North Yorkshire Escape to the Country

I've escaped to the country to this mysterious upland woodland.

But in the middle of it is this.

It's known locally as the Druid's Temple.

But as to who built it, why and where,

well, you're just going to have to stay tuned to find out.

'On today's show, a pair of freelance financiers

'are aiming to invest in a new home in the country.

'And we fulfil a kitchen dream with our first property.'

-It's got an island, which...

-We always wanted an island.

Everybody wants an island.

'But it's the power of our mystery house that has them lost for words.'

-Speechless.

-Speechless?

-That doesn't often happen.

-THEY LAUGH

-I've noticed that.

Today, I'm in North Yorkshire, just outside the small hamlet of Ilton.

And this is the interior of the so-called Druid's Temple.

You might be forgiven for thinking this bizarre collection of stones

is part of Britain's prehistoric legacy, but you'd be wrong.

It's a folly built in the 1820s by local squire William Danby.

And he had a bizarre purpose in mind for it.

The deal was he would feed and pay any man

who could live up here for seven years,

provided they didn't cut their hair or shave off their beard.

Apparently, one guy managed it for four-and-a-half years.

You have to wonder. Funny old place to call home, really.

'Covering more than 3,300 square miles,

'North Yorkshire is England's largest county

'and one of its most rural.

'Its two national parks, the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors

'account for 40% of the county.

'The moors include some of the UK's largest expanses of heather moorland,

'while the dales, with their crags and extensive cave systems

'display some of Britain's best examples of limestone scenery.

'The Gateway to the Dales is the nickname given to

'the attractive market town of Skipton.

'Its actual name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for sheep.

'Sheep farmers have been living here since the 7th century.

'Skipton is also famous for its Norman castle.

'Around 900 years old, it's one of the most complete

'and best preserved mediaeval castles in the county

'and attracts over 100,000 visitors each year.'

The average price of a detached property in North Yorkshire

will set you back around £269,000.

But beware, there is something of a golden triangle

between Leeds, York and Harrogate.

Step inside that and the same property could set you back £350,000.

You've got two national parks on your doorstep and of course,

the close proximity of towns like Leeds, York and Harrogate

comes with a premium attached.

But don't be put off.

There are plenty of properties on the market to whet your appetite.

'Priced at £350,000 is this striking two-bedroom conversion

'of a stone-built farm building in Elburn.

'The centrepiece of the house is a galleried living room with a full-height vaulted ceiling.

'It has quirky and charactable bedrooms

'and a superb farmhouse-style breakfast kitchen with double butler sink.

'For £575,000, you could be living in

'this four-bedroomed, red brick character property.

'It features a bespoke modern kitchen with range cooker

'and a bright sitting room with French doors leading on to a patio,

'while the master bedroom has wooden flooring

'and a large balcony overlooking the garden.

'And if you can stretch to just under £800,000,

'you could go for this six-bedroomed farmhouse in Long Marston,

'parts of which date back to the 17th century.

'Sympathetically modernised, it has generous reception rooms,

'a huge sociable kitchen diner and a stunning, mature garden.'

The rural property market here in North Yorkshire rarely disappoints.

There are some wonderful houses on the market,

which is exactly why today's buyers are hoping

that soon they may call this part of the world home.

'Stewart and Tracy met while working at the Stock Exchange

'and have been married for 11 years.

'They currently live in this house in Twickenham, Greater London.

'Moving to the country has been on their minds for a long time.

'Changes to their working lives in the financial sector

'have brought their dream of country living within reach.'

We both recently changed our employment situation.

We were both working in the City, doing long hours there

and we both moved into occupations where we can work freelance.

I'm a freelance project manager

and Tracy is a freelance financial trainer.

That gives us the opportunity to do

what we have always wanted to do, which is to move back up north.

'Up north, specifically Yorkshire, is where Tracy's family live.

'While she and Stewart will be making a regular commute to London for a while,

'they are hoping to find a new home much closer to her parents.'

What really appeals to us are the villages around York.

We don't want to be in York.

Neither of us would be comfortable in the middle of nowhere.

I guess the ideal would be in a village, backing on to fields.

Every village has its outskirts.

We'd like to move to an area

that is within about 10 miles of my parents in Acomb.

So that we can either drive there in under half an hour

or possibly cycle when the weather is nice.

'Physical pursuits are just some of the many activities

'they'd like to do more of in the country.'

Tracy cycles an awful lot for recreational purposes.

I cycle to work, which I prefer.

We have our rowing machine and treadmill,

which we use from time to time.

We're very keen skiers.

I've always enjoyed sewing since I was young.

One of the problems with this house is

I have to use the dining table as a sewing area.

It gets very cluttered.

It's a chore getting the equipment out,

putting it away when someone's coming round.

I'm really looking forward to having a dedicated area for sewing projects.

'Space to set out gym equipment and a room for Tracy's sewing aside,

'they have plenty of priorities for their next move.'

I think in the new house, we would definitely want a kitchen area

where we've got the light coming in

either on to the back garden or on to a conservatory.

-So it's light and airy.

-A similar feel to this one.

Large master with en suite.

And preferably a dressing room.

And I would definitely like it in a decent plot

with a driveway out the front

and almost to be able to walk around it,

like an Englishman's home is his castle.

'We'll have to see about a castle,

'but it all really depends on the finances.'

If we found our dream property, and it met all our requirements,

then I think we would be prepared to go to £700,000.

'Stewart and Tracy are after good access to York,

'from where they can commute to London.

'They also want to be within cycling distance of Tracy's parents

'in York's western suburb of Acomb, if at all possible.

'We've got three stunning properties to look at

'that should truly impress our buyers.

'And I'll ask them to have a guess at the price before I reveal it.

'The last offering is our mystery house,

'which will put our buyers right in the heart of the village action.'

Tracy and Stewart, lovely to see you.

-Welcome back to Yorkshire.

-Thank you.

-This is your patch.

-It's home.

-How does it feel to be back?

Great. I love coming back.

Now we've got the chance to find you a permanent home here.

What do the family think about it?

-Um...

-Go on.

They don't know. THEY LAUGH

We haven't told them. It's a big surprise for them.

You're hoping you'll be able to drive them to your new front door.

-Absolutely.

-As if you were just here for a weekend.

Yes. Just for a drive. Then explain we've bought the house.

There is more exciting news.

You have finally, as we speak, sold your house.

-That's right.

-Just yesterday.

-Fantastic.

-That's great news.

So we've got £700,000 to spend.

Let's get out of this drizzle

-and see if we can find you a new home. Follow me.

-Thanks.

'Stewart and Tracy have £700,000 to spend on their new country home.

'And for that, they'd like a property which sits in its own plot.

'3-4 bedrooms so they can have their friends to stay,

'a master bedroom with a dressing room if possible,

'space for a gym, a sewing room for Tracy

'and a bright kitchen leading on to a garden or conservatory.'

'We're just 10 miles from York and five miles northwest of Harrogate

'as we head to the designated conservation area of Hampsthwaite.

'Surrounded by fields, it has an imposing Norman church

'and usefully, a post office, a local pub and a convenience store.

'Our first house is located in an unspoiled position

'on the fringes of the village, which our buyers prefer,

'and is a stunning stone barn conversion.'

OK, here we are, Property Number One.

-Very pretty.

-Isn't it?

Much prettier than it looks from the road.

-Well.

-It's really lovely.

-I love stone buildings.

This is about 200, 250 years old.

The conversion was only done 10 years ago.

-OK. It looks immaculate.

-Let's have a look.

'So a great start for this house with a great finish.

'And it's also superbly designed and decorated inside,

'as they'll see when they step through the door.'

-What do you think of this?

-It's beautiful!

-Oh, hello!

Hello, yes. Come on in.

Lovely hallway, as you can see.

I like a nice entrance hallway.

And it opens up. Check this out.

And I think the finish in here really is the sort of thing

that you two would probably try and recreate.

Yes. It's beautiful. Very nice.

-That is superb!

-I love the fireplace.

I love this arrangement.

A large coffee table in the middle, two large sofas.

You can have a large group of people enjoying themselves.

-This is exactly the sort of arrangement I've always wanted.

-OK.

In a terraced house in London, you can't really get.

It's a bit tricky, isn't it?

'This sociable space is working wonders for Stewart and Tracy.

'I know that high on their wish list was a bright and stylish kitchen,

'which this house really delivers.'

No expense has been spared.

It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

It's not huge, but it's so well done.

-And it's got an island, which...

-THEY LAUGH

-I've always wanted an island.

-Everybody wants an island.

It's beautiful. I love having that dining area there.

I think you would use that a lot.

-It's not taking up the kitchen space.

-No.

-But it works very well with it.

-So entertaining, dining, cooking,

you could accommodate a dining table

in the main living room, if you wanted to,

but there is one through here. Come and look at this.

-Oh, this is nice and light.

-Oh, yes.

-It's lovely.

-This used to contain a tractor.

-THEY LAUGH

It's moved on a bit since then, as you can see.

I can imagine spending a lot of time in here.

Although the lounge is beautiful,

I was hoping for a little bit more living space

rather than just the lounge and kitchen.

To have this as well is a real bonus.

'Well, I don't think the downstairs could have got much higher praise.

'I know that the first floor of this property is really going to impress.

'There is one lovely bedroom with a skylight that could work as a sewing room for Tracy.

'And a good-sized double with beautiful exposed beams.

'Across the landing is a room they could both use as an office

'and there's another double bedroom with a stunning vaulted ceiling

'and its own luxurious en suite shower room.

'Also up here is the charming family bathroom with freestanding bath.

'But we're heading to the room which could be theirs.'

This is currently the master.

-This one also has an en suite, which is through there.

-That's good.

-But what this one also has is this nice walk-in wardrobe.

-Ah!

There's a big grin here. Is any of your stuff going to get in it?

-I shouldn't think so.

-OK. You can have the room at the other end of the house.

How does it compare size-wise to what you've got at the minute?

It probably is slightly bigger.

-Having the en suite and the dressing room makes a big difference.

-Yeah.

'With this very charactable house firing on all cylinders,

'we just need to see if the outside has everything they want.

'There's a large timber garage that could be divided up and converted

'for use as a gym, but does the garden have the feel that Stewart wants?'

It is separated by the shared driveway, and it's not acres.

-No.

-How do you feel about that?

It's not ideal. I've got this vision of a lawn around the house.

-In its own plot.

-But that said, it's all about compromises.

And it is a beautiful property.

But all of this is neither here nor there

without revealing the price to you. Tracy.

I really don't know much about values in this area,

although I know Harrogate is expensive. Um...

-I would say £625,000.

-£625,000.

I am very conscious of Harrogate, so I'm going to go higher rather than lower.

-I'd say £640,000.

-£640,000.

Supposing I told you it was on the market for £695,000?

And you've just hit the nail on the head. It's Harrogate.

-Yeah. Which is understandable.

-Yeah.

And it's a beautiful house, make no mistake.

You could walk in tomorrow and not have to lift a finger.

Go and have a look around inside.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

'Coming in just under their top budget at £695,000,

'this property has a great deal going for it.

'It provides them with a beautiful bespoke kitchen.

'A fantastic entertaining place in the reception areas,

'five bedrooms, a walk-in wardrobe for Tracy

'and space for their gym equipment in the garage.'

It's a very attractive house. There is lots to like.

I love the kitchen with the dining area.

I think that is really usable space. A little sunroom on the end.

I think the location could be a concern

in terms of us both getting down to London.

We'd have to look at that journey.

But it's got a nice feel to it, where it's situated.

Slightly disappointed that the garden is separate from the house

because I do have this thing

about having a house surrounded by lawn

and being able to walk around it.

On coming into the house, the ground floor is superb.

There's nothing I would change about it, I don't think.

Ah. There we are. All done?

-Yes, thank you.

-Good start?

-Very good start. It's a lovely house.

-I think so.

There's a lot to take away from this one.

There's the price to think about.

-We've got two more to see. Shall we?

-Great.

-I hope it doesn't rain.

'The Howardian Hills are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire.

'Covering 79 square miles of fields, woods and rivers,

'they're the perfect location for Stewart and Tracy

'to seek out new walks and cycle routes.

'The area is home to one of Britain's grandest private residences.

'John Vanbrugh's baroque masterpiece, Castle Howard.

'It was built for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, Charles Howard,

'whose family gave the area its name.

'On the edge of the hills, on a tiny island in the River Derwent

'is a rather special restoration project.

'Howsham Mill is a Grade II listed 18th century Gothic watermill

'that has been derelict since its closure in 1947

'and is currently on the English Heritage At Risk register.

'A group of locals, headed by Mo MacLeod of the Renewable Heritage Trust

'have come together to turn this mill into a renewable-energy project

'that now provides nearby homes with electricity.'

'It's quite hard to believe that this beautiful old building,

even before it's got a roof on it,

is already generating £30,000 worth of its own income

for the charity that's restoring it

just by virtue of the waterwheel and the turbine and the sluice

producing electricity for the National Grid.

We went to view a property not far from here by the river

and it used a heat-exchanger which extracts

some of the heat from the river in order to heat the house.

-It was very clever.

-Very environmentally friendly.

The river is a fantastic thing. It never dries out.

It's just brilliant. And it's using the natural resources that we have.

-Why not? If it's there, you might as well use it.

-Absolutely.

'This square mill was built in 1755

'by famed architect John Carr

'for the Cholmley family of Howsham Hall.

'It was used to grind grain and also as a decorative folly.'

There are only two buildings in the whole of the UK

that were designed as both functioning mills

and as garden structures.

One is this one and the other's at Chatsworth.

-So we're in very good company.

-You are.

And how is this space going to look after the renovation?

Basically, the whole of this ground floor

is going to be left as one open space.

We'll have a staircase that comes up this way,

there'll be a walkway across the waterwheel

so you'll be actually able to see the waterwheel under your feet,

see it actually generating.

So we're trying to marry the modern-day use

with a bit of the history of the building

and not, sort of, you know...

It sounds like the Stock Exchange with the live prices flashing up.

-You have the live usage of...

-Exactly.

And how much we're generating.

'While the gearbox and generator attached to the wheel

'are very much 21st century versions,

'the waterwheel itself is based on a traditional design.'

Standing here, we're perfectly positioned between our two turbines.

We've got the reinstated waterwheel.

But that actually was floated down the river on a pontoon in pieces,

like a big Meccano set, and then bolted to the original axle.

And that produces usually around about 10-11 kilowatts.

And then we've got the Archimedean screw turbine, which is much more state of the art.

It's old technology, but it's a state-of-the-art turbine that allows fish to swim through it,

and that produces around about 25 kilowatts.

But today, we have produced about 215,000 kilowatt hours.

And to put that in some sort of context,

it means we're producing enough for about 40 houses,

which is the whole of Howsham, pretty much.

And it makes Howsham a carbon-neutral village,

which is really rather fantastic.

'So an innovative heritage project that's brought a wonderful building

'back to life, while developing a working legacy for the future.

'If all goes to plan with the restoration,

'the mill could be open by the autumn of 2012.

'And here's hoping Stewart and Tracy

'will be well established in their Yorkshire home by then, too.

'We're heading five miles southwest of York, close to the village of Bishopthorpe,

'which has amenities such as a local butcher's shop,

'a post office and a 19th century church.

'Two miles down the road in the parish of Acaster Malbis

'is our second property, which was built in the late 19th century

'originally as a farmhouse, but was later extended in the 1970s.'

Property Number Two.

Now, a little bird has told me

that you have spotted this online.

We've looked at it a couple of times on the Internet.

-It's clearly of interest to you, but you haven't been inside it yet.

-No.

What was it about this that attracted you

from the pictures you've seen?

Initially, the location

and then I think the fact that it's got a nice driveway,

it's set in its own plot, which is something you really like.

-Yeah.

-Old-style brick.

Yes, we do like stone-built, but this is old-style brick,

which is also really attractive to us.

Could this be the one? Come on, let's have a look.

'With their main priorities of the plot and the driveway met already,

'we're off to a flying start with this one.

'But I'm intrigued to see what happens next.'

-Let's see how this matches up to your expectations of it.

-Yes.

-Come on in, Stewart.

-Yeah. Nice and light.

-This is what I would call a Christmas tree hallway.

-Yes.

-Where you can put your big Christmas tree.

-Yeah.

This, in terms of space, is light-years away from Property Number One.

Come and have a look in the kitchen.

'Time to see if real life matches up to the online photos they've seen.'

So, what do we think of this?

-Very nice.

-That's nice, yes.

In fact, I would say this is nicer

than what I expected from the Internet.

Sometimes, the wide-angle lens photography

distorts the dimensions a little bit.

So it's difficult to really understand

how the room looks in reality.

And my one question was, is it wide enough to put an island in?

I knew that was coming! I was waiting on an island.

You wonder about whether you want to ruin the flow through,

but I don't think we should discount the idea of an island.

I think we may be trying it.

THEY LAUGH

'You may indeed, Stewart. Let's see what they make of the next room.'

One of the things I was quite keen on

was the kitchen opening out either on to the garden,

or probably even better, on to a conservatory.

Well, it does both, actually.

Because you've got double doors here

which lead out into the wrap-around garden.

-And it's an all-year-round room, this.

-Yep. Love it.

'This is going extremely well. But can we keep up the momentum in the formal dining room,

'which I think is perfect for entertaining.'

Now, I think this is a really nice room

in terms of its size and proportions.

It's quite a nice square room.

And often, dining rooms are narrow.

It's a very elegant room, I think.

When you've finished dining, you can all, you know,

come in here and relax and enjoy it.

-The whole thing just flows beautifully, I think.

-It does.

-This is a lovely size.

-It's wonderful.

-It would be tremendous for parties.

-Parties, Christmas.

Hosting Christmas for the family here would be...

-We've got about 20 years of catching up to do on that.

-Yeah.

'Seems like their first social occasion in this house is planned already.

Also on the ground floor, there's a further reception room,

'which could be used as a home office

'and maybe gym equipment. It's large enough for both.

'There's also a very spacious cloakroom off the hallway.

'Upstairs, there's plenty of space for family and friends to stay over

'with three bright, well-proportioned double bedrooms with loads of storage space.

'Plus a single, which could be put to use as a sewing room.

'They all share the huge family bathroom which has both a spa bath and a wet room area.

'But we're heading for the main bedroom.'

Well, no surprise, we have saved the biggest until last.

Your master suite.

That is lovely.

Really nice size. Nice and light.

And of course, en suite, with a shower, too.

It's great to have that.

So, how has this matched your expectations so far?

There's a broad grin here. Don't fight it. Go on.

Matched, if not exceeded my expectations.

And Stewart?

-It's really nice house. I do like it.

-OK. Good.

Let's head down to the garden. Your family are waiting for you down there(!)

THEY LAUGH

I kid you. Yes. Come on, follow me.

'Inside, this house has really lived up to its billing.

'But what about the grounds?

'It has just under half an acre of beautiful garden,

'but will it be enough?'

Now, then, Stewart, come and tell me if this wraps around...enough.

-I think it does.

-It's pretty wraparound, yeah.

-No, this is ideal.

-It's beautiful.

-Absolutely ideal.

Is this the sort of garden you would be prepared to take on?

How green-fingered are you?

Tracy only needs to spend a couple of hours a day and this will be fine(!)

Great. Love it. Got his own back, didn't he? I love it!

Now, then, um,...the price. You have seen it online.

-Do you remember what it was on the market for?

-Remind us.

£695,000.

Which I think offers a very direct and interesting comparison

with Property Number One.

-It does.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Does that worry you - £695,000?

Not for this.

You see, I should've added on another £100,000.

-You wouldn't have cared, would you?

-She doesn't play poker.

THEY LAUGH

-Go and have another look around.

-Great.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you very much.

Ah! Lovely! They're very happy.

'At £695,000, this property comes in under budget

'and would appear to be tailor-made for Stewart and Tracy.

'It has a great kitchen that leads to a bright conservatory.

'Open-plan reception rooms for entertaining.

'Five bedrooms with lots of storage.

'Space for that study, gym and a sewing room,

'plus it's set in its own plot on almost half an acre of land.'

It is immaculately done out, so...

So, would you put a new kitchen in?

I think it's something I would probably like to do in time,

but I think I could live with this quite happily

for a good few years, so don't worry.

Um,...but it's a lovely space.

I'm thrilled that I love this property even more

having seen it in real life,

compared to what I'd checked out on the Internet.

The space is great. I can imagine living here,

entertaining friends here, having my family here.

I love its location. Certainly within cycling distance of my family.

Everything about it adds up, really. I absolutely love it.

It's got so many of the things that we're looking for.

The lovely big kitchen, a nice dining room, a fantastic big lounge

and of course, a garden that wraps all around

and makes it feel like a proper house.

Right, out you go.

I wasn't sure if I was going to get the pair of you out of this one.

-It's been a real joy.

-It's a beautiful house.

It's been so nice showing you around this particular property.

-And there's so much of it.

-Yeah.

And it's clearly pressing a few buttons, isn't it?

-Just a few.

-Yeah. Well, you've got lots to think about.

It's the end of the day. The lights are on, it's getting dark.

Let's go and have a drink, shall we? Come on.

'So, as dusk falls on the Yorkshire countryside,

'it marks the end of the first day of our property search.

'Freelance financiers Stewart and Tracy from Greater London

'are looking to move to Yorkshire to be closer to her family.

'But ssh! Tracy hasn't told them yet.

'So far, they've almost lost their hearts to one of our properties,

'but our Mystery House throws a spanner in the works.'

-Ooo! I can see confusion going on.

-Definitely.

I thought we'd sold house number two. Maybe that's going to change.

'And I go hunting for some grouse, of the clay variety.'

The beginning of any final day of house hunting

is always a great point to begin to draw things together.

With Property One and Two, we had some fantastic elements in each,

which both Stewart and Tracy really enjoyed.

I think the trick with our final property, our Mystery House,

is to try and draw those together.

And this one does it beautifully.

'We've travelled 13 miles from York, our furthest distance so far.

'Close to the lively village of Helperby,

'which provides a butcher's, a church and a local tearoom.

'Three miles down the road is Tholthorpe,

a close-knit community set around a pond and green.

'It's the location for our Mystery House in the middle of the village.

'We won't be offering Stewart and Tracy

'any views of fields here, just neighbours.

'So, will this very social style of village living prove to be a winner?

'We're about to find out.'

Here's the Mystery House. Ta-dah!

-Ooo!

-Oh!

-This is a real treat.

Come and have a look.

Come on to the lawn because although that is rather nice,

it does slightly obscure the view of the property.

-That's what we want to show you.

-Beautiful!

-Very attractive.

-It's picture postcard. Really pretty.

-It looks special.

-The windows look amazingly high quality. Beautiful.

-Wait till you see the inside. Come on.

-Thank you.

'So this house seems to have cast a spell already.

'Maybe the location is secondary when the property is this good.'

Right, in you come. Squeeze around the door, Stewart.

This is our starting point, one of two reception areas, shall we say.

But this is more of a snug, I would suggest.

-Yeah. It's lovely.

-Very cosy.

Very cosy, very pretty.

I love the fact that the exposed beams are quite light in colour.

It's lovely. I really like it.

-Yeah. Ooo! I can see confusion going on.

-Definitely.

I thought we'd sold house number two, but maybe that will change.

-I'm glad I remained open.

-Yeah.

-This is a great house. Lead on, Stewart.

-OK.

This is the dining room, as you can probably tell.

-What you think?

-That's lovely.

I love the flagstone floor.

Underfloor heating throughout, on every floor.

-Major bonus.

-But whichever way you come into this building,

you've got something to welcome you. Either the living room or this.

Oh, look at the hen at the window!

There you are, living the dream, look. Country life, fantastic.

Well it's a great reaction so far,

but the next bit is just out of this world.

-Oh my goodness!

-Yeah?

-Oh, that is incredible.

Now, you've got three in one here.

You've got living room, diner, and of course, you know, the kitchen.

Superb. I don't suppose you like it?!

SHE LAUGHS

Behind is your utility room, all mod cons,

downstairs loo as well just through the corridor there.

So, you know, again, it's a house that really flows.

Come and have a look at the rest of the kitchen.

-I mean, again, finish is second to none.

-That's amazing.

-It is beautiful.

-Now, this is an interesting question.

I've just reminded myself that, of course, your family don't know you're here.

-True!

-What would they think if they walked into this one?

-They would be blown away.

-Yes, they would.

-Absolutely blown away.

They would be stunned.

-They probably wouldn't believe it was ours, would they?

-No.

-Speechless.

-Speechless?

-That doesn't often happen.

-I've noticed that!

So Tracy is lost for words and she hasn't even seen the home office,

which overlooks the village green.

Upstairs should also continue to impress.

There's a total of five bedrooms.

Three of them are on the first floor, all spacious and bright,

and one even features a beautiful ceiling beam.

There's another one of those chunky beams in the bathroom,

which has a freestanding rolltop bath,

but we're heading for the largest bedroom.

So, the master bedroom.

It is lovely, isn't it? It's beautiful.

-Now, it also benefits from a huge, and I mean huge, walk-in wardrobe.

-Yes!

I was wondering, where are the wardrobes?!

Oh yes! No, no, they really thought it through.

So we've got a walk-in wardrobe for you, plus,

I think the best en suite I've seen for a long time.

Check this out, you're going to love this.

Wow!

-My goodness!

-Now, that is where the magic happens.

-In the double bath for two.

-It's like a swimming pool!

That's just out of this world. Beautifully done.

Oh!

What's going on, Tracy? What's happening? What's going through your mind?

I'm thinking there's no way we can afford this.

Well, it won't be long before she finds out.

Up on the second floor you'll find the remaining two bedrooms,

both with beautiful vaulted ceilings and exposed timbers.

One has an en suite bathroom, and the other is currently being used as a games room

so it should be perfect to house their gym equipment.

While, outside, there's a terrace for entertaining and well-maintained lawns,

along with a well from the property's days as a farmhouse.

-So, you know, there we are.

-That's our mystery house.

It's no mystery to me!

Ah! OK! Right!

-Well, the price is!

-Yes!

-..At the moment, isn't it?

I'm thinking, erm, you're not going to get this for less than 750.

-750, yep.

-I'm thinking maybe even a bit more. Maybe 760.

I think you can afford this...

..because, once again, it's £695,000.

-You've just taken it out of my hands.

-Maybe I have!

-I think you should talk about it between yourselves.

-We will.

-Go and have a wander around and I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

-Off you go.

So just within budget at £695,000, this stunning property

gives every impression of being the house of their dreams.

It has fabulous open plan entertaining rooms,

a ready-made home office downstairs, five bedrooms,

a dressing room for Tracy,

and an easy-to-maintain garden.

I'm pretty blown away by this house.

I could tell from outside, the windows were beautiful,

I knew it was going to be a great finish inside, but it's absolutely amazing inside.

I didn't think Escape To The Country could provide any competition

for yesterday's property, and now I'm very confused.

Erm... I'm trying to imagine myself living here,

and what my family would think, so lots to think about.

Well, I mean the mystery house, it's an incredibly attractive property.

The love and attention that's been put into putting this place together is incredible,

and it's impossible to fault.

An absolutely beautiful house.

Right, out you go.

Well, once again, I think we've rather spoilt you, haven't we?

-You have.

-I'd say so, yes.

-And we've given you, I think, three very viable properties.

-Yes.

I know this one's captured your heart,

-but there's an awful lot to consider with all three of them.

-Absolutely.

Right then, come on, let's go and have a think.

The Yorkshire Wolds are a series of gently undulating chalk hills and valleys.

In the heart of the Wolds, in a 4,500 acre estate,

sits the grade II listed Raisthorpe Manor.

This was the first place in the country to offer simulated game shooting.

It follows the principles of a normal game bird shoot,

but replaces live birds with clay pigeons, fired from various traps,

which are designed to emulate a natural bird's flight.

I've come to find out more from the estate owner, David Medforth.

-Hi, David, nice to see you.

-Nice to see you too, yes.

What a fantastic spot.

I mean, this is something that many clay shooters will be looking at green with envy,

the idea that you can simulate a proper game drive.

But, importantly, you're able to earn money all year round

and you're not limited to that short shooting season.

That's the main plus of it all.

It's very exciting to see all these butts lined up

and the opportunity to see so many guns working at once, and nothing will get killed

-but we'll have a good day's shooting.

-That's right, so why don't we have a go?

Let's have a look, come on, can't wait.

I'm really looking forward to giving the grouse trap a try.

David's putting me in the experienced hands of shooting instructor John Robinson.

Now, safety first of course, we're dealing with live ammunition and guns.

-What do we start with?

-First of all, head, ears, and eyes, so...

-Let's get ready to go.

-Glasses.

-My safety glasses.

-One hat.

-OK.

And earphones, so you can hear me speak

but also it'll take out the noise of the gun.

-So, the gun.

-The gun.

First of all, we're always going on about safety,

-just check the barrels, be happy they're empty.

-It's clear.

Great. Don't think. It isn't a thinking man's game.

LAUGHTER

Most importantly is read that target, read what it does,

line, speed, direction, just as we do in any ball sport that we play.

-Got it.

-So, into your shoulder.

-OK.

Head down on the comb, finger above the trigger at the moment.

You're live to shoot with a dummy cartridge.

-Finger on the trigger.

-Yep.

-And here we go. Clay is coming.

Watch it first, move to it, pull the trigger, nicely done.

-So, now, the real thing.

-OK, right.

Three in a row, so no pressure at all. OK?

So we've now got two cartridges, a single trigger gun, pull and release.

So, once you fired the first one, release the trigger,

the second one is then live to shoot.

We're now going to get simulated clays coming over us

-which will relate to what you get on a real game.

-All right.

-OK?

-Happy with that?

-I'm happy, sir, yes.

-Game on. OK.

HORN BLARES

The main difference between clay pigeon and simulated game shooting

is the trajectory of the clays.

These are released from the traps at random heights and speeds,

as unpredictable as real-life birds can be.

Grouse tend to fly low and fast, while pheasants fly a lot higher.

Over a day's simulated shoot, you could get to fire at around 200 clays,

and anyone can have a go, from novices to old hands like me.

I'm loving this.

-Nice shooting.

-Great.

-And here's your best two cartridges because these are your last.

-OK.

-Right, no pressure.

-Right.

-Watching hard, watch the clay.

Great. Beautiful.

-Got the last two with two remaining cartridges!

-OK?

-John, fantastic.

Absolutely fantastic, sir.

So, I'm right on target with the simulated game,

now let's see if we managed to hit the spot with any of our three properties for Stewart and Tracy.

We've got three scones here...

LAUGHTER

..which is symbolic of our three properties!

And I'm not going to let you eat them

until we've got a decision from you as to what's going to happen next.

So, let's just remind ourselves of our first property.

A lovely old converted coach house.

Yes, it was beautiful, and you could see from the outside

that it would have a good finish to it inside.

I thought the downstairs in particular was just impeccable.

The whole flow of the room, that lounge was marvellous.

And of course it was £695,000, as indeed were they all,

so we've given you a fantastic comparison across the board.

-Yes.

-Our second one, which you had spied online before.

Yes, I'd seen it online.

I was very excited to see it in real life, to see inside.

How did it match up to your expectations now you've had time to really digest it?

It exceeded my expectations. Location was fantastic,

the gardens were stunning,

and then, inside, more spacious than I dared hope for, having looked at it online.

For me, of the three, the approach to the house,

the old car going up the gravel driveway,

was exactly the sort of thing I'd been trying to describe beforehand.

-Actually amazing.

-OK, well I rather thought we'd done it at that point.

So did I!

If it had been our final property, that might've been it, but of course it wasn't.

We had the mystery house still to come,

which I think rather threw a spanner in the works, didn't it?

Very much so.

-Property number three was superb and I could easily see us living there.

-Yes.

I think, if I hadn't seen the driveway from yesterday,

from property number two, it would be an easy decision,

but I've got a feeling, and I'm trying to read Tracy

because she's being coy about it, that number three will come out on top.

I'm also fascinated to know what's going to happen

when you finally reveal to your family

that you've been on Escape To The Country, that you haven't told them,

and that maybe you turn up outside the mystery house with the keys in your pocket.

-Yes.

-It could be interesting.

-That's all part of the excitement, I think.

-I'm looking forward to that bit.

-You devious pair, you!

It's been a pleasure, guys. I wish you all the very best of luck.

If you go for the mystery house, or property number two, I think you've made a fantastic choice.

-I suspect I know which one it's going to be.

-We'll let you know.

Do let us know, and, just to top it off, I'll allow you to have a scone.

-Help yourself!

-Thank you very much.

Pick scone number three, why not?!

LAUGHTER

Well, I've just left Stewart and Tracy celebrating,

polishing off the rest of the scones, as well they might.

Let's face it, they've sold their house and they're on the cusp of buying another one.

And, for a couple who've spent all their working lives in the City,

this could be the most important financial decision that they've ever made.

So, all in all, I think it's SCONE rather well!

That's a terrible joke, isn't it?

Stewart and Tracy went back to see both house two and our mystery property.

They've made an offer on the second house, which has been accepted,

so they're hoping to surprise the family with a Yorkshire Christmas in their new home.

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