North Yorkshire Escape to the Country

I'm at the oldest gliding club in England and counts the most

pioneering woman in British aviation history as one of its past members.

Find out who this flying ace was and where I am in just a few moments.

Today, we're hoping to inspire a couple

in their search for a home in the country

and the creative juices are certainly flowing.

I could come up with some stunning recipes in here.

But have we got the right ingredients?

-Very compact.

-Yes.

-Very compact.

Today, I'm in North Yorkshire,

the Yorkshire Gliding Club at Sutton Bank.

Founded in 1934, young engineer Amy Johnson joined a few years after.

At the age of just 26 years old, she became the first female pilot

to fly solo from Great Britain all the way to Australia

and her record-breaking achievements made her a celebrity in her day.

Looking around, as you can see,

the gliding club today is still very much thriving

but I've got to say, the view of the North York Moors

which surround this gliding club from way up high in one of these

must be truly staggering.

North Yorkshire offers up some remarkable scenery,

boasting two national parks - the Yorkshire Dales to the west

and the North York Moors to the east.

The Moors cover over 500 square miles

and offers up incredibly diverse landscapes

including huge areas of sweeping heather,

distinctive dales and inland headlands.

With a rich vista over the vales of Mowbray and York,

James Herriot described the view from Sutton Bank

as "The finest view in England."

The parkland is also home to a host of picturesque villages

such as Thornton-le-Dale with its charming varied architecture.

The county features incredible coastline with its vast beaches,

white cliffs and rich nautical history.

It was in the coastal town of Whitby that Captain James Cook

learnt his seafaring skills.

No wonder then that around six million tourists flock to the area

every year.

The average price for a detached house here in North Yorkshire

is around £260,000, not far off the national figure

but you will pay a 10% premium

to live in places like Helmsley and Pickering

due to their proximity to the North York Moors,

which is a national park.

But perhaps surprisingly, a sea view is actually a cheaper option

and popular with retirees,

especially the coastal towns of Scarborough and Whitby.

So, what is attracting today's buyers to this area?

Well, let's meet them and find out.

Our couple, Alistair and Angela,

are just a short hop away in West Yorkshire.

For the last 11 years, the spa town of Ilkley has been their home.

We originally came to Ilkley

because it was a very, very nice town to live in

but it's getting more and more populated,

more buildings are going up and it's becoming a much busier town.

Alistair works in financial services and Angela is an internet retailer

but they feel the time is right to wind down professionally

to fulfil their country dream.

We've worked hard most of our lives and now is the time to move.

We're at the age now where with our son going off to university,

we have an opportunity to do what we have always wanted to do,

live in the country, start a business,

almost semi-retire but still have something to keep us occupied.

Angela is looking to the outside for a possible business venture.

Angela's idea of tents

and caravans, mobile homes, that kind of thing

is something that we have talked about and what we would like to do.

There are going to be peak periods

where you're going to get lots of campers coming,

bank holidays, the summer holidays.

They feel they have found the right landscape

for the next chapter in their lives.

I've been to North Yorkshire on a couple of occasions

and I liked the countryside, the feel of it, nice towns,

away from the hustle-bustle of city life.

As far as the house goes, there are some specific requirements.

The property, ideally, would be an older-type property

rather than something very modern.

One thing we must have

is some form of extra living accommodation for my parents

who may come and live with us.

We want the property to be ideally with some development potential.

And away from the property,

they would love to get outdoors to indulge their interests.

I like to socialise and, you know, I have a golfing background.

Depending how much ground there was,

you know, you could develop a little pitch and putt course.

One of the things we would like to do

is to have more time for ourselves

which would be golf, keeping chickens

and just enjoying the outdoors.

Their current house is on the market

and they have approximate figures in mind for their country escape.

The budget for the move is £600,000.

Alistair and Angela are after some unspoilt open space

and favour a period property so we will be starting our search

on the southern edge of the beautiful North York Moors.

I'm meeting up with them close to their search area

to find out more about what they're looking for.

-Well, good morning.

-Good morning.

-Welcome to North Yorkshire.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Not a million miles away from where you live, is it?

-No, it's about 50 miles, I guess.

-Right.

-I'm not from around here.

I got that. I picked that up. You're from slightly further north.

Now, this house you want to buy,

it needs to have a business or something attached to it.

-We'd like to have some form of income from it.

-OK.

One of the ideas that we were thinking about,

because we had seen a property where they had got land

and converted it into a camping facility...

That's a lot of work.

You know, you're not just sitting there collecting a bit of rent

from someone pitching up a tent.

You've got the shop to run.

It doesn't sound like a retired lifestyle.

No, no. It's probably not a total retirement that we want, is it?

-We quickly realised that.

-It's probably a change of lifestyle.

So, what kind of home are you looking for?

We're going to be on our own

apart from my parents who we would like to come and live with us

but ideally not in the same house.

We would prefer some kind of totally self-contained annexe

or a separate cottage or something like that.

So, we're looking for perhaps a fairly unique kind of property.

That might not be on the market at the moment.

Are you prepared to make that property suitable for your needs,

do work to it?

Yes, we've talked about this

and we're open to the idea of getting outside contractors in

to develop any potential building that we see that we like.

Last piece of the jigsaw - budget.

Well, £600,000 is our budget.

If you found us the perfect property that we could move into

with no further money to spend, we could go up to £650,000.

Sounds like you've given me quite a broad remit

so I think the best thing to do

is to show you three quite different properties.

-Are you ready to go?

-Love to. Yes.

-Let's go.

-OK.

For a maximum budget of £650,000,

Alistair and Angela have a big wish list.

They're looking for a period property with at least two to three bedrooms,

an annexe or separate living accommodation for Angela's parents,

some business potential possibly in the form of holiday lets,

and a good-sized plot that could be used as a campsite.

We've found some lovely properties to show our buyers in North Yorkshire

but I won't be revealing the price until the end of each tour.

The last will be a mystery house,

which could be outside their comfort zone

but might just turn out to be a property winner.

I often see people in your position

looking for a very...very much a lifestyle business.

I go back and see them two years later

and they're working all the hours that God sends seven days a week.

Yes, but if you enjoy it, it's what life is about, isn't it?

Because here is the thing -

-you are now talking about running a business together.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Two bosses.

-Oh, no.

-One boss.

-One boss.

I'm not even going to ask who that is. I think I already know, don't I?

To start the tour,

our first destination is the attractive village of Marton,

situated 10 miles east of the historic centre of Helmsley

and five miles west of the market town of Pickering

with its wide range of shops, tea rooms and pubs.

Rich in heritage,

Pickering is also known as the gateway to the Moors

for the thousands of walkers who flock to the area.

A 10-minute drive away, our first property is an 18th-century house

set in mature gardens in the centre of Marton.

Property number one is this one.

Right, OK.

-Not what I expected.

-So, what were you expecting, then?

I thought probably a detached property.

-Well, you are actually detached. That's just a linking wall, OK?

-Yes.

-That gable end - there's nothing touching there.

-Right.

But you're looking at this house and that extension to the side.

-Right, OK.

-So all of this.

-Right.

-I'm thinking big house, you guys.

-Yes.

-Smaller part, maybe your parents, Angela.

-Very good, yes.

-First impressions, Alistair?

-Yeah, much the same as Angela.

I thought it would be more...

-Open.

-Exposed, yeah.

You have got a space at the back but I'll show you later. Let's go inside.

This stone and brick house was originally built in 1784

with a later extension,

formerly the village shop, added in the 1900s.

OK, I just want to pause here briefly

because I think this might end up being one of the living rooms

if you split this house for you and your parents.

-OK?

-Yes, yes.

-So, bear this in mind. Let's start off in the kitchen.

OK.

-So, mind your heads.

-Right.

Very nice. It's a lovely kitchen. It's quite a good size as well.

-I love the range cooker.

-Yeah, you have always fancied a range cooker.

-I have, yes.

-There's nothing to do if you want to keep it as it is.

-Yes.

So this is, I think, your area, your kitchen-dining room.

You've got a lovely sunroom or conservatory just at the back there

-which doubles as another sitting room.

-Yes.

At the moment, we have got a lovely reception room

-at the far end of the building, which I think could be your parents'.

-OK.

-Let's take a look.

-Right.

-Mind your heads.

-OK.

-Heads again.

-OK.

-Now, look at this room.

Oh. That's nice, very nice.

There's lots of natural light flooding in.

It's a big room dimensionally but unfortunately,

-I'm thinking you're going to have to give it up to your parents.

-Yes.

I don't think you will be bending their arms very far at their back

to show them this room, will you?

No, I think they'd be really happy with this.

Separate staircase here going up to their own personal accommodation.

-Right.

-The only thing missing is a kitchen.

So what you have here is a small sunroom with a stud partition.

You can move it back a little bit, put a kitchenette in there

and you can get to it through its own self-contained entrance.

Not sure about them not having their own kitchen.

-It involves a bit of lateral thinking.

-It does, yes.

So, whilst you've got your parents' bedroom accommodation

up those stairs, let's go to the secret staircase, if you like,

to look at yours.

-OK.

-Mind your heads.

-Alright.

Perhaps not an overwhelming thumbs-up for the downstairs.

The first floor of the main part of the house

consists of three ensuite bedrooms

with fitted wardrobes and views to the front of the house.

The modern bathrooms all feature wood panelling

along with traditional sanitary ware.

So, all the way up here on the second floor...

Yes.

-We have what is currently being used as the master suite.

-Right.

-Very nice. I didn't realise there was another floor.

-It's a nice room.

-That worries me, that low beam.

-Yeah, that does me as well.

-Middle of the night.

-You've got options, of course.

-Yeah, sure.

But no. Nice surprise.

Let's go outside and have a look

at some accommodation that might generate some income.

-Right, OK.

-OK.

-Mind your heads and your step.

Set away from the main house lies a stone-built detached cottage.

It offers a kitchen-diner with wood-burning stove,

a living room with French windows,

a ground-floor bathroom and a first-floor double bedroom.

-Very nice. I like this.

-Very nice.

-Perfect.

Now, peak season, you know, the school holidays and maybe Christmas,

you can get anything between £600-£650 a week for this,

peak season.

Let's not forget you've got Pickering just round the corner.

Turnkey's done for you, isn't it?

-Yeah, the decor is lovely.

-Good.

-I like it.

The mature rear garden is a real feature of the property

with well-established vegetable plots

and an array of landscaped perennial borders.

There's a lot of gardens here, almost split into rooms, isn't it?

-It's beautiful. Really nice.

-It goes right the way back there.

-Just over I think it's about 1.1 acres.

-That's a lot. A lot of ground.

It's a problem for me

because although I'd like to have quite a bit of land,

I think this part of the garden looks as though

it is going to take an awful lot of upkeep.

Yeah, someone would love to do this but this isn't your bag, is it?

No, it isn't. It's beautiful but not us.

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

It's got the extra property there to let out

and it's got these fabulous gardens.

-I would estimate round about £599,000.

-OK.

-I would put a value of £580,000 on this.

-OK.

This place is on the market for offers around £630,000.

It's a bit of a warning sign, if you like, a shot over your bows,

of just how much a decent-sized property with letting potential

or some sort of income-generator will cost you.

-OK.

-Have a good look around.

See what you get for your money for that £630,000

and then we'll leave and go onto the next one.

-OK. Right. Thank you.

-See you later on.

-OK.

£20,000 under Alistair and Angela's maximum budget,

the first property is on the market for £630,000.

A detached two-storey cottage

and extensive gardens amounting to around an acre.

My initial thoughts when I saw the property

was that it was attached on one side.

I thought it would be on its own with land on either side.

As far as the far room is concerned, that's a beautiful sitting room

and I don't think my parents would have a problem with that.

There was the surprise of the other ongoing business

which is a holiday let, a nice little earner, you know,

for six months of the year.

I tell you what, if you bought this house,

you could live off the garden for about two years, I think.

-There is so much here, isn't there?

-I know.

An awful lot of fruit and vegetables.

-So, have you seen enough throughout the property?

-Yeah.

-Yes, I think so.

-OK. On to the next one, let's go.

-OK.

The historic centre of Helmsley

sits on the southern borders of the North York Moors.

On the outskirts of the town lies Duncombe Park Estate

where a beautiful walled garden

is the backdrop for the active promotion of horticultural therapy.

Alistair and Angela are seeking a large plot for their country move

so we sent them to meet garden manager Mike I'Anson

for some outdoor inspiration.

-Welcome to Helmsley.

-Thank you. It's absolutely beautiful here.

-Yeah, it's coming along nicely.

-The colours are fantastic.

I heard it used to be a derelict site.

It was, and in keeping with a lot of the Victorian gardens,

it became derelict after the First World War.

It had a little bit of a reprieve in the Dig for Victory campaign

and then in the '70s and '80s, it became a market garden

and in about the mid-'80s, something like that,

it went into total decline.

The gardens remained neglected until the mid-'90s

when a local lady reopened the gates

and inspired the community to restore the gardens to their former glory.

Mike, how long did it take you to bring the gardens back to life?

Well, it's taken 15 to 16 years.

Last year, we decided we were going to put a clematis garden in.

Today's community of gardeners that are here on site

will decide what we want to do within the garden.

So you don't have a master designer who plans all the gardens for you?

No, no. There is no grand design, there's no great big plan.

Up to 50 volunteers helped to create and maintain

this plantsman's paradise

and the gardens play and other important role within the community

through horticultural therapy.

Whether tending allotment plots or flower borders,

the benefits are clear.

People will come to us from mental health teams

or their GPs refer them to us.

Some guys self-refer to come to us.

-It's that feeling of well-being, I suppose. Yes.

-Absolutely.

You've got it in one. Absolutely. That well-being.

We hope to send people away at the end of a day's work here

feeling they've contributed.

We get an opportunity to talk to people

and to see where they are in their lives.

Gratification as well in sitting down to a meal

-that you have actually been involved in the growing of.

-Yeah, yeah.

It is, yes.

Alistair and Angela seem bowled over by these incredible gardens

and would love to create their own piece of horticultural paradise.

Does Mike have any tips for the novice gardener?

In cottage gardening, there's no rules, which is the best thing about it.

Find some plants that you like and put them in

and the idea is it's just any colour, anyhow, plant it how you want to plant it.

Clearly, if you've got some small plants, put them at the front and the bigger ones at the back

but after that, you can plant anywhere you want how you want.

-Is it really that simple?

-It's that simple.

Because we struggle and to achieve something like this

looks to me as though there is an awful lot of hard work involved.

It's in the preparation.

Clear the land first, put the plants in and plant densely.

Put a lot of plants in.

Well, thank you for showing us around the gardens.

They look stunning. It's absolutely beautiful.

Now that they have been inspired by the impressive Helmsley Walled Gardens,

let's see if we can up the stakes as we return to our house search.

For our second property, we're travelling five miles north of Marton

to the tranquil village of Hutton-le-Hole.

Situated in the North York Moors,

it's a popular tourist spot with beautiful scenery,

a village green complete with resident sheep

and an array of local crafts and businesses, including a chocolate factory.

Before I take the buyers to the house,

we're meeting up with Kevin Simms from the Ryedale Folk Museum

to give us a local perspective.

Now, you have an amazing museum here. Tell us a bit more about it.

Well, the museum is set in a site of about six acres.

It covers rural life over the last 3,000 years or so.

We start right back at the Iron Age and come right through to the 1950s.

What sort of figures to you get here tourist-wise coming through the doors?

We're anywhere between 35,000, 40,000 a year

but actually, through the village, we estimate about 100,000 a year.

The reason I'm asking about tourist figures and visitor numbers and hospitality

is because the house not only potentially deals with tourists

but also is located in this fantastic village.

-Very good.

-Good news?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Yeah.

-Kevin, thank you very much for your time. We'll see you again.

-Good luck.

-Thank you. Bye-bye.

A short walk away lies our second property,

offering some scope for a budding business.

This cottage, for you.

That building...

..this building starting from there all the way up,

that building, and the land beyond.

-So, basically everything apart from what is behind me now.

-OK.

And if we're to get this potential business,

there's a compromise on maybe your standards of living accommodation, the space that you're used to.

-Right.

-What's your initial thoughts, Alistair?

Um, well, I mean, there's certainly plenty of ground.

The one thing that I don't really like is the fact that the building is bang on the road again.

Well, let's start with the living accommodation.

-Again, there might be a few concerns but let's not pre-empt that.

-OK.

-Let's take a look.

Angela may not be bowled over by the location

but what will she make of the interior of the main cottage?

OK, so, very small kitchen.

Into the living room.

-Very compact.

-Yes.

-Very compact.

-Alistair's gone quiet.

-Yeah.

-Very quiet. That alarms me even more.

I like the natural stone and I like the beamed ceilings,

but it is small.

If we're centring this second property

on business potential, if you like -

you know, we're in the national park -

then the compromises are your living space.

As in hospitality, if you like, you get the short end of the straw.

What we've got to look at as well

is whether there's an opportunity to expand.

There is some planning consent elsewhere

to extend some of the holiday accommodation.

Well, upstairs, you've got a double bedroom

and a small double and a bathroom, OK?

Well, let's take a look at one of the letting cottages.

-Does that suit?

-Much better, thank you.

So, the two-storey cottage hasn't impressed.

Let's hope the holiday let shows more potential.

Right, so, this is one of the letting cottages.

OK.

As a letting cottage, I think it's absolutely brilliant.

Nice little dining area, sitting area. No, fine.

Now, this works really well for them

because it's got two double bedrooms and a bathroom.

-Right.

-Peak season, they'll get £600 a week.

I mean, we didn't take a look at one of the bedrooms in the main building.

Shall we have a quick look just so you know what you're dealing with?

Yes, please.

-A decent double here, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's quite a nice room.

Good. All right, now, let's start getting our heads around

what we maybe could do because personally, for me,

if this next bit of accommodation doesn't work for you,

this isn't going to work at all, is it?

-No.

-OK. Follow me.

A glimmer of hope, then, in the first letting cottage.

The second unit on the right features a separate living room

with a stone fireplace, a compact kitchen,

fitted bathroom and two good-sized bedrooms.

The family room on the end of this letting unit

could be combined with a new single-storey extension

to provide a permanent living space

for Alistair and Angela or her parents.

Tell me if I'm wrong - you like this letting accommodation.

-Yes.

-The letting accommodation, as it is, is brilliant.

And growth-wise, you've got stables in that barn.

You could maybe even speak to the local authority

-about getting some camping done on the land further up the back.

-OK.

Let's took a look at this land, then we'll guess the price.

-OK.

-OK.

So, then, land!

Obviously, you get this paddock

and it goes all the way up almost as far as you can see.

-Well, that is fabulous.

-Yeah?

-Absolutely fabulous.

-That's the kind of thing we were hoping for, yes?

-Mm-hm.

The holiday lets are what I was hoping for.

It's just the house.

How much, though, do you think this property's on the market for?

-It's very difficult. I would say £660,000.

-OK.

I would say probably around £620,000.

It's actually on the market, all that you've seen,

for around £580,000.

Right, OK. That's a good price.

Whilst we're here, you might as well have a good look around.

I think in particular the letting accommodation.

It's the last thing we do today so take as long as you like.

-OK, thank you very much.

-Great. Thank you.

-See you in a mo.

-Thanks, Jonnie.

-Thank you.

At £580,000,

the cottage complex is well under Alistair and Angela's budget.

It comprises a two-storey cottage, two holiday lets,

one of which could potentially be extended,

and grounds of around two acres

all in a very desirable village location.

As a business, this place is more like what we had envisaged.

Then we came to the wide open spaces and that just blew us away.

As far as the holiday cottages are concerned,

they're quite compact,

but for a holiday let, they are perfect.

But to live there - myself, Angela, her son and Angela's mum and dad -

it's just not big enough.

Right, then.

Are we all experts on self-catering accommodation now in North Yorkshire?

-I reckon so, yes.

-Yes. We've seen it all.

You've seen it all! Let's go back. Come on.

OK, thank you.

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

with Alistair and Angela from Ilkley in West Yorkshire

who have £650,000 to spend on their country relocation.

Coming up, our mystery property takes their breath away.

It's really nice and views to die for.

And I find out if I can form a bond with man's best friend.

Away! Away!

-Away!

-Oh.

-Sorry.

Someone's got the authority there, haven't they?

Well, if anything, I think yesterday showed

just how difficult it's going to be

trying to cram all that Alistair and Angela are after

into just one property, especially on their budget.

So, it's with a certain amount of relief

we're off to see the mystery house.

As you know, it's often something a bit quirky,

something to challenge the expectations of our buyers.

Now, if you remember yesterday,

they both told me they'd like to be in a village,

but then didn't react very well to having neighbours.

So, we're going to remedy that straightaway.

On top of this, I'd like to show them something nearer to the coast,

but also something with a bit of land.

Angela seems to have an obsession with running a business

with all the outside space you might get with a rural property.

If she wants land, well, we're going to give her spades of it.

What they do with all that land, well, that's up to them, isn't it?

For the mystery house, we've shaken up the location

and headed up through the Moors to the coast.

The property is just outside the village of Easington,

around 12 miles from the historic harbour town of Whitby

and a pebble's throw away from the seaside village of Staithes.

Once an important fishing community,

Staithes also boasts Captain James Cook

as a former resident when he worked as a greengrocer's assistant.

Today, the stunning geology, artistic pedigree

and charming harbour make it an ideal tourist destination.

Back up the road, the mystery house may not offer them

the living configuration they asked for,

but let's hope the coastal location is to Angela and Alistair's liking.

Well, as you can see, right in the heart of the national park.

The mystery house itself is this here.

What we're looking at is everything you see from there

all the way over to where the new orangey pantiles start.

-Right.

-So, it's a semi-detached farmhouse.

-It looks beautiful.

-Does it?

-Beautiful.

-I like it.

-Yeah?

-I do.

First impressions - fabulous, spot-on.

-That's all I want to hear. Let's go inside.

-OK.

The location doesn't seem to be throwing up any concerns.

This impressive stone farmhouse has been recently refurbished

and certainly offers up a real feeling of space and stunning views.

Straight into the big old farmhouse kitchen.

Brilliant. Oh, yes.

Beautiful kitchen. Absolutely beautiful.

I could come up with some stunning recipes in here.

-Good. You look relieved, Angela.

-I do.

I just...I just think, so far, what I've seen, it's fabulous.

The old range there, the floor is fabulous, the size.

I'm happy.

But we need to find you a home not that just impresses you

or wows you when you first walk in.

It's got to be suitable for you guys so let me explain.

Obviously, this big dining kitchen. A bit similar to the first place.

There's a sunroom creeping round the back there.

-OK.

-OK? All right?

Then we go into the rest of the ground floor accommodation this way.

-All right.

-Let's take a peek.

-OK.

OK, then, the main living room.

Again, it's really nice.

A fabulous fire and views to die for.

Yeah, this is a nice little living room, TV room. Fantastic, yeah.

I'm not sure this house cuts in half

for, you know, maybe the annex for your parents.

We've got another reception room -

albeit a rather smaller one - next door.

-Let's go and have a look at one of the bedrooms.

-OK.

The four double bedrooms are all located upstairs

and offer up fantastic countryside views.

They're served by a shower room and a spacious family bathroom.

And low and behold, guess what. The master bedroom also gets views.

Decent size.

Not huge, but you've got all your built-in wardrobes here, I suppose.

-Now, you've got bedrooms up here.

-Right.

Which could allow you to maybe separate the upstairs,

but hand on heart, I don't really think

the downstairs separates that well.

This conundrum, if you like, is all about just allocating rooms

if you want that separate living accommodation.

I think if the house is perfect and the location's perfect

and everything's right,

then if that's the compromise, that's the compromise.

Outside in the business element,

we haven't shown anything that really challenges you yet.

-No.

-Well, we're going to now. Follow me.

The lack of separate living accommodation

in our mystery house doesn't seem to have fazed Angela

due to the spacious interior.

And we've got some really exciting potential just out the back.

All that you can see straight ahead is included.

So, you've got that garage block there.

Straight ahead of you, those barns, they're included.

And they also have planning consent - one three-bedroom,

two two-bedrooms and one one-bedroom self-catering cottages.

-That's what we're after.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

Sounds too good to be true, this.

What do you think about the idea of building all that

or converting it and then running it?

No problem. That's what we want to do.

-Good news, then?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, certainly.

-It sounds just right for us.

-Does it?

-It does.

There's no point coming out to the countryside and not getting land.

And you've got that. Follow me.

Another plus for Alistair and Angela

and the outside space extends to around five acres.

-So, proper pasture land.

-It's perfect.

Oh, and the donkeys!

And there's one more surprise in store

as the paddock offers up a spectacular view.

What do you think?

It's incredible, isn't it? It just doesn't get any better.

And we're up a fair height looking down on the sea. It's fantastic.

Then, a yard the side of this post there

is the Cleveland Way.

You've got tourists, you've got walkers

pretty much going through your land if you want them.

Where do you think they want to come? Here.

Where do they want to stay in a cottage? Here.

The potential of what you could do - incredible.

How much do you think this house,

with all of its land and its planning permission,

is on the market for?

-I'd figure £680,000.

-OK.

I'd say probably about £670,000.

Well, the good news is this place is on the market

for offers around £599,950.

-Hmm.

-Right.

Obviously, it's going to need some cash to do the renovation work,

but well within budget.

Go and have a look. Look round the barns especially.

Take your time. I'll meet you whenever you're ready.

-OK. Good way to finish. Thank you.

-I'll admire the view.

OK.

Well, it needed to,

but I think the mystery house might have just done it.

We'll now find out whether or not it's maybe a bridge too far,

but it has all the basic ingredients they said they're after.

And look at that. Who wouldn't love to live with that?

Well under their maximum budget of £650,000,

the mystery property is a stone built farmhouse.

It doesn't come with an annex, but does have four reception rooms,

including the comfortable garden room and four good-sized bedrooms.

There are extensive outbuildings with business potential

and who could forget the pasture land with stunning sea views?

Oh! Alistair, the wood there - beautiful.

Nothing's spared here, in terms of...

Very nice.

..Design and cost. Yeah, very nice.

It's a house that isn't divided,

there isn't a separate area for my parents,

but I think because the house is so nice,

I'm sure that it's spacious enough for us all to live together.

I am impressed by all the other bits that come with this property.

Certainly, there's scope for the business. Definitely.

-All done?

-All done.

Does seeing those animals give you a taste of what it might be like living here?

-We did, yes.

-Loved the animals. Made some friends.

Good. Good. Well, you'll need them up here.

Now, hopefully, this particular option

has given you plenty to think about.

Why don't you go away and do just that and I'll meet you later on?

-All right, thank you.

-Good luck.

-OK.

Generations of farming have shaped the Moors as we see them today,

but the altitude and terrain of the uplands

creatures a particularly demanding environment

and there's a danger this way of life could gradually die out.

So, some local farmers have teamed up with the national park

to create a pioneering agricultural apprenticeship scheme.

I've come to meet coordinator Nola Atkinson

and local farmer Alan Jackson at Abbey Farm.

It's been a problem over the past few years

of getting enough people to work on the Moors.

-How are you combating it?

-It has.

We've started up a scheme because we found out

we don't have many of the younger generation

coming into upland hill farming.

It's lovely on a day like today,

but when you're three foot deep in snow and cut off from everyone

for a couple of weeks, it's not the most appealing job.

-Alan, you're a living, breathing upland farmer, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-Now, I understand, you take on these guys, these apprentices.

-Yeah.

Really tough, really, for a young lad coming into it.

It's more...not a lot of tractor driving.

A couple of the apprentices that we've got at the moment

have started helping out on local farms when they're lambing

and thought, "This is something I could get interested in and do a bit more of."

That's how we're getting them to come on the apprenticeship scheme.

Budding young farmers are trained in environmental work

such as dry-stone walling and managing the flocks on the moor.

The demanding terrain still calls for traditional methods.

-Is it still with dogs?

-Yeah, dogs and these things - your feet.

Obviously, you can't take machinery up there.

You can't take the quad bike.

We just all load up into the back of the pick-up

and go to our boundary,

bring all the sheep down off the moor.

And you'll teach these apprentices, what, how to use sheepdogs, then?

Yeah, yeah, we try to do, yeah.

I understand you've got a couple of people on the farm today

that teach the apprentice how to use the dogs.

Yeah, we can get Bob and Jackie to come down

and they breed sheepdogs, they train sheepdogs

and they train people how to use sheepdogs.

A well-trained sheepdog works in close partnership with its handler,

often forming a lifelong bond.

Training normally starts when the pups are around six months

to a year old, when they're eased into their work.

I'm meeting up with Bob and Jackie for some apprenticeship tips.

Now, while you might start training them early,

I suppose, I mean, they're bred for just this task, aren't they, Jackie?

-Generations.

-Generations.

-Generations of dogs, yes.

Imagine I'm an apprentice.

Could I possibly have...?

What would be my first lesson?

To your right is 'away' command and to your left is a 'by'.

So, the dog is looking at you. His 'away' is his right.

Wherever he looks at you, he's right-handed or right-pawed.

So, I've got to turn it around? Right, OK.

-That's clever.

-It's difficult. I have to write it on my hands.

-Away! No, not a 'by'.

-Go on, go on, go on.

-Again.

-Away! Away!

-Away.

-Oh.

-Sorry.

-Someone's got the authority there, haven't they?

-Stop there.

Stop there!

Not stopping.

Sheepdogs typically respond to about five different voice commands,

along with eye contact, whistles, hand signals and body language.

See, if I want him to go to the left now,

I would say 'by', even though it's my right.

Come by.

-Just walk.

-Just walk. Walk.

It's amazing the...

The accuracy of a few words stops him.

-I'm quite pleased with that!

-That's it. Stop there.

Now, Shep, you could have made an absolute fool out of me,

but you actually obeyed me on a few occasions.

-I was glad of your voice sometimes.

-It is quite addictive.

-Yes.

-Yeah, I imagine so.

-You'll end up having to buy a field

and get some sheep if you're not very careful.

Bob, Jackie and Shep, thank you all very much.

-Great to meet you all.

-Thank you.

It's great to see traditional methods still being promoted

and I hope the apprenticeship scheme continues to attract

more young farmers.

Well, it's pretty clear that Angela and Alistair

have only one property to consider.

So, let's see if the mystery house

and the North York Moors have worked their magic.

Now, then, I think we know

there's only one property in the running, don't we?

The mystery house.

What is it now, on reflection,

that makes it so attractive to you, Alistair?

We do like the building.

The decor inside of the house and all the rooms were pretty much...

We wouldn't need to do anything much there.

Apart from developing the holiday units.

-Well, that's the main bit.

-Yeah.

The good thing is it's below budget

so it would give us a bit of spare cash to start on one.

-Yes.

-Start the first one.

I mean, yeah, realistically,

the £50,000 under budget that you're saving at the moment,

that's, as you rightly say, that's to start that huge project.

Yes, yes, yes.

-So, very positive response from you, Alistair.

-Yeah.

-Angela, the same?

-Very much so.

I think the next step, as far as we're concerned,

is to get my parents over there

because although we fell in love with the place,

it's now a question of whether my mum and dad

-would be happy to live there.

-Yeah.

The place is very much what we were looking for.

You've got the countryside on one side

and then the open sea on the other.

It's what I...

-The best of both worlds.

-What I kind of dream of.

-I wish you the very best of luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Whatever you decide, do let us know what you do, won't you?

-We will do. Thank you very much.

-Thanks for your help.

We were up against it, weren't we?

It looks like we pulled it out of the bag

at the last minute with the mystery house

and I think that's partly due to the fact

that we took a step away from their fairly strict shopping list

and focused primarily on providing them with a home.

And once we'd done that,

once Angela had fallen in love with the idea of being in the countryside,

living in that big farmhouse,

everything else seemed to just fall into place.

Their idea of running a business, developing those cottages

and all that land, well, it tickled both of their fancies, didn't it?

And Angela's also confident that her parents will like it in equal measure.

So, hopefully, the second viewing will go according to plan

and they'll both soon be escaping here

to the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside very soon.

See you next time.

Alistair and Angela are still very interested in our mystery property,

but are waiting for an offer on their own house

before taking matters further.

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