Cumbria and Yorkshire Home Away from Home

Maybe you've thought about living by the sea,

but you're not sure if it's quite for you, or you've wondered

what would it be like living right in the middle of the countryside

miles from anywhere, the question is, would you really like it?

Well, home swapping gives people the chance

to exchange their properties and try out a brand-new lifestyle.

It's a growing trend here in the UK and this series offers people

who've never tried it before the chance to give it a go.

-Woh-hoh!

-Woh-hoh!

Families from across Britain are about to go on an adventure.

They don't know each other and have no idea yet where they're going, or

what type of property they will be calling home for the next few days.

Goodness me! Imagine waking up to that every day.

During their stay, they'll give their verdict

on each other's home...

-It's a bit claustrophobic.

-I don't think you can get more different.

..and get the opportunity to try something new

in a different part of the UK.

-Yes!

-Nothing is coming out.

Only on their return will they get to see who has been

living in their house...

-Oh, yes.

-I think we're almost psychic.

..and what they really think of it.

-Very minimalist.

-Sparse.

It is not.

I don't think there is one thing that I would change.

It's ridiculous how much we love our house.

Our first home swappers are Dene and Karen.

He is a pop musician and she is a data analyst.

They met in the Spanish holiday resort of Benidorm

and, as they say, it was love at first sight.

They've been married for two years and live in a 19th-century country

cottage in the picturesque village of Barwick-in-Elmet in Yorkshire.

Our house was built in 1830

but it's had a lot of modifications since then.

Very quirky, lots of beams and things, but we love it.

-We love living here, don't we?

-We do, yes.

Barwick-in-Elmet is a thriving historic village dating back

to around 400 BC with a population of around 2,500 people.

Now, Dene and Karen's home is an intriguing prospect.

It used to be the local doctor's surgery

and even though the pills and prescriptions have long disappeared

they have still managed to retain a few of the unique features.

The original front door is now a false front door

-and that's now a cupboard.

-Yes.

I think that's why I keep banging my head.

Yes, you do, because the freezer's in there, isn't it, now?

Each room's very different.

Everything is sort of old farmhouse, the kitchen is, anyway.

In the bedrooms, we've got the old beams from the ships.

-Old ship...

-Old ship beams from many, many years ago.

-You can't go into the spare bedroom...

-Without ducking down.

So it's a challenge.

It's a challenge getting in and out of the room sometimes upstairs.

They've been living in their home for just four months

but Dene has very strong links to the village.

I've lived here most of my life from being three years old up until...

I've been working away but I always come back to my roots.

We have that War of the Roses because I'm from Lancashire

-and you're from Yorkshire so...

-But Karen does come out with

some Yorkshire sayings sometimes, don't you?

I don't mean to.

Let's hope there are not too many disagreements between these two.

Although there's certainly no disputing who wears

the trousers when it comes to interior design.

I would say this is definitely shabby-chic, isn't it, villagey?

I think your taste is shabby-chic, yeah, and you're very girly.

You like it all very girly.

Girly it may be but Dene has ensured there is plenty of room to

show off his musical prowess.

I used to be in a group called Black Lace

and we had many, many hits in the '80s and early '90s.

I've got some gold discs in there and some awards from America.

I used to work in the doctor's.

So I got to see the villagers on a daily basis.

But they don't call us Karen and Dene,

they call us Mr and Mrs Agadoo,

and that's sort of stuck, really, hasn't it?

Yes, it's stuck with us.

Well, let's see if the home of Mr and Mrs Agadoo appeals

to our next swappers, who are globetrotters Harry and Lindy.

He's a retired financial printer

and she used to work in the travel industry.

When they are not hot-footing it around the world, home is

a traditional stone Lake District cottage, which is

set in the idyllic Longsleddale Valley.

It's a truly glorious setting, but to get to the house they'll

have to navigate the six-mile single track road, which makes each day

an adventure just to reach this beautiful but very remote property.

It is pretty special, it's quite idyllic.

You know, you're kind of in the middle of nowhere.

Every day is different with the weather.

I mean, one day, you know, it's really sunny, the next day

it's absolutely pouring down.

And it's ten miles to the nearest shop,

it's ten miles to the nearest pub.

Sounds perfect if you want to get away from it all.

Back in the 17th century the property was two cow barns,

but after lots of hard work

Harry and Lindy have transformed it into their dream home.

Harry did most of the labouring and I did a lot of the electrics.

-We still pulled together as a team, didn't we?

-Absolutely.

It was a monumental undertaking for me

cos my DIY skills are not of the greatest.

But I helped the builders for six months.

The builder actually said, "Without your help, Harry, we'd have finished

"a month earlier." I'm not quite sure what he meant by that but...

With such grand expectations, it's no surprise that Harry

and Lindy are very particular about the styles of property they like.

I quite like modern things.

I don't like clutter, but if that's their house,

that's their house, so...

I don't like small rooms, particularly. I like space.

The lifestyles of our first-time swappers may be poles apart,

but they do have one thing in common and that's a desire to try

new experiences in the shape of a home swap.

It's early morning and they're busy packing.

Your shawl for if it's cold.

-It's a scarf.

-Oh, is it a scarf?

Men!

Now, you don't necessarily have to own your own house to

participate in a home swap.

If you rent, check with your landlord or read the fine print

on your lease to see if you can do a temporary sub-let.

So what do you think we need, love? T-shirts?

Definitely T-shirts.

And these swaps aren't just for couples.

Families and singles can exchange homes to their heart's content,

as long as they can find someone else who likes

the look of their property, of course.

Whenever we go anywhere, I've pretty much planned it

to the Nth degree, so this is quite different for me.

I'm quite excited.

One of the best things I think about home swapping is trying out

a part of the country we may not know.

Now, our couples have agreed to really broaden their horizons

and let us choose where they're going

based on their personalities - brave people.

But first to find out their destination

are Dene and Karen, who are off to Cumbria.

-Hey, told you it would be.

-Cumbria!

You thought it was going to be the Lakes.

Oh, I'm excited. I like the Lake District, yeah, Cumbria.

-I wonder which part, though. There's remote, though...

-Mountains.

..and then there's busy.

Bring it on, let's go.

For Harry and Lindy, it's the county of Yorkshire.

-We're going to Yorkshire.

-Yorkshire - it's somewhere

-I've never even thought about.

-I haven't either.

Destinations revealed...

-Here you are.

-Thank you.

..it's time to head off.

Dene and Karen are travelling

just under 90 miles north-west,

to the beautiful unspoiled valley

of Longsleddale in Cumbria

on the edge of the Lake District.

It's a tiny parish with around 30 houses scattered over four miles.

Honestly, I tell you, more sheep live here than humans.

It's said that this valley

inspired the popular children's TV show Postman Pat.

Just down the road tourists can enjoy

the town of Kendal around ten miles away.

After a two-and-a-half-hour journey, Dene and Karen finally arrive.

-Oh, wow, look at this.

-Gosh!

-Wow! This is right up your street, love.

-Flutter-by.

-Flutter-by, yeah.

-Wow! It's remote...

-Compared to ours.

-Yeah, because I'm frightened of the dark.

-Yeah, but I'm sure...

Do they have street lights in the country? No.

No! No street lighting.

I can't wait to see inside, can you?

-Shall we have a look?

-Yes.

-Come on.

While exploring the great British countryside is an attraction

to many home swappers, another guilty pleasure is

giving your verdict on somebody else's house.

Hey, look at this. Same lighting, look.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-I love the colours.

-Look at the Aga.

-Oh, I love it.

-It's an Aga-doo-doo-doo, that!

-Is it, now?

-Shall we go through here, then?

-Yeah.

-We're going to have an explore.

-All right, then.

Oh, wow, look at this.

Oh, my goodness. Well, I wasn't expecting that.

I wasn't expecting this. It's very big, isn't it?

-Wow, what a fantastic room!

-It's lovely.

It's very much like our house, isn't it? Same fire, look.

We've got the log fire there.

Every single window you get a different view, look.

You do, yeah.

I was shocked when I came up the stairs there

and realised this was the lounge.

-I thought this might be the bedroom.

-Yeah, me too.

What a fantastic room. I love it.

Dene and Karen continue their tour, and next up it's the bedroom.

Oh, look at the exposed brick.

Yeah, I wonder how old this is.

I wonder if it's as old as our house.

I don't know. I wouldn't like to say.

It's a very big bedroom, isn't it, this one?

-Yeah.

-Look at the beams, look.

They're such a lot higher in this house than ours.

In ours, we have to duck to go through ours, don't we?

I hope they don't bang their heads. Look at the view they've got.

Again, there's a treehouse out there as well, look.

-Yeah.

-Look at that lovely stream at the back.

-It is beautiful.

-It would be lovely in the summer, sat out there.

-You'd never bore of looking out of the window, would you?

-No.

I like the colour scheme of the carpet as well.

-The whole house just flows.

-It flows through from here

-through to the kitchen.

-They've got lovely taste.

While Dene and Karen get used

to their remote retreat,

our other home swappers Harry

and Lindy have headed south-east

to Barwick-in-Elmet in Yorkshire.

One of the most notable landmarks in this village is the wooden maypole.

It measures 26 metres high

and stands at the junction of Main Street and the Cross.

Every three years, there's a local festival that attracts

literally thousands of visitors.

But at this point it's time for them to see their home away from home.

It looks kind of cute, doesn't it?

It's a pretty little tree.

It's quite cute. It's quite a nice little place.

It's a complete contrast to ours

because it's, like, a rendered building and it's got small windows

and I think upstairs it must be, like, pitched upstairs as well,

because look at where the window is. Oh, it must be really low ceilings.

Yes, you've got to walk like that.

We'll have to be really short people.

Or hunched over.

The village here is in complete contrast to where we live

cos where we live we haven't got anything nearby at all, have we?

And there's buses, which is fantastic, here.

Fair amount of traffic.

So it will be interesting to see what that's like on the inside.

Let's hope there's triple glazing.

-We're not used to traffic where we live.

-None whatsoever.

-None.

Oh, wow!

What a smart little place.

-Yeah.

-Isn't that cute?

-Look at the table, it's so cute.

Set for two.

A little office space. Somebody works from home.

There's loads more packed into it than there is in ours.

I've just seen a poster with Black Lace on, that looks a bit, er...

You'd have to wonder what it was originally.

It's obviously been converted.

I'm a bit troubled by the wine rack.

-The wine looks like water.

-Ugh!

-That's not good.

Where's the wine?

-Oh, my goodness, wow.

-Oh, that is lovely.

That's amazing.

-That is lovely.

-What a big space this is.

-It's on about six levels.

-Yeah.

Look, he must be really into... It's got to be something to do

-with Black Lace.

-A member of.

-That's who it is.

-Yeah.

-Oh, fantastic! We're in a celebrity's house!

-We are.

-Very smart.

I like this place, it's good.

It's really nice. That beam's enormous, isn't it?

I wonder if it was a ship's mast at some point. Go on, upstairs.

Let's go to this room first. Oh, wow! Watch your head.

Look at this. Just watch it. That's lovely.

-That is a serious beam.

-Isn't it?

-It's lovely.

It adds loads of character, doesn't it?

-And yet you're right on the front.

-It's quiet as well, isn't it?

-So quiet.

-Yeah.

-I am surprised, I really am.

-Pleasantly surprised.

-It's a nice room to stay in, for sure, yeah.

As the evening draws to a close, both couples are starting

to settle in to their new homes.

We put some things in here and some things in there.

-Watch your head.

-Be careful.

-Remember your head.

-Oh, dear.

-It was quite busy when we arrived, wasn't it, that road?

And then people walking right by the house as well, which obviously

we don't get at home.

They've got quite a big collection of ornaments in the lounge,

which are definitely not to my taste but, again, each to their own.

It's on one, two, three, four levels.

It really is a quirky, quaint,

lovely, lovely little house. I really like it.

Do you want to hang that jacket up for me?

-Right, there we go.

-We're in.

Dene and Karen have spent their first night

in the Cumbrian wilderness, which is

a stark contrast to their busy village in the county of Yorkshire.

Time for breakfast and it's lovely fresh eggs.

A local egg - this is from their hens.

Aren't they white, these eggs?

There you go. That's it.

That's just been running around outside, that hen

that's laid that one.

As for Harry and Lindy, it's been an eventful night.

I slept really well last night.

Very soft bed...

..and then I woke up early in the morning

because Harry banged his head on the ceiling.

As part of their home swap, each couple has written a booklet.

Shall we have a quick look through the manual?

It gives tips on the workings of their house and they've

also provided a section full of ideas for days out in the area.

The nearest shops are nine miles away.

But there's an added bonus in the shape of an envelope.

Hidden inside is a special day trip, which will give our couple

a unique taste of what this region is all about.

But first they need to crack the clue.

What does it say?

It says, "You're driving me crazy,"

but that's just applying to you, I think!

"You're driving me crazy." Do you think it's driving a train?

Or crazy...driving me crazy?

-Rally cars.

-It could be rally cars. It could be go-karts.

Come on, guys, we haven't got all day, you know.

-Let's see if I'm right.

-Let's see if you're right.

-Oh, wow.

-Were you right?

-No.

-No, completely wrong.

"Today, you're getting behind the wheel of a range of classic cars

-"at the Lakeland Motor Museum."

-Wow, my favourite!

-Right up our street, yeah.

-I love classic cars.

Cumbria may conjure up images of hill walking and the Lakes.

However, it's an area that has

so much more to offer, including a wide range of museums -

from those celebrating local literary greats

to showcasing our national motoring history.

With a passion for classic cars, Dene and Karen are travelling

30 minutes down the road to visit a unique exhibition.

The Lakeland Motor Museum is one of the UK's largest collections

of motoring memorabilia.

-Hello there.

-Hi.

Their guide for the day is Chris Lowe, who's worked here

for over 20 years.

We have got 30,000 exhibits - cars, motorbikes, bicycles,

petrol pumps, all sorts of things.

So have you got any personal favourites here?

Well, I am a bit of a Jaguar man.

So we have an XK 140 Jaguar that's rather nice.

We've got Bentleys, Jaguars, MGs, lots of British things.

-I love Bentleys.

-And then some oddities, some rarities.

I had a Jaguar, actually, years and years ago

when I was about 18, 19 years old.

-You've had a nice little sports car.

-I had an MG.

Oh, well, we've got a couple of MGs in the museum.

-Lovely.

-What make was yours, what model was the MG?

-It was a brown one!

-A brown one.

Ours is green.

Oh, well, there you go.

The museum is filled to the rafters with garage equipment

and petrol pumps.

These historic artefacts were once quite common,

but now they're highly collectable and are a reminder of a bygone age.

So this is a real gangster's car, a Cadillac.

That's what I was telling you about, the bonnet line, earlier,

-and then that was Donald Campbell's Bentley in light blue.

-Fantastic.

With such a wealth of classic motors, unsurprisingly

they're very keen to take one for a spin.

I thought we would have a little drive in this Jaguar.

This is a surprise!

Oh, thank you, kind sir.

Oh, I like it, it's all red inside.

Their car for the day is a luxury 1961 Jaguar Mark 9.

This is comfy, isn't it?

Isn't it comfy? It's like a bed.

It's ever so bouncy in the back.

-It's comfy, that seat, in't it?

-Really, really comfy.

This is our special treat.

Uh-oh! I do hope they come back.

Oh, well, it looks like they didn't

get too comfortable as they stopped off at the nearby town of Kendal.

It's a location steeped in history.

It used to be one of the most important wool manufacturing towns

in Britain and it's also home to the celebrated Kendal mint cake.

Now, it's said that the famous explorer Sir Edmund Hillary

dined on it during his journey to the peak of Everest.

If this area appeals for a home swap, there are many styles of

property that you could potentially choose - from an array of lovely

village cottages to a scenic country hideaway.

While Dene and Karen continue exploring Kendal,

back in Yorkshire Harry has a visitor.

Hello! I'm the owner. Give us a wave.

This must be a puppet of the guy that owns this place.

Hello! What do you think of it so far?

I didn't see his lips move.

Enough larking around -

there's a lot to Agadoo, so bring on the envelope.

"Roll out the barrel."

Barrels, you get beer in barrels, which would be a good one.

You can float down the rivers in barrels.

-Unless we're being rolled in...

-Barrel rolling.

-Yeah. Oh, God, no.

Shall we do it? Open up and see.

"Today, we will be making barrels at a Yorkshire cooperage."

HARRY LAUGHS WEAKLY

Hmm! Don't sound too excited, will you(?)

Just a 20-minute drive down the road in Wetherby is White Rose Cooperage,

home to Alistair Sims, England's last master cooper,

and they're about to learn some of his vital trade secrets.

-Hi, Alistair.

-Hiya.

-How are you?

-Pretty good. Yourself?

-Not bad.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

So tell us, what are you up to?

Well, I'm knocking this one down to make it into smaller barrels.

Recycling?

Yes, cos I'm in what you call a commercial cooperage.

Besides beer casks, I make wine, cider, whisky

and anything else... Anything heritage-wise I do.

-So you use wine barrels or whisky barrels to make beer barrels?

-Yeah.

And does that not affect the taste of the beer?

It does, but some of these craft brewers want that, don't they?

You know, they want that little bit of difference and...

I mean, I've just done some for

a brewery in Sheffield and they wanted white wine barrels,

because they are actually using Sauvignon hops from New Zealand.

-Oh, yeah.

-So they were hoping the white wine barrels,

putting the beer in the white wine barrels, conditioning in

the white wine barrels would bring the flavouring out, more of the hop.

Excellent, wow!

Alistair prepares wooden staves to form the actual cask.

These are then positioned together for the next stage,

which is known as raising up.

Just hold it in your hand like that...just pop it into your...

just pop it against your knee.

Pick it up and the first one goes against your knee like that.

Then see how you got your thumb?

Use your thumb like a crocodile clip...

and then just keep feeding them in.

As long as you keep it tight against your knee

it will go nowhere.

I can see it being all over the floor.

Over the centuries, brewery production across Yorkshire

has grown steadily, and now there are over 40 breweries

in the west of the county and many of them are open to the public.

If you get it standing we'll have a pint.

Just keep feeding them.

You're not keeping your hoop up. Your hoop's drooping...

Don't droop your hoop!

Not a bad attempt though for a first time.

I wonder if Lindy can do better.

Same as Harry - if you get it standing I'll buy you a pint.

Ha! I want more than a pint.

Well, you can have a gallon then and Harry won't have to have one

and he can drive.

Maybe two heads are better than one.

Yes! How about that? I think that's terrific.

I'm well pleased with that.

It was all right for an ale cask.

-For a first attempt!

-For a first attempt, you're right.

You said if it stood up I could have a beer...

-I'll keep to that as well. I'll get you a beer.

-Good man.

The local ale isn't the only thing that appeals to the many tourists

who visit Yorkshire. England's largest county is made up

of stunning dales and moors and of course the glorious Peak District.

If you'd like this area as your new home away from home,

there's a wealth of potential property styles scattered

right across the region, and if you really love country cottages,

well, the list of possible options is almost endless.

One of the joys of travelling around Britain rather than going abroad

is the wide range of really good food that you can

find in different parts of the country.

So it's no surprise that home swappers like to show off some

of the fantastic local produce available in their own region.

Back in the wilds of Cumbria it's early evening.

Dene and Karen have been left lamb cutlets, local potatoes

and some potted shrimps from Morecambe.

-So are those shrimps, then, you'd say? Like prawns?

-Yeah.

-Never had these before, have we?

-No.

-We'll see what happens.

Meanwhile, in Yorkshire,

Harry and Lindy are about to discover what's on their menu.

Oh! Joint Yorkie pudding - lovely.

Yorkshire pudding - yum!

And sausages...local sausages even.

Creamy mashed potato.

Garden peas, and I do believe there is some gravy as well.

-It had to be Yorkshire pudding in Yorkshire - it really did.

-Yeah.

The first recorded recipe for Yorkshire pudding was in 1737.

It appeared in a book called The Whole Duty Of A Woman.

Now, those were the days.

It was originally known as a dripping pudding,

with the dripping coming from the juices of meat.

I've got the Yorkie puds, love. They didn't make their own.

I do like a nice Yorkshire pudding, it's one of my favourites.

So what's these Karen, tell me what they are.

Potted shrimps in butter with some Melba toast.

-Right, so shrimp and prawn are completely different?

-I don't know.

Not really my thing.

It tastes a bit like kippers.

Yeah.

Ooh! I don't like that!

As Lindy tackles the local sausages, Harry takes on a mightier mission.

Shall I go and get some wine to go with your dinner, darling?

That would be very nice - don't get diverted at the pub.

Fallen on deaf ears, methinks, Lindy!

Hi, there. Can I have a half a cider, please?

It seems like Harry just can't resist the temptation to

wet his whistle in his new local.

It's the easy life for some - but Lindy has got her hands full.

I am kind of going between the two - watching the potatoes,

watching the sausages, watching potato, watching sausages.

I was just reading their instructions, and they've left us

some eggs for the mash.

But I've never put eggs in mash and I'm not quite sure that I want to.

Maybe that's a Yorkshire thing, putting mash with an egg?

I don't know. But I think I might leave that out - thank you and all,

but I think I will leave that out.

Back in Cumbria, Dene and Karen are about to tuck into their main course.

Have you tried your lamb? That's well done, yeah?

-Yes, you've done it lovely, it's beautiful.

-Really nice.

I like the potato because potatoes, to me,

they don't really taste like this when we have them at home,

and we've chosen Yorkshire puddings, haven't we, for them?

Yeah, and maybe they don't like Yorkshire puddings.

I think they will do. I think everybody likes Yorkshire puddings.

Of course they do, and at least Harry has made an appearance... Good man!

It looks very good.

Yeah, the sausages look amazing.

The sausages are really nice.

This is a lovely meal, perfect for the end of the day that we have had.

Absolutely right.

-Yes, it is, it's very good.

-Loving it!

In Cumbria it's course number three - a sticky toffee pudding.

Karen, you should try some of this, it's wonderful.

-I don't like toffee.

-But this is lovely.

But you're just a pudding face, aren't you?

Dene and Karen from Barwick-in-Elmet in Yorkshire

have swapped their 19th-century cottage in a vibrant village

with Harry and Lindy, whose pride and joy is their self-restored barn

conversion, which nestles in the Valley of Longsleddale in Cumbria.

It's day three and Dene and Karen are exploring.

-Oh, wow, look at this.

-Oh, it's lovely.

When we looked through the window... you don't see

all of this, do you? Look at the stream, look.

-That's lovely, isn't it?

-It's a lot different to our house.

A lot, yeah.

We've just got the courtyard

and then to be able to put your own flowers where you want them and...

-Our dog would be in there all the time.

-He would, yeah.

He loves swimming.

Settled back in the comfort of the house,

our Cumbria swappers are about to discover what's in store today.

But first the all-important clue.

Oh, my goodness! "Heard it on the grapevine".

On the grapevine? Oh, we could be making some wine... Wine or...?

It could be wine tasting.

Let's have a look and see what it is.

"Today you will be learning how to herd Cumbrian sheep."

-Oh, God, no!

-With a world champion shepherdess.

Cumbria is a county where huge numbers of sheep are reared

on hill farms and moorlands.

The total population is thought to be around three million.

The sheep used to be bred for their wool

but now it's for their meat, and there are plenty of open farms

to visit if you're in this neck of the woods.

Dene and Karen are off to a school for budding shepherds

and the head sheep master is Katy Cropper.

-Hello.

-Hi, Dene and Karen.

Welcome to Shap, to my sheep dog training centre.

I've got you both a shepherd's crook,

but these really are for show.

The shepherd's crooks that we use for shepherding are plastic,

so you would use this to catch a sheep...

-Hook its neck.

-OK. That's why the hook's there.

-Yeah...

These are just ornamental really.

And you've actually won awards for this, then?

A long time ago now, Dene.

I won One Man And His Dog in 1990.

-Oh, did you really?

-Well done!

So it was a long time ago now but...

So award-winning, then?

It's my passion and I love sheepdogs and competing.

I love training them. So shall we do it?

Yes, let's. Come on then.

Katy and her three-year-old collie Zac

have been sheep herding for ten years.

I hope Dene and Karen are taking good notes from the expert.

SHE WHISTLES AND CALLS

Do they just follow each other, then?

Yes, they'll just go in that pen eventually - see the pen there?

Yeah.

Here, here, here!

There they are, and that's how you do it.

She makes it look easy, doesn't she?

Good lad.

Sheepdog competitions in Britain have been running for

well over a century, but I bet they've never had competitors

quite like our Dene and Karen.

Oh, well, there's only one way to find out.

We use the traditional command, sort of "come by" to the left...

"Away" is to the right.

The most important command of all is "lie down" for stop.

So the idea is to get your dog to get to the back of the sheep

and he will bring them straight to you.

But remember it's the dog's left and right when you ask him to plank.

So away is...?

-Anticlockwise.

-Right, and the left is...?

-Come by.

-Come by.

Off he goes - he's gone.

Now, why do I get the feeling that this is not going to go too well.

-Come by.

-Come by.

-Lie down.

Who knows, maybe the sheep are struggling with his Yorkshire accent.

-Come by.

-Now, what you did then was...

you just needed to stand back a bit and they would have gone in then.

Lie down. No.

-Can I not open that a bit more?

-Yeah.

Good idea - good thinking, Batman.

-Come by again.

-Come by.

You've got to watch your sheep.

-Lie down.

-Lie down.

-Say come by.

Come by. Lie down.

-Which one are you going to have for your supper?

-Ha-ha!

Supper?! That's charming.

I think these sheep have earned a day off, don't you?

I don't think I'd make a very good shepherd.

Stick to your singing!

I think I'll probably stick to pushing pineapples and shaking trees.

I don't think that Katy is a Black Lace fan.

When visiting a new area, most of us

can't resist having a quick peek in the local estate agent window,

and our couples are just the same.

I like this one and I like that one up there.

That one is a really good price.

In Cumbria and the surrounding area

the average detached house price is about £230,000,

a semi will set you back about £120,000

and a terrace house around £80,000.

Do you know what? They're not as dear as I thought they would be.

Probably because we're in a remote area, there's not

-a lot of work round here so...

-Yeah.

Well, the area doesn't look actually too bad for house prices.

£415,000.

It's actually more of the sort of price that

I would have expected in such a nice little village.

Where Harry and Lindy are staying in Yorkshire,

a typical detached home is around £200,000, a semi would cost

approximately £100,000 and a terraced about £70,000.

£320,000.

Three beds. Well preserved.

Master bedroom with en-suite. My favourite, I love en-suites.

Back in Yorkshire, Harry and Lindy are about to discover where

they'll be heading for their next day out.

But not before a cunning clue.

"Suits you, sir."

Suits you, sir....

-That's, erm...

-The Fast Show.

-The Fast Show.

-Join the Fast Show.

-Do you reckon we'll be in a comedy sketch?

No, shall we look?

Oh, fantastic!

"Today you'll be all in a spin at a world famous wool manufacturer

"based in the heart of Yorkshire."

Oh, that's brilliant.

Leeds, in Yorkshire, has been described as a city built on wool.

The woollen industry grew rapidly in the 16th century,

helping support a population of around 3,000 people.

But such was the strength of the Industrial Revolution

that by the mid-19th century the population of Leeds had spiralled

to over 150,000.

Hainsworth is one of Yorkshire's oldest mills.

It's family-run and has been producing wool and textiles

since 1783.

Harry and Lindy's guide is company director Roger Hainsworth.

Well, here's where it all begins.

This is the first process in the mill.

This blend is incorporating about five or six different

sorts of wool, and this blending machine, it's job is to mix

the wool well, open the fibres up ready for future processing.

Why do you have five or six different sorts?

To try and get consistency over the blends,

the same as blending tea.

You get a consistent product by blending the wools.

Over 200 years since first opening its doors,

Hainsworth is one of the last working mills in the country,

still making everything on-site.

I reckon this is more strenuous than you would have expected, really.

Some of this wool is quite heavy.

I have done some!

The mill produces four tonnes of wool every single day

and some of it has a very important destination.

This area was always famous for uniform cloths,

and we have continued that tradition,

and we are now the sole maker of the Guards' scarlet cloth used by

the Royal Guards for the Trooping of the Colour and the London districts.

But we've been making uniform cloths for the British Army

since the time of George III.

Men fought at the Battle of Waterloo wearing Hainsworth uniform cloth.

-Gosh.

-Do you have to match the colour all the time?

That is one of the most important things.

Some of the uniforms on parade can be 20 to 30 years old.

So the light fastness,

the colour fastness has to be absolutely spot on.

Because you're being inspected by about the most rigorous inspector

in the world, which is the Queen, and you don't want to upset her,

because if she gave the word out

they would be looking for another manufacturer.

But she's pleased with what we do and we have the Royal Warrant,

-so we must be doing something right.

-Excellent.

They certainly are.

We're back in Cumbria.

Having spent time in their rural retreat, do Dene and Karen

have any idea who lives in a cottage like this?

I feel that they're roughly our age.

And I think maybe a little bit younger than us.

I just think by looking round the house here that they love to travel

and they're that type of person.

I think they're well educated people and they like to read.

-Yes, and they like reading as well.

-Definitely.

I think they've done a lot of the house theirselves.

So I would say travel industry or the building trade, so...

Yeah. I agree.

I think Dene is a really gregarious character.

I think he's one of these larger-than-life people,

who loves to be in the limelight, who loves to be outgoing.

In fact, he's a damn good singer,

so he likes to be in the spotlight, as it were.

He's quite a gregarious character, it seems.

And his wife is definitely called Karen

because there are lots of "Dene and Karens" around the place.

She seems to like pink, there's lots of pink things in the house.

I think they're very much a couple that are together,

and really in love, would you say?

And they do a lot together.

They certainly Agadoo - sorry, just couldn't resist that!

It's the last day of the home swap and Dene and Karen are packing,

ready to make the journey back to their Yorkshire home of

Barwick-in-Elmet.

It's always nice to go away.

But it's always nice to go home as well when you've been away, isn't it?

Do you think our memory mattress will remember us?

-I hope so.

-I do too.

Meanwhile, in Yorkshire, Harry and Lindy are reflecting

on their time away from isolation.

-I am quite looking forward to going home, going back.

-Yeah.

You're only just getting settled in, really, and finding out where

everything is in the house and then you're tootling off again.

As well as allowing you a very different type of break,

home swapping also saves a lot of money.

For example, staying in the county of Yorkshire for three nights

typically costs around £240 for a good-quality B&B.

While a similar experience in the Longsleddale area of Cumbria

could set you back around £400 for a three-night stay.

Home swapping can sometimes seem like a very mysterious business,

as someone else is in your home while you're not there.

So to make things a little easier for our first-timers,

we're giving them the opportunity to see exactly what their guests

thought of their property.

First up, Harry and Lindy meet Dene and Karen.

Hello there, I'm Dene.

I'm 57 years old and I am the lead singer of the hit band Black Lace.

Remember Agadoo and all that? Pushing pineapples,

shaking trees.

Kitchen is very much the same. Look at the Aga.

-Oh, I love it.

-That's an Aga-doo-doo-doo, that.

-Is it now?

-That's so funny!

-I bet that's not the first time he's said that!

Quite quirky as well, isn't it?

It's got all of the nice furniture. All the quirky furniture.

Well, that style over there is totally different to the style here.

-It is, it's like in two halves, isn't it?

-I love it.

-Yep, exactly right.

-That's exactly what we aim for.

Very interesting room, I love it.

I'm going to cry!

-Look at that lovely stream at the back.

-Beautiful.

Be lovely in the summer sat out here.

You'd never bore of looking out the window, would you?

-No, that's true.

-You're absolutely right, Karen, you're never bored.

Back in the comfort of their shabby-chic home in Yorkshire,

Dene and Karen are about to meet their fellow house swappers.

-I'm Harry.

-And I'm Lindy.

He looks like a Harry, doesn't he?

The village here is in complete contrast

to where we live, because we haven't got anything nearby us

at all, have we? You drive or walk or you get the horse out.

The horse, yeah!

-'Wow.

-Oh, that's great.'

It's got the wow factor.

-How unexpected is that?

-I wasn't expecting this at all.

It's on about six levels.

THEY LAUGH

What a cracking place. Oh, I like this.

'I really like the staircase and everything.'

And gold discs.

I know, I noticed those, and all the guitars as well.

-It's got to be something to do with Black Lace.

-A member of.

-We're in a celebrity's house.

-We are.

-Very smart.

I like this place.

-That's a serious beam.

-Isn't it?

You're going to have to watch your head, you'll hit it

every time on that.

Yeah, how many times did he bang his head on that, we wonder?

Should've put a sign on that beam, I think.

The furnishings are not particularly to my taste.

-The what?

-The furnishings.

-Oh.

I don't think we would have as many hearts but...

It's just different, a different style to ours, that's all.

I agree with the comments

and I still want to meet up with them and have a good chat

-with them.

-Oh, definitely, I think we'd get on great.

I think we'd get on brilliant.

It's certainly been a voyage of discovery for our home swappers,

and for Dene and Karen the experience has been enlightening.

I thought, oh, I can see myself, you know, fires,

the chickens, but no, rural life is just not for me.

I think we'll have to do another swap, but to do the seaside.

But then again I'm frightened of birds, seagulls.

And for Harry and Lindy, well, their first home swap has been

life-changing.

It's really lovely to come home but it has reinforced that

at some point, you know, we'll properly think about...

Moving to a village or a small town.

Somewhere that's got a little bit more life.

We are missing out on things, simply because you can't do,

instantly, something that you want to do.