North Yorkshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

This impressive standing stone was put up nearly 4,000 years ago,

but what makes it so special and where is it?

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

'Today's buyers are looking for

'their very first shared home together.'

Come on in, Fiona.

Oh, wow!

Proper farmhouse kitchen.

But he seeks a private sanctuary,

whilst she dreams of being a busy host.

If that was landscaped outside...

-Mm-hmm.

-..it would be perfect for the guests for their evening.

Well, today we are in Yorkshire,

and this is the Rudston Monolith.

At 26 feet high, it's the tallest standing stone anywhere in the UK.

So when you consider that it was probably hewn from the rocks

over in the Cleveland Hills near Whitby, over 40 miles away,

it gives you some idea of the enormous lengths

that our prehistoric ancestors were prepared to go to.

But that's the archaeology,

the locals have a different explanation as to why it's here.

They say that the devil,

angered by the building of a church on what was a pagan hill,

was so furious he threw this

in a bid to try and knock the whole thing down.

But as you can see, well...he missed.

Probably thanks to some divine intervention.

Taking up a majestic 2.9 million acres

of the northeast of England,

the historic county of Yorkshire

was once the largest county in the country.

The area now consists of several modern counties,

including north Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The breathtakingly beautiful landscape

features the heather-covered North York Moors,

often cloaked in misty mystery,

and the gentle rolling chalk hills of The Wolds,

criss-crossed with delightful footpaths.

Miles of heritage coastline include Flamborough Head,

witness to many an historic sea battle,

whilst seaside towns such as Bridlington

offer walks along wide promenades and golden sandy beaches.

Inland are Yorkshire's traditional market towns, such as Beverley.

It's Minster, a Grade I listed building,

is among the largest parish churches in the country.

And that's not the only Gothic masterpiece spawned here.

Yorkshire is the literary backdrop

to Charlotte Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

But you don't have to be a novelist or poet

to find inspiration in this haven from hectic city life.

Now, Yorkshire has recently been voted

as the third best place for tourists to visit in the world.

So, no surprise that the locals like to refer to it as God's Own Country.

But when you consider the enormous size of Yorkshire,

it's no surprise that house prices can vary hugely.

Up in North Yorkshire,

the cost of your average detached home at the moment

is running at around about £271,000,

that's some three grand below the national figure.

But over in East Riding,

there, prices can drop by a further 30%, so there's no escaping it.

Here in Yorkshire you really do get some fantastic value for money.

But where, in God's Own Country, do today's buyers want to move to?

Well, let's meet them and find out.

Keen cook Fiona and motorcycle enthusiast Duncan

first met at primary school.

But after losing touch for over 40 years, a chance encounter

brought the couple back together.

-We met in a local video shop.

-Yes.

-Yeah. Nearly eight years ago now.

-You recognised me, didn't you?

And I recognised you from school. And then we got together.

About a year or so after that.

About a year or so after that we got together, yeah.

They're now engaged but still live a few miles apart in East Lothian.

Fiona in her large family home in Longniddry.

within the commuter belt of Edinburgh,

and Duncan in a smaller home three miles along the coast.

I have lived here all my life.

And I'm an incomer, I moved here when I was five.

It's been the place that I've born and bred and brought up,

but we're kind of looking to set up a new life together

and have a change and move on.

Duncan and Fiona share a love of countryside tranquillity,

something they feel is increasingly lacking in their current locale.

-Longniddry has got a lot bigger, hasn't it?

-It has got bigger.

Lots of housing development gone up since we knew it as children.

I used to play in the fields down here, as well. They've all gone.

Aye. It all used to be fields.

'With Duncan's job as an educational-book sales rep

'coming to an end after 20 years,

'they've seen an opportunity to reach for a new dream together.

'Fiona is quitting her position as a medical receptionist

'and hopes to set up a B&B,

'whilst Duncan will be re-training as a garden designer.'

I've had enough of being a sales rep and doing 40,000 miles a year.

I do like being outside.

I like being in different places

and I want to do something reasonably creative.

The move will change our lives in lots of ways,

if not virtually every way.

For starters I'm going to be back at college.

What I really want to do is run a bed and breakfast,

or something along similar lines,

so that I can have people coming to stay,

so that I can do my catering and cooking for people,

which I love doing.

Yeah, it'll be great.

The couple have their heart set on a move to Yorkshire,

an area Duncan feels a deep affinity with

even though he's never lived there.

I'm from a Yorkshire family, never knew the county

until my parents retired there, having grown up myself in Scotland.

And I just feel I belong there.

The first time I drove down to see my parents in their new house

I was going through one of these achingly pretty villages

that just litter the place down there,

and I just didn't think that kind of Britain existed any more.

-But it's all over the place down there, isn't it?

-It is. Yeah.

-It's lovely.

-It really is.

The hunt for their dream home in Yorkshire

has a new sense of urgency

as they've already found Fiona's 16-year-old daughter, Iona,

a school close to where they plan to relocate.

We've found a really good school in York

and she's going into boarding until we can get sold

and moved down ourselves, but she is just so excited about it.

And as well as needing to be in striking distance of York by train

for Iona's new school,

the couple also have to consider more than a few felines

that will be joining them in the move.

I have eight cats

and I just seem to keep having more cats!

And I have two cats,

which is a bit more normal.

But the biggest life change

will be giving up their separate homes

to buy their first-ever shared home.

It will be the first time we've been living together.

I think we'll cope all right.

If not, we'll just have separate living accommodation for ourselves.

-I'll be in my hut at the bottom of the garden, yeah.

-You will be, yeah.

So Fiona and Duncan have committed themselves to a life-changing move

to more rural surroundings in beautiful Yorkshire.

They want to be not much more than an hour by train

from daughter Iona's school in York,

with a location close to tourist hotspots

to attract bed-and-breakfast guests.

So it's time for us

to get our search started in the county they've fallen in love with.

Well, Fiona and Duncan, welcome to Yorkshire.

-Good morning.

-Good morning, Jules.

How does it feel to be getting your escape finally under way?

It's absolutely fantastic.

It's something I've been waiting on for a very long time.

So it's great just to be able to finally make the move.

Now, give us an idea of the spec of the property

that would really work for this business.

Something that's either going to give me enough rooms

to do a bed and breakfast on site,

or something that might not have quite as many rooms but has land

so that I can put on yurts or wigwams or something like,

and give a kind of camping experience

or glamping experience to people.

Now, the glamping experience would play very nicely

into your horticultural ambition, Duncan.

It would, because I could play with the outside area

and get is designed and landscaped so it looks its best

and gives the guests

a bit of privacy from each other and what have you, as well.

Wow! So, how many bedrooms do we want?

It would probably need to be a minimum of four or five bedrooms

and I need to have a good kitchen.

That is probably my biggest criteria.

You've also mentioned doing evening meals,

so it's not just a B&B, it's a B&B&D - and dinner.

I'd like to provide that,

to give them the opportunity to have a meal on site.

It makes it a more pleasant experience for them to relax

and enjoy themselves.

You're very keen to have some separate space for you as a family.

Exactly. I'm very supportive of the B&B

and I would enjoy helping out,

but, yes, I would need to have

our own private space within it.

Now, just remind me of your budget.

About £450,000.

And that would be coming from the sale of my property

and also there'll be additional monies

from Duncan's property as well.

-Shall we go?

-Let's go.

Great. Come on, let's go.

Fiona and Duncan have £450,000 plus some contingency

to find the perfect place to set up home and start a business.

They'd like a characterful home in a peaceful location

with four or five bedrooms

or enough land to create luxury camping accommodation.

A good-sized well-appointed kitchen is a must-have for Fiona,

whilst Duncan wants the option

of private family space away from guests.

We've chosen three distinctive properties to show them,

but we won't be revealing the price until the end of each house tour.

Our final property is the mystery house

that aims to challenge them to consider their options

from a whole new angle.

Well, to find that dream home and successful business location,

we're starting off in the village of Beeford,

located in the East Riding of Yorkshire

eight miles south of Bridlington

and a 40-minute journey to daughter Iona's school in York.

With a population of little over 1,000,

the village sits around a crossroads and features a couple of pubs,

a post office and stores,

a butcher's and a fish-and-chip shop.

Our first property is situated in the heart of the village.

There you go. What do you reckon?

-It's gorgeous.

-It looks massive from the outside, yeah.

For a modern building, it's got in-built period-type character.

Now, it's not set up as a B&B at the moment,

so we really need to think about

how we reassign some of those areas within it.

-Right.

-It looks like it's promising. It would be nice to see it inside.

Right. Let's see what you think.

The house was built in the year 2000,

but with historical influences on the architectural style.

Its location on a through road

would make it easier to attract passing B&B guests,

but will it suit Fiona and Duncan?

-Now, this is currently the family dining room.

-Wow!

It could be guest dining,

because it leads into...

the kitchen, Fiona.

-Wow! That is amazing.

-Good grief.

-I could live with that.

Yes. I guess you could live with it.

Lots of dining space here.

You could also have your own dining space there,

which would give you that separation, Duncan,

between the guests, perhaps next door...

-Yeah.

-..and you as a family in here.

The kitchen leads at one end

to the utility room and two sizeable garages.

The way the ground floor is laid out could easily be divided

to give Fiona and Duncan accommodation at one end

and space for guests to relax and dine at the other.

It would be straightforward to add an owners' entrance into the kitchen

and convert the garages to private living space.

At the other end of the ground floor,

the current living room offers plenty of space

that could be adapted for Fiona's B&B hospitality.

There.

-Good grief.

-Wow!

-Huge!

It could be guest dining and guest living room.

There's enough room in here to put a living space down that area,

-so you've got it round the fireplace.

-Mm-hmm.

Also it would allow you perhaps to have a couple of separate tables -

sideboard, breakfast stuff.

It's got so much potential, it's incredible.

-You're planning and scheming, aren't you?

-I am planning and scheming.

We currently have four bedrooms for you, so let's go and look at those.

Now, this does have a fabulous landing,

which is really nice to see in a modern house.

-Mmm.

-Wow!

-There you go.

-It's absolutely huge.

-Spacious.

The landing leads to two good-sized doubles,

a small box room, a bathroom

and a very, very generously proportioned master suite.

-And then finally this enormous space.

-Wow!

-Good grief.

-That is huge.

-It is.

That's two bedrooms in one.

It does have the most fabulous en suite through there with a Jacuzzi.

-OK.

-That sounds wonderful!

So it's a very, very generously apportioned four-bed family home

-at the moment.

-That wouldn't be enough.

We'd need to have more letting space to make it a viable business.

There is one more thing though I want to show you,

which is out in the garden.

-OK.

-Right.

-You're going to like this.

-OK.

Now, across the gravel drive there's a garage,

that's been converted in a rather unexpected way.

There! Ha-ha. This is a surprise!

-Ah! A bar!

-Oh!

-Come on in.

It could be many things.

Chequered plate down there, bikes in and a bar.

Oh, the motorcycle. It's a motorcyclist's dream, isn't it?

Motorbikes and a bar to go with it.

In the one room.

There is currently no lawned area outside

as the surrounding garden has been laid to gravel for low maintenance,

but this does provide plenty of parking for guests.

So this is really where you get a sense of the geography.

All in all, quite a package.

-The garden - this is it.

-Yeah.

And I'm thinking, for a man like yourself, Duncan,

with a keen eye for garden design, you could really go to town on this.

It's a bit of a blank canvas at the moment, there's potential.

But let's think about the price. What's it worth?

I would put it round about maybe... under budget slightly,

-about maybe £435,000?

-£435,000.

Fiona's the one who's been doing the research,

so I'm just purely guessing,

£475,000, but it's been on the market for a while or something.

You're hoping.

Actually it's only been on the market for about four months.

-Right.

-OK.

-You have done your homework well, madam.

This is on the market for £435,000.

-Wow!

-Oh! Well done!

-Bang on!

Good. Well, look, go inside, have a look around.

-Get creative, use your imagination.

-OK.

-Will do.

-I will catch up with you a little bit later. Off you go.

-Thank you.

£15,000 below budget, this recently built home

has Fiona's dream kitchen and is finished to a high standard.

But, with just four bedrooms

and not enough outside space to provide camping,

Fiona and Duncan would need to get creative

and spend some money reconfiguring the property

to give it the accommodation they require.

It's a good-sized dining area.

-Yeah.

-It's got a nice aspect. If that was landscaped outside

it would be perfect for the guests for their evening.

Absolutely.

The kitchen is absolutely to die for

and it's got loads and loads of potential.

And I particularly love the way it's modern

but it's built with all the period features inside it.

As it stands at the moment, there's not enough as far as bedrooms go,

it would only give us two letting rooms.

We really would need to have more letting rooms than that.

So, we've got one property to come this afternoon

but, in the meantime, who's for lunch?

-Sounds good.

-Sounds like a good idea.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Fiona and Duncan's property search

is not just about a change of location,

they're looking for a lifestyle change too.

So we found somewhere to appeal to both Fiona's fondness for cooking

and Duncan's love of horticulture -

a herb-grower's near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

Alison Dodd left her job in catering

to set up her business 20 years ago,

so she's perfectly positioned as a source for local ingredients,

as well as local knowledge.

Herbs, salad leaves and edible flowers are grown here

in 90 acres of fields and two further acres of polytunnels.

How many different types of herbs do you produce here?

We grow about 16 main herbs,

you know, that are used generally now by everybody,

and then I grow different speciality herbs,

which is what the chefs are looking for, really.

There must be about another 20 herbs we grow,

but I trial them every year and some are kept and some move on.

Most of the herbs are cut by hand,

then packed and chilled to four degrees within 20 minutes,

ready to send out.

A lot of herbs are Mediterranean,

so they do like it fairly warm and well drained.

But things like Sweet Cicely and Chervil are woodland herbs,

so they like it, you know, a bit shadier and a bit damper.

Do you have any top tips for growing herbs at home?

Grow them near your kitchen door so you don't have far to go for them.

-OK.

-And make sure that you keep cutting them.

And certainly for the annual herbs,

like your Corianders and Dills, sow them regularly.

Which are your favourites?

Well, I think Lemon Verbena has got to be top of the list,

and although it's still a speciality herb, I'm sure that it will be,

you know, grown a lot more widely, you know, as time goes on.

-Thank you.

-Thank you. That's got the most amazing smell.

It's very lemony, but it's got a sweet tinge to it as well.

That's got a very, very strong lemony flavour.

-Yes. This is super.

-Yeah. Quite strong.

Mmm. It's got a nice bitterness behind it as well.

And you can use it for sweet or savoury.

It's nice with chicken. It's good in a panna cotta.

It's also good, you know, as a drink on its own.

A more well-known herb is mint.

But Alison grows several more unusual varieties,

including pineapple, banana and even chocolate.

I've got some chocolate mint here,

which I thought you might like as tea.

It's got a very powerful taste and smell of chocolate.

I'll pop some into here and a few leaves into each,

and then literally all you do is just pour boiling water onto it

and then leave it to infuse

so that the flavour comes through into the tea.

And it's a very refreshing drink.

-See what you think to them.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

-Right.

-OK.

-Cheers!

-Cheers!

-Mmm. That is refreshing. Very minty.

-Mmm. It is, absolutely.

Can you taste the chocolate?

You can, you can taste it coming through as well.

Just round the edges with a mint in the middle.

And if all goes to plan,

Duncan and Fiona could be growing their own herbs

here in Yorkshire very soon.

45 miles away, our second property

nestles in the small village of Silpha,

located in the North York Moors National Park,

just six miles from Scarborough.

The real attraction here is the beautiful surrounding countryside,

whilst nearby Scalby provides a small high street

with boutique shops, a pub, hairdresser's and a chapel,

all within a five-minute drive of the property in Silpha.

Now, look at this for a view.

You probably never expected to come escaping to the country in Yorkshire

and be greeted by the sea?

-No.

-That is incredible.

Lovely view for your yurts or your shepherd's wagons or whatever.

-Yeah.

-And what we've got for you is something a little bit older

-than property number one.

-Uh-huh.

With this one I think we really should be thinking about

-what you might want to do out in the paddocks.

-Exactly.

And the whole thing is almost surrounded by just under two acres.

Now, the other thing to point out is that the owners had sold this

and they were about 18 hours away from moving out.

-Mm-hmm.

-Mm-hmm.

-And, sadly, it all fell through.

So, it is full of boxes.

-OK.

-Right.

-They are hot to trot.

-OK.

So, when we get to the price,

I suspect there is a deal to be done.

So I think we've got you some business potential outside.

-Definitely.

-Yeah.

-Let's see what we can do with the inside.

-Brilliant.

-Absolutely.

This home is a single-storey barn conversion

configured in an L shape,

with two wings leading off from the kitchen,

which is where I want to start.

Now, ha-ha... Come on in, Fiona.

Oh, wow!

Proper farmhouse kitchen.

This is their primary dining area,

and the vaulted ceiling with the skylights I think really makes it.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I was going to say, it's not as posh as property one's kitchen

but it's more authentic.

-This is clearly painting more of a picture of the rural dream.

-Yes.

-Than property one.

-Yeah.

Have to hold ourselves back a bit

-and keep the practical heads on a bit.

-Yes.

The kitchen sits between two wings of the house.

I want to start by showing them

the side I think could be the perfect place

for their future guests.

Have a look at this, this is the main living room at the moment.

Not overly big, but very, very nice.

Yeah. This feels more homely to me.

It's more rustic and you get that sense

of being more relaxed in this kind of an environment.

-Remember the L shape?

-Mm-hmm.

This end of it could be their own kind of wing, if you like.

You've got three bedrooms in this bit. There's one of them.

-Yeah.

-OK. Yeah.

To be honest, they're not massive.

-There's the bathroom that serves all of these.

-OK.

And there's another double down there

-and a much bigger one at the far end.

-Right.

-Right. OK.

-None of these are en suite.

-Mm-hmm.

-All right.

But if you turned these three bedrooms into two,

you could have two generous en suites.

-Two en suites, yeah.

-Right.

-That would be a good idea.

Otherwise you could treat the whole thing

essentially as a holiday cottage,

as family accommodation.

Ah! You're right. You could go down the holiday-let route.

Have you thought of that, Fiona?

I hadn't before, no, to be honest with you,

-but that would make sense.

-That's just presented itself.

-Yeah.

It's a good job you came!

Come on, let's find you a bedroom.

The other wing of the house provides a handy utility area

and a loft room, currently used as a home office.

It's also home to the master suite,

where Duncan can find all the relaxing privacy he values

away from paying guests.

So there, right off the kitchen is the master suite.

Good grief. Everything else has been kind of cosy, cosy,

but this is just a little bit of glam.

You've got room for your own seating area too.

It also has a really nice en suite with roll-top bath.

-Fancy one of those?

-Yeah.

-Oh, I love it, yeah!

Now, there's one more bit, that's the courtyard garden.

Let's have a look at that, you could develop that space into something.

-Mm-hmm. OK. Cool.

-Let's have a look.

'As well as being surrounded by its own two acres of countryside,

'the home features a private courtyard garden.'

-What do you think of this space then, Duncan?

-It is lovely.

A lovely little self-contained sheltered garden

that just contrasts with all the big, big countryside out the front.

-It's just a nice space altogether, isn't it?

-Mm-hmm.

-That red-brick element, that's where your garages are.

-OK.

You would gain quite a lot of accommodation

if you could turn that lot around.

-Right.

-Mm-hmm. It's got so many boxes ticked it's amazing.

Let's see if we can tick another one, shall we?

Let's have a think about the price.

You went first last time, so we'll let Duncan kick it off this time.

£450,000 is what you really want to spend.

I think it's probably, just playing it safe, bang on £450,000.

-Yeah. OK.

-I think it might actually be a bit over budget.

I reckon it might be about £460,000?

It's £430,000.

Oh! £430,000!

-Where do we sign?

-Yeah.

That is amazing. Oh, that makes it doable.

-Are you excited?

-It's been Fiona's dream.

It's been something that I've thought,

well, we have to work with somehow,

But I think I may be buying into the dream here.

Fantastic. Good. Well, this is our last property of the day,

so we've got bags of time left over.

Go and have a good old look around.

-Once again, look at the garages.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-I will catch up with you a little bit later.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

Brilliant. Well, there we are.

Maybe we are finally beginning to realise Fiona's dream of a B&B,

but not just any B&B -

here in North Yorkshire a B&B by the sea.

With a price tag that leaves them £20,000 to play with,

this L-shaped barn conversion

may only have four bedrooms in its current state,

but it's rural coastal location and sizeable plot

give it the potential

to be everything Duncan and Fiona have dreamt of.

There is plenty of scope here

to create a bed and breakfast or glamping business

without compromising that all-important private family space.

Wow! This is quite a big space.

It is. This, in addition to what we've already got,

it's everything we've been looking for.

-It is. It's absolutely... It is a perfect place.

-Mm-hmm.

It could be made such a really good business

and a really good home for us.

It's amazing, coming into this house.

It's a completely different feeling from the first house.

I could see us being happy here and I could see it being our new home.

I'm starting to believe this could actually happen now.

It's always been Fiona's dream,

but seeing this place has changed that for me,

yes, I have bought into the dream, as it were.

-Absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

-Quite a spot, isn't it?

-It is. It's absolutely amazing.

-Have we sold it to you?

-I think you might have.

-Yeah.

-OK. That's it for the house tours today.

-OK.

However, they do make some pretty good beer up here.

That's what I'm thinking about. Shall we?

-I don't see why not.

-Sure.

It's day two on our house search

for a property to fulfil Fiona and Duncan's dream move

from Edinburgh's commuter belt in East Lothian

to the rural surroundings of Yorkshire.

With a £450,000 budget,

it'll be their first home together.

But Fiona wants somewhere to host a bed-and-breakfast business,

whilst Duncan craves more private family living.

And we've still got a mystery house up our sleeves.

That's thrown a spanner in the works, hasn't it?

It has. It's totally given us something to think about.

And I'll be learning about the art of ploughing

from a Six Nations champion, home-grown in Yorkshire.

Right then. We're all set.

Keep it tugging against the furrow, Jules.

Well, yesterday it was all about trying to find Fiona her B&B.

A place where she could satisfy her growing culinary ambitions.

But Duncan, well, he still has his concerns

about immersing himself in the whole B&B world.

But at property number two

all of those worries seemed to go out of the window

as they came together,

sharing a vision as to what that building could give them

for the future.

And I have to confess, last night I thought our job was done.

Is it worth showing them another property?

Well, of course it is, and we have one more to come -

it's our mystery house.

Now, I can assure you

this is something they will not have looked at in the past,

but I do think it could give them

a particularly nice life for the future.

With the challenge set,

we're heading back to the East Riding of Yorkshire

and the village of Huggate, located in the Yorkshire Wolds,

13 miles northwest of the town of Beverley.

Huggate is an archetypal Yorkshire village

with a green, a duck pond, church and pub.

It's surrounded by popular footpaths,

including the 79-mile Wolds Way,

which is located close to our final property

in the centre of the village.

So this is it, guys - our mystery house.

And what we've got for you is a really exciting proposition.

Because this one is predicated upon your passion for cooking, Fiona,

and your desire to have a separate life away from the business.

-Right.

-OK.

Lovely four-bedroom mystery house.

-And, over here, what is currently a tearoom.

-Wow!

It was closed about nine years ago

and everybody who walks this route regularly is forever saying,

"When is the tearoom going to reopen?"

-OK.

-So it was a known spot on the way, then?

Absolutely. This is a turnkey business. It's ready to go.

My first question, though,

is do we start with the house or the business.

-Oh! The business.

-I thought so.

-Let's go.

-Come this way.

The tearoom was converted from a forge, originally built in 1898.

On busy Bank Holiday weekends,

they had a turnover of £800.

Come in.

-Oh! Look at this.

-Bonnie!

-Isn't that lovely?

-So much character.

Well, they've taken the fact that it was the old blacksmith's forge -

quite literally they've created this sort of cameo

of the blacksmith's shop,

and everything you see will stay.

That is amazing, isn't it?

I'm not surprised the walkers want it opened up again, that's for sure.

Come and have a look over here. The fire is rather nice,

and cosy as well.

Again, a nice allusion to the old forge itself

-and all the tools and bits and pieces.

-Yeah.

The thought of not having to do everything from scratch

and build up a customer base

and just know that you'd come straight in

and start living the dream and doing it is great.

Accommodation here is a four-bedroom house.

Built in 1987, it's been designed with a sympathetic nod

to the Edwardian era, in keeping with the tearoom.

There we are, your second kitchen.

-This is nice, isn't it?

-It's very nice.

-It's a smaller kitchen but it's perfectly workable.

-Yeah.

it's a domestic kitchen and it's nice and clean and modern.

You've got that lovely range there, pumping out loads of heat.

Well, that'll be mine then, because you'll be playing down in the forge.

And I think, with this one, of course,

we can indulge ourselves a little more,

because we're thinking of it not as a B&B and a business

but, actually, as a simple family home.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Exactly.

-That'll put a big smile on your face as well.

-Yeah.

The ground floor also offers a utility area

and a dining room which is currently being used as a snug.

And then this is your main living room

with, I suppose, something of a sort of dining area as well.

It's a perfectly good size, isn't it?

It is, and it looks like it's been properly, thoughtfully built in,

and not just tacked on.

Isn't it nice being able to relax

-and just think about a home rather than a business?

-Yes.

And it is nice to have your own space at the end of the day

to get back to.

-Oh! Isn't it just.

-Yeah. Yeah.

So I came to your camp yesterday, now you're coming to my camp today.

Yeah. Well, as long as you both agree.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms

serviced by a family bathroom and an additional master en suite.

And this one we've kept for you.

-This is quite a good size, isn't it?

-It is. It's a lovely size.

Cosy but not cramped.

And you've got the en-suite shower room in there.

-A lovely job of the dormer as well.

-I like that.

It's nice, having the beams.

I didn't think anything could make me doubt yesterday,

but this has made me doubt yesterday.

Good. Well, that's the idea about the mystery house.

There is one more bit I want to show you,

and that is the garden, Duncan.

There is no land here to offer camping,

but the garden includes a well-maintained lawn,

woodland walk, shed, summer house and a greenhouse.

-The garden has been beautifully developed.

-It has.

That green door goes through to a bit of woodland

and all of these little outbuildings

the current owner has built lovingly.

So, plenty, I think, to give this garden interest,

-even though it's not acres.

-Yeah.

And you've got the greenhouse, you've got veg,

eggs and apples, all for your little bistro.

Yeah. Home produce right on the doorstep.

There's nothing to be done here.

I wouldn't want to change a thing, really.

OK. So, the price, then?

I do think that might be over budget.

I think it might be £455,000.

-Mm-hmm.

-Mmm. I'm going to agree with Fiona and say £455,000.

Well, if it were, I think it would be worth stretching to.

However, we can take the pressure off,

because this is on the market at...£438,000.

Good God!

-And open to sensible offers.

-OK.

Right. So 8,000 more than yesterday.

Mm-hmm. And no set-up costs.

That's thrown a spanner in the works, hasn't it?

That's totally given us something to think about.

-You have got a lot to consider.

-Yeah.

-And a lot to explore.

-Mm-hmm.

-Go on. Off you go. Take your time.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-OK. Thank you.

Well, I am absolutely delighted.

We do get spoilt, to be honest, with our mystery houses,

but every now and then,

one does come along which is absolutely sensational

and, for these two, this property, with this proposition,

I think, is perfect.

£12,000 below their budget,

the mystery house offers a viable business

that would let Fiona cook to her heart's content.

Plus a separate family home

to provide Duncan with the private space he craves.

Its idyllic location, close to popular footpaths,

offers both rural seclusion and a regular source of customers.

And, what's more, it's 40 minutes by car

to daughter Iona's school in York.

It's got so much potential to it and...what would I change in here?

-Surely this is all already there, ready to go?

-Oh, yeah.

And when you're cooking in here and that's on,

it's going to be a lovely, cosy little place.

That would be fantastic.

The mystery house has really made me consider something else.

Another option I wouldn't have even thought about.

This has really thrown us into a bit of a dilemma,

so this is going to be interesting.

Fiona and I, I think, both had our minds made up yesterday

and this morning was going to be a formality,

but it really has messed things up.

A Scottish saying - our heads are full of mince at the minute.

I'm so pleased we've been able to show this too you.

It's something else, it really is.

-Could be yours.

-It could be.

-It could be.

-All you've got to do is say yes!

-We'll think about.

-Hold your thoughts.

-In the meantime, who's for a cup of tea?

-Yes.

Because we can't get one here now! Come on. OK.

Farming has been central to the fabric of Yorkshire for centuries.

And the region continues to have

one of the strongest agricultural economies in England and Wales.

So, it's fitting that York is set to play host

to the World Ploughing Championships in 2016.

To find out more about competitive ploughing,

also known as match ploughing,

I'm meeting Six Nations champion David Tomlinson

at his Yorkshire farm near Deighton.

-David, how are you, sir?

-Good morning, Jules.

It's very nice to see you. This is an absolute beauty.

This is my pride and joy.

David's competition tractor is a 1971 Ford 3000,

which he's owned and competed with for the last decade.

-This is immaculate. Did you restore this machine, David?

-Yes.

This tractor spent most of its life on the North Yorkshire Moors,

with a box on the back, feeding sheep.

And when I bought it, it was in a sorry state.

And a pal helped me restore it to its original...

When it left the factory in the early '70s.

But what is it all about, for anybody not in the know?

Match ploughing, it's not about speed,

it's just absolute attention to detail.

Straightness is important. No weeds showing.

But you don't have to be a farmer to get involved?

No. We have all kinds of tradesman.

They sometimes plough better than the farmer.

The reason being is that

the farmer just wants to get the field ploughed quickly and sown,

but, you know, attention to detail is very important.

Well, your beautiful rig is all set up and ready to go.

Just talk us through the anatomy of a plough.

OK. Well, this is a proper match plough.

This part here is called a moldboard.

That turns the soil, inverts the soil over.

The disc here, the disc coulter, that cuts the furrow.

For the classic class David competes in,

furrows must be kept to a strict depth of 17cm and even in width.

So he needs to make skilful adjustments

with the various handles and levers

that control the ploughing mechanism.

It'll be fascinating to see how it all works.

-Yes.

-From the hands of a champion.

Well, I'll tell you what, Jules, I'll have a go,

you walk behind the plough

so you've got a nice understanding of the plough,

and then I think it's time for you to have a go.

OK, Jules, and off we go.

See how the skimmers are peeling the stubble off, Jules?

Beautifully, yeah.

There are over 200 affiliated ploughing societies in the country

with matches every weekend in autumn and early spring.

During the competition,

each ploughman is given a maximum of four hours

to complete a 75-metre by 15-metre patch.

That's considerably longer than the average farmer would take

to complete an entire field.

This levelling-box is keeping the furrows level.

Yeah. You're doing a beautiful job.

Barely a scrap of stubble.

Yeah, that's not too bad actually. I'd be quite pleased

-if it was doing a job like that at a ploughing match.

-Yeah?

Well, this should be now 17cm deep.

And it's 17cm.

-Well done, mate.

-Thank you.

It's absolutely beautifully done.

A little bit of practice and we'll have you there.

I can't wait to get going. Come on, let's get on.

Just drive forward slowly

until the front furrows into its working depth, and off you go.

Right, then. We're all set.

Keep it tugging against the furrow, Jules.

He's doing a good job.

Humans first started ploughing British soil around 6,000 years ago.

But the introduction of tractors in the last century

saw great leaps in productivity.

The quality of furrows can influence crop yields,

so ploughing skills aren't just about medals,

they can boost profits.

Ah! That was brilliant.

For the first time you've driven a tractor and a plough,

I think that's a pretty good job.

The furrows look nice and even.

Shall we get the tape measure out and see if it's 17cm?

Oh, yes. All right, then. Yeah.

17cm, spot-on. Well done, Jules! Well done.

I'm not sure I would really be ready to enter a competition just yet,

but it is one of those things that anybody can have a go at.

-Absolutely.

-Well, good luck to you, sir.

I'm sure there will be many more trophies to come.

I hope so. Thank you very much, Jules.

Well, this week Fiona and Duncan came to us

with some pretty grand ambitions,

so where better to find out

if we've managed to help them realise those dreams

than here in the rather lovely surroundings of Scampston Hall.

Although, sadly, THIS isn't for sale.

-Hello, Fiona.

-Hello.

-Hello, Duncan.

-Hello, Julies.

Now, we have left you to ruminate

-and think upon all that we have shown you.

-Yeah.

Have we managed to find you a viable proposition?

We haven't actually discussed with each other

what our thoughts are as yet.

Hang on a minute. So you've been thinking on your own individually.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we have.

-And you haven't actually shared a discussion?

-We thought it would be fun to do that now.

-So you've waited for me?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-To be the arbiter of this conversation

and, I suspect, some negotiation.

OK. Well, you gave us quite a number - you know, a business,

a new life, a B&B in Yorkshire,

for £450,000.

We had only three options to give you,

to try and turn that dream into some sort of a reality.

Fiona, what have you been thinking?

I think there are two properties

that we are going to have to revisit again,

which is property number two

and the mystery house.

But you've not discussed this yet with Duncan. What does Duncan think?

If she wants to go and view two again, we can go and view two again.

Do you think you need to view two?

I don't think I do, no.

I would go for the mystery house.

It tied in with something I'd suggested to Fiona

a couple of times and she hadn't seemed interested in.

And she just seemed to totally go for it there and then.

And you've got the aspect of it being a business that's ready to go

and saving the money as well.

Might I venture to say that I think he's talking a lot of sense?

As regards the fact that the mystery house is a business raring to go.

Yeah. I do agree with that as well.

And I do have to say that I felt such a buzz

when I got into that little cafe and behind the little kitchen

and looking out and thinking what could possibly happen there.

What are you going to do about it? What happens next?

I think we definitely need to go back

and see the mystery house again, without any shadow of a doubt,

and take Iona along with us as well.

Yeah. The Scottish end has to come together quick now.

Well, guys, it's been an absolute pleasure.

I am hugely delighted, and as relieved as you both are,

to think that we've now found you, I hope, a property and a business

that really could help you map out your futures.

-So, here's to you.

-Thank you.

-Oh, thank you very much.

You know, there are those who liken property hunting to an art,

but there are times when it can feel like more of a science.

Buyers, like buildings, have their own fingerprints, their own DNA,

but trying to get a perfect match between the two

can prove notoriously difficult.

But, this week, I do think we've been able to do it.

So, once again, Yorkshire seems to have worked its magic.

And, maybe after all, the locals are right -

perhaps it is God's own country.

Fiona and Duncan went back for a second viewing of the mystery house

and are still considering making an offer.

Their houses remain on the market.

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