Lancashire Escape to the Country

I'm standing at the centre of Britain,

in one of the few places in the countryside which still has a payphone.

This one is particularly special,

as it was unveiled by the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

But where am I? Find out, as we escape to the country.

'Today, I'll be helping a couple cut a huge 250-mile weekly commute

'to spend more time together in the country.

'At first glance, our house-hunt exceeds all their expectations.'

-It's absolutely gorgeous, I love it.

-It's almost too perfect.

But the mystery house offers an even more enticing alternative.

-I've always wanted a hallway like this.

-Have you?

With the stairs and everything. I absolutely love it.

I'm in the county of Lancashire, in the village of Dunsop Bridge,

part of the Duchy of Lancaster estate in the Ribble Valley,

in the Forest of Bowland, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Dunsop Bridge itself can lay claim

to being the closest village to the gravitational centre of Britain,

a claim officially recognised in 1992 by the Ordnance Survey.

But its geographical importance isn't the only thing

that puts this entire region on the map.

Situated in the north-western counties of England,

Lancashire's beautiful countryside sits alongside

reminders of its industrial past.

The stone-built cottages were home to 100,000 of Lancashire's workers

who were employed in the cotton mill industry,

and they still survive today.

The Forest of Bowland stretches over 300 square miles

into neighbouring North Yorkshire - its fells, moorlands and villages

are a strong pull for outdoor enthusiasts,

keen to enjoy the rugged natural beauty.

Now it's time to meet today's buyers,

who are hoping to make the big escape.

Neil and Thelma currently live in their two-bedroom townhouse

in Putney, south-west London. But their time together is hampered

by Neil's 250-mile weekly commute to Lancaster,

where he works as a finance director.

That, combined with their forthcoming marriage,

means they're looking for their first marital home

within an hour's drive of Lancaster,

which gives them the spoils of rural living.

I grew up in the country, in a mining village in Yorkshire,

not picturesque but really close to the countryside,

so within five minutes on my bike, I was out in nature reserves.

The first time I experienced England outside London,

you get this whole new experience, of something you pictured

in your storybooks and everything when you were growing up.

That is England, and I've always wanted to live there.

These days, Thelma is still an avid reader -

her books range from Icelandic sagas to English historical romances.

But it isn't just these that they will need to accommodate.

We want big, open spaces, barn conversions, for example, with tall ceilings.

I'm 6'2", so I don't want low-hanging beams in poky little cottages.

I think the must-haves in a new home

-are at least four bedrooms, a large kitchen...

-Yeah.

-A downstairs toilet, cloakroom.

-Mm-hmm.

Not a huge garden, a manageable garden, ideally with fantastic views,

that other people feel - space that we don't have to look after!

And I wouldn't be against having a hot tub!

Their house will soon go on the market,

but they already have a clear idea of how much they can afford.

The budget for this move is a maximum of £700,000.

With a maximum budget of £700,000, they are hoping to find a home

that will save Neil one heck of a weekly commute,

and a house that they can both call home as a married couple.

They're not shy of barn conversions

and they're looking for lots of living space

and bedrooms for visiting relatives.

So far they haven't been very lucky finding their dream home by themselves

so let's see if we can find it for them.

Neil and Thelma want to focus their house search

within 1.5 hours from Lancaster, were Neil works.

We have combed the county for three fantastic properties to show them,

but I won't be revealing the price of each

until they've had a guess first.

The last of these is our mystery house which will give them

an unexpected alternative to mull over.

-Isn't it beautiful here?

-It is. Absolutely gorgeous.

You have similar ideas about what you're looking for.

Yes, pretty much.

I'm going to probably let him lead a bit in this

because he knows the location better.

Distance is important from work, how far are you willing to go?

Probably 45 minutes to an hour maximum driving or train times.

You'll be looking at the home comforts?

-A place where you can invite family and build a family.

-Yeah.

In this part of the world, I think we can find you something.

-I'm pretty sure.

-Shall we start looking?

-Definitely.

Come on, let's go.

With their £700,000 budget, they are looking for a country home

which mixes old and new and gives them reception areas

for entertaining, a large modern kitchen, four bedrooms,

a manageable garden

and a property located within easy reach of Neil's work.

We're kicking off our property search on the fringes

of the Forest of Bowland, close to the village of Calder Vale

which gives Neil a half-hour drive to work in Lancaster.

Sitting on the banks of the River Calder,

many of the workers' cottages here date back to the 1830s

and are a reminder of the village's cotton milling past.

Garstang, just a few miles away,

prides itself on being the world's first Fair Trade town

and is a useful hub for amenities.

For starters, we're serving up a fine example of a property style

our couple has especially asked for.

Right, here we are, property number one.

A nice substantial, chunky barn conversion for you.

-Surrounded by open countryside.

-It is amazing.

-This is certainly the countryside.

-Exactly. love it.

-It's great.

-It looks really, really good.

-I love that stonework.

-That is the attitude. You love it. Let's have a look inside.

-OK. Great.

The stone fabric of the barn dates back around 100 years

and has one neighbouring property.

Converted five years ago,

it provides a fantastically modern interior.

Ha-ha!

-A grand entrance.

-Wow.

I think you can fit the six-foot Nordic relatives in here.

-Just about.

-Definitely.

-It's fantastic.

-It is.

-It's so bright and stylish.

-Stylish, you like it?

-Yeah, I do.

It's very contemporary.

Yes, I'd say so. Very contemporary. And this oak staircase. It's a great centrepiece.

-A big echo-y space.

-It is.

-Let's have a look this way.

-OK.

We have got a dining space here, it is open-plan.

And it leads down here to an open-plan kitchen.

-That is amazing.

-A big space.

-Great, it has got a good feel.

-It does.

It's got everything you need, you have got so much work space,

all the cupboards down below, but plenty, I think.

You get the space, you get the light, then beyond this room

you've got a big utility space for all those white goods.

Another room which is sort of being used as storage at the moment

and beyond that something that I would call almost an annexe,

a room big enough to be treated like the fifth bedroom

-because there are four upstairs.

-Wow. OK.

'The clean, contemporary lines continue in the sitting room.'

A little step up. Here we go.

-It's amazing.

-Fantastic space.

-I love it.

-Light and open and airy.

-It is.

-Big windows, yeah, it's great.

You have then got the sun room which is a great suntrap, south-facing.

Beyond that, you've got another room.

That's, I think, an awful lot of space for the two of you.

-How are you planning to fill it all?

-I'm not quite sure.

-A lot of guests. Very regularly.

-It is a great space, I love it.

Whether it's party guests, relatives or future children,

the four bedrooms upstairs should fit the bill as they all have en suites.

First stop, the master.

So, this could be your bedroom.

-This is fantastic.

-A great space.

How do you think it suits you?

Perfectly. The built-in wardrobes are exactly what we need.

Plus the en suite, have a look at that in there.

-That is fantastic.

-Great, isn't it?

-I love it. It's perfect. I love it.

The space is great,

-we could personalise it and make it our own.

-Exactly.

The other three bedrooms are all large enough to be doubles.

The second, complete with fitted wardrobes

and an en suite shower room,

as are the third and the fourth.

The shower rooms are of a similar size.

Our barn conversion gives them a lot of house

and there's not a thing to do other than add their own personal touches.

Outside the immediate garden amounts to an acre,

but that's not even the half of it.

-Are you big gardeners?

-I'm the green-fingered one.

-I'm not so much.

I'd like to close off the fence a little bit.

You'd want to close off the fence? You might not want to.

Because you don't just get this acre,

there's another ten acres that come with this property.

-What?

-What?

-What?

-Yes.

When we came in, there's a field there, there's a field there.

And then behind us, this wall here.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Wow. OK.

THEY ALL CHUCKLE

It all could be yours if you buy this property and that depends on the price, I guess.

I had made up my mind, but then you added all that land.

I'm quite confused now.

-I would say 650, around that.

-650,000, OK.

I really don't know. I am going to go slightly lower I think maybe 625.

OK. Well, you do get a lot of house and 11 acres,

and that comes at a price of 699,995.

-Really?

-OK.

-So right at the top of your budget, affordable,

but there isn't much you'd have to do.

-You could move in straightaway.

-Exactly.

So you've got plenty of rooms to explore in there.

Why don't you go and have a look

-and I will talk to you later on.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Sneaking in just under their £700,000 budget,

our pristine barn conversion gives them an abundance of space

made up of four reception rooms so plenty of options for party guests.

A huge contemporary kitchen,

four potential bedrooms, all with an en suite.

And in total a jaw-dropping 11 acres of land.

I really like this house

and I think it's got great potential.

It's a fantastic conversion and has been really well done.

It's still a blank canvas.

I love the feel of it. Kitchen area is a perfect size,

All the bedrooms are great.

It's got everything we could possibly want.

Our house search continues over to the eastern side of the Forest of Bowland

and nudges us into North Yorkshire to the village of Hellifield

around a 50 minute drive from Neil's work in Lancaster.

Many of the stone buildings that house the village's amenities

date back to the 1900s when it became a major interchange

on the historic Settle to Carlisle railway line.

Stone is a running theme throughout our second property.

-It's a good-looking property, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

And behind a gate.

You have got a gated community here of seven houses.

And for you, it's very close to the village.

We are in Hellifield and two minutes down the road you can walk into the village and the pub.

-Oh, really?

-Yes. Let's have a look inside.

-All right.

The stone facade certainly adds a rustic charm to this new-build property.

We'll enter via the back door and take a look at the kitchen

which has a warm contemporary feel I hope they'll both be at home with.

-And a beautiful kitchen with this house.

-It is lovely.

It's fantastic. It's very modern and contemporary.

Quite similar to our kitchen at home except bigger.

-And a little bit nicer.

-I love it.

-Got everything you need.

Can you see this kitchen working for you as an entertaining space,

I know it's really important for you.

I definitely can, it's big enough for quite a lot of people.

Behind us there's a spacious utility room,

but we'll walk through the main hallway

off which lead all reception rooms.

One of these is a very generous sized snug.

Next to the kitchen, the separate dining room is impeccably presented.

But will they want to put their feet up in this sitting room?

-So how about this for perfection?

-That is amazing.

It's almost too perfect, you don't want to tread on the floor.

-It is pretty white and pristine and quite palatial.

-Very much so.

You've got the beams, you've got that fireplace.

-You've got the views.

-It's beautiful.

-Yeah.

Now you were talking about the flow in the kitchen.

You've had a little wander through this floor. What do you feel?

-I still feel the other house had a better flow.

-Yeah.

From a social point of view.

This has lots of confined space, they're all very separate.

That's true, yeah.

'There's lots of space to accommodate their guests

'as there are six bedrooms that lead off this generous landing.

'But first, we'll take a look at where they could sleep.'

This is currently the master.

Wow.

-That is breathtaking.

-That is so gorgeous.

-It is.

So, room-size-wise, you've got fitted wardrobes,

an en suite, room for a huge bed,

-and stunning views.

-Yeah.

I think the en suite certainly adds a touch of luxury

but let's see if the bedroom at the end of the landing

measures up to Neil's expectations.

Right, Neil?

Is this grand enough for you?

-Wow.

-I think this will probably do.

LAUGHTER

That is huge.

Would that do? That space?

It's huge. This is like two bedrooms in one, isn't it?

It really is.

The remaining four bedrooms are perfect for guests,

one being a double with fitted wardrobes

and a stylish en suite shower room,

and another currently used as a dressing room.

The fifth bedroom provides them with a ready-made study

and the sixth is another light spacious room.

Outside, adjoining the property is a huge double garage

and the garden size is exactly what they requested.

We don't give you all the fields this time.

This is the extent of the garden

-but it's what you asked for, it's manageable.

-Yeah.

Good manageable space, private as well.

And I think there is probably a good spot for a hot tub just over there.

Yeah, I was just thinking that. That would be perfect.

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

-You go for it this time.

-I think it's cheaper than the other one.

-Maybe...640?

-OK.

At a guess.

-I would say around 600, 610.

-600 or 610, so much lower?

-Well, it's somewhere in the middle.

-OK.

This is on the market at £625,000.

Well, go in there, explore,

-tell me your thoughts later on.

-All right.

Comfortably under budget at £625,000,

this Yorkshire stone built property

has many of the elements that they wanted from their ideal home

as it includes a large contemporary kitchen diner,

three spacious reception rooms,

six bedrooms, three of which have an en suite,

and a manageable garden looking out onto open countryside.

And it's a commutable distance

to work for Neil.

This house, it's fantastic.

It's really well laid out,

it's very smart, very modern, very contemporary.

It just doesn't have that wow factor about it.

I think this house is fantastic.

It's actually, it's beautiful, and really well-kept.

Even though there are so many rooms here,

we both agree on the fact that we would like open plan.

As evening falls over the Lancashire skyline,

the first day of our house search draws to a close.

We got off to a fantastic start with Thelma and Neil yesterday,

so good that the question is,

can we do any better?

Well, for our mystery house,

we are going to give them everything they've asked for

and a little bit more.

What are you expecting from the mystery property?

I'm intrigued. A little bit worried.

Why would you be worried, Neil? What could we possibly do?

I'm not sure what you'll bring out of left field to challenge us.

Neil will be relieved that the mystery property

is the nearest of our three houses to Lancaster,

just over 11 miles away from the village of Wray,

which along with a church and a local post office

has its own little cafe.

Hidden away in a remote setting,

our mystery property actually serves up two living areas,

one for them, and one from which they could run a business

or house Thelma's visiting family.

What do you think of this?

-I think it's lovely.

-It's beautiful.

-Yeah.

So why on earth is it a mystery?

I don't know!

Let's just say, it will give you more options

than the other properties we've shown you.

-OK? Intrigued?

-Yeah, very much so.

-Let's have a look.

-All right.

'This mystery barn conversion is a complete departure

'from the open-plan seamless flow of our first property

'so it's a real gamble as to whether they'll warm to this amount of character.'

-Right!

-Right.

-Look at this!

-Oh, my, wow.

-Wow.

That is amazing.

-I love that.

-Looks like an archway into a castle, doesn't it?

-It is!

-I've always wanted a hallway like this.

-Have you?

With the stairs and everything, it's... I love it.

Good. We're on a roll, I think. Let's go through to the kitchen.

What do you think?

-I think it's great.

-It's nice.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-It's very spacious.

-It's got good light as well.

-And character there.

Oh, yes, you've got the exposed stone wall.

And quite a lot of space.

And you don't just get this space,

through there you have a big utility space and a toilet at the back.

-It's amazing.

-So all the big white goods, your fridge freezer can go there.

That's great. We can concentrate on socialising in here.

You COULD just socialise in here

-or you could take people through to the dining room.

-OK.

Here we go.

Oh, it's nice.

-That's amazing.

-That's fantastic, isn't it?

-Another original feature.

-That's great.

Oh, I really like this.

-It's got a good feel to it.

-Would you like something like this?

Is this Christmas Day, everyone piled in a room like this?

-Definitely. A big Christmas tree up.

-A huge Christmas tree up there.

That would be absolutely fantastic.

'We'll move out of the extended part

'and through to explore the original framework of the barn

'in the living room.'

Now, Neil. First test. How do you fare with those?

OK, just about get in here - sober!

Very good.

And a little bit more height once you get in here.

But we're up into the original barn.

-It's a really nice room.

-Very cosy, isn't it?

I have to say, I was a little nervous

about bringing you up into this part of the house

because of the lower ceilings, I thought that wouldn't work for you,

but I'm pleasantly surprised.

-It's a good transition.

-I like it.

-It blends well, to go from down there up here really works.

-It does.

What about the tall relatives, will they cope?

They'll have to cope.

This property comes with four bedrooms. One of them is just over there

so you've got a big bedroom over there with its en suite

-so you could just let them stay down here.

-OK.

-Oh, that's great.

'Despite the low beams, the character features of our mystery house

'have really struck a chord with them.

'Let's hope they're as positive about upstairs,

'where there's a generous landing, off which lies the family bathroom

'and the remaining three bedrooms.'

'They include a single room lit by a skylight

'and a double with lovely high roof timbers, which also feature in the master bedroom.'

Right, tell me what you think of this.

-Oh, it's really nice.

-It's great.

-It's not a huge space, but it feels really cosy and nice and warm.

-Yeah.

It's got a relaxing feel, hasn't it? And it comes with an en suite.

-So you could see yourselves in this property?

-Yeah.

Well, there is some extra space with this one.

-You've got a whole holiday cottage next door.

-What?!

-Really?

-Yes.

-Oh, my.

-Wow.

-So that's something I'd like you to explore on your own.

-OK.

'They seem to have been won over by the part of the house

'that would be their home, so, hopefully,

'they'll be excited by the potential for the adjoining self-contained cottage.'

-There it is.

-Yeah.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Wow.

-It's a great little extra space, isn't it?

-Look at this.

Yeah. I'm thinking we could potentially knock through there, as well.

We could combine the two, maybe, into a bigger single property.

There's a possibility. Check it out.

'Up a flight of stairs,

'the living room is finished to a really high standard.'

-And there's more.

-'Upstairs, this cottage provides two bedrooms,

'one large one currently set up as a twin with a nicely fitted en suite,

'and the other one slightly smaller, but with fabulous views and again benefiting from its own en suite.'

'Our mystery proposition offers them two houses for the price of one

'and if they want it, a healthy holiday let business

'that currently pulls in on average £400 a week, with bookings taken for just over 20 weeks a year.'

'But with all that on offer, something has to give.'

So, a lot of property there. Not so much on the outside space.

There's no back garden and there's no garden as such.

You've got this area here. You could fit a hot tub in, potentially.

Well, you've seen it all.

-But the weather is turning on us. Shall we guess the price?

-Quickly!

Let's do that. Go on then, how much do you think it's on the market for?

Um...

I'm going to just take a shot, it might be way below, and say 575.

OK.

Neil.

I'm thinking because there isn't much land with it, it's going to be lower.

I'm going down to the fours, I think. Maybe 450.

-450!

-Go low.

-Go very low.

That's a very low guess, Neil and I have to say, Thelma, you win!

-In fact, you're spot on.

-Oh, my God!

-It is on the market at £575,000.

-OK.

Yeah. On you go and have another look around.

Think about what you'd do with the extra money if you bought it. Let me know,

-because you've got some decisions to make later.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

'Comfortably under budget at £575,000,

'our mystery barn conversion not only gives Neil a quick 20-minute drive to work,

'but provides them with a large convivial kitchen,

'a huge living room with character features galore

'and three bedrooms in the main house.'

'But what with two further bedrooms in the self-contained cottage,

'there's ample space for Thelma's relatives to stay.'

I definitely love this house. It's got such a good feel to it. It's got character,

but if we could possibly make it our own,

that would be absolutely wonderful, so we'd definitely consider this house.

You've given us a lot to think about with the mystery house but, having seen it, we love it.

You threw a curve ball in in terms of the holiday accommodation next door,

which is good and bad.

I don't think we're too keen on the idea of strangers living next door, even for at a week at a time.

But if there's an opportunity to knock it through, this could be the dream house.

I love the magic of the mystery house

and this one seems to be a real strong contender,

so let's find out what they've decided.

Our mission this week was to shorten your commute

and to find you a marital home - the first home you will buy together.

Three interesting houses.

We started with the very contemporary barn conversion.

-I think we both were blown away by it.

-I really love that house.

Everything about it, the surrounding area.

What about all that extra land, 11 acres in total?

That was pretty mind-blowing when you said that.

It's not necessarily something we wanted. It's kind of an added bonus, I guess.

The second property we took you over the border, a bit cheeky, into North Yorkshire

to a different sort of property.

Everything about it was absolutely lovely.

It's just that, inside of it, there was no open area.

Every room just very separate.

The mystery property. It's designed to throw you a curve ball and I think it did.

-The entrance was dramatic. Fantastic.

-Oh, yeah, I absolutely love it.

It's just gorgeous.

There's a good flow. It had a good feel. Certainly the lounge,

-that was cosy and comfy.

-It was.

-Just sitting and chilling out.

The question is, have you found what you're looking for in any of the houses we showed you?

Well, there are a couple of houses,

the first one and the third one, we really, really liked them.

It depends on how things are going to progress in regards to the holiday let, for instance,

in the third house, how that would go.

I hope you're going to settle in the countryside

and get the country living you've been looking for.

You have the wedding coming up. Best of luck with that.

-Thank you.

-It's been a pleasure spending time with you.

-It's been great.

-Thanks for your help.

What a tremendous result. I'm so happy for Thelma and Neil.

Not only have we managed to find them two homes they absolutely love,

but I also think we've contributed

to the start of their brand-new lives together and that feels great.

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

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

'Northern Ireland or England

'and would like our help,

'please apply online at:'

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