Escape to the Country Season 11, Episode 55: Essex

1

East Midlands

Alistair Appleton helps a Dublin family find an English country home in the East Midlands.

45 min

2

Monmouthshire

Jules Hudson visits Monmouthshire to help a couple find some rural peace.

45 min

3

County Down

Jonnie Irwin visits the Mourne Mountains to find a three-bedroom modern bungalow.

45 min

4

Cotswolds

Nicki Chapman helps a couple with a million-pound budget find a Cotswold home.

45 min

5

Hampshire

Alistair Appleton helps a recently retired couple find a country home in Hampshire.

45 min

6

Carmarthenshire

Jules Hudson helps a couple of newlyweds with a budget of 500,000 pounds.

45 min

7

Cambridgeshire

Jules Hudson helps a couple move to the Cambridgeshire countryside.

45 min

8

Lincolnshire

Denise is property shopping in Lincolnshire, helping buyers who want to downsize.

45 min

9

West Country

Jules Hudson takes a couple property shopping in the West Country.

45 min

10

Yorkshire Dales

Alistair Appleton helps some house hunters desperate to downsize to the Yorkshire Dales.

45 min

11

Shropshire

Alistair Appleton is in Shropshire helping a couple seek out a 'green' country dream.

45 min

12

Ceredigion

Jules Hudson is in West Wales helping a couple with 385,000 pounds to spend.

45 min

13

Cheshire

Jonnie Irwin is in Cheshire with a space-craving couple.

45 min

14

Hampshire

Alistair Appleton is in Hampshire, helping a couple with a budget of 700,000 pounds.

45 min

15

Somerset

Jonnie Irwin is in Somerset helping a couple of expats with a budget of 500,000 pounds.

45 min

16

Cotswolds

Denise Nurse is in the Cotswolds on a romantic house hunt with a budget of £700,000.

45 min

17

Argyll and Bute

Aled Jones is in Argyll and Bute with a couple who want to set up an artists' retreat.

45 min

18

Devon

Jules Hudson is in Devon helping a mother and daughter team find a country home for themselves and their three Shetland ponies. With a budget of £450,000, Mum's after something traditional while her daughter is after a contemporary feel, so who will get her way?

45 min

19

Shropshire

Nicki Chapman is in Shropshire helping a couple with a budget of 430,000 pounds.

45 min

20

Dorset

Alistair Appleton is property-hunting with a couple returning to the UK from Italy

45 min

21

Sussex

Denise Nurse helps a family swap city living for a life in rural Sussex. Land is the all-important ingredient as they are hoping to set up a fitness boot camp business. So when Denise delivers a delightful 1930s period house with over three acres and on budget at £750,000, it's game, set and match.

45 min

22

Cornwall

Aled Jones is in Cornwall helping a mother and daughter team make the move from Derbyshire. With a budget of £250,000, they're after several acres for their small flock of sheep.

45 min

23

Northumberland

Nicki Chapman is in Northumberland in search of a property for a farmer's daughter. With a budget of £450,000, we head west to the farming stronghold of the Northumberland National Park to find acreage.

45 min

24

Powys

Jules Hudson is in Powys, Mid Wales, helping a self-employed couple seek out a more relaxed lifestyle. With their budget of £665,000 they are amazed at how far their money stretches, but will a seven bedroom Victorian property be a step too far?

45 min

25

Wiltshire

Alistair Appleton helps a couple returning from Australia find a rural retreat in Wiltshire on a budget of £600,000. But property prices in the UK take them by surprise.

45 min

26

Devonshire

Jules Hudson is helping a couple with a budget of 500,000 pounds retire to the West Country. Their dream is to find a thatched Devonshire cottage.

45 min

27

Herefordshire

Nicki Chapman is in Herefordshire, shopping with a couple who dream of owning a period black and white cottage with bags of curb appeal and a decent-sized garden.

45 min

28

Perthshire

Denise Nurse is in Scotland helping a writer find the perfect Perthshire home in which to write her next novel. With a budget of 400,000 pounds, we find inspiration in a 19th Century stone built cottage and a former school house, set at the foot of the Glenshee Mountains.

45 min

29

Warwickshire

Alistair Appleton is in Warwickshire, helping a couple of newly-weds find a country home with a budget of £550,000. But with a Cotswold stone cottage being found to be too petite and a 19th-century farmhouse too big a project, it proves hard to find the right combination.

45 min

30

North Yorkshire

Aled Jones is in North Yorkshire helping a young couple on a rural property hunt with a budget of 850,000 pounds. The buyers are looking to apply their culinary skills to forming a business and need a large detached home with a fabulous kitchen.

45 min

31

Scottish Borders

Alistair Appleton dons a kilt as he goes property-hunting in the Scottish Borders for a couple of lottery winners who are seeking a family home with a budget of 550,000 pounds. But will the regal splendour of an 18th-century vicarage prove too much?

45 min

32

Cornwall

Jonnie Irwin is in Cornwall helping two retirees find a seaside retreat. Armed with a budget of £400,000, they are after a traditional Cornish stone-built house.

45 min

33

North Yorkshire

Aled Jones is in rural North Yorkshire helping a family relocate from Essex. With a budget of £500,000, they have already ruled out 30 properties, so Aled has his work cut out trying to find something which is close to perfection. A Victorian house-keeper's cottage comes fairly close, but can it beat the mystery house, a barn conversion?

45 min

34

Hampshire

Nicki Chapman is in Hampshire with a couple of retired ex-pat house hunters who have a budget of £650,000 for their new rural home. Emotions run high for the big homecoming when they set eyes on a pretty brick-and-timber property dating back to 1630. Nicki also finds out what it takes to be a commoner in the New Forest National Park.

45 min

35

Carmarthenshire

Jules Hudson is in Carmarthenshire with an ex-fireman and his wife, who are looking for a country estate with potential to set up a holiday let business for people with disabilities, all for a budget of £800,000. And Jules finds out about the Welsh Rare Plant Project at the National Botanical Garden of Wales.

45 min

36

Essex

Jonnie Irwin helps a young family with ambitions of grand country living in Essex. They have a budget of £750,000 to spend and, presented with a couple of barn conversions and a Georgian manor house, are spoilt for choice. Jonnie also goes dredging for oysters in the creeks of the Blackwater River.

45 min

37

Devon

Jules Hudson is in Devon, helping a couple with a budget of 450,000 pounds find a home with bags of West Country character. We step back in time as Jules is given a private tour of Castle Drogo, the last castle to be built in England.

45 min

38

South Shropshire

Alistair Appleton is in Shropshire, helping a couple make the move from waterside apartment living in Portsmouth to the pastoral perfection of rural Shropshire. With a budget of £600,000, this move is about getting back to basics. Beekeeping, growing fruit, rearing chickens and village life are all on the agenda.

45 min

39

Lincolnshire

Denise Nurse is in Lincolnshire, showcasing some fabulous converted windmills for this episode's house buyers. With a budget of £500,000, it's not just our house hunters we have to please - their 13 horses will be making the move too, so at least ten acres of land plus stables are required.

45 min

40

Lake District

Jules Hudson is in the Lake District with a couple looking for a rural retreat to create a classy bed and breakfast, so a period property with character is on the menu. With a healthy budget of 1.15 million pounds, could a three bed private house and an impressive ten bed high end guest annexe be just the job?

45 min

41

Cornwall

Nicki Chapman is in Cornwall with a couple looking for a home with room to house their internet business. With a budget of £450,000, the property has to have a rural setting with a real 'chill factor'.

45 min

42

Oxfordshire

Aled Jones is in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, helping a young family make the move from north London. With a budget of £600,000 they have their hearts set on a period property, but can an immaculate architect-designed new build change their minds?

45 min

43

Norfolk

Jules Hudson takes a couple period property-hunting in Norfolk for the very first time. With a budget of £350,000 he tempts them with a former stable block with an impressive country-chic interior.

45 min

44

Warwickshire

Alistair Appleton is property hunting in Warwickshire with a couple who want to leave the stresses of London life behind and seek out a spiritual retreat in the country. They have a healthy budget of 750,000 pounds, but will a charming 17th-century mill house have the right energy?

45 min

45

Essex

Jonnie Irwin is in Essex helping a young couple find an equestrian property with a budget of £575,000. But as the Home Counties are notoriously pricey, they may have to do some lateral thinking to get the house and acreage they are after.

45 min

46

Sussex

Aled Jones is helping a newly-married couple with a budget of one million pounds find a substantial property with acreage in the ever-popular rural commutable belt of Sussex. But will they go for a typical Sussex tile-hung period house or for a sprawling thatched party pad complete with sunken jacuzzi room and swimming pool?

45 min

47

Nottinghamshire

Nicki Chapman is in Nottinghamshire, house hunting with a couple who are seeking their 14th and final home! With a £350,000 budget, our house buyers find it hard to agree on the style of rural property they want. And Nicki takes lessons from a master bowyer in Sherwood Forest.

45 min

48

Cotswolds

Alistair Appleton helps a couple with a budget of £700,000 swap city life for some Cotswolds charm. But our buyers have very different tastes in property so one of them will have to compromise.

45 min

49

Norfolk

Denise Nurse is in Norfolk with a husband and wife team who are about to start family life all over again, having taken over care of their grandchildren. With a budget of £500,000, they are they after some rural 'Enid Blyton' living. Denise also visits Blickling Hall, the first stately home bequeathed to the National Trust.

45 min

50

Somerset

Jules Hudson is in the West Country helping a couple making a rural relocation with a budget of £450,000. Seeking period charm, a 19th-century farm workers' cottage gets the thumbs up, but how will an impeccable new build, thatched and built from Purbeck stone, fare?

45 min

51

North Wales

Alistair Appleton is in North Wales with a couple searching for a rustic family life with ponies, chickens and goats all on the wish list. They are hoping that a budget of £450,000 will buy their children a dream country lifestyle.

45 min

52

Cumbria

Nicki Chapman is in Cumbria with a couple looking for some rural respite and privacy after 18 years of living alongside their business. With £800,000 to spend, they are after a 17th-century farmhouse but having sufficient land is essential as four horses, 20 llamas, an emu and a peacock will be moving too.

45 min

53

Argyll & Bute

Jonnie Irwin is in Argyll and Bute, helping a couple with a budget of £500,000 find a rural home after 25 years on the move. There are some stunning period properties on offer and Jonnie braves the chilly waters of Loch Lethin to go wild swimming.

45 min

54

Warwickshire

Alistair Appleton is in Warwickshire helping a young family relocate from Australia to settle in the heart of England. But will their budget of £700,000 stretch to a Georgian manor with large, impressive reception rooms and up to five acres of land? Alistair visits Warwick Castle and tries his hand at one of the most popular sports of the Middle Ages.

45 min

55

Essex

Jules Hudson is in Essex, helping a couple of sisters find a quirky home with a big character to match their own. With a budget of £400,000 they fall head over heels with both the property and Jules.

45 min

56

Devon

Jules Hudson is in Devon helping a couple leave the Surrey suburbs for pastures new after 20 years. With a budget of £700,000, they are spoilt for choice, with both an 18th-century farmhouse and a former coaching house on offer. And Jules discovers the meaning behind the expression 'keeping your nose to the grindstone'.

45 min

57

Suffolk

Alistair Appleton is helping some house buyers find a rural house with a budget of £325,000. After 28 years in London, they are after a slice of rural Suffolk - but rustic charm is definitely not on the agenda. So will the country character of a 15th century medieval timber-built Hall House push them over the edge?

45 min

58

Lake District

Denise Nurse is on the trail of stunning rural property in Cumbria, a county renowned for its incredible scenery. The buyers have a budget of £900,000 and are looking for a super-sized substantial family home with three reception spaces, five bedrooms and plenty of land. Denise also checks out one of Cumbria's oldest sporting traditions, hound trailing.

45 min

59

Wiltshire

Nicki Chapman is helping a couple saddle up and move to Wiltshire. For a budget of 500,000 pounds, the house must come with first-class accommodation for their beloved Exmoor ponies. And Nicky rustles up a Wiltshire delicacy - lardy cake.

45 min

60

The Chilterns

Aled Jones is in the pricey Chilterns looking for a country pad for a young professional couple. But the cost of property proves to be a quite a shock when they find out how far their 750,000 pounds goes.

45 min

61

Devon

Nicki Chapman is in Devon showcasing an immaculate barn conversion and a 15th century Devon longhouse for a couple with a budget of £650,000. On the wish list are great views and space for some rescue animals. Plus a visit to Widecombe Fair.

45 min

62

Cumbria

Alistair Appleton is visiting Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria. The house hunters he meets are after a period home with a budget of 400,000 pounds, but surprisingly the ultra-modern eco-friendly mystery house gets a very warm reception.

45 min

63

Powys

Jules Hudson is in Powys helping a family of four, with a budget of £700,000, find a complete lifestyle change. They are after a new country home with a potential business income, allowing mum Rachel to work from home.

45 min

64

Shropshire

Nicki Chapman goes property hunting in Shropshire with a couple who need an outbuilding to house a private museum for their 700 pieces of World War II memorabilia. And with a budget of 400,000 pounds, they are spoilt for choice when it comes to properties with country character.

45 min

65

Somerset

Alistair Appleton is in Somerset, property hunting with a couple of retirees wanting to downsize. And with a budget of £350,000 a stone built cottage in Cheddar seems to hit the spot.

45 min

66

Suffolk

Nicki Chapman is in Suffolk helping a couple of newlyweds swap their current crowded house in the suburbs for a spacious country home. With a budget of £650,000, there's plenty to choose from including a 17th-century farmhouse, a classic Georgian home and a brand new thatched property. Nicki also gets a masterclass in ornamental plaster work.

45 min

67

Carmarthenshire

Jules Hudson is in Carmarthenshire, South Wales, with a mother and daughter looking for a family home together on a budget of £250,000. But quite how they will divide the living space is a hotly debated topic. And Jules horses around with the county's Welsh Cobs.

45 min

68

North Yorkshire

Alistair Appleton helps a young North Yorkshire couple whose budget extends to £450,000 seek a home. The task proves hard work, with the couple having very different tastes, but will they agree on a Georgian former flax mill with a medieval chapel?

45 min

69

Kent

Jonnie Irwin is in Kent with today's buyers who have very exacting tastes. With their budget of 630,000 pounds, they are focused on finding a medieval oak beamed barn with expansive living spaces.

45 min

70

West Country

Jules Hudson is in the West Country helping a couple leave suburbia behind and earn a crust in the countryside. With a healthy budget of £1.25 million they are looking for a period character home with an annexe for dad and a high-end holiday let business.

45 min

71

Dorset

Nicki Chapman is in Dorset, helping a couple swap city skylines for open countryside. With a budget of up to £800,000, these buyers are tempted by a fabulous slice of a country estate with 350 acres of communal land.

45 min

72

Cornwall

Jonnie Irwin is in Cornwall, helping a couple leave behind their urban coop in search of some free-range living. With a budget of £350,000, this move is all about their menagerie; with two horses, two dogs and with an eye on buying some llamas, land is a must.

45 min

73

Wiltshire

Alistair Appleton goes property shopping with a young family who have sold their home in Essex and are looking to move to rural Wiltshire. But in the fashionable northern eastern corner of the county, their 465,000 pound budget doesn't go as far as they had hoped.

45 min

74

Oxfordshire

Denise Nurse helps a retired couple find peace and quiet in Oxfordshire, but will the hills be alive with the sound of silence? With a budget of 800,000 pounds, period features on a grand scale are not in short supply, so will the drama of the 15th-century abbey house seal the deal?

45 min

75

Cambridgeshire

Nicki Chapman goes house-hunting with a couple who are ditching east London life to move to Cambridgeshire with their two children. With a budget of 450,000 pounds, good schools and a large garden are a must. They are after contemporary country living, so will a medieval 15th-century coach house be too daunting a proposition?

45 min