North Yorkshire Escape to the Country

I am stood next to what could easily be mistaken as the remains

of an ancient church, but all is not what it seems.

Find out what this is and where I am in just a few moments.

On today's show, I'm using the powers of positive

thinking to find one couple's country dream.

-You seem to be warming up a little bit now.

-Yeah, a little bit.

But it's not all an uphill battle as we brave the elements.

I think we've just been blown away with the view, to be honest.

-I've got blown away with the wind.

-And the wind!

Today, I'm in North Yorkshire and this is Yorke's Folly.

Whilst it's a listed monument, it was only built 200 years ago as a

decorative romantic ruin, reflecting the landscaping trend at the time.

Commissioned by the Yorke family, the local estate owners, it was

also built to keep local workers busy during a time of recession.

Today, from this spot, the reward - a fantastic views of Pateley Bridge

and the Nidderdale Valley, which we'll be visiting

later on in the show.

North Yorkshire is the largest rural county in the country

and offers up over 1,000 square miles of national parks

from the rugged North York Moors to the stunning

undulations of the Yorkshire Dales.

This beautiful, varied terrain attracts walkers

and cyclists the whole year round.

Picturesque cobbled towns such as Grassington in Wharfedale offer

a perfect base to explore incredible sites such as the limestone

cliff at Kilnsey Crag.

North Yorkshire's history

is inextricably linked with agriculture.

The 12th-century Bolton Priory may have inspired the great

artist Turner, but it was also home to a self-sufficient

community where the monks farmed the land and even created a tannery,

rinsing their animal hides into the fast-flowing River Wharfe.

The genteel spa town of Harrogate actually

made its fortune from the water, and visitors flooded there in the

19th century to sample its iron and sulphur rich springs.

Today, the town continues to thrive, offering up Yorkshire

traditions that are simply hard to resist.

The property market in North Yorkshire remains firmly robust.

The average price of a detached house here

is around £260,000, which is just above the national figure.

Prices do vary greatly throughout the county.

For example, in Harrogate, you can pay up to 70% more for a house.

You'll also pay a sharp premium for living around the Dales,

but if coastal living is more your thing,

then head to Scarborough as a more affordable option to Whitby.

A detached house there could cost around £50,000 less than

the county average. So, whereabouts do today's buyers want to head?

Let's meet them and find out.

Rich, Claire and their three-year-old son Tom currently

live in a three-bed 1950s house in Kensworth, Bedfordshire.

They've decided they no longer want to live on the edge of a town

and feel it's time for a fresh start.

It's getting busier in the south-east

and it is quite overpopulated

and we just want to escape to a bit more of a rural lifestyle, really.

There's one overwhelming priority for their son Tom

-when they make the move.

-When we were kids, I just

remember playing out and that is super important for both of us...

-Yeah.

-..for Tom to have that environment to grow.

And they feel Claire's birthplace is the county that has it all.

The area that we are wanting to move to is North Yorkshire.

It's just a very beautiful part of the world.

We've got the coastline, the Yorkshire Dales.

It's got it all up there.

You have forests, big kind of open moorland

and you also have the amenities as well.

The Yorkshire move would also get them closer to Claire's family

in Wakefield. It had always been a long-term dream,

but serious health issues have led them to rethink their plans.

I was unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer last year and have been

up and down really with treatments and surgeries and things going on.

'It's put everything into perspective about what's important in life.

'We just want to enjoy everything we can really, to the maximum.'

And Claire's from a very close family

so it would be very nice just to have them nearer by.

They'll need to be able to access London

for Claire's continuing treatment.

And IT manager Rich will need good road links for his job

as well as for his favourite hobby.

My main passion is bikes, specifically mountain bikes

and everything to do with biking. I like to renovate them, restore them.

Tom is quite often helping me in the garage, passing me spanners

and Allen keys and things like that. He seems to enjoy helping his daddy.

Ex-textile designer Claire will be up for a bit of DIY,

but not a project. She's recently got a taste for the good life.

This year was our first year of attempting vegetables

and we've had quite a good success, haven't we?

So the next house has to have a little bit of a veggie plot.

So all that's left is to find out what funds

they'll have for their dream Yorkshire move.

Our budget for our next move is £350,000.

Rich and Claire are keen on the countryside around the small

market town of Pateley Bridge,

so we'll be basing our search to the east of the beautiful

Yorkshire Dales.

Before we set off, I'm meeting them in their chosen county to find

out a bit more about their proposed relocation.

-Good morning.

-BOTH: Good morning.

-Welcome to North Yorkshire.

-How long is it since you've been up here?

-About a week.

-Do you come back a lot?

-Quite a lot.

Moving up here to Yorkshire... why now?

Last year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

We've just kind of had a whole year of ups and downs

-and lots of challenges, really.

-Yeah.

We thought we'd like to do something major

-and have a big life change, really.

-It was always our dream to do it.

We're just kind of doing it quicker than we potentially would

-have done.

-We've got a little boy, Tom.

And what we want to do is move before he turns four,

five, for school, really.

What particular style of house do you like?

We're looking for something that has a...

a kind of a country feel.

Again, around Tom, we are looking for something maybe three, four bedrooms.

We're not too keen on modern houses as such.

All our previous houses have been relatively older.

What would you say is the most important room for you in the house?

Kitchen for me. What about you? Garage.

I was going to say a garage or like a shed, almost.

What's the most important thing?

House in a fantastic location or the looks of a house?

Definitely location. I think it has to be close to local amenities.

-School, maybe a local shop.

-Yeah.

-A pub!

-Pub.

-Always have to have a pub!

-Now, you've sold your house, haven't you?

-Yes, that's right.

-Sold it within two days.

-Two days?

-Yeah.

What's your final budget?

The final budget is 350,000.

That's the maximum we are looking to go up to.

Let's not waste any more time. We'll finish these coffees

-and get on with the search.

-Excellent. Brilliant!

With a top budget of £350,000,

Rich and Claire are looking for a property with some character.

They'd like three to four bedrooms, a spacious kitchen,

a workshop or garage to house Rich's bike collection,

a low-maintenance garden and, above all, a close community with

local amenities, including a primary school for son Tom.

We've got three very different properties lined up for

today's buyers and I'll be putting their valuation skills to the

test before I reveal the price of each one,

the last of which will be the Mystery House.

Its surprise location could be a bit of an uphill battle,

but might just take their search to new heights.

-So Rich, you're pretty big on cycling?

-Yes.

I love the freedom of it, really.

You know, it just opens up lots of nice places to you.

So you go out on your bike for how long at a time?

Ideally, it's three or four hours at a time.

Whenever I can get rid of him, really!

For our first property, we are heading to the unspoilt

rural village of Sutton Howgrave.

It's just a 20-minute drive from Thirsk, with its fast rail links

to London and only a mile away from the thriving

community of Wath, with its beautiful 13th-century church,

a village hall, and a gastro-pub for some cosy ambience

after those long winter bike rides.

Just back down the lane in a lovely open

position on the edge of Sutton Howgrave is our first property.

-Well, this is the house we are going to look at.

-Wow!

-So you've been here before, this location?

-No, we haven't.

It's all new to us, this area.

-From what we can see straightaway it's totally...

-Positive.

-This is a real community. There's about 25 households.

-OK.

All of differing ages, and they've got a real community spirit.

-They get together and have little fetes and parties and stuff.

-Wow.

This was an old reading room.

The current owners... You'll see inside, it's basically a new-build.

-OK.

-It looks old and they've built it with local stone,

lovely Yorkshire stone there.

-I love the setting.

-Yeah. It's idyllic, really.

We'll talk about that extra bit of garden later on. Let's go inside.

OK. Excellent.

So Rich and Claire seemed to like the location.

The primary school for Tom is around five miles away,

so not right on their doorstep

but I'm hoping this truly unique property can win them over.

-So, Claire, you said the kitchen was the most important room.

-Yeah, wow.

It's pretty impressive.

-Yeah, very impressive, actually.

-Love it. It's a very light room as well, isn't it,

with the big window there as well.

I think the view you've got really sells it for me.

-Is it what you like?

-If it makes you happy, it makes me happy.

Correct answer. Well trained.

In this house, things are shaken up a little bit here.

You've got two double bedrooms on this level, and a family shower and loo.

OK? The other master bedroom is upstairs. I'll show you that later on.

But you're all right with this one, the configuration, so far?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Fine, yeah.

-Just delightful. Really lovely.

-Good news.

-Now, then.

-Wow.

-Wow!

-Amazing. Yeah, this is what we like.

-Good.

-Yeah, very nice.

-Pretty special, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It is. I'm quite pleased to see a dining table here as well,

cos I was concerned in that kitchen that,

-you know, there wasn't anywhere to potentially put a table.

-And you've got the height as well.

Which is great.

-Sounds like you like this.

-We like it a lot.

Yeah, I love the fact that it's got a wood-burning stove as well,

-so you can imagine it in the winter.

-Not much to do, which is good.

-There's nothing to do, is there?

-No.

-Just personalise it a bit.

-Yeah.

-And that's what it does need, doesn't it? It feels...

Well, it kind of feels dressed at the moment, doesn't it?

-Let's take a quick peek at this mezzanine and see what you might do.

-OK.

Some positive reactions, and the current owners have certainly

maximised this impressive vaulted space.

It's just whether Rich and Claire can find a use for it.

What do we do with this?

Oh, wow, amazing. Office, Rich?

I think I'll have no problems at all working up here.

-It's a brilliant space for that.

-Absolutely beautiful, yes.

Mezzanine roofs, they can be quite dark

but you have got a lot of light in here which really sells it as well.

-Good, so a nice place to work.

-Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Fabulous place to work. I'll be working from home more often, I think.

-Well, yeah.

-Or not, in that case.

-Let's take a quick look at this master bedroom.

-Thank you.

-So, amazing view.

-Wow.

Even got a few sheep.

-I put them there on purpose.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Again, nice space here.

When people redevelop, they tend to, like you say, they put smaller space...

-Yeah, try and get as much out of it as possible.

-And it's... It's nice they've kept it quite open.

So, the big conundrum here for you guys,

-I suppose is, this is a three-bedroom house.

-Yes.

Now, Tom is three years old

so I imagine you might want to be closer to him.

We were just saying, actually.

That might be the only slight problem.

I mean, potentially, this becomes the guest room, especially as it's en suite as well.

Potentially, you could do with that for family and friends to stay, and things. That would work well.

OK, well, let's nip outside to the garden

and just show you what you're getting and we'll talk about price.

Let me squeeze past.

Well, some creative thinking from Rich

but I'm not sure that Claire's buying into that layout.

Outside, there's a sheltered courtyard, perfect for outside dining

and just enough lawn to take Tom's trampoline.

But there's also an area of garden beyond the far fence which is

being rented by the current owners

and any new buyers should get the same agreement.

I think this house really works as long as you've got

-the use of that garden.

-Yes, definitely.

Yeah, I think you kind of need that, and we're into growing our own

vegetables and things, so we'd need somewhere to continue that, really.

And it's... Yeah, you've got the views as well which is something that...

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

-Something that we want, yeah.

I'm not quite sure where Rich would put all his...seven bikes!

-I'm in the market for a new bike.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Do you a deal!

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

I'm going to go with the top end of our budget and I'm going to go up 350.

Not knowing the area around here

but I would imagine it's probably around the 340 mark.

Pretty good guess, Rich.

-This place is on the market for offers around £339,950.

-Wow!

-£50 out, so unlucky.

-Well, you know...

So it's comfortably under budget.

It's been done to a very high standard and I absolutely love it.

Go back into the house, have a good look around and I'll meet you whenever you're ready.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Our first property is £10,000 under Rich and Claire's maximum budget.

It's a stunning detached former reading room dating back to 1840.

It offers up three double bedrooms,

two of which are on the ground floor,

a spacious kitchen to satisfy Claire's culinary ambitions,

an impressive vaulted living room

with feature fireplace, and a sheltered garden

enjoying a peaceful setting with unspoilt countryside views.

-And the bedroom.

-OK.

So this could potentially be Tom's room or a guest room.

-I think this would be our room. Decent-sized.

-Yeah.

When we first arrived, it was just... Blew me away completely.

There are some compromises I think we would have to make

in terms of storage for Rich's bike collection

and then the only other thing which kind of niggles me a little bit

is the bedrooms, because you've got the master bedroom upstairs.

And we would ideally like to be near to Tom, as he is only three.

I love the main living space, so the kind of front room,

as it were, with the combined dining area and the mezzanine,

obviously working from home as well,

that's another aspect that the house fits well.

I'm glad to see you're both still beaming. You especially, Claire.

-Yeah.

-That's all done for property number one. On to the next one.

Excellent.

Rich loves his bikes and although Claire may not be a cycling fanatic,

who could resist the beautiful Yorkshire Dales?

The National Park covers 680 square miles

and attracts tens of thousands of cyclists every year.

To top this, the Dales will be hosting the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France.

Starting in Leeds on fairly flat terrain, the riders will then

pass through Skipton to face the more demanding dales.

The semi-circular route will sweep the cyclists across its rugged

terrain before they can breathe a sigh of relief on their way

to Harrogate and then the finish.

Rich and Claire are meeting local mountain bike guide

Stuart Price in Wensleydale to see

what this most spectacular of cycling routes has to offer.

So, Stuart, why is the tour coming to the Yorkshire Dales?

The Yorkshire Dales has hosted many cycling events

and it's part of the challenge, is the terrain that the

Yorkshire Dales has and the big climbs

and the technical descents, you know, for what I love doing.

My passion is cycling and mountain biking.

There's no better place to be in the country, I feel. So it's great.

-Excellent.

-OK, right, guys. Let's hit the road.

-Excellent.

-Let's do some riding.

-Let's do it.

-Yeah.

Rich and Claire are actually following some of the route that

Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome will take - just a little slower!

The pro riders will follow the valley that holds

Wensleydale's principal river, the Ure.

Rich and Claire take their first diversion to view it

at its most dramatic point.

This is Ayesgarth Falls. This is the middle falls.

Ayesgarth Falls has got three drops.

The National Park is essentially a limestone landscape.

It's glacial, so there's waterfalls dotted around all over.

-It's great you can see these on a cycle ride as well.

-Yeah, yeah.

The tour will race through the beautiful market town of Hawes,

home to the famous Wensleydale cheese.

But there's no time for snacking as Rich

and Claire climb up nearly 600 metres on one of the country's

most famous sections of road, the Buttertubs Pass.

It's an area renowned for dramatic limestone potholes

formed by erosion over the years.

Some say the cool waters actually proved useful to local

farmers in the 18th century.

The thoughts are that as they're heading to market,

they stopped off here,

and on a hot day like this, if you're bringing butter over

and you're heading to Hawes market, the butter is going to melt.

They'd drop the butter down here and they'd store it here for a while

while they rest and then drag it back out and off they go.

-Hence the Buttertubs Pass.

-Hence the Buttertubs Pass.

History lesson over,

it's time to turn their attention back to today's tour.

So, yeah, July 5 2014, the pro-riders will be coming down here,

down Buttertubs Pass, straight past us here, heading that way.

-Exciting.

-Shall we go and do it?

-Yeah.

-Come on.

-Why not?

I hope Rich and Claire's legs aren't getting too weary,

as the travel ten miles north

into the steep-sided valleys of Swaledale,

famed for its beautiful meadows

and crisscrossed by a network of dry-stone walls.

I've seen these quite a lot on our trip round.

What are these buildings, then?

These are field barns.

Swaledale is quite well known for it.

These barns are the jewel in the crown

of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

During the summer, they cut the grass,

make hay out of it and drag it across to the barn,

and fork it into the upstairs.

They keep the stock in the barn downstairs over the winter,

every day feed the stock from the hay, water them, muck them out.

During the spring, he'd spread that over the land,

grass would grow, cut the grass,

make hay, and the cycle carries on.

Time to leave the beautiful pastures of Swaledale behind,

as Stuart leads them to the bustling community of Reeth.

The village will be the exit point from the Dales

for the Tour de France as they surge on to Harrogate and the finish.

But for Rich and Claire, it's the end of the road

and time to continue their North Yorkshire property hunt.

For our second house, we're heading ten miles west

from Sutton Howgrave to the village of Grewelthorpe,

which is seven miles from the beautiful cathedral city of Ripon

and only a 15-minute drive from Rich and Claire's beloved Pateley Bridge.

This village is steeped in history,

warranting a mention in the Doomsday Book.

It also lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

and has its very own duck pond.

Before we move on to the house,

we're looking at what this community has to offer.

So, welcome, both of you, to Grewelthorpe. Heard of it?

-We have, yes.

-You have?!

-Yes, we've drove through,

though not actually stopped here.

-What do you know about it, then?

-Not much, really.

Pretty little village.

We know it's got a primary school here, which is very good.

It's got a school, but also, it has something

that'll be of benefit to you in a couple of months' time.

You can barely see it behind us,

but there's an old church having a lot of building work done

and that it is going to be converted into a shop and cafe.

So that is bringing together this whole community.

This is a much bigger setting than we had for the first house,

but with that bigger setting comes a bigger community and more facilities, as well.

I think I kind of like this better, in a way.

You don't feel as isolated.

Yeah, good first impressions, I think.

OK, well, let's go to the house.

Well, Rich and Claire have said from the word go that location

is all important, and Grewelthorpe definitely seems to have

the right feel and facilities.

Just a short stroll away lies house number two.

-Come on in.

-Wow.

-This is exciting.

-Pretty little place.

-Mm. Very pretty.

You're slap-bang in the heart of the village.

Yes, it's beautiful. Really lovely.

-Almost got your own...

-Yes, Tom'd have his own playground!

Because of the primary school, there's young families here.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Right, let's look inside.

Well, they can certainly picture Tom here, which is a good start.

The stone cottage dates back to 1642,

but has been recently renovated

so would offer the hassle-free move Rich and Claire are after.

Right, I just want us to pause in this room first of all.

One of two reception rooms.

Very nice.

-Yeah?

-Love it. Love the fire.

Open fireplace.

I've got a fair idea what I think you may well use this for,

but let me show you this room next door first.

See what you make of it.

Yeah, very nice.

Mixed feelings at the moment.

Compared to house number one, the open space...

It's kind of almost the opposite at the moment.

Well, now you've seen this, the main living room,

I was thinking the smaller living room could be where Tom plays.

-Or a dining area.

-Yeah.

We do have room for a dining table in the kitchen. Let me show you.

-A breakfast kitchen you'd call it, I suppose, wouldn't you?

-Yes.

Very nice.

-Not a bad size.

-A nice size, though.

I'm quite pleasantly surprised, actually.

Behind you, you've got a utility, as well.

So that gives you that extra bit of space in the kitchen.

I'm quite pleased, having seen the two rooms we've seen,

-that this is almost like the whole length of the house.

-Yes.

-It kind of flows.

-Yeah. Yeah.

Good! This is going well. You seem to be warming up a little bit.

-Yes, a little bit. A little bit.

-Good.

Let's look upstairs.

Despite my best efforts, Rich still looks slightly underwhelmed.

I think it's an issue of light.

The first floor offers up nearly 500 square feet of space,

including a stylish bathroom with newly tiled, enclosed shower

and freestanding roll-top bath.

The master bedroom is big enough for a super-king-size bed.

As you can see!

-Crikey.

-Nice. Nice size.

-It's a decent size, isn't it?

-Yeah.

This house has three bedrooms.

The other two bedrooms aren't massive,

but they're all on one level.

-Which is a massive advantage over the first house.

-Yes.

We haven't seen a lot of storage space,

but you do get that in bucket loads outside.

-Oh!

-If you want to use it for storage.

-Yeah.

There might be a battle of wills.

We'll see if Rich's bikes are going to find a home,

but the more conventional first-floor bedrooms

seem to have gone done better than our first property's split layout.

OK, so you're probably expecting a fairly compact rear garden.

-But there is something I want to show you first.

-OK.

Maybe for you, Rich.

So...

Well, you can see you can make it into a gym, if you want.

It's the biggest private gym I've ever seen, actually.

It's...amazing.

An amazing space.

-Could be even a little annexe or...

-Yeah. This is the old forge.

You can see where the fire would be burning.

But you also - if you look through that window there -

you can see it goes all the way back there.

OK. So that could almost be a separate office space.

-Definitely could be an office.

-You could use it straightaway.

-Yeah.

You could certainly fit a few bikes in

-and do my repairs and everything I like to do here.

-Yeah.

Rich is one happy boy.

Outside, the rear garden is certainly compact.

It has a small decked patio, but is predominantly a gravel area

leading to the side of the house.

The neighbours do have access across its land,

which could be a bit of a stumbling block.

So, you've got this smaller area at the back of the property.

-Your garden really is at the front.

-Yes. It is.

I quite like the fact it's easy maintenance.

What do you think about having some right of way at the back of your house?

-Not an issue, is it?

-No.

And this area is relatively small,

it doesn't matter because there's a park right next door.

Good. So how much do you think this house's on the market for?

-I would guess at...320.

-OK?

-Claire?

-I'm guessing...

I'm going to go a little bit lower than the other one and say 329,950.

Not bad guesses.

This place is on the market for offers in excess of 309,950.

OK. That's pretty good value, in terms of the location, as well.

Very good. Yeah.

That's really surprising, actually.

I thought it would be a lot more than that.

Well, look, go back into the house,

see if you can warm Rich up any more over it.

-Because you weren't jumping up and down in there.

-No, no.

So why don't you go back in and once you've finished come back out

-and fight over who's going to get the use of the outbuilding?

-OK.

-OK.

-See you whenever you're finished.

-Thank you.

At £40,000 under Rich and Claire's maximum budget,

our second property is an end of terrace, stone, period cottage.

It features three first-floor bedrooms, two reception rooms -

one of which could be ideal for Tom's playroom -

a spacious kitchen/diner

and a characterful detached former forge,

offering lots of scope for Rich's bike workshop.

The property is also in an excellent central village location,

right next to the park.

I'm not entirely convinced it's the property for us,

but, potentially, with the outside space -

and there isn't much to do inside to make it homely -

that it could work.

The location is selling it for me here, more than anything else.

Having access to amenities is very important.

I think, come winter months, if we are snowed in,

it's going to be important to have facilities.

In terms of the outbuilding or most of this property,

I'm pretty much blown away by that.

Just in terms of its potential. Not necessarily just for bikes,

but also potentially as an office or maybe a play space for Tom.

-Now, then. Have you warmed him up?

-I think so. Although...

I'm warming, I'm warming. Just a little cold, but I'm warming.

You got some work to do tonight, then. That's it for today.

-So let's go back.

-Excellent.

It's the second day of our house-hunt in North Yorkshire

with Rich and Claire from Kensworth in Bedfordshire.

They have £350,000 to spend on what would be a homecoming

for Yorkshire-born Claire.

Coming up, Rich certainly seems impressed with our mystery space.

Wow.

This is amazing, Claire.

Whilst I check out a legend in the world of handcrafted furniture.

A man who made a huge impact with something very small.

So with two good house tours under our belt from yesterday,

we are going to mix things up a bit with our Mystery House.

Now, we're going to a location

that we know that Rich and Claire both really like,

but in order to get that, there could be a few compromises.

First off, well, it's not as aesthetically pleasing as the houses

we saw yesterday, but I'm hoping the open aspect could counter that,

although that rural location could be a bit TOO rural for them.

For today's Mystery House we're heading 12 miles south-west

to Rich and Claire's beloved Pateley Bridge.

Its centre offers a variety of shops selling everything from crafts

to locally sourced produce,

including a sweet shop dating back to 1827.

Pateley Bridge is also a focal point for the surrounding community,

and even hosts an annual agricultural show.

I've got no concerns about the town,

but our Mystery House is a bit of a gamble in terms of style,

although it does potentially deliver more space,

and while the setting may be beautiful, it hasn't exactly got

that community feel that Claire's dreaming of.

So, right atop the hill, we have the Mystery House.

Well, I think we've just got out of the car and being blown away

with the view, to be honest.

-I got blown away by the wind!

-And the wind!

Stunning location, though, isn't it?

It's just magical, isn't it?

-Now, you've got Pateley Bridge at the bottom of this hill.

-Mm-hm.

Close enough?

-Just need a sledge for the winter.

-Yeah!

-It's an easy commute INTO the town!

-Yeah!

Let's talk about the house itself.

Yes, it's not what we'd have gone for, really.

-It's a bungalow, isn't it?

-Yeah.

We've chosen this house because it's near Pateley Bridge

in this amazing location,

so that's why we're here.

-Let's see what you think of it inside.

-Excellent.

Well, they seem to love the views,

but that all-important community feel of Pateley Bridge

is just under a mile away.

We'll have to see if this detached bungalow

can convince them about a more rural life.

-Let's start off with a living room. So...

-Cosy!

THEY LAUGH

-I think there's enough room. The window goes out.

-Yes.

-It's got the bay, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

At the start of this, you said

the house we want is one we can lock up and leave

-and make the most of the environment we are in.

-A base, yes.

So I was thinking, this house plays to that

more than the others we've seen so far.

Let's keep walking through.

This house is set up with living this side

and sleeping that side.

That used to be the master but is now one of the children's bedrooms.

Another bedroom there - used as an office and music room.

-And straight back into the kitchen, here.

-Oh, interesting.

Now, this is new.

The kitchen used to be all the way through to here.

But they've made it into a dining room.

-Wow.

-Have a good look.

Aesthetically pleasing.

Really?! Why, because of that, you mean?

Because of the view, I think, yes.

-It works as a space, I think.

-Yeah.

-Kitchen and dining room.

Although they are slightly separate, it works as one.

The kitchen - all right, is it?

Yeah, I think it's a nice size.

The spacious kitchen could be winning them over.

Next to it is a newly tiled shower room, complete with generous enclosure.

This in turn leads to a well-thought-out utility

for all the white goods.

Back towards the front of the house, the third bedroom

is a light-filled space with wooden flooring,

perfect for son Tom.

And to complete the layout, there's one more bedroom on offer.

-So, the master bedroom and a modern extension of the house.

-Nice.

-Nice, high ceilings.

-What do you think, Rich?

-Yeah, I like it.

Yeah. Although they're not massive rooms,

there are a lot of them, aren't there?

It would need quite a lot of DIY, in terms of plastering.

Which is doable.

Not knocking walls and things down.

Which is what we don't want.

But I'm still not sold on the bungalow. Yet.

-Takes a bit of getting used to, doesn't it?

-It does.

So Claire's yet to be convinced.

Outside, the garden is fairly compact,

but has an open aspect and plenty of space for a family vegetable plot.

It's bordered by attractive stone walling

and features a timber veranda

which offers fantastic views of surrounding countryside.

The wind's got up a little bit, but the view's still there, thankfully!

-Glorious, isn't it?

-Stunning.

-Amazing.

And the fact that you can see

actually down to the school and the leisure centre, as well.

Quite. Yeah.

Now, outside, space-wise, you've got off-street parking for your 4x4

which you're probably going to buy,

and a small garden.

-Kind of what you wanted it, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Yes, easy to maintain.

Not too much work.

Which I didn't want.

-And, most importantly, you've got a ginormous garage.

-Whoa...!

Rich is very excited about that, aren't you?

I thought I'd let you loose in there later on, go and explore it yourselves.

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

I'm going to go with...

327.

Right, OK. Strange number.

Go on, then, Rich.

OK, I'm going to go less than that.

I think around 310.

Well, it's on the market for offers of around £320,000.

-You're not a million miles out.

-No.

-No.

-So, Rich, you like this, don't you?

-I do.

I do, out of the three properties we've seen, this one fits MY brief.

The only thing that'd niggle me a little bit is...isolation for Tom.

There doesn't seem to be any other houses around here.

Tom, growing up, might need more of a community of children.

So that would slightly put me off this property.

Going as that garage is only going to be another tick for you -

I know that - but do have a conversation when you walk around.

-I'll meet you whenever you're finished.

-Fantastic.

-OK.

See you when you're done.

Well, just like any good Mystery House selection,

it's raised a few issues - a few questions that need to be answered.

But in doing so, it also calls into question the other houses we've seen.

And it's a real nice spectrum of properties

they've now got to consider.

Well under Rich and Claire's maximum budget of £350,000,

our mystery property is a detached bungalow.

It offers four bedrooms as well as a modern kitchen

and spacious dining room.

The outside features an excellent double garage,

and the crowning glory of this property

has to be the outstanding views over the local hills.

Wow!

This is amazing, Claire.

-Big space, isn't it?

-It's massive. For a garage.

It's big enough that I can use a bit of it, and you can too.

-We can utilise it for what we need.

-Yes, it's nice.

The mystery property has really surprised me, actually.

I really like it. I'd quite happily live in the house, or bungalow,

I don't have a preference.

I do like a bungalow. I'd probably like it as a holiday house.

But it doesn't really excite me, if you like.

I think it would have to be pretty spectacular inside

to kind of win me over.

It's only three-quarters of a mile into Pateley Bridge,

but it is quite a steep hill.

It is walkable but for a small child, it would be a challenge.

-Now, then, all done?

-Yes.

-Yes, we are.

-Lovely.

-Well, hopefully, this Mystery House is giving you something to think about.

-Definitely.

It's definitely a good Mystery House,

in terms of the overall look and feel of it.

We definitely wouldn't have looked at a bungalow.

That's what it's there for.

Let's find you somewhere to have a sit down and chat.

Kilburn sits below the hill carving of the white horse

in the North York Moors National Park.

But the village was also home to another famous figure,

one of the country's greatest ever furniture-makers, Robert Thompson.

His work has continued through the generations

and I'm meeting his great-grandson, Ian Cartwright Thompson,

to find out more about this legendary master craftsman.

I'm keen to hear about this historic business.

It's very much the heart of Kilburn today.

When was it all started by your great-grandfather?

Well, Great-grandfather took over from his father John Thompson

and that happened around 1900,

when Robert took over the running of the business.

He was the village joiner.

He was repairing gates, making windows, doors.

Don't forget, a lot of property here in this village

was owned by the Church Commissioners.

This early religious influence continued through Robert's

true passion for furniture.

He was inspired by the beautiful woodwork of local cathedrals

and soon became renowned for his intricate carving of oak church furniture.

Much of his work can still be seen throughout Yorkshire,

and even in the majestic York Minster.

Despite this grandeur, his work is best known for one tiny detail

and, for many, he is simply known as the Mouseman.

Where does this Mouseman name come from?

When Great-grandfather was working with one of his fellow craftsmen,

they were working on a piece for a local church,

and the craftsmen he was working with happened to mention

he thought they were both as poor as church mice.

The mouse is working quietly, gnawing away with its chisel-like teeth,

and here he was on the edge of the Hambleton Hills,

working away in his little workshop here in Kilburn,

not making a song and dance about it,

so he thought, what a nice idea,

we'll carve a mouse on this particular piece.

And that unique mark became his signature.

By the 1920s, his notoriety had spread

and he branched out into the domestic market.

His inspirational furniture designs

are still produced in the family workshop today,

using techniques passed down from generation to generation.

I was expecting, when we came up here to the workshop,

to see lathes everywhere, but it's all hand tools.

Yes, a tremendous amount of handwork goes into what we do here at Kilburn,

and that's what we pride ourselves in.

No substitute for a pair of those.

Oak is still the material of choice,

some of which is still sourced from the local forests around Kilburn.

It's then seasoned in vast wood stores for up to four years

before making it onto the craftsman's bench.

The workshop now produces over 150 types of furniture for any use.

Some of the craftsmen have been carving for over 50 years

but they're always looking to the next generation.

We've got five apprentices currently,

and they will serve a minimum of four years of training

on a one-to-one basis with a master craftsman.

It's a good learning curve for them

and they will learn an awful lot of skills.

But don't forget, it's a lifetime of learning.

Of course. Four years is a drop in the ocean, I suppose, isn't it?

We're meeting up with Andy Watkins,

who's one year into his apprenticeship.

He's even letting me loose on his own carving.

What made you want to come and do an apprenticeship at Kilburn?

Just from school, really.

I enjoyed woodwork there

and this place had a lot of hands-on with the tools,

and we use all different types of planes, and stuff.

-How am I getting on, Andy? This all right?

-Yes, it's good.

-Getting there.

-When Andy's fully trained,

each person here will be responsible

for their entire piece of furniture themselves?

That's right, Jonnie. And when they have finished it,

they'll be carving a mouse, as well.

Right, OK. And this is what we do here.

This is a mouse trademark.

-This is your handiwork, is that?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

-I did it last night.

-So this is all one piece.

-It is, yes.

We leave the piece in the middle for carving the mouse

and that's all done by hand.

-So this is your signature?

-Yes, that's mine.

So, I'll let you go back to work. Good luck for your three years.

You are the future of the business!

-Today's apprentices are tomorrow's craftsmen.

-Perfect.

Well, listen, I wish you all the very best of luck.

-Thanks for having me.

-Cheers, Jonnie.

It is fantastic to see one man's vision being carried on.

I'm sure Kilburn will be home to oak furniture-making

for many generations to come.

But for now, it's back to our property hunt.

So, my first question is, are you in agreement on a favourite property?

Because you have had slight differences of opinion.

I think, for both of us, the third property - the Mystery House -

was a favourite in terms of location,

although the property wasn't quite right for me, unfortunately.

Location-wise, definitely property three.

Property-wise, there is some work to do on it.

But out of the three, that would be my preference.

-So what's your favourite property, Claire?

-I don't know.

-I'd quite like to go back to property number one.

-OK.

It was lovely house, location...

Maybe a second visit would kind of summarise what was in the area.

Property two, beautiful village -

not sure it was quite the right house for us.

You seemed to get on quite well with the Mystery House, Rich?

-Yes.

-Is it worth going back there as well? Or has the boss spoken?

I think they're not too far apart,

so if we see one, you need to see the other.

Who's going to win out here?

I love the location - it's everything that we wanted,

but I'm still not sold on a bungalow.

You've seen your favourite bits of each property,

and in order to move forward,

you almost maybe need to think of, "Which bits can we do without?"

We like our own different things,

but we will hopefully come to the right end point.

I think it's important that we're both happy with the final choice.

-Absolutely.

-So, I wish you both the very best of luck

with both of your second viewings.

-And please let us know what you decide.

-We will.

-Will do.

-And most importantly, good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for your time.

So, after great reactions in all three properties, really,

I'm chuffed that Claire and Rich think it's worth the effort to come

all the way back up here to North Yorkshire

and look at least two of the three we selected.

Now, it's pretty firm in my mind

that Claire's favourite is property number one.

She loved it as soon as she set eyes on it.

But if they do go to the Mystery House as well,

it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't pop in to Pateley Bridge

and visit an estate agent or two just to double-check

there hasn't been anything new come onto the market. Watch this space!

And my instincts were right.

Despite loving different elements of two of our properties,

Rich and Claire managed to find a house that they both love

near Pateley Bridge.

We wish them all the very best with their North Yorkshire move.

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