Escape to the Country Season 24 Episode 16: Northumberland (2023) | FULL EPISODE
[Music] to downsize or to upssize that is the question there are a lot of bedrooms there are so many rooms I'm kind of a bit perplexed about what room you would use for what and as our Escapist know it can be a tricky one to answer the size of it is is smaller but uh that's something to think about really there's a balance to be struck this could be your big uh library reading room do you have to have all this yeah what does he have this would make a very nice space for that but trust us here on escape to hit the sweet spot I feel very comfortable in this house yes already absolutely no that's great [Applause] [Music] Northumberland England's most sparsely populated county its Coastline largely untouched and nearly a quarter of its rural landscape protected by the north umberland National Park this is a county that can soothe the soul you can't get further north in England than North umberland in fact it's so North that it's more north than some of the most southernly points of Scotland and it's a county that sells itself with beautiful rugged landscape beaches as far as the eye can see and some of the best dark skies in the UK perfect for an escape to the country Northumberland sits in Northeast England land and shares its northern border with Scotland its turbulent history is evident everywhere there are more castles here than any other English County more than 70 still standing and the 1900 year old Hadrian Wall is a world heritage site putting it on a par with the likes of Egypt's pyramids and the Taj Mahal Northland has everything that you could possibly want whether it's endless miles of beautiful sandy beaches or endless miles of empty Hills up in the chiat there's brilliant places to walk the dogs there's great restaurants the people are really friendly and it's just the best place to live on earth High Praise indeed the coastal town of amble just the very name of the place conjures up relaxation is home to some 6,000 residents and has a small fishing fleet that operates out of the harbor their daily catch includes gernard Pollock and Ling which are plentiful around the coast here the locals enjoy a leisurely Meander down the beach mourning constitutionals along the pier and strolling amongst the sand dunes on which you'll find brightly colored beach [Music] Huts if you're wondering what the complete opposite of city life looks like then the country side of this amazing county is pretty much a perfect example and it's exactly what our buyers are looking for today dor and CLA live in Le 2 miles from the center of the Scottish Capital Edinburgh we've walked about 15 minutes from our house to Le links and this is the nearest and the only green close to us uh it's lovely it's a big space but Countryside it is not this four bed modern townhouse overlooking the docks has been their home for the past 9 years here we are out on our Terrace but as you can see it's really not big enough we need a garden we need somewhere to spread out and we need somewhere to breathe in the country more space is also required inside their new home as Doric an ameritus professor of geology and oceanography needs enough room to house his huge collection of rocks and books as well as somewhere to write to be able to look out over the country side to look out over the sea uh would really be an inspiration for that sort of writing CLA 2 is after a dedicated space for her passion what I really love and what I enjoy is photography and I'm Landscapes particularly being out in the Great Outdoors dor and Clara after a detached property with a large kitchen at least three bedrooms and a good siiz Garden in addition dor wants a library SL study and cla a photography space their budget 650,000 [Music] [Music] I'm so glad that CLA and dor chose to move to Northumberland such a beautiful County and of course fantastic for Geology and amazing photo opportunities for cla's photography so [Music] win-win we've got a jam-packed itinery over the next few days as we explore the east of the county near to the Northumberland Coast the very first item on our schedule introductions of course Claire and dor thanks for choosing Northumberland I'm very grateful cuz I love North umberland and I'm always happy to come here what are you looking forward in the house cuz you are sort of upsizing aren't you because you it's crazy most people are Downs you want you want more rooms and more Garden more yes it would be nice so yes is to accommodate more than just us isn't it yeah we need somewhere to accommodate lots of books uh lots of rocks and a place to to sit and be able to write and to think so are we talking two or three rooms worth of books and rocks probably it depends on the size of the rooms but a couple of rooms yes we got lots lined up so should we crack on sounds perfect follow me our first stop is the village of West thirston about 10 m north of the County Town of morpo perched on the Western Bank of the river kit West thirst 450 or so residents use the amenities in neighboring Felton on the opposite side of the river Felton has a village hall a post office a general store a bakery and tea room and a highly regarded Pub back across the river in the heart of West thirston is this property which we've lined up for dor and CLA to view here we have our first offering for you oh yes northland's finest that is I like it yeah it's nothing like the house we live exactly it's a it's definitely upsizing this one isn't it you wanted to upsize this is a big property yes it was unbelievably a two-bedroom Bungalow and they have labored it with love into well it's a five-bedroom house it's five it's not a two-bedroom Bungalow anymore be able to house some books and rocks and and more should we have a look yes brilliant the original Bungalow was built in the 1930 30 s it was extended in the 1990s and again in the early naughties in the past 12 months the present owners have replaced all the interior doors and laid engineered oak flooring throughout the ground floor come on in so a lovely big Hall yes we're going to start in the kitchen Diner okay it's a beautiful space large no this is very look at the size of that kitchen aesthetically it's beautiful in terms of the light that you've got coming in I'm just slightly concerned there is so much more well there's another dining room it may be even bigger than we were expecting you need a little trail of breadcrumbs follow me Claire's eagle eyes have already spotted the separate dining room and next door to that is a games room both of these lie to the front of the house we're check checking out the two further reception rooms at the rear of the property so a library here bit too small maybe for you dor but it could be mine this is well currently this is their main living space this is a very nice proportioned room yeah this is a space I can feel that we would enjoy I just like the way that everything is quite it's not over fussy the other thing I like are the wooden floors throughout yeah upstairs the vendors have replaced all the carpets with plush new wll ones gosh this feels quite grandiose with that huge window I'm taking them to the largest of five bedrooms come in tell me what you think cuz for one thing this has the best view I think of the whole house this it is very lovely the the light the bright those windows and that view it's gorgeous and there's a nice on suite behind me it's a huge on suite behind me and yeah just so expansive the four remaining bedrooms all look over the front of the house and include another roomy double wow another very large bedroom with an on Suite which I of course would think any guests that we had arri and would say thank you very much for this beautiful bedroom a newly fitted family bathroom is shared by three further bedrooms another bedroom there are a lot of bedrooms there are so many rooms I'm kind of a bit perplexed about what room you would use for what well we're only going to add to that confusion because back downstairs a former outbuilding houses further four interlocking rooms currently used as a craft room a gym an office and a Garden Room actually lost track of them because there's a whole another wings along that side of the gardens and I wonder whether there's a problem in that it's almost like there are too many options too many rooms to make decisions it's a nice luxury to have I guess and more I would say that this one probably would be where I'd want to put my ALB wors I think it's a really nice proportioned room all in all there are 3 and 1 12,000 Square ft of living space here with a suitably generous but I think manageable rear Garden what do you think the price tag is on this property I'd go £625,000 mhm I'll be optimistic and say 615,000 so £65,000 well you are being quite optimistic because it's actually right at the top of your budget £650,000 that's not unreasonable for that house it makes sense absolutely this substantial link detached home has a contemporary kitchen Diner four reception rooms and five bedrooms two of which are on Suite an out building has been converted into four further multi-purpose rooms and it has generous front and back Gardens it's on the market for £650,000 this is the first house that we've seen um and yes my first reaction was wow but I think overall I then think is that actually too big for what we want it's a very good start very impressed and it's definitely a contender I found the sun it's on this side of the house that's wonderful nice and warm well it's shining on the rest of our day so shall we get back in the car and see what else Northland has to offer yes please come with me morus northumberland's County Town regularly tops lists of the best places to live in the UK okay and as the locals will tell you for good reason the people are very friendly very outgoing everybody chats to everybody everybody's really helpful the High Street in morth is thriving it's got Lads of young business owners and it's a really attractive place to have a business because there's a lot of um good community and everyone still likes to shop local and support local one of the newer rivals in town is this zero waste Store and Cafe which moved into a retail space vacated by a major High Street brand owner imagin Roth has kindly agreed to fill dor and CLA in on what makes morth so special there's a lot going on in Mori we do have uh regular farmers markets which are on in the Town Center um every Wednesday but on every first Saturday of the month we have a big farmers market just on the Town Square over there there's also a lot of bars and restaurants that are popped up so it's very vibrant in terms of daytime and nighttime activity you're very close to the beach you're very close to the mountains just up the road in fact it's one well-connected town the A1 less than 2 miles away means the City of Newcastle is half an hour drive south and the town of anik a half hour drive North mori's train station station is on the East Coast Mainline service between London and Edinburgh m is a really vibrant Market town and it's it's a really great base for exploring everything the county has to offer from Hadrian's Wall to ad geine to anet Castle it's it's a fantastic starting point to visit all of these wonderful places on offer here after a day of getting to know some of the property places and people of North umland we're rounding off day with a stroll along some of the County's magnificent Coastline a chance for CLA to take some photographs and for dor to regil me with the stories that these astounding rock formations tell when I think of North umland I think of spots like this what makes this so interesting for you this is absolutely fascinating period of time the rocks are about 320 million years old so these rocks are probably from an anci ient Delta and when you say ancient sorry it's so exciting but when you say ancient Delta are you talking about this being like a different tropical with palm trees and exactly and this part of the world was around about the equator at that time huge forests came after this and To Tread where the Equator was all those years ago is a fascinating tale that's amazing so are you feeling inspired are you feeling this is going to be be a good step from from the middle of Edinburgh very much so North umberland is definitely somewhere where uh my soul feels easy that's very important your soul feeling easy that's beautiful so thumbs up for North umland let's take a break cuz it's been a long day and let's uh yeah nourish ourselves ready for tomorrow good don't forget your Hammer he might [Music] our day begins in the popular Coastal Village of L Horton just a half hour walk from the delightfully named sugar Sands Beach this small but active Community is well served by a supermarket a church two tea shops plus regular buses to anic and baric upon Tweed in the center of the village down a quiet Lane shared with a couple of other neighbors we find our next property it's a beautiful stone-built house well well lovely Stone which you'll tell us all about exactly yes what is kind of stone is that this is the local Stone Carboniferous sandstone a calciferous Sandstone absolutely fabulous I I do like it very much and of course very much appreciate the solar panels on the top and the electric and the electric car Point yes lots of solar panels solar panels these break in ,00 a year do they really yeah yeah so should we have a look inside yes please abely follow me built in 2006 this substantial detached home has been fully refurbished by the owners come to the kitchen dining snug room it's a beautiful L-shaped space Oh this is fabulous absolutely and the uh wood burning stove in the corner I like the mic sparkling in the St I'm so enjoying the geological House tours it's so wonderful but how does it feel in terms of size this space is more than ample and you've got windows on almost every aspect haven't you so that's rather lovely too so this is say this is probably where you'd spend most of your time but there is a lovely sitting room at the front come on in this is a huge room wow again very light yes and my thinking was that next door you've got you got a sitting room this could be your big uh library reading room do you have to have all this yeah what does he after to this would make a very nice space for that absolutely the book The Light and able to sit down and talk for both of us you'd have a little corner that little the lovely snug through there oh yeah You' have your own snug yes exactly so why don't you go and explore upstairs and I'll find you out in the garden perfect this is an interesting property because it is in some sense not massive doesn't have lots of alternative rooms but this room I think would make a beautiful study if if the two of them can decide which room belongs to whom upstairs there are five bedrooms and this one is the largest wow wow this is big too yeah it's beautiful nice and bright and light and then it goes around to on Suite yeah this works well a family bathroom serves another double a single room in you as a study and a slightly larger single at the opposite end of the house is another generous room which could be perfect for guests another old Suite another really good sized bedroom we wouldn't even need to paint or change the colors or really really attractive I feel very comfortable in this house yes already absolutely no that's great the outside space here has also had a spruce up the owners added this Timber summerhouse as an entertaining space with a fully working bar a covered seating area and a pizza oven so what about the garden so you got they've got a bar area there like a whole Pub in fact out in their Garden which you could convert into a study I suppose uh definitely a a rock cabinet rock Rock Room museum museum and what do you think uh this all costs I would go for the top end of our budget say 640,000 interesting okay I I don't think it is the top end of our budget for some reason £65,000 actually CLA you're closer this is actually on the market for £595,000 okay right that's an attractive price it's appealing it's very appealing one thing to bear in mind is that there is actually already an offer on the table so if you did love this house okay then you'd probably need to move quite quickly right okay that's fair enough and I'm not surprised in the heart of a popular Village this superbly refurbished modern detached home boasts an open plan kitchen dining living space two reception rooms and five bedrooms two of which are on Suite there's an enclosed rear garden with a summerhouse and Pizza Oven just half an hour walk from the beach it's on the market for offers over £595,000 it's a real real house that I can see us living in the only compromise is you are situated amongst other dwellings so you're not looking directly out onto the countryside but I'm very interested to see this 30-minute walk to the coastline which might well compensate for that absolutely [Music] if you're considering a new home in north thand then here's the lowdown on house prices the average cost of a detached property here is just under £ 339,000 that's more than £118,000 below the UK figure but prices do rise in the County's Coastal [Music] hotpots let's take a look at what else is currently on the market this semi- detached Stone character Cottage has a kitchen a good siiz living room and two double bedrooms outside there's a beautifully maintained Garden to the front and side with lovely views of a Farmland and the Sea Beyond it's on the market for offers over £325,000 in the same Village this recently refurbished Bungalow has four bedrooms four bathrooms a kitchen family room a spacious reception and a garden room it's priced at offers over £500,000 if you're in need of some RNR this wooden Shepherd's Hut with Woodfired hot tub could be just the tonic overlooking a wild flower Meadow on a 360 Acre Farm it boasts a king-size bed a kitchenet as well as dining and seating areas sleeping up to four people price is start at 175 L per night for a minimum two nights [Music] day it's Mystery House time and we're making our way to the coastal town of amble on the estery of the river kit the town Prides itself on being the friendliest port in England with the working Harbor the heart of the community in the wooden retail PODS of amble Harbor Village you'll find independent food drink gift and home wear sellers whilst the High Street is crammed with all the everyday essentials amul's 5,000 or so residents need and the biggest draw oh the sun is Sun is trying to break through some of northumberland's finest beaches are on its doorstep [Music] I thought we'd stop here on the way to the mystery house cuz it's not too far away from these beautiful beaches do you know this we do know this area CET island is familiar in terms of you see her from various aspects along this Coastline but this bit we've not actually been to this particular part of this Beech certainly this part of the coastline we love very much well all of this could be on your doorstep quite literally in fact because the mystery house that we're going to see is there oh wow that's a CV yeah that is a CV but you're going to have to be a little bit more patient I'm going to just whiz around get it all ready for you why don't you stroll down onto your your beach and then I'll whistle when I'm ready okay with this Mystery House all bets are off this spectacular and dramatic location is the setting for this quite unique property it's modern it's bright it's got incredible views down the coast but the great thing about this Mystery House is behind this door is something very special you'll just have to wait to find out what it is it's certainly going to challenge dor and cla's wish list for one thing it's attached and for another it's not the upsized property thereafter however it's definitely not a downsize either so let's drag our couple away from the beach and see what kind of a storm our Mystery House can whip [Music] up welcome welcome to your potential new home this is a special offering wow stunning and it's this one at the corner looking looking down the coast here that is yours the coast that's the dream and it is a beautiful spot and it's kind of very surprising and unexpected I was beginning to think actually I like to overlook the sea well here you are you might be able to um should we go in and have a look yeah follow me this small complex was designed and built by the present owners who live in one of the three properties here since its completion 3 years ago they've rented this house out as a luxury holiday let and have now decided to sell it come on in it's an upside down property the entrance hall leads to the bedrooms with all the main living areas on the first floor to make the most of the breathtaking Panorama which includes a view over to Coit Island home to a colony of some 30,000 puffins take a look at the view all the way down the coast that way my goodness that's fantastic lot of light you would really be watching the tides coming and going fantastic from this end of the living room those views can be enjoyed al fresco on the south facing balcony ideal for Sundowners this open plan living dining kitchen space is filled with light and houses an Exquisite contemporary shaker style kitchen complete with wooden units Stone worktops and integrated appliances I'm sort of speechless by the the difference of this property from the others and the fact that it has those views and it's right on the coast and all those things are superb the size of it is is smaller but uh that's something to think about really there is one special feat about this house which I think is rather great more special I think it's pretty special come come and have a look so oh yes one of the things we haven't talked about is that we are in a dark sky Reserve here so not only the sea but also the sky is yours to enjoy that I don't think I've ever been in a house with a coup like that yeah exactly absolutely fantastic there isn't an obvious pre-made candidate for your study but you could align this whole wall with circular bookcases that would be quite a feet that is very intriguing attractive option I must [Music] admit directly below this distinctive circular room down on the ground floor is an identical space used used as a bedroom it's even got a circular bed complete with its own toilet and Basin next door is a second double bedroom with an onsuite shower and doors out into the garden it might be the smallest we've seen this week but it is still far more outside space than they currently have that's quite a large outside space really overall you could easily fill that with color that would be a challenge that's an enjoyable challenge definitely yes it is certainly intriguing and and always you've got this curve Central space giving the rooms a different dimension a different feel there's a third and final double bedroom again with its own on suite at the front of the property so there it is our mystery house and just one mystery remains come I couldn't resist the C uh it's so fresh and bracing uh also gives you a chance to see the whole complex your beautiful little house nestled at the back there protected from the elements what do you think the the financial aspect of this is how much would you have to pay to live here it's got to be at least 650,000 okay dor what do you think well I was was going to go a similar sort of figure I think this has to be the 650,000 well in this instance you're both correct it is offers in excess of £650,000 yeah this contemporary Beachside property boasts an open plan kitchen dining living space the south facing balcony a unique circular reception room and three on Suite bedrooms one with access to the private Courtyard Garden in a stunning coastal location looking out to Coit Island it's on the market for offers in success of £650,000 I think the overall uh issues with this house is nothing to do with the area or the the wonderful spectacular architecture but it's the accommodation space is a bit smaller than we probably need I think if we're really honest we love it but that space compromise is a step too far it's not the place that we can move us to [Music] permanently I think the house hunt here in North umland is going pretty well but I'm going to meet another couple CLA and David who have already settled in this magical part of the country but they've had a 7year head start so let's find out how it's been going for them [Music] in 2016 David who was working as a personal trainer and cla a creative consultant moved from Newcastle City Center to the old mining Village of shilbottle 4 mil south of anic and just a 15-minute drive from the beach we lived in the city on the Riverside it was beautiful where we lived um but you know as soon as you left your door there were floods of people going about that kind of Daily Business and up here you know it just feels different to that it just feels like you can carve out the life that you want CLA was always like you can design your own life and that was a phrase that stuck with me you can design your own life and I I hadn't really given that a thought like uh we do actually have more freedom than we think we can can consciously choose to do those things take our lives in in different directions David who served in the Royal Marines for 12 years has PTSD so the couple were seeking a more soothing and calming environment to help David better manage his symptoms and in which to raise their growing family yeah I think the fabric of nature is just such a gift like both of our children are kind of growing up with that as a backdrop which feels really idilic that sort of circling back to Times Gone by and that kind of bit of nostalgic way of just being sort of exploring out exploring all day and kind of finding Fascination in in the small stuff um don't need much in the way of entertainment when you've got green space and in a local Beach so yeah that's a real gift and um and something that we adore it seems like the north umberland Countryside has really worked its magic on CLA day David and the family and it's So Glorious to see how joyful it's made them so I've come here to sample their Joy face to [Music] face hey guys a thanks for meeting me and letting me see your beautiful garden and home oh this must be a wonderful place to grow up as a little little folk must love it here oh it's magical it's amazing first thing we notice actually obviously come up and visit it and you just notice how little traffic there was and just the kids playing around on the streets we didn't know anyone here we didn't know what the lifestyle would be like if we would like it we just didn't know but we knew we wanted to bring our little boy up somewhere like this and and and that's what brought us here wasn't it that was it this feels like it was more of a spiritual or had a spiritual component is that true a feeling I think you know the the way the light was shining when we first visited the house just felt easy just felt all just felt so easy and it felt like a dream come true to be so close to the beach were like really we can be this close to the beach we can have SE views like that can exist so it just felt otherworldly didn't it this move has been particularly restorative for David who now works as a yoga teacher and runs Retreat days for both ex-military personnel and anyone seeking a contemplative space to accommodate this new Venture the couple extended the cottage to incorporate a yoga studio this was I know for you David like a healing experience in terms of you know you worked as a as a soldier now you teach yoga and in between that there was a lot of kind of personal journeying was was the landscape important the beach and the Sea and the hills I think I've always liked the outdoors I think part of being like as a soldier actually some some of the my best memories is just seeing you know shooting stars across Jordan and stuff and just being some really remote places with that I'm quite open about my mental health challenges and one thing I used to do is wake up I couldn't sleep on the night time so 2:00 in the morning so I'd get up and I had a big boulder I'd go out and I'd go and pick this thing up and I'd be able to move it maybe 200 yards in the middle of the night I didn't want anybody see me but it represented my what was going on ins say what I felt I was caring the world and stuff this had this physical object that I could at least move felt like I was making progress with and then one day CLA said you know you can just sit on that rock you don't have to carry us and that was probably the start of my meditation Journey where I was like and it was just as healing just as therapeutic just to being in the space not not climbing not climbing a mountain trying to get to the summit not going for a sea swim and testing myself with a cold just just being there and just just being there was enough that's such a beautiful image that rather than carrying all that sort of heavy psychic material you can just rest on it you've also got to a space now that you can help other um ex is right yeah it's what I'm keen on just s being open about it because I just I want to know guys can rock up here or you know that certainly happens friends tell friends to come up and see me and we'll just go for a walk and um whether it looks like yoga or meditation or whether it just looks like a stroll two friends going for a stroll and it can be very heal healing often people just need to be heard and just need a space to to know that it's actually it's all right they're doing okay that's been yeah really amazing to as you've gone on your journey just kind of being really open and sharing all of that with the with the clients that come up and um and ex-military guys yeah and what about for you CL what role has the countryside played for you for me there was just that I I think I was quite addicted to the buzz of culture because I think when we first moved I still had one eye and one foot in all of kind of busy Buzzy festivals culture Heritage like all of that going on I really felt that that's what I needed to thrive and actually the opposite is true the countryside is a great teacher of that isn't it like yeah yeah yeah no no try this one yeah you guys are the best I could sit in your yoga studio for hours looking at this beautiful view thank you so much for taking the time out to show me around [Music] after two lovely days in north umland and a lot of properties and a lot of discussion I'm still pretty much in the dark whether CLA and dor are going to buy one of our houses so let's find out ah it's fitting we should end the show in your happy place on the beach absolutely on some rocks this is exactly what I was thinking sitting on Sandstone North thri in Sandstone you couldn't do better I was going to do a stab and guessing what it is but I would have said northumbrian Sandstone almost certainly so let's talk about the next steps uh We've shown you some lovely properties but have we found a house for you both to live in oh aliser you've you've kind of taken all the things that we said we would love to have and each of them has aspects of what we want the house that that if you like that we really are very interested in and would like to go back and see is the house with the bar not that we want it for a bar but that was that was a beautiful house it had the space it had the garden and you also had the coast so close down a walk oh it's fantastic the wood burning stoves the the the the the light brightness from all sides and so on it was very good and we definitely want to go back and see that one brilliant well do keep us in the loop we'd love to know what happens absolutely I know there was an offer on the table so let us know what the next steps with that is and I hope that you move here but it's been great showing you around these houses well thank you very much for showing us so many lovely places our pleasure North thumber and rocks yes see what I did there I always learn a lot on my adventures with Escape happen down the country but I have learned so so much about Northumberland rocks this week with dor so I'm hoping there's going to be a book on geology of this place coming into your Bookshop very soon and I hope that they move here because those two really need a change of scenery from the lovely City of Edinburgh but to the beautiful Coastline here having done that myself being blessed to live by the coastline I can vouch for it being a very very good move so I hope that they make it I hope they find the right house even if it's not one of ours and I hope you join us next time for more escape to the country unfortunately for Doric and CLA the house near Sugar Sand's Beach sold before they had a chance to return for a second viewing however they loved the village of L Horton and the surrounding Countryside so they're now focusing their search firmly in that area and if you would like to escape to the country in England Northern Ireland Scotland or Wales and need our help why not fly online at [Music] bbc.co.uk slake part [Music]
2025-04-22 06:48
