Worcestershire Escape to the Country

Today's programme comes from a county internationally renowned for its saucy credentials.

Want to know where I'm talking about?

Well, keep watching as we Escape To The Country.

'In today's show, we'll be helping a couple

'break free from their urban house

'and search for a spacious rural home for their expanding family.'

I love it. I get a really good feeling from in here.

They'll view an array of abodes,

but with a discerning eye, they're going to be tricky to please.

It's very modern for me and I'm just not modern.

And there's the mystery house,

which they may not have selected to view themselves, but offers endless possibilities.

Well, today's programme comes from Worcestershire,

a county renowned for its deliciously tart and spicy Worcestershire sauce.

It was first bottled and available to buy from the late 1830s

and it's still going strong to this day.

It tastes delicious on cheese on toast.

But it's not just the culinary charms of this county that make it so appealing.

Worcestershire is located in the West Midlands

in the group of counties often referred to as the heart of England.

Set between the grand Malvern Hills to the west

and the picturesque Cotswolds to the southeast,

this county's landscape makes for a highly desirable place to live.

The rich, fertile soil lends itself well to agricultural farming

and of course, the famous spring water brought prosperity to the town of Great Malvern.

The average detached house in Worcestershire

is £291,000 and that's a steep 10% higher than the national average.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that won't be too much of a problem

for today's house buyers.

Today's property seekers are sales manager Mike

and full-time mum Cretia, who live in a four-bed home in Basingstoke.

Living space wasn't a problem when they first moved in,

but with three children and a fourth on its way

and also a collection of various family pets, they're keen to escape city living and head for the hills.

I guess our main motivation

for escaping to the country will be to give the kids

the upbringing that we had. We both grew up in the countryside.

Cretia grew up in Brecon and I grew up in the Northeast.

And we'd just like to be able to give them the opportunity

of running free and enjoying the countryside.

Growing up knowing animals and just the freedom to do

whatever they want to do.

And they're already dreaming of what their new life might entail.

Hobbies and pursuits that we're looking for in the country

are simply to do with animals.

The country lifestyle.

Any sanctuaries nearby -

we'd really like to get the children involved in that.

Horse riding...

especially Jenny would like to start.

I don't need to do it.

I'll stick to my woodwork, and just build the homes for all your animals.

That sounds good.

Mike and Cretia are looking for their forever home

and have given plenty of thought to their top priorities.

The kitchen, for us, is the heart of the home and we'd ideally like

to move somewhere where it's much bigger, ideally with an Aga

and somewhere where we can just enjoy life and have the family here.

When we move out to the country, I'll be spending a lot more time

working from home, so bigger office space'd be really great.

These are our chickens. Our first step to getting

all the animals that we really want.

A new house with a bigger piece of land would be ideal

to get a pony for Jenny, maybe a few pigs and everything else, really.

Mike also loves carpentry and has quite a selection of tools.

So he's looking for a large garage or outbuilding to store them all in.

Their requirements sound pretty straightforward,

but having viewed over 30 homes in the last 18 months,

none of which have had the right feel, it could be a tricky search.

So in a nutshell, what are they looking for?

Our dream property in the country would be a minimum of five bedroom,

detached, characterful property.

As rural as possible. A very big farmhouse kitchen would be lovely.

And a study for me, please.

And a study. Of course.

To be able to afford their ideal country existence,

they'll need to get a good price for their current home.

We've arranged for their house to be valued

to see how much they'll have to play with.

This tastefully-presented, four-bedroom detached family property,

in this favourable position, overlooking a green area...

for that reason, I put a valuation figure of £345,000.

We know that the state of the market at the moment

is pretty slow, so I think we're comfortable with that.

If we found our dream property that matched all our criteria,

the maximum we'd be prepared to pay is 600,000.

With such a healthy budget, I think Mike and Cretia should have a good shot

at finding their ideal rural retreat, but they want a lot of things.

They want a house full of character and at least five bedrooms

for that growing family. It's got to have a farmhouse-style kitchen

and some quiet office space for Mike.

On top of that, they've got a lot of animals, so they need a big plot of land.

Mike and Cretia are keen to live in the Malvern Hills,

so we're short-listing properties roughly between Kidderminster

and Great Malvern.

Over the course of two days, I'll be showing them a selection of prime rural properties

but as ever, I'll be keeping quiet about the prices

until they've had a good look around.

The last house on our list will be the mystery house -

a property picked to match their requirements,

but at the same time, offer them something a little bit different.

Well, if you're itching to make a move and head to the country

and Worcester has whetted your appetite,

there are plenty of properties to choose from. Take a look.

If you're lucky enough to be property shopping around the £1 million mark,

how about this seven-bedroom house in Cropthorne?

It's on the market for just under £1.2 million.

The elegant home dates back to the turn of the last century.

It's immaculately decorated and for those warm summer days,

there's the luxury of a heated swimming pool.

If a farmhouse is more to your taste and you have £750,000 to spend,

then maybe this Grade Two listed property in Holt Heath might suit.

There's a fantastic farmhouse-style kitchen, complete with flagstone floor

and if you want to get away from it all, how about escaping

to your very own island in the centre of a large garden pond?

Or finally, if you have £475,000 in your pocket and have always fancied

owning a timber-framed cottage,

then this three-bedroom gem in Eckington is up for grabs.

With an inglenook fireplace and exposed beams,

it's every inch of a country home and you can sit back

and admire it from the established private garden.

Hello, guys. It's beautiful round here.

Need I ask, why the move from Basingstoke to around here?

The views, for one thing.

It's absolutely gorgeous. And the place we have now,

we're busting out of. We've got three kids and a menagerie

and another one on the way, so we want lots more space, really.

With all these children that we've got

and you're thinking of taking on some more animals,

we are going to need a pretty big house. Yeah.

We've got really good properties to show you.

I am very excited because I think you're going to like them.

-And, of course, the mystery house.

-Yes.

It will be something you wouldn't have thought of, but nothing to worry about.

Something to expand your mind with. I think we should get on with it.

Thank you. Great.

So, Mike and Cretia have a budget of £600,000

and are looking for a large home for their growing family.

Cretia is keen to have a good-sized kitchen and Mike needs a study

for when he works from home.

Ideally, they'd like five bedrooms

and they're looking for a garden large enough

for the children to run around in and of course, house their animals.

They are discerning buyers who know exactly what they want

and having viewed over 30 houses in the last 18 months,

I'm really hoping we'll be able to find them their perfect home.

What are you most looking forward to

about the search and about living round here?

I think, mostly, we're just hoping that

you guys have got a better recipe for finding houses than we do.

We've not been very good at it.

No. I think it'll be really exciting

to see what you guys have come up with.

What have you found so difficult? What exactly are you looking for?

I think we've just had a picture in our mind what the house is

that we want to move to.

And I think I need to learn to compromise a little bit more.

WE'VE had a picture in OUR mind. Yeah(!)

I mean, hitting the budget and trying to find something with land

and much bigger than where we are has been a bit of a struggle.

Trouble is that we're looking for a house that's going to be for ever, isn't it?

So we want to get it right.

-We're definitely never moving again.

-No. Never.

No pressure for us, then(!)

Our first house is in the small village of Berrow,

which lies in the south of the Malvern Hills,

close to the Herefordshire border.

It's the peaceful, rural setting Mike and Cretia want,

so hopefully, it should provide the right feel.

Pendock, just a mile away, has a primary school for the children

and a convenient village shop for picking up the groceries.

What will they make of our first house?

-Come on over.

-Wow.

-Lovely!

Wow, indeed!

-It is a big wow, isn't it?

-It's fantastic.

It's lovely. The setting is beautiful.

You can't hear anything at all, but the birds, can you?

-It's great.

-We are looking at a converted barn.

-Actually, it's a listed building.

-Really?

1452, and it's a very special type of barn,

-as you'll see when we go inside.

-It's beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

Let's go inside and have a look.

Come in.

Have a look at this!

Very impressive, isn't it?

-Those beams are amazing!

-Huge!

Huge, that's right. 26-foot high.

Wow. You could have a big Christmas tree in there, couldn't you?

-LAUGHTER

-You absolutely could!

I told you it was a special barn. That's because it's a cruck barn,

one of only 14 in the county, and that refers to these types of beams.

They come from a tree, they split the trunks,

and then they bend in like that.

-Oh, really?

-Wow.

-Quite impressive, huh?

-It is!

-Amazing, yeah.

-I'm quite surprised it's all in one area.

-Quite open-plan, isn't it?

Open-plan in my head is sort of kitchen/diner, rather than...

the living room, as well.

It is beautiful, there's no getting around that.

I mean, we haven't considered barns particularly, have we?

So it's very different

from, I think, what we have in our head about it all,

but it's absolutely amazing, isn't it? Really impressive.

Let's have a bit of a look down here, shall we?

-I love the big space for this dining table.

-Yeah!

It is something we'd absolutely need, a ten-seater.

The way the family's going, yeah!

And then down here, they've got the living space

-with a lovely feature fireplace.

-That's beautiful.

-Gorgeous.

I just hadn't sort of pictured... this layout, really, in my head.

I do prefer the separate rooms. Maybe that's only because that's what you're used to.

I can see a great racetrack for the children round here!

-LAUGHTER

-I know a room that's important to you,

which is part of this huge space, is the kitchen,

-so shall we go and have a look?

-Yes, please.

-Let's go.

It's a beautiful kitchen. It's probably something that we would do ourselves, isn't it?

I like...

I like a nice bit of wood, and this is lovely.

Bit of oak. Lovely oak kitchen.

-Got pine floor. It's all about the wood, this house.

-It is!

LAUGHTER

It's a beautiful kitchen, just maybe not where I pictured.

OK, I get the feeling you've got a very clear

-picture in your mind...

-I do! THEY LAUGH

-..of what you're looking for.

-That's why it's taken us so long to find somewhere!

Yes, I'm sensing that!

'It's always a challenge, but I do like buyers who know exactly what they want.

'The vast majority of the living space in this barn

'is on the ground floor, and off the kitchen is a door that leads

'through to a modern extension.

'The utility room is first up,

'which provides access to the back garden

'and there's also a door to the downstairs loo.

'Next door is the family bathroom, which is small but, like the rest of the property, immaculately finished.

'Four of the five bedrooms in this barn are off this hallway

'and we're heading straight to their room.'

Oh, wow! Fantastic room!

It's a great space, isn't it?

-That's lovely. That's the size of our bed, so...

-Really?

And it fits it easily, doesn't it? No problem at all.

No problem at all, lots of space either side.

-How do you feel about en suite?

-En suite would be great. That would be lovely.

-If we could provide one, extra tick.

-Absolutely.

-Come over here.

Voila!

Oh, lovely!

-What do you think of that?

-Look at the size of that!

-Oh, excellent!

-Yes!

Nice big shower - perfect.

-It's lovely.

-A good bonus?

-Yes, definitely.

-Excellent.

Starting to warm more to this property?

I'm...living in here and loving it.

Two of the other bedrooms on this floor are generous doubles

and certainly big enough for the children.

The last bedroom down here is currently used as a study

and my guess is Mike would probably want to claim it, too,

which makes perfect sense.

Upstairs, is the fifth and final bedroom

and it has the beauty of its own bathroom just across the landing.

Oh, lovely!

-For the boys.

-Yes, this is what I was thinking of for the boys.

Excellent for them, isn't it?

It's great - with their own shower and...

Keep them right out of the way!

THEY LAUGH

-Really nice views, as well, out the window.

-Beautiful, aren't they?

-Absolutely stunning, looking out onto the Malverns.

-Beautiful.

We're in a great location, so let's head out there, look at the garden and talk price.

-Lovely.

-Excellent.

-So up here, in your garden, you can see the lovely rural surroundings.

-Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

-Stunning.

-Surrounded by the Malvern Hills...

-and not much else!

-Yeah! Beautiful!

So quiet and peaceful, exactly what we're looking for.

-Good!

-It's just maybe not as big as we thought it would be.

-Right.

I can't see the kids wearing themselves out,

running up and down here. I think we're looking for a bit more than this, really.

Would it help if I told you that just behind you here,

these paddocks belong to the farmhouse and they're not too fussed about its use?

-You could rent it out for ponies.

-That's ideal, that's great.

And something for you - over here, you may have spotted...

-I did spot!

-..the shed, so you could put...

I could eventually get my woodworking tools all out and usable again.

That'd be a novelty!

That's it, guys, you've seen it all and now it's time to talk money.

How much do you think it's worth?

Who am I going to start with?

I'd say...

-550?

-550.

-I might go a bit more than that. I might go 575, I think.

-Really?

575. 550.

I love your reasons, but, Cretia, I can see why you wear the trousers!

-You're spot on.

-Fantastic.

It's on the market at £550,000,

-which is quite a bit under your budget.

-It is.

Does that change your opinion on this property?

-I'd like to say yes, but it doesn't.

-You're looking for a particular feeling?

-Yeah.

-Go back in, have another look around, see if it comes to you when I'm not wandering around after you.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

-See you later.

At £550,000, this barn conversion is comfortably within budget.

I love the wood. I just love the wood.

It's got the same feel to it, but it's just so high.

-It is high.

-It feels a bit like a church, doesn't it?

It does. It's a beautiful house, the beams are beautiful, it's lovely.

Everything's been done exceptionally well.

The location's absolutely great, the views are fabulous.

They've done a great job of the conversion, lots of wood.

I love the kitchen, although being part of the rest of that room space,

not sure that's really going to work for us.

For me, it's a little bit modern and to be honest, a barn is still a barn.

OK, guys, you've had another look around now,

but we're not finished yet - there's a lot more to see. Let's go.

Mike and Cretia have decided to make the most of their visit to Worcestershire

by dropping in on the Victorian spa town of Great Malvern.

-Look at the view!

-It's beautiful.

-A lovely day to be here, I think.

-Yeah. Come on.

The classical composer Sir Edward Elgar lived here

and his statue stands in the heart of the town.

The Malvern Museum celebrates the town's famous pure spring water.

400 years ago, it was believed the water had medicinal qualities

and was used to treat many illnesses.

They'd have put people in the bath, wrapped them in the towels

and covered them in local water.

Just a short drive away is another of Great Malvern's famous exports -

the Morgan Motor Car Company.

The first car rolled out in 1910

and today they are still made by hand with superb craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Try this one.

-I'm not convinced you should be on that side.

-Oh, I am! THEY LAUGH

-This, I could get used to.

-It's great, isn't it?

Back on foot, there's just time for Mike and Cretia to take in the superb views

from the slopes of the Malvern Hills.

-Look at that!

-Wow!

-That's amazing, isn't it?

Fabulous view, isn't it?

-One of those houses down there might be ours.

-Hopefully.

Our next property is in the hamlet of Bliss Gate,

seven miles southwest of Kidderminster.

It's a very small rural community, but the nearby village of Rock

has a pub where the locals meet and a village church, too.

Clows Top just down the road has a post office and butcher's,

but best of all, these are rural communities that offer peace and tranquillity.

-It is beautiful round here.

-It is

and if you like the hamlet, what do you think of the property?

-That's lovely.

-Wow.

-Really nice.

-A wow?!

-That's a wow for me. Like that.

Great. Come a bit closer and have a proper look. A house with history.

Parts of it, 250 years old.

You'll see more of that when we go in.

I'm feeling character.

You're feeling character. Good. Good, good.

-Fantastic.

-Really good.

-Fantastic?

-Absolutely.

Loving that word. Let's go inside.

Come inside to this lovely hallway.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-It's really spacious.

Very spacious and welcoming.

It is, compared to what we've got at home.

Great for the kids. Great to greet people.

So we've got a good start.

-Yeah. Great.

-Let's keep going.

I think you're going to quite like it up here.

-Wow.

-Lovely. Ah...

Ah-ha!

I thought you would!

Onto a winner, there.

But apart from that, what do you think of the rest of the space...

if I can draw you away?

It's great.

It's made of reclaimed pine. Some wood for you.

I'm loving that. Yeah. Great views, again.

Lovely views, especially on a gorgeous day like this. Lovely.

I'm missing a table.

You are missing a table, I know.

I don't know what we're going to do about that. I'm really sorry.

I might be able to help you.

Might be able to help you there.

Come this way... because round here...

you have this.

Perfect. Oh, that's lovely, isn't it?

Brings the whole of the garden into the house, doesn't it?

This is an amazing room. I love this!

You look a bit gobsmacked.

I just wasn't expecting it, coming from the kitchen to this.

It's great. It's still part of the kitchen.

I think they've really managed to keep the character,

but this part is only ten years old.

So it's quite newly done. And just over here,

you've got a little utility space.

I was wondering where everything was. Oh, it's great.

-Good so far?

-Absolutely brilliant.

-Absolutely brilliant?

-Yep.

-Oh, my gosh. I'm happy already. If you think this is brilliant...

-I'm amazed.

..and you're amazed, wait till you see the rest.

I've heard you like a lot of rooms, so here's another one for you.

Fantastic!

-I love the beams.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

I love the high ceilings as well.

I know, and what's interesting about this part

is this is another extension, you wouldn't believe it.

It's another only ten years old or so.

These are reclaimed beams from an old barn.

It feels like it should be much older,

like the original building. Nice wooden floors, as well.

-We're ticking so many boxes.

-I'm loving it.

And it doesn't end there.

The box-ticking continues in the bedroom above this dining room.

It would make a great study for Mike, or a playroom for the children.

Or perhaps both.

Next for us is the living room.

Wow. What a room!

I know. What a room, indeed. Another surprise.

-This is lovely.

-What's shocking you?

-It's really nice.

I don't know. I just didn't expect it to go quite that far back.

-It feels lovely.

-I think I know why it feels so special to you. I know you like old

-and this is the oldest part of the house.

-Is it?

Yep. 250 years old and actually, this part used to be a pub.

Oh, really?!

I'm getting a good feel.

You're warming to it.

Yeah. Really.

It used to be a pub. That's why we've got the two entrances here. And look at this.

This is lovely.

It's lovely. It's great.

Your very own inglenook.

I love it. I get a really good feeling from in here. It's great.

Really good.

There's great space. Big enough even for our family, isn't it?

-There's a huge space.

-So far, you like the downstairs.

-Very much.

About time we saw the sleeping arrangements.

Let's head upstairs.

First stop I thought should be through here.

We start with the bathroom.

It's a lovely size, isn't it?

Big family-sized bathroom.

It is big. I'm only seeing a shower attachment there and no shower, Denise.

You're right, but I have something special for you

in the master bedroom. Out that way.

I present the master bedroom, with the master shower.

Oh, superb. That's what I was looking for.

I think it is. So you're happy. What about you, Cretia?

I'm not too sure our bed's going to fit in there.

Well, there are plenty of other bedrooms up here,

so I think we should go and look at another one. After you.

Out here, we've got two more bedrooms. Nice children-size rooms.

The one I want to show you is this way, cos I think you'll find it's a little bit bigger.

-That's a better size.

-Yeah.

Yeah. It's big, isn't it?

-Only thing is that you don't have your en suite.

-No.

But you're a hop, skip across from the main bathroom.

-Yeah. Much bigger space, though.

-Yeah. It's lovely.

You've seen all the inside now. It's time to see the outside space.

-That may just sway you, I think. Follow me.

-Thank you.

It's a lovely garden, which wraps itself around the property quite a bit.

Yeah. I like that. I like the idea that the kids can play around everywhere. I think that's nice.

And the dog.

-And the dog. And the chickens.

-Yeah. THEY LAUGH

They'll be clucking merrily away.

So you like this garden space but if you had a bit of extra land for a horse?

That'd be lovely. Really nice.

-Find use for it, wouldn't you?

-I would.

-Let's head this way...

because beyond this fence you have a paddock.

-Yeah.

-And that comes with the property.

Oh, really?

Yes.

-Excellent. That's fabulous.

-That's a bit of a surprise.

-Yeah.

You also have stables. All ready to go.

Oh, it's ideal. It's great.

I think we wanted more space to grow everything, really.

So all of that and, if we turn around, have another look at the property.

It's lovely. It's a proper country property.

From this aspect, you really can appreciate the old, in the centre, the pub...and the additions.

It's been done sympathetically.

You wouldn't really tell which part was new, which part was old, so it's lovely.

Good feelings about this property.

All-important question, now. How much would you pay for it?

I have no idea.

Tough one. I'm going to optimistically go for 550.

OK.

-I'll go for 545.

-545?

-Yeah.

So lower, under your budget.

Yeah.

OK. Brace yourselves, then, cos this property is actually

on the market at £650,000.

Wow.

OK.

Sharp intake of breath.

-Yeah.

-Perhaps we're being optimistic and hoping.

-Yeah.

I think that's the word.

A bit optimistic, there, because you do get a lot.

-There's a lot of land.

-Absolutely.

Go in. Have another look. Remember, in a choppy market,

you could put in a good offer. I'll talk to you later.

-Lovely. OK. Thank you.

-See you later.

At £650,000, this house is 50 grand over budget,

but it has been on the market five months and there's a good chance

the owners will take an offer within Mike and Cretia's budget.

Fantastic.

Bet that'll keep the place nice and warm.

-I can see us changing the units, though.

-I can see you changing the tops, as well.

-Yeah.

Let's have a wander and see what else we've got.

The house is beautiful. The kitchen's lovely.

Downstairs, itself, is perfect, I think. The outside is beautiful.

Maybe the upstairs is a little bit small for us.

The study, that Mike would have to have, is one of the bedrooms so that would just leave us with the four.

-But it's definitely something for us to think about.

-I love the lounge.

The dining area on the end there really brings the outside into the house. Excellent.

The price was a shock, so we'd probably need to try and work for a deal on that,

I think, but I'll have a word with Cretia and see what we think.

It's nice, isn't it? Lovely.

-Enjoyed that?

-Yeah.

-Well, there's a lot more to see. I've got a lot more to show you.

-Fantastic.

-Great.

One of Mike's greatest passions is carpentry. He likes nothing more

than getting to grips with his power tools and pieces of wood.

But in a world of high-tech machinery, it's always a pleasure

to see traditional skills being kept alive.

So while mum-to-be Cretia takes a rest,

we're meeting Gudrun Leitz, a local carpenter who works in a beautiful and unique workshop.

Love your office.

We're here to get back to nature and find out a bit more about what you do.

I do green woodwork. Yes. So, it means I work in the woods

from freshly felled timber and I have various bits of equipment.

It's all home-made, of course.

The shavehorse for shaving it into the round.

And the pole lathes which I think you'll really enjoy, for actually

turning it into something finished.

And I work with traditional hand tools.

We can knock out virtually anything.

The ancient methods are dear to Gudrun's heart and she skilfully crafts beautiful furniture.

-Wow. This is impressive.

-It's incredible, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Today, I thought, just to set you up with the techniques and the feel for the wood.

If you aim for something like a garden dibber, made on the pole lathe

and hopefully that'll be useful in your new home, as well.

This garden tool is used for making and measuring

the depth of holes in soil.

After chopping a piece of wood, it's straight onto the shape horse.

Now, this is like a workmate. You can clamp this.

It's not like my workmate.

Clamp your piece of wood quite far back. One or two legs.

Yeah. Got it.

And then quite far back start shaving.

And then turn over.

Your aim is to make it round.

There's nothing like working with wood. It's just so natural and warm.

And for a job like I do, pretty therapeutic.

It's tiring, but in a nice way.

-So, Mike, next stage on to the lathe.

-Perfect.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah.

-You did quite well there.

There's evidence of these lathes being used as far back as 200 BC.

And today, they're still used around the world.

It's a bit like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time.

I'm sure once you get into the rhythm, then it starts to work.

And not to be left out, I'm going to have a go at shaping the piece Gudrun started.

I've got my planing tool out and my shape seems to be coming together.

Just smoothing out the wood.

My pride and joy.

-Well, I've put some grooves and some scratches into it actually, I think.

-Well, this is brilliant.

-Yours is very beautiful, too.

-Thank you.

-Excellent.

-You've managed to turn two amateurs into...

-..green woodworkers.

Green woodworkers. We'd better get this back to Cretia, hadn't we?

-Excellent.

-Thank you very much, Gudrun.

-Take care.

-Bye.

As the afternoon sun starts to fade, Mike and Cretia head for the pub to take stock of the search so far.

What did you think of the cruck barn, then?

I really liked it. I thought it was lovely.

It was just, maybe for us, it wouldn't work

-with the open-plan.

-Yeah.

I thought it was a bit shy of land, as well, really.

-Yeah, I don't think that really worked.

-Great positioning.

It was great, but maybe just didn't have enough character for us.

It was just too modern, wasn't it?

What about the old pub?

I thought that was a lot closer. I knew that would tick a lot more of your boxes.

It was full of character, wasn't it? Even the made character was great.

Yeah, downstairs, I was really optimistic about it, then the upstairs kind of

cooled me off a little bit.

It was a bit disappointing, wasn't it? The amount of bedrooms just wouldn't work.

The land was really good, though.

It was fantastic! That's exactly what we're looking for.

-Hopefully, tomorrow's another day...

-I'm feeling really positive. It should be really good.

Mike and Cretia are house-hunting in Worcestershire for a new home for their growing family.

They have a budget of £600,000 and are looking for a large house

with a garden big enough for their children and all their pets.

So far, they've viewed two very different properties and coming up...

I think we could have a good go at filling that, I think, actually.

And a bathroom that wins Mike over.

Now we're talking!

I'm just moving in here.

It's another day here in beautiful Worcestershire

and we continue our property search with Mike and Cretia.

So far, they've had a very fixed idea of what they're looking for in their dream country home.

Although we've seen some lovely properties, they're just not quite right for them.

So if five bedrooms isn't good enough, well, what about six?

Our first property this morning, lies in the village of Linley Green,

ten miles northwest of Great Malvern.

Nearby Suckley has a primary school, which will be handy

for the children. Whilst Mike or Cretia are dropping them off,

there's the opportunity to pick up groceries in the village store.

This beautiful rural setting could not be better for a young family looking for an idyllic lifestyle.

So fingers crossed for our next house.

This wonderful, traditional stone farmhouse is what we want to show you.

It looks fantastic.

Yeah.

I hoped you might say that. Is this what you would have drawn a picture of?

It is. Yeah. It's just like my daughter draws. It's really the ideal house.

It's enormous. I think we could have a good go at filling that,

I think, actually. It looks like it needs a big family, doesn't it?

-Let's head inside.

-Thank you.

-Step in to this lovely generous hallway.

-Thank you.

It's lovely. Really.

Come through here because this is the first of our reception rooms.

Very nice.

-Spotted your wood burner, already.

-Yeah.

I did, actually. Yeah.

I'd probably do it differently, but it's a beautiful size room.

-And it wouldn't take too much to do it differently.

-No.

-You've got a blank canvas here, really.

-Absolutely.

Just a little paint, you know, colours that I like.

Your furniture in here.

The other think I like, just look round here.

Lovely deep big windows.

-That's fantastic.

-Yes.

Oh, I got such a lovely smile from you. I hate to drag you

-away from this room, but I want to show you what's over there.

-Excellent.

So I said that was the first reception room.

Come through and see the second.

This is lovely. This is great.

-Glorious. An open fire in here.

-Yeah.

-That's right.

-You're really spoiling me. Lovely cosy room.

-I love the beams.

And huge windows, these ones are even bigger.

I think these are great. It's got everything in here.

Even though it is modern, you can see that we can go beyond that.

-OK. While we're on a roll, let's have a look at the kitchen.

-OK.

-After you.

Wow. What a great view.

Absolutely fabulous.

Isn't it lovely? First chance to see the views

out onto the garden which we'll come back to.

And of course, you're looking at them from the kitchen.

It's lovely. I love the worktops, the granite worktops.

-Big deep granite worktops.

-Really deep.

-Lot of space there.

You've got all your appliances built in. Huge fridge freezer.

Yeah. It's a great space. Lovely. It's really nice.

I can feel it. I can feel it. How can you not be wowed by this? Go on.

It's very modern for me and I'm just not modern.

But it's a lovely space and you can see how much room

you have to work with and I can see us changing the kitchen.

-I'm not ripping it out.

-I can see you going, "No, I think we can live with this."

-We'll talk about that. OK?

-Yeah.

And we're just looking at this side of it

but if we turn around, it stretches all the way through.

That's fabulous. It's great.

-Perfect, isn't it?

-I love the beams, as well, up there.

Big kitchen table to be able to have the kids at, isn't it?

They're all connected,

-so you're working away in here... children eating breakfast, doing homework...

-Yeah.

And then space beyond that. They've fitted in a sofa.

Yeah, which is lovely. Great.

Relaxing, as well. I know we've talked a lot about what Cretia might do and what she's liking,

so I've got something just for you, Mike.

This way.

Oh, hello.

Nice.

-Hello, office. Excellent.

-Are you happy, Mike?

-I'm very happy and it's not a bedroom.

-It's not a bedroom.

It's got no potential for a bedroom.

-No. It's dedicated office space.

-Absolutely great, isn't it?

-Door leading in from the outside.

-Front and back.

-Front and back, out to the garden. And your own cloakroom, as well.

-Perfect.

-Fantastic.

-Tuck him away in here.

-I like that.

Gone forever.

Obviously, we've got the outside space which we'll come back to,

-but I think it's time we went upstairs, now.

-OK.

-Super.

I think you're really going to like the upstairs.

And we've got two levels to look at.

-Fantastic.

-Excellent.

We've got lots of bedrooms up here, but this is the master.

Oh, my gosh.

Wow.

-What a size.

-Oh, it's lovely.

You could get our bed and a half in here, couldn't we?

You certainly could.

And I love these walls. I love them. They're not even.

You are brilliant. I love it.

-It's beautiful. It's lovely. It's great.

-Gorgeous.

Gorgeous. Lovely. Great.

-And you haven't mentioned en suite.

-I haven't mentioned en suite.

I don't know. Be nice.

Be nice. It may not be necessary cos just through there is a bathroom

I think you'll be impressed with.

Go and have a look.

Oh, yes!

Now we're talking!

I'm just moving in here.

Excellent. Perfect.

It's amazing.

I'll let you off the en suite. It's close enough.

-It's got everything.

-Really.

-It's a superb bathroom.

-Is there nothing you'd do in this bathroom?

-I wouldn't change a thing.

This is the room you'll be living in while you rework everything else.

-I know you love this room, but there are plenty more bedrooms in this house. Let's check them out.

-Right.

On this floor, there are another three bedrooms.

The first two are pretty good sizes and I'm sure any of the children

would be happy with them.

Then there's a smaller single room, which is currently being used as a storeroom.

But we're heading upstairs to the final two bedrooms.

Up here, we've got another double bedroom, a bathroom through here

and in here...

what could be one of the boys' rooms.

Oh, wow. Wasn't expecting it to be this big.

-It's huge.

-I can see the boys taking this top floor.

That's what I thought. I thought this was the boys' room.

-This is ready-made, isn't it?

-The crow's nest.

-Fantastic.

Well, I've got one more bonus for you, then. The outside space.

-Fantastic.

-Excellent.

-Let's head back downstairs.

-OK.

-Right. Time for outside.

-OK.

We'll start with something for you, Mike. Over this side,

-there's a little shed, but you could build a bigger one.

-Nice big shed.

-For the woodwork.

-Yeah.

-I also thought this could be a good space for a vegetable plot.

-Absolutely.

-Patio.

-Lovely.

-And then we've got the animals, haven't we?

-Great.

-How about this? You've got all this garden space.

-Lovely.

Plus a paddock, which stretches right back to those trees.

Oh, that's great, isn't it? Yeah.

-Excellent.

-Lovely.

-Plenty of space, isn't it?

-Just about enough!

As you can see, they've already got ponies out here.

Yeah. That's great.

Well, there's everything you want here. All the land, all the rooms,

but the question is, how much is it worth?

I have no idea, and I know it's going to be over our budget. I think...

oh, I don't know...

I think it's probably on for 650.

OK. Mike?

Which I'm dreading.

I think more, actually, but I hope not, cos we'd struggle with that.

-I'm going to go 625, with a very optimistic head.

-625?

Yeah.

Only because it's under Cretia.

Well, the good news is that you're right.

-OK!

-It is on at 650. The bad news

-is that, obviously, that's a bit over your budget.

-It is, yeah.

It has recently come down in price, so though we're in a choppy market,

I don't know how much room there is to manoeuvre on that. I think

you need to have another look. There's lots of bedrooms you still need to look at. Off you go.

We'll catch up later.

At £650,000, this house is over budget,

but it has everything they're looking for.

So we felt it was an opportunity not to be missed, and worth a punt.

While you work in the kitchen, you're close to everything, aren't you? Keep an eye on everybody.

Straight out on to the garden. I loved everything about the property. The outside area is great.

The rooms are lovely and large.

The location of this house, absolutely great.

Beautiful views.

Very imposing place.

Lovely traditional build.

Fantastic room, isn't it?

Huge, isn't it? Great space. At least we can get our bed in here.

Absolutely. Yeah. That's a bonus.

The only negative thing I can see is the price. It's pushing our budget

too much, maybe, but we have to see how that goes.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-It took a while, didn't it, to get round?

-Yeah.

-But it's not over yet, so we've got more to do. Let's go.

Fantastic.

Mike and Cretia already have quite a selection of pets,

but once they move, they're keen to buy a couple of pigs,

so we've arranged for them to meet up with Julie Edwards

who runs a smallholding that includes kunekune pigs,

which are native to New Zealand.

Mike and Cretia's timing couldn't be better.

Kunekune piglets make great pets for children

because you can handle them so well from being young.

If the children pay them as much attention every day,

they'll have them eating out of their hand like this, absolutely fine.

Meaning "chubby" in Maori,

they're born in litters of between 3-15

and come in different colours and patterns.

They also have something else that makes them distinctive.

They've got the little piri piris under their chin.

They don't serve any purpose.

They just look cute, as they're fluffy.

They sometimes are born with them, sometimes without.

It doesn't matter if they don't have them.

-Are they intelligent?

-Very. They're supposed to be more intelligent than dogs,

so they work very well as trained animals.

We've got one male that actually sits for food

and he begs for food, as well, he'll go up on his back legs.

He's just done that naturally, it's not something forced on him.

So how much land would we need to look after them?

They recommend about five to six pigs per acre,

but a third of an acre for a couple of pigs would be absolutely ample.

-Can we have just one, please?

-We need more than one - we need one each for the kids.

We will. We need four!

Four, yeah.

That's a deal, then?

Yep, absolutely. Sold! THEY LAUGH

Four pigs to go.

You're going to come with us, aren't you?

Right, now it's time for the mystery house,

and so far, we've shown them wooden properties, rural locations,

but now, it's time for something totally different.

We're coming up to one of my favourite parts of the show - it's time for the mystery house.

I know they all feel like mysteries, but this one may not have everything on your list,

but it's something different to open your mind. Are you ready for your minds to be opened?

I'm petrified! I'm really nervous

about going in and seeing what you've chosen for us, but excited as well.

I think it'll be a lot of fun, actually. I think it's good to be challenged.

I mean, we have a very well defined view of what we want.

So actually, I'll be interested

to see what new ideas you throw up for us.

It's time to reveal that the mystery house is in Kempsey,

a small village lying to the east of the Malvern Hills

and nine miles from Great Malvern.

Kempsey has the usual village amenities,

including a shop, pub and church, but most importantly, there's

a primary school for the children and a community to mix in.

The property we're viewing forms the largest part of what was

once a single home that dates back to 1893,

and is now converted into three dwellings.

You know we like to go a bit leftfield with this.

-Very different to what you might be looking for.

-Very different.

-But it has got a lot to offer.

-OK.

It's a lovely building. It is lovely.

It's very imposing again, isn't it? Big grand property.

Lovely big windows.

Huge windows. It is the mystery property,

so I'm going to ask you

to open your minds and come with me on this journey. Let's go.

Now, I know you like your history and character, and this house

is oozing it, starting with the inscription at the top.

It's a Latin inscription which means

May Peace Be On This House. I think it's a lovely sentiment, isn't it?

-It's lovely.

-So let's have a look

-and start going through some of those features.

-Great.

Start with this very grand entrance way.

-Lovely brickwork.

-It's lovely.

And this huge wooden door.

-Big doorways for what looks like a hallway...

-It does.

but it's so big, it's really a room. A dining room, at the moment.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Yeah. Opens out onto the front as well.

It does. Big bay window. And look over there, that sweeping staircase.

That's beautiful, isn't it?

Nice roaring fire as you walk through the front door.

-It'd be very welcoming at Christmas.

-It'd be lovely.

With the high ceilings, you could have a big Christmas tree.

That's one thing you notice about this place. Very high ceilings. Huge rooms.

Yeah. It's quite open.

I'm sort of struggling to see kids coming in and doing stuff,

-but it's great space.

-It's a great space. You'd have to think

-for a while about how you would use it, wouldn't you?

-Yeah.

But there are more rooms, so come this way.

It's a big space as a dining space but here, you have a living room.

Lovely.

What do you think of this?

Lovely room.

Great high ceilings, again, isn't it?

Lovely details, aren't there?

I thought you'd like that.

Beautiful room.

Big open windows and big garden.

As I say, I'm still struggling to see our crowd

in here cos it's so beautifully decorated and everything, but...

-we'll see.

-Yeah.

-Working on it.

It's an exercise, setting aside what's in here already,

thinking about how you would live here.

OK. Right. Let's keep going.

Look. Here's the kitchen.

And I think you will need to use your imagination a bit.

Getting silence at the moment, but this is a space. It's not huge,

but it's still a good-size kitchen.

It's strange not having a window in here, isn't it?

It's strange, but you do have a door to the outside,

-round there. So it's not completely boxed in.

-Right.

It's a good space, but it's not going to allow the rest

of the family to come into the kitchen easily, is it?

There's definitely a lot you can do, isn't there?

You're getting me bashing things around again, aren't you? That's what it is.

I'm not so sure Mike and Cretia are seeing the potential of this house.

Perhaps they'll find the upstairs more inspiring.

It's such a grand stairway, isn't it?

-Absolutely stunning.

-Gorgeous.

-With an amazing window.

That's breathtaking, isn't it?

Absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

I want to show you the rooms. They're equally impressive.

We've got a big bedroom here. Come this way.

So check this out.

This is lovely. Really nice size.

-Wow.

-Lovely high ceilings.

Huge, isn't it? Beautiful view again. Yeah.

Could you imagine this as a room that the two of you would use?

It's definitely got the size about it.

-Can't see the en suite here, Denise.

-I know. There isn't an en suite,

but there is a big bathroom up here.

-Let's have a look.

-Excellent.

Here we've got what's being used as a study.

Could be one for you, Mike. Also doubles up as a bedroom.

But in here is what you're looking for.

Aha. And...shower.

It's got your shower. Shower.

Big corner bath. Tucked behind there is the toilet.

-Has it got a bidet?

-Probably.

And you could live with not having an en suite?

Yeah. This is close enough.

I can stay asleep between there and here. That would work.

Walking into your power shower. Great.

'And this house continues.

'On the second floor, there are three more bedrooms.

'The first is a generous sized double.

'Then there's a smaller double bedroom.

'Next door is another bathroom, and then there's the final room.'

-Must be lovely for the kids. They'd love this up here.

-Yeah. Look at this.

They're still big rooms in comparison to where we are.

One of the boys. One of the girls. You never know.

Well, we've got a lot of room in the house for everyone to run around.

-Let's head outside and look at that garden.

-OK. Thank you.

After you, Mike.

Let's step outside.

First of all, Mike, for you...

I give you a shed. You can do your woodwork.

Come round here.

Well, look at the garden space.

I'm sure you realise with this property, you're going to compromise

-a bit on the amount of land you can get.

-Yes.

-But it's still a sizeable garden, isn't it?

-Yes. It is.

This is really about the house itself, so let's turn around and have another look at it.

It's stunning, isn't it? It's lovely.

Take it all in, because it's time to guess the price.

-OK.

-OK.

How much do you think it's worth?

It's tricky because the house is fantastic, the grounds aren't

here and it is in a village location, so I'm going to go with 550.

550. Mike, your bids.

I'm going to go a bit more because this is the lion's share, isn't it, of the old house.

I'm going to go 595.

595.

I can't believe it. He wins one!

-Spot on. You are spot on there.

-Excellent.

On the market at £595,000, so just under your budget.

It delivers a lot of house. Have another look.

Go in. Go into all the rooms. Start to imagine yourselves living there,

and we will talk about it later on.

-All right. Thank you.

-Off you go.

This house is just under budget at £595,000.

It has a large dining hall with sweeping staircase, a huge lounge,

six bedrooms and a good-sized garden.

I love the house. It's spacious. The rooms are beautiful.

There's character to it. There's loads of features around it.

It's a beautiful room, isn't it? Lovely features.

I love the deep skirting boards. And the fireplace is lovely.

-Nice bit of wood.

-It's great, isn't it?

The kitchen would need redoing, but there's space in there to do that.

The location, for me, is probably not ideal, and the land

that comes with it is quite small.

Love the house. Really great big airy rooms.

Lots and lots of them, right the way up to the second floor.

Just not sure I can see our kids

running around in here and screaming.

Doesn't quite feel right for that.

-Hello, guys.

-Hi.

You have seen all of our properties now.

-It's given you quite a bit to think about, hasn't it?

-It has.

-Let's find somewhere for you to sit down, and you might make some decisions.

-Great.

Mike and Cretia have a definite idea of the type of property

they're looking for. They've now viewed

all of our properties, so it's time to weigh up the pros and cons.

We've had an interesting couple of days, haven't we?

Seen a lot of properties, and I know this has been a long journey

for you two, looking at where to find your dream house.

Let's go through the properties we saw, starting with that lovely cruck barn,

which I thought was just magnificent, very unusual. What did you think?

It was lovely, wasn't it?

It was... It was spectacular, I think. Extremely well done.

-I think it was extended well.

-I think a barn will always be a barn,

in my head, but it was beautifully done.

We found ourselves whispering in there, it was so... I think that's what it was.

It just reminded me too much of a church, actually.

OK, well, let's talk about the old pub.

That brought some history, didn't it?

That was lovely. It was done out beautifully.

There were parts of it I think we'd have to change.

Surprisingly(!)

Yeah. But I think, for us,

the major concern was that one of the bedrooms would be an office,

so that left us with just the four bedrooms, didn't it?

Yeah. The upstairs was...

Yeah. Kind of let it down a little bit.

I mean, the land was superb.

It was. It was absolutely fabulous.

What about the six-bedroom farmhouse that looked like the house you used to draw as a child?

Fabulous. Absolutely amazing.

It was glorious. Absolutely.

I actually liked the idea that there was work for us to do.

As a property, there was no work. Somebody with a modern style could move in tomorrow.

For us, there was work, but that's good, because we're looking

for a property to stay in for ever,

-so that was great and there was land there, wasn't there?

-Absolutely.

Finally, the mystery house. For this, we went the other way. The edge of a village.

A very stately house.

Attached, as well. What were your thoughts?

The house itself was lovely. It was quite stately, wasn't it?

Yeah. That was designed to challenge our thinking, I think.

And it did exactly that.

While we were going round there, it came to me. I couldn't see the kids running round there, screaming.

It was too nice a place for that. It seemed inappropriate, somehow.

We absolutely want to be rural, and it really sort of made it

clear to us that that's what we want.

-So it was a really good thing to see.

-What are you going to do next?

It's been a long time you've been looking.

It has been a long time, and the fantastic thing about

the journey has been that we now know where we need to compromise.

It's on the state of the house.

The location and the land is very important, so I think, if we find

a property that we could do up, then that would probably be ideal for us.

It's been a pleasure showing you around. If we've helped you a bit,

-what more can we ask?

-Thank you. It's been lovely.

-With any luck, before this one comes along...

-Hopefully!

-..you'll have a new home and plenty of work to do.

-Absolutely.

-Best of luck. Let us know how you get on.

-Thank you.

-Will do.

It was always going to be a tough task to find the ideal home for Mike and Cretia, but I think

this journey has taught them two things. One, that they might

not get exactly what they want for their budget in Worcestershire.

And two, they may need to compromise. At least now, they seem willing to do that.

I'll see you next time on Escape To The Country.

If you'd like to Escape To The Country and need our help,

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