Devon Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

As you can see, I'm in the heart of a beautiful

and rather sleepy rural village.

But during the First World War, the residents here played

a crucial role in helping Allied troops out on the Western Front.

But what did they do and where are we?

Well, join me in just a moment and I'll tell you.

This week, I'm helping two diverse sisters to relocate.

They yearn to escape the humdrum of suburbia

to live the countryside dream.

Our search brings out sibling rivalry.

Mine. Mine!

THEY LAUGH

You see, I knew we'd get to this.

But in time, it looks like I may have found something

to keep everyone happy.

I'm feeling the love at the moment.

Walking into this one is like, oh, yeah. Ah.

It did feel good. Oh, yeah.

Well, today we are in Devon.

This is Dartmoor and, below me, the village of Widdecombe-in-the-Moor.

Now, Dartmoor is well known for its dramatic landscapes,

herds of wild ponies, but also as a prolific source of sphagnum moss.

During the First World War, the people of Widdecombe

and the surrounding areas came up onto the moor

and collected it in enormous quantities.

Once dried out, its unique sponge-like qualities

and its antiseptic properties made it an ideal substance

to treat Allied wounds out on the Western Front.

Now, these days, the moss is highly protected.

I can't even pick any up to show it to you.

But as you can imagine,

it's a tradition that the people here are rightly proud of.

The county of Devon lies in the southwest of England,

next to Somerset and Dorset, and east of Cornwall.

With a rich and varied landscape,

Devon boasts five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

and two National Parks.

It offers not only great hiking terrain in its vast expanse

of moorland but also pretty rural villages, such as Lustleigh

and North Bovey, which feature traditional thatched cottages.

The north coast of Devon is a Mecca for surfers,

whilst the south offers calmer waters perfect for sailing.

And it's where you'll find the attractive town of Sidmouth.

Once a small fishing village, Sidmouth grew in size

in the Georgian and Victorian periods

as the fashion for coastal resorts developed.

Its fine Georgian and Regency houses still line the esplanade today.

So, time now to meet today's buyers

and find out what attracted them to this glorious county.

Sisters Jenny and Heather have made a big decision

to leave their separate lives behind and buy a home together

where they can share the responsibility

of caring for their elderly mother.

Currently living in Hornchurch, Essex, and Farnborough in Hampshire

respectively, it will be a big move for both sisters,

and it's not just their current homes that are miles apart.

We are completely different. Yeah.

She's day, I'm night. Yeah, but we love each other. Pff.

JENNY LAUGHS I suppose so.

But, differences aside,

it's their shared family values that have prompted the big move.

We're both not getting any younger. Speak for yourself.

But it's more about Mum, I suppose. You know, because Mum is,

at the point where she's really starting to get quite helpless.

We need to get the place ready so that we can get her in

and look after her, really.

Big sister Jenny is currently retired

but her career as a florist is still very much a part of her life.

I was the Retail Florist Of The Year for the eastern counties

a few years back.

I did it for 30 years, 15 of which I had my own business.

I really look forward to having a really big garden

that I can really let loose on

and grow vegetables properly rather than in little silly pots.

If at all possible, if it's good enough, I'd love to open it up to the public.

But it's Heather's work in hosting events that's been

a major factor in choosing this coastal county.

We are thinking about Devon

because I run dance weekends for a living as my main thing

and they are all down in Torquay.

So if I was in Devon,

it wouldn't be such a mammoth drive home.

We could all realise our dream.

You know, my dream of having a massive garden

and living in a lovely country property.

Heather's dream's not quite so tangible but, eventually...

Maybe. ..when we get a lovely barn,

we can make it into a venue to realise your dream. Yeah.

Having lived apart since leaving home,

moving back in together after such a long time could present challenges.

The prospect of living together is a little bit daunting, isn't it? Yeah.

As long as we have the ability to sort of separate ourselves.

But it'd be great that, you know, she's just sort of nearby.

Nearby but... Sort of nearby...

Like, almost like two separate dwellings but with a join

somehow because Jenny's got her end of the world,

I have my end of the world and we can, you know,

both be there for each other. It'd be great.

The sisters would like to be close to Torquay, where Heather

runs her dance weekends.

Provided they have good road access to the rest of the country

and for visiting their brother in Hertfordshire,

they're open to all parts of Devon.

I'm meeting up with them to find out exactly what they need

from their property.

Well, Heather, Jenny, welcome to Devon

for your Escape To The Country.

Devon is somewhere that you know quite well.

Yes, I come here a lot. I come here when I run my dance weekends.

We go down to Torquay and I take 300 people with me

and we party on hard until Monday and go home exhausted.

Your life, on the other hand, Jenny... Is completely different.

Is completely different. Yeah.

I imagine your life being rather quieter. It's sedate, yes.

So, as a couple...

HEATHERS SNIGGERS We are not suited at all.

THEY LAUGH

Well, you are sisters, so there is some suitability there.

We love each other. We've got the same mum and dad.

There you go. Well, that brings us on nicely to talk about your mum.

So we're looking for a separate sort of annexe arrangement for Mum.

BOTH: Yes. Between you you've got 490,000... Yes. ..also.

Let's talk about specifically what you're after, Heather.

I will be getting in late at night, so I'd like something away from...

other end of the house from Jenny.

Separate bathroom, or an en-suite bathroom, would be awesome.

So your life is nocturnal, and noisy. Yes.

And yours isn't. Mm.

Tell us about what you want.

I sort of centre around the kitchen and the garden.

How many bedrooms do we need?

Minimum three.

You don't drive, Jenny. Yes.

So you need to be close to a community. Yes.

The other thing I'd love to have around here,

if the house had an old barn or some sort of structure to it

that I could use as a venue later, for a dance

or possibly, if it was big enough or wide enough or open enough, a wedding.

I'm really excited about this one cos I do like a challenge. Good.

We've got three options to show you

and, of course, it includes our mystery house.

Yay. Which is always a bit of fun. We can't wait.

So, let's go and see what we've got you. Ooh! Awesome.

For just under half a million pounds,

Jenny and Heather are looking for three or more bedrooms,

a kitchen big enough to socialise in,

a large garden to keep Jenny busy

and an outbuilding or space

to create a venue for Heather's events business.

They'd also like the property to be within walking distance

to local shops and amenities.

We've lined up three fantastic homes to show them,

all with plenty of potential.

I won't be revealing the price of each

until they've guessed at it themselves.

The final offering will be our mystery house

that will challenge them by presenting something

a little out of the ordinary.

To kick off our Devonshire house hunt, we're starting

three miles from the medieval town of Totnes

in the sought-after village of Littlehempston.

The character cottages of Littlehempston are surrounded

by the beautiful countryside this part of Devon is famous for.

Our first property is three quarters of a mile from Littlehempston

in the hamlet of Hemsford.

Well, girls, for our first property,

we've got you this converted stable block.

Can you see the windows? Yeah, beautiful.

But it all happens the other side of this wall.

The stables were built around 1890

and were converted into a single-storey property in the 1990s.

From the parking area,

a gate leads visitors along a path into the walled garden.

Now, look at this little sunny oasis behind that great big wall.

It's incredible, isn't it?

Yeah, nice. Completely hidden away.

Now, the other thing to point out is that it does have this feature here.

Currently this is a store and a garage and workshop

and so forth, but through that door in there is a separate annexe.

Ooh! Oh!

It's currently a kind of one-bed en suite.

OK. So no kitchen.

But what we're thinking is that you could actually spread it all out.

Convert this and your mum would have potentially all of that bit.

Yeah. That'd be cool. It's got character, hasn't it? Yeah, like it so far.

Depends what ground it's got with it too.

Well, I'll let you in to a little secret.

Over the road, it also has 1.2 acres of paddock and orchard.

BOTH: Oh!

This is sounding perfect so far.

Let's see if it is. Come on.

I think this property really offers the family potential they're after.

The paddock and orchard

could give Heather the space she needs to host events

and the main house offers flexible accommodation

for all three of the ladies.

All on one level, the property covers over 210 square metres,

with the living areas at one end and a separate annexe at the other,

ideal for Mum.

We're starting in the kitchen.

This, I'm thinking, really is going to be your domain. Absolutely.

Yes. What do you think, Heather? This is looking good. This is good, I like this dining room.

Yes, it's nice. It's all together, isn't it?

And I think this area is really quite clever cos it opens up into the kitchen with a breakfast bar.

And all the bedrooms go off that way. Lovely.

So it's all just going to flow through quite nicely? Yeah.

Now, the living room is this way. I think you might like this.

Come and have a look.

This I love. Ooh. This is lovely.

Such a good ceiling. Gosh. Real wood.

It's proper wood, not mucked about, I like that. Yeah.

This is a room you could share and I could see all three of you,

actually, with Mum in here enjoying it.

But if you want to split it up a bit,

you've also got this fabulous garden room in here.

Look at this.

Ooh. Wow.

Yes. It's so light, isn't it?

Frames the garden really, really nice.

And I love these lights in the ceiling.

Yeah, this is all good so far.

Yeah? Really good. We like.

But next, it's bedrooms

and I'm a bit nervous that there might be an argument.

Could be. Could be.

Ha-ha, let's see who gets what.

Back through the lounge and kitchen to the other end of the house

are the three bedrooms.

One smaller room with bunk beds,

followed by a family bathroom and the two largest bedrooms.

And then finally...

..the master. Hmm.

Mine. Mine! THEY LAUGH

Ah, you see, I knew we'd get to this

because the problem is normally we only need one master bedroom, but in your case, we need two.

The thing I like about this one for you, Heather,

is that it has a separate door out. Yes!

And it is the only one with an en-suite in here.

We have of course got...

the one-bedroom annexe next-door.

However, maybe you could have that bit...out there,

you could have here, or Mum could have this,

and you've got one of the other bedrooms to play with down there.

It's certainly feasible.

So, in the meantime, I think we should pop back to the garden

and think about the price.

This is going to be interesting on this one, isn't it? It is.

It looks like there are discussions to be had about the interior

if it's going to work for this family.

But outside, I am confident the garden offers the oasis

that Jenny is after.

So here we are, then.

Back where we started in our gorgeous walled garden.

I mean, quite a lot to keep you busy. Yes.

OK. Well, let's think about the price then on this one.

I'm sort of thinking of a cheeky offer of about 475.

I'm going to be rude and say 460.

The bad news is that it is technically over-budget.

Oh, right. It's on for offers over ?500,000... OK.

..but the vendors know your situation

and I suspect there is a conversation to be had. BOTH: OK.

For around ?10,000 over their ideal budget,

these converted stables offer our buyers flexible accommodation

with the three bedrooms they asked for

plus an additional annexe with en-suite.

The acre of land over the road

could be developed in future as a venue for Heather's events business.

The only downside is that it's a mile from the village.

I think this is a very good start, actually. It is, yeah. Great start.

But we have two more to go.

But, first things first, let's have some lunch. Ooh! Yes! After you.

Devon's charm extends beyond the beautiful scenery on offer.

Its rich industrial heritage spans many centuries.

Historically, one of the most important industries

in the country was the production of leather, known as tanning.

Nowadays, John Haggar is one of a few leatherworkers still

employing the traditional crafting techniques,

using the leather that the area is famous for.

I've come to his workshop at the Dartington Estate,

not far from our first property, to learn about the history

and skills needed for this special craft.

John, very nice to see you, sir. Nice to meet you.

Now, I think I smelled this workshop before I even walked through

the door, but it is a lovely, lovely smell.

There is something I have always found with leather -

it's one of those sort of almost primeval substances, isn't it?

Mm. It's timeless.

The leather is very special because it comes from Devon.

That's the thing.

Let's talk about Devon and its history of leather-work. OK.

Because you are upholding a long tradition here, aren't you?

I was taught to do things in a very traditional way, but my interest,

really, is how to make something look stylish, fashionable.

Now, you make all kinds of things, I know.

And I know that belts are also something you make.

This is my old belt. Oh, nice. This...

HE LAUGHS You might say that,

but I've had this for...about 16 years.

I could do with a new one.

So, how hard is it going to be to create something that

I can walk out of here wearing?

Well, I could show you how to make one.

Let's have a go.

John originally trained as a saddler

and bridle maker in order to learn the traditional methods.

He has now be turning leather into goods at his workshop for 20 years.

That's a fabulous tool. What do you call that?

This is a plough gauge. It's a very old tool. It's handmade.

In the mid-19th century,

Devon was a British tanning centre with over 100 tan yards operating.

Back then, leather-working was popular as skilled tradesman

were needed to fashion leather into bridle and military components.

But with the rising cheap labour available overseas

and the birth of replacement materials like plastic,

the trade has declined over recent decades.

So, with my belt cut to size and the holes marked out,

it's time for the fun bit.

So, is this one big whack? Yeah. OK. Go for it, go for it.

Yes!

Oh, beautiful. Look at that!

Look at that there.

Well done. Look at that, it's under way, my belt is coming to life.

Brilliant.

Making everything by hand without the use of modern-day

machinery enables John to work with the finest of materials

and tools, creating items of real individual beauty.

So now... You've got to cut your point now.

You can do it in two ways.

Now, I do it by hand,

but you can also use a chisel.

Righto, John.

And I must say, having a go myself,

I can see where he gets his passion from.

To preserve the suppleness of the belt,

I'm buffing it with natural oils and fats.

Then it's ready to add the buckle, keepers and finish with hand

stitching, something I think I'll leave to the expert.

Fabulous, John. I absolutely love that.

The moment of truth - let's see if it fits.

Right, so... Old belt in the bin?

You must be joking.

My old belt is going to come home with me.

It is an old friend, I have to look after it, but my new belt...

It fits. ..is...

..just the ticket.

That's beautiful. John, thank you very much. You're very welcome.

For our next property, we're venturing north of Dartmoor

to the mid-Devon village of Chawleigh.

The village itself offers a pub and a number of shops,

but for more extensive facilities,

Chulmleigh is a mile and a half away.

Property number two is a four-bedroom

Grade II-listed thatched cottage

situated on the outskirts of Chawleigh.

There is property number two.

What do you reckon?

I love it in the rain, so it's going to be gorgeous in the sun.

Really pretty. Yep.

And location-wise, I think this is a step forward from number one.

Although that was only a mile away from its amenities,

this is a ten-minute walk into Chawleigh.

Oh, perfect. Traditional thing in the countryside, nobody ever uses their front doors.

We're going round the back, that way. Awesome. Come on, then. Good, good.

This cottage is of traditional Devon stone and cob construction

under a thatched roof

and is believed to date back to the 17th century.

I can't wait to show them the inside

which is equally full of character.

We'll start with...

the kitchen. Excellent. Nice.

This is doing it for me. Yeah? Yeah.

It's a very good shape, room for a table which is absolutely fantastic. Yeah.

I'm feeling the love at the moment. Hmm. Big time.

Walking into this one is like, oh, yeah. Ah. It did feel good.

Let's see if that feeling continues.

Follow me through here.

'It seems our sisters are really falling for this property's

'period charm. And there is more to come as we go into the living room.'

And then, in here, is the main living room.

Another lovely fireplace. Oh!

Another wood burner. Wow! Yeah. Wow!

Look at this.

Of course, with the dining room next door, you've got this lovely

sort of flow from the kitchen to your main reception rooms, really.

It's great. Double aspect as well.

'A positive reaction so far.

'I'm just hoping things don't go downhill as we move upstairs.

'On the first floor, there is one single

'and three double bedrooms, all currently sharing one bathroom.'

Now, there is one thing that slightly concerns me.

You asked for three bedrooms, we have got you four bedrooms.

Fantastic. And nothing, of course, is en-suite,

which maybe you could give up a bedroom if you wanted to do that.

Yep. But it also has an enormous workshop,

which really is crying out to be converted. Awesome.

It is almost done. It is self-contained. Mum could have it.

I say annexe, it is like a small cottage. Awesome.

Outside, the property is surrounded by approximately an acre

of flat land, mainly lawn, with panoramic views of the countryside.

I have got a feeling that if the price is right,

this one could be a real possibility.

There is the garden. I think you can have a lot of fun planning that.

Oh, I certainly could. Do you love it? Yeah, I certainly could.

There is one more bit you haven't seen, and that is the older

barn that is attached to this building at the front.

Maybe you have got a few plans for that.

Before we all get wet, let's think about the price.

I think it's top of the budget, 500.

And I am really scared it is going to be about 520.

It is on the market for

?499,950.

Oh!

?50 out.

If Jenny and Heather can stretch their budget, this cottage offers

them the real country character they're after with an extra

bedroom, a large workshop with scope to create a fantastic

annexe for their mother as well as an additional old barn.

And it is within walking distance of those all-important shops

and amenities.

Now then, I think, not a bad day of house hunting. Absolutely brilliant.

Not bad at all. Are you going to buy one yet? Oh!

Well, maybe, that is for us to know and you to find out.

We will find out tomorrow,

but not before we've seen the mystery house in the morning.

In the meantime, the weather has taken over.

Pub. Pub. Pub? Come on then, let's go.

Well, no house search is ever easy, but this one is particularly

perplexing because of the widely contrasting demands of our buyers.

Now, in an ideal world, they'd buy all three

of the properties we were able to show them.

But of course, that can't happen, they can choose only one.

So, for our final offering, we have looked long

and hard for our mystery house, or should I say...mystery houses.

Situated eight miles north of Okehampton,

on the northern edge of Dartmoor, our final property is in a rural

setting on the outskirts of North Tawton.

In the heart of this scenic West Devon countryside,

North Tawton is exceptionally small for a town

but has retained this title due to its having a town hall,

which plays host to a number of local events.

A 12-minute stroll over a bridge from the town centre

is our mystery property.

So, here we are at our mystery house.

Or should I say mystery...houses.

We have got you two.

Right there. This is nice.

Used to be, obviously, a much bigger, sprawling farm complex.

And over the years, it has been divided up.

So what you have on offer here is that building there,

which was the old Shire horse stables,

and this building over here, which used to be the old piggery.

This one has residential planning on it, obviously,

because it is a house.

This one is currently more of a dedicated holiday let,

but they have applied for full residential planning.

This one has the living room on the upstairs,

so it is a bit upside down.

This one is much more conventional, with it on the ground floor.

And the garden that comes with this property is attached,

really, to that one.

So I thought maybe then we should start

upside down with that one. Yeah?

Wonderful. Come on. Yeah.

These sisters lead separate lives,

so could two separate buildings be the answer?

I've got a good feeling about this one.

So, here we are.

Upside-down living.

Gosh!

Oh, nice.

Yeah, like that. Yeah.

There is a kitchen just behind that wall.

A sort of open-galley kitchen.

Have a look. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. It's lovely. Yeah, I could cope with this very easily.

I can see this really suiting you. Yeah.

Let's have a quick view of these bedrooms.

This might work for your mum, cos we've got two en-suites for you.

So, here is where the rest of this particular property

begins to come together, because leading off of this central hallway,

we have got you three bedrooms.

Now, two of them are currently furnished as two doubles -

one there and one there. They are both en-suite.

That one has a wet room shower, maybe good for Mum as well.

And then this little sort of study area, which, you know,

is on the spec as a bedroom, but to be honest, I think

you'd probably keep it as a bit of a study.

Let's go over the courtyard

and see what the rest of it has to offer you.

The first barn has certainly sparked Heather's interest, and I am hoping

Jenny's reaction will be just as positive when she sees the second.

So, Jenny, this could be you.

Well, Jenny, here is your bit.

Oh!

Now, your living room is much more conventional. Yes.

It is on the ground floor... OK.

..although just up these two steps. So come look at this.

So, would you be able to relax in here, Jenny?

Oh, it's good.

It's neutral and again, a good shape.

You have got three bedrooms above.

OK. And a separate bathroom, so nothing en-suite for you.

But the lovely thing is it leads out into the garden that comes

with the property.

So, we are letting your green fingers close to the action.

Great. That is what we are thinking. Yeah.

Heading outside,

the gardens are relatively modest compared to the other

properties, but they do offer privacy and great views

of the countryside.

So, Jenny, this is your garden. Wow. Yes.

Probably not the biggest we have shown you.

I can get a vegetable patch in here.

Yep. I mean, I don't want you to put a brave face on it. No.

I know it is not as huge as you would've liked.

I'm not sure, necessarily, that you would open to the public,

on a regular basis. Probably not.

Well, let's talk about the price. And that might help us reflect on what we have got.

I'm going to have to go for 520.

I think it is going to be more than that. I think 560.

This is on the market for 50 quid short of

?490,000. Wow... No way!

No way! 489,950.

THEY LAUGH

Now, there is no dance studio.

There aren't acres of gardening to be had,

but it does give you very separate living.

Gosh.

At just ?50 under budget, our mystery properties

offer our sisters a practical set-up for their contrasting lives.

The two separate barns each offer three bedrooms, one with

the convenience of a downstairs bedroom and bathroom for Mum.

And although the gardens aren't huge,

there are a number of separate areas.

And it is all within a ten-minute walk of a town.

I think any one of the properties we've shown you would fit the bill.

If I gave you the keys, I'm sure you'd make them work.

But you do need to think about it all and, of course,

consider what your mum might want.

Yeah. So shall we go and think? Yes, please. Come on, then.

Well, Jenny and Heather.

How are we doing?

Good, good. Not bad. We're confused.

Yeah. You're confused? Mm. Why so?

Well, you have given us three homes, all would work in different ways.

Mm-hmm. So there is an awful lot of jigging

and double thinking with Mum to be had.

So we thought we would visit

probably house number two and three with Mum,

further investigate the local areas.

So property two, then.

With its separate annexe, that's certainly on your list.

I really loved property two - big, open space for a garden.

For me, property three would work better.

But my heart and soul would say Jenny would be making a huge

compromise, cos she prefers two.

Well, it has been a lot of fun, guys. So best of luck. Thank you.

And hopefully, you'll move down here very shortly. I hope so. Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, three very different properties into which

we had to fit three very different people -

Jenny, Heather and, of course, their mother.

It was always going to be a challenge.

But I suspect their house search still has some way to go.

But if money had been no object, maybe we could have sold them

this place - Bovey Castle.

This was once the home of none other than WH Smith of newsagent fame.

Plenty of room for all the family and bags of space in which to party.

Smith, who later became Viscount Hambleden,

certainly knew what he wanted for his escape to the country.

I'll see you next time.

If you'd like to escape to the country

in England, Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland and need our help,

you can apply online at...

SI KING: Let me guess, you're seeing a garden, aren't you?

DAVE MYERS: Well, we're seeing a kitchen!