Humberside Escape to the Country

What, you might ask, am I doing at a cucumber farm?

Well, the county that I'm escaping to today actually provides 57 million of our cucumbers.

It's the oldest cultivated fruit. It's been around for about 3,000 years.

But this little chap has been here for 12 days.

Delicious.

'Today, I'll be helping a family of seven from the north-east take a hop, skip and a jump

'as they go in search of a spacious home in the countryside.

'They'll view stunning properties.'

-I've never seen an en-suite this big in my entire life.

-No.

'Some of which are almost too good to be true.'

-It's just lovely.

-Very nice.

'Then there's the mystery house, the little twist we add to the property mix,

'but which of our choices will blow them away?'

Today, I'm in the north-east of England,

in the area around the Humber known, obviously, as Humberside.

Less obviously, it's also the source of almost half the nation's cucumber crop,

which is a lot of cucumbers.

But it also has lots of other things to offer.

To the north of the Humber Estuary is the East Riding of Yorkshire which takes in the Yorkshire Wolds,

79 miles of unspoilt pathways that wind through picturesque chalk hills and valleys.

To the south of the Humber is North Lincolnshire,

characterised by vast swathes of open agricultural land.

And these two counties are linked together by the area's most famous landmark, the Humber Bridge,

the second longest single-span suspension bridge in Europe.

Over there on the north bank of the Humber, you've got the East Riding of Yorkshire,

where your average detached house costs £224,000,

which is a healthy 15% below the national average.

But sail across the Humber to North Lincolnshire

and your average detached house costs £176,000,

which is 33% below the national average.

So what we've got is a battle of the banks

and it'll be interesting to see which one yields the best property.

Today's property hunters are Leen and Judith from Keyingham near Hull.

Leen originally hails from Holland and he's a GP. And Judith is studying for a PhD in Health Care.

Over the years, they've extended their property to its limits

to fit in their growing brood of five active children,

but they're crying out for a few essential things.

-Space.

-Peace.

-We're fed up of living in a built-up area.

Room for the children to make as much noise as they want.

-Without being bothered by other people making lots of noise outside our house.

-Exactly that.

And noise is something the children are very good at making.

They are looking for a house that can contain all the family's many talents and for that they need...

Enough rooms that the children can do their own things and pursue their own hobbies.

Five children, they play seven instruments.

If they had space to do that without disturbing each other, it'd be great.

As well as space for the kids, they have a few other basic requirements.

We're looking for a house with at least four bedrooms,

detached with plenty of room around it, decent size kitchen...

-..and as much out in the countryside as possible.

-Yeah, as rural as possible.

As well as a secluded spot, the outside space is another important factor.

We all enjoy using this garden as a family.

It would be lovely to have a garden where I can do gardening, the children can play

and Leen can sit and read his book.

To get the ball rolling, we've invited round an estate agent to do a valuation on their house

which they bought 12 years ago for £85,000.

This is unusual for a modern property with over 2,000 square feet of floor space on a non-estate position

in a village. I therefore value this at £285,000.

That's a healthy return,

but how much are they looking to spend to be more rural?

Our budget for the new property, for the house that we really want, maximum budget, £425,000.

Although Leen and Judith aren't moving very far afield, they do have big plans for expansion.

They're both realistic enough to know they won't get six bedrooms for their budget,

but they want the potential to expand up or out.

But most importantly, they want room, space and countryside. And we can give them that.

To find our property hunters something more rural,

we are focusing our search west of Hull

in the countryside surrounding the Humber Estuary,

in the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

In today's show, I'll be taking them on a tour of three properties that will give them plenty to chew over,

but I won't reveal the prices until after each viewing.

The final property will be our mystery house which aims to offer them something entirely unique.

Welcome to Humberside, although you live here, so you should be showing me around!

I'm not so familiar with this side of Hull. We live on the east side of Hull, so it's quite new to us too.

-You're spreading your wings.

-Yes.

-So you're looking for something more rural?

-Yes.

Bit of peace and quiet for us and the opportunity for the children to make noise without disturbing anybody.

-How much money have we got to play with?

-£425,000.

-Tops?

-Tops.

-We've got lots of houses to show you, including a mystery house. Shall we get in and go?

-Excellent.

Judith and Leen have a budget of £425,000.

The garden needs to be big enough for the kids to let off some steam,

for Judith to grow some vegetables

and for Leen to find some peace and quiet.

Are you a country girl, Judith? Did you grow up in the countryside?

No, I grew up in a town, but I'd like to live in the countryside.

To be surrounded by space and peace and open fields would be lovely.

Do you want to live right in the middle of nowhere or do you want to live more in a village?

Yeah, we'd quite like to live in the middle of nowhere.

-But equally, we wouldn't mind village life.

-As long as it's not too big a village.

'Well, our first property fits the bill on both counts.

'It's in a rural setting on the outskirts of Barrow-upon-Humber

'in North Lincolnshire just south of the River Humber.

'Barrow became known in the 19th century for its basket-weaving and brick-making

'for which clay was dug from the sides of the Humber.

'These days, it's a conservation area. 18th and 19th century houses line the streets

'and the village has all the basic amenities, including a butcher's, post office and grocer's.

'So let's see what Judith and Leen make of the first house.'

The sun is shining on Humberside for you today.

So this is the house I'm going to show you.

It's from the '20s. It's been extensively extended and remodelled.

But it's a big house, a big family house.

-SQUAWKING

-As you can hear, we've got geese and cockerels next door.

-And quite a lot of land.

-Excellent.

-What are your first impressions?

It does look like a good, solid family house.

-Shall we look inside?

-OK.

'This view is not the best aspect. It comes into its own at the back of the property.'

Lovely, big entrance hall. Very 1920s.

It sets the tone for the decor, but let's look in this room first.

-Oh, I say!

-Nice, big coal fire.

What do you think?

It's a big space.

-Nice, high ceilings. I like the bay window and access to the conservatory.

-That is nice.

There are some features that wouldn't necessarily suit us, that are not our taste,

but all of those can be put right.

Can you see the children in here? Is this a workable family space?

I think this is a really good size space for our lot.

We have a grand piano that would fit beautifully in that bay window.

Let's take a look at the conservatory.

It's a good size conservatory.

They put this on four or five years ago.

The nice thing about this room is the views of the garden from it.

The garden looks spectacular. I can't wait to get out there.

'Judith will have to wait as I'm saving the garden till last.

'Off the conservatory is a snug area with patio doors on to the garden, ideal as a study or music room.

'And then there's the kitchen.'

How is this size-wise?

It's good. I think it's a little bit bigger than what we have.

-Don't you?

-Yeah, just a bit, yeah.

In terms of downstairs space, is it what you're looking for?

I don't think there's enough space, but there is lots of opportunity to extend and make more space.

But the location is what we're looking for and to be out in the country.

-You've got these incredible picture windows overlooking the garden and the fields.

-Which is lovely.

It's really pretty.

'Our tour of the ground floor isn't over quite yet though

'as there is a small utility and a potential project.'

-So, a big garage.

-Yeah. It's good.

-Good space.

-It's a double. Two cars will go in.

Yeah, or the table tennis table that we currently have in our garage.

I'm showing it to you not just because it's a garage,

-but because the present owners had planning permission to turn it into a granny annexe.

-Fantastic.

-Would that be useful to extend the downstairs space and maybe have a games room?

-Really useful.

-Yeah.

-It would be really handy to have another downstairs room.

-Yeah, absolutely.

'Some imagination is needed to see the full potential of this house,

'but I'm encouraged as Judith and Leen are taking it in their stride.

'Upstairs there's a small bathroom and four bedrooms.

'The first two are large doubles, so plenty of room for the kids. The third is being used as a study.

'And then there's the master.'

-This is a nice room.

-This is good.

-Lovely, light room.

-Yeah.

-A really good size as well.

It is big, but the master bedroom is not any bigger than the other rooms.

However...

-The en-suite...

-Wow, it's massive! It's huge. It's really huge.

It's quite strange.

-Unbelievable, isn't it?

-It is insanely big, in fact.

You could play crown green bowls here.

Given how big the rest of the house is and the need for extra space,

-this space could be used more wisely.

-Yeah.

I'm surprised this is an en-suite. It could be another bedroom in here.

I've never seen an en-suite this big in my entire life.

So, inside...what do we think?

A lot of work on superficial things, just to do with our taste.

-I think the real reason you want to move is because of the location and the countryside.

-Absolutely.

-So outside space is important.

-That is very important.

-Let's look outside.

-OK.

You have quite a sizeable plot here.

-The house sits on an acre of ground.

-Wow!

Which has been very nicely cultivated.

We've come into the orchard. We've got cherry trees, plum trees, hazelnuts,

-crab apples, eating apples.

-Wow!

-Cooking apples.

-Very nice.

-Lovely.

-Yeah. Really nice.

-Great veggie garden over there with all the beans and stuff.

-Very good.

-Beautifully tended as well.

-And a greenhouse bursting with tomatoes.

-Super.

-And grapes.

-Grapes? Super.

-Is it big enough?

-Definitely.

-It's lovely.

-Well, it's not all.

This is the real selling point for this property.

-All this is yours too.

-Fantastic.

-A three-acre paddock.

Fantastic.

-Good heavens!

-Sensational.

-It's just perfect, isn't it, for our children.

-This is huge.

We could have a great time here, the rugby, sports.

It's perfect.

-In terms of outside space, is this what you were looking for?

-Yeah.

-I don't think you could improve on the outside space. It's absolutely spot-on.

-Just great.

-What do you think it's on the market for?

-Probably for about £350,000.

I think probably more than that with this land.

I would say probably around the 400 mark.

Well, it's somewhere in between the two of you. It's on at 375.

-Right.

-But it's been on the market for about 20 months.

-OK.

So, in this current climate, you've got a little bit of leeway.

Whether it's enough for you to do all those extensions and refitting, you have to think about that.

-It's a good price though.

-Yeah.

-For this.

-Not as good as you'd hoped, but still good.

-Walk back down the garden, back into the house, have a look around and we'll meet out the front.

-OK.

Interesting because the land here is beautiful and it's what they're looking for,

but the house needs a lot of work.

And with five children, that's a lot of moving around while all the workmen are in,

so it's a big think, but they're really game for it, which is good.

The garden is really just what we're looking for.

-I agree.

-Different parts to it. It's nice, it's large.

-Yeah.

-The paddock is fantastic.

Yeah, really good for the children.

There's a lot of work to be done to make it our taste, but those things are relatively superficial.

The garden outside was absolutely fantastic. It is just what we're looking for.

The house is good enough, but we would need quite a lot more work doing to it before it's just right.

-Can I just drag you from your deliberations in the garden? The Humberside is waiting.

-OK.

'For Judith, a move to the countryside means she will have room to grow some vegetables.

'So I've brought her and Leen to meet a cucumber expert in a nursery on the outskirts of Beverley.'

Derek, I had no idea that Humberside was such a Mecca for cucumber growers.

-How did that come about?

-It started just before the Second World War.

A lot of Dutch growers came across here to escape persecution.

They brought friends and relatives and it built from there.

-And now we're on third generation Dutch growers in this area.

-Gosh!

'So with Leen being Dutch and Judith being a Yorkshire lass through and through,

'it's not the only European union to prove successful.'

-How long does it take for these plants to grow till they produce crops?

-They're planted about so big.

-Three weeks later, they're this big.

-Three weeks?

-Three weeks.

So the plants get to here and then a cucumber like that will take about ten days to grow.

'Cucumbers are a surprisingly fast-growing fruit.

'Even in your typical greenhouse, you should reap the rewards within four weeks.'

-It looks like you've got quite a harvest here.

-Yes, plenty to harvest.

-Would you like to have a go?

-Shall we have a go?

-Let's do that.

-Let's do it.

-Come on, team.

We're basically looking for anything that's a marketable size.

We're looking for 350 to 450 grams which is what the supermarket sells.

-That's about 400 grams.

-Cool.

-Excellent.

One plant, 30 cucumbers.

-You need to be taller.

-Yes, I do need to be taller.

Against your thumb...

-Yeah, that's fine.

-It's a tall one again.

Do cucumbers bruise? I'm not sure.

'And what better way to finish off our visit than with that traditionally English repast

'of cucumber sandwiches brought to Humberside thanks to the Dutch!'

Don't say that we don't teach you things about your local area.

-I had no idea about the cucumbers.

-It's a revelation about Hull and the cucumbers.

-So, enjoy, tuck in. It's not the Ritz, but it is Humberside in the sunshine.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

'As the sun dips behind the horizon of the East Riding countryside,

'day one of our property hunt draws to a close.

'Judith and Leen from Keyingham near Hull would like a family home

'to accommodate their brood of five talented children.

'They are after a property in a rural setting in Humberside and have a budget of £425,000.

'So far they've seen one house, but coming up, things get better.'

This is my idea of home.

'And better.' Judith, you're speechless. It's the first time.

First time in my life, I think.

Today, we'll ramp things up and find out what Leen and Judith's pain threshold is when it comes to money

and also show them some properties that are really rather fabulous.

'For our next house, we're travelling north to the outskirts

'of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, still in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

'Holme-on-Spalding-Moor could be the rural hideaway that Judith and Leen are after.

'Originally marshland, today it's largely a farming community

'which has retained its traditional values and community spirit.

'It's serviced with all the basic amenities, so it's got the best of both worlds.'

I love this property.

I really love the way it looks. It looks absolutely gorgeous.

-This can't be within the budget, can it?

-Ah!

-It's fantastic.

-It's a beautifully built property. It's not that old.

-It's from the 1960s, about 1963.

-That's surprising.

This bit at the right there is an old barn. That's Victorian.

But it used to be all farmland round here.

-You're all smiley!

-It looks sensational. It just...

-Wait till you see inside.

-It looks great.

-Nice downstairs loo.

-Thank you. ..Excellent, yeah.

-And the decor is very kind of contemporary.

-It's beautiful.

-Really light, airy.

-Very pleasant.

-Fresh-looking.

-And a beautiful tile floor as well. It's very practical.

-Quarry tiles.

'A good start and I've got a feeling it's only going to get better.'

Again it's a stunning room, isn't it?

-Very.

-This is just lovely.

-Very nice.

-It really is absolutely fantastic.

-It's beautifully done, isn't it?

-It's got a beautiful feel to it.

-Beautiful wooden floors.

-Great light.

-It would do well as a dining room.

It would do well as a music room. The piano would fit in here very nicely.

-Nice views as well.

-It's perfect. It suits our taste exactly, doesn't it?

Nice, clean lines, but also the beautiful features as well, that combination...

-Yeah.

-It's perfect.

-It flows naturally into the more comfortable area here.

This is a wonderful room because of this incredible feature window.

-Bowed window.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. This is nice.

-Beautiful.

-This is good.

-Oh, they're doors.

-French doors that go out into the courtyard.

How nice! That is just fabulous, isn't it?

Two reception rooms here and another one before we hit the kitchen.

'This property is brimming with delightful touches.

'And in the third reception, there is another little treat in store.'

This used to be the kitchen, but they've turned it into a snug.

-Another lovely room.

-Lovely.

-Again double aspect.

-Tons of light.

-Lots of light.

-But the feature I love, the relic of the kitchen...

-Oh, wow!

A fabulous walk-in larder, pantry.

-That really is sensational.

-Isn't it great?

-What a joy!

So the larder leads us nicely on to the kitchen.

Take a look at this.

-Absolutely fantastic.

-Amazing.

-This is my idea of home.

-Aw!

-This is just...

-Look at this.

-Dining kitchen.

You've also got an electric hob over there cos sometimes it's tricky doing cooking on these monsters.

Lovely quarry tiles throughout. It's just a beautiful country kitchen.

-Absolutely perfect.

-Nice proportions.

-You like it?

-Couldn't improve on it.

-That's downstairs. There are some surprises outside, but let's take a look upstairs first.

-OK.

'I think we've finally hit the spot.

'Judith and Leen seem genuinely excited about this property.'

This is one of the four bedrooms up here. All good sizes.

Another lovely room.

-Yeah.

-Dual aspect.

-Light, bright.

-Beautifully decorated.

Really spectacular views as well out of those windows.

-It's gorgeous.

-I can't say anything I don't like about it.

-Judith, you're speechless. First time.

First time in my life, I think.

Let's look at the other rooms.

'Along the corridor, there are two decent size bedrooms, one of which is big enough for a four-poster bed.

'And there's a family bathroom with a slipper bath.

'Finally on our tour of upstairs is the master bedroom.'

-Have a peek in there. That's your personal en-suite.

-It's stunning.

-Excellent.

-No kids in this bit. That is just fantastic.

-Yeah.

-It's beautiful.

-This is a kids-free zone.

-Absolutely beautiful.

And then this is your master bedroom.

Oh, very, very nice.

-This is excellent.

-It's perfect, isn't it?

You've got lots of nice storage. Very deep.

-Beautifully decorated. Lots of light.

-So the interior, thumbs up?

-I haven't noticed any thumbs-downs.

-It's perfect. It's got everything that we need.

The rooms are so big, there'd be no problem at all with the children sharing.

-And the house is out in the countryside.

-Oh, yeah.

'I think Judith can really see herself and the family enjoying this property, but it's not over yet.

'There are plenty more goodies outside.'

This is the courtyard. Lovely, sunny space.

That's the French doors into the living room.

This building is the oldest part, the old barn.

Two lovely, big spaces. Would have probably had carriages in them.

Let's take a look at this one.

-It's a great space. They're using it for storage. You've got a little window.

-Yeah.

You've got this space, that one next door

and in the corner there is another very large space.

It would be very easy to knock through here, put an arch in and make that into the games room,

-and convert these into bedrooms.

-Brilliant.

-Excellent.

-Absolutely fabulous.

-Let's take a look at the side.

There's even upstairs space.

-Oh, wow!

-So you could turn that into an office.

-That is just lovely, isn't it?

-Long-term, it would be a great improvement.

-It really would.

-Fantastic.

That is unbelievable, isn't it?

-Let's look at the garden.

-That really is unbelievable, isn't it?

-Lovely, big garden.

-Fabulous garden.

-Spectacular. This is great.

You've got a river running through it. This is the River Derwent.

-Nice.

-Never floods.

-Perfect.

-OK.

It's probably about an acre, just under an acre.

-I haven't heard a bad word about it since we came here.

-I couldn't think of a bad word to say. Could you?

-No.

Even if I tried, I could not find anything to criticise at all.

-How much do you think it costs?

-I don't think we could afford it.

-This one is outside the budget.

-I don't think we could afford this.

-I reckon this is not far off half a million.

-Yeah.

-Between 450,000 and 500,000.

-Yeah, I would agree with Leen on this one.

It's actually on the market at 465.

-Right.

-Which means it's more expensive, but it's been on the market for a year.

-OK.

-It might require a bit of financial pain.

-Yeah.

-But if you gave a cheeky but reasonable offer, I think they might take it.

OK. Worth thinking about then.

-Leen's gone all quiet.

-Yes.

It's quite a bit over our budget, but, you know, we'll have to have a good think about it.

-Why don't you have a good think about it now? Have a stroll and we'll meet out the front.

-Thanks.

This substantial 1960s detached house is on the market for £465,000,

which is admittedly £45,000 over budget,

but there's no reason why Judith and Leen couldn't put it an offer

to make it more within their reach.

And it's really bowled them over.

Plenty of potential music rooms to accommodate the children's talents.

-This is the room we would probably use as a dining room.

-Yeah, formal dining room.

That is great, isn't it? I do love that pantry.

When we drove up to the house and got out of the car, I just thought it was spectacular.

It looks absolutely magnificent and so beautiful from the outside. And inside, it didn't disappoint.

It's fantastically decorated, light, airy. We could just move straight into it.

The garden outside is so nice. It's a really nice package.

I cannot imagine we'll ever see a house that we like as much as this.

As expected, the price of the house is just outside our budget.

But it's something we can work on, we can think about.

It just is a perfect house.

It's a fantastic, wonderful, beautiful house and I love it.

-Ah!

-Hi.

-So have you found a way of paying for it?

He's sending me out to get another job, I think!

-Well, there's one more to go.

-OK.

Between them, Leen and Judith lead very busy lives and to unwind, they love to get their walking boots on.

'Their move will bring them closer to the Yorkshire Wolds, so they are meeting park ranger Malcolm Higden

-'for an introduction to this stunning heritage trail.'

-Let's get going and see what it's all about.

'The Yorkshire Wolds is a range of low rolling hills, wooded slopes and gentle valleys,

'which rise from the banks of the River Humber in a crescent shape to the far east coast.'

OK... Londesborough is a marvellous place to start our tour of The Wolds Way today.

It's a superb piece of parkland, lovely lakes, lovely pasture, real mature trees

and a real sense of calm and tranquillity to it.

It is. We've only met sheep so far.

Yeah, just sheep. You might see some people, but mainly you'll see sheep. Maybe a few cows.

-Shall we carry on?

-Yeah.

This is what it's all about. This is what makes the Yorkshire Wolds Way and the Yorkshire Wolds so special,

these stunning dry valleys that just open out in front of you.

They go back to the Ice Age. The ice was further north,

but when that ice melted, it caused huge flows of water to come down in this direction,

going over frozen ground and cutting these deep, dry valleys

which now no longer run with water.

With the chalk there, it just seeps through. But it makes this incredible landscape.

-Beautiful, yeah.

-It's nice.

'With about 80 miles of the Wolds to explore, there'll be plenty of opportunities for Judith and Leen

'to get back out here, but for now it's time to hang up their boots

'as our property search continues.'

We did toy with the redbrick, Queen Anne mansion with 15 rooms upstairs and 200 acres of parkland,

but we thought our mystery house was completely different and better on almost every score.

Right, now we've got the mystery house.

Are you excited?

I sort of feel that after the last house you showed us, it can't be any better than that.

Leen, do you think we've peaked too early, we've shown you the best one, nothing can better the last one?

Well, it was an exceptionally good house that we've just seen,

so I suppose I could say, "Surprise us."

-At least you can rest on your laurels and know you've seen something that blew you away.

-Yeah.

Whatever comes next will be an extra mystery surprise.

'Our mystery property is back into North Lincolnshire,

'a few miles from the small town of Winterton.

'Its pretty streets are lined with 18th and 19th century houses,

'overlooked by its Anglo-Saxon parish church.

'The property we're going to see is truly rural and stands off a country lane three miles from Winterton.'

A different kind of property.

-You'll never guess what it used to be.

-A pump house?

-Yes, a pump house.

The pump house for the municipal water boards. It was built in 1902.

And the present owners bought it in 2002, 100 years later.

-And completely renovated it.

-OK.

-What are your impressions from the outside?

It looks interesting. I'm reserving my judgment a bit because we loved the last house so much.

I wasn't prepared to like another one, but it looks quite interesting.

-It's a definite change of gear from the last property. Shall we look inside?

-Yes, please.

This really is contemporary, isn't it? I like it though.

-This is really nice.

-I like it.

As you see, it's a very big change of key from the last property.

But it's a big family property,

but done up in an extremely contemporary style.

-Whether that's your style or not, I don't know.

-This could be our style.

-Travertine floors.

-That's beautiful.

-English ash throughout which gives it an unusual finish.

-Nice.

-This is nice.

-I think you'll like the kitchen.

The kitchen...

-It's massive.

-It is massive.

-Absolutely huge. And done to perfection, isn't it?

The granite worktops.

A lovely gas range type oven there. All the units are new.

Absolutely fabulous, stunning.

And here you've got a great utility room with all your white goods, then another storage room through there.

The thing I really like is the kitchen flows into this sun room,

which is effectively a sort of conservatory really,

-but obviously...

-It's lovely.

-..a properly built one.

-Spectacular.

Very versatile. We could use this space for a lot of different things.

This is only a fraction of it.

Take a look at this though.

More open plan.

It's great, isn't it?

Unpredictable. Totally unpredictable.

And I can't get over that - all these windows just in the roof as well as these big doors going out.

And then here's the dining room.

-You could play around with the space. You don't have to have that as a dining room.

-Very smart.

And over here you can see more of the double height...

And the gallery.

-Oh, that's just lovely, isn't it?

-All this open plan, I like it.

-You're speechless.

-I know, this has happened twice to me.

-Twice in one day.

-Since birth.

-Twice since birth and both in one day. It is astounding.

-And that's not all.

Oh, good heavens!

Oh, I say! Another massive space like this I wasn't expecting.

-And a sauna.

-And a sauna.

-A sauna - it's unbelievable.

-What a house!

-What a house, yeah!

-Lovely views over the fields.

-Yeah, that is a great view, yeah.

'As we hoped, the mystery house looks like it could mix things up.

'They thought they'd found their dream house with the last property, but this place is packing a punch.

'Upstairs is a contemporary family bathroom.

'And four bedrooms all stylishly finished

'with great skylights looking out on to open fields.

'But wait till they see the master bedroom.'

Unbelievable. This is totally unbelievable, isn't it?

It's great, isn't it? What a wonderful, luxury space!

-Yes.

-Leen, you'll have to speak because I've lost it again.

-Three times in one day!

-That is beautiful.

Very nicely done. It looks uncluttered.

And that wall of glass over there is spectacular.

-These are the stairs down to the gym.

-Lovely.

-Yes.

Look at this - room to lounge.

-Room to relax, not just room to sleep.

-The size of three bedrooms.

-It's just absolutely beautiful.

-This is a really surprising house.

Hmm, really surprising. It's stunning.

It's very nice.

And the piece de la resistance...

Look.

Wow! Look at the size of that shower!

-It's huge.

-This is great.

-It's the first touch of black in the building.

-Very smart.

-It does work though.

-Yeah.

-So that's everything inside.

-But I seem to get good vibes.

-Yeah, I like it a lot.

Let's take a peek outside.

Come on out. Lots of lovely decking.

And just these wonderful, open views.

-It's not a very big garden. It feels like you have all of this, but without the gardening.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

That's the best thing about open fields. It's like free garden.

-Well, now is the sticky moment.

-OK.

-When we ask about the price.

-Mm-hm.

I don't think this one is probably over budget.

-I think it's... I've said this every time.

-Probably on budget.

Yeah, around 425, I think. Around. Give or take.

-Yeah, I'd go with that.

-425 as well?

-Yeah.

Well, the house is on the market for...

-..399.

-Wow! Gosh!

-So quite a bit under budget.

That's a lot of space, a lot of house for that price.

-Why don't you have a wander round and we'll meet out the front?

-Thank you.

-OK.

-OK.

It's amazing.

It's amazing what you get in North Lincolnshire compared to the East Riding.

Pretty much the same space and just as high quality house, different style,

but what a difference in price!

That's what you learn when you watch Escape To The Country.

This former pump house is on the market for £399,000,

which is a good £26,000 under budget.

It's stylishly designed throughout and finished to an impressive standard.

The garden is relatively small, but the views more than make up for it.

There's four bedrooms here.

If we turn this into a bedroom with an en-suite where the sauna is, and that big room upstairs,

divided that into two, the kids would have their own bedroom again.

-That might be something to think about.

-Yeah.

It feels so clean and fresh and spacious.

And I really like the open-plan aspects of it. That makes it feel endless really.

The garden obviously is not quite as big as we had been hoping for,

but we've got unimpeded views right up to the horizon,

both at the front and the back,

which again, it's a bonus.

I think it's a really smart, nice house. I like it very, very much.

I thought the price was a real surprise. It makes it a contender out of all the houses we've seen.

Harvesting the potatoes. And time for you two to make some decisions.

-Mm-hm.

-So I'm gonna drive you away.

-OK. Thanks.

-Thank you.

'Judith and Leen have now seen all of the properties and have plenty to discuss,

'so I've given them some time alone to mull things over.'

We have a cliffhanger. I thought it was all sewn up with the 1960s country house.

But after the mystery house, I'm not so sure. Time to find out what Leen and Judith have decided.

Guys, our 48 hours zig-zagging up and down across the Humber is over.

-You've seen all the properties we have to offer.

-It's been fantastic.

-Good fun.

We kept you busy. The first house that we saw near Goxhill was a modern-ish house from the '20s.

What do you think about that now?

It could be a really nice family home.

The gardens are fantastic. The location is good.

But a lot of work to make that the way we would want it to be.

What about the 1960s house? It was also a great location down a very quiet road.

-You seemed to really love this property.

-Ticked all the boxes.

Fantastic location. Beautiful house. Great potential.

The extra room in the barn that was attached to the house was just perfect

for adding a games room or bedroom.

-Fantastic gardens.

-I loved the house. I really thought that was absolutely spectacular

and perfect for us with very little alteration.

You seemed won over by that house and didn't care about the mystery house, but it got a good response.

It was a shock, a real surprise.

It looked sensible from the outside,

then inside it was just absolutely spectacular, wasn't it?

-Very modern.

-Yeah.

-But done in such a way that it didn't feel intimidating.

It didn't feel as if our furniture and family wouldn't fit in there.

A small garden, but that seemed to be offset

by the clear views over the fields.

It didn't seem as important as it could have done in another location.

-Is there a clear winner?

-There wasn't. There was for each of us.

We each had our own idea of what we liked the best.

So who looked which best?

I liked the 1960s house.

-That was the winner for me. And for you...

-The pump house, the mystery house.

-And who won out?

The 1960s house and that would be the house that we would go for.

Unsurprisingly, Judith, you won out! The heart won.

-So what happens next?

-Well, we still have to sell our house.

We've looked at our finances and considered that

and as soon as we are in a position to, we will put in an offer on the 1960s house.

I really hope it goes well because it would be a great move for you.

-Yeah.

-All the best and good luck with the sale of your house.

-Thank you for everything you guys have done.

-Pleasure.

That's a surprise. I thought practical considerations would make them choose the modern house,

but they went for the timeless country cottage look.

It all depends on Judith and Leen selling their house, so fingers crossed for that.

If you'd like more escaping to the country, join us next time. See you.

Or if you'd like to escape to the country yourself and need our help,

contact us through our website:

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2009

Email [email protected]