Worcestershire Escape to the Country

Here I am 1,000 feet above sea level in front of this extraordinary

Rapunzel tower, from the top of which, on a clear day,

it is said you can see 13 English counties.

Find out where I am in just a moment.

Today we'll be helping a dynamic couple keen to buy

their first house together in the country,

and they have some very playful opinions about one of our homes.

It's a traditional house that you draw as a child.

With the door in the middle of the house.

And we showed them a mystery house

with more space than they could have ever imagined.

You could run around with about 2,000 dogs here.

Today we're in Worcestershire.

And this is the Broadway Tower, built in 1789

by the renowned architect James Wyatt

for the sixth Earl of Coventry.

And in the 1880s it was the weekend retreat, very glamorous,

for William Morris of Arts and Craft fame.

And it said that this building inspired him to set up

the Society For The Protection Of Ancient Buildings, or SPAB.

And indeed many thousands of buildings across the UK

over their continued existence to SPAB,

and in some way to this delightful folly,

but there's lots more to Worcestershire than just follies.

Landlocked Worcestershire is bordered by Herefordshire

to the West, Gloucestershire to the south, and Warwickshire to the east.

The county is home to the Malvern Hills,

which have been described as a mountain range in miniature.

Stretching for eight miles,

they contain some of the oldest rock formations in Britain.

The east of Worcestershire falls within the Cotswolds

area of outstanding natural beauty.

It boasts villages like Broadway, which characterise

the stunning architecture often seen across the region.

The county was also home to Geoffrey Bazeley, creator of The Archers.

And his watering hole, The Old Bull in Inkberrow, still remains today.

So, for fantastic scenery, with real rural charm,

Worcestershire provides an attractive option

for aspiring escapees.

When you consider it's such a handy commute into Britain's second city,

Birmingham, and lovely rural countryside,

Worcestershire is a great buy for property hunters,

particularly when you think about prices.

According to the Land Registry figures,

an average detached house here will set you back £262,000,

which is just £6,000 above the national average.

That's particularly good when you think about nearby Gloucestershire,

where you'd have to pay 10 percent more for the same sort of property.

So, let's take a look at what's on the market in this lovely county.

For just under £350,000,

there's this two-bedroom converted barn in Holt Heath.

It has an open plan sitting room with a feature glass balustrade,

and a high spec kitchen with wooden flooring.

Outside, there is a walled garden, with a patio and lawn.

Also on the market is this timber framed four-bedroom

thatched house in Whickham, priced at £555,000.

Behind the historic facade, there are exposed beams

in the sitting room,

and a stunning contemporary kitchen with a range.

Outside boasts half an acre of extensive landscaped gardens.

For larger budgets, this six-bedroom house

in Clifton-on-Teme is up for sale at £850,000.

The huge kitchen has bespoke units, and underfloor heating.

The bedrooms feature sash windows with exposed timbers,

and outside there is a third of an acre of private

landscaped garden with mature shrubs and trees.

Some beautiful properties on the market here in Worcestershire.

Let's meet the couple who we're hoping are going to buy one.

Lynette and her partner Ned have been together for three years,

but have yet to buy their first property together.

Dividing their time between their respective homes in Halesowen

and Stourbridge in the West Midlands.

Lynette works for England Athletics, and owns a horse called Mickey,

who she keeps an hour away from her house.

And it seems being closer to him

is a key motivator for the move to the country.

I spend all my free time that I'm not at home down the stables with him.

So, for me, getting a house in the country,

and having some land, and having him right on my doorstep

would be absolutely wonderful.

Motorbike fanatic Ned, on the other hand,

is lucky enough to combine one of his passions with his job.

Heading up the West Midlands Police Force's driving school.

But, unfortunately,

Ned's wealth of motorbikes is threatening to overrun his home,

so more space is essential.

Four bikes and a very small garage really don't mix,

and something needs to give.

I've got no plans at all to get rid of any of my bikes,

I'm only ever going to get some more.

So, the prospect of moving to the country with more room

and some land to ride the bikes is a very tempting idea.

Both our buyers work in Birmingham,

and need to be within an hour's commute of the city.

And after much consideration, they are convinced they have found

the perfect location to start the next chapter of their lives.

My horses are based at Dodford in Worcestershire,

so anywhere around the North Worcestershire countryside,

we thought would be ideal.

We spent quite a lot of time there, and every time we find we want to stay there just a little bit longer.

And they have a very clear vision for the wish list.

I wouldn't particularly like to live somewhere which is too close to, perhaps all the neighbours around,

or perhaps is a little bit overlooked.

The new house, for me, is something that has around about three bedrooms.

And, for me, bedroom with an en suite.

It's got to have some land, open fire, wood burner,

large kitchen, just lots of open space around us, I think.

-That would be great.

-And development potential.

Certainly, that we can put our own mark on it.

And enough space that we can perhaps chase a dog around the garden.

The only remaining factor is, of course,

how much money they had to spend.

Our ideal budget would be around £450,000, but if we do come across

something that really captures our heart,

we can perhaps extend this to, maybe, 500,000.

This is a big, romantic move together for Ned and Lynette,

but it could be quite a headache for us,

because they are Birmingham commuters,

and Worcestershire is Birmingham commuter-belt, in all effects.

And it means to find a beautiful house with two acres of land

might be a bit of a squeeze, even with half a million pounds.

Particularly if we're insisting that we need to be near Dodford,

where the horses are stabled now.

So, we might suggest, just very gently, that the horses could move.

Ned and Lynette want to move to North Worcestershire,

ideally around Dodford, where Lynette's horses are stabled.

So, we'll bear that in mind as we take them

on a gentle canter around the countryside.

I'll be showing them three fantastic properties,

but I won't reveal the price until they've had a guess first.

Our final option will be, of course,

the mystery house, which provides more land than they could dream of.

Welcome to Worcestershire,

although it's not so far away from where you live.

-No, not at all.

-No, about 40 minutes, something like that.

You're very keen around the area of Dodford,

where your horses, but there are only around

20 houses in Dodford, so we couldn't find anything in the village.

-No!

-And it's probably a good idea to widen your net a little.

-Yes.

How many properties have you seen?

Probably about half a dozen in the last three or four months.

What was wrong with them? What were the things that put you off?

Well, so far we've found some great locations,

but houses without the features that we want.

Or, alternatively, the great features,

-but not really where we need to be.

-Yes.

And how big an issue is land,

because I know you're not going to have the horses on your property?

So, how much land do you actually need, or want?

Well, a large garden would be nice. Or a small paddock, one to two acres.

It's not a necessity to move the horses,

but if we had the opportunity to, that would be great as well.

Now, you are in quite a desirable area,

-you know, there are commuters into Birmingham.

-Yes.

Prices are quite steep,

and to get one to two acres might be a bit of a stretch.

Is there something that can give? What would you compromise on?

Because you want a big kitchen, you want to land, position?

I know, I want it all for the budget.

And I know I've got to compromise.

Maybe the space would be more important, should I say.

Because there would always be an opportunity, hopefully,

to extend the living space at some point, would be a way to look at it.

-And what is your budget?

-Well, we're looking towards £500,000.

-Excellent.

Well, there are some beautiful properties out there,

-so let's get on the road and see them.

-Thank you.

Ned and Lynette have a maximum budget of £500,000

to spend on a detached country house.

On the wish list is a large kitchen diner that could be

the hub of the home. Three bedrooms.

A garage to house Ned's bike collection,

and up to 2 acres of land.

We're kicking off our property search in Sinton Green,

on the edge of Hallow, which is around an hour south of Birmingham.

In the 1680s the village was home to the soldier, William Careless,

who saved King Charles II, after he fled the Battle of Worcester,

by hiding him in an oak tree.

The first property I am showing them

is a rather characterful redbrick cottage.

Come onto the lawn to get a good view of house number one.

-Here we have it.

-Oh, that's lovely.

It's the traditional house that you draw as a child,

-with the door in the middle of the house.

-It really is, isn't it?

-So, what are your first impressions?

-It's lovely.

-Beautiful looking house, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's fantastic.

The house is interesting, it's actually from the 1700s.

It doesn't look it, it looks more Victorian,

but as people had a bit of wealth

they put bricks on the front of their houses,

because at the time, that was the sign of wealth.

So, actually, this facade is probably later, probably Victorian,

you can see there's been a bit of work done around the windows.

Yes.

We haven't really talked about the period,

or the style of the house that you want. What does this do for you?

It appeals to me. I have to say.

I like the style, it's got character.

It certainly has inside. Let's look inside.

So, good first impressions, and behind that Victorian facade

there are some lovely historic treats.

Here we go. Straight in to the front room.

-Well, I'm loving the fireplace.

-Yeah.

-I'm loving the fireplace, too.

-Certainly big enough.

-Yeah.

-That is what they call a proper inglenook.

-Yes it is.

And you've got these lovely beams,

you can see the age of the building

is much older than the Victorian frontage.

These would have come from the 1700s when it was built.

Well, you've got a separate room on the other side,

which is very much the mirror image, a little bit smaller.

But, the room where very excited to show you is the kitchen. So, follow me.

Lynette is after a kitchen that could be the hub of her home,

and I think this one really delivers.

-Here we go.

-Goodness me. That's a huge size, isn't it?

-OK.

That's a great size kitchen, isn't it?

You could entertain in here, I think.

I think this is a magical kitchen diner.

Yeah, that's great. We could do a lot in here,

couldn't we?

Yeah, I like it. It has a nice feel to it. Nice, light and airy.

The feeling of space around you.

It's a proper place that you'd congregate, wouldn't you?

-Yes, I think so.

-Very nice.

-Good.

There's also a bit that goes out into this rather nice sunroom.

So, this is, essentially a utility room, but a conservatory.

Very practical. Very nice to have the end

of your kitchen diner as well, isn't it?

Yeah, I think we'd sit in here with a glass of wine.

That would be very nice.

I know you're itching to look into the outside,

-but let's look upstairs at the bedrooms first.

-OK.

On the first floor there's a good-sized family bathroom.

And the two double bedrooms both have delightful period features,

with exposed trussed beams, and wonderfully wonky doors.

But I'm taking them to the room that could be theirs.

OK, so mind the steps.

So, this takes us up into what is the master bedroom,

that's built over the kitchen.

This is unusual, coming up the stairs, and then down more stairs.

-That's to an en suite, so you have an en suite shower in there.

-Oh, right.

It's nice, because there's windows all around the room.

So, like you say, from each aspect you've got some nice views.

Certainly.

And that view, that would be something nice to wake up and look out the window.

In the end, that's why you wanted to move, to open the door, windows, and have...

Well, I know that land is important,

-it's always been a big issue, so let's go outside.

-OK.

Out here there is a large garage and workshop,

which could house Ned's motorbikes.

There's also a secluded garden which backs onto open fields.

Land, land, land. Now,

-as it stands this is your garden.

-OK.

-OK, yeah not a bad side.

-Not a bad size.

-Not a bad size.

But, there is the possibility,

you can see next door has already done it, of purchasing

-the land up to the beginning of the field from the farmer.

-Oh, right, yes.

That's not, I hasten to add, in the purchase price.

That there is a precedent next door,

-there's been signs that the farmer is perfectly willing to do that.

-OK.

Well, let's talk about price.

What do you think this is on the market for?

-I think, I'm going to go low, and say 425.

-No, I think a little bit more.

I say 440.

OK, so this is going to be a bit of a shock,

because this is on the market at just a dot under £500,000.

-OK. We got that wrong then.

-Yeah, a little bit.

So that's the figure, unfortunately,

you have to carry around in your head, as you do a little tour,

-and I'll meet you out the front when you're done.

-OK. Thank you.

-Thank you.

On the market for just under £500,000,

this quaint period house has a massive kitchen diner,

and two reception rooms,

which could certainly meet our buyers' entertaining requirements.

Upstairs there are four double bedrooms, and outside

a good-sized mature garden, with the potential to buy more land.

So, you think you'd be all right with the allotment?

I think that will be your speciality,

I'm not sure if it's our ideal property,

but it's certainly got some definite promising features

that I think we need to go away and think about.

It's very nice. The location is fine,

the house I'm not so sure, and the price,

perhaps more than I would like to pay for a property of that type.

-Hello.

-Hi.

All done, I'm going to have to move you on to the next property.

-Right, OK, thank you.

-Shut the door behind you.

Lying on the banks of the River Severn is the historic

Worcestershire town of Bewdley, linked together

by the Bewdley Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford, and built in 1798.

The town is also one of the six stops on the ever popular

Severn Valley Heritage Railway Line.

Built between 1858 and 1862,

it regularly carries steam trains along a route

between Bridgnorth in Shropshire, and Kidderminster in Worcestershire.

A few miles away is the Elizabethan manor house of Harvington Hall.

From the late 1500s it became a secret haven for Catholic priests,

driven into hiding during the English Reformation.

A period of religious unrest which began with Henry VIII

and stretched beyond the reign of Elizabeth I.

Earlier in the week,

we sent Ned and Lynette off to meet local tour guide

Ian Fletcher, to find out more.

It's a very unusual house, and it's got a lot of unusual features.

And if you'd like to follow me,

-perhaps we'll have a look at a few of them.

-Great, thank you.

The hall has one of the most striking

collections of priest holes anywhere in the country.

They date back to a time when any Catholic priest being caught

would have faced the penalty of high treason, punishable by death.

If I push on the top and pull on the bottom.

Oh, clever.

So, that once the priest has gone in you can actually close it

and he can bolt it from the inside.

Would you like to go in?

When Elizabeth I, who was a Protestant, came to the throne,

she remained tolerant towards Catholics

worshipping in private houses.

But after an attempt by the Spanish Catholics

to overthrow her rule in 1588, the tide turned

and Catholicism was driven underground, leading to a network

of houses such as Harvington, where priests could hide away safely.

Well, I was hoping for something slightly bigger!

There are four of the secret hideouts in total.

Aha. OK.

-Oh, excellent.

-Looks like we have found the jewels as well!

You see where the priest is?

You see a square of light, that would have been a complete panel across there,

you wouldn't be able to see the priest.

Just imagine that I'm one of the searchers,

and I got to here, I've lifted this up,

and there's some small valuables there.

So, pick it up, "wow, like that."

So, I'll put that in my pouch, and then I close this up again,

and then I'm going to go back to the person in charge,

and I'm going to say, no, I haven't found anything."

Because I'm not going to admit to stealing.

Harvington Hall stands as a continuing

reminder of the extraordinary lengths

members of the Catholic Church went to in order to pursue their faith.

But, for now, it's time to turn our buyers' focus back

to our property search,

and see if we can find a rural hideaway of their own.

For our second property I'm taking them to Old Hills,

which is just outside the village of Callow End,

around 40 minutes south of Birmingham.

Situated on land between the stunning Malvern Hills and

the River Severn, this quite village has a mix of more recent houses,

and period homes.

The house I'm showing them is a thatched cottage,

set in idyllic gardens.

Once again, let's get onto the lawn to get a full eyeful of this

beautiful thing.

That's lovely looking, isn't it?

That's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

It is a really spectacularly well-kept

-thatched cottage.

-Yes.

What do you think about thatched? Not everyone's mad on thatch.

They always are eye-catching, yes, but yes, I hadn't considered

a thatched property, I've got to say, so, yeah, that's really nice to see.

Yeah, it's looking good.

-Shall we look inside?

-Absolutely, yes.

'The interior of this property is full of charm,

'with a contemporary feel.

'And I think it will really appeal to them.'

Here, you can see.

Wow.

Quite a different take on the period cottage.

I like the fireplace though, again.

I like the mix of it, actually, just from walking into here.

Yeah, I think so, the painted brickwork, the stone floors,

the beams, it's of a time, isn't it?

It's so nicely maintained that it just draws you to it.

I'd like to see some more, I think.

Is it yours sort of time? Does it feel comfortable?

Yes, it does.

-I've got a nice feeling for the house, have you?

-Yeah, I think so.

Good, well, this is the sitting room,

let's go through into the kitchen.

Here, so, again, a very different offering.

I like the range, as well.

Yes, it's nice in that feature, um...

It's an inglenook range.

Yes, it is. It is.

It's a nice-sized kitchen, though.

But it's beautifully finished, again, you know,

this very nice, red and black and white theme throughout.

What do you think, Ned, do you think this is more your speed?

Yeah, I think so,

particularly the finish, it just jumps out to me,

it's been so well maintained, it's very nice.

It's very airy.

Yeah, there seems to be some quite large gardens out there as well.

Just keep your eyes to yourself, we haven't finished inside yet.

'I'd say that's a thumbs up for the kitchen,

'and the beautiful finish of this house continues in the drawing room.'

As with the other property, this is an extension

that was put on the back of the original cottage, in the 60s.

We might use this as your lounge area, rather than the other room.

Yeah, we'd get some use out of this room, I think.

And there's an open fire again.

So, this is all of your space downstairs.

There is quite a nice, big utility room which we haven't seen yet.

-Let's have a peek up stairs, shall we?

-OK.

Downstairs is a the mix of modern period features,

however, as we're about to discover,

the rooms on the first floor are much more in keeping

with the property's heritage.

Upstairs.

Oh, this is nice, isn't it?

Oh, yeah.

So, nice, high ceilings as we've gone right up into the roof.

And you can see these lovely, little feature windows,

tucked into the thatch.

So, essentially, you've got four bedrooms again,

but they are interlinked, as they would have been in an old cottage.

This one goes into that one, and then there's another one,

over what was the extension, and then a fourth one through here.

OK.

The interesting thing about this house, a feature, shall we call it?

Is that there is no bathroom upstairs,

there's a very nice modern bathroom at the bottom of the stairs.

OK.

But, we were thinking, since it's just the two of you,

one of these rooms, ie. this room

which is linked, as you can see, just by stepping into the next room,

would make a gorgeous, big en suite bathroom.

It's crying out for it, isn't it?

And it's right above the kitchen,

so it can't be that difficult to run the plumbing up.

-No, that's a good idea.

-We're not averse to building work, are we?

-No, no, a project for you.

-Thank you.

-Are you handy at DIY?

-Absolutely, yes, I can build.

-Really?

-Yeah, no problem.

-I can't tell whether you're joking.

-No, I can build, I do a little bit.

-No, he really can.

So, you've got a very high standard to match here.

We can't have any botched jobs.

Well, that's a challenge for you, Alistair.

I should comeback in a years time and check?

I know it's difficult when you haven't seen all the rooms to clock the layout,

but I'll give you plenty of time to explore later on,

but I want to get you out in the garden,

because I know that's where you want to go.

'Although they'll have to sacrifice a bedroom

'to get that en suite Lynette wants,

'I'm hoping they'll be wowed by the outside of this property.

'Which comes with just under half an acre of land.

'It includes a secluded lawned garden,

'with spectacular views of the countryside.'

So, incredible views over towards Cheltenham there,

through the hedges.

And you can see, this is a much more substantial garden.

Yes.

-It's a gorgeous plot.

-It's very pretty, isn't it?

When you look back at the property now,

from inside the grounds here and it's lovely, really nice.

And very quiet.

Mmm.

What do think of this garden?

Yeah, I think you'll be very busy here, don't you?

THEY LAUGH

It is fantastic, you know, it's had so much work done to it,

by the looks of it, and as with the house, it's immaculate.

Good.

I think you've all got poker faces on,

I can't quite tell whether you're loving it, or you're just...

Anyway, this is house number two, you don't know the price yet,

what do you think the price of the property is?

I think you spent our budget,

and I would say just under 500,000,

maybe 499, 490.

Well, it's certainly the top end, but I can't agree with you,

so, let's say 480, maybe.

480, the moral of the story is you should always agree with Lynette,

because she is dot on the money,

it is exactly the same price the last one, just a dot under £500,000.

Right. OK.

So, why don't you have a look around the grounds,

-and I'll see you at the front.

-Thank you, will do.

At £495,000, this characterful cottage has plenty of appeal.

It has a good-sized kitchen diner, two reception rooms,

four bedrooms,

and a relaxing, secluded garden, with stunning views.

Well, there's my garage.

-It's big enough for your bikes, isn't it?

-It's a workshop as well.

Your second home.

I think so, you know, I could live in it, I really could.

It is what it is, it's a very old cottage,

and there's only so many things you can do with the layout.

It's certainly been very sensitively arranged,

and I think it's something we could certainly live with.

I do think it has got a bit of a wow factor for me,

I really like it, it's very, very pretty,

and yes, I probably could see myself living in it.

Ah, beautiful thatch work. That's a cracking house, huh?

It's lovely, really nice.

Well, that's your lot for today, time to retire and regroup.

As the sun sets over the Worcestershire countryside,

our first day of house-hunting draws to a close.

Armed with their £500,000 budget,

Ned and Lynette are making two huge leaps in their lives.

Buying their first home together,

and starting a new life in rural Worcestershire.

Out of the two properties we've shown them so far,

the thatched cottage seems to have won them over.

-I've got a nice feeling for the house, have you?

-Yeah.

It's picture perfect from here, isn't it?

Looking at the house, it's ideal.

'But coming up, we've got a mystery house

'that stretches their horizons to the limit.'

It's absolutely huge, yeah.

It's huge.

'And I join some industrious babes in the wood.'

So, they're like, kind of, biological ground clearers?

Yeah.

It's an absolutely beautiful autumnal morning

here in Worcestershire,

and we've got the mystery house lined up for Lynette and Ned.

After the first day's properties

I wasn't quite sure whether we were hitting the nail.

They were being very polite, making nice noises,

but maybe the houses are a little too period,

little too old, too beam-y.

So, for the mystery house, we've gone grand,

and we've gone lots of land.

Day two, and we're off to the mystery house,

what do you think the mystery house might be?

Do you know, I haven't got a clue,

I think you threw us yesterday with the thatched cottage

so, who knows what this could be.

Maybe a converted barn?

Converted one end for the horses, and the other end for us.

Who knows.

Ah, a live-in stable?

Yes, a stable in the middle of a field.

Who knows.

'For our mystery house, we're heading further south to Croome,

'which is situated around four miles from the market town of Pershore.

'This unspoiled, Georgian town is surrounded by beautiful countryside,

'and is particularly renowned for its wealth of independent shops.

'In contrast to the chocolate box charm of property two,

'I can safely say that our mystery offering

'is right at the other end of the scale.'

Now, you wanted some land.

Goodness me, and some.

There is some land, OK.

Here is land aplenty,

you've got the Malvern Hills in the background, framing your garden,

and then 200 acres of Capability Brown-designed stately home garden.

However, your house is in these Robert Adam-designed stable block.

What are your thoughts?

Well, it's certainly unexpected,

I never in a million years dreamt of a property on a National Trust,

or ex-stately home, park, at all, did you?

No, not at all, it's not something we'd considered,

-but we have to have a look, it's fantastic.

-Let's have a look.

'I love throwing our mystery home into the mix,

'especially as this house offers our buyers

'a slice of very elegant living.'

Come in.

It's amazing to think this was just built for the horses,

you know, back in the 1700s, this was all for stables,

the carriage houses, the coach houses, amazing, hm?

It would have been.

Yeah, yeah, it is now, as it's all been converted.

It's pretty impressive, isn't it, to look at?

And you've now got seven dwellings in this block.

As you can see, it's a C shape,

and the one that I want to show you is this one,

-which was the coach house.

-OK.

What are your thoughts about living in this shared courtyard-y type?

We were, perhaps, hoping to have a bit of privacy,

and perhaps live a little more on our own,

but when you have views like this, you have to reconsider things.

And the facilities too, having all of those grounds on your doorstep,

again, it's something else to consider, really.

I'm not closed to the idea.

Let's take a look inside.

'Let's see how they feel once they've had a peek at the interior.'

Come on in.

Oh, it is lovely, isn't it?

Gosh, that's a reception.

Isn't it just?

What we've got is, essentially, this would have been all open space

for the carriages to come in,

and it's been converted in to three stories.

Oh, really?

Of very well proportioned, high ceilinged rooms.

Well, it's lovely,

because you wanted the kitchen to, kind of, flow open,

so, if you open these doors,

ta-da!

Oh, gosh.

That is lovely, isn't it?

I mean, it's a great-sized kitchen.

-It seems to offer everything we asked for.

-Yeah, yeah.

And the ceilings are amazing, they're just so high.

That's good.

Just need to see some more now, I think.

Well, let's open up another big door.

Ah, I could really get used to opening all those doors like that,

bam!

Another massive room.

With such high ceilings again.

It's huge. Light, spacious, airy.

Very dramatic with the front windows there, don't you think? Very nice.

What's nice about it is that it feels like a very grand house,

well, it is a very grand house,

but it's just an unusual property in many ways.

It's unusual in the fact that when you're in here,

you don't feel as though you're a part of a block,

which is, essentially, what you are.

And it's good that it gives you that feeling of being separate, I think.

That's what I was trying to say, but you said it much better. Thank you.

Well, that is the total ground floor,

I mean, it's about 3,000 square feet, the whole house.

So, the rooms are very big,

but you do have four bedrooms upstairs,

all of them, all of them, with en suites.

Goodness me.

I'm just saying.

'I certainly think we've hit the jackpot with this property,

'and there are highlights around every corner.'

Two flights of quite steep stairs.

They are, aren't they?

Take you to this really lovely mezzanine level.

Gosh, that's unexpected, isn't it?

It's great, isn't it?

It's a little settee area, half way up your stairs.

What a feature.

As I mentioned, there are four bedrooms, another floor,

so the attic space has got another two bedrooms.

And two huge rooms, so you can take your pick.

We'll find a use for that, I'm sure.

Always can.

Both the bedrooms are, sort of, identical.

This is being used as the master, but the other one is of equal size.

-It's a huge room.

-It is huge, it's lovely.

With a nice, big en suite there, and lots and lots of wardrobe space.

You can never have enough wardrobe space.

Again, ideal.

It's really, really tastefully done.

Yeah. There's no work to do here, it's all about relaxing time, isn't it?

That sounds good.

Well, this is going to be a very hard one to price.

So, let's go outside and do that.

'This residence,

'offering a share of a stately home within private parkland

'is truly unique.

'But I'm not sure it's enough to convince Ned and Lynette

'that this would be their ideal property.

'Time to find out.'

Now, apart from the 200 acres, which is quite a lot of garden,

you do have this communal private garden at the side,

which is just for, just for reading the papers in, I suppose.

Yes.

But clearly, you do share this courtyard with seven other neighbours,

and then the land beyond,

which you pay a, sort of, nominal maintenance fee

-to the National Trust to look after.

-OK.

-There is a garage as well.

-OK.

Just to give you all the factors

so you can work out how much it's going to cost.

How much do you think for this rather unusual, unquantifiable property?

You can go first, Ned.

Oh, thank you.

Well, it's a fantastic property, isn't it?

There's no doubt about that.

I think with our budget of 500,000,

it's going to be at the top end, so I'll say that, 500,000.

Well, I think all go little bit lower, but not too much,

um, 480 I think.

I feel like a bit of a broken record,

because this too is just a shade under £500,000.

-It's not surprising at all.

-That makes complete sense, doesn't it, it is beautiful.

Well, it's a difficult one to price, because it's so unique.

Yes, indeed.

Why don't you go inside and look upstairs, cos we didn't look at that top floor,

and also wander around your 200-acre garden,

although not too far, or I'll never find you again.

-OK, thank you.

-We'll do that.

'On the market for a shade under £500,000,

'this grade 2 listed converted coach house is a fantastic home

'in a spectacular setting.

'It has an elegant kitchen diner,

'a large reception room,

'four double bedrooms, all with en suite,

'a garage for Ned's bikes,

'and glorious views towards the Malvern Hills.'

This is such an unusual feature of the house,

and to be able to sit here

and look out towards the Malvern Hills is really lovely.

I'm not still 100% on the courtyard living,

but the property is so lovely,

it's also pulling me another way

into saying that it would really, really be a nice place to live.

I'm not sure it's going to give us the privacy that we particularly want,

or the opportunity to ride the horses,

ride the motorbikes and things in the grounds,

I'm really not too sure just at the moment.

Ah, there you are, taking in the view?

We are.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Just beautiful.

I am glad you weren't in a folly 200 acres away.

We were very tempted.

Let's go find a place to discuss.

'Spread across more than 6,000 acres,

'the Wyre forest in Worcestershire

'is one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in the country.

'And like all forests, it's an ever-changing environment,

'in need of constant regeneration.

'But in these woods, help is at hand,

'in the shape of a rather unusual ally, pigs.

'I've come to meet local farmer, John Ayles, to find out more.'

So, where do the pigs come into it?

What they're doing is breaking up the ground, and eating the bramble,

and the bracken here,

so that the oak acorns when they fall to the ground,

are going to germinate, and replace all these lovely oak trees.

So, they are, kind of, like biological ground clearers?

Yeah, here they come. Come on, pigs!

-Ah!

-Come on, pigs!

Oh, they're beautiful.

These are Tamworth pigs,

and, as you can see, they've got a lovely, long snouts,

which means that they're really good at digging.

They actually eat the bracken and bramble,

which nothing else will eat?

Yeah, they go particularly for the roots.

These Tamworth pigs are believed to be the closest descendants

of the indigenous English forest pig.

Here in the Wyre Forest,

the pigs are being used as a means of naturally protecting

the local environment.

Helping to clear areas of woodland,

to allow young tree seedlings to grow.

The alternative to using pigs is either mechanical means,

which would just destroy everything.

Or chemicals, and for herbicides,

we don't really know what the lasting damage is that they do.

The pigs are in here, three or four months, and they're gone.

Well, I can't really see what they're doing.

Is there a bit where they've been?

If we walk up here, Alistair, we'll see what they've been up to.

Ah, now, I can see they've been much more industrious here.

Yeah, you can see they've really pushed back the bramble

and the bracken around us here,

and, in fact, the bracken has got way back.

You've got these little birch saplings coming through,

there's a wee oak seedling here.

Here, some holly.

So, the woodland species that we want to encourage

are starting to come through,

and the pigs are leaving them,

and they're going for the bramble and the bracken.

'The young trees that grow are felled and recycled,

'providing woodchips, fuel, and fencing.'

What about the pigs, what happens to the pigs?

At the end of their time here, which will probably be early November,

they go and they're made into sausages.

And because we use the whole pig in the sausages,

you're getting all the best cuts,

so, the sausages taste absolutely delicious.

'It's amazing to see these animals in action in their natural habitat,

'helping to manage such a delicate and important environment

'for future generations.

'But now, it's time to catch up with our buyers,

'and see if they're smitten by any of our three properties.'

That mystery house was a bit risky.

I think Lynette, for example,

didn't really like it as she was approaching,

but once they both got through the door, completely different picture.

So, I'll be interested to see whether it affected their decision.

Let's find out.

Has it been fun, exploring Worcestershire?

Yeah, I think so,

I think we've seen one or two sites that we'd never been to before,

so, yeah, it's been a real adventure.

Yeah, it's been really good, and as you've just said,

there's still parts of Worcestershire that, even though it's on our doorstep,

we really, really haven't explored,

and I think it's proved to us now

that we need to go and explore more, maybe.

Tell me about the first house, because that was a period property,

but it seemed to raise questions for the two of you.

Perhaps the question for myself

was the fact that it had had quite a bit of refurbishment,

and perhaps a little bit more or to do,

and at the very top end of our budget,

I'm not sure that was exactly what we're looking for.

I thought the garden area was lovely,

but I have to say, I would want to look at that option

of having the additional land at the back,

just to make it a little bit more open, a little bit more space.

What about the second house, because this did have a bit more land.

Well, the second house really had the wow factor, didn't it?

It was beautiful.

Yeah, you could just move into that, they had refurbished it beautifully,

and it's one I could actually see myself living in there, maybe, maybe.

Well, we dealt you a real wild card with the mystery house,

because it wasn't anything that you'd asked for,

but it was a very striking property.

Yeah, the mystery house, for me, if I'd had looked at it on paper

I would never, ever, in a month of Sundays had gone to look at it.

And then when we walked into the property

it completely changed my view, considerably.

So, that certainly gave us food for thought.

Well, I think if there were a draw back

it's the fact that it's such a stylish and grand building,

I'm not sure it would be in keeping with me

and six or seven motorcycles in the grounds.

I'm not too sure they'd go down well with the neighbours.

In terms of the three properties now, looking at them,

are there any of them that you would proceed on,

maybe take another look at?

What are your thoughts at the end of the process?

I think the one that, perhaps, stood out for us would be property two,

the thatched cottage.

That's certainly a very, very nice place to live.

Mmm-hmm.

I think what we need to do now is to just have a look at the area,

get an idea of how long it may take to travel to work,

and just get a feel for that particular part of the world.

Excellent, well, I hope to see you galloping your horse,

or riding your bikes across the Worcestershire hills very soon.

We hope so too.

Thanks very much.

Thank you.

I do hope our week in the countryside here in Worcestershire

has helped Ned and Lynette loosen up their search criteria a little,

because that, in turn, is going to help them find,

and move in to, their love nest in the countryside more quickly.

So, if you've enjoyed our rambling

in this beautiful bit of the countryside,

make sure you tune in next time for more of the same,

on Escape to the Country.

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

Northern Ireland, or England,

and need our help, please apply online, at bbc.co.uk/beonashow

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd