Cheshire & Derbyshire Home Away from Home

Families from across Britain are about to try home swapping.

Oh, wow!

We're going to live on a ship!

They don't know each other and have no idea yet where they'll be

calling home for the next three days.

Honey, honey, look at that!

God, it's fantastic.

Each family will have to suggest local places for their home swappers

to visit as well as a favourite restaurant.

Ooh, this looks good.

It's amazingly good.

I don't know whose I want to eat more, mine or yours.

And they'll be scoring each other on the location, the day out

and their temporary home.

Very good.

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

living in their house.

You're very lucky people.

Oh, honey!

And find out who has provided the best home swapping experience.

And I think, "Here's to house swapping."

Here's to house swapping.

First up, we're frolicking in the Derbyshire dales in the pretty

village of Carsington.

Our first home swappers are accountant Mike

and his partner, Pete, who owns riding stables.

Here we go, there's your tea.

They've been together for 15 years

and have spent the last eight of those turning this pretty

four-bedroom cottage into a perfect place to boogie.

We're aging party animals.

Yes, we like to...we like to host parties, don't we?

Yeah, we have great times.

The village has been very welcoming and we like to welcome them back in.

But when they're not partying, the couple love spending

time in the garden and have a favourite spot to relax in.

Oh, so this is our summer house,

but it's been renamed as the love shack.

I think it's a great place to bring a bottle of wine in the evening and

put some music on, and it's a really nice zone to just sort of chill out.

Recently, we've painted it up, as you can see, like a beach hut,

and of course we like to keep an eye on what the neighbours

-are doing as well and we take notes!

-Yeah.

Yes, they love to keep their fingers on the pulse of village life.

Though their neighbours on one side don't get up to much.

So do you think anybody would be particularly

worried about being next to the graveyard?

I'm not sure. It doesn't really bother us, does it?

It's been there a long time. I don't think they're going to move.

No, and they're very quiet.

They're very quiet neighbours, they're great.

We don't get many complaints if we have a party.

Well, that's handy.

The couple is very proud of their home.

Our house is very sort of comfortable, cosy cottage, I hope.

The house does, I think, reflect our characters.

We like to be relaxed and comfortable.

In terms of choosing decoration, we just redecorated this room.

Your first choice was this sort of green and, and...

And yours wasn't.

Mine wasn't, but we sort of came to a compromise

and, yeah, I really love it now.

Our second set of home swappers are best friends Jill and Bev,

who live in sunny Cheshire.

Jill's pride and joy is her lovingly restored campervan, Heidi.

And though she and Bev only met a year ago, they struck up

an instant friendship and while away the hours in Jill's kitchen.

And this is where we have wine o'clock before we venture

outside if the weather's nice.

Sometimes we don't venture out of the kitchen, do we?

No, we don't. We don't.

We threaten to we threaten to go upstairs and watch a DVD

and then we end up sitting...

..opening another bottle.

-So we put the worlds to right.

-Yeah, we try to.

In this very place.

Jill lives in this modern

four-bedroom house in the quiet village of Eaton.

She bought it with her late husband,

but it wasn't quite love at first sight.

I said to Nigel, "Not in a million years,"

and he said, "Come on, we'll come and have a look."

When we came inside, we both loved the house and we both said

simultaneously when we got into the car, "That's the house for us."

We can do something with it and we did and I'm very happy here

and I like it.

Jill's husband sadly passed away two years ago and

when she met newly-divorced Bev they found they were kindred spirits.

Beverley came to the house to give me

holistic treatment on my feet and if memory serves me correctly,

I don't think you left for a few hours.

I think a bottle of wine was involved.

I think it was, I think it was, yeah.

Yeah, that's how we met and we just we just clicked, didn't we?

Jill's home is quite minimalist

when it come to the decor, especially in the upstairs living room.

I would describe this style as linear and contemporary, I think.

Not much in it and again lines, straight lines.

I'm not very fond of curves.

Having said that, it's all curvy out in the garden

so that's just a complete contradiction.

The garden has a much more country cottage style

and it's Jill's biggest passion.

It's been a complete labour of love, this garden.

And losing her husband relatively young has made Jill not want

to waste a minute of her time.

It's about packing it in how,

no matter what it is, so any new experience,

any new adventure whatever, I'm up for it.

Our brave swappers have left it up to us to choose

their destinations so there's just time for a few finishing touches.

I'm really, really worried about anybody coming in

and finding any sort of dirt.

You're doing posh, I'm doing basic.

I'm not doing posh. This isn't posh.

And a bit of wardrobe guidance.

Why don't we just take the lot and then I can make a decision

when I get there, OK?

Then it's finally the moment of truth.

For Pete and Mike, it's a trip to Cheshire.

Oh, we're going to Cheshire. That's good.

OK, I've not... Don't know much about Cheshire.

-I don't know much about Cheshire.

-So...

That's an idea we hadn't really thought about.

Not thought about, so that's great.

For Jill and Bev, a road trip to Derbyshire.

-Oh, Derbyshire!

-I know Derbyshire.

-Right, yes. It's over there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The van'll make it.

Well, that's a good start.

With their destinations revealed, our keen new swappers get ready

to hand over their homes.

Hope you are comfortable and enjoy your stay here.

That's great. We can leave them with that.

Who's going to drive?

-Me.

-OK, good for you.

So let the home swap commence.

Mike and Pete are heading just 56 miles west across the Peak District

to the pretty village of Eaton in the heart of Cheshire.

They only county in England to be granted its own Magna Carta,

it's a hot spot for history lovers, with the Roman-walled

city of Chester boasting more than 650 listed buildings.

Cheshire was once part of our industrial north,

famed for textiles and salt mining

and the network of once-busy canals is now popular with narrow-boaters.

The county has a very rural feel, with 100 square miles of stunning

Peak District in the East and the open expanses of the Cheshire plains,

where dairy farms have been producing the famous Cheshire

cheese for more than 400 years.

The village of Eaton has a tiny population of just 50 and now

our boys are getting a first glimpse of their home away from home.

Oh, is this it?

-I think this might be it. Yeah, I think so.

-Well.

Here we are.

-Looks a lot more modern than I thought it would be.

-Wow.

Interesting.

Looks like it's got a hilly garden as well, like ours.

A real home away from home.

This area, this gravel, low maintenance area...

I was going to say, a lot of similarities.

Let's go and have a look.

Nearly 60 miles east, Jill

and Bev are hoping Heidi the campervan makes it over the hills

to their home swap destination of Carsington in the Derbyshire dales.

The county boasts some of our most beautiful scenery, with three

quarters of the Peak District inside its boundary.

The wild moorland, rolling hills and river valleys have inspired some

of our greatest writers including John Betjeman and Jane Austen.

It's also home to historic market towns such as Matlock

and Buxton with beautiful Georgian buildings

and natural spring water famous the world over.

And one of England's finest stately homes, Chatsworth House draws

more than half a million visitors every year.

In the middle of the county, the pretty village of Carsington

has around 100 residents

and now the girls are about to make their grand entrance to the village.

That's if they can find the right house.

This one!

THEY LAUGH

It's beautiful, it's absolutely gorgeous.

That's better.

God, it looks lovely!

Pretty.

Oh, my God. What are they going to think when they pull in my drive?

Well, first impressions were actually pretty good

over in Cheshire.

-Come on, let's go.

-Yeah.

-Let's have a look.

And now, the boys are about to cross the threshold.

Oh, it's nice and modern, very contemporary.

-I like the giraffe with a hat.

-Yeah.

-That's quite quirky!

-Brilliant.

The dining room is first stop on the tour.

-Oh, dining room.

-Oh, yeah. Lovely.

Ah-ha.

I definitely like the colour.

It really works with the contemporary furnishing.

-Shall we have a look at this and see what it says?

-Yeah.

Both our sets of Swappers have written a manual for their guests,

jam-packed with tips and info on their homes and local areas.

"Welcome to Eaton,

"on the outskirts of the fabulous village of Tarporley, Cheshire.

"The footballers live on the other side of the M6, you're quite safe."

-Right.

-Might not have minded, but anyway...

So now the gents set off to explore the house.

-Oh, here's the kitchen.

-Yeah.

Oh, first thing I've spotted is...

-the wine rack.

-Oh, yes.

Oh, that's superior to ours, isn't it?

Well, they don't obviously get through it as quickly as we do.

Nice and clean and tidy. Lovely.

Have you spotted? There's a theme here, of...

-Volkswagen.

-Oh, right, yes.

-Camper vans.

-Oh, right, yes.

-They might be more camp than we are.

-Possibly.

THEY LAUGH

Over in Derbyshire,

the ladies have stopped peeking through the windows at last.

OK.

After you, Jill.

Oh, look.

They've left a card and a bottle of wine!

Oh gosh, this is...

-Oh, this is lovely.

-Love it.

-Oh, it's beautiful.

Do you know, to me it's not dissimilar, aesthetically,

inside, to yours.

Except they're all wood and I'm all metal.

Shall we open the card?

"Dear Home Swappers, hope you are comfortable

"and enjoy your stay here.

"Have a great time with a bottle of wine."

-Oh, that's really kind.

-That's lovely.

-The wife's written that.

-OK.

-Hasn't she?

-Well, I haven't got my specs on.

It's a girl's writing.

I'm long-sighted, you're short-sighted, darling.

Maybe they'll pick up some more clues as they have a look around the house.

As always, they'll be equipped with the Home Swap manual.

"Welcome to our home.

"Our cosy cottage is built from local stone,

"with some of the walls in excess of two feet."

And where better to start than the living room.

"Large stone fireplace, with wood-burning stove."

It's too warm for that.

Now, for a little detective work.

Gosh, she's got the same taste in music as me.

That used to be my favourite album, that, The Scissor Sisters.

Hmmm!

What about the reading material?

You see, they are all very female books.

-True.

-Clare Balding, I've got that one.

-What does that one say?

I've got John Barrowman, I've got David Jason,

and I wouldn't have bought Gareth Thomas,

but he wrote that when he came out.

Right.

Maybe they've got an idea now.

I think...

it is a youngish couple,

they're not in their 20s.

I would think they're mid-30s.

Professional...

It's still a bit of a mystery, in Derbyshire.

Over in Eaton, the boys have found the upstairs living room.

-Ah, you see, we were right.

-Yes. You thought it might be...

-An upstairs lounge straight on to the garden at the back.

-..an upside-down house.

And it's sort of the same theme throughout,

-isn't it? With the glass tables...

-Yeah. Nice, clean, contemporary look.

-Yeah, lovely.

-Very good.

-Not keen on the fire place.

-No, modern fire is...

-Yeah, but it's...

It's in keeping with the rest of the house, isn't it? But, er...

Not really something we would have picked.

Are they picking up any clues about their host?

As far as the furnishings are concerned,

-it could easily be a couple.

-Yeah.

Could be a single person, but I suspect it's a couple.

-It's quite feminine...

-Feminine look.

-..style throughout the house.

And finally, they need to check out the alfresco space.

-Ah, that's lovely.

-Lovely.

-Nice and private area, nice chilling out area, isn't it?

-And flatter!

Before the sunset in Derbyshire,

gardener Jill is also heading outside.

A sloping garden!

I've got a sloping garden.

Mine is more like that,

theirs is up.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE THEME PLAYS

But what will they make of the neighbours?

I don't think I'd like to sit out here in the dark.

I watch too many horror films, that's my problem.

-I like to frighten myself when I'm watching a film.

-You daft...

Maybe the summer house will be more up their street.

"Love Shack".

I thought mid-30s, but I'm going to change my mind.

I'm going...

Mid-to-late 40s,

possibly verging into young 50s.

I'm going mid-50s.

At least they've got the age about right.

And it seems the house is ticking all the boxes.

Oh, I absolutely love it.

I think you'd be good friends with them, you know?

Well, I'm making them already.

-Well, if this went on the market, I'd buy it. Would you?

-I would.

-Can I come with you, then?

-Love it. Eh?

-Can I come with you?

-If you buy it.

-Yeah, why not.

-OK.

Not sure the gents are selling.

Now, with the house tours over,

the Swappers can get settled in.

And it's that special time of day in Cheshire.

-And cheers!

-Cheers!

-To Cheshire!

-Yes!

THEY CHUCKLE

And a well-deserved vino in Carsington, too.

We've had a real hoot today!

Well, thank you so much for asking me to come.

I've had a lovely day today.

Next morning, our Swappers are waking up

bright eyed and bushy tailed

in their homes away from home.

Jill and Bev are whipping up breakfast in the stone cottage

in Derbyshire,

while Mike and Pete are getting to grips with the kitchen

in the modern Cheshire house.

-Have some of that.

-Thank you.

It's a really well-equipped kitchen, isn't it?

Still not going to tackle that coffee machine over there.

Looks far too...

-Yeah, well...

-..complex, for me.

Over in Carsington, it seems the girls had a late night.

I think I went to bed about three o'clock.

-I left you down here, but...

-How about you?

Not that I didn't sleep well, I just didn't go to bed. I wasn't tired.

I just sat out here.

It's absolutely lovely.

Both sets of hosts have left their guests some special local info

to help them get to know their area.

Shall we have a walk down this road?

Ready?

So, they head straight out to explore.

For Mike and Pete, it's the pretty village of Eaton,

just 12 miles east of Chester.

It may have a tiny population, but there is a thriving local scene,

and the residents are very proud of their village.

Living in Eaton is wonderful

in the fact that we have wonderful community spirit,

and people care about each other,

and it's a delightful place to live.

Surrounded by countryside,

it's perfect for lovers of the great outdoors,

with Delamere Forest, the largest woodland in Cheshire,

just seven miles away.

So, if you're planning a visit to the area,

make sure to pack your walking boots.

It's lovely, it's a really, really nice place to live.

I think we feel really lucky to live here.

We've got lots of wilderness on our back door,

we've got Delamere Forest, we've got the Peckforton Hills.

It's got a great community feel, it's really nice, yeah.

Just five minutes from Eaton is the larger village of Tarporley,

with a bustling high street,

and all the local amenities you could wish for.

Nice pub.

There's even a fire station,

which was turned into a chocolate lover's heaven 15 years ago.

And our boys can't resist popping in.

-Beautiful, aren't they?

-Yeah. Lovely.

-Great idea.

-Mmm.

Hello!

Owner Charles Hardy is keen to show them

his traditional chocolatier methods.

We just drop the truffle in, because this chocolate is quite thick,

-it's been tempered, it's been prepared.

-Right.

-It's a chocolate heaven.

-It is!

-THEY CHUCKLE

I'm going to put a little bit of dark chocolate in,

fold the top down...

..and then all we do is

we drizzle it over the top of the truffles like that.

So, if you'd like to dip three truffles

-and decorate them.

-Shall I do the dipping...

-I'll do the dipping, and you do the decorating.

-LAUGHING:

-OK!

THEY ALL LAUGH

You just...

-Pop one in.

-Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, I see what you mean about the consistency of the chocolate.

-I've got to do the decorating, have I?

-Yes.

-This is the easy bit.

-OK.

-Hopefully.

Oh, very good. Well done.

-You can see why I gave that job to him, can't you?

-Very good.

THEY CHUCKLE

While the boys pander to their sweet tooths,

Jill and Bev are heading out into Carsington.

This picturesque village is 16 miles north of Derby,

and on the edge of the Peak District.

So, it's a perfect place to visit if you need a dose of country air.

The scenery is absolutely fantastic.

If you like walking, if you like the outdoor life, there's plenty to do.

But, yeah, it's all about the countryside, Derbyshire, really.

Carsington is a rural idyll,

but with cities like Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield all within an hour's drive,

and it's fully equipped with the essentials of the village life.

A church, pub, and an action-packed community calendar.

There are lots of local customs and festivals and things as well.

A lot of the villages now have carnivals and things like that.

There's always something going on in the summer,

and in the winter it's quieter,

and the countryside's still beautiful.

On the doorstep is Carsington Water,

the ninth largest reservoir in England.

Opened in 1992, almost a million visitors come every year

for fishing, sailing,

and even windsurfing.

If you prefer dry land, though,

you could always indulge in a spot of twitching.

And the Visitors' Centre is pointing Jill and Bev in the right direction.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Welcome to Carsington Water.

I've got some binoculars for you to borrow, if you'd like.

-Right, that's great. Thank you very much.

-OK, enjoy yourselves.

-See you later.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Armed with binoculars,

our two newbie spotters head off into the wilderness.

Well, the reservoir grounds, at least.

And Jill soon channels her inner bird-watcher.

Well, that one's a duck,

-I don't know what that other one was.

-It's in front.

-It's not an osprey, well, I wouldn't...

-No, it's not an osprey!

The osprey doesn't...

Osprey doesn't have waddled feet.

-Ow, I've just been stung.

-I do know what a pigeon looks like, though.

LAUGHTER

I think I've covered that one.

Ah, pigeons! Exotic. But

our two twitchers aren't phased by their lack of know-how.

I have to confess, bird-watching would definitely not be for me.

SHE LAUGHS

But it's a nice experience, it is a nice experience.

It's fantastic having something like this on your doorstep

because it isn't just the bird-watching,

it's all the watersports, it's the canoeing, it's just going for a bike ride around the lake.

-Yes. And handy from that village, isn't it?

-Yeah, definitely.

Isn't it?

Back in Cheshire,

the boys are about to sample their handiwork.

Chocolate and alcohol in one little package. Perfect.

Yeah, with a cup of tea. Great.

On a chocolate high, their thoughts turn to scoring,

as they rate the area out of ten.

Well, I've been really impressed by the area.

I've never sort of come to Cheshire before.

I think the villages are really pretty.

I mean, the surrounding area and scenery is a lot gentler than we envisaged.

It's not a million miles from where we live now,

so we'll definitely be back,

and on that basis, we'll score it a nine.

Let's hope it wasn't the boozy chocolates talking.

Having spent the morning exploring Carsington,

how do the numbers stack up for Jill and Bev?

I love the rolling hills,

I love the different changes of scenery.

I love some of the little villages.

Yes, it's like any area.

You've got beautiful parts,

and a little bit of not so beautiful parts.

-So, all in all, I would score the area eight.

-Definitely.

Definitely an eight.

So that puts Eaton out in front by just one point.

Now, to give our Swappers an enhanced experience

of what's on offer in the local area,

they are both given an afternoon activity to try.

Jill and Bev are exchanging feathers for four legs.

"Carsington day out.

"Today, we'd love you to get carried away..." In inverted commas.

"..as you will be learning to drive a horse and carriage!"

-Oh, my goodness!

-LAUGHTER

Well, off you trot.

But what Cheshire treat is in store for Mike and Pete?

So, the Eaton day out.

"You've explored the local area by foot,

"but now it's time to pick up speed

"as you'll be learning to glide through the glorious Cheshire countryside on a Segway."

Yeah, I'll be all right, unless I've got to reverse it, or park it!

Nothing minor, then.

So the boys are travelling just five miles from Eaton

to a Segway centre near Northwich.

With 15 acres of ancient woodland,

crisscrossed with special paths and tracks,

it's a chance to explore the Cheshire countryside

from a whole new perspective...

after a lesson in the basics, from instructor Rob Britain.

Who's feeling brave?

-Pete.

-I'll go first.

-LAUGHTER

Brilliant. So...

Like I say, both hands on.

Pete's a natural.

Next up, it's parking-phobic Mike.

-Me next. OK.

-OK, so, both hands on the handlebars.

-Sure.

-Sure.

Cool. So we're going to move on to moving forwards.

So, lean your weight towards the bar, onto your toes.

-Try and think of this as a little pointer, remember.

-OK, yeah.

Now for the moment of truth.

Great, so I'm going to get you to come to a stop,

just to show me you can.

-Stop!

-OK.

-LAUGHTER

Eventually.

-Well, it could have been worse.

-Got it!

But our Easy Riders aren't doing too badly at all.

And talking of riders...

Jill and Bev are on their way to Red House Stables.

Just nine miles north of Carsington,

their beautiful garages have featured

in blockbusters like Pride and Prejudice,

and they also offer trips and lessons to the public.

One of the leading instructors in England, Caroline Dale-Leach,

is going to show Jill and Bev the ropes.

Or should that be the reins?

-Right, ladies. Your chariot awaits, as they say.

-Thank you!

-Thank you!

Thank you very much.

First they get a feel for things with a relaxing trip

in this beautiful 19th-century chariot,

pulled by Dutch carriage horses Bertie and Basset.

we do go off with a bit of a lurch.

-Here, I'll hang onto you.

-All right, ladies?

-Yes, we're fine, thank you.

Walk on, boys. Walk on.

We are in Darley Dale. Dale meaning valley, or a dell.

So, Darley is our actual area,

and going down here, we are going to go up to the Whitworth Park.

-We had to wave to all the people in the park.

-Of course you do!

A regal wave, regal wave.

But, when it comes to Jill and Bev's turn,

they have to tackle a modern one-horse carriage.

Monty, walk on. Monty!

Walk on.

Now for the basics of carriage control.

-We've got reins in our left hand.

-OK.

And as I'm turning to the left...

-..so that rein tightens and that one loosens, you see?

-Yes.

So now, if I'm going to the right, I bring my hand forward...

-Make that loose...

-..it's making that one tighter.

It's got more pressure on that one because I took my hand forward.

Right, so hold the whip in your left hand,

but turn your hand over. No.

-No.

-Sorry!

-Like that, you just balance it.

-Oh, I see! Right, OK.

-It should be balancing now.

-OK.

-Put your reins into that hand.

-OK.

-And that hand.

-OK.

-And keeping this hand, then, here in front.

-You weren't watching me, were you?

-No. I wasn't.

Oh, dear.

While Jill gets her knuckles rapped,

over in Cheshire, the boys are about to be released into the woods.

# Get your motor running

# Head out on the highway! #

It doesn't take long for our daring drivers to get up to speed.

This is a perfect place for it.

Yay.

Great stuff.

# Born to be wi-i-i-ild! #

Is there a jump?

Steady on!

After a few laps of the woodland tracks,

it's back to the pits.

And they're on a adrenaline high.

We really enjoyed that, so... Very well organised, very well prepared.

-And we both survived!

-THEY LAUGH

-No ambulance!

-Yeah, no ambulance.

-Yay!

-That's good. That's good.

Yes, all limbs intact IS a good way to end the afternoon.

In the Derbyshire Dales,

Jill's finally got to grips with the steering.

Just relax your hand slightly.

-It's funny how the horse picks up little sensitivities.

-Yes, it does.

Just relax your hand slightly.

That was lovely, thank you so much!

Right, Beverley, it's your turn, now.

And after Bev has her turn in the driving seat...

-So, through the gate and back home.

-Yes, through here.

..it's back to base.

There's even a lucky memento to take home.

Here we are.

-Oh, thank you!

-Thank you, very much!

-Wow, thank you.

-Thank you.

-That keeps the luck in...

-In, and the devil out.

-So have it like that.

-Like that.

-And that's the devil out, and your luck in.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

-Thanks very much.

-Pleasure to meet you.

-See you again.

-Have a nice afternoon.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

SHE SIGHS CONTENTEDLY

With their afternoon activities over,

both our sets of swappers head back to their borrowed houses.

But, on the way, they stop off at a local estate agents,

to see how prices compare to home.

Look at this place here.

Oh, right. Yes.

-330 acres,

-MIKE LAUGHS

-two-bedroom coach house...

-Right.

I think, if we win the lottery...

If you fancy a move to West Cheshire,

you could buy a terraced home for about £105,000,

but that jumps to around £135,000 for a semi,

or in the region of a quarter of a million for a detached property.

Over in Derbyshire, prices average slightly lower.

You see! Look at that one for 315,000.

I think you get a lot more for your money, here,

than you do where we are.

Here, you are looking in the region of £84,000 for a terraced house,

around £108,000 for a semi,

or you could bag yourself a detached home from around £210,000.

Now, what better way to end a day's Swapping adventures

than getting your gladrags on

and taking a trip to a local foodie hot spot.

Both couples have pointed their guests

in the direction of a nearby restaurant,

and if it's a success,

it could boost their points when it comes to the next round of scoring.

Oh, there's the restaurant.

-Yes.

-It looks lovely.

-Looks nice.

-Are you hungry?

The ladies have sent Mike and Pete a few miles down the road

to Tarporley, and one of their favourite places on the high street.

-Hi there.

-Hi there.

-Let me show you to your table. This way.

-Thank you.

Open since 2010, the restaurant decor has an Alpine theme,

but its menu is focused on the best food Britain,

and in particular Cheshire, has to offer.

-CHEF:

-Any idea what you're having for dinner? Are you going to go...

Can I make gave you recommendations?

Our steaks are local, they come from Rose farm in Uffington up the road.

-Oh, right, yeah.

-So, they're very good.

-Is your asparagus local as well?

-Yeah. Wye Valley.

Right, thank you. Any problems, I'll come straight back out.

Thank you for those. All right, cheers.

Over a glass of wine,

they are wondering how their guests are getting on.

Well, I hope the restaurant we've recommended for the guys

out in Carsington is good.

Well, we go very similarly at home, don't we, so...

One of those things that would be,

you know, our type of restaurant, as well.

They've sent Jill and Bev just a couple of miles from home

to a French bistro in the historic market town of Wirksworth.

The eatery won Best International Restaurant in Derbyshire

a few years ago.

And it seems it's right up Jill's street.

If I lived here, I think this is the sort of place I would like.

-What can I get for you?

-I'm going to start with the whitebait, please.

-Excellent.

-And then I'm going to follow with the crepes.

-The crepes?

-Yes.

Well, if you go for the crepes,

I'll go to the chicken and chorizo linguine, then.

-We'll do something completely different and share.

-Yes.

-OK?

At least we're trying four dishes, aren't we? Yeah.

So, while the ladies tuck in to their seafood starters,

over in Cheshire, the gents are having surf and turf.

-OK, so our catch of the day today, the sea bass.

-Thank you very much.

-That looks good.

-And the trio of lamb.

-That's lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-Not at all.

-Cheers.

-How is it? OK?

-Yeah, really tender.

-Ooh.

Well, I can understand why the couple like eating here.

-I mean, the food's really good.

-Yeah.

-And it's a really nice, buzzy atmosphere.

-Yeah.

So, with their foodie fixes complete,

our Swappers turn their minds to scoring for a second time.

Having already rated the local area,

now they'll be giving their day out a mark out of ten,

based on their afternoon activities and evening meals.

Well, we've had a really good day out.

-The Segway was absolutely brilliant.

-And tonight, great.

-Really had a nice meal. I think we both had a really great meal.

-Yeah.

-So, I think for the whole day out, we want to score a 10.

-Absolutely.

It's full marks in Cheshire.

What about their guests in Carsington?

We've had a great day, fabulous.

The horse and carriage was so different.

I loved doing that, and then the restaurant, the food was good,

the atmosphere was good, just the sort of place I like to go.

-So therefore I think the score for today is eight.

-Yeah.

-Eight?

-Would you agree?

-I thoroughly enjoyed the day,

so I actually have to say, myself, definite eight.

That means at the end of day two,

Derbyshire's still in second place,

now trailing three points behind Cheshire.

It's morning on the final day of our Home Swapping adventure.

Our duos will soon be saying goodbye to their borrowed houses,

so in Cheshire,

Mike and Pete are taking a final turn around the grounds.

-It's been a home from home, truly, hasn't it?

-It has, yeah.

-Really enjoyed, sort of...

-Yeah, it's good.

..even though it's a sort of a very different style,

it's been really nice and comfortable, and easy to work with.

I think you should jump in the pond before we go.

LAUGHTER

While over in Derbyshire,

the ladies are curled up on the sofa with a morning cuppa.

If I lived here, the layout would be exactly the same.

My sofas would be in the same place,

my dining room table would be.

I would do it exactly like this,

except with different furniture.

I don't want to go home.

I could stay here another month.

Well, sadly time's up for this swap already.

So after a few last minute touches...

And we'll leave that on the dining room table.

..our guys and gals must gather their things

and head back to their own sides of the Peak District.

Home swapping has given our couples a very personal peek into life

in a new part of the country and it's also saved them some cash.

A good quality B&B could set you back around £140 for two nights

in Carsington Derbyshire and £170 in Eaton, Cheshire.

Our weary travellers are arriving back at their own home sweet homes.

It's good to be home.

You're home! You're home!

And now they're desperate to get a look at their mystery guests

and what they honestly thought of their homes.

I'm nervous.

Right, let's see how they got on.

-CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY

-Right.

First up, Jill and Bev.

Right, go on, press play.

Hi, my name's Mike, I'm 56

and this is my partner, Pete.

-And I'm Pete, 60 years old and we've been together 15 years.

-Yeah.

My God, I couldn't have been...

-More wrong!

-More wrong!

They look lovely. They look like...

I just knew by in the house.

-I thought, if they were my neighbours I would like this couple.

-Yeah.

PETE: It looks a lot more modern than I thought it would be.

My point, I knew they'd say that.

-It looks like it's got a hilly garden, as well.

-Yeah.

-So that's...

-It's a home away from home.

-It's a better reaction...

-Than you thought it would be.

Yeah, cos this house is ugly, I get that. I've always said it but...

-There's a theme here of Volkswagen campervans.

-Oh, right, yes.

-They might be more camp than we are!

-Possibly!

THEY LAUGH

It is an upstairs lounge straight onto the garden at the back.

I'm not keen on the fireplace.

No, modern fire is...

But it's in keeping with the rest of the house, isn't it?

There was a fireplace in here and it just looked stupid so we

took it out and I can live with the fact they don't like my fireplace.

Oh, that's lovely.

Nice and private area, nice chilling out area, isn't it?

And flatter.

-I'm pleased with that reaction.

-I'm glad.

-Very much.

Because my home pleases me and their home pleases them

and their home pleased me, so we're all pleased!

Absolutely.

Over in Derbyshire Mike and Pete are on tenterhooks.

Here we go.

Hi, my name's Jill.

-Lovely.

-Wow!

I'm 55 and I live alone.

Hi, I'm Beverly I'm 51 years of age. I'm recently divorced.

It feels like we've been firm friends for years.

Thank you very much for allowing us to come into your home,

this house is everything that I love.

Ah, lovely.

-Oh, the campervan.

-Yeah.

Do you think we're in there?

Oh, they've gone by.

-Come back!

-Come back.

-It's beautiful, it's absolutely gorgeous.

-It is gorgeous.

I like it.

Do you know to me it's not dissimilar aesthetically inside to yours?

Interesting they picked up on similarities,

um, between the two houses.

Cos we did exactly the same.

We said there is similarities but she's got metal, we've got wood.

The wife's written that, that's a girl's writing.

A girl's writing!

She's got the same taste in music as me.

Oh, they've found the bookcase.

You see they're all very female books.

Oh!

-Oh, that's funny.

-Yeah.

A sloping garden, I've got a sloping garden.

Mine is more like that...

More vertical!

I don't think I'd like to sit out here in the dark.

I watch too many horror films, that's my problem.

Oh, I hope they had a good night's sleep.

So now they've seen their fellow swappers having a good nose around

their homes, the next big question is how they fared in the scores.

And which swap bags the top spot.

First up, Mike and Pete's score for Eaton.

Well I've been really impressed by the area, I've never sort

of come to Cheshire before, I think the villages are really pretty.

It's not a million miles from where we live now

so we'll definitely be back and, on that basis,

we'll score it a nine.

I'm glad because I like living here, everybody likes living here,

that's why we live here.

And now for the day out.

Well we've had a really good day out, the Segway was

absolutely brilliant.

-Tonight I think we both had a really great meal.

-Yeah.

-So I think for the whole day out we want to score a ten.

-Absolutely.

Oh, that's fantastic.

And finally it's the big one,

how do they rate Jill's house?

We've really enjoyed staying in your lovely comfortable home,

the garden here is absolutely fantastic, we've really admired it.

So out score for your house is nine.

I'm pleased. That's like for like same but different that's what we've said all along.

Do you think that's a fair result there, Jill?

Yeah, that's a good result.

Yes, it's a fantastic 28 out of 30 for Eaton.

But what about their scores for Carsington?

I love the rolling hills, I love the different changes of scenery.

All in all I would score the area, eight.

Definitely, definitely an eight.

Oh, we gave them an extra one.

And the afternoon activity and restaurant?

I think the score for today is eight.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Would you agree?

I've thoroughly enjoyed the day so I actually have to say myself,

definite eight.

We gave you a ten!

We thought if it's perfection you have to give a ten.

So with Cheshire in the lead what is their verdict on the house?

I love this house.

There's nothing I dislike about it.

I'm going to say an eight cos I think it's an absolutely beautiful, beautiful house,

I love it to bits.

Not everything is to my taste, or style.

Well I would score it ten

cos there's nothing that I dislike about it

-but, for fairness...

-Yeah.

-..the ultimate score is...

-Put together.

-..nine.

-Nine.

-Likewise.

-Likewise.

Brilliant.

So that's a total of 25 for Carsington which means with

a three-point lead today's Home Away From Home winner is Eaton.

-Do you think that deserves a high five?

-It does.

We tried in our own scoring to think, right,

you've got to start at ten

and then take bits off for anything negative that you feel

and then I would probably agree with them entirely so...

Yeah, that's great.

With their first ever home swaps done and dusted,

how do our ladies and gents feel about the last few days?

Would I have a house swap again?

Absolutely it was a great adventure and it was a hoot.

-We had a lovely time in their home.

-We certainly did.

Yeah, and it sounds like they had a lovely time in our house.

-So...

-We live in hope.

-Great.

# Love Shack, la-la Love Shack

-# Love Shack, la-la Love Shack

-That's where it's at, yeah

-# Love Shack, la-la Love Shack

-That's where it's at, yeah

-# Love Shack, la-la Love Shack

-That's where it's at

-# Love Shack, la-la Love Shack

-Love, a love, a Love Shack...

-#