considering what you've shown us before, where it had outbuildings as well,

I'll go for...760.

So under your budget, but close to the top end.

Well, this property has been lovingly converted,

and the price therefore is £795,000.

Mm.

Yeah, I kind of expected it.

-I was being optimistic!

-Optimistic.

'Kesri and Paul have been bowled over by this barn conversion

'and despite having lots more land than they asked for, they're still unsure if it would suit their needs.

'Coming in under budget at £795,000, they would get...

'with great potential for the horses and their business.'

-It's a beautiful house.

-The beams are amazing.

-It's got everything we wanted in a house.

-Open plan, lots of beams, beautiful kitchen You can imagine the kids here.

-Yeah, sure.

I thought this was fantastic.

It's definitely a home I could see us living in. I'd love to live here.

-What did you think about the land?

-Well, there's a lot of it!

It's a little hilly, but the amount of land is wonderful.

But no barn for a training retreat, which is one of our key things.

-It's a great area for the kids.

-It would be nice if we could open it up a bit. Really lovely.

You didn't gallop that far!

You found a good area for the kids, but that's enough of this property.

There is more to do. Come on.

'Keeping horses is key to Paul and Kesri's move to the country and as they'll be looking to buy a horse,

'we've arranged for them to meet Hannah Fenwick at the Arrow Equestrian Centre for some tips.'

-I hear you're looking for a horse.

-That's right. We know a lot about looking after horses,

but we're scared about buying one. I wouldn't have a clue. And Paul would need to ride it as well.

So something suitable for both of you to enjoy.

So we'll whet your appetite. We've got a few horses to look at. Shall we go?

Yeah.

When buying a horse, it's important to consider the horse's personality,

size and how easy they would be to train.

Today they'll look at two horses, starting with a thoroughbred.

Hannah shows them how to check over the horse's condition, starting with a teeth check,

for vital clues to its health and age.

-Some of the things we need to look at now is having a little look at his teeth.

-Yeah.

You can see through the length and shape that he's over 15.

Then we want to have a look at his legs to see that they are nice and clean

and he hasn't got any lumps and bumps and scars from old injuries

that could cause a problem with long-term soundness.

We can see that he's not as deep in the barrel as we hoped.

Whilst, Kesri, he would probably be a lovely ride for you,

he may not ride big enough for Paul and take Paul's leg up.

Next up, it's the Connemara Warmblood, which would be a good height for Paul to ride.

The same things apply.

When you go and see a horse, go for the first time to look on your own, get a feel for the horse.

Then take somebody like myself or your trainer along.

We might pick up things that you didn't. If you still like the horse,

that's the time to get the vet out.

-I think this one because of its size is probably more suitable for us.

-Yeah, definitely.

He's going to fulfil your requirements for both of you riding, more so than the thoroughbred.

So shall we get him tacked up, then? Off we go.

So time to see the horse in motion in the arena.

As they might spend around £6,000 with an annual upkeep of £3,000,

it's vital to back a winner.

It's important that Kesri rides the horse to get an idea of how responsive he is to her.

They will need to exercise their horse for around an hour a day

riding the bridle ways and working the horse's skills.

They'll also need to allow one and a half acres of land for each animal.

With well over 2,000 horses rescued each year, owning a horse is a life-changing commitment

and not a decision to be taken lightly. Now it's time to dismount as our house hunt continues.

It's Mystery House time.

And, yeah, I don't know how we're going to surprise you, Kesri.

I know you've done a fair bit of research, so what would shock you?

A totally modern house, maybe.

Or a house in a complex.

Maybe you'll show us a totally derelict barn.

'Well, Kesri, you could be right as our Mystery House is deceptive in more ways than one.

'We're heading to the village of Pembridge, 7 miles from Leominster.

'One of the celebrated stop-off points on North Herefordshire's village trail,

'Pembridge is renowned for its medieval buildings.

'But it's a working village with a farm shop and local primary school.

'Our Mystery House is in keeping with the timber frame theme.'

Unfortunately, it has started raining! But, yes, you should be happy. There are stables.

-This is the Mystery House.

-Stunning.

-Amazing.

-I got a genuine "amazing" out of you!

-That is beautiful.

-Isn't it just?

-We like!

-"We like!" She likes.

There's lots to love and it's raining, so let's get inside and have a look. Go on.

'Only the core of this house is Tudor. The rest was carefully renovated and extended in 2001,

'using reclaimed materials to blend in with the local architecture,

'making a deceptively bright and spacious, characterful proposition.'

-Right, let's get started. This is a proper kitchen.

-Nice, open-plan, really big.

-A nice range over there.

-That's right.

Stonework that I know you like, beams, the sun room added on.

-Lovely views.

-A teaser of the land outside.

-Lovely.

-I think it's great.

-Stunning. A really big, nice, open space.

-There's a lot here.

-Beautiful.

-A great kitchen, but there's so much more. Let's keep going.

'Downstairs, there's also a home office to run their business from.

'On the other side of this hallway is one of the two generous reception rooms with an inglenook fireplace.

'We're going to look at the second one.'

-Beautiful.

-Stunning.

Loads of character! More than we expected, really.

-So far, so good.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Then let's get upstairs, then, and see the bedrooms.

'With its light and spacious rooms, this house satisfies the demands of modern living and its heritage.'

-Now...

-Wow!

-This is an amazing landing.

-It really opens up up here.

-Wow.

-It's really wide and beautiful.

-Like walking into a library.

-A great use of this hall space.

-It's almost like another room.

-Yeah.

Let's check out the bedrooms. Come in to this one.

Beautiful.

-Wow. That's a bed for a king.

-It's a room fit for a king!

Lots of beams. Beautiful.

Love it. Every room has been full of character. That's the dream.

Come this way.

-Oh, my God.

-Look at this!

-Huge, wow. This is big enough to be a bedroom!

-Another fantastic room.

Stunning, really. A huge size. Lots of character.

'This Jack and Jill bathroom leads through to one of the other three bedrooms, a large double,

'again with those beautiful beams.

'Off the landing, there's another double and a room currently set up as a study with an en suite WC

'and shower. But there's also a bright, modern family bathroom.

'After a resounding thumbs up on the house, we go outside to add even more mystery.'

It's still threatening to rain, so let's keep these with us.

Here we are, outside now.

-It's a beautiful garden. Perfect for the kids, eh?

-Yeah.

It is, but before we talk about the garden, what I really want to show you is...this.

-Does that come with the property?

-A-ha! Now this is the Mystery House!

-You want to run a training centre.

-Mm-hm.

-You were looking for a barn.

We thought you could use that.

Mystery, indeed! It looks stunning.

-It's really beautiful. This is a twist to the tale.

-It is.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-It's incredible.

-A schoolhouse?

There's a lot to it. It needs a lot of work. It's a good steady structure,

but inside, this would be a project.

-Up for it?

-Mm-hm.

-Absolutely.

-Let's have a look.

'They were happy to convert an outbuilding, but will this be too challenging

'for our ex-property developers? Or will its potential get their creative juices flowing?'

There's something great about it being a schoolhouse to do training in. It's just really good.

'This Mystery House keeps on giving and there are more surprises.'

Let's talk about some items on the landscape. Heated swimming pool, tennis court.

-But, most importantly, how much land do you reckon you get?

-10 acres.

-That would be nice, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

-Shame. We're going to give you 17 if you buy this property!

Wow.

-It's fantastic land. Wow.

-Beautiful.

-And it's flat.

-Stunning.

-It's time to wander back that way

and talk about how much it will cost. The final piece to this mystery puzzle.

'So it's crunch time. How much do they think this amazing Mystery House is going for?'

Right, that's the property. It is beautiful, but how much do you think it's all worth?

I think this one's over budget. You're going to dangle a carrot and then...pull the rug out.

I would say about...850.

850 and I still think that's optimistic!

-Go on, Paul.

-I'll say 840.

-So very close to Kesri's guess and over your budget?

-Mm.

Well, I'm not so mean as to dangle a carrot and snatch it away.

The price of this property is £795,000.

Wow.

-Yeah.

-Didn't expect that.

-I didn't expect that.

-Very beautiful.

-Beautiful price?

-Yeah, well...695 would have been great, but...

There's no pleasing you two!

'I think our Mystery House has challenged their preconceptions,

'but will the redevelopment of the old schoolhouse be a project too far?

'At £795,000, this is great value for money, offering them...

'Plenty of space for the smallholding and their horses,

'with the added extras of a tennis court and heated swimming pool.'

It was certainly a mystery.

We were really surprised. It's a stunning property.

We never considered a Tudor-style property before, but it's fantastic.

Every single room in the house had heaps of character.

I felt the building was incredible of the old schoolhouse.

I couldn't believe that it came with the property as well.

From the outside it looked great. It needs loads of work inside.

Whether Paul's up for that amount of work is a question, with the babies and everything.

It's not like converting a barn. It's huge.

I think that the school is a great opportunity. I think there is potential for us to develop that

and it's something I could see myself doing. We were both in awe when we walked in

and it's not easy to do that with Kesri!

-I think it's an amazing property.

-Character.

-In every room. Beautiful.

We didn't really ask for stables, but we want to keep horses,

so having stables is great.

A plus is we never considered having a swimming pool and a tennis court.

That would be brilliant for Jaden and Kayla to get an active life.

Hello, guys. There you go.

I know you loved this house, but now it's time to sit down,

-think about it and decide what to do next. Come on.

-OK.

Our house hunt has taken Paul and Kesri on a real journey and given them a host of options.

It's decision time for Paul and Kes. There are definitely two strong contenders out of our properties.

And the Mystery House is one. But which one will they go for? Let's find out.

Hi, there. Kes, Paul, what a journey you've been on, trying to find a house in Herefordshire!

We've seen a lot of property. Houses, outbuildings, land.

-We started with the fairly modern barn conversion.

-From the front, it looked amazing, really great.

Once we entered the property, it was a little bit of a let down.

A lot of the character was lost.

-What did you think of the office building?

-It would have been brilliant for us to work from home,

but it lacked an outbuilding. It was too small.

-Let's talk about the farmhouse.

-The property was great.

The dining room and lounge were absolutely amazing.

The character was exactly what we were looking for and the grounds were wonderful.

-It did have a lot of what we were looking for.

-There was that huge industrial building at the back.

We thought it would make a great indoor riding school,

rather than a character building for the business.

We want people to come over and have a great experience and it wouldn't be so memorable

in an agricultural building.

-Let's talk about the barn conversion.

-It's so lovingly restored and the land was beautiful.

-I could see our family living there.

-There was nothing we would change.

But it felt quite enclosed because there was elevated gardens all around the barn.

-You felt quite closed in. You didn't get that feeling of country.

-The land was very hilly and steep.

It wasn't quite the land we need.

So the Mystery property. Something you wouldn't have looked at.

It really, really was stunning.

It had everything and more. We never considered a tennis court and swimming pool.

-It would be fantastic for the kids.

-The house was perfect.

For character, you couldn't ask for more. And size of rooms, the view...

We've never been into a house where every room has a wow factor. Amazing. Out of this world.

-And the surprise...

-Yeah.

-..was the outbuilding.

-The schoolhouse.

-It has absolutely great potential. I loved the opportunity there.

-Loved the land. Beautiful and flat and green.

-Lovely land.

-So what happens next?

I think we'd want to do a bit more investigation on the last one.

We don't really know that area so we'd investigate.

You are very exact with your requirements, but this is a move for life.

-Yeah, definitely.

-I hope it's the Mystery House!

Thank you very much for being with us.

-Thank you for taking us on this journey. It's been amazing.

-It's been a great experience.

What a superb result! It looks like not only have we found the perfect family home for them,

we've also found them a property to run the training business from

and finally realise their dream of escaping to the country. I'll see you next time.

If you would like to escape to the country and need our help,

please apply online here:

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