North Devon Escape to the Country

One of the great joys about working on Escape To The Country

is of course the opportunity to see some really beautiful bits of the British Isles

and this beach behind me is just one of them.

But it's also home to a unique seaside resort that's based on a novel.

So where are we?

In today's show, I'll be helping a couple who have lots of gusto

but, by their own admission, are rather inexperienced in the art of house pricing.

-Well...

-You're well wrong, Jen.

-You're both well wrong!

However, our line-up of properties certainly seems to strike a chord.

I love this idea of the old with the new, I really do.

Today we're in North Devon and this is the beach at Westward Ho!.

Westward Ho! is famous for two things,

in particular that it's the only place name in the UK that ends with an exclamation mark,

and the second thing is that really this shouldn't be here at all.

In 1855, a guy called Charles Kingsley wrote a book called Westward Ho!,

and in 1863, a Victorian entrepreneur by the name of Lord Portsmouth,

keen to cash in on the book's success

and of course the growing interest in Victorian seaside resorts,

built it on an empty stretch of beach.

A clever bit of marketing, really.

Forming the central part of the south-western arm of England,

Devon is blessed with beautiful coastline,

including those expansive shores around Westward Ho!.

Its numerous creeks and bays are home to a raft of sailing enthusiasts,

who maintain the county's link with a nautical tradition

that stretches back many centuries.

Moving inland, Exmoor is one of Devon's two national parks

and home to a protected landscape shaped both by nature and agriculture.

The second, Dartmoor, is notoriously the wildest of the West Country moors

which, although rugged, still possesses a timeless beauty.

So, whether it's countryside or coast,

the vision of rural England that Devon conjures up

remains a compelling option for many aspiring escapees.

Let's face it, we'd all love to live beside the seaside if we could,

but house prices in seaside resorts over the last decade

have risen dramatically, in some areas by as much as 128%.

In hotspots such as Devon, Cornwall and even Dorset, gains have been even higher.

Here in Devon over the last 10 years,

your average detached has risen from £149,000 to almost double,

but for all the financial woes that come with this sort of setting,

house-hunting here remains as popular as ever.

Here are some of the offerings currently on the market.

A traditional Devon thatched cottage in Weare Giffard

could be yours for £285,000.

Inside, the brickwork and beams in the kitchen add a quirky charm

and it's complemented by the wood-frame conservatory.

Outside, the garden includes mature fruit trees.

Priced at £565,000, this six-bedroom home in Combe Martin

has been sympathetically extended to offer up great sized rooms for modern living.

It includes features such as the stone fireplace

with wood burner in the living room and a kitchen complete with a range.

Outside, the land amounts to a generous 6.5 acres.

And, for those with deep pockets,

this 18th-century former mill house in Lurley is priced at £685,000.

It provides a harmonious mix of authentic features

such as the huge inglenook in the sitting room

and a newly bespoke-fitted kitchen.

Along with five bedrooms, there are just under four acres of land.

No surprise, some wonderful properties in this gorgeous county,

a place which I hope today's buyers may eventually call home.

Phil, a retired RAF Wing Commander, and Jenny, a former nurse,

have been married for 25 years and are currently in their 14th home.

After living around the world in married quarters,

this five-bedroom Georgian terrace in Worcester

was in fact the first home they ever bought,

and even that was just five years ago.

However, now their two children have flown the nest,

they plan to embark on a completely different adventure together.

We think the time is right to move now because I retired

from the Royal Air Force Regiment last year after almost 34 years.

The children are both starting work in London

and we think, "OK, that's it," we have to draw a line and move on with the next phase of our life.

We've always wanted to go and live by the sea.

We want to move to the coast

because I was born on the Isle of Wight, I lived all the time by the sea as a child.

In all our postings,

we always seem to have been near the sea somewhere as well and

I have this vision of myself walking the dog along the coastal paths

and just enjoying the fresh air and looking at the sea.

But Phil's list of pursuits are far more adrenaline fuelled.

I like kite surfing and I want to get Jenny into kite surfing.

Both the children kite surf and we both want to learn to surf.

Now, you know, old dogs, new trick, might not work,

but we're determined to try before we're too old.

Meanwhile, Jenny's love of entertaining is a key factor in what she wants from their next house.

I would love a nice big kitchen / family room

because I would just love to have lots of people around me in my big kitchen,

cooking their meals and drinking glasses of wine in my big kitchen.

A garden more than a courtyard.

Not necessarily acres and acres, but it would be nice to have a garden.

-He wants to have chickens, so...

-Yeah, I like eggs!

No, no, no, yes, no, chickens.

But I think I'm rapidly turning into a grumpy old man

and becoming increasingly intolerant of other people so privacy would be nice.

You know, just our own little piece of land and an Englishman's house is his castle.

-But not deserted.

-Well, deserted-ish!

-Hmm.

Compromise, darling.

All that said, they're pretty open-minded on the style of their next property.

We do prefer something with a bit of character.

I used to say I wouldn't look at modern houses

but nowadays I keep looking at modern houses and they're not...

Some modern houses are made to look quite old and they look quite nice.

With their house on the market for £485,000,

they've already pinpointed how much they can spend on their move to Devon.

Our budget for the next property is £500,000

but that is absolutely the top whack.

Of course it's a very common thought to want to take your home with you

and transport it somewhere new

but there's more to a home than just bricks and mortar.

They're made up of thousands of hopefully very happy memories.

There's no doubt that Phil and Jen, with their infectious lust for life,

will fill their new home with plenty of those.

I've just got to find it for them.

But, as ever, that could be easier said than done.

Fortunately, Phil and Jenny are pretty flexible about location

although, clearly, being near the coast is an important factor.

However, we may need to venture inland

to get them the most we can for their money.

We've lined up three delightful but very different Devon homes for them to see,

but, as ever, they won't find out the price of each until they've had a guess first.

The last of these is our mystery house which could see them

rolling up their sleeves for a shot at their dream home.

-Phil, Jen, lovely to see you down here at long last.

-Thank you.

This is quite a moment, isn't it, because, as I understand it,

this could be the second house you've bought in your married life.

I know. Frightening, isn't it? We've only had, well, yes, one house of our very own.

We've had 15 homes in our 25 years of marriage.

And this of course is down to service life, Phil.

Yeah, we've traipsed around the world. No complaints!

It's been an absolute blast but we want to settle down now.

Just give us a sense of the sort of property you're after

because you've lived in so many. I know character is top of the list.

I think entertaining, for me, is a big love of mine

so I think a big kitchen, big homely,

maybe a nice big log burner stove, something like that.

I do love family and I love friends

so something like that for me would be lovely.

-And at long last having these permanent roots where everybody knows where to find you.

-Yes!

That's true. I think in people's address books, you know,

there's so many crossings out and changes of address for us.

We're going to save a fortune on change of address cards

so we can put that towards the house.

Good, well let's talk about money since we've reached that point.

-Around about half a million.

-Yes.

-God, is it?

-Yes.

-When you put it like that it sounds pretty good.

-£500,000.

Never thought of it as half a million. Right, will that work?

I think it will work. Yeah, I think so.

In this part of Devon, you're never that far from the coast

and of course you have Exmoor to play with as well so you're spoilt for choice.

I know the outdoor life is something that you've both really put centre-stage

of what you've got up to over the last 25 years.

-Yes, it is.

-So, you know, let's see what we can find you.

-Great.

-Follow me.

-Look forward to it.

-Come this way.

With a top budget of £500,000,

Phil and Jenny would like their Devon home to come with character features

and provide them with a large sociable kitchen-diner for the family.

Outside they want to upsize on garden space for barbecues

and keeping chickens,

and it also needs to have good access to the coast

for surfing and dog walking.

So, putting character and coast at the top of the agenda,

we kick off our property search in the village of Bucks Mills.

Along with a post office and local shop,

it also has a footpath which leads down to the sea.

Among the array of traditional and stone-built cottages

is our first house, which is just a 15-minute walk from the coast

and provides them with much more than first meets the eye.

There we are. Let's just settle here and take it all in.

-Property number one.

-Wow, yes.

-First impressions, it's great.

-Yeah, I mean, you wanted character.

-We have got character.

Thatch, I'm a bit worried about thatch.

-Can you reassure us about the thatch?

-I can reassure you.

It's a material that's been used for roofing for centuries.

This is Norfolk Reed.

It's good for, I'd say, another 25, 30-odd years.

It looks terrific insulation, is it?

It's brilliant, it's fantastic stuff. How old do you think it is?

Actually I suspect not that old.

I think it's maybe made to look old, I don't know.

-You may be right, sir.

-Really?

-This was built in 2006.

-You're joking.

-Really?

-The whole thing is brand-new.

-It's because it's got new windows and things like that.

-Let's look inside.

This house may only have been built a few years ago,

but the features inside give it real traditional integrity.

-Right, come on in. Yes?

-Yes!

-Got that nice little cottagey feel.

-I know entertaining is a thing, Jan, so come and have a look in here.

-It is.

Oh, nice, yes.

-Yes.

-Yes?

-I love these beams.

-Nice little window seats and so on. Really nice detailing, this.

For something that's new, yes, they've made it look very old.

Come on through here, this is quite sweet. This is the main living room.

-You wanted a great big wood burner.

-I did!

-That's what I said this morning.

-There you go.

-It's lovely.

It's lovely and cosy, isn't it? Very warm, inviting room.

-Somewhere they've managed to find a bread oven.

-I was just going to say that.

I mean, the attention to detail to make it feel older than it is

I think is second to none actually, to be honest.

Yes, it's super, really nice.

Great responses.

Let's see if they warm to the kitchen. OK, Jen.

Oh, yes.

Oh, that's really nice. Look at that, yes, lovely.

I mean, is it big enough? That's the key question.

I suppose yes because you've got this big open space here.

I suppose it depends on the storage. You don't quite know what's behind all the cupboards.

Off the kitchen, a utility room does give Jenny extra storage space

for white goods.

We'll head upstairs to explore the three bedrooms,

which are all of a good size.

They include a double room with sloping ceiling

and a second potential double currently set up as a study.

There's also a spacious family bathroom,

which is furnished in a simple rustic style.

But let's take a look at what could be their new sleeping quarters.

This is the master. How about that?

LAUGHTER

Our bed at home is huge

so this room would certainly fit our bed.

Yes, it's excellent.

If this were the real thing, let's say 17th-century, space for wardrobes...

-Not a consideration.

-It never was.

-Central heating wasn't big in the 16th century.

-No, indeed.

And the floors are all level, but you know, but nice and bare.

I love this idea of the old with the new.

With the house covered,

I think Phil and Jenny have seen the merits in this modern reworking

of a character cottage, which leaves them with absolutely nothing to do.

Outside there's a garage and a workshop,

plus half an acre of garden which should please Phil

as there's plenty of space for his chicken coop.

But, how much does it all cost? We've seen the house now.

A modern, characterful thatched cottage. Built in 2006.

We're only a mile and a half from the sea. How much is it worth?

-Jen?

-445.

-I would've said 475.

-475?

But I don't know what a premium you'd pay for being close to the sea.

-Well, you are going to pay a premium.

-So I'm wrong?

-Well...

-You're well wrong, Jen.

-You're both well wrong.

-What?

-There goes your conservatory!

-This is on the market now for 525.

-Oh, wow.

-But then we have to take it as it is.

There's nothing we can do to it because we have no more dosh.

-No.

-We couldn't even pay to clean the windows, that's it.

-But, you know...

-That's because of the proximity to the sea, is it?

Always going to be a premium, always going to be.

That's the way of these things. We all love to live by the seaside.

-Go and have a look and I will catch up with you later.

-OK.

-Thanks.

Off you go.

Granted, our first property is over budget at £525,000,

but a sensible offer could land them a character home

which gives them practically everything on their wish list.

It provides them with two reception rooms bursting with features

and great for entertaining.

It also has a large kitchen-diner

and upstairs the three bedrooms include a huge master suite.

And it's all wrapped up in a generous half acre plot

in their perfect location within walking distance of the sea.

It's nice to be so close to the coast.

I guess it would only be a five-minute drive,

which would be lovely for me and my dog walking,

and you can see the sea from the upstairs window so that's nice.

I do like a kitchen full of people and I think this kitchen is small

so there would be a lot of shoulder rubbing.

We do have a lot of furniture we've collected over the years

and I'm not sure where it would fit in.

Neither Jenny nor I were looking for a new-build,

and yet here's a property built in 2006, and I love it,

but it's built along 17th-century lines and style.

I know there is scope to put a fourth bedroom above the outhouse

but we wouldn't have any money to do anything to the outhouse

so I think a lot of that £500,000 is a premium for being so close to the coast.

-Ah, Jen, out you come. Happy?

-Yes, it was good.

Really interesting, thank you.

I think that outbuilding also offers you a few possibilities with this one

and you don't have to do it all at once.

-I hope not because we won't have any money to do it!

-Ha-ha! Come on!

The north Devon coastline is peppered with some gorgeous villages, such as Berrynarbor,

which is situated in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

There's no doubt its charming cottages and 15th century church

have helped it win a host of awards for the best kept village over many years.

To maintain their love of watersports,

Phil and Jenny would need to head to nearby Croyde

and just a couple of miles from there is an area known as Lee Bay.

In order to acquaint them with the natural spoils of Devon's shores, we sent them to meet Paula Ferris,

the founder of the charity Coastwise, to discover some of the rich marine life

that lies hidden in the scattering of rock pools at low tide.

Here we come to an upper shore rock pool.

-This limpet is feeding and it will move up to a metre a day.

-A metre?!

And as it moves, it leaves a little trail,

so that it wants to go back to its home,

where it started, it can follow that trail back.

And it grinds itself into the rock so that it fits really snugly

and if the rock pool evaporates,

as it will do in summer, it's got a little moisture in its shell

that will stay there because of the snug fit it has to the rock.

It starts off as a male and as it gets older,

and my female colleagues say "and wiser", it becomes a female.

Certain types of anemone also thrive in these bright shallows.

It's called snakelocks anemone.

It's green because of the algae that it has in its tentacles,

which photosynthesise and provide it with food, with sugars.

They can supplement the food they get from the sun by capturing food

in their tentacles and they fire tiny darts at their prey.

Children like to put their fingers in and feel the tug.

If they then rub their eyes, they would be in trouble.

-Their eye would react adversely.

-Good Lord! It's all kicking off in the rock pools!

As their reconnaissance mission continues, Phil lands a surprise catch.

-Ah!

-Oh, what have you got?

-What is it?

-You've got a blenny.

Quite a good sized blenny too!

-Really? It's a good size!

-Do you want to put him in here?

-Favourite fish in the rock pool.

He's a shore fish, which means he can breathe in or out of water.

They take on the colour of their surroundings.

-The longer he stays in that white tray, the paler he will get.

-You can see him going pale.

It's a real lesson in how all these species have developed different

survival strategies to cope with the unpredictable tidal conditions.

If you fancy rock pooling, it's advisable to start out

in an organised group, as the tide can suddenly turn.

But the golden rule is to be respectful of these largely hidden but fragile gems.

In a bid to get Phil and Jenny more for their money,

our house search continues inland,

close to the town of South Molton,

giving them a 45 minute drive to the coast.

With its Georgian buildings and range of shops,

it's certainly an appealing location to explore.

Our second property is set on a hill, with fantastic views down the Taw Valley

and comes in the form of a barn conversion dating back to the early 1900s.

-Which one is it?

-I don't know. I'm confused.

-So am I.

-Tell me it's all of it!

-I'd love to tell you it was all of it.

-It's that bit there.

-OK.

-OK.

So technically, we're in something of a sort of semi-detached situation.

But you've got an acre and a half that goes behind it that way.

-Just for us?

-Just for you.

-OK.

-You've got plenty of garden space,

but we are within this sort of courtyarded arrangement.

Good for neighbours.

Again, probably something you wouldn't have looked for on paper, I suspect.

-Probably not. But we're open minded, Jules.

-As ever. Follow me.

-Lead on.

'That's the spirit, Phil, because the way in which this barn conversion's been renovated

'will certainly put a smile on their faces.'

OK, Jen. Yeah?

-Oh, yes.

-This isn't probably what you were expecting.

-No, it's not.

-No, that's good.

-A little bit bigger than this morning's kitchen.

-Yes.

-This is a nice kitchen.

-This is a very expensive kitchen.

The other thing to point out is that,

bearing in mind the neighbours to our left there, that whole wall

has been soundproofed, downstairs and upstairs, professionally.

-You can't hear a thing.

-Ah, that's a plus.

-They really have gone for it.

Under-floor heating throughout. Upstairs and down.

-Wow, look at this kitchen!

-It's brand new. Everything stays as well.

-Very nice. Fab kitchen. Love it.

-I could certainly see the family in here.

-Yes.

-It's good.

-All the young 20-somethings. Yeah, good.

-OK. Happy. Phew!

-Upstairs is not what you think either.

-Right.

-Really?

It's the living room. Come and have a look at this.

Down here, there's also a lobby next to the staircase, which is currently being used as a study,

but let's see what they make of the main event on the next floor.

-This is quite different.

-This is nice too. Lovely.

For all the fact it's brand new, we've got you a wood burner.

-Yeah, like it.

-Very good.

-It's quite clever.

If they'd put the living room downstairs,

they wouldn't have got as many bedrooms in the place,

cos you've got three down there, and you wouldn't have had this.

-Making it with this ceiling with the light and so forth.

-Yes. It is nice. It is lovely.

-Yeah.

-It's lovely, yeah.

-You've quite lit up, Jen.

-I like it, I do like it.

-Good.

-I think it's cos it's light.

Time to head back downstairs,

where there's a beautifully high-spec family bathroom

and the three bedrooms.

There's a single and a nice sized double guest room

with access out to the garden.

Let's check out the master, which has the added bonus of an en suite.

-Very nice. Come on in, Phil.

-Yeah, very nice.

-We didn't have an en suite with that other one.

-No, we didn't. I love it. It's a really nice room.

We've got this engineered oak floor, under-floor heating again.

Nowhere's encumbered with radiators. You can put your furniture where you want.

-It is beautiful.

-Under-floor heating, is it efficient?

Incredibly efficient. It's the most efficient way of doing it.

It's always on low. It maintains a lovely heat.

And being a new-build, everything will be insulated.

There's no point having a great heating system if the walls aren't insulated.

All the windows are double-glazed and soundproofed again.

-You'll be as warm as toast.

-Yeah. It's beautifully made.

-Very nice.

-Let's go out there.

-OK.

-And see if we can work some magic.

-Yeah, it's a nice day for it.

This high-spec barn conversion serves up a ready-made home, whilst giving them plenty of space

for the children and friends to spread out in.

Outside, the property is surrounded by a large secluded patio.

But whilst the neighbouring properties are a plus for Jenny,

I suspect Phil may have reservations.

However, the elevated setting of their 1.5 acres

is a great vantage point

from which to soak up those stunning countryside views.

Let's have a think about the price then. Who went first last time?

-I did. And I got it drastically wrong.

-Oh, streuth! No pressure.

I would say...470.

-470, yeah.

-OK, I'll say 495.

495.

-And no garage!

-And no garage.

-470 and maybe a garage!

-Well, you'd definitely get a garage for 425.

-425?!

-That's what this is?

-425.

-I think the price is quite interesting.

-The price has made you smile.

-It's a three-bedroom house.

We've just been to a three-bedroom house, 525.

£100,000 difference because we're half an hour inland.

Yep, and you get a view and you get an acre and a half.

And close neighbours.

-Go on, off you go. I'll catch up with you later.

-Cheers.

Priced at £425,000,

our high-spec barn conversion is significantly under budget

and gives them that immaculate kitchen-diner which Jenny loved.

It also has an upstairs living room with woodburner.

The three bedrooms include a lovely master en suite

and it comes with one and a half acres of land with good views.

House number two, I just loved the kitchen. It's fabulous.

It's a great kitchen to entertain.

I can just see my family here, sitting round the table, and it would be lovely.

The bedrooms, they're a bit smaller than I'd hoped for.

And small for the amount of furniture we have.

-We seem to have a lot of furniture to fit in.

-It's beautifully appointed.

It's wonderfully well done. And it's £100,000 less than the first house.

Which goes to show the premium you pay for being close to the coast.

So, financially, it's attractive, but I think, as I get older,

I must recognise I'm becoming increasingly grumpy

and I value my privacy.

I just think this house, it's too close to other houses.

It's effectively a terraced property.

Right, guys. Out you go.

So that was it, the end of property number two. Glad you've seen it?

-Oh, yes. For sure.

-I know it's not something you'd have looked at on paper,

-but we're building a picture of what's available in Devon.

-Yeah.

Have we spent your money yet, I wonder?

Ah, that nervous laugh says it all! Come on, follow me.

With evening falling over the Devon countryside,

Phil and Jenny have a chance to sleep on what they've already seen,

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

They may be retiring, but dynamic duo Phil and Jenny don't plan to rest on their laurels

when they move from their Worcester townhouse to Devon.

With separate passions for surfing and socialising, they are green about the process of house buying

after spending most of their married life in armed forces accommodation.

Finding a large family home they love near the coast

and for their budget is proving a real challenge.

For our mystery house, we're going to ask them to rough it.

-It's very me.

-Is it?

-It's a bit shabby and it's me!

Shabby and rundown.

And I catch up with some of our previous house buyers, who are now enjoying the good life.

One more day and one more property to come.

It is of course mystery house time.

With our final property, I'm taking a little bit of a gamble.

But you know what they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I get the sense that we haven't quite swept you off your feet.

Erm... That's probably true. But it's been really worthwhile.

You gain a lot by looking at properties that are not necessarily right.

You learn a lot from it.

-So yeah, but we're looking forward greatly to today and the mystery house.

-I hope you like it.

It'd be lovely to see you both get sorted and get down here as quickly as possible.

Amen to that.

For our mystery house, we're staying inland,

as we head to Dolton,

which is about half an hour's drive from the coast.

It's a thriving village, complete with three pubs,

a post office and a well-stocked local shop.

Tucked away off a quiet country lane and surrounded by open farmland with just one neighbouring house,

our mystery property comes in the form of a grade II listed stone barn conversion.

And with this offering, we're throwing down the gauntlet of a project.

It's the mystery house for several reasons.

Everything else we've shown you so far has been in tip-top condition.

You've sussed us out.

OK, which is lovely cos it gives you the choice of having something

you can move straight into, and you can move straight into this one.

But as you can probably tell, it does need a little bit of TLC.

-However, it is by far the biggest property.

-That sounds good.

-I'm pleased already.

-I like it, actually. Yeah, it's right up there.

-My first impressions are good.

-OK, let's have a look inside.

-Jules, you don't sound so sure!

While our mystery property needs a bit of work,

hopefully they'll find the potential of the kitchen an exciting prospect.

Have a look at this!

Oh, yeah.

-Come on in.

-Ooh.

-What do you think?

-I love it. It's very me.

-Is it?

-It's a bit shabby and it's me.

-Shabby and rundown.

-Needs tender loving care.

-I was a bit worried.

I thought you'd responded so well to the pristine finish of the previous two properties.

That's what I strive for, but I know I am more shabby than pristine.

-OK. It's massive. You wanted a big kitchen. This is it.

-Yeah.

-You don't get any bigger, do you?

-No. All the walls have been lime rendered, which is terrific.

That means it breathes, they've gone about it with an eye to...

Proper kind of building conservation.

At the back of the kitchen is a handy utility area.

And the entrance hall benefits from a spacious cloakroom.

Let's take a look at the main sitting room.

-Come and have a look.

-Very nice.

-Come on in, Phil.

-I love it.

Oh, gosh, yeah!

-A little gallery.

-You can see where it needs a little bit of attention.

But you get a real sense of this lovely lime plaster that's been put on the inside.

I just love the sense of space. It's fabulous. And light.

There's a lovely multi-fuel burner in there. You've got a lovely focal point to the room.

And these, two sets of double doors, going out to a terrace,

which is gravel, but you can improve that.

You can just get a sense of the views beyond.

-I love it. There's so much space.

-Mmm.

-Well, this is just a part of it.

-Really?

The secret little door at the end leads to a surprise annexe that we'll visit later.

We'll turn our attention to what lies upstairs off the galleried landing.

Here, there are four bedrooms, which file off the hallway,

consisting of two doubles and a single.

And they all make use of the family bathroom.

We'll head to the main bedroom to see if it meets their expectations.

-Oh, nice. Nice size again, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

And you've got the space in the ceiling.

-You've got that feeling of space.

-Terrific.

-And it's en suite.

-Yeah.

-Could we get our bed in here?

-Erm... Maybe.

-Probably, couldn't we?

Across that way?

Our tour is far from over, as our mystery house also gives them

an annexe, which will hopefully fire the imagination of our project novices.

This is a whole new thing.

-It is, isn't it?

-It just goes on, doesn't it?

At the moment, it's something of a self-contained flat, if you like.

Upstairs, two more bedrooms which I'm going to let you explore later.

That is a dedicated woodburner, not multi-fuel.

It's got all the elements. There's a kitchen area and so forth.

-It's a good house for Christmas.

-Yeah. It's a lovely house.

I love it. It's got so much potential.

They didn't ask for an annexe, but our mystery property

seems to be unlocking options they hadn't even thought about.

Outside in the courtyard, there's also a double garage,

a useful storage space for all their outdoor sports gear.

We'll head back through the living room, to the garden, and the views over open fields beyond.

-So.

-Lovely.

-Very nice.

-You know what's coming.

-Oh!

I'm not good at this.

-I'm going to get you to go first.

-Yes!

-OK, erm...

-How much is on the market for, Jen?

Taking everything into consideration, I reckon 420.

-420, yeah.

-And I'm going to hope for 400.

-400.

-Hope for 400.

Your budget is £500,000. You clearly need to spend a bit of money here.

This is on the market for offers in excess...

of £430,000.

-I was closest.

-Now...

But, it is open to sensible offers, which I think would bring it in under 430.

-Yeah.

-So you may not be far off.

-It has potential, it really does.

-It has got Day family written all over it.

Good. Well, go and explore the Day family home.

Off you go! I'll catch up with you later.

Brilliant! Well, I have to say, that was a result.

Our mystery house may have come up trumps.

I was nervous about this one because the finish wasn't as perfect as our previous two. But they love it.

At £430,000, Phil and Jenny still have the chance to see where a reasonable offer might get them.

This property gives our buyers a jaw-dropping family sitting room,

along with a massive kitchen-diner.

There are four bedrooms with a master en suite,

plus there's a two-bedroom annexe thrown into the mix.

I just love the kitchen. It's me.

It's just got Jenny Day written all over it.

It's homely, it's sort of scruffy round the edges,

but that's me really. It's good. I love the kitchen.

The separate dwelling is interesting. It's sparked another interest in me.

Originally, I had thought of bed and breakfast or maybe self-catering contained annexe,

some holiday let or something like that.

I'd put to the back of mind, thinking I couldn't afford it.

But now maybe it's a possibility again. I don't know.

We'll have to explore the local area a little more. That's what I'd like to do.

I like it a lot. I think it is a project.

I think there's a lot that we'd like to do to the place.

If we could get it for the right price, we'd have the money to do what we want to do.

I can see Jenny here. I can see she's excited.

I think the children would love it.

It's all about the money.

-Well, how about that?

-Yeah.

-Our mystery house has been rather exciting.

-It has.

I like it, very much.

-I had a good feeling about the mystery house this morning.

-Good.

-It's great.

-Excellent. I'm delighted it's rung a few bells.

The key thing now is to go and have a think about it.

-A lot to think about.

-And we'll have a chat.

-OK.

Thanks.

One of the big questions we always get asked on Escape To The Country

is how many people actually buy the houses that you show them?

More than you might think.

Here in Devon, Denise helped turn one lucky couple's dream into reality.

With their big, £1.2 million budget,

Lynn and Jonathan wanted to move from London to a country home

that also gave them a sizable holiday let business.

Denise showed them a beautiful farmhouse

with five existing holiday cottages

near the hamlet of Huntsham.

They were clearly very excited.

It's right there with your criteria

and it is bringing this huge smile out of you!

Having fallen in love with the place,

they bought it and moved in in July 2010.

I caught up with them to find out how their life has changed since.

Give me some of the high points over the last 18 months or so.

Well, people have been really welcoming, actually, around here.

When we first moved in, we had a few people come up from the village

to say hello and introduce themselves and offer to help out.

Then there was a tea party in the village soon after we arrived

so we met most people in the village that day.

There has been various events

and a street party for the Royal Wedding down there and it is great.

There's young families there

and the locals have been really friendly and welcoming.

Since you bought this place, we've had at least one,

if not two pretty harsh winters.

How have you found it, were you completely snowed in?

We were snowed in - it was pretty harsh actually.

We had frozen pipes in two of the cottages.

One burst when it thawed a bit.

-So you became a plumber overnight?

-Yeah!

I think we're really geared up for another winter like that.

Hopefully we won't have one quite the same.

We have friends locally who run a similar business

who actually have a tractor to tow people in and out of the property,

which is quite a nice idea, isn't it?

So, you'll be buying a tractor soon?

We made friends with a neighbouring farmer, put it that way!

When they moved in,

the holiday lets came with a turnover of around £68,000 a year.

However, Jonathan and Lynn have built on this income

with some very impressive results.

Talk me through the business because that's what this was driven by,

you wanted a viable business.

You got one here. The books are already busy, I gather?

We are pleased with the way it's going.

Business this year is up by about 35%.

-And that's just in a year.

-35%?

-We've been working very hard.

-I bet you have.

How much time have you had to devote to the main house itself?

Very little, we still have two rooms full of boxes!

No regrets?

-No regrets.

-No.

It's hard work,

I don't think we realised how much work it really would be

-but we haven't looked back, have we?

-No.

But for anybody watching this now,

what would be your parting words of advice for them?

I'd probably say, do it.

We did quite a lot of research before we actually bought this place

and that was all worthwhile.

We ended up buying the right place for us.

The research was important but actually taking the step

and moving down here and starting a business -

that was a big step for us.

We're really glad we did it.

It's great to see that Jonathan and Lynn's efforts are paying dividends

and that they have been successful in realising their ambition

of escaping to the country.

Right, final part of the show - it's decision time.

Let's just remind ourselves of all the excitement we've had

and the properties that we've seen.

The first one, the thatch,

which you had some reservations about because of the thatch

but hopefully we've overcome them.

-Phil, what are your thoughts?

-First impressions were favourable.

I particularly like the way it had the best of both worlds.

It was a new-build but in an old style.

I really did like that but as we went through the property,

it quickly became apparent that it was going to be too small.

Property number two then, altogether different.

-The kitchen, which you seemed to really like?

-I did like it.

On first impressions, it really had the wow factor

and I thought, wow, it was great.

It was just pristine, it was lovely.

The kitchen was the strong point, I acknowledge that.

But for me, quite honestly, the rest of the house just didn't fly.

From when we pulled up in the courtyard, I thought,

it's not going to work.

I did feel I was pushing uphill a bit.

A little bit but I do acknowledge it was a beautiful house

and beautifully well done.

Our mystery house?

I had no idea how you two would really respond to it,

but to my great surprise and pleasure, you really lit up?

Yeah, we liked it.

The isolation factor, for me, is still is a factor

and I'm still not sure about that.

But it was very Day family, it was very us. We really liked it.

It's really exciting, perhaps that's too strong a word,

it's encouraging.

How are we doing in terms of you guys coming to Devon?

This trip has definitely reinforced and reaffirmed our belief

that Devon is the place to be.

I'm delighted we've been able to help.

Fingers crossed, it's not a case of if but when you move here?

-I think so, definitely.

-Brilliant.

Well, as you can see, the sun is beginning to set.

The show is nearly over, as indeed, is the summer.

This field of corn has been cut, the stubble is rustling under my feet.

But what do I make of this little house hunt?

For a couple like Phil and Jen who have moved over a dozen times

in the 23 years of their married life,

but who've only bought one house together,

I think they found the whole process of house hunting itself pretty revealing.

I like Phil's parting thoughts, the idea that looking at houses

is as much about figuring out what you don't want, as what you do.

When you finally walk into something that actually feels right,

as they themselves have discovered,

the results can be pretty surprising.

I'll see you next time.

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