Devon Escape to the Country

It is thought this impressive pile of granite rocks

was the inspiration behind an infamous fictional detective novel.

But whose book was it and where am I?

Find out in just a moment.

On today's show,

our buyer has enlisted a friend

to help her find a home with unconventional living space

that will inspire her creative nature.

I think it's fantastic, it's ready to move into.

OK, I'll help you pack!

And at times, it proves to be quite a moving experience.

It feels great, yeah. Really nice.

Oh, I can hear the emotion!

Today, I'm in Devon, in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park.

And this spectacular stone outcrop is called Hound Tor.

Now, Dartmoor is a place that's rich in myth and mystery

and legend has it that these rocks

were named after dogs that had been turned to stone by witches.

And, no doubt adding fuel to the fire,

this is the spot that is believed to have inspired

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous Sherlock Holmes adventure,

The Hound of the Baskervilles.

But, putting eerie tales aside for a moment,

there are still plenty of inspiring views to be had in this county.

Situated in the South West of England,

Devon is bordered by Somerset, Cornwall and Dorset.

A huge part of the county's allure is its exceptional coastline,

which encompasses some of England's first natural World Heritage site,

the Jurassic Coast.

A charming gateway to these towering 200 million-year-old cliffs

is Seaton, which during Victorian times developed into

one of Devon's most popular holiday resorts.

Inland is the sombre beauty of Dartmoor,

a protected National Park since 1951

and one of the largest,

most unspoiled areas of wilderness in England.

Genteel villages, moody moors and stunning beaches -

it's this rich variety that gives the county such an enduring appeal.

So let's find out which part of Devon

today's buyer wants to move to.

It's time to meet her.

A world away from the tranquil Devon countryside,

current home for tech savvy social business consultant Ann

is Bow, in the heart of East London.

She's loved living in this converted match factory,

where she has a hip, loft-style apartment

that she's owned for 20 years.

But recently, she's been feeling drawn towards a simpler lifestyle

that's closer to nature,

which she feels will help inspire and nourish her creative spirit.

London has always been the epicentre of where the thinking is

and that's actually not necessarily true any more.

Helping out with her search for a new home is Amanda,

one of her dearest friends,

who she's known for more than 30 years.

My role in this is about being supportive

and probably seeing things from a slightly different viewpoint.

What can I tell you about Ann?

She's adorable and I love her to bits.

Ann, who has a background in arts and digital media,

set up her own business ten years ago.

And because most of her work is done online,

she can pretty much move anywhere

but her heart is set on Devon.

There's a great culture there

and there's lots of independent and quite progressive thinking,

which appeals to me.

And things like farmers' markets,

or nice little tight communities of people doing interesting stuff.

Ann loves the way her apartment's open-plan layout

gives her flexible space to pursue some of the creative projects

she enjoys doing in her spare time.

But that's not the only aspect of her home

that she's particularly attached to.

Living here,

there is a gym five floors down from where I am now.

So I can just nip down in the lift

and I'm in a Jacuzzi in minutes.

And in an ideal world,

I'd have something which is equally convenient

but in the countryside.

Although Amanda, who lives in North London,

will miss Ann when she moves,

she's already envisaging relaxing weekend visits with her in Devon

and she knows that the change will do her friend good.

I think that being in the country will allow her to breathe more.

I mean, she doesn't access her off button very easily

and I have a feeling that because she communes quite well with nature

I think that it will naturally invite her

to access her off button more than she does now.

-Well said!

-Thank you.

The town of Totnes appeals to Ann

and she has friends in the area around it,

so we're focusing our search within an hour's drive of the town.

I'm catching up with them to learn some more about Ann's move.

-Well, Ann and Amanda, welcome to Devon.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

So, what are you hoping to get from a new life in Devon?

I think the ability to just try new places, see friends

and just a new vista on life that I haven't really had before.

So let's talk about the property that we're going to find you.

Well, if I could take where I live now and transplant it here,

I probably would do that.

It would be lovely to have a bit more space

but the open-plan, unconventional, lots of light, lots of views...

That would be my ideal.

Are we talking houses, are we talking barns?

Barns more than houses.

If you were to show me a poky room,

I would probably run in the opposite direction!

Ditto with thatch.

I'm not really the chocolate box, country type person.

And how many bedrooms?

Well, I've got two bedrooms now

and it would be quite nice to have a little bit more space than I have

-Got to remember Amanda's going to...

-Absolutely, for guests!

Limited outside space?

We're not looking for acres, I'm presuming?

Not acres, no.

Something which would be nice to enjoy in the summer,

a little bit of gardening.

Remind us of your budget again.

It's £400,000. If it was less than that, that'd be brilliant

because it just gives me more flexibility.

Well, we've got three properties lined up to show you.

The first one is just literally begging to be seen.

-So should we finish our coffee and get going?

-Yes.

With a budget of £400,000,

Ann is hoping to find a home that offers

the open-plan living of her current apartment

but with a gorgeous rural setting and views.

She'd like two to three bedrooms

and flexible living space where she can both relax and work.

Outside, she is keen to have a manageable garden to potter in

and ideally would love to be within easy reach of a gym.

We've got a wonderful variety of homes to show them

and in each one I'll be getting them to guess at the price

before I reveal it to them.

One will be the mystery house, which has a stately home connection

that could leave Ann feeling like the lady of the manor.

We begin our search in the village of Harbertonford,

a five-minute drive from the town of Totnes.

This quiet settlement lies in the valley of the River Harbourne,

a branch of the Dart that once served a string of water mills.

There aren't masses of amenities here

but there is an excellent village shop,

which is just a short stroll

from the house we're about to have a look at.

So, welcome to Harbertonford, and our first property.

It's quite big. It's bigger than I thought it might be, actually.

We are attached at the back

so I'm going to say to you now, there isn't a back garden as such.

-Right, OK.

-But there are some wonderful walks behind the cottage

and we are surrounded by them.

-OK.

-Shall we get started, ladies?

-Yes.

-Yes!

Earlier on in its history, the cottage was thatched

but fortunately for Ann,

this was replaced with slate roofing.

And in the 19th century, it was home to the village carpenter.

So, welcome to your cottage.

I'm going to start us off in the sitting room.

-AMANDA GASPS

-I like this room.

-You gasped!

-I did, I did.

-Why did you gasp?

Because it's light and bright.

You get a good impression of space in this room.

-Let's take you through. I'm going to show you the kitchen next.

-OK.

So, equally, a good size.

It is, yes.

Is it winning us over?

I think there's a few question marks

about the age and maintenance and versatility at the moment.

I just want to sort of think about that.

But it's a nice, airy house.

OK, right, follow me. We're going to head upstairs.

On the first floor there's a landing that's lined with book shelves

and off that there's a family bathroom.

There are also three good-sized bedrooms.

One has an attractive feature wall of exposed Devon stone

and another has a built-in platform bed

and views across the village and surrounding countryside.

We're going to take a look at the largest of the three bedrooms,

which is on the other side of the landing.

-Oh!

-And this, at the moment, is the master bedroom.

-This is a nice room.

-It's lovely!

-It's full of character.

-Again, surprised at the size?

-Yes.

Very summery, very light.

We're going to go back outside.

We're going to take a look at the property.

I'm also going to ask you, for the first time,

-what you think it's on the market for.

-OK.

Being attached, the outside space here is limited

and it's confined to the front of the property,

so definitely no room for a home gym.

But a short drive away in Dartmouth,

there are plenty of leisure facilities

that Ann could take full advantage of.

Now, I'm going to highlight the country vista behind us,

that view, because I can't give you a garden, I'm afraid.

What do you think the asking price is?

Well, the figure that's been in my mind is 380.

-Yeah...yeah.

-Right, £380,000.

-Yeah.

-OK. Amanda?

I'm going with £369,950.

The asking price for this cottage is...

-£327,500.

-Really?

-Very interesting.

-That is interesting,

cos I think if I bought this

there's a couple of things I'd like to remodel

and that would give me the budget to do that.

A very significant £72,500 below Ann's maximum budget,

this characterful cottage may not offer

the loft-style living she's accustomed to

but it does have a surprisingly spacious living room

and kitchen/diner,

as well as three good-sized bedrooms,

all with the light, airy feel she loves.

It doesn't have a lot of outside space

but there's fabulous walking to be had

pretty much on its doorstep.

First property - good reactions, under budget.

-Marvellous.

-Very positive start.

-Let's see what else we've got in store for you!

-OK.

In the mid 1800s, Devon was one of the

largest leather production centres in England,

with well over 100 tan yards operating throughout the country.

A vital ingredient used in the tanning process

at that time was oak bark.

But, at the end of the 19th century, chemical alternatives

were introduced that speeded up the process

and many of the traditional tanners were forced to close down.

One resilient family in Colyton, East Devon, however,

managed to hang on to the tried and true methods

and have been practising them for 150 years.

Today, they're the only remaining oak bark tannery in Britain.

Current manager of the business

is fifth generation family member Andrew Parr.

Andrew, good to meet you, thank you for inviting us to your tannery,

which is enormous, but can you explain, what exactly is a tannery?

Yes, tanning is a process of converting a raw material -

a hide in this case - from raw material,

which will putrefy and go off, into leather.

So once it's converted into leather, it can't revert to the raw state.

We're using oak bark, which is our main process.

So it's the oak bark that... Well, I suppose it's the magic ingredient.

Each tan is slightly different

and produces a different type of leather.

The oak bark produces a light-weighing leather,

but it's very strong and hard-wearing.

'Andrew's introducing me

'to just a tiny glimpse of what's involved here,

'because from start to finish oak bark tanning takes 15 months

'and involves as many as 26 different processes.'

This is a coppice oak and it's a bit like a weed.

You cut it and it'll regrow from the stool,

and 15, 20 years later you can go back and cut it again.

Since the family bought the tannery in 1862,

many of the production methods have remained the same, including the

grinding of the bark, which is still carried out using a water wheel.

Once the bark is ground,

it's steeped in pits of cold water to leach out the tannin.

The tannin-filled water - known as "liquor" - is what is then used

to soak the hides in, and this all happens in the tan yard,

where today Alan and Dan are carrying out

a process known as "dusting".

'They're layering hides that have already been soaking for

'six months on top of each other, adding fresh bark between each layer

'to ensure even coverage.'

The modern techniques that we're more used to today,

for example the belt I'm wearing here,

this will have been done with chemicals, I'm presuming?

Yeah, which takes about three weeks to a month.

That's the difference, so yours takes 15 months in total,

my belt might have taken a month.

-But it's obviously worth it.

-It is, yeah, cos it's the extra strength

you get from tanning them slowly.

And it's this strength that has made the leather much

sought-after by manufacturers of high-end equestrian products.

And, fittingly, I'm finishing my tannery tour

by helping Malcolm here stain

some tanned leather which is destined to be made into horse bridles.

So if I come back to Devon in, say, 20 years' time, and I see

someone riding down a country lane, that might be my bridle...

-Yeah, every possibility.

-Malcolm, thank you very much indeed.

That's all right, you're welcome.

Journeying five-and-a-half miles south we reach the little

village of Blackawton, the second stop on our search.

Just over a 15-minute drive away is Totnes,

the town that Ann is particularly keen on.

It lies on the west bank of the River Dart

where there's still a working port and has a great community spirit.

I can't see your faces.

-I'm smiling, I'm smiling.

-I'm grinning.

-Yes, your loving this beautifully landscaped courtyard?

-I do.

It brings us up to our second property.

This is looking very promising.

The barns date back to about the 1800s

-but this whole plot was developed in 2006.

-So quite modern then?

-Yes.

And it comes with a garage, I'm guessing?

-It does come with a garage.

-Cool.

-And seven acres of land.

-Wow!

-Each?

You do have to share it! You've got seven neighbours

-but you are surrounded by countryside here.

-Fantastic.

Look at that smile, how can I resist? Let's go.

Well, we've got off to an excellent start with this house

and I feel quietly confident that things will continue

in the same positive manner once we venture inside.

I've brought you through the back door

because we are in the country and that seems to be the norm.

You walk into this splendid kitchen, would it be fair to say?

Yes, I like the look of this kitchen, it's gorgeous.

You wouldn't need to do a thing, would you?

-No.

-No, no. Except unpack!

So we're loving the kitchen.

Here we've got... I'm going to call it our first sitting room because

I'm going to take you through here and show you a little bit more.

There is an additional sitting room-cum-study here.

This would make a great sort of studio, workroom, wouldn't it?

I really like the space, I like the way it is so clean and open.

No, I think it's fantastic, gorgeous, ready to move into.

OK, I'll help you pack.

-You can always bring Amanda with you.

-Any time!

Always bring Amanda with you when you're looking for properties.

-She knows.

-You've got an open invitation all year round!

-Thank you.

Upstairs there's an immaculate family bathroom which should suit

Ann's preference for contemporary decor.

There's also a generous guest bedroom with a large skylight

that lets the sun pour in

and then there is the equally light and bright master bedroom.

-Oh, my goodness!

-So we have a large set of in-built wardrobes there,

some more here,

plus an en-suite.

-Lovely.

-And what do you think about the size?

It's lovely. I'm impressed.

-Amanda?

-Yes, it's fantastic. It's lovely.

Let's step outside.

There's one final part of the jigsaw to take care of,

-isn't there, ladies?

-Yes.

Money. Come on.

As well as the shared space outside,

which includes the lovely planted courtyard we entered from,

the house also has its own private patio area,

which comes off the sitting room, and a beautiful secluded garden.

It's a very nice garden.

Not only does it have this, but that view behind you.

It's gorgeous, really lovely view.

-Is this part of the dream? Are we getting close?

-Yes.

-Amanda?

I think she just woke up. I think this is it!

How much do you think the asking price is?

I think it's on the market for about £399,000.

-So just literally...

-Just under your budget.

-Yes, yes, yes.

-Amanda?

-I'm going with 389.

-Amanda is closest.

-Really?

-Yes!

-Again.

The asking price is £375,000.

-ANN GASPS

-Wow!

That is very compelling.

I'm going to have to think quite seriously about this.

£25,000 below Ann's maximum budget,

this beautifully converted barn gives her the open, flexible space

she loves, as well as the clean-lined contemporary decor.

It includes a really spacious kitchen diner,

upstairs there are two bedrooms

and there's a third potential bedroom downstairs,

which is currently being used as an office.

Outside, as well as seven acres of shared land,

there's a private garden with extraordinary views.

I have to drag you away now. That's it. More tomorrow, come on.

Yesterday we showed Ann and her friend Amanda two properties

and they were surprised, pleasantly surprised, at the price.

And both seemed very smitten with our barn conversion,

which really puts the pressure on our third property

because today it's time for our mystery house

and this one's a real gem.

Now, Ann said she wants to take the best of her city dwelling

and transport it to the countryside.

Well, some might say that's a tall order

but with our mystery house, I think we may have achieved it.

Our final destination takes us from South Devon into East Devon

to the village of Wilmington,

which is about an hour's drive from Totnes.

The nearest town, just over three miles away, is Honiton.

Our mystery house is just a short drive from the town.

But, before I show Anne and Amanda the actual property,

there's something I'd like them to see first.

So I've brought you to show you this property.

But it's not what it seems.

Mmm.

Any ideas what the mystery might be?

Not a clue.

I like it when this happens!

OK, well, this ISN'T your mystery house,

but it is part of the mystery tour.

Hmm!

-See that green door there?

-Yeah.

-Follow me.

-OK.

'Although this fabulous Grade II-listed Georgian mansion

'isn't the mystery house, it is closely connected to it.

'Inside, there are some features that I think

'Anne might find rather appealing.'

Now, how important are your creature comforts to you?

Highly important.

-This is great. This is wonderful.

-Bit of a surprise?

This could be home from home.

Gym's next-door.

Pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna.

-Perfect.

-All within this one building.

I really like this.

How close do you think the mystery house is?

I'm hoping it's very convenient.

-Shall we take a look, you two?

-Yes.

-Come on.

The mansion house was built in 1830

as a home for a wealthy local landowner.

But around 35 years ago it was developed into a hotel,

and buildings were added to the back of the property

to house extra guest facilities.

That's where we're heading now,

because one of those buildings happens to be the home

we're hoping to tempt Anne with.

So, through the garden gate...

to our mystery house.

OK.

In total, there are 31 houses/apartments

-in this whole place.

-Right.

All in about ten acres of communal grounds.

Looked after, so you don't have to go gardening,

but what is wonderful about this apartment

is that it has its own garden.

Yeah, it's a nice-sized garden.

-Your apartment is upstairs.

-Right.

It's a wonderful property. I can't wait to take you inside.

-Shall we start?

-Yes, please.

'When this place stopped functioning as a hotel in the late 1990s,

'it was divided up and converted

'into the private apartments we can see today.

'And the one that we're hoping Anne might call home

'used to be the hotel restaurant.'

-Wow, it's wide and open.

-Oh, my goodness.

I can hear great comments behind me, but step in here.

-Oh, what a lovely room!

-Oh, wow. This is gorgeous.

Who'd have known? You've got such a fantastic view.

It's got the antiquity of the building,

but then it's got this lovely studio vibe, as well.

It's a brilliant combination.

-Who'd like to see a little bit more?

-Yes, please.

-Yes.

The all-important kitchen, with an extremely high ceiling.

-Fabulous.

-It's great.

It's got everything, by the looks of it, pretty much.

It's more than a property, it's a lifestyle, kind of readymade.

-We're getting close, aren't we, Amanda?

-Very close.

'I thought we did well yesterday with the barn conversion

'but, going on their reactions today,

'I'm thinking this place might just end up surpassing it.

'I have a feeling the room I'm about to show them

'could help tip the balance.'

And if that sitting room wasn't enough for you,

-we've also got up here.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, my word.

-It's like being in a lighthouse.

-Yes!

I really like that, and the thing that's really speaking to me

is the fact that it's galleried, because that's what I'm used to.

-Yeah.

-And to be able to see over and have that openness of space,

it feels great, actually. Really nice.

Ooh, you do like it! I can hear the emotion.

Amanda, what feeling does it give you?

It just feels really bang-on right.

-Well, let's crack on. Deep breath.

-Mm-hmm.

-Bedrooms next.

-Oh, gosh, yeah.

-Amanda, if you wouldn't mind leading the way.

Back down on the first floor of this very uniquely shaped property

is where most of the accommodation is located.

Next to the large living space we looked at earlier

is where the two bedrooms can be found.

One of those is a very generous guest room with the same

wrap-around sunlight we've seen in the rest of the apartment,

and next to that is the family bathroom.

The other bedroom is the master, which is where we're headed now.

Oh, my goodness!

I love you two, cos as I walk through the door I can hear,

"Ooh, wow, oh, my goodness."

I thought that room was nice, but this is really good.

Oh, there's a balcony!

-So I take it you both like this room?

-Oh, it's just beautiful.

It's just such a beautiful feeling in this room.

AMANDA SIGHS DEEPLY

-London's suddenly feeling really passe!

-Good! Good.

Why don't we go back downstairs into your garden?

Cos there is one more thing we do have to discuss.

-Money. After you.

-OK.

Outside in the ten acres of managed grounds, there are beautiful

formal gardens and some wonderful wooded areas

which I'm told are regularly visited by deer.

So, I've brought you round to this side, this is the communal part,

and also you can see the mystery house

-from a different angle.

-BOTH: Mmm.

It's a lovely courtyard, this, isn't it?

I love the serenity of this place, the environment.

It's got a certain Italian feeling to it.

So, for the final time,

we've got to guess the price for the mystery house.

I'm going to guess 398,000.

Well, I said to myself if it was under 400 I'd be amazed,

so I'm going to say 415.

-The good news is...it is under your budget.

-How much is it?

£335,000.

-No way.

-That's incredible!

-No way! Even I feel emotional now.

-I'm just completely gobsmacked.

-There are tears, in a good way.

Yes, yes.

This wonderfully unique apartment is, to use Ann's words,

a "gobsmacking" £65,000 below her maximum budget

and it manages to fulfil pretty much every requirement

of her rather challenging brief.

It has two spacious, flexible living rooms and two large bedrooms,

both with their own balconies.

There's all-day sun,

360 degree views and a private garden.

Last but not least are those all-important leisure facilities

just a very short stroll across the grounds.

I feel a little bit mean dragging you away.

-Well, I might be coming back.

-Yeah?

I shall be handing you the keys, perhaps.

Ah, but on that note, let's go somewhere we can sit down

and talk about the merits of the mystery house

and the other properties you've seen.

So, Ann, the dream was to leave the Big Smoke and move to Devon.

-Are we still on track?

-Definitely.

If anything, I've found more in Devon than I thought would be here.

We did show you three splendid properties.

With a couple of them, we got quite a reaction, from the two of you.

I think the second and third ones, the mystery one particularly,

both of those really got my mind whirring in a way I'd hoped for,

but wasn't really expecting.

Do we have a favourite out of the two?

I think the mystery house was really something else.

It was unconventional, it had lots of space,

it was a beautiful setting and I was very taken with it.

So, what happens next?

The settings in the second and third were both lovely,

and what I need to do now is get to find out more about the

local area for each, just picture myself in the surroundings,

do a little bit more homework.

So, what I'm hoping to hear is that you're going

to go back and take another look.

I'm going to stay down a little longer and have another look.

-Are you?

-Yes.

Well, all the very best. Thank you so much, Amanda.

And, Ann, we hope you're very happy here in Devon,

-cos I know you're going to make that move.

-Thank you.

-Let me know how you get on.

-I will.

-We're going to come to the house-warming, aren't we?

-Definitely!

Aww, I really thought we'd secured a sale here in Devon

with our mystery house - we even had tears.

But, I must admit, I don't blame Ann

for wanting to do just that little bit more homework

and really get to know the Honiton area before she's ready to commit.

I just hope this part of the region delivers as much as our

mystery house did, because, for me, they're made for each other.

I'll see you again, bye-bye.

Ann is still very interested in the mystery house

and plans to return for a second viewing very soon.

If you would like to escape to the country in Wales, Scotland,

Northern Ireland or England

and would like our help, please apply online at...