Dumfries and Galloway Escape to the Country

200 years ago, this remote farm was home to a poet whose words

ring around the world every New Year's Eve.

Find out who he was, and where I am, in just a moment.

On today's show,

I'm looking to help one couple escape the rat-race and head

north over the border for the quiet surrounds of the Celtic countryside.

They feel right at home.

-Really cosy.

-Cosy. That's what I was thinking.

I can imagine being curled up on the sofa in the winter here.

And they find it all overwhelming.

-Oh, wow!

-Yes, it's very nice.

Today we're in Dumfries and Galloway, and it was to this

farm in 1788 that the poet Robert Burns

brought his young family.

And it's been known ever since as the poet's choice because

he wrote some of his most famous lyrics here,

including Auld Lang Syne.

The idyll didn't last very long, however, because he got

a job in Dumfries, because of money worries, three years later.

But he remembered the place with great fondness, and when you see

the beautiful landscape this county has to offer, you'll understand why.

Historically known as Dumfriesshire,

Dumfries and Galloway is bordered by five regions, including

Cumbria in England, South Lanarkshire to the north,

and Scottish Borders to the east.

To the south lies the Nith Estuary.

And within it is found the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve,

which stretches for ten miles along the Solway coastline.

The River Nith flows through the town of Dumfries,

and it was here in 1306 that Robert the Bruce

dispatched his rival, Red Comyn, to take the throne

as the King of the Scots.

The Southern Upland Way runs past the town

and forms Britain's first coast-to-coast walk,

running 212 miles from the Irish to the North Sea.

If you're after dramatic views, then head for the Devil's Beef Tub.

Whatever you're looking for, this region has something for everyone.

Now, our couple today want to travel 400 miles to get

a slice of all this Scottish beauty.

So, let's meet them.

Elaine and Ian have spent the past nine years in Herne, Kent,

but feel that with Ian on the cusp of retirement, the time

is right for a change of pace, to pack up their bags for Scotland.

When we first moved here, it was very much a village atmosphere.

But it's got busier and busier.

We live on a busy main road, which is noisy,

especially in the summertime when you're sitting in the garden,

you can hear the traffic noise.

It's time for life to slow down in pace.

And a family connection lies behind their distant relocation.

My father was from Scotland.

I've got cousins that live up in Jedburgh,

and I've got a stepfamily that live in Annan.

The area they're looking at played host to a major

event in their lives.

So, we decided to get married at Gretna Green,

in Scotland, Dumfriesshire, mainly because of Ian's family.

Following the wedding, little beknown to us,

Elaine's parents moved back up on holiday to Carlisle a week

later and have now settled up there as well.

So, what are they looking for in their Scottish homestead?

The ideal property would be detached, on the edge of a village,

and whilst we're looking for most of the accommodation on the ground

floor, I do like a chalet bungalow, having a bedroom,

maybe a bathroom, upstairs.

Three bedrooms, four would be nice.

A reasonable-sized garden with some sheds and possibly a greenhouse.

I'm going to be retired,

so, I'll probably be more in the potting shed, hopefully.

It would be nice to have a stream running through the garden,

but there again, you know, you can't have everything.

The most important feature for me is the kitchen,

because one of my passions in life is cooking,

so to have somewhere that I can cook in and people can sit at the table

and talk to me and have a glass of wine or two...

-Or three.

-..would be lovely.

When it comes to entertaining, Elaine and Ian don't always

follow convention, finding a novel use for their garden shed.

We've actually converted it into quite a little cosy pub.

The boys can get up there and watch the football

and be out the way of the house. Keeping the nest nice and tidy.

All that remains to be ironed out are the financial

details for their move north of the border.

The budget for the planned move is approximately £300,000.

Elaine and Ian would like us

to concentrate our search to the south, around Dumfries,

and within reasonable distance of Elaine's parents in Carlisle.

I met up with them on local soil to find out more about what

they're after in the property.

Welcome to Scotland, you two.

-Thank you!

-Thank you.

Which areas are you looking in particularly?

The area that we've specifically looked at at the moment is sort of

somewhere between Moffat, Dumfries and Carlisle, that sort of triangle.

-How much is your budget?

-The budget is £300,000.

-OK. But you are also quite keen on doing some work, is that right?

-Yes.

We would be happy to look at something that was less money,

say 240,000, that had some scope to be improved.

Well, we've got three lovely properties

and I think they are going to give you lots of food for thought.

So, no time like the present, let's go.

For a budget of £300,000,

Elaine and Ian are looking for a property on one level or possibly...

We have three properties to show them, and at each one I'll be

asking them to guess the price before I reveal it.

The final one will be a mystery house that sets them a challenge.

We're heading to the house that's first on our list.

We begin our property search close to the village of Waterbeck,

around 40 minutes east of Dumfries and 20 miles from Carlisle.

So, this is the property.

-What are your first impressions?

-Very nice.

Love the stone, and the location.

-Do you like the location?

-I do. Yes.

-Stunning.

The interesting thing about this property

is that it is actually an old property.

The front part was a byre,

sort of an agricultural outhouse,

from probably the end of the 19th century.

And this part, straight in front of me, is less than seven years old.

-It's blended in well.

-It has.

-Amazingly well done, isn't it?

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Yes, please.

-Let's go.

We're off to a great start with a positive reaction to the setting,

and I'm hoping the interior can match that

and deliver the space they need, as this is a property with potential.

It's not cramped, the dining area.

You have an eating area in the kitchen.

-That's what you've always wanted.

-It's nice and light. Yeah.

And you've got quite a nice-sized utility room there with

-the white goods, and a door out into the back garden.

-Yes.

And then onto the drive, so you can bring your shopping straight in.

-That's really handy. Yeah.

-Well, after the kitchen...

and then into this room,

which I think is a really lovely room in this property.

This is lovely. I love the fire.

It was on our list, our wish list, so, yeah, that's really nice.

Beautiful views.

I think this is really the killer thing about this house.

-Such a lovely, warm feeling here.

-Yes.

-Cosy. Really cosy.

-That's what I was thinking, comfortable.

I can imagine being curled up on the sofa in the winter here.

So, that's your living space, the sitting room, the kitchen.

You have, well, effectively, two-and-a-half bedrooms.

OK...

This one's being used as the master

-because it has this en-suite toilet and washbasin.

-That's pretty.

-Very nice.

-They're not colossal, the rooms.

-No, no.

I'm thinking about storage. They have one wardrobe.

Realistically, how much storage do you need?

Probably more than certainly is in this room at the moment.

Perhaps Elaine's got it right with the chalet bit.

Perhaps we do need to go up as well.

There is another generous bedroom, and a smaller room, currently

a study, which could be used as a small, single, third bedroom.

All are served by a good-sized family bathroom.

Lovely kind of 360 view, from here.

Well, this land around us doesn't belong to the property,

but the farmer, who is just across the way, is a canny chap

and realising that it was up for sale, has offered it up for sale.

-So, you would enjoy having that bit more land.

-Yes, I think we would.

Yes. It wouldn't go to waste.

Possibly, then also, that gives other opportunities with the house.

-You were thinking of maybe pushing out on one end.

-Yes.

-That sort of work requires money.

-Yes.

And we haven't talked about money.

So, what do you think this is on the market for?

-Difficult one. Without the land...

-Without the land.

-225,000?

-I was going to say 260.

-Well, in this instance, Ian, you were right on the money.

-Oh!

-225.

They've just lowered it to that price, so they probably

wouldn't go any lower, but that would give you a substantial chunk.

It would, very much so.

This single level cottage comes in well under budget

and offers them three bedrooms, a kitchen-diner,

a large living room, the possibility to extend the property,

all in a rural location surrounded by stunning scenery.

So, you still think it's a little on the small side?

Slightly on the small side, but we'd like to investigate further as to

whether we could extend it to a third bedroom.

-Or you could go and look at another property.

-OK!

-We could.

-That's what I'm offering. Come with me.

-Thank you.

Through the centuries, Scotland's beautiful and stirring landscape

has been the backdrop for clans, battles, and titled families,

all of which have shaped the country's vibrant history.

Around 20 miles north of Dumfries,

overlooking the magnificent Nith Valley, is Drumlanrig Castle,

an impressive example of 17th-century Renaissance-style

architecture, built on the site of an ancient stronghold.

Home to the Dukes of Buccleuch

and Queensberry for the last 500 years, it played host to

Bonnie Prince Charlie on his retreat north in 1745.

I'm here to meet castle guide Ian Sutherland to discover

the story of this glorious pink sandstone palace.

-Who's this handsome chap?

-It's Chad.

-Chad, he's gorgeous.

-He certainly is, isn't he?

-So, tell me briefly about Drumlanrig.

Drumlanrig is the very last castle to be built in Scotland.

You're in the valley of the River Nith. And, in the old days,

it was used as an invasion route from the south right into Scotland.

So, in the past, we've had Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons.

-Even the English have tried to invade this part.

-Heaven forfend!

And what the castle is doing is guarding the only good crossing

across the River Nith.

In fact, Drumlanrig is a bit like a cork in a bottle -

it tries to stop any army from getting further up the valley.

So, this is one of the best places you could possibly have a castle.

Even in the old days, the Romans, they had a fort.

We've got the fort in the grounds.

That is wonderful Scottish history.

But I am partly enchanted by this chap here.

So, what's his role in the proceedings?

The family is one of the first families to introduce these

-black Labradors into Britain.

-Wow.

Since that time, they've been used as gundogs.

-So, we have the Buccleuchs to thank for the Labradors?

-Yes, I think so.

How wonderful.

Ever since the 5th Duke of Buccleuch introduced

black Labradors from Newfoundland in the 1830s,

working dogs have been an important part of the Buccleuch Estates.

David Lisett, trainer at Buccleuch Gundogs,

has agreed to give me some tips on working with these handsome beasts.

What we'll do is, we'll start at the very beginning,

the recall whistle and the stop whistle.

The recall whistle would be "toot-toot-toot-toot-toot",

and, hopefully, he'll come charging in.

And then the break whistle would be one blow.

WHISTLES ONCE

WHISTLES REPEATEDLY

WHISTLES ONCE

WHISTLES REPEATEDLY

-Good boy. Good boy.

-Oh, so cute!

So, the next stage, we'll start stretching him a wee bit now.

David is setting Chad a memory task.

He'll launch a dummy bird across the lawn

and I have to tell Chad to remember its position.

Is there any whistle-blowing? Do I need to?

No, the only time is when he's gone

three-quarters of the way across there, just give him a...

WHISTLES ONCE

Just practise.

WHISTLES WEAKLY

No, you need to do it as if somebody's nicking your wallet.

WHISTLES ENERGETICALLY

Just enough.

-Right, here we go. That's it.

-Mark.

GUNSHOT

Before he retrieves it,

I send him off to look for a second dummy, already hidden in the bushes.

Go back.

ALISTAIR LAUGHS APPRECIATIVELY

Put the brakes on now.

WHISTLES ONCE

And then push him back. "Go back."

Go back!

-Lovely.

-Look at that, amazing!

-Absolutely lovely.

-Just the hand gesture did it.

-Just the hand gesture and your tone.

-Here we go.

-Should I do the "toot-toot-toot?"

-If you don't mind.

WHISTLES REPEATEDLY

Oh, superstar!

Look at that! Good boy, Chad.

Good dog.

Just line him up and pick the other ones now.

-So do I...

-Do the same again,

just put your hand down and point to where you want him to go,

-and say, "Go back."

-Sit. Good boy.

'OK, now, to retrieve the first bird.'

Go back.

-He's off.

-He's like a "do-ing".

Like an arrow.

WHISTLES REPEATEDLY

That's what they're bred for all these years.

Good boy. Good boy.

-Well done, you.

-You're an absolute natural, Alistair.

I think HE'S an absolute natural. It's been a joy. Thank you so much.

It was a lovely experience working with Chad,

and I'm sure these beautiful dogs will be working alongside

future Dukes for years to come.

But now it's time to go back to our buyers.

We're travelling west towards Dumfries for our next

property offering, which lies in the hamlet of Shieldhill,

close to the town of Lochmaben, and about 33 miles from Carlisle.

Lochmaben is the nearest town, serving the local community,

with a variety of shops, cafes and pubs.

Around four miles out of town is Shieldhill,

the setting of our second property,

a four-bedroom, chalet-style bungalow

surrounded by rural countryside.

All right! House number two, this is our offering.

I'm liking what I'm seeing at the moment.

Tell me what you're seeing, what's jumping out at you.

I like the high-pitched roof, it's obviously got character.

How old do you think the property is?

I would say it's probably not as old as it probably looks.

-Nine years old.

-Is it really?

-Yes.

-Shall we look inside?

-Let's get in.

-Yeah, absolutely.

We're off to a flying start, and I'm confident the interior will deliver

on space, but whether it offers the wow factor remains to be seen.

-Aha!

-Ah!

-This is nice. Yes.

-That's intriguing.

It's surprising, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-That's really nice.

-Yeah.

-I like that.

-Is it your taste?

-Definitely, absolutely.

-We do like oak staircases.

-Yeah.

Shall we look in the kitchen?

-Let's do.

-Mm, yes, please, my domain.

So far, so good.

Now for the most important room in the house.

Are you ready for this?

-We're ready.

-Come on in.

-Oh...

-Oh! Right, yes.

Oh, wow...

It's very nice. Oh!

-Are you all right?

-It's...

-Are you welling up?

-She is.

-Wow!

Oh, Elaine, tell us what is it that's getting to you.

It just feels really... It's got a really good feeling.

Yeah, I mean, I can visualise all my bits in here and... Mm.

It's got a lot of what you wanted.

-It's got a lovely kind of gas range.

-Yeah, definitely.

Well, that was quite a response to the kitchen.

But let's continue through to the sitting room. Hankies to the ready.

OK.

-Here's your sitting room.

-Nice and big.

-A beautiful size.

It's a nice space.

-It feels...

-Any reservations?

It's something about the fireplace, it's incredibly dominant.

-I think it might be the stones that I'm not too sure about.

-Yeah.

The thing about this house is I think it needs a bit of TLC.

And on this floor, we've also, there's also a small study.

And, actually, on the other wing, because you have another wing,

there are two very-nice-sized bedrooms and a family bathroom.

-Right.

-OK.

-Which you can explore.

-But this is actually a four-bedroom house.

-OK.

-OK.

Though, I think you'll find when you see the size of the bedrooms

-upstairs, you might think of it as an eight bedroom house.

-OK.

With such an emotional response to the ground floor,

let's hope upstairs can match that reaction.

-Oh, my goodness!

-It's big.

-Very big.

-Yeah. That's great! What a size. That's amazing.

-What would you do with all this space?

-Keep my shoes here!

Wardrobes!

So, this would be your walk-in wardrobe.

THEY CHUCKLE

There is another bedroom up on this floor,

I'll let you explore that at your own leisure.

-But let's nip outside and let's think land and think price.

-OK.

-OK.

As we head outside, it seems that in terms of space,

the interior has well and truly delivered.

Along with a few unexpected tears.

The garden here is south-facing and over these fields, which

are not yours, but are just being used

for ponies and some Highland cattle.

There's a sort of ambivalence about the two of you.

I can't say whether you love it

and are keeping it under your hat, or...

I love it.

I think, for me, there's a lot of work in there. That doesn't faze me

because the structure is there, it's cosmetic.

It's going to need some imagination

in using that very large bedroom,

and how we would use that, and seeing how that could be developed.

So, a very different offering from the house this morning.

What do you think it is in terms of price?

-I'm going to say 305.

-Ian?

I would probably go with, say, 245.

Well, it's not far off Ian's guess.

It's actually on the market for 250.

That's... very surprising. Very pleasing.

This nine-year-old cottage offers them the space they are

looking for, including four large bedrooms, two bathrooms,

a tear-inducing kitchen-diner for entertaining,

a large living room,

perfectly placed in the beautiful Dumfries and Galloway countryside.

Well, we're done for today,

so time to rest and digest what you've seen.

-We will do.

-On we go.

-Thank you.

For our mystery house, we're staying on Scottish soil,

heading around six miles south to the outskirts of Dumfries

and 45 minutes from Carlisle.

The market town of Dumfries, set on the banks of the River Nith,

has been a Royal burgh since 1186.

Our mystery house is a four bedroomed bungalow

in a peaceful setting, well-placed for the amenities of the town

and can test their appetite for taking on a refurbishment project.

So, you know you mentioned in your wildest dreams how

-you'd like a stream running through your house?

-We did.

-We did.

You have found us one.

So, we have been scouring Scotland to find you

a property in your budget that has a brook.

-It feels as though you're completely in the middle of a wood here.

-Yeah.

It's beautiful.

Probably could be the house of our dreams, I don't know.

-This is music to my ears.

-Yes.

Let's hope the music continues as we step inside. Follow me.

The setting of the house more than delivers, however it's time

to cross our fingers and hope that they are a couple with the vision

for a project.

Come on in to the sitting room,

-which is at the front of the bungalow.

-OK.

That's a reasonable size.

I think it's smaller than others that we've looked at.

-Certainly smaller than yesterday afternoon.

-Certainly.

I like the fact that it's got a chimney breast and a fire.

That's good.

I think the thing to think about this house, is really,

if you can, just to think of it as a shell

-and, really, the ground plan you can re-jig as you like.

-Yes.

I think you'd want to think about this in terms

of maybe the kitchen/living room,

-because this flows on into the kitchen.

-OK.

So, I imagine you'll have a view about the kitchen.

Yes, it's not the biggest kitchen in the world, but I've had smaller.

The footprint of the house is certainly bigger than

the first house that we saw,

-It's a project.

-Yeah. But that's... That's fine.

Let's take a look at one of the bedrooms.

With the kitchen, bathroom

and two of the bedrooms separated by stud walls,

Elaine and Ian have a variety of options available

for reconfiguring the property EXACTLY how they'd like it.

-We've got four bedrooms.

-Uh-huh, OK.

-Two of them are good sizes.

There's this one and the one next door, which could be the master.

And then you've got two littler ones on the other side,

one of which could be a study, and a bathroom.

But I think the high point of the house for you guys

is probably this next room.

The scale of the project is becoming clear

but, so far, they don't seem fazed.

This...

..I think is going to be one of your key rooms.

-This is nice. This is really nice.

-This could be nice as a lounge.

This is the addition, this is what they put on.

This is the selling point of the house, isn't it, without any doubt?

Doors open, sun coming down, stream dribbling past.

I can imagine the nice light oak doors that,

sort of, pull completely back and open it up.

That's... That's, um... That's expensive.

Which brings us onto the question of price

because I can see that you've been, as you've been walking round,

-you've been knocking down walls...

-We've been spending it!

..reconfiguring things.

As I suggested, this is a complete remodelling, perhaps.

So, how much do you think this property is on the market for?

I'm going to say 199.

Ian?

-I think probably on the market for probably 275.

-275?

Wow, you've completely swapped now.

You've gone high, you've gone low.

Well, actually, it's somewhere in the middle.

-It's actually on the market for 225.

-OK.

But the vendors have made it clear that they're open to negotiation,

so you might get it for less.

Ah...

-That does leave scope...

-To do the work.

-To do quite a bit.

Our mystery house falls well within their budget

giving them plenty of cash for improvements.

And includes:

-Are you admiring your bluebell woods?

-We are.

-Absolutely.

It's a lovely stream. It needs damming, though, doesn't it?

It needs small children to come and play in it.

Childhood dreams!

Good, OK, time to go and think about all the properties I've shown you.

-OK.

-Come with me.

We began our little Scottish odyssey by a fire,

and we're ending it by a fire.

-I hope you've had fun.

-Definitely. Yeah.

It's been an absolute eye-opener for me.

I get the impression, and correct me if I'm wrong,

that number one is not so much of a contender.

It's all down to property number two and the mystery house.

Number two is my favourite, in terms of the property.

But number three, it has to be the location.

What has to happen next

for you to make a decision, one way or the other?

I think, for me, I want to go back and see property number two

before we leave Scotland.

And I think I need to understand how property three can work for us.

I think probably an ideal would be if we could take property two

and put it into the setting of property three.

That would be amazing. And there you have the conundrum.

It's been lovely showing you around and I hope that you

find your place up here. It's really lovely to see you

coming to look back in your homeland, as it were,

and that one of the properties we've shown you comes up trumps.

-Thank you, Alistair.

-Thank you very much.

Looks like house number two

and the mystery house both still strong contenders.

And, I have to say, I thought we did very well in Scotland

because we kept well under budget and offered Ian and Elaine

a lot more than they'd hoped for. A lot of space in house number two,

and super potential in the mystery house.

And with all this amazing landscape, you can understand

why they'd want to move here.

I hope you've enjoyed our jaunt through Bonnie Scotland.

Do join us next time for more Escape To The Country.

Having mulled over the properties we served up, Elaine and Ian have

since had a change of direction, discarding any notion of taking on

a project and opting instead for a new-build that's ready to move into.

And I'm happy to say they've had an offer excepted on a house

in Eaglesfield.

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