Cumbria Escape to the Country

You may be surprised to learn that this huge rock established

a very solid connection with royalty just over 100 years ago.

Find out why and which county I'm in in just a moment.

On today's show, we're helping a couple find a rural home where

they can expand their business and surround themselves

and their family in nature. There's plenty that appeals.

We like.

-I'm glad.

-We like.

-I thought you would.

It's just a question of how best to make use of it.

What you going to do with all that?

-Lots of chickens.

-Chickens?

Today, I'm in Cumbria

and right in the heart of the Lake District is this, the Bowder Stone,

weighing some 2,000 tonnes and standing 30 feet tall.

Now, the stone itself came to the attention of the royal family

in 1910 when King Edward VII died.

His sister, Princess Louise -

who was then president of the National Trust,

who owned this area -

thought it would make a fitting tribute to her deceased brother.

And as you're about to see, this is not the only natural wonder

that Cumbria has to offer.

Situated in the most north-western corner of England, Cumbria borders

Scotland to the north and Lancashire and North Yorkshire to the south.

The county is perhaps most famous for the singular

beauty of its Lake District National Park,

which encompasses some of the country's most awe-inspiring

landscapes, including 16 pristine lakes

formed by glacial meltwater millennia ago.

To the north is Derwentwater.

Known as queen of the lakes, this shimmering arc is

studded by densely wooded islands and surrounded by majestic fells.

One of the finest views of the lake can be seen from Ashness Bridge.

Thanks to its extraordinary setting,

this old pack horse bridge has become one of the most

photographed landmarks in the whole of the Lake District.

Just outside the eastern fringes of the National Park is Penrith.

This handsome market town is distinguished by the local

rust red sandstone used in many of its elegant buildings.

William Wordsworth spent some of his school years in the town and

lived most of his life in Cumbria,

describing the area as "the loveliest spot that man hath found".

A sentiment shared by the many visitors who continue to be

inspired by the elemental beauty of this extraordinary county.

The average price of a detached home here in Cumbria is just over

£231,000, undercutting the national figure by about £27,000,

making this county pretty good value for money.

Now, having said that, the desirability for living

within the Lake District National Park will mean you pay

an extra 20% for your country home.

Now, heading north, as you come out of the Lake District National Park,

property prices do come down,

especially as you approach the Scottish border.

So whereabouts are today's house buyers looking to head?

Let's meet them and find out.

Russian-born Natalie and Guy, who's Israeli, have had homes in the

United States and in Israel, which is where they met 21 years ago.

But Guy's job as a technical manager in the medical industry

brought them to the UK and they've lived here for the past six

years in this four bedroom new-build in Warrington.

The movers confirm that they're keen to make this country home.

But since they arrived, their family has expanded

and they're craving a less complicated life, closer to nature.

When we moved here, we had just one kid.

You know, we were very, very mobile.

Now we have three kids, now we want to leave the house, it all takes longer and that's why

we want to be, you know, closer to the things that we want to do,

meaning the outdoors.

So instead of getting everyone in the car and driving somewhere,

we want to be able to just leave the house

and do that freely with the kids.

It's just very, very busy from one thing to another

and we just really, really need the quiet now and we need the

switch off because that's something that's really missing at the moment.

Natalie and Guy are looking forward to embracing some of the rural

pursuits they'll have access to in the countryside

and are hoping they'll have a positive influence

on their family life.

We would like to do more things together.

We would like to grow veggies. We would like to have, you know, erm...

chickens and I like bees as well.

I know Natalie's not keen but I do.

We want, you know, the kids to deal less with computers

and more with outdoors.

I think you can, if you have this rural house with things to do

outside, you can just get them out and do something together.

Yeah, instead of going straight to the laptop, why not go out

and feed the chickens?

-I'm sure they'll enjoy that one.

-Yeah.

Natalie, who is a graphic designer,

runs a business creating products for children's bedroom interiors

and she's hoping the move will offer her the scope to scale it up.

The business started in 2009 and it started small with a few

products and a few orders a week. And at this time,

to cope we really need to expand and have more space,

so we will be looking for a workshop, good size, erm...

Yes, and this will solve quite lot of our issues.

With his work in the medical industry,

Guy's on the road a lot travelling throughout the country,

which means they could be flexible about where they choose to move.

In spite of this, they've singled out Cumbria as their county of choice.

I love Cumbria. I just think that it's, you know,

it's a beautiful place.

So, erm, for us it was a no-brainer.

-We're not worried very much about the weather, are we?

-No, we're not.

That's another thing. A lot of people say that,

"Oh, it's cold north and rain."

My reply is always, "I love the weather."

We came from a warm and humid place,

so we love it here compared to another place that's it's just

sunny all the year round and you just take it for granted.

So here you can really appreciate nice days.

The last thing to establish is the figure they have in mind for a Cumbrian countryside home.

Our budget for the move is between 400 and £500,000.

We're focusing our search to the north of the county

and because of the travel Guy does with his work,

we're staying within a half-hour drive of the M6.

I'm catching up with them to learn a little bit more about their move.

So welcome, both of you, to... Well, beautiful Cumbria.

Now, what's prompted this move?

The outside space is the big thing for you, isn't it?

Yeah, it's really, really important for us.

Erm, for us personally and for Natalie's business.

We want more space for our family. We want to be able to go outside

and do things with the kids, so it's really, really important all round.

-Give them a childhood to really remember, I suppose.

-Yeah, yeah.

Now, this business, this is going to have an impact on the houses

we can show you. So what sort of space do you require for your work?

We do need a nice size workshop-studio.

So how big does this studio or room need to be?

I would think that it should be roughly around 30 to 50

square metres. I mean, it should be a good-sized room or rooms.

All right, so that's a pretty big room or studio, isn't it?

Now what about the house itself? You've got, what three children?

How many bedrooms you after?

Four bedrooms and up.

That's one for you two and one each for the children.

But maybe a spare room as well.

It's being more towards the rural side.

We're going to have family coming around

and we do need some more space, you know, to accommodate guests.

So what about outside, the surroundings of the house?

-We'd like to have about an acre. Around an acre.

-An acre?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-And...

-Could be more, but erm...

-Oh, more?

-Yeah. I would say, erm...

He likes potential.

Because you're looking for a house with some land,

it could be a converted barn or a farmhouse. Yes or no?

Not as much farmhouse or barn.

We're looking more to have some kind of historic house with

-Victorian or...

-Yeah.

-Georgian, something like that.

It's very, very important for us to have high ceilings

so, you know, we don't feel cramped.

It is quite a bit different from what we have in our mind,

-but I suppose you can be smitten by a space on the spot.

-You can be...

Sometimes you open the door and think,

"Well, not what I had in mind but...

-"I love it."

-But wow, yeah.

All right, just finally, what about budget?

-Our budget is 400,000 stretching all the way to £500,000.

-OK, and that...

Well, that big gap between four and five is what?

Spending money on the house if it needs it?

Yes, we take into account that we might need to convert

a workshop into a studio,

so that will take some budgeting.

And perhaps doing some things in the house.

We are prepared to do some work to bring it to where we want it to be.

OK, well, look...

We've got three very different properties lined up for you.

Let's get started, shall we?

BOTH: Yeah.

With a maximum budget of £500,000,

Guy and Natalie are looking for a spacious period home

with four bedrooms and at least an acre of land.

For Natalie's business, they'd like a large workshop,

or at least the potential to create one.

And they're hoping to be within half an hour's drive of the M6

for Guy's work.

We've found three attractive

and distinctly different Cumbrian homes for them to view.

And after we've had a look around,

I'll be getting them to have a guess at the price.

One of them will be our mystery house,

which could offer them an unexpected side income.

So what do the children think about this big move to the countryside?

-We promised them pets, so...

-Bribing them with animals.

..that's a bit of a distraction.

What kind of pets?

Well, I think their idea of pets is pretty much rabbits

and our idea of animals is more towards the chickens and bees.

A pet chicken and pet bee.

Your kids must be raring to come to the countryside.

We begin our search nine miles east of the M6 junction at Penrith

in the hamlet of Newbiggin, which sits in the Eden valley.

Two miles away is Temple Sowerby, an attractive village

with one or two amenities centred around a village green.

It also has a primary school, which would be handy for Guy

and Natalie's three children.

Our first house, a four-bedroom Victorian home set well back

from the road, is a five-minute drive away.

So the first property we're going to have a look around is an old

-hunting lodge.

-Looks very impressive outside.

Well, Victorians did build impressive buildings, didn't they?

You can expect to see high ceilings inside, lots of original features.

-So, want to look inside?

-Definitely, yes.

-Let's go in.

-Let's go.

This former hunting lodge dates back to the 1800s and was originally

one of the buildings belonging to nearby Newbiggin Hall.

-So come on in. Straight into the kitchen.

-Uh-huh.

-What do you think?

-Erm...

-Quite cosy.

Cosy's not always a good thing.

Yeah, erm, cosy meaning that it's not on the big size

but it is quite well proportioned.

Yeah, it's... The layout could be changed if we wanted.

It is possible to make this a bigger kitchen.

I understand where you're coming form.

You might want to reconfigure this kitchen

but I think, as you'll see throughout this house,

with a few further reception rooms,

you could adapt this very well to be a family home.

So let's have a look at one of the reception rooms.

So this is one of the two reception rooms this side of the house.

Yeah, that's a beautiful fireplace.

All the fireplaces you'll see around this house,

and there are a number of them, are all original and working,

which is what you want from a country house, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Quite big windows, which is very good.

What about the room proportions?

-It's, again, on the cosy side.

-There's lots of rooms here, OK?

So you've got this as a formal living room

or drawing room, if you like.

You've got a formal dining room the other side of the hallway,

you've got the kitchen you just walked through

and then you've got another, what they call a snug that side.

So... If you want an older property, you're going to have formal rooms.

Let's got to he master bedroom.

It's pretty clear that what we've seen

so far isn't quite measuring up for Guy and Natalie.

Let's see if the rest of the house offers the dimensions they're after.

Upstairs, there's a family bathroom and three double bedrooms and,

up another set of stairs, there's a cosy twin bedroom in the attic.

-So the master of four bedrooms in total.

-Nicely done again.

The other bedroom, the other side of this built-in wardrobe, that has a

small en-suite shower and loo,

but the owners use this as their master just because...

Well, they prefer the view and the light that comes in here.

What do you think, Natalie?

I think it's a little bit smaller than what we have in mind.

OK, you want big rooms, don't you? By the sounds of it.

Yes, yes.

For our buyers, space is clearly an issue with this house

but outside, there is a roomy garage that could be converted into

a workable space for Natalie's business.

And there's also a large, attractive garden.

All in all, you get an acre. The plot is an acre.

So you've got room for...

Well, you've got room for your chickens and the likes.

And, well, you would kick a football around up here, couldn't you?

Yeah, it's a really, really nice plot and it's again, well maintained

and quite an impressive size.

So after this brief tour around the property,

how much do you think it's on the market for?

Based on the plot size and the house,

I would guess that it's around £350,000.

-Natalie?

-I would think, erm, not taking in account the location -

which we're not familiar with - I would think 390.

You mention you're not familiar with the location - it kind of shows.

This house is on the market for offers around £495,000.

-Location.

-We were quite a bit off.

Well, look, go back into the house, have a chat amongst yourselves

and I'll meet you outside whenever you're done.

Just below our couple's maximum budget at £495,000,

this attractive Victorian property has three reception rooms,

four bedrooms, and plenty of original period features.

Outside, there's a one-acre garden,

and a garage that Natalie could use as a workshop for her business.

My, this is a good size. There is another room over there.

-And I see there is power...

-Yeah.

-..and concrete floor, which is very good.

-That's fine, yeah.

-Absolutely fine.

-Yeah, very good potential.

Well, the house is beautiful from the outside.

It's situated in wonderful, mature gardens which are low-maintenance.

I think for the kids, it will be nice.

I think that the surroundings are pretty much what we wanted.

As we came inside,

I thought the house is well presented and well kept.

It's just that the rooms are a bit small for what we want.

The workshop caters to our business just perfectly, really.

We could work from that space. It definitely covers what we need.

It is a lovely family home but for us

it really comes back to the size of the space.

We are looking for, I suppose, a more grand feel of the house.

Overall, a very nice property for the right people.

Erm, that unfortunately won't be us.

-Look at this, the sun's come out. It's beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-So have you seen enough inside the house?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Good. On to the next one, then.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

In the heart of the Lake District National Park is the Honister Pass,

one of the highest and steepest mountain passes in Cumbria.

This desolate but hauntingly beautiful place was once

busy with teams of men,

extracting sought-after Honister green slate from deep within

Fleetwith Pike, the imposing 2,000ft fell that towers over the pass.

This desirable natural resource has been mined here for

hundreds of years, but its peak was in the 19th century,

when more than 100 men were employed here

and production reached 3,000 tonnes a year.

Removing the slate from this precipitous location was

a costly exercise, and the arrival of cheaper alternatives from abroad

eventually brought activity here to a standstill and, for years,

the site remained derelict.

But in 1997, a local entrepreneur bought the mine and opened it to the

public to help keep the history of this important local industry alive.

Barry Surtees is the mine's marketing manager.

So what makes the slate here in Honister so special?

Well, our slate is totally unique in the United Kingdom.

In fact, in the world. It will last roughly 300-plus years.

OK, so it's got much more longevity. Why is that?

-Is it more dense, or...?

-It's dense and it's very hard

and it's very resistant.

It's been in that mountain for 450 million years,

so it's going to last a bit longer.

That's a good way of putting it.

We're lucky that our slate's so good that even the Queen has

-it on her roof at Buckingham Palace.

-Oh.

Absolutely, and it's on all the stores in Regent Street,

so all the main big buildings in London have our slate on the roof.

Got some fairly exalted customers, then.

The slate was formed from layers of volcanic ash that has been

compressed over hundreds of millions of years

and comes from three huge seams within Fleetwith Pike.

-So, Barry, we're surrounded by mines, then, are we?

-Absolutely.

Up there, there's ten miles of tunnels in that mountain.

Goodness me. Inside that face, if you like.

Yeah, ten miles of tunnels.

I can see bits of timber along this track here.

-Does that mean there was a railway here?

-Yeah, absolutely.

In Victorian times, they got so fed up of dragging slate up

and down this mountain that they actually built railways in the

most extraordinary places.

-This was one railway, which went up to the end here.

-Yeah.

And then at the other side, you can't believe,

but they built three railways right to the top of the mountain.

It's quite extraordinary.

What did they do before the railways?

Cos mining obviously predates the railways.

What they used to do was actually bring the slate down on sleds,

which was quite a dangerous occupation to do

because it's a hell of a weight.

Heck of a weight.

Erm, and some of the Victorian visitors of the day would come up

here in charabancs and realise that there was something happening,

so the miners would come sledding down and the visitors were

so impressed they would throw them coins.

Which was a nice little earner for them

but, of course, the mine manager wasn't very happy about that.

But it certainly provided a lot of entertainment

for people coming up here.

-I mean, these sleds that you talk about...

-Hmmm.

You load that up with slate, how on earth do you control it?

I don't know. I mean, they didn't have any health and safety

-and I think they just got on with it.

-Just let gravity do its work.

-Gravity do its work. These men were fearless.

-They really were.

Totally fearless.

To help give visitors an idea of the extreme conditions these men

endured, a cable walkway known as a via ferrata, has been

set into the mountain following the vertiginous route the miners

took each day, rain, hail or shine.

Joe Weir, one of the mine owners, is going to show me the ropes.

So what's the technique here? I'm tied in...

Really, there only is one thing that you have to remember.

When you come to the junction, just take one of them off

and then with the same hand, you come back to that.

-Oh, right, so there's always...

-There's always one clipped on.

-You can't be standing there with two carabiners.

-Got you.

-So, can we go up there?

-Yeah, we can have a go if you're up for it.

-Not frightened of heights?

-Not frightened of anything, my friend.

"Via ferrata" is Italian for "iron road"

and it's a system that was used in the First World War to move

troops and equipment safely over mountainous terrain.

I tell you what, I wouldn't fancy carrying

a load of slate on my back coming up here, would you?

I would not, no.

This circuitous route made getting home each night difficult.

So a lot of miners stayed on the mountain all week,

in stone bothies that they'd built themselves,

the ruins of which can be seen from the path.

Well, Joe, it's an amazing insight into just how hard

the life of a Victorian miner was up here but I must say,

it's also a lot of fun to get involved in. Thanks very much.

It's a pleasure. No problem. Thanks for coming.

I'll come again, don't worry about that.

Back to our property search and we're heading 30 miles north to the

rural hamlet of Parton Wigton, which is a 25-minute drive from the M6.

For provisions,

the appealing village of Kirkbride

lies eight miles north of the property,

where amenities include a post office and a sports club.

Our second offering is just down the road and it's Georgian,

one of our couple's preferred architectural styles.

So with property number two,

we've gone bigger and hopefully better. What do you think?

-Wow, wow, wow.

-Yes, big smile on the face.

-And wows.

-Three wows.

-Good. Why? Cos it's big?

-It's Georgian.

It looks right from the outside, spot on.

-Erm...

-Yeah.

-Very, very excited.

-I like the elevated position of the house.

-Yeah.

It's watching over the valley, it... It's absolutely spot on.

And also, the Georgians were massive show-offs.

"Look at me and my big house," and you would, wouldn't you?

-Yes, we, I suppose as well.

-Well, this could be you.

So these are great impressions first off.

-It'll get better inside. Let me show you.

-Oh, right.

The property, which is thought to date back to the 1820s,

has been renovated over the last 15 years by the

current owners, who have managed to retain

many of the original factures.

-So, a rather grand entrance hall.

-Yes, definitely, we like.

I'm glad. I thought you would. Let's start off with the kitchen.

-It's big.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Good.

Now then...

Wow.

-That is big.

-That's nice.

-That is big and that is very, very nice.

I wanted to say it's absolutely spot on, but it's...

-It's probably above that.

-So it's exceeding your expectations?

-That's great.

-Oh, yeah.

-You like history, don't you?

-You like old properties.

-Yes.

If you look at this detail in this cornicing - which is original -

-it's just something else, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

-Well, if you like this room...

-Yes.

-you'll probably like the next one.

All right.

-So, rather elegant living room.

-Yes.

-Nice.

-Absolutely beautiful.

Magnificent features, so much detail.

This is way, way beyond my expectation, erm...

To be honest, so I'm a bit, erm... Erm... You know...

Lost for words, by the sound of it.

It's really, really nice.

Adjoining the living room is an attractive formal dining room

and below there's a large cellar, handy for extra storage.

Upstairs, beyond the light-filled landing, the four double bedrooms

have large windows offering great views across the countryside.

Three are served by a family bathroom and the master has an en-suite.

So...

-Here we are. What do we think?

-It's lovely.

-Again, beautiful.

Big, erm, good proportion. Plenty of room around the bed, erm...

Big sized room, which is excellent. Lovely, lovely fireplace.

-Just beautiful and the views here are amazing.

-Yeah.

-It's a great house, isn't it?

-It's, you know...

From the moment we saw this house from the outside,

it got to a very, very high level and it's just staying there.

-It's absolutely superb.

-We wanted a grand house and that's what it is.

Yeah, just that.

Now, you did say you wanted a studio, somewhere to work from home.

We've got something in mind for that. Follow me.

So far, this house really seems to deliver

what our couple are looking for and I have a feeling

they won't be disappointed by what's on offer outside.

Apart from roughly three quarters of an acre of land, where there's

more than enough land for Guy to keep his chickens and bees,

there's also a 1,400-square foot workshop that has Natalie's

name written all over it.

So...you're after somewhere big enough where you could work,

maybe as a studio.

-Right, this is...

-Proper, proper size.

-Yeah.

-You can do anything you want in here, really.

-Yeah.

This is just for the studio sort of stuff and storage.

On top of this, you've got a self contained home office.

-Your empire could go and go and go here.

-Yeah.

It's amazing.

Yeah, we asked for quite a big outbuilding workshop,

and this is even bigger.

Let's go outside and start thinking

about how much this is all going to cost.

So the house takes on a completely different look from this side,

-doesn't it?

-Yes, very different.

Which isn't unusual for Georgian property, actually.

-It's different in a good way.

-It's nice.

-It's as if you're having, you know, two different houses.

-In one.

I know what you mean. You almost have got a few different houses

and you've got that huge double garage there.

Above that, there's a converted playroom.

And then next door, what's thought to be maybe servants' quarters,

you've got self contained two-bed accommodation here.

-It's...huge.

-It is very impressive.

-It is very impressive.

So how impressive is it as regards to price?

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

-Well, I would say 500.

-£500,000.

-Hope.

-Oh, you're hoping?

-Yes.

Right, OK.

-What do you think, Guy?

-I would think that it's, erm...

Based on the size and the way it looks, it's got to be over budget.

I would go for £520,000.

OK. Well, it's on the market for offers of around £525,000,

so you're not far off.

Well, this is your opportunity to go and have a good look around

-and really enjoy yourselves. All right?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

Catch you later.

This elegant Georgian home is above budget at £525,000,

but the owners are open to offers.

It has a large kitchen, two reception rooms

and four double bedrooms.

There's also an adjoining self-contained cottage

which offers two more bedrooms, perfect for visiting family.

Outside, there's around ¾ of an acre of land,

an office and a large workshop.

-Mind the steps here. Wow.

-That's proper space. Quite amazing.

-This is really, really big.

-Wow, that is a good size room.

My first reaction was "wow" and it continued all the way through.

Every room that we went to. It's a nice, nice house.

Quite amazing. I'm very, very impressed.

The features, right when you just open the door, you can see

the ceilings and the cornices, all the wonderful original features.

The surrounding area is beautiful. I feel that we can just go out,

you know, walking and cycling together as family,

so the opportunities are absolutely endless.

I can see the children enjoying the outside.

I can see them playing a lot of hide and seek and not finding each other.

The size of the workshop is absolutely amazing.

We wanted a big workshop, but it's even bigger than what we, erm...

thought we need.

This means that Natalie will be able to grow the business even further.

We can see this as our family home.

For many years it can cater to our business needs

and as far as I can see, beyond.

I didn't know which door to stand outside because this property's

-so big. But you've managed to see everything, have you?

-Yes.

-Took a while.

-It's a massive place.

-It is massive, yeah.

-Two happy customers?

-It's wonderful.

-Yeah, very happy. Beyond happy.

Beyond happy? That sounds good to me. Let's go back.

It's the second day of our property search

and with a budget of £500,000,

Guy and Natalie are leaving the Cheshire town of Warrington

and looking to the open wilds of Cumbria

to find space to expand a business

and discover a more wholesome way of life for their family.

Still to come, our final house offers an unexpected bonus.

What would you think if I was to tell you that that's included?

So it has lots of pluses.

Well, I think we're going to take a gamble today

with the mystery house,

as property number two seems to be pretty hard to beat.

First off, it's a farmhouse, something that Natalie

and Guy said they weren't particularly keen on looking at.

And second of all, well,

it's 40 minutes' drive to the M6 motorway.

But if Guy's prepared to do that extra commute,

they'll both be rewarded in living in a house that takes advantage

of this wonderful scenery. Let's see how we go.

Our final property takes us to Alston, in the east of the county,

close to the Northumberland border.

It's an attractive village set high in the sparsely populated

North Pennines within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Before we have a look at the mystery house, I'm stopping off in the

village with Natalie and Guy to show them some of what it has to offer.

Now, this market town holds the accolade of being the highest

market town in the country, about 1,000 feet above sea level.

-What do you think?

-It's beautiful.

-Beautiful.

-Very picturesque.

-Absolutely beautiful.

-You've got all the facilities you need here.

Now, one of the first compromises is the area itself.

-We're about 40 minutes' drive to the M6 junction at Penrith.

-OK.

-Yeah?

-But what a drive, over those Pennines.

-Yeah, beautiful.

Scenic and absolutely beautiful.

Well, you've got schools here within the town.

The house we're about to see is just a few minutes' drive up there.

-OK.

-Ready? Let's go.

Set at the end of a long, private driveway

and surrounded by miles of gorgeous countryside is our last house.

So we are now very rural.

What do we think of looking around a farmhouse?

It is very pretty.

It's also something you said you didn't really want to look around.

Yeah, but we also said we are very open to other things.

-Yeah.

-Good.

-And I love the setting.

What do you think about being so close to another property?

It has some, you know, pluses and some...

What would you think if I was to tell you that you would own

that property as well? That's included.

-Oh, so it has lots of plusses.

-Right. OK.

-Good?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-You look freezing. Shall we get you inside? Come on.

Let's go.

Both properties date back to 1896,

one is the farmhouse where we're heading now.

The other was its barn, which we'll take a closer look at later.

-So, first reception room.

-Right, it is lovely.

-It's lovely. Yeah.

-Nice and warm and cosy.

-It is warm, yes, compared to outside.

Now what do you think about the ceiling height?

Because I think one of the reasons why you didn't want an old farmhouse

is because you thought it might be low ceilings and dark inside.

Yeah, these are high ceilings so, erm, good size. Good size, yeah.

-Beautiful fireplace.

-Beautiful fireplace, yeah.

Now that's a working fireplace, that wood-burning stove.

Next door in the other reception room - currently laid

out as a dining room - we've got another working fireplace as well.

So you've got two reception rooms at the front of the house plus

you've got an ex-dairy room next door,

which could be anything you want it do be.

-Let's keep looking around.

-All right.

-Let's go.

So the back of the house, the kitchen has, well,

some amazing views.

-Oh, right, yeah. It's very nice.

-Wow, wow, wow.

-Well, heard the wow word again, that's good.

-Yeah, three times.

Now, as in any farmhouse worth its salt,

you get a range, which is electric fired, not oil fired,

which a lot of them are.

And you've got a utility just through that room there,

and a loo. Now, I'll, you know, make no bones about it,

this is no way near as big as the kitchen in property number two.

-Yeah.

-But again, has that nice farmhouse feel.

It feels very warm and inviting.

We've got, including this kitchen, four, good sized rooms on the

ground floor and upstairs is the same, so let's go and take a look.

They do seem to genuinely like this place, but I'm just not

entirely sure that it's managed to compete with house number two.

Upstairs, the four bedrooms are all doubles, one of which is being used

as a guest room-cum-office and they all share a family bathroom.

-So this is what the owners use as a master.

-Yeah. Size is good.

-Good, big.

-Lovely window.

Yeah, again, these views are just to die for.

Now, I'm not entirely sure you'd use this as your master bedroom.

The owners chose this as it's the only bedroom up here that

doesn't have a fireplace and they wanted storage along one wall,

but each of the four bedrooms are of equal size.

-But the rest of them have lovely feature fireplaces in.

-Right.

So I think you may want to use the other next door,

-that benefits from the same view.

-We may.

-All right.

This is one of the buildings.

Shall we go and have a quick look at the other one?

Yeah, excellent.

Even though it's a farmhouse, they don't seem to be

put off by the style of this place, which I'm really pleased with.

And I'm looking forward to seeing what they make of the barn

next door as it gives them a few interesting options to think about.

-So, you also get this.

-Oh, wow.

-That's a very big, nice space.

This is used as holiday let, self catering.

This side of the property, three-bedroom letting accommodation.

And then, see that door there?

You can link it up to the cottage next door,

which also has its own entrance,

and that is a two-bedroom self-contained cottage.

Yeah, and this is a business.

This cottage sits within a fairly touristy area.

You've got footpaths everywhere.

You've got a footpath almost crossing over your land here,

but you've also got the coast-to-coast cycleway

that runs past your property.

I mean, you can get around £500 a week for this in peak season.

Now, as you're working from home, you may want to use a three-bedder

and rent that out and you keep the two-bedder

to run your business from, or vice versa.

It is a possibility, I mean, it is a good size to do as we wish.

OK, well, look, that's something to think about

and obviously something to explore later on.

-Let's go outside and have a look at the land.

-Yeah, sounds good.

Our couple said they really wanted to immerse themselves in nature.

Well, this place certainly delivers on that front.

They'd be completely surrounded by it here with plenty of fantastic

walks right on their doorstep.

So, let's talk land.

-You wanted one acre, yeah?

-Yeah, if possible.

-You've got five.

-Oh.

-So, what are you going to do with all that?

-Lots of chickens.

Chickens, bees.

Lots of chickens, lots of bees.

This is the outdoor person's paradise, isn't it?

Yeah, it's lovely.

Let's start thinking about how much this place is on the market for.

I would think that it's right at the top of our budget,

I would go with £500,000.

-OK, Natalie?

-I would think 550.

-Yeah.

Because of all the business, it can be complete lifestyle. Yeah.

-Well, it's on the market for offers around £499,000.

-Oh.

-Well done, then.

-Well done, yeah. Very good.

First off, go back into the main house. Have a look at the

bedrooms, have a look at the dairy room as well, it's pretty cool.

But then, go into the cottages and have a look at all the bedrooms

and maybe have a think about how you'd split it up.

-All right?

-Will do.

-I'll stay out here in the wind.

-All righty.

Catch you later on.

Well, they said it themselves,

the mystery house has given them a real curveball BUT, in doing so,

I think it's given them something to really think about.

Hopefully something that compares with house number two.

A fraction under budget at £499,000,

this farmhouse and converted barn give our couple plenty of options.

With three reception rooms and four bedrooms,

the farmhouse would comfortably fit the whole family,

while the barn, with its two self-contained living spaces,

could house Natalie's business,

provide accommodation for visiting friends and family,

and give them an extra income if they decided to let one of them out.

It's set in a stunning, very rural location,

and has five acres for them to play with.

-Oh, right.

-Oh, wow.

This is a bit smaller that the other one but it's pretty.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

-Beautiful views.

-Yeah. I'm impressed, again.

The house is very welcoming, very cosy.

You kind of can see family living here.

We'd have to adjust style-wise as we're not...

We weren't expecting a farmhouse,

and also it is a bit smaller than house number two,

so we will need to decide how much space do we really need.

Two separate houses was a big surprise for us because it

gives us a lot of flexibility, something to think about.

Lots of opportunities with regards to what to do with the second property.

It's actually very good.

Now then, Natalie, have we found a base for your business?

-There is a lot of room for everything.

-There is, isn't there?

-There's a lot to think about.

-And new ideas as well.

-Good.

So let's find you somewhere to have

a bit of a natter amongst yourselves.

Now then... Oh, you've poured a cup of tea for me. Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-So what's the plan?

We really do want to go back and see another time second house.

-Property number two.

-Property number two.

-So the Georgians beat the Victorians.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

It just offers, you know, everything that we wanted and more.

So the big gamble with the mystery house,

you didn't mind it being a farmhouse, did you?

-No, not as much the style. I think it is still the scale, really.

-Yeah.

-And the cottages, wonderful but thinking more about it...

-Yeah.

We're already doing things. Guy has a job and I have my business,

and that would be - as nice as it is - a distraction.

And I'm not sure if we have enough time and energy to do it well.

Sounds really sensible, actually.

Tell me, what is it about house number two that tipped the balance?

I think it's a combination of the house itself, which is

absolutely magnificent and the size of the rooms, the layout.

Erm, what it offers outside with the attached cottage

and the big workshop.

It simply gives us, you know, everything we needed.

-So, erm, it's great.

-It's a good package, isn't it?

So when are you coming back to have a look at it?

-Erm, I'm thinking, erm, next week.

-Oh, OK.

Yeah, we're not going to hang around.

We're just going to go for it.

Well, good luck with that and please, whatever happens,

-do let us know, won't you?

-We will.

-Yeah, will do, and thank you very much.

-Excellent.

Well, it sounds like Natalie and Guy

really fell in love with the Georgian charm

of property number two

and all the proportions it gave them, especially as a family home.

So maybe this second viewing will just help them

fall in love with it all over again.

Let's hope so. See you next time.

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