North Yorkshire Escape to the Country

Behind me is the spot where, 800 years ago, 13 monks came in search

of a little bit of peace and quiet, and so successful was their escape

to the country, that this became one of the most prosperous monasteries in England. So where am I?

Join me in a moment to find out.

Today, we're helping a couple retire from the suburbs to

a quiet village life, but there are some shocks in store.

-Oh, my word! Whoa!

-We've got rooms with a view...

You can sit there and look outside which would be good.

And today's mystery house will get the creative juices flowing.

-Makes me go all...ooh!

-Oh, I like that! We can go now. Ooh!

Well, today I'm in North Yorkshire, and this amazing ruin is that of Fountains Abbey,

a 12th-century site set on the southern edge of Yorkshire's dales.

Together with spectacular Georgian gardens, it's also Yorkshire's first world heritage site.

Now, in its heyday, this was one of the richest monasteries in England,

but that all came to a very abrupt end in 1539

when Henry VIII dissolved hundreds of monastic sites across the country.

Well, the monks may be long gone, but the peace and the serenity that

they sought is still here, not just in this vale, but throughout this beautiful county.

At 3,000 square miles,

North Yorkshire is England's biggest county,

but apart from the cosmopolitan city of York itself,

it's also one of the most unspoilt rural landscapes in the UK.

In fact, over 40 per cent of the county is designated national park.

In the west are the sprawling dales and, to the east, the wild

heath-covered moors which, in turn, give way to the dramatic cliff-lined heritage coast.

And as if that wasn't enough, sandwiched between these two

areas of outstanding natural beauty

is the Vale of York, a patchwork quilt of fields and farm land,

dotted with villages and market towns that have wholeheartedly resisted the march of modernisation.

Although farming is the mainstay of life, quarrying is big business too,

so no surprises that this county boast some of England's best examples of stone properties.

It may not be gold, but this robust York stone is definitely hard-wearing.

It's the legendary stuff London streets are paved with.

And it's not just the local stone that's building solid foundations around here.

Over the last five years, over £41 million has been invested across the county in redeveloping town centres,

improving the infrastructure and building businesses,

so if North Yorkshire looks like the place to thrive and you're ready to explore up hill and down dale,

then take a look at these properties that are available for a range of budgets right now.

If golf is your game, then how about this five-bedroom

converted coach-house, set in the middle of Malton Golf Course?

On the market for a cool £1.1 million, the accommodation is

pure luxury and, with three acres of land, you won't need to worry about stray balls.

For nearly half the price, £595,000 will buy you this

traditional stone-built four-bedroom Georgian hall near Skipton.

It's been beautifully restored so you won't have to lift a finger,

giving you plenty of time to enjoy the pretty garden.

For the more modest sum of £395,000, how about this stately semi-detached

four-bedroom Edwardian house in Pateley Bridge?

For the price, you'll get an authentic period property

with cosy interiors and a rural outlook fit for a king.

So there's lots on offer out there, especially if you like a bit of stone and, thankfully,

that's exactly what today's buyers are after, so let's meet them.

Retired company director John quite literally swept university lecturer Josephine

off her feet three years ago when they met at ceroc dancing lessons.

They now live together in John's three-bedroom detached

house in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire,

but they're desperate to hot-foot it from their suburban cul de sac.

Every opportunity we get, we go to the country,

so we might as well live there, cut down on the travelling expenses.

Having set their sights on rural North Yorkshire, six months ago they made an offer on a house,

but the sale fell through at the last minute and Josephine,

having already sold her property, had to move into John's home,

which wasn't part of the game plan.

Now that I've moved in with John, and I've brought some of my things with me,

there's a need to clear out what John calls "treasure"

that he's collected for 30 years and I call "junk".

We really need a place where we can merge these two homes together

and make it a really nice, happy place to live.

So creating their first "together" home is a top priority,

but what does their perfect house actually look like?

Preferably a detached house

overlooking open ground or fields, perhaps rolling hills.

Something with a little bit of character,

which we could look at and say, "This is ours."

With Josephine joining John in retirement in a few months,

they'll be spending a lot more time together,

so what will they need from their new home to guarantee domestic harmony?

What we need is a space big enough for both of us to share as an office or two separate rooms.

Good-sized kitchen, preferably.

-Not a galley.

-Oh, yeah, not a galley kitchen.

If we can avoid a galley kitchen, that would be good.

-Two reception rooms.

-Two reception rooms. A garage?

Oh, a double garage, please.

In the next property, I would like a garden which is a little bit smaller.

We'd like to take the greenhouse with us,

and Josephine would like a raised bed

so she can grow a few vegetables.

They obviously have very clear ideas about their new home,

but what about the location?

-We'd like to live in a village.

-With a nice village atmosphere, perhaps a church...

-A pub.

And a little village pub, yes.

-Maybe a shop.

-Perhaps a shop.

But for John, it's not just a few amenities that will win the day.

I would also like to be near somewhere where I can fly my aeroplane which I built

12 months ago, and also I would like to be able to

have somewhere where I can build another aeroplane, a second one.

John and Josephine are financing their flight to the country with a combination of savings,

the proceeds from Josephine's house sale, and rental income they hope to get from John's house.

So what kind of money are they looking at spending?

For the right property, our maximum budget would be £300,000.

So John and Josephine are about to buy their very first home together,

but I am slightly concerned that their modest budget isn't going to get them very far.

On the face of it, a three-bedroom character cottage with two reception rooms shouldn't be that difficult,

but when you throw in that double garage and the fact that

they will only consider a detached property - well, that could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

As Josephine is keen to have easy access to the A19 so she can visit

her family in West Yorkshire, and John would like to be near Husthwaite where he keeps his plane,

we'll be focusing our property search in the villages to the east of this border.

In today's show, we'll be viewing three fantastic homes with great potential but, as always,

I won't be revealing their price tags until the end of the tours.

The last of the three will be the mystery house, which today will

be a challenge in more ways than one IF they're willing to take the risk.

Hello, John and Josephine.

Thank you very much for bringing me to North Yorkshire. Gorgeous day.

Wonderful county, but it's not one you're unfamiliar with, is it?

That's true. I've been coming here for many, many years.

I used to do my flying training a bit further on the road.

So you've introduced the area to Josephine?

He did. It's such a beautiful area, you can't really fail to fall in love with it.

You've both fallen in love with it, and each other, and this is your first home together.

-Now, what are the key criteria?

-We'd like it to be detached.

That's an absolute must. And how much money do we have to play with?

£300,000 and we can be a little bit flexible.

-That's good, so we could go a little bit higher if we get the perfect property.

-Yes.

But North Yorkshire is beautiful, it's gorgeous and it's popular and, in that bracket,

things could be a bit tricky but we're going to do our best,

so let's get going and get house hunting.

Brilliant.

Flexibility on that £300,000 budget will come in handy.

Finding a detached character cottage with two reception rooms, three bedrooms, a big kitchen,

at least one office and a double garage is a big ask.

The average price for a detached house here is £16,000 above John and Josephine's spend,

so they will need to compromise, but luckily they're not averse

to doing some work to create their dream home.

What a life shift for the two of you - a new home together.

-What do you plan to do with your days?

-Oh, enjoy them.

We've recently bought a couple of bikes,

so hopefully we're going off cycling

-a little bit.

-And we'll walk.

And we'll walk, possibly go out for the odd lunch, and...

I intend to start building another aeroplane, so I think we'll be fully occupied.

Well, for our first house, we're heading

just three miles south of Helmsley to the pretty village of Harome.

With its quiet country lanes, traditional stone and thatched cottages,

Victorian church, local pub, shop and a pretty duck pond,

I think this village comes very close to meeting everything

John and Josephine are looking for in their countryside escape.

Our first property is situated on the outskirts of the village,

and if it's views of open land they're looking for,

this house will take some beating.

A nice Yorkshire-stone property.

-That looks nice.

-It does.

-Solid.

Couple of hundred years old, and you haven't mentioned it,

but it is a bit curious.

It's a nice aspect here, but actually this is the back of the house.

We're on the back lane, but it means you've got these wonderful views here.

-Let's have a look inside.

-OK.

I know our buyers are keen to put their own stamp on

a property, and I think this is the perfect house to do just that.

In we come, away from the wind, and remember I did say we're coming into the back entrance of the house.

We've got a bit of a long, narrow hallway here, and the room I want to show you first is this way.

-I think we need to get this out of the way.

-OK.

It is...a galley kitchen.

-A galley!

-But...a very long and light galley kitchen, I think.

-It's actually triple aspect.

-It's light, isn't it?

It's light, it's reasonably airy, it looks to be reasonably well laid out.

What is it about galley kitchens that you really don't like?

I feel confined in a galley kitchen,

even though it's long, but I'm keeping an open mind.

Keep an open mind. That's the spirit.

I wanted to show you this first, get it out the way.

You know it's here, but there's a lot more to offer

with this property, so let's keep looking and see what you think at the end.

-OK.

-Out this way.

Good for Josephine.

She's not writing off the rest of the house because of one room.

I think the reality of what they'll get for their money is beginning to sink in.

-So, on this side, we have one of your reception rooms.

-Oh.

OK.

Snug. It is quite snug.

It's double aspect. You're getting the light on both sides again.

And also, if you have a look at these windows, you can really start to see the depth of these walls.

So here you've got little windows seats. Nice features.

To me, it lends itself to wooden floors, chimneys,

maybe a bookcase or two and make it snuggy.

And there's a little bit more space, actually, which is just through here.

-This is, in fact, where the old kitchen was.

-Oh, right.

-Now an office.

-Nice office space.

Very light, isn't it?

Lots of these rooms are double, triple aspect so you're getting quite a bit of light in.

-I definitely think there's enough space for a couple of desks.

-Yes.

-You know what I'm thinking?

-Yes, yes.

But I'm also thinking, depending on what the rest of the house holds, it could be his on his own.

Oh, aye.

Well, John and Josephine won't have to get under each other's feet in this house as there's more to come.

And here is your second reception room.

Nice, snug little room, I think.

Yes, a cosy room and, again, one that you'd need to make your own.

I think, if we had this house, I'd definitely want to put it into what

lends itself naturally to this period of house.

Let's go check out upstairs.

OK.

Josephine's already thinking how she'd refurbish which, in my book, is usually a good sign.

Let's see what plans she'll have for upstairs.

Arranged around a landing is a small single bedroom, a double, and the family bathroom is right next door.

You've got a nice view from here.

-Mm-hm.

-And the raised bath may well mean that you can sit there and look outside which would be good.

There you go. Lots of lovely views around

-this house, but interestingly, in the bathroom, you've got one of the best ones, haven't you?

-Yeah!

So let's have a look at your master bedroom, and we can put the final seal on the interior of this house.

Well, this is your master. Final room for you to have a look at.

-Mm-hm.

-Oh, wow, what a size this is!

It is. Double aspect.

And again, potential to be in bed and looking out at the beautiful blossoms.

Exactly. What's your overall impression?

-I'm sorry, at the moment I'm redesigning it!

-That's what I thought.

Redesigning, and I'm thinking there's a tiny room over there.

Originally thought it might be office.

Second thought, might be where I put the wardrobes instead of having them in here.

-A dressing-room type of thing.

-I like your thought.

That's the beauty of coming round a house like this.

You can really start to see how you would make it your own.

Time to see the outside, then.

I'm so pleased they both seem to be buying into the possibilities

with this house and, outside, there's plenty of scope too.

Back into the Yorkshire fresh air, although it is a little bit blowy now, isn't it?

But more importantly, this is your garden.

It's a good old size, isn't it?

It is, and it does extend over to that side as well.

-Right.

-So it's all this space that you can see.

I'd re-landscape it, actually.

-Ah.

-Yes, I'd put my nine-sided greenhouse somewhere down there and

I'd make it a feature so you could see the greenhouse from the windows.

I think the outside is a bit like the interior of the property, isn't it? You've got the potential here...

-Yes, lots of potential.

-Lots that you can do with it.

Shall we look down the back at those outbuildings?

This property may not come with an aircraft hangar for John's plane,

but it does have five outbuildings, including a workshop and a garage.

So it is a very large garden, really.

And, as you walk down here, you can see what was the front of the house.

-Ah.

-Ah, yes.

But we're round the back because we want to look at the outbuildings.

We've got a big garage here, another building here, a stone building

which is actually a workshop. Plenty of space in there.

I was planning to build a second aircraft, and if I can

partially build it in there and then it goes down

to the hangar for final construction.

So much potential, but the question of course is what's the price?

I want you to take another look at this property.

How much do you think you'd have to pay for it?

Well, the house has actually got a lot of potential.

It stills needs a lot of work,

so I'm kind of probably going to go somewhere under budget...260?

260. Over to you, John.

I think it's going for possibly 310, because of the outbuildings etc, and the land.

Well, the winner, on this occasion spot on - well done, John - is you.

It's on the market at £310,000, which is a nudge over your budget.

Plenty for you to think about.

I know you're dying to have a closer look at the outbuildings, so off you go.

-Go and have a wander and I'll see you later.

-Thank you.

This is quite a high price for this property, but John's right -

it does come with all of these outbuildings, all of this space.

There is so much potential here, and if they got it for a good price,

they could do a good job with this one.

OK, so this house is over budget with an asking price of £310,000,

but it's been on the market for a year, and the vendors are definitely open to negotiation.

It comes with the space they've asked for

and, with a few cosmetic changes,

there's a real opportunity to create a beautiful character home.

Oh, a workshop!

It's a good space is that.

Do you think this would be a place for you to do your aircraft?

-I think it would.

-As it currently sits, it's not me, it's not my taste.

I would actually like to take everything right back to the walls and start afresh.

I think the house does need quite a bit of money spending on it.

I'm not too happy about the two reception rooms.

I think they're a little bit on the small side.

-Got lots of ideas now?

-Yeah, one or two coming along.

Completely refurbished the place!

-Yes!

-Well, we've got a lot more to do so let's keep moving.

-OK.

A property that's always taken my interest is Fountains Abbey,

so I've decided to take the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the history,

and I have to say, even in the rain, it's an awe-inspiring place.

The abbey covers an area of over 500 acres and is the largest and

best-preserved monastic ruins in England.

It's a masterpiece of 12th-century architecture

which took around 40 years to build,

so I'm meeting up with Kate Mainprize, a National Trust

volunteer, to learn a little bit more about these beautiful ruins.

An amazing space.

We're in the solarium.

That end was used as a store area for the abbey, so all the provisions for

the abbey were stored there,

as well as the wool, the grain that they were exporting.

And then this end of solarium was used as the lay brothers' refectory,

their dining room.

And the entire stretch of the solarium above was the lay brothers' dormitory.

At its peak in the 14th century, the order consisted of around 60 choir

monks, those concerned with purely spiritual matters,

while the 300 lay monks did all the hard graft, running the monastery and its various business ventures.

Their dealings in wool, stone and ore were so successful

that Fountains Abbey became one of the wealthiest religious houses

in the country, until it was seized by Henry VIII in the 1500s.

But if you're more into horticulture than history, Fountains Abbey is

well worth checking out for the stunning water gardens...

created not by monks but by the Aislabie family

in the 1700s when they purchased the entire abbey estate

and combined it with their nearby family home.

The gardens take in over 300 acres

and are one of the best examples of Georgian landscaping in Britain,

with geometric designs, extraordinary vistas

and a number of follies -

buildings which have no purpose whatsoever other than to charm, trick and delight.

Ah-ha! Look at this.

-Wow. That is a view!

-That is your surprise view.

It's a wonderful surprise, and William was smart enough to have

a lovely little shelter here where, despite the weather...

He didn't actually put up this shelter. This shelter was put up later.

He created this area and this viewpoint,

but it was in fact later on that this was put up.

And from this vantage point...

You really can take in the magic and the mystery of the abbey.

And I have to say, despite the rain, all is forgiven because it does look pretty wonderful, doesn't it?

It really does. Very mysterious.

With the rain stopped and the sun setting over the North Yorkshire

countryside, our first day of property-hunting is over.

John and Josephine are looking to buy their first home in a quiet North Yorkshire village.

For a modest budget of £300,000,

they want a spacious detached character cottage,

and so far what we've shown them hasn't quite measured up to size.

I feel confined in a galley kitchen.

But we have plenty more to get them excited.

-Ohh!

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Or will they be "converted" by today's mystery house?

Yesterday, I don't think we really fulfilled John and Josephine's expectations,

so today I think we need to make a compromise and character is the word we're going to drop.

We're heading further east for our next property, to the village of Yedingham.

Just south of the moors, it's a 45-minute drive from the A19, but

it's just 20 minutes to the coast, which isn't a bad consolation prize.

Situated on the banks of the River Derwent, Yedingham

is a small rural community, with a population of just 160 people

and only a couple of pubs.

For more community spirit and amenities,

John and Josephine can jump on their new bikes and cycle the three miles

through the countryside to the pretty village of Snainton.

-Look across the road there. A pub!

-THEY LAUGH

-Up here, a church.

-A pretty church.

Two of your requests.

And over here...

-the property.

-That looks rather nice.

Ah, that's a surprise.

I think it's very different from the others we've actually seen,

and it gives you the impression of space, which is nice.

I also need to point out that this is actually a fairly new build, built in 1990.

I know character is something you were looking for,

but I think it still gives the impression of a lot of character.

-It's the stone.

-It's been well done. The stone does the trick.

And it's a bungalow. How do you feel about that?

-No objections to that, no.

-Good. What about you, Josephine?

No, I'm open-minded, actually.

A cottage is what we were talking about but I'm open-minded.

It's got a cottagey look about it, hasn't it?

Has a cottagey look, yet with space, so I think we should have a look inside.

Let's go. I'm really glad to see that they're open to alternatives because, as we've discovered,

finding cottages for their budget means less space, but that's not a compromise we'll have to make here.

In we come. It has a nice entrance porch there.

-It is indeed.

-And into the first of two reception rooms. Come through.

So...a good-sized reception room, I think, as you can see,

currently being used as a dining space.

Yes. You're right. It has that cottagey feel. It actually works.

This is a fantastic start to this property.

Let's have a look at the next reception room. Through here.

-This is very nice.

-It is, it's lovely. A good, good size.

Again, you've got nice light coming in from two areas, open fire.

Not my style, but...

The chimney's open, it's a working fireplace

and you could certainly put a wood-burning stove or something,

make it a bit more of a focal point for the room.

'Josephine has exactly the right attitude to viewing houses.

'She sees past the cosmetics and looks at the space.

'Take heed all you house-buyers out there.'

Now, along here, you have a cloakroom...

-Nice.

-Utility space.

-Brilliant.

Brilliant. And...!

..a nice big kitchen.

-Oh, yes, you have... Oh.

-Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I like that!

That's... Yeah, a nice kitchen cos you could even, as they have here

got a table in the kitchen.

-Plenty of work space.

-Range-style cooker.

Yeah, I know, I know. That was the "oh, oh, oh, oh"!

-And again you've got...

-Quarry-tiled floor.

-Quarry-tiled floor.

I quite like the quarry-tiled floors too.

Mm-hm, it's liveable, isn't it? Without any problems.

Yeah, I'd just put a few more character features into it.

I'd probably want to change that strip light there.

Ah, I didn't go quite as far up as that.

Even though there's a man-hole there.

-Yeah, the obligatory man-hole.

-I was waiting for you to notice that.

Although this is a bungalow, you do have one little bit of space up there which,

if you could work it or you didn't mind going up and down a ladder,

-it could be your office space.

-I love the space.

'Ditching character for space seems to be paying off.'

Into the bedroom wing. You have one good-sized double here.

-OK.

-I thought I'd show you this one first of all.

It's good, a good size.

-There is no scrimping on space here in this bungalow.

-No, there isn't.

-A good amount of light, and fitted storage. Yeah.

-Mm-hm.

So let's keep exploring, then. Follow me.

Through here, another generous room, and this is your bathroom.

-It's a good-sized bathroom.

-It's a good size.

It is a good size. Not my taste, but...

I think possibly a white suite would go in there, wouldn't it?

-So this is one of the changes you'd be willing to make.

-Yes.

And it is right next door to the master suite, so let's have a look. Out that way to the left.

Well, this is another nice-sized room.

-It is. It's a good size.

-Do you think you'd have to do much to it?

Put coving up all the way round.

-Another job for you.

-Plaster coving.

-And I'd probably do that myself.

-Ah, very good.

And of course, now, what's important is the exterior.

-Yes.

-Let's head out and have a look.

This property comes with a reasonable-sized garden

and, at under a quarter of an acre, I think John can manage it.

Outside...into your plentiful garden.

Some very well laid out areas here.

This lawn here, just behind the kitchen.

There is some secluded garden area here,

which is looking out from the bedrooms.

Then you've got a ready vegetable patch already set out.

That's for you. And there's more at the back.

And there looks like there's even an orchard there.

Looking good. Yes, looks good.

It's tidy and it's not going to kill me...

sort of...

putting it right.

So, maintenance-wise, this is something you could deal with.

Maintenance-wise, I'd soon get on top of this, yes.

But there's more to see in this garden.

Wonderful arable land to look out on there. Great landscape.

The river is running behind you just here,

and...this...

could be your property.

Looks lovely, doesn't it?

Nice big, spacious property, decent-sized garden.

How much are you willing to pay for it? That's the question.

I think this is going to be well over budget, and I would go for...

the location, the river, 355.

OK.

I'll take it down to just 350.

350. If it was on at that price, would you be able

to stretch yourselves to buy it?

Er, we'd have to have a word with the bank manager, I think,

and pull a few strings.

-But you'd think about it?

-We'd certainly think about it.

We'd certainly think about it.

Well, maybe you don't have to because this

is on the market for 315 -

that's one five, thousand pounds.

Oh, my word!

-Whoa!

-Are you all right?

-Yes.

You're not going to fall over?

It's just the ground went whoo!

-Unbelievable.

-That is such a surprise.

I think you should go indulge, run around your potential property,

and I will catch up with you later on.

-Thank you.

-All right?

Slightly over budget at £315,000, this is a lot of property for the price,

but it's been on the market for seven months,

so a bit of negotiation should bring it on budget.

And there's loft space which could be converted into an office.

A bungalow isn't what they had in mind

but can they see themselves living here?

I've never lived in a bungalow before but it works.

It feels spacious, there's lots of light

and I think, with a bit of tinkering here and a bit of tinkering there,

this house could be made more cosy.

You can look at this bungalow, and it looks cottagey.

It isn't a carbuncle.

You've got a workshop in the garden, a greenhouse,

there's ample car parking space.

-It just fits the bill.

-Seen the lot?

-We have.

-Lots to think about, but we're not finished yet!

-No.

-No.

-You guys know what's coming next, don't you?

-Yes.

It's time for the mystery property.

What would you really like it to be?

Maybe a converted barn.

Maybe a converted pig sty, stables.

-I don't know.

-What about something that would introduce you to a whole new way of living?

A new occupation? Oh, right.

That's got you thinking, hasn't it?

-I say no more.

-Yeah.

All will be revealed soon

as we don't have far to travel.

We're heading a few miles west to the hamlet Aislaby

on the southern edge of the moors,

just one and a half miles from the market town of Pickering.

Aislaby started life for the estate workers of Helmsley Hall,

and today remains just a smattering of properties.

But just a five-minute walk away is the neighbouring village

of Middleton where John and Josephine

will find their longed-for pub, post office, shop and church.

The mystery house is situated on the outskirts of the hamlet and could

keep John and Josephine very busy in more ways than one.

In fact, we're giving them the opportunity to consider

an alternative to total retirement.

The big question is - will they be up for the challenge?

It's mystery house time,

-and this is it.

-All of it?

All of this.

-Right.

-It's a big one.

-It is a big one, isn't it?

-Yes.

All in all, this would all need some work, which you'll see

when we go inside. And it's not just this property here.

If you look to the left, that extra structure there...

that would come with it as well.

Blimey!

That's an empty property that would need to be renovated,

but there is planning permission to turn it into a holiday let.

-Yeah.

-Right.

-Let's have a look inside.

-OK.

Lead the way.

'The farmhouse has been empty for some time,

and it will be a major undertaking,

but if they're prepared to put the work in,

what a home they could end up with.'

In we come.

Nice generous hallway, but straight into the kitchen.

-Ooh, a good size again.

-Isn't it a good size?

-It's a good size.

-It's a good space.

It's a good kitchen space, but it clearly needs to be updated a little.

So it's a house for you to get your imagination going.

I know that yours is very strong, gets regular exercise.

It does, it does. So, yeah, it would be a good make-over.

'Well, if anyone has the imagination to transform this house, it's Josephine.

'It's a blank canvas on which she could create a masterpiece.'

-This way, we have, behind this doors, stairs which lead up to the master bedroom.

-OK.

But we'll come back to that. First of all, we're heading this way...

to the first of two big reception rooms.

Uh-huh, that's nice and light.

Good size. I would actually get rid of that fireplace there

and return it to something much more in keeping with the farmhouse.

Again, beams would have to be lightened up.

Anything that's dark would have to go lighter

cos it just brings everything down.

Now, something quite quirky in this room is behind us here.

-I could see that.

-Look at that.

Isn't it weird? Apparently, it used to be in a ship.

Not quite sure how old it is, when it dates back to, but behind it...

-is just a cupboard under the stairs.

-Oh, my word!

But an interesting quirk.

I know quirkiness is something you wanted.

It is definitely a quirk.

-So we delivered.

-Thank you.

-Let's keep moving.

-OK.

-OK.

-And this is the second reception room. Another big room.

-A good size.

-I think you're going to say that same sorts of things.

-Definitely.

-Change the fireplace.

-Change the fireplace, beams sorting out.

It's a pity they've been varnished, these beams, because if was

brought down to its natural wood, it would look absolutely beautiful.

But there's a little bonus here, just this way.

Take a look through here.

-Oh, that's panoramic, isn't it?

-Isn't it?

-The best room in the house.

-I agree.

It's so warm in here, isn't it?

It's a sun trap,

and you get the benefit of the views of the open fields there.

This is definitely one that you can go, "Ooh!"

-Oh, I like that. We can go now. Ooh!

-THEY GIGGLE

You can feel the heat, you know.

There's been so much wind and it's been cold in places, but this...

-Yeah, this is cosy.

-Warm and cosy, and this is one room you really wouldn't have to do anything with.

You'd just have to create a lovely garden to look out onto.

-Yes.

-Let's head upstairs.

Out of all of the houses we've seen, I think this is the one that really

delivers the kind of space Josephine and John are after,

and upstairs is just as roomy.

Well, this house comes with four bedrooms.

-I want to show you this one, which I think would be a lovely guest bedroom.

-OK.

Basically a nice bedroom, good size, in need of TLC.

What you can see in this room is some of the older parts of this building.

You've got a lovely A-frame here which is just showing through.

And again, taken back to its naturalness instead of all the stuff that's been put on it.

Could be quite delightful if you're up for it.

Let's keep looking round.

Well, they're not short on ideas how to redecorate which is great,

but this house needs a complete overhaul,

which could be more than cosmetic. It's not lacking in size, though.

There are two further bedrooms, a double and a single,

and a relatively new family bathroom.

So this, I can imagine, would be your master bedroom.

Blank space at the moment.

Another room - yes, it's a good size but you can see the work you'd need to do.

You can see it's got different styles.

If you look at the door here,

then you look at the banister and the dado down the stairs there,

they're all different styles

and all different shapes or different colours.

-A lot of work.

-A lot of work.

For some people, this would be a dream purchase, though, because there's so much work.

So you get the chance to rip it out, start again,

turn it into quite a lovely home.

-So keep thinking about it.

-Oh, I'm thinking.

This is a treat for you. You wanted to see behind the door downstairs. Well, let's go out through it.

-OK.

-The stairs are from the master back outside.

The farmhouse has got tons of potential, but just wait till they see the barn.

-Right, let's go and have a look at what could be your holiday let.

-OK.

It may not be a pig sty,

but it was originally the milking parlour,

and when it comes to putting her own stamp on something,

Josephine could run riot in here.

But the important point is, it's got the planning permission already

to be a two or three-bedroom holiday cottage.

-It's good news.

-It's good news.

Fair bit of work that would need to be done but it's a solid structure.

-Yeah, a solid structure.

-You've got the cash to buy a house.

-Yeah.

What you'd obviously need is more money here to do a project like this.

-At the moment, you're currently planning to keep your house to rent out.

-To rent out.

This can be here for as long as you need it, but when you're ready, you might choose to sell

and re-invest in something, and run a business right next door to your own home.

-It's worth a thought.

-Good!

Worth a thought. Shall we have a look at the land?

-Yes.

-OK, follow me.

'This is a lot to take on, but with its great location near the moors and the market town of Pickering,

'it could prove to be a real money-spinner

'and give them financial security for years to come.

'And if running a holiday let seems like hard work,

'they can always hand it over to a management company to look after.

'They might consider getting a gardener too, as this property comes with an acre of land.'

Obviously, nothing's been done with it at the moment.

-There's scope for you to create a garden out here.

-Right.

-It's the views.

-It is the views.

-The good views.

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

I think, given that we've got the views and there's an investment potential there,

although it does need a lot of work,

I'm going to go well over budget and say somewhere around...370.

-OK. John?

-225.

Wildly different - 225, 370.

Somewhere in the middle is the answer.

-It's on the market for offers in excess of £300,000.

-Ooh.

Surprised you both, for different reasons.

I have to tell you that there's a lot of interest in this property.

There's a lot of potential there. It could be a great development

and, in the last three or four days, they've had three offers,

one of which is around about the £300,000 mark.

So if it was something you wanted to do,

you'd have to be serious and quick.

Certainly a lot to think about, isn't there?

And you've got lots of ideas, I know, of what you could do with it.

And it's cold, so why don't you go back inside?

-Thank you.

-Look, they've gone. I'll see you later.

That really shocked them. Wildly different. They really didn't know what to make of this property.

The point is, it's a very attractive one, and it could open up a whole new life for them.

At offers of over £300,000, this is at the top of their budget,

and will need a lot more spent on it, but once the barn is finished,

it has potential earnings of around £13,000 per annum or more.

The farmhouse itself has great potential

with a lot of space, including four bedrooms,

two reception rooms, a conservatory and a large kitchen.

Is this a project too far, though?

The house has great potential.

I can visualise all sorts of things for these rooms and how I would do it and how I would strip it out,

but it does require a massive amount of work and a lot of money.

-That's seen better days, hasn't it?

-Indeed.

-Mm.

-Bit of a roofing job there, I think.

It's different. It's quite a surprise.

Perhaps 20 years ago, I might have been interested.

You've seen all of the properties now and you've got lots to think

about, so let's find somewhere for you to sit down and mull it over.

Thank you.

That's it for our property search in North Yorkshire.

Our buyers have now viewed all the houses and have to decide which one,

if any, will work best for them.

John and Josephine have a limited budget but some pretty

big and fixed ideas about exactly what they're looking for.

We've shown them a range of properties, but I really think,

to get the right property in this area, they're going to have to compromise.

And now it's time to see if they've made any decisions.

We've had an exciting couple of days.

Starting out your journey to find your very first home together.

Now, we started with the back-to-front house in Harome. That was interesting.

It was.

Initially, as I approached the house, I found it difficult to get excited about it cos there was nothing there

to inspire you, but I did get a surprise when I went inside, although I still think it's small.

But I felt the whole of the house and the garden needed

really bringing up to date.

It did need a lot of work to do to bring it up to spec,

and were we prepared to do it? No.

Let's talk about the bungalow, though.

Right. Well, that, we think, had everything we needed,

-all we wanted.

-While the...

I'd want to put my own stamp in it and change things, I think,

in terms of space and airiness, that one definitely ticked the boxes,

and then you have a beautiful space outside with the churchyard,

the river at the bottom.

It was built of stone, it looked cottagey,

and perhaps, in a couple of years' time

with perhaps roses and wisteria growing up the walls,

it would really blend in as...

You could perhaps think it had been there 100 years.

But the journey was not over yet

because, of course, there's the mystery house.

I really was taken aback cos of the size of it,

and when you were telling us about the potential there,

I have to admit, my business head kicked in

and I thought..."Hm." All those thoughts.

But I found, as I went round each room, room after room after room,

the amount of work that needed doing on it.

Some of the, erm...polish

of actually doing the conversion into holiday lets

paled a bit, and it just became, really, too much of a big project.

It would've been a full-time job for a couple of years,

project managing it, and I want to do other things.

You really are thinking the same thing.

What I want to know is whether you both had the same idea

about which property, if any, you would want to go for.

Obviously the bungalow, we'd like to go back...

And we're going to pursue it a bit further.

I'm really pleased that we've helped you hopefully find the house of your dreams.

-Just let us know how you get on.

-We will.

-With any luck, it won't

-be too long till you've moved in to a new place.

-Thank you.

There's so much land and space in North Yorkshire

that it's not hard to find some peace and serenity.

And, for John and Josephine, we may have found them the perfect spot to

find just that so that they can set up their very first home together.

I'll see you next time on Escape To The Country.

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