Derbyshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to the show. Let's face it,

finding an Escape to the Country presenter surrounded by trees is,

in itself, not unusual,

but if I told you that these were just some of an estimated

7.8 million that have been planted here over the last 15 years,

well, you get the idea that this isn't just any old bit of woodland.

So where are? Well, join me in just a few moments and I'll tell you.

'On today's show, I'll be helping a couple

'exchange their house in suburban Bristol

'for a home in the countryside,

'and this pair really just can't wait to make the move.'

If I just gave you the keys,

I think you'd be smiling even more than you are now!

And our mystery house keeps those smiles coming.

Should be quite an interesting mystery house for you.

-Really quite excited about this one.

-Good.

Well, today, we're in the National Forest,

an enormous area of woodland that takes in large chunks

of South Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire.

Now, since this project was conceived back in 1990,

the idea has been to contain 200 square miles

of both ancient woodland and, of course, new trees as well.

Since then, it's gained international recognition

as one of the most ambitious regeneration projects of its kind,

anywhere in Europe.

And for my money, spanning as it does three glorious counties,

it's the perfect place to start any exploration of central England.

Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire are located

right in the heart of England, but each has its own character.

Derbyshire is known for its rugged terrain,

reflected in the Peak District National Park,

which covers about three quarters of the county.

The park is a Mecca for tourists, with more than 10 million

visitors a year flocking to see the spectacular scenery.

Derbyshire also has added attractions,

such as the old spa town of Matlock Bath.

The natural scenic beauty of this region flows on into Staffordshire,

with its glorious rolling moorlands made up of a rich clay soil.

It's this soil, especially in the north of the county,

that led to the development of Staffordshire's pottery industry in the 17th century,

that went on to become world famous.

Head east, and you'll find the county of Leicestershire,

with towns such as Market Harborough,

which was formerly a trading post for cattle and sheep.

Like Derbyshire and Staffordshire, Leicestershire boasts an abundance

of attractive countryside.

Perfect for those seeking a rural retreat.

Now, when you consider that the average property price

in this country is around about £257,000, buying in this part

of the world could be a very shrewd move indeed, and here's why.

In Leicestershire, the average detached will set you back about

£25,000 under that national average.

Pop into Staffordshire, you could save yourself £42,000.

And in Derbyshire,

a whopping £55,000 could be knocked off your bill.

And with three counties to choose from, there is plenty on offer.

If a characterful cottage in Derbyshire is your dream,

this three-bedroom home in Weston-on-Trent could be yours

for just under £240,000.

There's a well-proportioned sitting room with period features

and a lovely country-style kitchen leads onto a delightful garden.

Or just shy of £600,000 is this classic three-bed thatched cottage

in Newtown Linford in Leicestershire.

The sitting room has a stunning central feature with a brick,

open fireplace, and the traditional characteristics

continue in the bedrooms, which all have exposed beams.

For bigger budgets, there's this five-bedroom farmhouse

in Stowe-by-Chartley, in Staffordshire, for £740,000.

It features ample entertaining space,

with three large reception rooms, and a quarry-tiled conservatory.

Well, some great properties, and all of them set in great countryside.

Look at this for a view of the summertime!

So no surprise then, of course, that today's buyers want to move here.

Childhood sweethearts, Robert and Fiona, tied the knot 11 years ago.

They're both trained engineers, and currently live in this four-bedroom detached house

in Bristol, with their daughter, Lani, but are keen to rekindle

the delights of their rural upbringing,

with a move to Derbyshire.

Well, we both grew up in countryside, in villages, which we loved,

and now we have a daughter,

so we hope to give her that kind of lifestyle when she grows up.

I had a recent opportunity with my work,

relocating to one of our other sites in Derbyshire, so it's kind of...

The work is the reason, but we're taking the opportunity to really get the countryside at the same time.

With Robert working over 100 miles away in Derby during the week,

the distance has had a huge impact on family life,

and that's something they're desperate to change.

We dreamed of having more time together.

I think that's, kind of, the first benefit of the move, definitely.

And going to the country, in particular, we want to have

a little bit more outside space, perhaps get some more animals,

or grow some more of our own vegetables and fruit

and things like that. Just enjoy an outdoors family lifestyle altogether.

While Robert's job might drive the direction of their move,

there are family ties at play, too.

We'd be looking at an area of South Derbyshire within, ideally,

a 30 minute commute of my office.

Our family is also located in the Cotswolds.

Somewhere south of Derby gives access to our families at weekends, commutes up and down.

So the search area is nailed down, but the wishlist doesn't end there.

I think the top three must-haves for us

are nice outdoor space that's also family-friendly,

it must have three double-bedrooms and, also, a nice size kitchen.

Also, both being engineers, we'd like a study to put all our books

and computer out the way.

We'd like the house to be located near to a village that's got

a few amenities, like a shop or a pub.

But age of property, really, we don't mind old or modern-type

build properties, it's more about the location and land.

With our daughter, she's nearly three, so I'll be looking at

playgroups and, also, schools for when she's a bit older, as well.

The opportunity to partake in community activities

is an especially important ingredient for Fiona,

as she's a keen bell-ringer. Robert, on the other hand,

doesn't mind spending time in his own company,

as it allows him to keep up some of his family traditions.

One thing I'm keen on is having a property that's got access to outside space, an out-building,

or a workshop or, you know, over-sized garages.

My grandfather was a stone mason, so in our garage I've got sets

of stone masonry, chisels and wood chisels, which have never been used.

Might be keen to try my hand at that and use those family heirlooms.

So only one more thing to discover, and that's their finances.

We would stretch up to 450 for the ideal property.

Now the good news this week is that the brief, I think, is pretty broad.

I don't think Fiona and Robert are that fussed as to whether

we show them properties that are very old or indeed, very new.

But, of course, as with most of us, space is the issue.

They all want a nice big kitchen, of course, but Robert seems

particularly wedded to this need for a double-garage.

What's more, the pressure is on.

He's having to endure a very lengthy and tiresome commute and, of course,

with £450,000 in their budget, they are keen to get that move underway.

So let's see if we can, indeed, relieve them

of their hard-earned cash.

Robert and Fiona have asked us to find them a house

within a 30 minute commute of Derby

which gives us a chance to search across Derbyshire,

Staffordshire and Leicestershire,

which have beautiful rural properties within commutable distance.

We've found three houses to whet our buyers' appetite

but I won't be telling them what they are on the market for

until they've tried to guess the price themselves.

The last of these properties is our mystery house

which might well get top marks.

-Welcome to Escape to the Country.

-Thank you.

-Surprised to be here?

-Yes, but really looking forward to it.

The pressure is on because I gather since we met you at home,

you have your house under offer.

That's right, yes. We are close to exchanging contracts. We're ready to go.

This move is important. You've been commuting to Derby for the last year?

Yes, I've been in Derby two or three days a week for the last year or so

and now the job has become permanent. It's time to move to the area.

The key ingredient is that we are within half an hour of Derby.

Normally, people come to a particular county but with you, we've got a choice.

We've got Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.

Are you particularly wedded to any one of those?

We are quite keen to see what suits us rather than an area-specific search.

-Great. In terms of budget, 450 or so?

-Yes.

-Which I think will be all right.

-That's good news.

-We've got to get on with it.

-I'm feeling optimistic.

Let's see what we can find you.

Robert and Fiona have a budget of £450,000.

They are keen on a property in a village location

but they're open-minded on whether it's a new build or has character features.

They'd like three double bedrooms and also a study.

Their final request is a large garden

and a workshop for Robert to tinker in.

Our first house is situated in Draycott in the Clay in East Staffordshire

which is within a 30 minute drive of Derby as Robert requested.

It's down the road from the village of Marchington,

a charming location with pretty red brick homes, a welcoming pub and a local church.

Back in Draycott in the Clay,

our first property is this handsome three bedroom barn conversion.

-Come on in. Look at this little courtyard.

-Oh wow!

It's a redevelopment of a classic mid-Victorian farm courtyard.

You've got shared access to the courtyard, but that's what we want you to look at

-which is the biggest barn conversion that's here, right?

-Good.

-How do you feel about a barn conversion?

-Excited. Really good.

This one is lovely. It was done about six years ago.

The finishing in here is absolutely fantastic.

-You could walk in here tomorrow and just get on with it.

-Super.

-Happy?

-Very.

-Let's have a look.

They seem keen enough to get inside

and I think they'll be impressed by that high level of finish on offer.

-Right, let's start in here.

-Ah, lovely.

-Yeah?

-Yes, it's pretty nice.

-Nice?

-Yeah.

In terms of layout, I love the way they've done it.

This is the biggest reception room.

-There are two which I know was on your list of requirements.

-OK.

There is so much space in here.

You've got these nice double doors out to the patio which we'll explore later.

The thing is it really does open up into this vaulted ceiling

-which goes to the heart of any barn conversion.

-Oh, great.

-It makes the most of the space, really light and airy.

-Lovely beams.

Good, right then, let's have a look at the kitchen.

We're heading back through the hallway to the kitchen

and what it lacks in size, it makes up for with style.

-Now, kitchen.

-Very nice.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Everything's integrated, built-in.

Lovely dual fuel, gas electric range

-which is pretty much brand new. It's the real deal.

-Brilliant.

They've thought about the design of this from the inside out.

They've gone for this breakfast bar arrangement.

-This would work fine for us.

-Definitely.

-I think it will be fine.

-Next door is a second reception room.

You'll see what I mean, have a look at this.

-Now, this was conceived of as a dining room.

-OK.

Because you've got that lovely dining end in the living room, it seems a bit of a waste.

Although it could be if you wanted it to be.

But I'm thinking playroom/snug.

Yes, it's got that feel about it.

With a fireplace off the kitchen with a snug type area, that will be really good.

I'm impressed with the property. I'd like to see upstairs to see what the rest of it offers.

Let's check it out. Through you go.

The ground floor seems to have gone down well

but it's time to see if the rooms on the first floor can match up.

Let's start with this one.

-This, I would suggest is bedroom two as a guest room.

-Yes.

-As you can see, loads of built-in storage.

-I like it.

This would be where the folks would come for Christmas and Easter.

Would they be happy there?

-I think they'd be more than happy.

-Good, let's find somewhere for your daughter.

Have a look at this.

Also down here, we've got the family bathroom.

Bath and shower and so forth and this is the smallest of the three.

-I'm thinking this could be for your daughter.

-Yeah, that's fine for her.

It's a good size single room, space for her toys and bits and pieces.

You could get a small double in there but for her at this age,

I'd say that was ideal.

The good news is she's right next door to you.

Is that good news? I'm not sure!

This is the master.

-I like this.

-Yeah?

-Very nice.

-I think they've done it really nicely.

I love the beams.

They've managed to tuck away the downlights

into these panels and so forth.

It's been thought through well.

The storage, at the point of conversion, fit in really nicely.

This is you. Would you be happy enough in here?

-For us, this would be fine.

-Very much, it's great.

The family bathroom is beautifully finished as is the en-suite.

Have a look at this. I think this is really nice actually. There you go.

-Finished to the same high standard that we've seen everywhere else.

-That's a lovely finish, isn't it?

But it's easy to see how you could walk in here and get on with this.

-Definitely. Move in here and live in it as it is.

-That's the property.

Marks out of ten from you two.

I'd probably give it 6 or a 7 overall.

-6 or 7?

-I'm a harsh critic.

-That's all right.

The style of the property I like very much.

Perhaps one more bedroom might be nice. I'll go for an 8.

Good. OK, let's see if we can improve on that.

Let's go outside to see if we can improve on an 8 or a 7.

And we'll mark you up!

I think this house deserves a high score.

It's perfect for a young family as they can move in straight away.

Let's hope the outside will convince them.

-OK, out here, what have we got for you?

-Nice view.

We're not talking acres but that's not what you need right now.

Let's talk about garaging, because that's one thing we haven't got for you here.

What we are thinking, that area over there is your parking

surrounded by that brick wall.

You could accommodate quite a nice oak framed two bay garage there

if you wanted to put it up yourself.

The cost of it is going to have some implications.

Your £450,000,

how far is it going to get you to get this one, I wonder?

Robert, go on.

I would probably have to pitch it under that number

-so I would go for £395,000.

-Oh, cheeky! OK, yeah?

Given the standard of the conversion, and the fixtures and fittings,

I'd go for £410,000.

-410. It was on the market for £465,000.

-Right.

It is now on the market for £410,000.

-Good guess!

-Very good guess.

Which, I have to say is a very reasonable price for what's on offer here.

Definitely for that money, it is within budget.

Yes, in that hindsight, it's quite nice.

We would like it more if it had a fourth bedroom.

Go and see if you can cope without a fourth bedroom and have another look around.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-OK.

-Brilliant.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

This barn conversion is comfortably under their budget at £410,000.

It has a beautifully modern kitchen, breakfast room

and two reception rooms.

There are also two double bedrooms and a small single

and outside is a garden which gives them plenty of family space.

-There's a brilliant range, no idea how we work it. It looks like it will be good for cooking on.

-Yes.

A bit of a monster to get to grips with. It looks fantastic.

Shall we have fun?

Overall, the footprint perhaps is a little smaller than we would like

but it's ideal. We can make it work for three of us.

The kitchen size works, it's smaller than the kitchen we've got now

but we wouldn't need to eat in it all the time

and it's lovely to gain another door going outside.

Right, there we are, that's house number one, done and dusted. Happy?

-Very happy. A good start.

-I think a very, very good start.

Great value for money, to be honest.

-One that you can just move into.

-Definitely, yes. I liked it.

Will you move into it, I wonder? Come on.

Eight miles south of Derby is the attractive Georgian market town of Melbourne.

As Robert and Fiona plan to move to the area,

we wanted them to get a flavour of what a local town might offer.

Earlier in the week, we sent them to have a look around.

Our buyers are keen churchgoers and Melbourne boasts

one of the finest Norman parish churches in the country,

St Michael's with St Mary's.

It's often referred to as a mini cathedral.

Modern tourism was founded here. It's the birthplace of Thomas Cook

who made his fortune from the travel industry.

Some of which he used to build the quadrangle of cottages on the high Street.

Fiona is a keen bellringer or campanologist

and it's an activity she'd like to continue when she moves.

So, we sent our young couple to meet Bob Smith,

who's the steeple keeper of Melbourne's parish church.

This is probably the best spot to have a look at what we've got in the way of bells.

We augmented them from eight to ten and then from ten to 12.

In the mid-1990s, we put the two extra bells to make ten

and then we added two more to make the 12

and became the first ring of 12 in Derbyshire.

There have been bells in the tower since 1542,

but, through a fundraising drive, four new ones were added in the 1990s

at a cost of £5,000 each.

All the bells have inscriptions on them.

The ones from the 19th century are fairly simple

but when we added the other bells, we got subscribers to pay for them.

So they have all got inscriptions.

There is one that's rather nice, in memory of a child that died

and it says, "I ring forever in memory of..."

Fiona's taking part in change ringing when the bells are rung

in a series of mathematical patterns called changes.

Change ringing developed in English church towers which contain

a few large bells rigged to swing freely. This is known as a ring of bells.

Well, our campanologists have certainly entertained Melbourne with their music

but now it's time to ring the changes and get back to the business of house hunting.

Our second house is in Coleorton, which is in Leicestershire.

Set in rolling countryside,

the village is just 30 minutes' drive from Derby and has a post office and a pub.

I'm showing them a four-bedroom new build situated in a close.

-House number two, guys.

-Wow!

-Yes?

-Very nice, yes.

We're not uber rural, to be fair.

We are trying to get you within the magic half an hour to Derby.

-Yes, save my commute.

-We've come into Leicestershire.

-Another county.

Another county, another house but we are half an hour to Derby

and we've got this lovely tall, handsome but quite modern building for you.

-It looks nice from the outside.

-It does, yes.

It's also got the double garage, bags of parking, nice garden at the back.

-There is an awful lot to explore. Shall we?

-Excellent.

-Follow me.

This is quite a different style of property from the first house

but as they said they don't mind a new build,

I think this might offer them everything they're after and more.

-Come on in. How about this, then?

-Very nice.

It all opens up in front of us.

We've got a study, to our right, which we will have a look at later,

the living room over there and in front of us

we've got this dining area, which is a real welcome as you walk in.

-That looks lovely.

-First impressions are really good.

-The hallway is lovely.

-Imagine walking in here after day at work.

-Oh, definitely, yes. Coat down.

-Yes.

-Lovely wood flooring.

-It's nice. There's some lovely little touches

but let's start with the kitchen. Have a look at this.

-Now, Fiona...

-I like it, yes. I do. It's massive.

-Could you foresee yourselves making this home?

-Definitely, yes.

First impressions, it's really nice, a proper kitchen/diner.

There's a nice table island. This is really nice.

And, which we didn't have in our last property, a utility room.

-In there.

-Oh, great.

-That's nice.

Plenty of room for brooms, ironing boards,

you know, washing machine and all that sort of stuff.

-Yes.

-We're already up on the spec.

-Certainly, in terms of the space.

-Yes, definitely.

-Definitely, yes, I like it.

-We like it?

-Yes.

-Happy days.

-Thanks very much.

Let's go back across the hallway, take a quick look at the study

and then the living room. Follow me.

In the hallway there's a downstairs toilet and shower room

and also a study, which could double as a playroom for their daughter.

Now, get everyone in here for Christmas?

I think we could just about manage.

Yes, this is a good-sized room, it's lovely.

-Lani's fourth birthday party?

-I can see that.

-Doors open, out into the garden.

-Yes.

Similar to our last one, we've got this brick-built inglenook, shall we say.

Within it is a fully functioning wood burner, which is lovely.

-Oh, brilliant.

-I've always fancied a wood burner.

-There you go.

Not multifuel, it's only wood in there. The other thing to point out is you've got two double doors here.

-That's lovely.

-Out to the garden.

I think this would work a treat, actually.

I think this gives us more headroom as a family, for the next five or six, seven years at least.

In terms of space, upstairs here, as you would expect,

offers you an awful lot more.

Come and have a look. Up this great staircase.

I think this is quite fun, actually.

On the first floor there are four good-sized double bedrooms,

one of which is being used as a gym and a further double guest room.

The master bedroom is ensuite

and there's also a good-sized family bathroom.

-This is the master. Loads of storage there.

-Right, yes.

-A walk-through wardrobe.

-Indeed.

-Walk through into here, this is your master bedroom.

-This is lovely.

-Oh, I like this, yes.

-I do like this a lot.

-Oh, good.

-Very nice.

This is exciting. I get the feeling of a consensus emerging here.

-Definitely, yes.

-Excellent. Have a look in there, too. Very generous ensuite for you.

-Very nice.

-And a bath, yes.

-Are we happy?

-Very, yes.

-Very happy so far, yes. Excellent, this is looking great.

-Good.

Right, follow me outside, let's have a look in the garden.

Robert and Fiona wanted a large garden,

so let's see what they make of the outside space.

-Right, well, this is the garden.

-It's lovely.

-It's not acres.

-The only issue...

-Yes.

-Is that.

-It's a little bit noisy.

It's one thing for that would probably detracts us the house.

There is the back of your lovely double garage.

-Keen to see.

-Yes. Before I send you off, let's have a think about the price on this one.

Madam, you go first this time.

-OK. I'm going to go for 435.

-435.

I'll probably undercut Fiona slightly at 425.

-Presumably that's reflecting your concerns about the road.

-Yes.

To some degree. OK. That is the big concern as we have already identified

but this is on the market, I'm afraid, for £450,000.

-OK.

-The owner said £450,000-ish.

-Right!

-The asking price is £450,000.

-The asking price is 450,000.

My guess is that your estimates of 435 and 425

-are probably in the "ish" kind of bracket.

-OK.

-I think this is achievable.

-Yes.

By all means go and have a look at the double garage.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Coming in at their maximum budget of £450,000,

this newly built house has a very spacious kitchen

and a separate dining room.

There's a stunning reception room, it's got four good-sized bedrooms

and outside there's a lawned garden and double garage.

-This is good.

-It's a big double garage, there's room for two cars and a workbench.

That's great. That's really good. We need this sort of space with all the stuff we've got.

The double garage here, that's really...

We're looking for some outside space and workspace. I like the double garage.

The only drawback with the property two is position,

so if we could have property two in property one's position, it would be perfect.

Property two is slightly ahead, given the overall space and surroundings.

Out you come. That's it. The end of our first full day of househunting.

-Yes.

-What fun it's been too!

-Good, plenty of energy left for tomorrow?

-Absolutely.

-Excellent, right.

It's the end of day one and our properties so far have certainly

given our couple plenty to mull over.

Engineers Robert and Fiona have £450,000 to buy a family home

in the country that's within a 30-minute commute of Robert's new job in Derby.

As they're flexible on what style of property might suit,

we've taken the liberty of showing them something old and something new.

First impressions are good, the hallway is lovely.

But coming up is our mystery house

and it's time to push the boundaries to see if we can get top marks.

-It looks lovely.

-It does, yes.

-Yes?

I fulfil an ambition and meet up with the diggers that dance.

Look at that.

While we were busy househunting yesterday, Lani, Robert and Fiona's three-year-old daughter

and her grandparents went to the zoo. Nice work if you can get it.

Of course, today for us the hard work continues.

It is our final day of househunting and, of course, we have yet to see our mystery house.

Given that our first two properties were very different from one another,

as you might expect, the mystery house is no exception.

-We've got one more property to see.

-Yes.

-The mystery house time.

-Any ideas what we've got lined up for you?

-Not at all, no.

We're thinking barn conversion for the mystery but as we've seen one,

it has to be something else, something with land?

Maybe something with land, another sort of conversion, possibly.

-Possibly.

-Maybe, it might be in Derbyshire.

-We wondered that.

-But it's not.

-Really?

The closest you are going to get to it, Robert, is when you go to work, I'm afraid.

That could be close enough, if it's the right house.

For the mystery house, I'm taking them to the village of Hanbury,

which is right on the border of Staffordshire and Derbyshire

but still only a 30-minute commute to Robert's work.

There's plenty of olde worlde charm in Hanbury.

In St Werburgh's, there is an active bellringing society which should appeal to Fiona.

The village is also well serviced with local shops, a pub

and a post office.

Robert and Fiona have said they weren't keen to take on a project but, with our mystery house,

I think I've struck a balance as they could live in this property regardless

of any renovations they might want to do.

-OK, here we are. This is it.

-Oh!

Our final property for you, our mystery house. An old school.

-It looks lovely.

-It does, yes.

What we've got here is a building that was built in 1848.

Then about 15 years or so ago, it was converted into three properties.

Obviously, it's a semi-detached, one would say. Quite an interesting building, this one.

-Have you ever thought about living in a converted school?

-No, never.

-No.

-It hasn't crossed my mind. It looks really nice.

-I wonder how Lani will feel?

-Going to school every day.

-Exactly, exactly.

-I'm really quite excited about this one.

Good, come and have a look.

Well, hopefully, it won't just be their daughter who's excited about going back to school.

I really think this house has a lot to offer on the inside.

-Come on in.

-Oh, lovely.

-Yes?

-A big hallway, yes.

-It's kind of not what you would expect in some ways.

No, it's quite modern in terms of the interior for an old school.

There's one or two other details. There's the stairs there.

Utility room is through that door there.

-You've got one and a downstairs loo.

-Yes.

-That door is into the garage.

-That's nice having internal access.

-Exactly.

-So far so good.

So far so good. Right, come and have a look at the kitchen.

-Here we are.

-Oh, nice, light room.

-There is so much storage in here.

-Yes.

-Whether you would need all this, I don't know.

Yes, it's a little bit dated as a kitchen goes at the moment, but it's all here and usable.

-That's rather nice as well, the oil fired range.

-That's nice, yes.

-Oh, lovely.

-It gives you that appropriate sort of feel. Happy?

-Very.

-Right, good, follow me back to the hallway.

Through the hallway there's a small dining room which could also work as a study

and I think the living room will definitely get their attention.

-Obviously, this is where the school element, for me, comes to life.

-Yes.

-Lovely school beams, aren't they?

-I like the beams.

-And a lovely fireplace.

-Yes.

-That's a wood burner, isn't it?

-It's not a wood burner, it's multifuel.

-OK.

Which from personal experience, I can tell you makes a big difference, actually.

Coal is a much better burner at night.

It can still be nice and warm in the morning.

-It's quite compact, but what there is is interesting.

-Yes.

There's plenty of space for us.

It's a good combination of property one and two, a conversion with more space.

Yes, OK.

Worth thinking about, as we go upstairs

-and see what space is up there.

-Yes.

Just off the hallway is a double garage which could be converted

into a great family room, giving them two reception areas.

Upstairs there's a family bathroom and two double bedrooms.

There's also a small box room which could be perfect for their daughter.

Just beyond that is the main bedroom with its own ensuite bathroom.

-There you go.

-Ah! Nice with two windows.

It's smaller than I was expecting for a master bedroom.

Yes, it's because we're tucked up here in the eaves.

I mean, behind this corner is the smallest of the bedrooms.

-Yes, the single bedroom.

-I see.

Which, to be honest, you could get rid of.

-Or incorporate it in the room for a walk-in wardrobe.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-It's only stud work. That would be a fairly easy thing to do.

-Yes.

Make it much more of a master suite, if you like.

Through that door there, you've got an ensuite. It's not massive. It's just a shower room.

-But, potentially, could make that a bigger ensuite.

-Mm.

I think, there is some work to do here but we could make it work in terms of what would need to be done.

-Yes.

-I think so, yes.

-Good. OK. Let's go outside and have a quick at the garden.

I know you've sort of seen it, and then we'll round things up

-and talk about how much it's going to cost you.

-OK.

Outside, I think the garden gives them the ample space they're after.

We pretty much saw this on the way in, really.

In terms of back garden, there is a little bit of front garden as well.

-Having a look round, there are things need to do.

-Yes.

-In certain areas.

-Yes, food for thought.

Let's see if you can afford to do all this.

THEY LAUGH

It is our final price guess. You've got £450,000 to spend. Fiona...

I've got no idea. It will be a guess.

-Going back to school.

-Yes, it is.

-I'll say 445.

-445, yes.

I'm thinking less than 400 but probably 399.

-This could be yours for £365,000.

-Crikey!

I mean, with an asking price of 365, to be honest, even if you got it for 350,

we've just knocked £100,000 off your spend.

-Yes.

-The choice is yours, guys. Off you go. You know what to do.

-Have a look around.

-Go and spend your saving.

-Thank you!

-Brilliant.

Well, that was very interesting.

Our mystery house has, of course, I think,

given them plenty to think about.

This is a really good buy. There is an awful lot that can be done to it

and, unlike our previous two properties, which were all there, this one offers them more scope.

Scope they didn't want at the beginning of this house search

but scope that I think they would make the best of.

Priced at £365,000, this charming schoolhouse is at the lower end of Robert and Fiona's budget.

It has a separate kitchen and dining room,

a spectacular living room with vaulted ceiling.

There are four bedrooms and it's got the double garage that Robert was after.

-Potentially, you could push this more back, I think.

-Yes.

Get rid of the single bedroom and turn it into a cupboard or wardrobe.

Which would give more room in here. It's not a lot of work, internal work to make it right for us.

From the outside, I'm really impressed with the property.

Very interesting, the structure and roofline, with it being a converted school

and keen to look around.

I was quite surprised with the price. I over-estimated quite a lot.

Yes, it was a pleasant surprise. I think it's quite good value

but then there are some things that we would want to spend money on, if we bought it.

-Have you seen enough?

-Yes.

-I think so.

-We've had a good look around.

-Value for money, that's the lesson here.

-Mm.

-At the schoolhouse!

-Boom, boom!

-Come on!

County shows are the highlight of the farming year, across the UK.

Earlier in the week I went to meet Ed Hickling,

a local farmer who is also the vice-chairman of the Derby County show,

to find out what this event, which started in 1860, means for Derbyshire.

Let's just remind ourselves of just how important the county show circuit is to the UK

and the farming industry and the real economy.

Historically, it started as a showcase for farmers for the livestock and breeding stock

and basically what produce he had got.

It has branched out over the years. Agriculture's less important now

because there's not so many people involved in it and here we've gone down the family route.

It is a great day out for everybody.

Ed and his colleagues work hard to keep the event thriving.

Farmers can still showcase their animals but the show also celebrates local food,

crafts and traditions like the ancient skill of hedge laying.

How do you keep a show like this fresh and as popular as ever?

It's really difficult finding main attractions. This year, we've had a farriers' competition.

We've also got JC Balls Dancing Digger team. They work during the week, wash them at the weekend

and they come and do this for a bit of sport for themselves.

Well, I'm quite taken with diggers, so I caught up with David Whittle

and Carly-Ann Newman who were going to talk me through this spectacle.

Now, then, the dancing diggers, what a fantastic name.

-How did it all start?

-It started in the pub, really, like most things do.

-I can't wait to see it. Shall we give them the wave?

-Are you ready?

Yes, absolutely, good for it.

-Carly, how much are these each?

-You are looking about 50,000.

-50,000.

-£50,000 a machine? You don't want anybody bumping into each other.

-No.

There's about £250,000 worth in the middle of the arena at the moment.

The first stunt is the star routine where the diggers lift themselves

clear off the ground using both their front and back arms.

For the finale, the diggers form an arch which Carly-Ann drives through in a vintage vehicle.

Fantastic. Brilliant!

-Andrew, Stewart, Jamie...

-Brilliant, guys, well done.

Come on, let's go and see them. Wonderful show.

And, of course, boys being boys, I just can't resist a test drive.

-Now, Stewart, I'd love to have a go.

-Of course you can.

-Brilliant, OK.

Look at this. I've been looking forward to this all day.

-Am I in gear?

-No.

-So down...

-Push it forward.

-Push it forward.

-Just like that.

Oh, here we go.

I could do this all day. This is fantastic.

-HE LAUGHS

-Hang on!

I might be here for some time, I think.

But much as I'd love to play with this toy all day long,

it's time to get back to the day job.

Well, there you have it, a gorgeous view over central England.

Of course, the heart of our own house search. But an odd one.

We've been at that junction between three of the region's most impressive counties -

Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire.

We set out promising to find Fiona and Robert

their dream home out there somewhere.

So, have we managed to do it, I wonder?

As ever, there's only one way to find out, and that's to ask them.

So, guys, here we are, the end of it all.

Have we managed to end your commute from Bristol, I wonder?

We started with the barn conversion,

which was very slick, very new, very crisp.

-Now what do you think of it, Fiona?

-I think it was very well finished,

certainly, and very nicely presented.

I think for me, perhaps it had a dimension missing.

I can't quite put my finger on it.

But it felt more like a holiday let than a family home somehow.

I thought the barn was lovely.

I think it was more of a house with its high-end finish

for perhaps a professional couple rather than a family home.

Then we saw property number two, a much newer building, 20 years old.

It looked great from the outside.

Being in the elevated position, it was a handsome-looking house.

The problem with house number two was road noise.

Yeah. But we still tried to work some magic for you

with our mystery house, the old schoolhouse.

Fantastic value for money, I think.

Having that sense of history, it was really nicely converted,

but in a completely different style to the first property.

The only thing about that house, it wanted a bit of work,

but given the price, I think there's scope to do that in our budget.

I think that one could definitely work for us,

so I think it's definitely got some potential for us.

What happens next, then?

I'm not getting the sense that we've reached a decision yet

on any one of our properties.

We'll have to discuss what we could do with the mystery house

and what we'd want to do with it.

The big thing you've shown us, with the other counties on top of Derbyshire,

-is there's plenty of scope within the commutable distance.

-Yes.

We haven't actually got you into Derbyshire.

But that's the way the houses fall sometimes.

It's been a real pleasure. I'm delighted we've got you a bit further to your dream home.

It is clearly going to be within half an hour of Derby.

The options are still open, I suspect. So best of luck.

-Thank you, Jules.

-Thank you very much.

-Pleasure.

There are times when I think we let our budgets dictate house searches

in a way which isn't always helpful.

I've just said my final goodbyes to Fiona and Robert and he said that,

"One thing you have done, you've helped us focus more

"on what we need and less on what we want."

I think that's a crucial point to make.

We don't have to spend every penny that's available

to get the house of our dreams.

Sometimes perhaps the old adage is right -

less is more.

More or less.

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