North Devon Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

Today, I'm standing on the oldest golf course in the whole of England,

which dates way back to 1864.

So, where am I?

Find out in just a moment.

On today's show, we're helping a very youthful newly-retired couple

find their first, long-dreamed-of, rural home together.

Unbelievable the amount of ground that's with this house.

-You've got a river!

-I know.

And the impact of one of the properties knocks them

a little off course.

Are you serious?!

Serious. Come back to me, Paul. Come back.

Today, I'm in North Devon, on the championship course

of the Royal North Devon Golf Club.

Now, this 150-year-old course is

regarded as the St Andrews of the South, with sand dunes

that provide the perfect terrain for a classic links course.

You can still play on these original fairways that golfers used to

practice on, including local legend John Henry Taylor,

who went on to win five Open Championships in the late 19th

and early 20th century.

Now, the course became popular with tourists

when the railway made its way to the local town of Bideford.

And although trains don't run to the town anymore, there's no shortage

of visitors flocking to this most beautiful part of the county.

Lying in the southwest of England, Devon borders Somerset to the

east and Cornwall to the west, and has an unhurried, tranquil appeal.

Its picturesque, rural landscape is dotted with close

to 4,000 exquisite thatched cottages, thought to be

the largest concentration of historic thatch in the world.

Providing contrast to its charming villages is the wide-open wilderness

of Exmoor, whose evocative heathland has inspired

the work of many artists and writers,

including Henry Williamson's 1927 masterpiece Tarka The Otter.

A little further along the coast is Woolacombe, repeatedly voted

one of Britain's best beaches.

This three-mile, golden, sandy expanse

is perennially popular with families and surfers alike

and is just another glimpse of what this gorgeous county has to offer.

So, what is it about this beautiful region that has

so attracted today's buyers?

Well, let's meet them and find out.

Since they met 11 years ago, Helen and Paul have been living

in a three-bedroom new-build in the town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire.

During that time, the location has offered them

a handy commute for their jobs in London,

Paul as a Class 1 lorry driver for a large food firm

and Helen as a detective sergeant for the Metropolitan Police.

But just a few months ago, after working for close to 30 years

in their respective jobs, the two of them decided to retire,

giving them the freedom to leave their urban environment behind.

What we'd like is a little bit more ground, somewhere

that, you know, you're not overlooked so much

and really to get away from that whole commuter belt

that we've been doing for so many years.

We've got a chance to move away and start a new chapter.

A lot of Helen's family live in Wales,

so it makes geographical sense for them to move to Devon,

but it's not just for practical purposes that

they've singled out the county as their new home.

We've both fell in love with north Devon,

so we've stayed there, we've been on holiday there and it's just great.

If it hadn't been for their job ties, Paul and Helen

would have moved to the country years ago

because both of them are happiest when they're outdoors.

It's just nice to be outside and do things.

You feel better in yourself.

Most of the things we like to do as well, you know, are outside-based -

walking, cycling.

I'd like to get some chickens and a few beehives and...

Not too sure about the bees.

..definitely a vegetable patch, live the dream, as they say.

THEY CHUCKLE

While Helen found her 30 years with the Metropolitan Police

fulfilling, it was a very demanding and all-consuming career.

I'm looking forward to, I suppose, embarking on sort of doing things

for me now and for us.

I'd like to do some voluntary work -

I'd like to help the elderly -

and I'd like to do a bit of photography as well.

The couple are aware that finding a new rural home may require

some compromises, and as to how those compromises will be

arrived at, Paul seems to have it all worked out.

Apart from the outside's living, doing, barbequing, gardening,

then my only up would be the kitchen.

That's where I enjoy cooking. So if I could have the land or the ground

outside to do my little projects and a big enough kitchen

to do what I'd like to do - which is cook - then Helen could have

-the rest of the say.

-Well, thank you very much.

That's all right.

Paul and Helen would like easy access to family in Wales,

so we're concentrating our search to the north of the county.

I'm meeting up with them to find out more about their move.

So, Paul and Helen,

exciting times for the two of you having just retired.

Yes, looking forward to new challenges and a new life ahead.

What about the actual property itself?

Ideally, it would be a nice, detached...definitely detached,

probably three beds, nice big kitchen, plenty of land.

Let's talk a little bit about the actual location of this new home.

Ideally rural or would you rather be on the edge of a village?

On the edge of the village, I think, would for us...

What about the style?

Are you after old, period property character or new?

Something with a little bit of character, we'd like.

Yeah, fairly open though.

Hmm. Maybe a fireplace, nothing too modern, I don't think.

We'll see. Depends what you've got lined up for us.

Yeah, open fireplace.

And how much work are you prepared to do with this property?

-None at all.

-No.

Open your suitcase, move straight in.

Remind me of your budget.

Between 300,000 and 400,000.

So have you sold your property?

No, it's on the market.

So, we're just waiting for it to be snapped up

and then we're good to go.

Well, of course we have got our three properties lined up

to show you. The first one is not too far away.

So, shall we get started?

-Absolutely.

-Brilliant.

-Follow me.

With a maximum budget of £400,000, Paul and Helen are hoping

to find a characterful, detached home with three bedrooms

and a large, well-kitted-out kitchen for chief cook Paul.

Outside, they'd like enough land to grow the produce he'll be

using to whip up those fabulous meals,

and space for bees and chickens would be a bonus.

Lastly, they'd like to be within

walking distance of a village.

We've lined up some excellent houses to show them

and I'll be getting them to try and guess the price of each one

before I reveal it.

One will be the mystery house, which wasn't always a house,

so will our couple be converted by its unique charm?

We begin our search in the village of Berrynarbor,

which is a mile inland from the north coast.

This peaceful settlement nestled in the beautiful

and sought-after Sterridge Valley is a five-times winner

of The Best Kept Village award.

A short and scenic stroll from the village on a quiet, no-through road

is our first offering.

And here is your house.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Blimey.

It's got lots of character about it.

-Nice size, isn't it?

-I bet you're now keen to get inside.

Definitely, let's go.

Seven years ago,

this charming cottage underwent major refurbishment,

which included new electrics and plumbing.

This should please Paul and Helen, who are keen to

avoid having to do any significant work on a new property.

So let's start off with our drawing room,

and as you can see...

-Cosy.

-Oh, I like it.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

It's got a lot of character.

It has - fireplace.

Fireplace, yeah, lovely.

And this is as big as you'd want for a lounge.

Yeah, I mean, there's... At the end of the day,

there's only the two of us.

Now, the all-important kitchen.

-I've got to look at Paul for that, haven't I?

-You have.

-Cos we've heard this is his domain. Let's see if...

-My room, yeah.

..if it comes up to scratch.

-Let's see.

-OK.

So, Paul, it's all down to you - the kitchen.

-Yep, that'll do.

-Yes?

That'll do, lovely.

And especially with that big cooker there, Paul.

That is perfect.

I like watching his face.

He was in a world of his own then looking round.

I'm conjuring up a meal!

I can see you're really happy, it's wonderful.

-Beautiful, really nice.

-Good.

-So far so good.

-So far so good.

Let's see what you make of upstairs.

Upstairs, off the split landing, there's an attractive,

newly-decorated family bathroom

and three bedrooms which include a good-sized double,

an L-shaped room which could be a handy space for Helen's photography

projects and another double which we've earmarked for Paul and Helen.

And so here is the master bedroom,

complete with your own little fireplace.

It's, again, a lovely, light room.

-Those windows really make a difference.

-They do.

-I love the doors.

-Bit small.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

-But what the master does have is

-an en-suite. Ah.

OK, but then also, I mean, you're only here to kind of sleep.

Perhaps this is where we'll disagree then.

-This could be the compromise.

-It could be, yeah.

Now, I know outside space is really important to the two of you.

-Yeah.

-Especially for the gardener.

-The gardener.

Let's see what you make of that.

Paul might have found the master bedroom a little on the small side,

but I'm fairly confident he'll be more than satisfied

with the space outside, which includes a lawned garden,

an attractive stone storage shed,

patio areas - perfect for those barbecues they're envisaging,

and a garage just a little further down the road.

This is all your garden, including the greenhouse.

And behind us,

you've got about an acre and a half of woodland.

-SHE LAUGHS Blimey.

-It's with the house?

With the house.

-Blimey.

-I'd like to get up there.

-Are we going to lose you?

What I haven't told you - there's an additional piece of land

-just across the road.

-All that down there?

-Yep.

-Seriously? Wow.

-We'll go there, look at the babbling brook.

In terms of outdoor space, this property just keeps on giving.

As well as the garage I mentioned earlier, the land on

the other side of the house includes parking space for around six cars

and another substantial lawned area,

making up a total of just under two acres.

So, I think in a way, I might have left the best till last,

because this is your land as well.

I can't believe it, I really can't.

All this down there?

Yeah, you've got the babbling brook going through.

Unbelievable the amount of ground that's with this house.

-You've got a river!

-I know.

How much is this cottage on the market for?

I think it's going to be towards the top end of our budget,

390,000.

400 dead.

The asking price for the cottage, nearly two acres of grounds...

..£365,000.

THEY LAUGH

-We were kind of, way out then, really.

-Blimey.

A significant £35,000 below Paul and Helen's budget,

this characterful cottage has a cosy sitting room with

a wonderful inglenook fireplace, a country kitchen that

more than meets with Paul's approval

and upstairs, there are three bedrooms.

Outside, there's almost two acres of land, which includes

a woodland area, a brook and plenty of space

for Paul's veggies and bees.

Have we inspired you?

Great start, property number one.

Good. And guess what, more to show you.

Come on.

Rivers form a commanding feature of the Exmoor landscape.

Close to 300 miles of them

carve their way through this beautiful region.

One of those rivers is the Mole, which provides a vital element

in the production of one of the worlds' most expensive delicacies

at a pioneering local business -

the UK's first and only caviar farm.

The river runs right through this rural enterprise, which was

launched four years ago, and I'm here to quite literally immerse

myself in it by learning more from one of its founders, Ken Benning.

So, what exactly is caviar?

Caviar is the sturgeon's salted roe.

-So is that the eggs?

-That is physically the eggs, yes.

Proper caviar only comes from the sturgeon.

The River Mole is key to your production of caviar.

-Yes.

-So what's so special about this water?

Well, let me show you, Nicki.

The water straight from the river...

..absolutely fresh.

This is probably, I think,

one of the best water sources in the world.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah, I say I don't

want to be falling over in this river.

Each day 40 million gallons of fresh,

Exmoor spring water flows through the farm's tanks,

creating a more natural environment for the fish,

unlike most sturgeon farms

elsewhere that rely on temperature-regulated,

recirculated water.

There. There you go.

-Now, I was not expecting this.

-Yep.

I thought a sturgeon was going to look like a fish,

but this looks prehistoric to me.

Sturgeons predate the dinosaurs.

-Do they?

-They are a species that have been around

for 250 million years.

After years of overfishing sturgeon are an endangered species,

so sustainable farming like this gives populations in the wild

a chance to recover.

And how long do you keep them for in total?

They will grow before they're

produced or processed for the caviar, or for the meat,

they will grow about seven to ten years.

Ooh, look at him, he's lively.

I'll put him back there.

These ancient fish come with an impressive pedigree.

Back in the 1300s, they were classified as a royal fish

by King Edward II,

so before Ken was able to begin rearing them

he had to receive special permission from the Queen.

My goodness.

Look at her.

-She's a big girl.

-She is, isn't she?

And is this sort of the optimum age to produce caviar?

She is fully mature, ready for production.

And is this why caviar is so expensive,

because the process from start to finish takes so long?

It's taken... This girl, she's probably, I'd say,

ten to 12 years of age.

But she wants to go back in.

She does.

It's not just the caviar that's taken from the humanely-culled fish,

the meat is smoked and sold too, so nothing is wasted.

I'm going to be cheeky, I've got to ask,

how much is that amount of caviar worth?

In a London food hall, about £600.

-Really?

-Yes.

-SHE GASPS

Cornish sea salt is added to the roe to help bring out

the flavour.

It's then packed into tins where, after three to four months,

the salt will have fully merged with the eggs.

Now you try this.

Right, here we go.

-This is something else.

-It's very clean.

Very clean, wonderful texture.

Ken, here I am, standing with a hair net on,

eating one of the most expensive foods in the world,

but in my head, I'm in a posh restaurant in St Tropez.

-It's absolutely delicious.

-Close your eyes and taste it.

Thank you very much indeed. I will.

Travelling 25 miles further south, we reach

the village of Buckland Brewer, the second stop on our house hunt.

Set in a beautiful wooded valley, this tranquil,

rural settlement can be located from miles around

by the 75ft-high tower of its 500-year-old church.

Another main focal point here is the 13th-century,

award-winning pub which happens to be within walking distance

of our second property - a Victorian home that was built in 1830.

Here is your second property.

Oh, wow, that's nice.

Looks gorgeous.

Very impressed. It looks like it's well maintained as well.

Well, the logical way to get in would be through the front door.

-Hmm.

-But guess what.

-We're not.

-It's not.

We're in the country,

-we're going to use the tradesmen's entrance. Follow me.

-OK.

I say tradesman's entrance, but in actual fact,

we're entering through an extension that was added

to the property in the early 1990s to create a wonderfully

bright conservatory which leads through to the kitchen.

But of course this is where the magic's going to happen,

-isn't it, Paul?

-THEY LAUGH

So you've got a long...well, I'm not going to call it a galley

because I don't think that's fair. It's wider than a galley kitchen,

but it is very long. And you've got a dining area right at the end.

I think it's nicer in a way

because the dining area is kind of separated from the kitchen.

It's not in the actual kitchen.

It's a nice kitchen, not as nice as the first one.

Ah, Chef's not quite happy, is he?

But I'm just going to add that Chef does have an informal dining area,

but Chef also has the formal dining area through those doors there.

-Ah.

-OK, that's the trade off.

-And it's quite large.

-OK.

OK, let's continue through here.

First impression - I'm thinking a bit smaller than I thought in here.

Fireplace is lovely. And I love the bay window.

From the outside, I think you conjure up a larger property.

-Yeah.

-But when I came through the kitchen door there,

-I thought, "Ooh, it's quite small."

-Yeah.

-I agree.

-Let's see what you think of upstairs.

-OK.

-OK.

A slightly less enthusiastic response here

compared to our first property, and size seems to be the issue.

Upstairs, there are three generous doubles plus another small room

that is being used as a study.

There are no en-suites,

but there's a family bathroom as well as a shower room.

Now, none of the bedrooms sort of say master.

-I picked this one to show you because of the views.

-The view, hmm.

Fantastic views, aren't they?

Yeah, imagine waking up to that in the morning.

Yeah. And because it's got three and a half bedrooms up here,

you could commandeer that study and make it into a dressing room.

-Itching to see what's outside?

-Itching,

-Itching.

Back down the stairs then, please.

Outside, the third-of-an-acre plot stretches up behind the house,

where a path leads to an established orchard

and a wonderful wooden summer house.

There's also plenty of scope for Paul's gardening ambitions.

Now, here, you have your own little oasis,

because this part of the garden has been completely terraced.

We have our own little pond down there.

-Lovely.

-All these vegetable patches, your own greenhouse.

-It is fantastic.

-And the seating area down there is lovely.

Just below that, you've got a huge garage.

The owners, they use that obviously for work,

and it's a wonderful workshop.

And if this wasn't enough, just look over your shoulder.

You've got a beautiful lawned garden behind us.

Plus, right at the back, you've got some free-standing

where they can park about seven cars,

and access to the back of the property again.

The garden, the grounds are fantastic.

So now, I want you to guess the asking price of this property

with the land.

I reckon 385,000.

I think it's 420,000.

Asking price is £390,000.

-Ah!

-Ching ching.

-You were the closest.

You are the closest.

£10,000 below their maximum budget,

this appealing period home has

a recently-renovated kitchen/diner

and a separate formal dining room.

There are also two reception rooms,

three bedrooms and a study.

Outside, the third-of-an-acre plot

includes a ready-made veggie garden,

an orchard and that large workshop,

perfect for Paul's gardening

and beekeeping equipment.

Well, that's it for today.

I've shown you our two properties,

but we have another one lined up for you tomorrow.

We've got an awful lot to talk about tonight.

-We have.

-Good, that's a good sign.

Paul and Helen are desperate to move to the country,

and I think yesterday we got pretty close

to finding them that perfect property.

Both the gardens they saw had the land that Paul

so desperately craves.

He wants to grow tonnes of vegetables,

he wants to keep bees, he even wants a few chickens.

But the houses themselves,

perhaps they thought they were on the small side.

I didn't think so.

It's time for our final offering - the mystery house.

Now we're going to show them a property that's immersed

in village life.

Well, it has to be, it's right in the heart of it.

And being in the heart of the village means there's

a significant compromise for Paul.

The village is Chittlehamholt,

and to get there we've journeyed 17 miles inland.

In the 16th century,

the settlement was on the main Barnstable-to-Exeter route,

and the attractive inn that once served the many coaches

coming through is still a popular hub today.

A more recent addition to the village is a much-valued

community shop that was set up by a group of dedicated locals

after the post office closed here in 2009.

A stone's throw from the shop is our final property,

which once served a vital community role of its own.

How about this as your mystery house?

Looks lovely from the outside.

So any idea what this building used to be?

Looks like an old school.

-Do you know what? You're right.

-I love the look of the brickwork.

-Yes?

It's obviously got that history element to it.

And it's all on one level?

-Ish.

-Is it? Ish?

Well, I think we should start with the inside, don't you?

Sounds good.

Made from local Devon stone,

this old schoolhouse dates back to around 1830.

It's had many makeovers since then, and the most recent was by

the current owners who purchased the property three years ago.

So, welcome to the school.

I like it.

-Wow, it's lovely. I'm amazed. Really.

-That's good, isn't it?

-Nice size as well, I think.

-I'm impressed.

-Impressed so far.

-That's great. Shall we make our way down the hallway?

-Yeah.

Just off the living room is a downstairs bathroom.

And next to that, there's a separate shower room.

But now we're going to take a look at what's at the other end

of the house.

So you have a dining room leading on to...

the all-important kitchen.

What do you think, then?

-Well, along with the separate diner, that's brilliant.

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

-I like it.

-Sold it to the chef.

You were worried, weren't you, that there weren't any stairs

-in this property?

-Yes.

Yeah, thought it'd be on one level. Are you going to surprise me?

-Shall we explore? Shall we?

-Let's.

Well, most of the accommodation is this one level

and comes off the main hallway, but there's also a staircase

that leads to some rather interesting additional rooms.

Come on in.

Cos I'm going to explain the layout with the school.

Look at it.

Downstairs you've got two double bedrooms.

But up here, you've got a single bedroom behind us

and then a double here with a huge dressing room.

I don't know what to say. I'm completely shellshocked.

I never expected anything like this up here.

-Loving it so far.

-Loving it?

Mystery house is working its magic.

It definitely is.

Time now, though, to go outside. See what you make of that.

They didn't seem at all fazed

by the unconventional upstairs rooms.

In fact, I think they rather like this place.

I'm now just hoping that their enthusiasm isn't diminished

by what's on offer outside,

because being within a village

this property has quite a lot less land

than the other two we showed them.

So, who wanted chickens?

-I did.

-THEY LAUGH

-There they are specially for you.

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant, isn't it?

-What about for you for size, then?

-That's the important thing.

-Yeah, this is the compromise, isn't it?

It's a nice-sized garden, very manageable,

-I like it.

-Do you?

-I like it.

It was the one bit I was slightly reserved about.

But when you weigh everything up,

-you've got to compromise with something.

-Yes.

What price are you going to guess it's on the market for?

I reckon, 420,000.

I reckon it's over our budget. 440,000.

The asking price...

£355,000.

THEY GASP

Are you serious?

Serious.

Come back to me, Paul.

Come back, come back.

-Come on, come back.

-I'm laughing.

What do you think?

-Cor, where do we sign?

-I thought this was going to be well over.

-You've gone a bit emotional, haven't you?

-I know.

But that's good, that's what you want with a property.

It's about a feeling,

it's about a change of life, it's the cheapest of all the houses.

It's the cheapest of the three and the best.

A substantial £45,000 below Paul and Helen's maximum budget,

this attractive schoolhouse

certainly delivers the character they're looking for.

It has a large living room with a high-vaulted ceiling

and a sleek kitchen

with adjoining formal dining room.

There are two good-size bedrooms downstairs

and two more upstairs

in the unique beamed loft.

Outside, the garden might not be big enough to accommodate bees

but there is room for chickens.

Well, shall we go somewhere quiet and we can have a proper chat

and find out, really, where you go next?

Think we need to, yes.

So, Paul and Helen, we've had a fabulous few days -

blue skies, the sun has shone -

but did we manage to find you your perfect property?

I think it's gone really, really well.

I mean, you've shown us three quite different properties,

and of course the mystery house was

the one that neither of us expected, I think,

and has somewhat blown us away.

We could see ourselves living in the property,

but whether it's in the location or the village,

we just need to explore that just a little bit more, just a tad further.

But what happens next?

I guess we're going to need a deep and meaningful conversation,

possibly take a second viewing

and then, if all goes well, maybe speak to the estate agents.

And how quickly are you going to have that second viewing?

-Hopefully tomorrow morning.

-Oh, my goodness!

Really positive.

Well, we're absolutely thrilled.

Whatever happens, let us know, won't you? Please keep in touch.

-We will, most definitely.

-Great.

Thanks, both, very much, and by the way,

enjoy your retirement. I'm very jealous!

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much as well.

Well, a successful couple of days house hunting, and there's always a

real sense of achievement when they fall in love with our mystery house.

And acres of land - ha, who needs it?

It just remains to be seen whether Paul and Helen will fall in love

with the village as much as they did our mystery property.

And if so, then maybe their North Devon dream could soon

become a reality.

Join me next time on Escape To The Country.

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