Herefordshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to what promises to be a very salubrious edition of

Escape To The Country.

Now, remarkably, this beautiful castle behind me has been

home to the same family for the best part of 1,000 years, but

where is it and who is lucky enough to call this lavish mansion home?

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

There's a continental feel to today's show, as our multilingual

couple seek a translation to a more rural setting.

Top of their list, some cosy English charm.

It is too big for a snug but it is snug enough to sit in.

Yeah, I take your point, yeah.

And our delightful selection of properties seems to work in

any language.

Oh, gosh!

THEY GASP

Well, today we are in Herefordshire on the Welsh borders,

and this is Croft Castle, home to the Croft family.

Now, the castle began life here in 1055

but over the centuries that followed it evolved into now

a largely 17th-century and rather splendid family home you see today.

But it was in the 18th century that the castle

and the family's fortunes took a turn for the worse

and they were forced to sell it but in 1923, Sir James Croft,

the then 11th Baronet, managed to buy it back

and the Crofts were returned to their family seat.

Now, it is a place that is still very much evolving,

embracing new environmental technology that it's hoped

will assure its future long into the 21st century,

something I'll be taking a much closer look at later on in the show.

Land-locked Herefordshire is bordered by five counties,

including Shropshire and Worcestershire.

As one of England's most remote counties, Herefordshire's

patchwork landscape has been shaped by centuries of agriculture.

At its heart sits Hereford, with its majestic cathedral rising up

above the River Wye, dominating the city skyline.

East of Hereford lies the historic market town of Ledbury, with

its crooked black and white timbered architecture, a style that's

widespread across the whole county.

Venture away from the towns and you'll find peaceful hamlets

and villages like Eardisley with its famous 800-year-old oak tree.

With the River Wye meandering through a county with one of

the lowest population densities in the country, Herefordshire is

as rural as it gets.

Well, not only does Herefordshire have some absolutely beautiful

countryside, it also has some fairly attractive property prices too.

The cost of your average detached here will set you

back about £258,000, that's some £7,000 below the national average.

But, of course, there are hotspots.

Anywhere in the southeast of the county, thanks to its fantastic

transport links to the rest of the country,

will mean you have to pay a little bit more.

So, if you feel like being a little bit more remote

and you want your money to go that little bit further,

take my advice and head west and north.

Speaking of somebody who is now lucky enough to call this

county home, take it from me, there is plenty on offer.

So, time now to meet today's buyers

and find out exactly what they're looking for.

Today's buyers are French tutor Victoria and her Dutch husband,

Lucas, a retired computer software engineer.

They currently live in the town of Thatcham in Berkshire and met

32 years ago at work.

We worked for the same company

and we started on the same day in Holland on 1 October, 1982.

And then took a Christmas party outing in Amsterdam

to get us really together.

We came to the UK just after we got married.

It was at the very end of 1985.

And home in the UK is now on a classic suburban housing estate.

We've been living here for 14 years.

It seems to be getting busier and busier.

We've gone past the stage of living on an estate now.

I'd really, really like to have rural views.

The more of them the better as far as I'm concerned!

But the draw of rural life, however, is not a desire for rural isolation.

It would be nice to join in more in the local community

and do things on a voluntary basis,

and it's a good way of meeting new people that way as well.

The decision to move to Herefordshire is also driven

by a wish to be near Victoria's ageing parents in the

neighbouring county of Gloucestershire

but they also have to think about a 23-year-old son,

Robert, who is studying for a master's degree, and

21-year-old daughter, Laura, who's away at university.

Initially, it will be our son who is definitely moving with us.

Our daughter will be doing one more year at university

but then, who knows? She might come back to live at home with us,

but for the time being it will just be our son.

In the move, a good kitchen is a priority as Lucas comes from

a family of bakers.

My grandfather was a professional patissiere in Holland.

My father and his brother were also in the bakery.

I worked in the bakery as a small person. I was, sort of, seven,

eight, nine and it is in the genes.

And Victoria has a passion for the piano, which must also be

accommodated in their new home.

I've played the piano since I was seven years old.

I don't practice as much as I should,

usually an hour a week, but sometimes more.

At the moment my piano is in a fairly small room,

so, if possible, I would like a bigger room for it. Maybe one day,

if I've got some spare cash, I might think about getting

a Baby Grand, that would be absolutely amazing.

But garage space will also be important as Lucas has a

small collection of cars.

Cars have always been a major point in my life.

The first words that I could say was 'auto', which is car.

It was not 'mamma' and 'papa', it was 'auto'.

But just getting away from the commuter rat run of their

current area is the most important part of the move.

Herefordshire offers us a more rural place to live, less people,

so I think it will be a more relaxing way of life for us.

We're keeping our house hunt in the southern part of the county

to stay near to Victoria's parents in English Bicknor, Gloucestershire.

I'm meeting up with Lucas and Victoria in Herefordshire to

go over the details.

Well, Lucas, Victoria, welcome to Herefordshire

on a glorious day, it has to be said.

But what's brought you here?

Well, we want to be closer to my family.

They're getting older now,

so we want to be able to be there for them,

to help them out if need be, and we've been to Herefordshire

many times, so we know it a bit and it's absolutely beautiful.

Well, hopefully, if we get it right, I might have some new neighbours.

-Who knows?

-Hopefully.

And a pub close by?

There are plenty of good pubs in Herefordshire.

I've looked at most of them, don't you worry.

Your interests are quite varied

and certainly would seem to fit the bill for country life.

Yes, I love folk dancing.

I belong to a very friendly group in Thatcham and I'm going to miss them,

but I would like to find a folk dancing group nearby

so I can take it up again.

Now give us an idea of the specifics of what you're

-looking for, Victoria, in your new home.

-OK.

We'd like four bedrooms if possible, en suite,

and ideally three reception rooms.

I'd like a separate room for my piano and

it would be lovely to have a big kitchen

where you can eat in and maybe have a sitting area at one end.

-We need a garage, definitely.

-Garage for me, yes,

because there are a few cars to accommodate.

When you say a few, how many?

There are three cars and actually a motorbike.

An outside space?

Yeah, a garden but not too big. I'm not a green-fingered person.

And I would love open views, I really want my country views.

We should just mention your children, Rob and Laura.

They're setting out on their own paths, aren't they now, really,

but still orbiting the family home,

so you do need to accommodate them when they come back.

Yes, definitely. They're coming and going.

Robert will be living with us for the next couple of years probably.

And he has a whole wish list of maybe an annexe, pool table, gym.

We really need this house!

THEY LAUGH

Yes, sadly this isn't for sale. But if only it were.

And can you picture a style of property that would fit the bill?

I think we just want something with character.

It doesn't really matter if it's modern,

and I think we're going to know it when we see it.

So, you know what you're looking for,

but where do you want it specifically?

OK, probably in an area around Hereford,

an hour maximum radius around my parents, I think.

Now, since we first met you back in Thatcham, things have changed a bit?

Yes, we got an offer on the house and accepted it,

so we are all ready to go.

Let's just remind ourselves of how much you

want to spend on this enterprise, Lucas.

A maximum of £500,000. Really maximum.

Well, traditionally, this is an area that's had quite

a lot of money spent on it over the centuries,

and that's reflected in the housing stock.

So your half a million quid will get us something, I think,

quite exciting.

We've got three to show you, including our mystery house.

What's that going to be, I wonder? Ready to go?

-Yes.

-Let's go and spend some money.

-Thank you.

With £500,000 to spend, Victoria and Lucas are looking for a character

property with a minimum of four bedrooms,

as well as another room for a piano.

They'd like some semi-independent accommodation for their two

children, as well as a garage for Lucas' small vehicle collection.

They're also after countryside

views, and a location in a

community is also extremely

important.

We have three fantastic properties which we're hoping will tempt

our buyers with all they have to offer.

But I won't reveal their price tags until they've had a guess

themselves.

The final property will be our mystery house, which delivers

some of what they want in spades but will challenge them on location.

Now, I know that you've expressed an interest in groups

like the WI, Victoria.

Yeah, if it's a friendly group with people you get on well with,

then I'd be willing to give it a go.

They're great fun, they're very spirited,

they have a great sense of community.

Yes, I think it's that sort of aspect we're looking for.

We'd really like to be part of a community.

So, let's see what you think of property number one

and its village location.

It's not very far from here.

Pretty close to all the things I think that you're looking for.

We're starting our house hunt in the village of Hoarwithy which is

located in the heart of the Wye Valley.

It's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with stunning views

at every turn.

From here, you can drop down on to the Wye Valley Walk, a 136-mile trek

along the river crossing in-between Wales and England

and taking around 12 days to complete.

Hoarwithy itself has a pub with a community shop attached to

it and it's all overlooked by the splendid church of St Catherine's.

Originally constructed in the 1840s,

it began as a plain building but in the 1870s the wealthy vicar

of Hentland decided to beautify the chapel, encasing it in Italian

Romanesque architecture with a distinctive campanile tower.

And our first house is just below it.

So, there's the pub.

Yes.

And this is property number one.

-Couldn't be closer to the pub, could it?

-No, no.

It's a really interesting proposition, this one.

It's quite a sprawling complex but I thought we'd start here

-because this really is the sort of pretty face of it.

-Yes.

But it all will make sense as we go around the back.

-Come and have a look at this.

-OK.

This substantial red sandstone property is currently used

as a B&B and offers six bedrooms in the main house, as well as some

other interesting accommodation options.

Good for housing family and all their hobbies.

Now, this I think is where this complex begins to make some

sort of sense.

Lots of parking, as you can see, but no garaging at the moment,

and it also comes with this building here, which I'm thinking

might be of interest to one or other of the children.

Definitely.

When they come to stay.

But that's what I want you to think about, there's a lot to explore.

-Yes, definitely.

-Let's see what you think.

The separate cottage is a large studio and would suit a

family member or visiting guests,

but it's just one of many options this house has to offer.

Well, let's start with the kitchen which,

well, for most people, really, is the heart of it.

I gather you're a bit of a baker, too?

Yes, I can do some baking.

There's an oven there, hob.

-Reasonable work space.

-Very farm housey, I think.

-Yeah.

Yes, lots of storage. I like it, good start.

There's a lot more down here to explore as well.

We've already tempted you with the annexe that's out in the yard

there but there is another two-bedroom annexe through there,

so, potentially, your children could have one each.

-Really?

-Yeah. See what they make of this.

-OK.

This self-contained annexe

is extremely spacious, comprising

of a kitchen, two bedrooms,

a bathroom and a living room.

So, you've got kitchen area here

and then this is the living room to the annexe.

-Wow!

-Oh, quite big.

-It's huge.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

What do you think the kids would make of it

if they were following us around now?

I think they'd be amazed.

All that space, that is what they would really, really appreciate.

Well, we've only just scratched the surface,

there's plenty more space to explore.

Just off the main kitchen in the other direction

is a dining room currently used for the B&B guests,

and there are two further living rooms.

This is what the owners currently use as their space

away from the B&B.

Arguably, it's perhaps the smallest reception room.

-Nice snug.

-Yes, lovely wood burner.

-Yeah.

Next door there's an enormous reception room

currently used as bedrooms,

and maybe that's one for the piano.

Yes, indeed.

I think this has rather surprised you, Victoria.

It has, yes, the size of it.

-Yeah, the size.

-Yeah, it's just amazing.

Well, there's plenty more to see upstairs.

-Come and have a look at this. After you.

-Thank you.

On the first floor of this property are four rooms, of which three

are en-suite bedrooms, and another room currently used as the

guest sitting room with a balcony overlooking the Wye Valley.

But there's even more accommodation on the second floor.

So we've saved this one until last because it's right on the very top.

-The owners at the moment use this as their floor.

-OK.

So this is their master, if you like.

-It has an en-suite shower room through there.

-Yes.

And across the landing there is another room similarly sized

which they're using as an office/study,

but it does have lovely views.

Yes. There's so much scope in this house.

-It goes on and on and on, doesn't it?

-It does.

-It does, yes.

Now, you've got so many en suites to choose from, I don't know which

one you would prefer as your master bedroom. You'll have to decide.

The one that has the best shower!

THEY LAUGH

But what do we think of the price, I wonder?

We'll have to have a think about that one.

I think you will. Let's go and get some fresh air.

-OK.

-You might need it.

Outside, there's a modest amount of land, around one third of an

acre, but it's been imaginatively landscaped.

-This is lovely.

-Yeah?

-Oh!

The garden's got some lovely little features,

a little sun room back up there, and, of course,

you've got the annexe down there in the courtyard.

Very unusual.

So, have you been able to consider how much property one might

be on the market for?

OK, I think it's fairly close to the top of the budget,

I'm going to go for £475,000.

£475,000, yeah. Lucas?

That is what I would hope for but I think it is a bit higher,

£485,000 is my guess.

Your hunch is right,

but it is under budget but only just.

It's on at £499,500.

OK.

So 500 quid left over.

But I think you'll agree an awful lot of property for your money.

-Definitely.

-It's a lot, yeah. Yeah.

-It's huge.

Right, well, there's one more bit you haven't seen and that

is the annexe in the courtyard.

Go and have a look at that

and I'll catch up with you a little bit later.

With £500 change from their top budget, this substantial

three-storey house offers six bedrooms plus a two-bedroom annexe

and a separate studio cottage,

so there is more than enough space for adult children, pianos and more.

There are views across the Wye Valley landscape and space

to build a garage.

What's more, its central village location is extremely handy

for local amenities.

Oh! This is a good room.

-I like the character of the beam.

-The beam, yeah.

I think I can see Robert in here, can't you?

-I think so, yeah.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Oh, kitchen.

-Tiny kitchen.

Adequate for somebody who cannot cook.

-Oh, there's an en-suite shower in here.

-Shower room.

'It just goes on and on and on.'

I couldn't believe the size of the house.

The kitchen is ideal, very homely.

Nice to have the pub there.

I can walk to the pub and come back in one piece.

Well, the children would be delighted. Whether or not that might

be too much space when they do finally fly the nest, I'm not sure.

Ah-ha! So what did you make of that, then?

-Very interesting, yes.

-Is it Rob or Laura?

-Robert.

-Probably Robert.

-Probably Robert, OK.

Yes, yes, I think so.

Well, I think we've had a brilliant start with this one.

So, it's lunchtime. Let's go and check out the pub.

-Excellent, excellent.

-Come on, then.

-Excellent.

-Thank you.

With an abundance of appealing landscapes, it's easy to see

why Victoria and Lucas want to move to Herefordshire for a more

leisurely pace of life.

But as well as finding a home with picture postcard views

they're also looking to be part of an active community.

With Victoria keen to pursue her passion for folk dancing,

we've sent her and Lucas to Leominster Priory to meet Carol and

Linda, two members of an all-female Morris dancing troops, whose

origins are linked to an amazing artefact displayed in the church.

Welcome to Leominster and the beautiful Priory Church.

We're in Jenny Pipe's Morris and this is a ducking stool.

It was used to humiliate people who'd been bad in some way,

a bit like the stocks.

Why is your group named after Jenny?

We're called after Jenny Pipes because she was the last

woman in England to be ducked on the ducking stool in 1809.

What had Jenny done to be ducked?

The reason that she was ducked was purely for being a nagging

wife or a scold. So she had a sort of quarrelsome, boisterous

tongue and was considered to be a public nuisance.

Although that was 200 years ago,

we wanted to remember her feisty spirit,

because Jenny Pipes was sort of marched around Leominster in

the stool and ducked several times in the Kenwater but she still

came up each time sort of hurling torrents of abuse at the magistrate.

We like her spirit.

The Morris tradition has its roots in the 14th and 15th

centuries, and is most often associated with men.

However, in more recent times it's expanded and evolved, and now

all-female as well as mixed groups are helping to keep this

native dance tradition alive.

In order to learn the basic steps

they're meeting up with group leader Heather.

Hello, Heather. Nice to meet you.

How many are there in your group?

We've got about 10 or 12 members at the moment

and some musicians as well.

And what sort of age range are they?

The youngest member is about 21 and I wouldn't like to tell you how

old our oldest member is. I think that would be giving away secrets!

And why do you come together to dance?

People come for different reasons.

Some people come because it's really good exercise,

you get a really good workout,

and the other thing is we like the idea of

continuing a tradition of dance that goes back probably over 500 years.

I see.

OK, so would you like to learn a dance now?

-Yes.

-Yes.

You'll need a stick.

Thank you.

-And a handkerchief.

-Thank you.

OK, so I'm going to teach you a dance

from the Cotswolds, from the village of Stanton Harcourt

and this dance is called Bean Planting.

So what we're going to do is we have our sticks in our right

hand, we have our handkerchiefs in our left hand.

We're going to stamp on the ground with our left foot

and we're going to dib a hole for that bean with our stick.

To step forward with the right and clash our partner's stick,

then we're going to step back with the right foot

and shoot any crows that might be going to steal our beans.

OK? So let's have a practice at that.

So we're going to step with the left, clash with the right

and shoot those crows. Lucas.

There are regional differences in the dances, and in

Herefordshire groups either perform the Cotswold Morris or the

border style, which is more vigorous.

The dance they're going to learn today is a Cotswold dance.

Now across to your opposite partner.

Step, forward and back.

Having practised, it's time to get suited and booted for the

performance, and whilst Lucas can't perform with the female

troop, he does get to join the musicians.

Dance in position.

BANDS PLAYS MORRIS DANCING TUNE

Dancing in position.

I can certainly see Victoria fitting in well with the local dance

scene, so the pressure is definitely on to find her and Lucas

their new Herefordshire home.

For our next property we're border hopping into Gloucestershire

to the village of Longhope, close to Victoria's parents.

The village is small but has plenty of amenities including a

post office and shop, allotments, a school and several pubs.

There's also a village hall which holds regular community events.

It's thought the village was founded in Saxon times, so there's a

rich history and some rather old properties.

And in the heart of it is our second offering.

Right, just settle down here

because that is what I want you to feast your eyes on.

Ooh! Gosh. That's amazing.

You wanted character, well, this has it in spades.

It's a little bit older than our first property,

this one's about 1670.

Is it the sort of thing you would have considered, Lucas?

Certainly on the sort of age and how it looks

and it is definitely special.

-I love it.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Let's see what you think, come on.

This is a Grade II listed five-bedroom property and, without

a doubt, delivers on their desire for a house with character.

There we go.

-Oh...

-Oh.

-...an island.

-Very nice.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Loads of character.

Now, this is the biggest smile I've seen from Lucas all day.

This is all good, isn't it?

Yeah, definitely. It's not huge but it just feels nice.

Yeah. Through there you've got a huge utility room with pantry.

Wow. Just up my street, my little pantry.

-Exactly.

-Your pantry, yeah?

Well, you need somewhere for all your baking stuff, don't you?

-Yeah.

-All your different types of flour.

Some flour for this, flour for that, flour for...

-Yes.

-Different kinds of flours.

-Let's go through here to the living room.

-OK.

-Uh-uh.

I love these little latches.

Come on in.

What do you think?

-Wow. Beams.

-I'm not saying anything.

THEY LAUGH

-Nice stone fireplace.

-Hmm!

It's light, you know, it's got plenty of light coming in.

I like it.

It is too big for a snug, but it is snug enough to...sit in.

Yeah, I take your point, yeah. OK, snug enough.

There's a lot to like about this one. I adore it, you can

probably tell. I'm a bit biased but there you go.

There, a little bit of fine dining for you.

-Oh.

-Oh!

-Wow.

-Yeah.

What a room. Gosh!

Oh, there is your piano space.

Oh, my piano could go there. Down at that end.

You might want to exchange it for a one like that.

Get a Grand Piano instead. Is that another fireplace?

Yes, you've got a lovely burner in here and some lovely details.

I mean, look at these hinges, hand-wrought hinges.

Is it working its historic charm?

Oh, yes.

On the one-to-ten scale, where are we?

-Nine.

-Nine?

-I was going to say nine as well.

-I'll take nine.

Let's see if we can find that extra point...

-OK.

-..upstairs.

There are two upstairs floors accessed via a stone and oak

staircase.

On the first floor is a small landing-cum-study room,

the property's only bathroom, as well as three of the five bedrooms.

Two are good-sized doubles, not including the master.

And we're thinking this would be your bit.

LUCAS LAUGHS

Look at that bed!

It's a beautiful room. Really beautiful.

Views both sides.

-Yeah, over the garden here.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

That is amazing.

-Yes.

-I love it.

-Yeah.

-I think you do love it.

-Yeah.

I can see that you might have a few reservations somewhere, though.

-I don't know if we've got to ten yet.

-The staircase...

-Well, the staircase will be the main issue for me.

-Yeah.

Now it is OK but in ten years...

-It's a good consideration.

-Mmm. Mmm.

You know, it has work long term, doesn't it?

Upstairs there are two further bedrooms, so you've got five

-bedrooms in all, but I think now we should repair to the garden.

-OK.

And talk about the money. Come on, then.

The top floor has not only two good-sized bedrooms but also an

adjoining lounge/study area.

It could make an almost independent suite for their son, Robert.

Outside, the gardens are spectacular

and in the past have been open to the public.

I mean, what a time of year to see this garden.

It's just beautiful.

A really mature garden this is. All these different rooms.

-Have a seat.

-Thank you.

Let's relax a while.

OK.

At the end of our house... That's better isn't it?

-Look at the view.

-Yes.

Now the garden really is divided into two halves.

There's this bit with all these beautiful plants in it,

and then the other side of that wall is a really nicely appointed

vegetable patch, fruit cages and so on,

and the whole thing goes up a little bit further to give you views

out across the church and the house, and the valley beyond.

It looks beautiful.

It is a splendid property,

but what do we think it's on the market for?

I'd go higher this time.

£499,950.

So, 50 quid short of your budget, yeah? Victoria?

I think it's got to be above budget.

I would say £525,000.

I would have thought so myself, I have to say, if I'd have

walked in here without knowing how much it is.

But here's the thing.

This could be yours for £475,000.

That is a surprise!

-That's right.

-Oh, now look!

-Big surprise.

The Dutchman's smiling again! This is all good.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-That's incredible.

-Yeah.

Well, look, you haven't seen the top floor yet.

-Why don't you go and explore that...

-Thank you.

..and take your time, why not?

Yes, definitely. It warrants it.

Priced at a surprising £25,000 under budget, this Grade II listed

17th-century home is unquestionably an historic gem.

There are five bedrooms laid out in a way that son Robert can

have his own space.

There's a fantastic reception room perfect for Victoria's piano.

There's a detached garage, some wonderful pastoral views, and

it's all in the heart of a small village community.

Watch your head.

This is amazing. A very, very quirky room, isn't it?

Yeah. Nice views.

-This could be Robert's area couldn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it could be.

-He'd love this part of the house.

Oh, I've just seen a little door through there.

-Oh, what's behind it?

-Let's go and have a look.

Oh, what a surprise! There's another bedroom. Look at this.

-And a good size again.

-Wow.

-Interesting.

-Very interesting.

I think this house is absolutely incredible

and it really blew me away, and it's packed with character.

The floorboards, the door latches, the beams.

The dining room had the best wow factor of them all.

I love the garden, as well, divided into the small rooms

and, of course, the views on both sides are absolutely amazing.

I love this house.

You know, for me, gardening is all about having fun

and this is a brilliant example of it.

Look at it, a sheep crafted out of box hedging

and a lovely piece of oak.

-Isn't that great?

-Yeah.

-I've never seen anything like that before.

-No.

I suppose if you were really true to it,

you'd grow it out of yew.

Oh, Jules, that's terrible!

A terrible joke to end what I think has been a good day.

It's been fantastic.

-Very good day.

-Excellent.

Right then, I'm going to treat you both to a pint at the local.

-Come on.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-Oh, thank you.

It's the second day of our house hunt and with a budget of

£500,000 we're helping retirees Lucas and Victoria from

Thatcham in Berkshire find a slice of rural bliss in Herefordshire.

Coming up, our mystery house gets son Robert's seal of approval.

He would be over the moon with this place.

And I root out the eco-friendly energy project that's hotting

up in the county's woodland.

Wow! Well done, mate. That was quite a thud, wasn't it?

Well, as we head out on our final day of house hunting

here in Hereford, I suppose, really, it's a case of so far, so good.

Both Victoria and Lucas have enjoyed our first two properties

and they have met the bill in terms of finding them something

in a village with all the community support that that can offer.

But Victoria, in particular, has been very clear,

she does want her new home to have a view.

So, for our mystery house, we're going to head a little more rural

and believe you me, with this one, there is plenty to look at.

I know you know Herefordshire reasonably well

but travelling around it these last few days, house hunting,

has it reaffirmed your wish to be here?

Normally, I am driving and then, yeah, you see the road

and not much else, and now I'm sitting in these cars,

I could actually appreciate more of the rolling hills.

So what you're saying is you want a chauffeur for your future life?

-Yes.

-I'm not available!

THEY LAUGH

For our final property we're heading to the western side of Herefordshire

on the Welsh border, where the nearest village is Ewyas Harold.

It's an area of gently rolling countryside and the village has

some foodie appeal with two pubs, a chippy, butchers and tea rooms.

There's a post office, and for communal village activities,

a memorial hall.

The mystery house is a much more rural option than the previous

two, being not in the village but a ten-minute drive up the

valley to a glorious elevated position.

Climb up and enjoy the view.

Look at that!

-Oh!

-Oh, that view!

And you get this.

We're a bit more rural here, we're not on the edge of a village,

you've got three or four local shops

and post offices within about a three or four mile radius of here.

-So let's see what you think of it. Come and have a look inside.

-OK.

It's not right in the heart of a community, which is what

Lucas and Victoria wanted, but this house gives spectacular

uninterrupted views.

It's a three-bedroom 19th-century stone cottage which comes

with is own separate one-bedroom unit.

Inside, the main house has a very traditional layout.

Let's start with this one.

Oh, this is sweet.

Mmm, cosy, cosy. Snug, snug.

-Yeah?

-Nice snug, yes.

I get the feeling you quite like it being cosy.

-You like your cosiness, don't you?

-I like my cosiness.

-Yes.

-Like to be nice and warm.

-Yeah.

-As well as a big room, yeah.

-Yeah.

-This is massive as well, so ours...

Yes, quite big furniture in here.

Yeah, and our furniture is smaller.

It's definitely smaller than this furniture.

Well, next door used to be a dining room

but they've gone for the reception room option.

But having said that, they have done quite a lot of work

remodelling the kitchen at the back of the house to give you quite a big

-open plan kitchen/diner, so...

-Right.

-..maybe that's all you need.

-OK.

-Let's have a look.

And then this is the kitchen and diner.

-Oh, I like this!

-Oh, oh! Yes.

-Fantastic.

-Mmm.

-Yes.

-Island.

Yes, our island.

-New range.

-Oh, range cooker.

-Yeah.

-Oh, and the doors out to the garden there.

-I love it!

-Yeah.

-I really love it.

-It's wonderful this.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Well, we've got three bedrooms upstairs for you.

-OK.

Come and have a look at this.

So the kitchen is definitely a winner in this house

and off the kitchen there is also a utility room and a WC.

Upstairs, there is a shared family bathroom and three bedrooms.

There are two good doubles, either of which could be used by

their daughter.

And then, finally, this one.

Oh, this is pretty.

-Pretty, pretty room, yeah.

-Very pretty.

I love the wallpaper.

Normally I wouldn't go for something like this but I do like it.

-I like the beams up here.

-Yeah.

-They give a bit of character to the room.

-Yeah.

-And you've got the views, of course, from here.

-Yeah.

Well, I think the pair of you would be very happy over here,

so let's take a walk across the garden now

and have a look at the annexe/cottage

and think about the children, because I think they'd like it.

-OK. Let's go.

-After you.

Across the back of the courtyard garden is a separate storehouse

and then the two-storey self-contained cottage

which I think will be ideal for this family set up.

Now, what would the kids make of this?

Oh, he would love this, Robert would.

Oh, an L-shape. L-shaped living room. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Oh, do you know, he's been talking about having

an L-shaped sofa for ages now.

It used to be a garage,

so it was just a great big empty box, really, but they've managed to

incorporate the kitchen area there and then upstairs is this really

nice bathroom and a huge bedroom that overlooks the views again.

He would be over the moon with this place.

This is absolutely super.

-I think this could really work, don't you, Luc?

-Yeah, yeah.

As the cottage used to be the garage, there is now no

garage for Lucas' cars, but there is no shortage of land upon

which to build one.

Well, here we are then, the final bit of our mystery house tour.

And part of the reason it's our mystery house

is because it comes with five acres.

-Five?!

-Up there.

THEY LAUGH

Five acres?!

Along with that stable block over there.

-Now, the current owners don't use the land, they just rent it out.

-OK.

So, what do we think our mystery house is on the market for?

I think its got to be top of the budget.

I would say £500,000.

£500,000. Lucas?

Hoping for £450,000.

£450,000?!

Well... So you were hoping for £50,000 change?

-Yes.

-That's a bit optimistic.

-Well...

-I'm always optimistic.

This is how much change you would get from your half a million.

-£5?

-£5.

It's on at £499,995.

-All right, OK.

-Right, OK.

There you are. Treat yourself.

Well, go and have a look around

and see what you might do with that fiver.

I'll catch up with you later.

So, for just under their top budget, this stone cottage offers

three good-sized bedrooms in the main house as well as a

great separate one-bedroom unit for son Robert.

There are two living rooms

so there's at least a corner for the piano.

There is currently no garage and it's not in the centre of a village

but what it lacks in neighbours it gains in incredible rural views.

I loved the house from the moment we walked up to the front door

with that beautiful view around us.

The least favourite part of the property is actually the land,

although, yeah, it can be rented out, so that is less of a worry.

I think you do get a feeling as you walk into a house

that you know it could be for you,

and I do actually feel, you know, that it could be the one.

-After you, madam.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Well, I think that was all rather useful, actually.

-What a great house tour.

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

And we managed to get you some change of a fiver.

But I think all in all we have given you plenty to consider

this week, haven't we?

Oh, definitely. Most definitely.

-Right then, let's go and find that coffee. Come on.

-OK, thank you.

Croft Castle near Leominster, home to the Croft family for

nearly 1,000 years, is now a lavish country mansion.

But it started life as a Norman stronghold

to guard the border with Wales.

Today, its National Trust custodians

are fighting a different sort of battle.

How to find an environmentally-friendly way

of heating the vast property.

But can a building with hundreds of years of history

have an eco-friendly future?

I've come to meet operations manager Ian Grafton to find out more.

Wow, this is the life isn't it?

It is, welcome to the saloon, Jules.

-This is gorgeous.

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

I am astonished that any building, frankly, can

remain in the hands of the same family for nearly 1,000 years.

-How have they managed it here?

-It is astonishing.

I think they've just been very good with their money,

they've also been a very honourable family.

They've fallen out of favour so many times

being on the wrong side of different wars.

They did lose the house, though, in 1746 in the South Sea Bubble

when they had to sell. Sir Archie Croft sold the house.

Remarkably, they bought it back in 1923, but eventually,

as happened to many of the big country houses,

they just couldn't afford to run it,

so they gave it to the National Trust in 1957.

The future of the castle is very much in your hands now. You've had

to do an awful lot of restoration and renovation here, haven't you?

Yes. Re-roofed it. We've put new services in.

We're about to put in new heating systems.

We've probably spent about two and a half,

three million pounds in the last ten years.

Now, you talk about heating systems. I live in a lovely old house,

not as big as this, I hasten to add,

but my heating bill is horrendous. Yours must be astronomic.

We spent last year about £19,000 on heating oil which,

as you can tell, is a massive amount and not sustainable

going forward cos heating oil prices are due to rise, as we know.

So what do you do about it looking ahead?

Well, we're surrounded by woodland here, 1,500 acres of woodland,

and, of course, if you go back 300 years, the house would have

been heated by burning wood.

So we're going to put in a biomass boiler that burns woodchip

and we're going to harvest our own timber, season it, chip it,

put it into the boilers and go back, if you like, 300 years

but with 21st-century technology.

As well as being more cost-effective than other heating systems,

wood-fuelled heating is a low-carbon option.

After allowing the wood to dry for 12 months,

it's chipped and will be stored in purpose-built huts

before it's ready to be used in the biomass boiler,

and the process is sustainable as long as new trees are planted.

I'm meeting the project manager, Jo Dimitri.

Now, let's be clear, you're not going to fell

all of Croft's woodland.

-This is a...

-Absolutely not.

-..a managed process?

It is a very carefully managed process.

As you can see, on this side we have the conifer plantations.

They're non-native species and as you can see it's very dark.

-Yeah.

-When you move over to the other side

you've got a much more open, managed woodland,

and you can see it really opens up the space,

improves the habitat for birds, bats, butterflies.

But how long can you keep the new boilers going for

with what's available here at Croft?

By thinning out the woodland and widening the rides, we think we've

got about 19, 20 years worth of wood that we can fuel the biomass.

Now, you've been hard at work already,

even before the boilers have been installed.

That started over a year ago,

where we've cut down enough wood for a year's supply of fuel for the

biomass, and that has been seasoning in the woodland so that when

it actually goes into the boiler, the boiler works efficiently.

Well, I think I can hear a chainsaw over there.

-Shall we go and see what's going on?

-Let's see, yeah.

This is one of five sustainable energy pilots being undertaken

by the National Trust at properties across the UK.

Each scheme is being monitored with a view to being rolled out

across the Trust, cutting its total annual heating bill

of six million pounds in half.

Wow! Well done, mate. That was quite a thud, wasn't it?

So now all you've got to do is chip it?

-And then we've got our fuel.

-Brilliant.

So, with the new biomass boiler set to be installed in the coming weeks,

this project will soon go live and aims to provide 75% of the

heating at Croft Castle, saving 50 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Not only helping the environment but freeing up money to be

spent on vital conservation work.

Well, I am pretty confident that we have given Victoria

and Lucas three fabulous houses to choose from this week

but, of course, they can afford to buy only one,

but, let's be honest, you don't need to

be Sherlock Holmes to figure out which one it's most likely to be.

So, we came out here looking for a home. Have we found you one?

-Probably.

-Probably?

The mystery house is top.

Two nice rooms, snug but when you take out the big furniture

then that will work, and a fabulous kitchen.

Yes, the kitchen was absolutely amazing. I loved it. And, of

course, the annexe for Robert would be really, really pleased with that.

And it came with some fabulous views.

Yes, the views were just outstanding.

So, I suppose the only thing is we've given you a bit more land

with the mystery house than you wanted.

Yes, but thinking of it, it is a bit equestrian land there,

and daughter Laura sometimes talks about a horse.

Really? We weren't looking for anywhere for a horse

but now you might end up with one!

No. No. We might well.

So what happens next, Victoria?

Well, I think we go home, discuss things with our son,

and I think we also need to look into how far the house

is from amenities, exactly where it is, where the nearest

community would be, and take it from there.

Well, it is a really gorgeous bit of Herefordshire,

and I hope the children also share your view that it's

the property for you because it really is terrific.

So, just let us know. I can't wait to hear.

Yes, and thank you so much for your help.

It's been a fabulous experience.

Yes. Thank you very much.

Well, as we have seen, Herefordshire is not short on views

and we certainly rewarded Victoria and Lucas with plenty of those this

week, but so too has the property market left us spoilt for choice.

Three, I think, remarkable properties,

any one of which would have suited our buyers

but they've plumped for our mystery house.

And any time soon it looks like, with any luck,

I might have two new neighbours.

I'll see you next time.

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