Escape to the Country Season 10, Episode 13: Essex

1

Leicestershire

Nicki Chapman heads north to Leicestershire to help a couple of hoteliers find their perfect retirement home. After moving house twelve times, they've decided to put down roots. With a budget of £350,000, they are looking for a three-bedroom detached house with plenty of space and light, a good-sized reception room, a hobby room each, and a garden large enough for a vegetable patch - plus a village pub to round it all off. It's an impressive wish list - let's hope they'll be able to compromise.

45 min

2

Kent

Nicki Chapman meets a couple who can't wait to leave suburbia behind and trade it in for cosy country living in Kent. With a budget of £550,000 they want to downsize but are still looking for at least three bedrooms, a kitchen/diner, a garage and a large garden to grow vegetables in.

45 min

3

Kent

Jules Hudson is helping a couple and their cats leave suburbia behind and start a new life in the countryside. They want to move to Kent or East Sussex and have a very healthy budget of £800,000. For that, they want a spacious three- or four-bedroom house with a utility room and a study. Above all, they want a garden large enough to accommodate a vegetable patch.

45 min

4

Powys

Jules Hudson is in Powys with a couple from Basingstoke. They love their big Victorian semi but hate suburban life. Leaving their home behind is not a decision they are undertaking lightly - they have been searching for three years and have already viewed 20 properties, none of which they liked. Will Jules find them the four-bedroom detached house they dream of, with all the period features, the three reception rooms, a good sized garden and within walking distance from the shops - all for their budget of £400,000?

45 min

5

Cambridgeshire

Armed with a maximum budget of £400,000, Aled Jones helps a family escape the big smoke to find a slice of paradise in Cambridgeshire. Top of the their wish list is a big garden for the boys to play football in, but they also want four bedrooms, a large kitchen, a music room and a study.

45 min

6

Surrey

Nicki Chapman is helping a young family from Wimbledon. They want to move to Surrey and are looking for a four-bedroom detached house with a large kitchen diner and a garage for a classic car. The house has to be near good train links for an easy commute into London, as well as close to a good school. They have a maximum of £700,000 but will their budget match their extensive wish list?

45 min

7

Buckinghamshire

Alistair Appleton gallops through the Buckinghamshire property market in search of the perfect equestrian home for a young couple. They want to spend a whopping £800,000 to get a house with wow factor - but will they splash all their cash or listen to Alistair's sound financial advice and settle for something more reasonable?

45 min

8

Monmouthshire

Jules Hudson is in Wales helping a mother and daughter find a house where they can start a new life and a new business. With £555,000 to spend, Mum loves character features but the daughter is keen on clean, modern interiors. Will she be won over by Wales's rustic charms? And will an outdoor pool seal the deal?

45 min

9

East Sussex

Aled Jones is helping a couple from Wimbledon escape the suburbs for countryside living in East Sussex. Good rail and road links into London are crucial, and for their top budget of £580,000 they are looking for three to four bedrooms, a big kitchen diner for entertaining, a couple of reception rooms and a big garden. They have been looking for eight months already and have not found anything they like. Can Aled deliver their country house dream in just two days?

45 min

10

Warwickshire

Nicki Chapman is helping a couple house hunt in Warwickshire. After living in London for 33 years their dream of moving to the country is finally becoming a reality. With a healthy budget of £600,000 in the pot, they are seeking a three-bedroom detached house packed with period features, a large garden and a garage for a sports car.

45 min

11

Shropshire

Jules Hudson is house-hunting in Shropshire. With a maximum budget of £420,000, he is on the hunt for a perfect country family home complete with three to four bedrooms, a spacious kitchen/diner, and, with four women in the house, stepdad would like an en-suite too! Jules finds a mystery house which could make all their dreams come true, but will they buy it?

45 min

12

The Cotswolds

Nicki Chapman helps a couple looking to relocate their business and start afresh in the Cotswolds. However, they designed their London maisonette from scratch, so finding the right property will not be easy. Armed with a generous budget of £800,000, they are looking for a property with plenty of period character - but not a typical Cotswold cottage. They want a big living room and a minimum of three bedrooms, as well as an outbuilding to house their growing business.

45 min

13

Essex

Aled Jones helps a couple escape suburban Enfield for a slice of the good life in rural Essex. With a maximum budget of £400,000, the couple have a long wish list. They are seeking a detached property with bags of character, rural views, a big country kitchen and an equally big garden to create a veggie plot. Can they achieve all this within budget so close to the capital?

45 min

14

Somerset

Jules Hudson helps a couple from Maidenhead find the good life in the country. They've lived in their current home for 18 years, and with the children about to fly the nest, the time is right to relocate to Somerset. With a budget of £500,000, they want to find a three-bedroom detached house with two reception rooms, plenty of outbuildings for their hobbies and at least two acres of land for growing vegetables and keeping animals.

45 min

15

Derbyshire

Alistair Appleton heads north to Derbyshire in search of an idyllic rural retreat for a couple from Herefordshire. With a budget of £375,000, green credentials are high on the property priority list, but while he craves rural isolation, she wants to be in a village.

45 min

16

Gloucestershire

Alistair Appleton is in Gloucestershire house-hunting with a spiritual couple who have their sights set on exchanging hectic city life for a holistic retreat in the country. For up to £850,000 they are looking for an architecturally unique character property with four to six bedrooms and outbuildings with potential to convert into guest accommodation and studio space. They'd like plenty of land for guests to roam in too.

45 min

17

Wiltshire

She's found her forever man, he's found his forever woman but will this couple from Bristol find their first forever house together? Denise Nurse is in Wiltshire with buyers who are looking for a party pad with a big kitchen, plenty of bedrooms for friends to stay in and land for a horse too!

45 min

18

Devon/Cornwall

Alistair Appleton is in Devon house-hunting with a couple looking for their first home together. One of them is a hoarder with a passion for character features while the other wants a minimalist home. With a budget of £550,000, they want at least four bedrooms, a room big enough for an enormous music collection and at least two separate reception rooms. A huge kitchen/diner is a must, while a big country garden is a must not!

45 min

19

Devon

Jules Hudson is in Devon helping a couple with a budget of £550,000 find their first home together. Only their youngest daughter will be moving with them, but they'd like to accommodate all eight children from previous marriages when they come to visit. They want a three to four bedroom detached house with a large kitchen/diner and plenty of outside space. Modern interiors are a must. In rural Devon this wish-list might make the search tricky.

45 min

20

Norfolk

Denise Nurse helps a couple swap the suburbs of Southampton for semi-retirement in North Norfolk. With a top budget of £450,000, they want a period property with lots of character and a minimum of three bedrooms. A spacious kitchen and a big garden are a must, plus some storage and a workshop.

45 min

21

Scottish Borders

Aled Jones helps a couple of wildfowl enthusiasts find a property with five acres of land, a large kitchen, three bedrooms and at least five naturally fed ponds.

45 min

22

North Yorkshire

Denise Nurse is in North Yorkshire and, with a budget of £550,000, is helping a couple achieve their dream. They want a radical life change and are looking for a property with up to six acres of land to set up a kennel business.

45 min

23

Cumbria

Alistair Appleton is in the Lake District with a young-at-heart outdoor-loving couple who are ready to leave their family home of 22 years behind.

45 min

24

Somerset

Denise Nurse helps a couple who have viewed forty properties already but remain empty-handed. With a £750,000 budget, they have an extensive list of requirements.

45 min

25

North Yorkshire

Denise Nurse is helping a retired couple uncover their rural dream in Yorkshire. They have a budget of £310,000 and an extensive wish-list which includes a garage big enough to build a plane in. Airport hangar aside, they're seeking a detached cottage with character, two reception rooms, three bedrooms and a big kitchen.

45 min

26

Oxfordshire

Alistair Appleton is in Oxfordshire. With a £600,000 budget, he helps a nautical couple looking for a property close to the river so they can moor their boat.

45 min

27

Dorset

Jules Hudson is in Dorset and Wiltshire helping a couple of self-confessed urbanites make a break for a new life with their young family.

45 min

28

Dorset

Denise Nurse is in Dorset helping an ex-army couple settle down for good. After having lived in 30 different properties around the world, will their £600,000 budget finally find them their ideal home?

45 min

29

Wiltshire

Armed with a healthy budget of £750,000, Jules Hudson is determined to find a couple their first home together in the Wiltshire/Hampshire area. Will a vineyard and a swimming pool be enough to seal the deal?

45 min

30

Devon

Aled Jones is in Devon helping a couple of ex-property developers from Staffordshire find their dream home. They have an impressive budget of up to one million pounds.

45 min

31

Yorkshire

Denise Nurse is in Yorkshire with a couple keen to retire to the country. They want to spend £500,000 on a property large enough to accommodate all their hobbies.

45 min

32

Devon

Jules Hudson is house-hunting in east Devon with a young couple keen to offer their baby son a better quality of life. They want to swap the modern estate they live on with a character cottage in a central village location. They want three bedrooms, office space, a big kitchen diner and an equally big garden with countryside views. Can this be achieved for £370,000 in such a popular location?

45 min

33

New Forest

Jules Hudson helps a couple with a budget of £650,000 in the New Forest.

45 min

34

Herefordshire

Denise Nurse is with a couple of ex-property developers who want to leave Hazlemere, Surrey and head for the hills of Herefordshire with their two dogs and ten-month-old twins. They have already moved seven times while developing properties, but now it's different. The dynamic duo also run a business training company, and this move takes the business one step further. With a budget of £800,000, they want a family home that gives them a large kitchen with a 'heart of the home' feel, three bedrooms, country character features and at least four acres of land to house a smallholding, their business centre and the horses they plan to keep.

45 min

35

Carmarthenshire

Nicki Chapman helps a couple swap the suburbs for a slice of west Wales. With retirement on the horizon, the time has come to say goodbye to their large five-bedroom house in Kent and hello to the Welsh property of their dreams. The house they have in mind needs to have four bedrooms, a big kitchen and at least one acre of land. As mum is moving with them, a separate two-bedroom annexe is a must. So for a top budget of £500,000 they are looking for a lot of property. Finding two homes for the price of one is going to be a real challenge. Will they consider taking on a project to create their ideal home?

45 min

36

Devon

Armed with a budget of £500,000, Jules Hudson is in East Devon helping a couple who are moving back to the UK from Spain.

45 min

37

Yorkshire

Aled Jones is horsing around South Yorkshire in search of the ultimate equestrian pad for a feisty couple from Sheffield. With a fantastic budget of up to one million pounds, they are looking for a house with that elusive wow factor. The perfect property should deliver a large family kitchen, four bedrooms, stables and at least five acres of land. But with one wanting contemporary and the other chasing character, it's going to be an interesting ride.

45 min

38

Somerset

Denise Nurse is in Somerset, where she helps a couple with a budget of £650,000 find the perfect house to fulfil their dreams of a rural lifestyle.

45 min

39

North Wales

Nicki Chapman helps a couple relocate from south Wales to north Wales, with a job promotion the driving factor. On a budget of £300,000 they need a three-bedroom detached house with a large kitchen and separate dining room. A garden big enough for a vegetable patch and a conservatory are also high on their wish list.

45 min

40

Shropshire

Jules Hudson helps a couple say adios to Spain and hello to a creative life in the Shropshire countryside. With a whopping million-pound budget, they want a magical property that will inspire their creativity. On a more practical level, the house must have five bedrooms, a large kitchen-diner where the family can congregate, and a library, or space to create one. As they want an organic smallholding, the property must also come with up to 30 acres of land. Finding a house that fits the bill won't be difficult - finding a house that feels right may be trickier.

45 min

41

Pembrokeshire

Nicki Chapman is in Pembrokeshire and has a maximum budget of £700,000 to help a couple who want to run holiday lets.

45 min

42

Suffolk

Denise Nurse is on the Suffolk/Essex border seeking the perfect family home for a couple with £500,000 to spend who are keen to bring up their children away from busy city life.

45 min

43

Worcestershire

Jules Hudson is in Worcestershire looking for a rural character property for a couple in search of the good life. With a budget of £650,000, a country kitchen and vegetable plot are a must.

45 min

44

Hampshire

Denise Nurse helps a retired couple find the slice of rural Hampshire they have always craved. They want a character property with a garage and a library.

45 min

45

Hampshire

Jules Hudson is in Hampshire to help a young family search for the perfect home. With a budget of £600,000, a large and safe garden is key.

45 min

46

Suffolk

Alistair Appleton helps a couple fulfil a childhood dream, swapping the fast lane of London for an artistic life in the Suffolk countryside.

45 min

47

West Sussex

Aled Jones helps a couple who have hardly lived together during 34 years of marriage to find a home in West Sussex, with an area for dog grooming.

45 min

48

Shropshire

Jules Hudson helps a couple hoping to retire to South Shropshire find their rural idyll. After 30 years in suburbia they've decided it's time to seek a more rustic life.

45 min

49

North Yorkshire

Alistair Appleton helps a couple on their house-hunt in North Yorkshire. There's a budget of £650,000 to find them a house with enough land for a vegetable plot.

45 min

50

Suffolk

Denise Nurse helps a couple find a home with plenty of character in Suffolk. With a budget of £450,000, the buyers are seeking three bedrooms.

45 min

51

Cumbria

Alistair Appleton is in the Lake District with a couple looking for a B&B to buy for £650,000.

45 min

52

Dorset

With £650,000, Nicki Chapman tries to help a couple find a house big enough to accommodate three teenage boys and three Rottweilers in rural Dorset.

45 min

53

Dorset

Alistair Appleton is house-hunting in Dorset with a couple who are ready to leave the island of Jersey for good. With a budget of £550,000, they are looking for a modern house in a county famous for its old, typically English cottages.

45 min

54

Staffordshire

Denise Nurse helps a couple relocate from Kuwait to Staffordshire. They will be leaving a palatial house behind so will she succeed in finding them their rural idyll? With a top budget of £400,000, they are after a large kitchen-diner and a small, low-maintenance garden.

45 min

55

Shropshire

Alistair Appleton is house hunting in Shropshire with a family looking for an equestrian property with that elusive 'wow factor'. The search is helped by a healthy budget of £750,000.

45 min

56

North Wales

Jules Hudson guides a retired couple in their quest to find the good life in north west Wales. With their children grown up, they have decided to sell their home of 28 years and fulfil their dream of finding a perfect country house. They have a budget of £450,000 and want enough land to grow vegetables and keep a few chickens, and a house big enough to accommodate the family when they come to visit.

45 min

57

Cornwall

Aled Jones helps a couple with their family of 14 dogs and cats go in search of rural isolation in Cornwall with a budget of £500,000.

45 min

58

Peak District

Nicki Chapman helps a couple from Manchester find their very first home together in the Peak District, with a budget of £700,000.

45 min

59

Dorset

Nicki Chapman helps a retired couple flee Nottingham for the Dorset countryside. Their wish list includes two living rooms and an artist's studio.

45 min

60

South Devon

Alistair Appleton is in Devon with a couple who are looking for a light and airy three-bedroom house with a large kitchen/diner, an annexe, a garage and a low-maintenance garden. They want to be close to the sea too - but can all this be achieved on their £500,000 budget in pricey Devon?

45 min

61

Herefordshire

Nicki Chapman helps a couple who would like to fulfil their dream of moving to Herefordshire and starting a new business.

45 min

62

Buckinghamshire

Alistair Appleton helps a couple find a character home in Buckinghamshire with at least half an acre of land to keep some goats.

45 min

63

North Yorkshire

Nicki Chapman is with a couple buying a house together for the first time in North Yorkshire. They have already dismissed over 1,000 properties.

45 min

64

Shropshire

Alistair Appleton is in Shropshire as a couple with a budget of £400,000 hope to ditch their urban apartment in favour of village life.

45 min

65

Northamptonshire

Denise Nurse is helping a couple to cast off from urban life by the River Thames and seek out peace and relaxation in the country.

45 min

66

Suffolk

Denise Nurse helps a couple, keen on long walks in Constable county, find their ideal home in Suffolk. With a budget of £450,000, they are looking for a large kitchen diner, a studio, a study and a south west facing garden.

45 min

67

Carmarthenshire

Nicki Chapman helps a couple who are seeking an impressive house to retire to in South Wales. They have a healthy budget of £650,000.

45 min

68

Wiltshire

Aled Jones is in Wiltshire with a couple on a house hunt. With £500,000 to spend, they are seeking a detached house with a large kitchen, an equally spacious garden and stunning views.

45 min

69

Herefordshire

Jules Hudson is house hunting in Herefordshire with a couple ready to leave London and create the good life in the country.

45 min

70

North Devon

Jules Hudson attempts to help a couple find a detached house with four bedrooms for a budget of £550,000 in hilly north Devon.

45 min

71

Cumbria

Jules Hudson helps a couple of newlyweds find their dream home in Cumbria. With a budget of up to £700,000, they seek a period property with four to five bedrooms, a large country kitchen and an annexe or outbuilding.

45 min

72

Cornwall

Alistair Appleton helps a couple who plan to move to Cornwall to start a B&B business with a budget of £650,000.

45 min

73

Norfolk

Jules Hudson is house-hunting in Norfolk with a couple keen to find a detached home. Armed with a budget of £400,000, they are after three bedrooms, a big kitchen diner, at least one reception room and plenty of storage. A good-sized garden and a double garage are also on their list.

45 min

74

Hampshire

Nicki Chapman is in Hampshire with a London couple looking for their first family home in the country with a budget of £465,000.

45 min

75

Devon

Denise Nurse joins a couple ready to leave their 1930s semi in Surrey and relocate to East Devon. With a budget of £700,000 they are dreaming of a large rural retreat.

45 min

76

Somerset

Denise Nurse helps two escapees who want to leave London behind and start a new life in rural Somerset, with a budget of £1.2 million.

45 min

77

Suffolk

Alistair Appleton helps a couple of air stewards find the perfect landing place in Suffolk with a budget of £500,000.

45 min

78

Somerset

Jules Hudson helps a couple of self-confessed urbanites swap the big smoke for a country pile in Somerset with somewhere to put a swimming pool.

45 min

79

Perthshire

Jonnie Irwin helps a couple leave one of Europe's largest housing estates behind and start afresh in Perthshire, with a budget of £375,000.

45 min

80

Norfolk

Nicki Chapman is in Norfolk helping an animal-loving couple to find their perfect pad in the country. They have a budget of £350,000.

45 min