Yorkshire Dales Escape to the Country


Yorkshire Dales

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Today I'm in a part of England that was once described

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by one of the country's best-loved authors, James Alfred Wight,

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as somewhere where he could find peace and tranquillity.

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Of this county he wrote, "It is a land of pure air,

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"rocky streams and hidden waterfalls."

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More famously known by another name, who was this Alf Wight?

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And where is he writing so passionately about?

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I'll reveal all in just a few moments.

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Today I'm helping a couple who are ready to give up their careers

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and start a new life in the country.

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And at the start of our house hunt

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they make all the right noises about the properties we show them.

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Yeah. Yeah.

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Yeah, oh, yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah? A lot of yeahs going on.

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Then our mystery house almost leaves them speechless.

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Look at those views, first of all.

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They're stunning.

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I'm in the Yorkshire Dales, and Alf Wight is better known

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as the region's most famous vet, James Herriot.

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As one of the most successful writers of his generation,

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his stories of life as a rural vet, which were later adapted

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for the TV series All Creatures Great And Small,

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have been sold worldwide - in fact, 10 million copies,

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and it's been translated into 40 different languages.

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So far-reaching was this man's work that the whole region

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is now universally known as Herriot country.

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And I must say, personally,

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when you look around this place it's quite easy to see why

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millions and millions of tourists come to this place year after year.

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Spanning the central Pennines, nearly all of the Yorkshire Dales

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National Park falls within the North Yorkshire county boundary.

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However, a small part does flow into neighbouring Cumbria.

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Created in 1954,

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this was one of the first designated National Parks in the country.

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Much of the landscape is formed from 300-million-year-old

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Great Scar Limestone, which has led to the creation

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of spectacular cliffs, like Malham Cove,

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and giant outcrops, like Kilnsey Crag.

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Strict building restrictions in the National Park

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have led to limited redevelopment,

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with villages such as Buckden retaining a charming old world feel.

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It's no wonder that the area

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continues to attract house buyers and tourists to the region.

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Time to meet today's buyers

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and find out why they're ready to escape to the country.

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Financial consultant Michael and teaching assistant Alison

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want to leave their jobs

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and start up their own business in the countryside.

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They currently live in this three-bedroom house in a cul-de-sac

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in Bishop's Stortford, but they're dreaming of a more rural life.

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When we move, we want to buy a bed and breakfast

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so that we can live in the country,

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we can enjoy where we're living, we won't be living somewhere

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but spending so much time out at work,

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and hopefully you'll be able to have some land.

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Yeah, I'd like to have a bit of land.

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So, our buyers have plans for a business when they move.

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The county they've chosen is a perfect choice,

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offering a whole range of options.

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We'd really like to go to the Yorkshire Dales.

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It's an area that we've spent quite a lot of time in.

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We know it quite well, we like the hills...

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We also both like rambling and hiking.

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But Michael and Alison have thought long and hard

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about what type of property would be right for their new venture.

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It must have the letting rooms, minimum of three,

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a substantial kitchen, with the range cooker.

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Yes, yes, a range cooker is someone's necessity.

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And also a view.

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Possibly on the edge of a hamlet or a village

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for sort of shops and pubs.

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-Pub.

-Pub.

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Yeah, need a pub.

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Well, it's not quite last orders,

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as there's the all-important question of their finances.

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We've got a maximum of £550,000 budget.

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Any renovation costs would need to be included within that budget.

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Today we'll be looking around Sedbergh,

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in the Cumbrian side of the National Park,

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and Grassington in the south

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to give our buyers a great taste of properties across the region.

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We've lined up three fantastic properties

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to whet our buyers' appetites and, as usual,

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I'll be asking them to guess the price before I reveal it to them.

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Our last property is, of course, the mystery house,

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and I've got a proposition that really raises the bar.

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So, Michael, Alison, lovely to meet you.

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Welcome to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

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-Stunning here, isn't it?

-It's amazing.

-Gorgeous.

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-You've got an idea of running your own business.

-That's right, yeah.

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-We want to buy a bed and breakfast and work from home.

-OK.

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So, let's talk about this property.

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What accommodation do you want?

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-Something remote.

-OK, so size of property?

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What are we looking at?

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Bit of land, I'm not talking masses of acres,

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but a reasonable-sized garden.

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OK, how old does this property need to be?

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Is it a period building?

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Yeah, your stone-built building,

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something along those lines would be great.

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What sort of budget are we looking at?

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-We've got up to 550,000.

-550,000.

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Now, is that to buy an existing B&B?

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-Ideally, yes.

-OK.

-It would be better.

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OK, so would you be prepared to look at large houses

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with a view to converting to B&B?

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It's certainly something that's...got a consideration, yeah.

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Well, look, I think what's best to do is get to the first house,

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see what your reactions are, not only to the house but to the area,

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then we'll talk about how we can make that work for you.

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-Sure, sounds good.

-Just this way.

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So, Michael and Alison have a top budget of £550,000

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to buy an existing bed and breakfast business.

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If the property needs converting,

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they'd only be prepared to spend £500,000.

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They want a building with character that has four bedrooms

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and they'd like a large garden, so Michael can keep some animals.

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For our first property, I'm taking them to Gawthrop,

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which is to the south of Sedbergh.

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The nearest village for amenities is just down the road in Dent,

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which is one of the most sought-after villages in the National Park.

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There's a 12th century Norman church, a cafe,

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a local shop, and a post office.

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The house I'm showing our buyers is a pretty four-bedroomed cottage

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which has spectacular views over the Fells.

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So then, for the first property

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I've brought us to this wonderful hillside location.

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There you go, what about this?

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-That's big.

-Yeah, it's big!

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Don't be daunted.

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I mean, you know, it's not particularly deep.

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A lot of these cottages are long and thin - this is such a cottage.

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What about the location?

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-Lovely.

-Beautiful.

-Yeah.

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-OK. Let's go inside.

-Excellent.

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'This property isn't an existing bed and breakfast,

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'but the main Dales walking path is right on their doorstep.

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'I hope they can see the conversion potential of the interior.'

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Right then. In you come...

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-to the engine room of your business, really.

-Yeah.

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-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

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A lot of yeahs going on.

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-Modern and sort of look with a country feel.

-Hmm.

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Now, this room, this is big enough for a catering kitchen

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-for the amount of guests you're going to have here.

-Hmm.

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Have a look at this.

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I thought this was a lovely place for you guys to take breakfast

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yourselves in the morning and your evening meal,

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or maybe have a sitting area for you.

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-It's a nice room, actually.

-This is a nice room. Yeah.

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Beyond that door, we start to enjoy it ourselves

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but also start thinking about your guests, OK?

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Follow me.

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'It's crucial that our buyers think about how

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'they will balance living in and running their home as a business,

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'so let's see what they make of the next room.'

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Now then, I was quite surprised when I saw this fairly large room.

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-This is nice.

-Yeah, I'd agree with that.

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-It's fairly large, yeah.

-A good size.

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The view is stunning from that window.

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Now, you're going to be cooking for your guests,

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breakfast at the minimum, hopefully some evening meals.

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So when I first saw this, I thought, it's a shame

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to have to put tables in here,

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but you've another room, smaller than this, at the far end.

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That room is plenty big enough to have it as a dedicated

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-dining room or a breakfast room at the far end.

-OK.

-Excellent.

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Which means you can keep this wonderful room as it is.

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Yeah, so you'd have your lounge area, a relaxed area,

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and then dining in the other. Yeah, that would be good.

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Now, we need somewhere for you guys to sleep, and maybe your guests.

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-Let's go and take a look at the accommodation upstairs.

-OK.

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'Pretty good responses so far.

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'I'm hoping the bedrooms yield the same result.'

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Take a look at this as a master suite.

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Now, look, you have an amazing bathroom there,

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but look at this bedroom here, it's quite something.

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It's a great size.

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-Look at that.

-Wow, that is stunning.

-That is...

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-This would be ours!

-Yeah!

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-Forget the guests!

-That's huge!

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-And you've got views both sides.

-Lovely, isn't it?

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Next door there's a double bedroom with room to put an en suite in,

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-and as the bathroom is next door that's very doable.

-OK.

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And at the far round of this property there's another

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double bedroom with a bathroom next door, which could be made

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a suite, a little bit like this, not quite as big.

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That could be an owner's suite, or it could be an en suite for a guest.

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But, in order to get a third bedroom, we need to look elsewhere,

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and there is a fantastic option the other side of that wall.

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-Follow me.

-OK.

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'Michael and Alison need to maximise the earning potential of this house,

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'and there's a room above the garage

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'that I think could really help them do just that.'

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Now, we've got an en suite just through there, and look at this.

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-Ah!

-Whoa!

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That's a bit of treasure.

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It's a hidden surprise, isn't it? In the garage.

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Now, this is where you have the options.

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Below, you've obviously got the double garage.

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You've also got beyond that an out-building

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that's at the moment partitioned into two.

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This could be a complete, self-contained annexe.

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You could even let it out to someone.

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-Options are there.

-There you go.

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Let's go back outside, we'll have a chat about price, OK?

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-OK.

-OK.

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'So, although this house only has three bedrooms,

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'there is the scope to add more,

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'or to even create a self-contained accommodation unit.'

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-Now, Michael, you did say you wanted a bit of land.

-Yes.

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All in all, the agent reckons there's a good quarter of an acre.

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You've got this garden here.

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So, with that in mind, let's have a go at pricing it.

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Um, I think about 450.

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450. Michael?

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-I'd say a little bit more, I think about 480-485.

-Right.

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Well, it's more than that, still.

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It's on the market for offers around £515,000.

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We've spoken to the agent. The agent reckons that

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there's a deal to be done maybe around the 490 mark.

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It's... It's got potential. It's a consideration.

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This characterful cottage is on the market for offers around £515,000.

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It's got three double bedrooms in the main house,

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and outside there's another double room above the garage,

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which could be converted into a self-contained flat.

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And, perhaps best of all,

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there's a large garden with some stunning views.

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-There's a lot to see, isn't there?

-Yes, big property.

-Good.

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-Hopefully give you something to think about...

-It has.

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-..on the way to the next place.

-OK.

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'The Dales are a haven for great traditions,

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'so earlier in the week I visited the village of Kettlewell

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'to see why over 15,000 people flock here every year in August

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'for the annual Scarecrow Festival.

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'I've been asked to judge this year's event,

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'so the chairman of the festival, Colin Harvey,

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'is taking me on a tour of the exhibits.'

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It's great, everyone gets involved, even the church.

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You've got whole scenes here, haven't you?

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It's also a good test of your knowledge of nursery rhymes

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and children's stories, what with Rapunzel up there.

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That's the children's favourite at the moment.

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Certainly the tallest scarecrow, isn't it?

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'There are over 150 scarecrows dotted around the village,

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'some of which portrayed this year's theme, which is inventions.'

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What's going on here then?

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-Oh, wait, I've got this - that's Freddie Mercury.

-Yes.

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It's one of the inventions, and it's the Hoover Dam.

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Ah-ha! Right, OK.

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Whoever lives here is ingenious themselves.

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'This is a very hard decision to make, but I think we have a winner.'

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-Well, it's got to be this, hasn't it?

-Yes, definitely.

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-Well done, whoever did this. Just deserved.

-Absolutely.

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With such a love of the Dales, I'm sure our buyers would really

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enjoy having this quirky festival right on their doorstep.

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With that in mind, it's back to the house hunt

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to see if I can unearth their perfect property.

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For our second property,

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I'm taking our buyers to Litton in the middle of the National Park.

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It's just down the road from the popular Dales village

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of Grassington, which has got all the amenities our buyers could need.

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The house I'm showing them is a modern cottage.

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Now, for the second property, we thought it would be good idea

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for you to have a look around

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an up-and-running bed and breakfast business.

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Which is this.

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-Excellent!

-Nice!

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You've got a pub just there.

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Brilliant.

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All right, start on the property. It was built around 1978.

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-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

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It's pretty, actually. I do like it, yeah.

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Now, what can you see that you weren't expecting to see?

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-Post Office.

-Yes!

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Now, it is a great way of getting to know your neighbours,

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but also, it's...

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You know, it's a few mornings of your week out.

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-OK.

-Yeah.

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-Something to think about.

-Right.

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It's very different inside, as much as anything else,

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because it's up-and-running, OK? Follow me.

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What I really like about this house

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is that it's a ready-to-go business in a popular Dales location.

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Let's see if they feel the same.

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And in you come...

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to a rather open-plan kitchen-dining room.

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Now, you're going to be cooking

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maybe with your diners already in the room,

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if you were doing breakfasts and what have you.

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-But we are tucked around the corner.

-You are, yes, definitely.

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-We could board that off.

-You could do.

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-Indeed, you could.

-Yeah.

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Yeah, it feels...

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-It feels nice.

-Does it?

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-Yeah.

-Yeah!

-Yeah, so far, so good.

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OK, well, look, let's look at one of the letting bedrooms,

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and then we can concentrate on you after that.

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-Yeah? Sound good?

-Yeah.

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This way.

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There are three letting bedrooms on the ground floor,

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but I want to show them the fourth, upstairs.

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So, this is the family room.

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Because it has three beds. Quirky, isn't it?

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Yeah. That's a great summing up - quirky!

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I like the skylight, actually.

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-That's a nice feature.

-Yeah.

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Now, it's en suite.

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You've got three en suite letting bedrooms

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-in the business part of this house.

-OK.

-OK.

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There's also another bedroom which isn't en suite.

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-All right, fair enough.

-So, you've got options here.

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The opposite end of the property is your accommodation, OK?

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Let's see what you think of that.

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So, it's back through the kitchen towards the other end of the house,

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where the private living quarters are located.

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Also on this floor, there's a study

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from where the current owners run the sub-post office.

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Upstairs, there's a guest bedroom which has an en suite,

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but we're going to take a look at the master,

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which could be perfect for them.

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Now, in the far end of your house...

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..there's two en suite bedrooms just for you.

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-Right!

-It's pleasant.

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-Two en suites for us?

-One each.

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-JONNIE LAUGHS

-Yeah! Well, you're going to be doing shift work.

0:17:170:17:20

You never know, you might not get on!

0:17:200:17:22

You're working together for the first time!

0:17:220:17:24

-Lovely, isn't it?

-It's a good size.

0:17:240:17:25

All right, well, look, below this room is their very own,

0:17:250:17:29

-or potentially, YOUR very own living room.

-Right.

0:17:290:17:32

-And it's a really good size. Let me show you.

-OK.

0:17:320:17:35

'These reactions are really positive.

0:17:350:17:38

'I'm hoping I can keep up the momentum.'

0:17:380:17:40

This is a good-sized room.

0:17:400:17:41

This is a big-sized room!

0:17:410:17:43

And it goes right round here for a room

0:17:430:17:46

and half the size again, if you like.

0:17:460:17:48

Yeah? Nice fire.

0:17:480:17:50

That'll heat the house, let alone the room!

0:17:500:17:54

What do you think of the layout?

0:17:540:17:56

I would potentially look at us being up in the upstairs bedroom,

0:17:560:17:59

-the quirky room, as ours.

-Yes.

-All right.

0:17:590:18:02

And then have the other end let out to guests.

0:18:020:18:05

OK, well, that's the whistle stop tour

0:18:050:18:08

of the interior of this property.

0:18:080:18:10

Let's go and have a look at the garden,

0:18:100:18:12

and again, start to think about price.

0:18:120:18:14

-Brilliant.

-OK, thank you.

0:18:140:18:15

So we haven't quite nailed it, although the good thing

0:18:160:18:19

is that they're actually thinking about

0:18:190:18:21

which parts of the property might be best for them.

0:18:210:18:23

So, here we are.

0:18:230:18:24

This is the extent of your garden. It goes to that middle wall there.

0:18:240:18:29

-Yeah.

-OK, it's not bad.

0:18:290:18:32

-Not bad?

-I like it.

0:18:320:18:34

So, after what you've seen, let's have a go at pricing it.

0:18:340:18:38

How much, Michael, do you think this place is on the market for?

0:18:380:18:41

I'd go in the region of 525.

0:18:410:18:44

OK. Alison?

0:18:440:18:46

I think a bit more.

0:18:460:18:48

-I think I'll go 530.

-Right.

0:18:480:18:51

Well...

0:18:510:18:54

you'll be surprised to hear, then, that this place

0:18:540:18:57

is on the market for offers in the region of £500,000.

0:18:570:19:00

-Wow!

-OK.

0:19:000:19:01

I think, at that price,

0:19:010:19:03

-there potentially is a deal to be considered here.

-Mmm!

0:19:030:19:08

This modern house is on the market

0:19:080:19:11

for offers in the region of £500,000.

0:19:110:19:13

It's got a kitchen-breakfast room and a separate dining room,

0:19:130:19:17

which is ideal for guests.

0:19:170:19:19

There are seven bedrooms and a lawned garden to the south

0:19:190:19:21

and west of the property, all with spectacular views of the Dales.

0:19:210:19:26

Hopefully, something to have a think about.

0:19:260:19:28

-Something to sleep on, now.

-Very much so.

0:19:280:19:31

-Happy?

-I agree, yes.

0:19:310:19:32

You look it! And determined.

0:19:320:19:34

-Mmm!

-Let's go.

0:19:340:19:35

As evening falls, it's the end of our first day

0:19:420:19:44

searching for our buyers'

0:19:440:19:46

perfect bed and breakfast property in the Dales.

0:19:460:19:49

Well, we covered quite a bit of ground here in the Dales yesterday,

0:19:520:19:55

for the main reason that there aren't that many

0:19:550:19:57

properties for sale here in Michael and Alison's budget,

0:19:570:20:00

and even less so that are suitable for conversion to a B&B.

0:20:000:20:03

Today, when they woke up, well,

0:20:030:20:05

they were greeted by a beautiful morning here in the Dales,

0:20:050:20:07

and I'm sure they're rather excited to see the mystery property.

0:20:070:20:11

Let's find out.

0:20:110:20:12

For our mystery house, we've hopped out of the Dales National Park

0:20:150:20:18

and travelled north to Hilton in Cumbria.

0:20:180:20:21

It's just down the road from the town of Appleby,

0:20:210:20:23

which is an ideal spot for tourists, offering easy access

0:20:230:20:27

to the Pennines, the Lake District, and the Yorkshire Dales.

0:20:270:20:31

Appleby is well serviced by an array of shops, cafes, and restaurants.

0:20:310:20:36

The property I'm showing them in Hilton is a four-bedroom farmhouse

0:20:360:20:40

which has been renovated to an extremely high standard.

0:20:400:20:43

Before the mystery property...

0:20:470:20:48

well, we're actually looking at mystery PROPERTIES,

0:20:480:20:52

because we've got a barn, and we've got a farmhouse.

0:20:520:20:55

-Right!

-OK.

0:20:550:20:56

The Yorkshire border is about 20 minutes that way,

0:20:560:20:59

but, on the flip side, 20 minutes that way is Ullswater,

0:20:590:21:02

-the Lake District.

-OK.

0:21:020:21:03

So we've got two national parks within striking distance.

0:21:030:21:06

-Interesting.

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah.

0:21:060:21:08

And the Pennines right on the doorstep.

0:21:080:21:12

You can walk to the Pennine Way, which means tourist and customers.

0:21:120:21:16

-Yes.

-Very much.

0:21:160:21:18

So, what do we think overall?

0:21:180:21:21

It's not quite what I was expecting, actually, but it's got the character.

0:21:210:21:25

That means the mystery property is doing its job.

0:21:250:21:27

Let's look inside.

0:21:270:21:29

When Michael and Alison see the high-spec interior,

0:21:290:21:32

I think they'll understand why I've brought them here.

0:21:320:21:34

In we come.

0:21:370:21:39

-Ooh!

-Mmm!

0:21:390:21:41

Nice! Very nice!

0:21:410:21:43

-It's got your cooker!

-Well, what can I say?

0:21:430:21:46

It's the first thing I saw!

0:21:460:21:48

It's a fantastic room, isn't it, really?

0:21:480:21:50

-It's huge.

-It IS huge.

0:21:500:21:52

-It is a big kitchen.

-It's an amazing room.

0:21:520:21:54

There's all sorts of options that you have here.

0:21:540:21:56

The owners told me that when they redeveloped this house,

0:21:560:21:59

they left enough room to put a stud partition across there,

0:21:590:22:02

so that would be a dining-kitchen for yourselves,

0:22:020:22:04

and then the dining area for your guests could be here.

0:22:040:22:07

-There is plenty of room to do that.

-Goodness me, is there!

0:22:070:22:10

I mean, the kitchen, I think, is absolutely fantastic.

0:22:100:22:13

Everything you see, every bit of woodwork in this house

0:22:130:22:15

has been made bespoke.

0:22:150:22:17

Wow!

0:22:170:22:19

It's the best kitchen we've seen so far.

0:22:190:22:21

Isn't it, just?

0:22:210:22:22

You can see it is a quality finish.

0:22:220:22:24

You'll see that in every room that we go into.

0:22:240:22:27

-Let's look elsewhere.

-OK.

0:22:270:22:29

This property has so much to offer,

0:22:310:22:33

and there's a whole range of possibilities.

0:22:330:22:36

-Now then, what do you think of this room?

-It's very light.

0:22:390:22:43

-It is, isn't it? And again, it's sizeable.

-Wonderful size.

0:22:430:22:47

-Massive, isn't it?

-Here's the question.

0:22:470:22:49

Is it for you or is it for the guests?

0:22:490:22:53

If we kept that for us, this could be the dining room.

0:22:530:22:56

Could be. There's lots of options here.

0:22:560:22:59

Or I can show you an option where

0:22:590:23:01

this could still maybe be your lounge. OK?

0:23:010:23:05

Because next up, well, we're going to spice things up again.

0:23:050:23:09

OK.

0:23:090:23:10

Right, then. As it stands, clearly this is a living room.

0:23:160:23:19

And I think it's really sweet.

0:23:190:23:21

-That's cosy.

-Yes.

0:23:220:23:25

Look at those views first of all.

0:23:250:23:27

They're stunning, straight into the Lakes.

0:23:270:23:29

Imagine waking up to those views

0:23:290:23:31

-because I'm suggesting this is your bedroom.

-OK.

0:23:310:23:36

You've got a downstairs loo just there,

0:23:360:23:39

which could easily be converted to a downstairs loo and shower room.

0:23:390:23:43

-OK?

-So the entire end of this house on the ground floor is

0:23:430:23:47

-the owner's suite.

-Yes, it certainly could work.

0:23:470:23:51

OK, but these are just one of many options here.

0:23:510:23:55

Upstairs, at the moment, I think that's where your guests will stay.

0:23:550:23:59

Let's take a look at one of the rooms.

0:23:590:24:02

The attention to detail continues on the first floor,

0:24:020:24:05

where there are four bedrooms

0:24:050:24:06

which have all been beautifully finished.

0:24:060:24:09

There's a small single room and two good-sized doubles,

0:24:090:24:12

one of which has an en suite.

0:24:120:24:14

There is also a family bathroom.

0:24:140:24:16

But I'm going to show them what could be the biggest letting room.

0:24:160:24:19

-Nice size.

-Isn't it just?

0:24:190:24:21

Again, as with the whole house, it's just such a standard, and the size.

0:24:210:24:26

-But look at it, look at those views.

-Exactly. You've got the view again.

0:24:260:24:30

That's the Lake District over there.

0:24:300:24:33

-That is amazing.

-Let's go outside.

-OK.

0:24:330:24:37

There are more surprises in store with this spectacular property,

0:24:390:24:43

as there is a barn that's ripe for development

0:24:430:24:45

and a quarter of an acre of garden.

0:24:450:24:47

Well, what else might make your life interesting is this building

0:24:480:24:53

here, which is included in the sale.

0:24:530:24:55

I'm suggesting you speak to the local planners

0:24:550:24:58

and try to get planning consent for conversion to accommodation.

0:24:580:25:02

That would certainly be a future project.

0:25:020:25:04

Yes, let's consider all that we've got.

0:25:040:25:06

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

0:25:060:25:09

I think 540.

0:25:090:25:11

540. Michael?

0:25:110:25:13

I think a little bit less because it's not in the Dales National Park.

0:25:130:25:17

-I think 525.

-OK.

0:25:170:25:19

Well, you are out, both of you.

0:25:200:25:23

It's on the market for 475.

0:25:230:25:25

-475?

-475.

0:25:270:25:30

Well, that's a different ball game altogether. That's...

0:25:300:25:33

That's a bit of a shock, actually.

0:25:330:25:35

-Yeah, good shock, by the sounds of it.

-Yeah.

0:25:350:25:38

It's a lot of property for that amount.

0:25:380:25:40

With a price tag of £475,000,

0:25:400:25:43

this detached house is finished to an exceptionally high standard.

0:25:430:25:48

It has a large, bespoke farmhouse kitchen and four bedrooms.

0:25:480:25:52

And there is a barn with development potential as holiday lets.

0:25:520:25:55

A lot to take in now. A lot to consider.

0:25:560:25:58

Let's find you somewhere to have a bit of a think and a natter.

0:25:580:26:01

Excellent.

0:26:010:26:03

-Is a move up here to the rural north the right thing for you guys?

-Yes.

0:26:110:26:16

-Definitely.

-So, let's talk about property number one.

0:26:160:26:18

How do you feel about it now?

0:26:180:26:20

Perfect location, the property itself was good.

0:26:200:26:23

-Yes, that was the best location.

-OK.

0:26:230:26:25

And that certainly had the most potential

0:26:250:26:29

to convert into a B&B business.

0:26:290:26:31

Because the second property, we showed you an up-and-running B&B.

0:26:310:26:35

We're still not entirely convinced on the location.

0:26:370:26:40

The plus side being, it was up and running, we could move in.

0:26:400:26:43

Well, then...

0:26:430:26:44

Finally we got to the mystery house.

0:26:440:26:47

It's wonderful, you cannot fault it as a house.

0:26:470:26:51

I think to turn it into the B&B aspect, I think, would take a lot.

0:26:510:26:58

So, does one property have enough to be a favourite for you guys?

0:26:580:27:03

-Property one.

-Property number one.

0:27:050:27:07

Well, it sounds like we could potentially have found you

0:27:070:27:12

a property that could be your dream business up here.

0:27:120:27:15

So, best of luck with that. But please, whichever way you go,

0:27:150:27:18

-let us know what you finally decide, won't you?

-We will do.

-Will do.

0:27:180:27:21

Well, what a great couple of days.

0:27:250:27:27

It sounds like we had genuinely three properties

0:27:270:27:30

that were in contention this time.

0:27:300:27:31

But I must say, after catching up with Michael and Alison,

0:27:310:27:34

I'm quite surprised at their choice.

0:27:340:27:36

I thought the mystery property would be the one for them.

0:27:360:27:39

They reacted fantastically to the potential and to the finish there.

0:27:390:27:42

It sat nicely between the first house that needs work done to it

0:27:420:27:46

and the second property that was an up-and-running B&B.

0:27:460:27:49

But I suppose, on reflection, it is outside that target area

0:27:490:27:53

of the beautiful Dales.

0:27:530:27:54

And at the end of the day, location so often wins through.

0:27:540:27:57

So, for a couple from Bishops Stortford,

0:27:570:28:00

if they do go ahead and buy this first property,

0:28:000:28:03

this will truly be an escape to the country for them.

0:28:030:28:07

See you next time.

0:28:070:28:09

After discussing the properties further,

0:28:090:28:11

Michael and Alison decided none of them were quite right,

0:28:110:28:14

but are still keen to make the Dales their new home.

0:28:140:28:17

If you'd like to escape to the country in Scotland, Wales,

0:28:170:28:20

Northern Ireland or England,

0:28:200:28:22

or maybe even further afield to the continent,

0:28:220:28:24

and need our help, please apply online at...

0:28:240:28:29

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