Cumbria Escape to the Country

These fort remains lie on one of the Roman Empire's most imposing frontiers

and kept the barbarians at bay for some 300 years.

Find out exactly where I am in just a few moments.

In today's show, I'll be helping a couple move to the country

to start the next chapter of their lives.

But we're not just looking for a home for them.

What am I going to do with the tractor?

Sell it for a boat.

But then they struggle to get their head around our mystery house.

You certainly thought out of the box for this one.

Yeah. I want you to try and do the same.

Today, I'm in Cumbria, at the site of Birdoswald roman fort,

one of the best preserved sections of Hadrian's Wall

which spans some 73 miles and now has World Heritage status.

Built back in 125 AD,

this would have been one of the most important of the 16 forts

that spanned the entire length of the wall.

The Roman army's main job here

was to guard over a nearby river crossing.

But imagine if you were a centurion on duty here,

you couldn't help but be impressed by these commanding views

of the surrounding countryside.

Sitting on England's north-western border with Scotland

and neighbouring Northumberland,

Cumbria has one of the most dramatic and varied landscapes in Britain,

stretching from the Eden Valley in the east across the peaks and valleys of the Lake District,

all the way to the windswept shores along its western coastline.

The Lake District National Park area may only span 30 miles across,

but it draws in over eight million visitors a year,

many of whom want to walk the terrain of England's highest mountains.

Clearly this awe-inspiring landscape is defined by its 16 main lakes,

including Windermere which, at ten and a half miles long,

is the largest natural lake in England.

With its mix of historic towns such as Carlisle

and rural villages lying at the foot of the fells,

aspiring escapees will find Cumbria a compelling destination

in which to set up home.

The average price of a detached house here in Cumbria

is around £233,000,

nearly 23,000 less than the national figure.

So, pretty good value.

But there are hotspots, and in particular,

the Lake District National Park.

Here, properties can command premiums of up to 60% more.

So if you want your money to stretch further,

try looking outside the park boundaries.

More affordable areas are in the north-west, Cockermouth and Bridgefoot,

or if you want to look south, try around Barrow-in-Furness.

But no matter where you look around this beautiful county,

it's fair to say the property reflects its rich rural history.

In the west of the county,

a large number of houses have been built from locally quarried red sandstone for centuries.

In the village of Waverton,

this pair of sandstone cottages dating back to the 1800s

are on the market for a combined price of £220,000.

Cumbria's also home to a wealth of slate quarries

such as the blue slate of Skiddaw to the green of Honister.

Used in the construction of roofs, floors and walls,

it's a widespread feature of properties across the county,

including this substantial apartment is Grasmere,

priced at £375,000.

So a pretty varied and attractive property market.

Time to meet today's buyers to find out exactly what they're looking for.

Peter, a mental health worker, and his wife, Jill, a GP,

live in the busy Lancashire town of Atherton.

They've spent their lives moving between cities, going wherever work took them.

But life in the country now holds a distinct appeal for them both.

We'd have days out into the country

and have a picnic or go blackberrying, that sort of thing.

I came from Halifax, which is very industrial.

So there wasn't countryside because the smog just hung there.

So it'll be a shock, but a pleasant shock.

As this move will inevitably involve a major lifestyle change,

over the last few months they've dedicated a lot of time

to researching where they want to settle down.

We narrowed the choice down to Cumbria.

Hopefully not just as much rain.

But we've got the undulating hillside, which we both love.

And I think we should get a larger property for our money.

Peter and Jill currently live in a 1960s detached property.

But the vision they have for their home in the country is completely different.

The house that I would really love

is a house that's in the hillside,

protected from the weather,

compact, but you have that warmth, that life about it.

Then when you go inside, there's a woodburning stove

or the open fire.

Peter and Jill are set to retire in the next few months

and are coming to terms with ploughing their energies into something other than work.

I can't believe that we're retiring!

I still feel, and I'm sure you do as well, that we're much younger than we really are.

But we really want to go off and do something new

as soon as we can, really.

With their new-found freedom,

they're determined to put their best foot forward

and get stuck into their hobbies.

For Jill, it's photography.

In the countryside, it'll be much easier to throw the camera into the car,

get out and hopefully find some really impressive wildlife.

And Peter is keen on creating his own private hideaway.

Is it true to say a man is not a man without a shed?

Escapism.

They've both settled on how much they have to spend.

The budget for our move would be £475,000.

After spending a lot of time in the county,

Peter and Jill have settled on moving to the north of Cumbria,

ideally in a rural location within reasonable distance of Carlisle.

Time to hear more about the specifics of their preferred location

and the property itself.

Welcome to north Cumbria.

Why have you chosen this part of the world?

We like the rugged feel.

We like the feel of being close to the sea

but also close to the mountains.

-Sounds like you've thought about this a lot.

-We have.

-A little.

What have you been looking for?

What has this perfect house been, in your mind's eye, so far?

-Large kitchen that you can eat in.

-Now we're getting to it.

With a range. Somewhere downstairs that can become a wet room so that as we get older,

we can maybe even live downstairs.

-Three, four bedrooms.

-I think.

Something of that nature. A greenhouse and area to grow vegetables.

-But also, Peter has a special...

-A large area for a nice lawn.

Possibly an orchard.

Right. Let's talk about the style of the property.

I think a sort of small farmhouse.

An extended cottage might look very similar.

But stone walls, slate roof, very traditional looking.

-That's the ideal.

-How much are you looking to spend?

£475,000.

-Which is a good chunk of money.

-Yes.

But when you talk about a three to four-bedroomed character house with the land,

-that money has to work extra hard.

-Yes.

-Indeed.

Do you both agree on everything?

-No.

-Not completely.

-Let's find out what you both agree on, shall we?

-Let's get this started.

-Let's go.

And enough lawn so Peter can mow to his heart's content.

We've got three different properties to view

and as usual, I'll be asking them to hazard a guess at the price before I reveal it.

The final option is, of course, our mystery house,

which is a tale of two halves.

We're kicking off our property search in Bromfield,

which lies 17 miles from Carlisle.

This small hamlet is surrounded by agricultural land

and still retains a rural feel.

There's a local pub and an impressive church,

parts of which date back to Norman times

although it was largely restored in the 1860s.

Our first property is totally in keeping,

as it's the former vicarage and has 18th-century origins.

So, I think as an impact house, this is the first house.

Wow. That's got character, hasn't it?

Yeah, it really has.

Originally, it was a vicarage.

-Until only 30 years ago, in fact.

-Really?

You've got 18th-century parts and Victorian extensions and some even sooner than that.

-But it all looks like one good unit.

-It does.

-I agree.

-It does. Yeah.

-Yes.

-Looks great.

-Looks good. Let's see it inside.

-Yeah.

-Please.

-Let's go.

-Great.

The period bones and stature of this property have hit the mark.

Peter will be pleased by the small garage which he can use to house his tractor mower.

Let's see what they make of the interior.

-I'm looking forward to you seeing this.

-Yes. Ooh.

-It's probably very different to the house you live in at the moment.

-Very different.

-It's a very spacious hall.

-And light.

-Yeah.

-Pretty grand, isn't it?

-Very grand.

-Yes.

There's no shortage of reception rooms.

One through there, a dining room,

which may be used more regularly if you make changes to this kitchen.

-Yes.

-Tell me what you think.

I love the windows. It makes it a nice, light room.

The dining room is so close you may just use the dining room more and maybe move the table out.

You've got two other reception rooms which we'll see later.

So you could make this a huge kitchen diner by knocking through.

You certainly could.

-That would be a lovely size.

-Lovely.

-It's big, isn't it?

-It is.

-It's really big.

-There's lots of potential.

-Amazing how much room so far there is.

Another reason why this kitchen feels bigger and you've got room for a dining table

is that you've got a huge utility just through there

which you'd use that as your normal front door,

with a little storage cupboard through there as well.

You get all the white goods out

and then this is just a lovely living space.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah. It's got everything you need for now.

For entertaining. Plenty of space.

You've still got two more reception rooms to think what to do with.

-Let's take a look.

-OK.

The living rooms lead off the main hallway

and are generously sized.

-This is when you get the real Georgian feel.

-Oh, yes.

-Very, very...

-Very nice room.

The light coming in from the garden.

Now, you've got this room.

And next door is a good-sized reception room as well.

You've got a downstairs loo which could make a very small wet room.

If you've got guests staying here in these rooms,

you might not get rid of them, cos they're cracking. Let me show you.

'Upstairs there are four spacious bedrooms.

'Two are well decorated doubles

'and one is currently being used as a study.

'There's also a pretty lavish family bathroom.

'I'm taking them straight to the room that they could claim as their own.'

So. I couldn't decide which could be your master.

Because this has an en-suite shower,

I thought this would be it.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-It is. The decoration.

Again, Georgian style, isn't it?

-And well proportions.

-Plenty of room.

And the feature of this house so much is windows and light, isn't it?

-Look at the view through there. Gorgeous.

-It is.

OK. So this house gives you more space than you asked inside.

-Yes.

-Is it too big?

-So far...

-I don't think so, not from what we've seen so far.

-Not so far.

-No.

Most people, 99 out of 100, like Georgian properties.

-Yes.

-It's just whether or not you can afford them.

-So start thinking about that.

-OK.

-As we make our way outside. All right?

-OK.

The parcel of land on offer is, like the house,

substantial.

What can I say?

If you chose this part of Cumbria cos it gets the good weather...

What's the rest of the county like today?

-Indeed.

-Indeed, yes.

-Look at this.

-This is all included?

All in all, there are 2.2 acres.

-Blimey!

-Perfect.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Yes?

-Yep.

We've got the vegetable patch over there on the left.

Yes, already set up.

This area over here is what remains of a Roman fort.

-Really?

-Yes.

All you can do on this Roman fort is graze or mow it.

-Which is all you want to do.

-That's all we want. Perfect.

All in all, quite a lot. How much do you think it's on the market for?

With the amount of house and land, it's going to be top end.

-470.

-470.

-470.

I think I would risk going slightly lower.

460?

Well, you might be surprised to hear, then,

this house is on the market for offers around £425,000.

-Good heavens!

-Gosh!

-All this?

-All this.

-And all of that.

-All of that.

Wow.

Tell you what. Go back into the house, have a look around all the rooms you haven't yet seen,

and now you know how much this place is,

maybe you can think about maybe making some changes.

-Go back into the kitchen as well.

-Sure.

-Thank you.

-See you in a mo.

-Let's go.

Comfortably under-budget at £425,000

there are plenty of funds freed up to expand the kitchen if they wanted to.

Chock-full of Georgian-style character, it provides...

..giving Peter space to roam freely on his mower

and Jill to grow her vegetables.

Overall, the impression of the entire house is marvellous.

When you come to the outside, some lovely landscaped areas

with established trees, which is the sort of thing we love.

And for Peter, plenty of lawn to mow

and to ride on his ride-on mower.

The house just seemed outstanding.

The exterior, very good condition.

The kitchen, large, just what we're looking for.

However, I think it would need to be re-done.

Still smiling. Looks like you enjoyed that one.

-We did.

-Good. OK. Next house coming up.

The best known region of Cumbria is the Lake District,

which along with being a specially protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,

is also the most visited National Park in the country.

The romantic vistas of its fells have inspired numerous literary figures such as William Wordsworth

who wrote many of his works from his home in the village of Grasmere,

a place he described as "the loveliest spot that Man hath ever found."

During the Victorian era, there was an influx of tourists to the area,

many of whom would visit Wordsworth's grave

which lies in St Oswald's churchyard.

It provided a great boost to local trade.

The most unlikely business to benefit was a small gingerbread shop

that now, 150 years later, is still thriving.

Mindful of Peter and Jill's passion for cooking,

earlier in the week we sent them to meet Joanne Hunter,

the co-owner of the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop

to find out more about the building's humble beginnings

and the enduring appeal of this local speciality.

Welcome to the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop here in the Lake District.

Can you tell us something about the history of the shop?

The building was built in 1630

-by public subscription as a village school.

-A school?

-Yeah.

It was owned by the church. It was the church that gave it up for rent

for a poor and needy family.

And so Sarah Nelson, the creator of Grasmere Gingerbread,

she was quite poor and very needy.

And her and her family moved into Church Cottage.

But why gingerbread?

Basically, in Victorian times,

the Victorian tourists would get off the four-in-hand coach

and they had to tootle past the front of Sarah Nelson's cottage,

Church Cottage,

and she'd sell a selection of her home-made cakes and pastries.

That's what she got renowned for.

It's a little pit-stop for the Victorian tourist.

One of her most popular cakes with visitors was gingerbread

and the recipe has not changed for 159 years.

It's a secret passed down from generation to generation.

There is only one person privy to this classified Cumbrian formula and method,

and that is Joanne's husband, Andrew.

-Pleased to meet you.

-I see you've come out of...

-The mixing room

which is where all the secrets are kept.

Unfortunately, we won't be going in there this morning.

But I'll show you how the baking process works.

TIMER BEEPS There we go.

-I'll get out of the way.

-I'll take some gingerbread out of the oven.

The freshly baked gingerbread is then cut whilst it's warm,

then cooled and boxed.

The history of this spiced bread in the UK stretches back over 1,000 years

to the time of the Crusades,

when ginger was introduced as a new and exotic commodity in this country.

Now Peter and Jill are going to wrap things up.

I know you're desperate to eat some, but just wait until you've wrapped it!

-I think that's very good. Well done, Peter.

-Thank you.

Time for Peter and Jill to take away a slice of local Cumbrian cuisine.

-Warm it up in the oven. It's delicious.

-Sounds lovely.

-It might help you make your decision!

-Thank you very much.

-No. It's a pleasure.

-Hope to see you soon.

-Yes, OK.

-You know where we're at!

-Thank you.

-Thank you. Bye.

Now that our buyers have sampled some Lakeland food tradition,

let's hope our house-hunt continues to serve up some tempting options.

Our second property lies in the village of Hayton,

seven miles east of Carlisle.

This small rural settlement features a Grade II listed church

built in the late 18th century, and a pub.

Many of the properties in the village are made of red sandstone,

including the one I'm about to show our buyers.

It has a traditional look

but is, in fact, a new build.

-Now, then.

-Wow.

-This is somewhat different to the first.

-Yes, I'd say.

So, this house, probably not what you might expect to look at.

OK.

-We're looking from - see where the roof line changes?

-Yes.

From the left onwards.

What do you think? Is this a possibility, what you see so far?

It's got a lot of the features of the sort of house we'd want.

Depends what it looks like inside.

I think inside you'll be impressed.

-Let's see what you make of it.

-Come on, let's go.

'I sense Peter and Jill are holding back somewhat on this one.

'But on the upside, it does offer a garage.

'Let's see how they react once they get inside this semi-detached but spacious property.'

OK. Nice big hallway again.

-It is.

-Lots of wood everywhere.

-Plenty of wood. It's lovely.

Now, this room you're about to see

is a couple of rooms in one.

-Oh, yes.

-But fairly impressive.

-And finished.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yes. Right up to date.

-Yes, it's convenient. You can be cooking away,

have people sat at the table,

really nice feel to it.

-It's a social space.

-It is a social space.

I said it's a couple of rooms in one,

but it spills out onto the living room as well.

But also in the mornings you can go out onto your patio as well.

-There's a lot of flow to this house.

-There is.

There's also a large utility room attached to the kitchen.

I said it has a flow. Let's see how you would flow through here.

You've got some more space and then the most fantastic living room. Come through here.

That is a good size.

This house has some cracking views.

-There's windows everywhere in this room.

-Yes.

And there's an office which is easily big enough to be a bedroom.

They call it their sixth bedroom.

-That sounds good.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Not bad, is it?

That sounds very good, yes.

So doesn't take a mathematician to work out we've got five bedrooms to look at upstairs!

-Let's get started.

-After you.

'All the bedrooms on the first floor lead off a large landing.

'Three of the five bedrooms are light and of a good size.

'The fourth is currently being used as a study-cum-games room.

'There's also a bright modern bathroom,

'not that they would need to use it, as the main bedroom gives them their own extensive suite.'

Now this is certainly the master bedroom.

Yeah!

-It's big!

-And these rooms are?

-Walk-in wardrobe,

and one of the biggest en-suites you'll ever see!

Yes!

Separate shower, massive bath.

Mm.

So much room. Daylight excellent.

I really like this room. I could definitely see us in here.

Outside, very different story to the first property.

Let's take a look.

'I think the high-spec finish inside has impressed them.

'Outside, the property sits in ten acres of private woodland

'that they would have access to.

'And they do get a generous plot of their own.

'Although Peter may have to make some compromises.'

-Now, then. You didn't ask for a lake. Few people do.

-No.

-Wow.

-That's fantastic, yes.

Before we get excited, it's not your lake. You get access to it.

-Which I think is preferable.

-That's maybe best, yes.

So your land comprises what we see here?

What you see, but also, see this slope coming down here,

this line of trees is where your land ends.

-So you get all this slope as well.

-Yes.

And your land goes up to a path that goes around the lake.

Not a lawn, per se, but some land there, flat land.

All in all, apparently about 0.85 of an acre.

What do you think? You'd need to put some four-wheel-drive tyres on your lawn mower!

-You would.

-It's a beautiful spot, it's fantastic with the lake.

Tranquil. The birds.

-But it's the missing lawn, isn't it?

-Indeed.

What am I going to do with my tractor?

Sell it for a boat.

-How do you value this?

-Not easy.

-Not easy at all.

470.

I would actually say it's over budget and I'd go for 485.

Interesting. This house can be bought for offers around £475,000.

-Uh-huh.

-So you're there or thereabouts.

-Mm.

What do you think about that price, Peter?

Expensive.

-Think so?

-Yes.

Go and have a look around that land at the back.

-Have a look at the lake.

-Yes.

-And we'll catch up with each other

-whenever you've finished.

-Sounds good.

-Yes, we'll do that.

-See you in a mo.

-After you.

-Thank you.

Bang on budget at £475,000,

this attractive stone-built property provides on many fronts.

It was quite a revelation when we came

because it looked like an old house.

It was built in an old style, but it's only a few years old.

Inside, I thought it was fantastic.

I could easily settle into the living room.

It was beautiful with the woodburning stove.

And the views were fantastic, with lots of window and lots of light.

The house, exceptional.

I love the lake. I love the woodland.

Limited space I think with regard to a lawn,

allotment, greenhouse.

Right. I think now is a perfect time to draw a line on today's search.

-I agree.

-I think so.

-Good day?

-Very good.

-Very good.

-Something to think about?

-Absolutely.

-A lot.

As evening falls over the Cumbrian skyline,

the first day of our house hunt comes to an end.

Armed with their £475,000 budget,

Peter and Jill want to leave behind a lifetime spent in the industrial town of Atherton

and head to glorious Cumbria.

There's no doubt they loved the space and character feel of our first property.

But the second house, albeit immaculate,

fell short of Peter's tractor mowing aspirations in the garden.

So, could the mystery house deliver his field of dreams?

I can put my wee tractor in there!

And I discover how the juices of a traditional Cumbrian fruit

are flowing once again after years of decline.

Well, a couple of centuries divided both houses yesterday.

But after looking round the first property which impressed Peter and Jill so much,

we wondered how we were going to top it.

So we thought we'd mix things up a little bit.

Although on reflection, whilst the second house had no less amount of character,

I think it was the land for Peter that really let it down.

So today, a beautiful start, and I think they have a firm favourite in mind.

So how are we going to beat it? The mystery property sometimes has an attribute

that our buyers haven't even asked for.

And this one's no different.

Our mystery house lies near Wigton,

a small market town with a history dating back to Roman times

which prospered greatly in the 13th century through trade.

Since 1872,

the marketplace has been graced by a decorative fountain

depicting The Acts of Mercy by the pre-Raphaelite sculptor Thomas Woolner.

On the outskirts of Wigton, we find our mystery proposition,

which asks Peter and Jill to rethink how they spend their retirement.

Since they've said they want to keep busy,

we're combining their wish for a stone-built country home

with the potential for an income,

delivering a surprise of two houses under one roof.

-So this is it.

-Oh, gosh, yes!

-All of it?

-All of it.

-All of it.

-Blimey.

-Wow. It's beautiful.

-And the outbuildings.

-Yes.

-The location.

-I can put my wee tractor in there.

-Yes, it would just about fit!

-You could put your motor home in there!

-I think so.

Yeah. Wow.

-Now, the property itself. Different ages.

-Yeah.

The original part, the original farmhouse bit, around 1850.

-To the right, a converted barn of that.

-Yes.

And behind it, extensions, OK?

To make what we have today.

-It looks like one big unit, but you'll see it's split up in a quirky way.

-Quirky way. OK.

-Now, inside might need a bit of work to do.

-OK.

This is where your imagination comes in.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-How you feeling?

-Let's see.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-Very positive, yes.

Good. Let's take a look inside.

'A great initial reaction there from Peter and Jill,

'to the style and scale of our mystery house.

'The part of the building to the right of the main farmhouse

'was turned into an annexe about eight years ago.

'But we're going to start our tour in the original part.'

A bit of a theme with all the properties we've seen this time.

-One of a couple of reception rooms.

-Yes.

-Cosy.

-Very.

Very warm feeling.

This would have been the old farmhouse front room, if you like.

There's one either side of that doorway.

You can see yourself in this room?

Absolutely. Just with a few cosmetic changes to suit our style.

-A nice, cosy room.

-Yes.

Good start.

-Well, this... There's quite a number of rooms to look at here.

-Uh-huh.

OK. So let's go on to the kitchen now.

So, every farmhouse needs a farmhouse kitchen.

-And this is it.

-Isn't it just.

Spacious, light.

I like having the seat as well as the table and chairs.

Out there to the sun spot.

-Yeah, have your breakfast there.

-It's cracking, isn't it?

-It is.

-Yes.

-Your snug would be round there. There's a doorway just through there.

Or coming off this main hub. Let's look round the rest of the property.

This is one kitchen. But obviously it's not the only one. Right?

'We're now moving out of the original house into the annexe

which has the potential to become a holiday let.

So, we now have a completely separate kitchen and living area.

-You've got one house that way, one house this way.

-Right.

All this, the barn was converted in 1999.

So this kitchen dining area...

..services the living room through there.

-Right.

-With bedrooms above here.

You still have your own bedrooms above your living accommodation.

-Yes.

-What do you think about that?

-It's not something we'd thought about.

-Not at all.

Yeah.

-I'll tell you...

-You certainly thought out of the box for this one.

Yes. I want you to try and do the same.

Let's look at the master bedroom for this side of the house.

Sure.

'Upstairs is a spacious family bathroom and two bedrooms,

'the larger of which we're looking at.'

This one has two good-sized double rooms.

It is a good size, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It is.

I like the features and the little windows.

It's called an annexe, but it's connected internally

on the first floor and the ground floor.

So it could be just part of the house.

-But it also has its own self-contained entrance.

-Yes.

At the end here.

So you could let it out perfectly easily, really.

Would you ever consider doing that?

We've not thought about it before,

but it's something we could consider, isn't it?

-It's a consideration.

-Needs a bit of thinking about.

When we see how much room there is.

Have a quick scoot and I'll meet you at the back of the barns.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-See you in a mo.

-Good.

'On the first floor of the main house

'are three generous double bedrooms,

'one of which is being used for storage.

'The versatile accommodation of our mystery house may hold a lot of potential.

'But I think it's what lies outside that will blow them away.'

Look at that!

-Wow!

-Wow! The views!

-Yes.

This is all your land up to that wire fence there.

Wraps right the way round

and goes up to the little old pig sty, if you like.

-Up near the formal garden by the kitchen.

-Sure. Yeah.

There's a heck of a lot to think about.

Good. How much would you pay for this?

I think it'll be on the top end or beyond it.

So I would go for...490.

I agree. I think it's above the budget.

Possibly only slightly.

I would say 480.

This place, as it stands,

with all that you've seen and maybe are yet to see,

is on the market for offers around £475,000.

Mm.

Hmm.

-Surprising.

-Very.

You've got lots to see.

Go and see it. This is the last thing we're going to look at now.

Take your time.

I am going to take my time enjoying this beautiful view.

-OK.

-Go round and have a look at the pig-sties.

We will.

I wanted to give Peter and Jill something to think about.

Something to compare that Georgian property against.

This place is just that.

Bang on budget at £475,000,

the mystery house provides them with the traditional style home they wanted

but also gives them the flexibility to run two homes side by side if they want to.

The one for them has a kitchen diner, two reception rooms with open fireplaces.

The annexe lends itself to being a holiday let.

Lots of space for Peter to be let loose with his tractor mower.

When we saw the house from outside, it looked absolutely fantastic.

You could see a lot of the old farmhouse features

which we very much liked.

We were a bit puzzled when we first saw it

because we couldn't work out what was going on.

And as we went in it became apparent that it was two houses in one.

It's always worth thinking about something different.

It was well worth seeing this property, no doubt about it.

The land that comes with it at the moment,

a lot of it is not really suitable for lawn.

There are no close neighbours.

I think as we got older, that would be of concern.

So, lots to look at.

-Indeed.

-Yeah.

Lots to think about.

-Is there?

-Mm-hmm.

I think.

Well, that's a start, thinking!

I think we'll find you somewhere to have a bit of a ponder.

-Yes.

-Then we'll catch up later on.

-That sounds good.

Back up the hill.

Just under 40 years ago, Cumbria's borders were widened

to include a handful of historic counties including Cumberland and Westmorland.

In the early 20th century,

the Westmorland valleys were known for their damson trees

with the plum-like fruit harvested and sent to jam factories

in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

However, after the Second World War,

as that industry dwindled in the region,

so did the management of these orchards.

However, over the past couple of decades,

its damson heritage has made a comeback.

I've come to see how Vicky Barrett,

a member of the Westmorland Damson Association, established in 1996

is championing this local crop,

although extreme weather conditions recently have hampered the fruit yield.

Now, then...

These are the feted damson trees.

They are.

They look a little... I take it I've missed the picking, have I?

No, you haven't, cos there's no harvest this year at all.

It's really sad.

We've never ever had this orchard completely naked of damsons.

Is it because of the weather?

I think it is. You could say the frost because we had a very hard early frost.

But after that, we had massively cold winds.

I think they had lovely blossom, but no chance of setting.

It seems that one might attempt to grow fruit in abundance here in the Lake District.

It's interesting, isn't it?

These damsons have been planted here for the last 500 years.

'In an attempt to bring an historic tradition back to full bloom,

'10,000 trees have been planted

'and a small-scale cottage industry has sprung up around damson production.'

So, when you do get damsons from these trees, what do you do with them?

We make gin, and we also make damson chocolates.

-Right.

-With our soaked damsons in the gin.

We give those to a chocolatier to make lovely damson chocolates with.

Tell me about the gin. You make gin here?

We do. I'll take you round to see it now.

-Shall we have a look?

-Yes.

-Great. After you.

'Vicky's been planting and growing damson trees for 14 years

'and devotes part of the orchard solely to producing damson gin.

'It's entirely a family-run operation,

'as I discover from Vicky's husband, Oliver.'

Hello, Oliver.

Hi!

I've been speaking to your lovely wife.

Apparently you're making damson gin?

-Yes, we're bottling today.

-Sounds fantastic.

So, how does this work? Talk me through the process.

First of all, we buy gin in bulk from a distiller.

-Yep.

-And we fill this tank

up to about... Up to about there with gin.

Then we fill it up to about there with damsons.

We leave it for a couple of months to steep.

'25 kilograms of sugar is also added to the damson and gin mix.

'Two months later, the damson gin is pumped out to allow it to settle for a few days.

'And then it's filtered before being bottled.

'The soaked damsons are removed from the vat

'and put into a traditional fruit press.'

Looks like it's ready to go. Can I help out at all?

Yes, you can turn the handle.

-Do the hard work!

-Right.

Just go round clockwise.

It's very easy to start with!

Am I going to regret volunteering?

'The gin pressed from the fruit has a stronger, nuttier flavour

'which will be added to the next batch.'

This is getting close to the finished product?

It is. The finished damson gin

-is pumped up through this pipe into this tank.

-Yep.

And then it just runs down into the bottles.

'The damson gin is then decanted and bottled.

'But not before I sample it!'

So this is damson gin as you'd normally expect it.

This is what we sell.

Right.

I can't leave you to drink on your own.

No!

Chin-chin.

That's lovely and sweet. Sweet enough to drink just on its own.

-Yes.

-Thank you very much. I've enjoyed seeing the process

-almost as much as I've enjoyed drinking it.

-Good.

Cheers again. I'll pop by again.

Well, I'll certainly be keeping a look-out for any damson jam or gin in my local shop.

Time now to catch up with our buyers to find out if we've found anything for them

to raise a glass to.

So, a couple of days house-hunting.

In Cumbria. Has it put you off?

-Not at all, no.

-No.

-Three totally different properties.

-Yes.

Let's start with the first one.

-That Georgian house, I think it had pretty much everything you asked for, didn't it?

-Mm.

I think it did. The land was great.

But inside, it had some Georgian splendour to behold.

Those rooms were fantastic.

The proportions were just right.

Nice large square rooms

that you could fit your furniture in easily.

There was potential in the kitchen.

But potential that didn't scare you off, Peter.

No, no.

-You could live with the kitchen as it is.

-Yeah.

And be quite happy in a short period of time to do it in stages.

Now, straightaway, one property down, I was chalking that up as a success.

But where to go from there?

But I felt the second house felt different enough to show you.

-Was it?

-It was.

Exterior-wise, you wouldn't initially know it was a new-build.

From the outside it looked like an old house that had been renovated.

Once you got inside, it suddenly grew. Every room was big.

It was so big, yes.

Maybe too big for two people.

That was the worry. So, this morning,

new start to the day. The mystery house.

-It was basically two houses in one.

-It was.

That was the quirky thing about it.

With two kitchens and living areas for two sets of people.

So it was thinking, "What can we do with that?"

The holiday lets idea. You've had time to think about it now.

Do you fancy doing holiday lets?

I think if the let was more separate from the house, that would be a different matter.

But because the people had been relatives sharing the house,

the house isn't designed in such a way that it can be easily separated.

So I would feel a bit as though people were a bit too close.

So.

Of all three properties, which one would be your favourite?

I don't think there's any doubt, is there, really?

Property number one.

-Yes. The Georgian house.

-Absolutely.

So the next step is to return for a second view.

And to get a feel of that little hamlet, as well.

Whatever happens, though, with the sale of your property

but also what you fancy doing about the Georgian house,

-do let us know. Keep in touch, won't you?

-We certainly will.

-We will.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

I reckon as soon as Peter and Jill's eyes met that first house,

they started falling in love with its Georgian charms.

And why not? It was beautiful,

but importantly, it had every single thing they said they wanted from a house.

Plus, with £50,000 left in their budget,

they've got the breathing space to make it perfect.

So what's next? Over the next couple of weekends they want to come back to Cumbria

and take a second viewing.

Hopefully in better weather like today

and maybe that sunshine will confirm that this is the property for them.

See you next time.

Peter and Jill did go back to see house number one

and I'm delighted to say they put an offer in which has been accepted.

So we wish them all the best in their new Cumbrian home.

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