Escape to the Country Season 13, Episode 54: Essex

1

Suffolk/Norfolk

Jonnie Irwin is under starter's orders in Suffolk to find a country retreat for a horse loving couple with a budget of £575,000. While in the county, Jonnie takes a tour of one of the largest open air free range pig farms in the UK to discover how they keep their animals content.

45 min

2

North Devon

Alistair Appleton travels to north Devon to see if he help can cook up the perfect rural home for a pair of baking enthusiasts with a budget of £450,000. Away from the property search, Alistair travels to Arlington Court to see one of the best collections of 19th-century horse-drawn vehicles in the country.

45 min

3

Warwickshire

Jules Hudson takes on the mammoth challenge of helping a couple escape from Shanghai to Warwickshire with a budget of £800,000. Jules also meets up with the workers at Britain's longest established cycle manufacturer.

45 min

4

Somerset

With a budget of £300,000, Aled Jones heads to Somerset to help a couple find a traditional country abode. During his journey, Aled heads to the world's only apple brandy distiller for a taste of a unique tipple.

45 min

5

North Yorkshire

Nicki Chapman puts her best foot forward in North Yorkshire on a house hunt for a pair of keen walkers with a budget of £400,000. While in the county, Nicki gets the inside track at England's oldest horse race, the annual Kiplingcotes Derby.

45 min

6

Yorkshire

Jules Hudson is in Yorkshire, helping a couple from Northern Ireland find their forever home in England for a budget of £250,000. While in the county, Jules visits a local wool factory which has some extremely regal clients.

45 min

7

Worcestershire

Alistair Appleton travels to the Worcestershire countryside to help a career-driven couple move closer to their family and friends, on a budget of £400,000. Away from the property search, Alistair meets up with a group of local residents known as Gasketeers who have come up with an illuminating solution to preserve Worcestershire's gas lamps.

45 min

8

Cumbria

Aled Jones heads to Cumbria to help a young family find a perfect retreat. With a budget of £600,000, they are after lots of character and space for a pony. Plus Aled goes wild in the local countryside as he partakes in a spot of bush craft.

45 min

9

Dorset

With a budget of £500,000, Jonnie Irwin heads to Dorset to help a creative couple buy their very first property together. During his journey, Jonnie meets up with a local farmer who is one of the leading British producers of a very French cuisine.

45 min

10

Hampshire

Nicki Chapman takes to the seas to help a couple with a budget of £750,000 navigate their way through the Hampshire property market. While in the county, Nicki takes a unique tour of Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory.

45 min

11

Norfolk

Alistair Appleton heads to Norfolk to help an outdoors-loving couple with a £285,000 budget find their country home. Away from the property search, Alistair visits one enterprising dairy goat farmer during kidding season and helps deliver some new arrivals.

45 min

12

Lanarkshire

Nicki Chapman goes the distance to help a couple with £400,000 move from Southampton to Lanarkshire in a bid for a better work-life balance. While there, she learns about the plight of the Eriskay pony, a critically endangered Scottish breed, and efforts by one charity to ensure its future survival in the Western Isles.

45 min

13

Wiltshire

Denise Nurse goes property hunting with a young professional couple who have £450,000 to spend on a country home in Wiltshire. But will their positive energy result in a house purchase? Away from their search, Denise also catches up with a previous buyer who bought an Escape to the Country house, to see how life has changed since she moved into her Wiltshire home.

45 min

14

South Wales

Jules Hudson heads to South Wales to help a couple with a healthy £550,000 budget who are in rural-property-buying limbo. Besides the house hunt, Jules discovers how Welsh woollen blankets - made in its traditional textile mills - still hold such widespread design appeal in the modern era.

45 min

15

Bedfordshire

With a budget of £900,000, Alistair Appleton goes rural property shopping in Bedfordshire with a couple buying their first house together - but there is also a teenager and a menagerie of pets to factor in. While in the county, Alistair visits Woburn Abbey, where that great British mealtime tradition, the afternoon tea, was born.

45 min

16

Shropshire

Jules Hudson goes property hunting in Shropshire with a couple in search of a rural hideaway on a budget of £270,000. On the way, he discovers the softer side of Shropshire's industrial heritage in a family-run factory which has been making traditional teddy bears for over 80 years.

45 min

17

Dorset

Aled Jones heads to Dorset to help a house-hunting couple with a substantial £700,000 budget move back to the county where they first fell in love. Away from the house hunt, Aled takes a ride in an armoured tank as he discovers Dorset's remarkable historic links to this British military invention.

45 min

18

Herefordshire

Jonnie Irwin is in Herefordshire helping two sisters with a budget of £600,000 find the ideal country home for them and their mother. While in the county, Jonnie meets an inventive gardener who has built some rather eccentric architecture into his horticultural vision.

45 min

19

Leicestershire

Jules Hudson is in Leicestershire, helping a house-hunting couple with a budget of £375,000 swap life in a busy coastal town for the countryside. While there, Jules attempts to ring the changes when he stops off at the largest working bell foundry in the world.

45 min

20

Worcestershire

Aled Jones helps a pair of keen cyclists with a £600,000 budget navigate the property market in Worcestershire. During his journey, Aled visits Kinver Edge to explore the county's curious history of cave housing.

45 min

21

North Yorkshire

Nicki Chapman puts her best foot forward in North Yorkshire, and helps a couple of keen walkers find their country home for £500,000. Away from the property search, Nicki meets a Whitby jet jeweller and unearths this natural gem's links to the county.

45 min

22

Norfolk

Alistair Appleton is in Norfolk with a couple who, with their £450,000 budget, want to run a cattery business from their rural home. During his journey, Alistair takes to the Norfolk Broads, and learns how a group of volunteers are keeping the heritage of one of the area's most iconic sailing vessels afloat.

45 min

23

Somerset

Jules Hudson is in Somerset to help an expat couple with a substantial budget make a long-awaited return to the British countryside. Plus, Jules makes a nostalgic visit to a cinema that has been keeping its audiences entertained for 100 years, thanks to the buy-in of the local community.

45 min

24

Northamptonshire

It is full steam ahead for Aled Jones in Northamptonshire, as he helps a retired couple with a love of trains find their new rural home for a top budget of £450,000. While in the county, Aled visits a local farm producing rapeseed oil, and finds out how this crop has grown with the times.

45 min

25

Gloucestershire

Alistair Appleton heads to Gloucestershire to help a pair of newly-weds find their very first home together for a budget of £600,000. Whilst there, Alistair takes to the waterways and meets a band of passionate volunteers who are restoring the county's historic canals.

45 min

26

Cornwall

Nicki Chapman tries to find the winning property formula in Cornwall, as she helps a science teacher buy a country home on a budget of £240,000. While in the county, Nicki stops off for a home grown cuppa at Britain's very first tea plantation.

45 min

27

Derbyshire

Alistair Appleton makes great strides in Derbyshire with a couple of keen walkers who have £400,000 to spend on their perfect rural property. During his journey, Alistair visits Chatsworth House and hears more about people and events linked to this iconic English stately home.

45 min

28

Cotswolds

Jules Hudson hopes to hit the property high note, as he helps a creative couple with a budget of £650,000 find a rural home in the Cotswolds. While in the region, Jules hears the historic yarn of how one ancient crop that was once spun into cloth, is now used for building sustainable boats.

45 min

29

Kent

With a budget of £320,000, Jonnie Irwin tackles another house hunting mission, which is all about pets, parents and finding the perfect country pile in Kent. Plus, Jonnie discovers more about the historic highs and lows of Folkestone's Victorian cliff railway.

45 min

30

Norfolk

Jules Hudson takes on a property hunt with scale, as he helps a couple with £850,000 find a rural property in Norfolk to house them, some relatives and an expanding business. Away from the search, Jules visits a local RSPCA centre to learn more about their efforts to protect the county's wildlife.

45 min

31

Cornwall

Aled Jones travels to Cornwall to help an adventure-loving couple with a £370,000 budget embark on their new life in the country. Away from the house hunt, Aled sets sail from Newquay Harbour to get a close-up view of the county's unique crab population.

45 min

32

Hampshire

Jules Hudson puts the property wheels in motion in Hampshire as he helps a pottery-loving couple find a new country retreat for a budget of £640,000. Jules also meets up with a local volunteer who is helping to keep the county's motoring heritage in working order.

45 min

33

Monmouthshire

Nicki Chapman travels to Monmouthshire to help a couple with a budget of £500,000 to return to their Welsh roots. During her journey, Nicki knocks on the historic doors of Chepstow Castle and meets some of the committed members of its restoration team.

45 min

34

Gloucestershire

Alistair Appleton takes on a very unusual property search in Gloucestershire, helping three buyers who have £800,000 find two separate country homes on the same plot. While in the county, Alistair visits Gloucester Cathedral and discovers more about the ongoing restoration of its stone gargoyles.

45 min

35

Norfolk

Jonnie Irwin heads to Norfolk to help a house-buying couple find their ideal rural home. While there, he teams up with a local master thatcher on the job and discovers how Norfolk reed is woven into the county's building heritage.

45 min

36

Somerset

Denise Nurse helps a British couple with a budget of £300,000 to repatriate to rural Somerset after living and working abroad for 30 years. During her journey, Denise meets up with a local water buffalo breeder, and learns why these non-native cattle can thrive in the Somerset countryside.

45 min

37

Essex

Jonnie Irwin goes property hunting with an urban couple who have £750,000 to spend on a family home in the Essex countryside. Whilst there, Jonnie heads to the coast and learns more about the history and enduring popularity of its seaside beach huts.

45 min

38

Devon

Alistair Appleton goes property shopping in Devon with a couple who have £500,000 to find a country home with business potential. Away from the house search, Alistair encounters Dartmoor ponies and learns how a charity is ensuring their survival within the Dartmoor National Park.

45 min

39

Gloucestershire

Jules Hudson meets a property-hunter with a budget of £400 000 hoping to find the perfect rural retreat in Gloucestershire. While there he also discovers how local efforts are helping to improve the Severn s endangered eel population.

45 min

40

Dorset

Nicki Chapman charts her way around Dorset with a boat-loving couple keen to find a landmark country home for £600,000. Along the way, Nicki visits the UK's largest organic dairy sheep farm to find out how its sheep's milk yoghurt has caused quite a business stir.

45 min

41

Lincolnshire

Alistair Appleton is in Lincolnshire helping a couple of retired expats, with a budget of £300,000, return from France and find a rural retreat on home soil. While in the county, Alistair meets a local conservationist with an entrepreneurial approach to safeguarding the area's ancient woodland.

45 min

42

Kent

Jules Hudson heads to Kent to help a Canadian couple cut their ties to London and find a family home in the country for £650,000. Plus Jules is given a personal tour of the historic Sissinghurst gardens, created by Vita Sackville-West.

45 min

43

Cotswolds

Denise Nurse tackles a house-hunt in the Cotswolds on a budget of £1.5million. Away from the search she meets a local alpaca farmer to find out about the area s wool heritage and learns how to weave their exotic fibre by hand.

45 min

44

West of Scotland

Nicki Chapman travels through the west of Scotland, helping an animal-loving couple with £350,000 find their perfect country home. While in the region, Nicki tries her hand at the traditional Scottish sport of curling and visits an Ayrshire factory where the unique local granite is cut into Olympic-standard curling stones.

45 min

45

Cotswolds

Aled Jones heads to Gloucestershire with a couple aspiring to find a country home with a £750,000 budget. During his journey, Aled visits Chedworth Roman Villa, and unearths what the excavations reveal about British domestic and social life back in the 4th century.

45 min

46

Somerset

Jules Hudson goes property hunting in Somerset to help a couple who are planning to take early retirement with a substantial budget of £750,000 to fund their new rural home. Whilst there, Jules meets a willow farmer and learns how the crop is interwoven into the county's landscape and handicraft heritage.

45 min

47

North Yorkshire

Alistair Appleton is in North Yorkshire helping a couple with a £550,000 budget find the perfect rural home, ideally offering an income from holiday lets. Away from the house search, Alistair drops in on the annual Whitby Folk Festival, which celebrates the traditional music, dance and song of Yorkshire and the rest of the British Isles.

45 min

48

Devon

Denise Nurse is property-shopping in rural Devon with one born-and-bred Londoner and her dog on a budget of £425,000. While in the county, Denise heads to the south Devon coast to get a taste of a unique crab variety for whom these shores are home.

45 min

49

East Sussex

Alistair Appleton is in east Sussex to help an artistic buyer with a handsome budget of £800,000 find an inspirational country home. Alistair also takes a ride across the glorious Camber Sands as he tries his hand at kite buggying.

45 min

50

Suffolk

Jonnie Irwin meets a couple, with a £400,000 budget, who are buzzing with ideas for their new country home in Suffolk. While in the county, Jonnie visits a local trust that is helping to ensure the survival of the endangered Suffolk Punch horse.

45 min

51

Worcestershire

Jules Hudson helps an expat couple with a £400,000 budget make a return trip from Australia and put down roots in rural Worcestershire. Time is of the essence to find them their country home, as their belongings arrive back in the UK in just a few weeks. Jules gets the inside track on Shelsley Walsh race course, the world's oldest motorsport venue.

45 min

52

Shropshire

Nicki Chapman is in Shropshire with a recently retired couple whose working lives had meant living continents apart. They have £370,000 to plough into a rural property with land. While in the county, Nicki revisits some previous housebuyers from the show who have achieved the country lifestyle they dreamed of.

45 min

53

South Lincolnshire

Jonnie Irwin heads to south Lincolnshire, finding a peaceful retreat for a Reiki therapist and a carpenter with a £270,000 budget. While in the county, Jonnie meets the owner of Doddington Hall, an Elizabethan stately home, where a number of rare tapestries are currently being restored.

45 min

54

Essex

Alistair Appleton is in Essex with a couple of restoration professionals seeking out a splendid country residence for £700,000. Away from the house hunt, Alistair visits Tiptree, home to a historic fruit farm, where he lifts the lid on why heritage fruit jams are once again in favour.

45 min

55

Rutland

Nicki Chapman heads to Rutland to help a young couple with a £380,000 budget look for a spacious family home in which to bring up their two young boys. Nicki also meets a local miller who has brought one of the region's windmills back to life, and who produces flour using traditional methods.

45 min

56

Lancashire

Alistair Appleton travels to Lancashire to help a buyer in search of a classic country cottage for her budget of £250,000. While in the county, Alistair takes a tour of the world's only fully operational 19th-century steam-powered weaving mill.

45 min

57

North Wiltshire

Nicki Chapman is in north Wiltshire helping a couple with a substantial budget of £900,000 swap the busy city of London for the calm of the countryside. Away from the property hunt, Nicki goes in search of one the region's most highly sought-after food secrets, the truffle.

45 min

58

Devon

There is an extraordinary proposal in this episode as Jonnie Irwin helps a country-loving couple find their dream property in Devon for £500,000. Whilst there, Jonnie meets a local farmer who has pioneered using his south Devon cattle for their original purpose of producing milk rather than beef.

45 min

59

Hampshire

Jules Hudson helps a dynamic couple with an eye for renovating move out of their holiday home on the Isle of Wight and find a country retreat on the Hampshire mainland on a budget of £550,000. Jules also visits the world's largest collection of hovercraft and learns how this great British invention breathed new life into seafaring technology.

45 min

60

Buckinghamshire

Denise Nurse goes property hunting in Buckinghamshire with a couple who, along with a sizeable £725,000 budget, have high expectations for their new country home. Denise also visits Bletchley Park and unlocks how the Enigma machine played a key role in British military intelligence during the Second World War.

45 min

61

Yorkshire

Alistair Appleton helps a keen baker and his business-focused wife find a rural home in Yorkshire, with a budget of £350,000. While in the county, Alistair scales the heights of York Minster and gets a preview of the remarkable restoration work under way on its famous stained-glass windows.

45 min

62

Warwickshire

Denise Nurse helps a pair of retired teachers find a country retreat, with a budget of £475,000, in Warwickshire. Denise also visits Baddesley Clinton, a magnificent manor house within the county, and home to a fascinating history.

45 min

63

Devon

Jules Hudson takes on a property-hunting mission in Devon with a couple who are looking for a country home that can also house one of their parents and B&B guests. While in the county, Jules indulges his love of local ale and enjoys a taste of the home-grown malting process at a traditional malt house in Newton Abbot.

45 min

64

West Sussex

Nicki Chapman joins a recently reunited couple on their property search in West Sussex. Although the budget is £600,000, finding additional space for their six award-winning dogs could be a challenge. Away from the house hunt, Nicki visits the Goodwood estate, and learns how its organic ancestral farm is championing the preservation of livestock breeds that are native to the county.

45 min

65

Cumbria

Jonnie Irwin comes to the aid of two retired healthcare professionals who have £475,000 to find a country home with their field of dreams in Cumbria. While in the county, Jonnie heads to the Lyth Valley and learns about the area's damson-growing heritage.

45 min

66

Derbyshire

Alistair Appleton goes property hunting in the Peak District, as he tries to find a character country home for a couple who have a budget of £475,000. Away from the search, Alistair gets a bird's-eye view of the conservation efforts to maintain the Peak District landscape.

45 min

67

North Wales

Jules Hudson heads to north Wales in a bid to help a recently retired couple with £400,000 find a rural retreat. While in the region, Jules revisits a couple who found their perfect property three years ago, which has enabled them to lead the self-sufficient lifestyle they dreamt of.

45 min

68

Hampshire

Nicki Chapman goes house searching with a young professional couple who are keen to escape London and upsize to a country home in Hampshire. While there, Nicki visits the Hawk Conservancy Trust and helps release a rehabilitated bird of prey back into the wild.

45 min

69

Suffolk

Denise Nurse tries to bring harmony to a house search in Suffolk, where a couple with £350,000 have different views on their perfect country home. During her journey, Denise visits the RNLI lifeboat station in Lowestoft and takes the helm in a training rescue exercise at sea.

45 min

70

Somerset

Jonnie Irwin is in Somerset with a couple who have £550,000 to find a country home with scope for a bed and breakfast aimed at long-term carers. While in the county, Jonnie visits the original home of cheddar cheese and has a taste of how it is traditionally made, and then matured, in the Cheddar Gorge caves.

45 min

71

Cornwall

Alistair Appleton travels to Cornwall to help a couple with regal duties find a country home for their budget of £350,000. Alistair also heads to the Cornish coast and finds out how a pioneering young designer is making waves with his environmentally friendly surfboards.

45 min

72

Oxfordshire

Jules Hudson goes house hunting with an ambitious professional couple who have a substantial budget of £800,000 to invest in their country home. While in the county, Jules visits the Didcot Railway Centre and gets the inside track on how volunteers have spent over 40 years preserving the heritage of the Great Western Railway engines.

45 min

73

Cumbria

Nicki Chapman heads for the Cumbrian hills in a bid to find a country home for a creative couple with a budget of £400,000. Away from the search, Nicki visits the home of Victorian writer and social reformer John Ruskin, and discovers more about his link to the Lakeland landscape, and how his ideas are still relevant in the modern era.

45 min

74

Warwickshire

Alistair Appleton goes on a charm offensive as he helps a house buyer with £300,000 find her perfect character cottage in rural Warwickshire. Alistair also visits Ryton Gardens and finds out how its heritage seed library is collecting and preserving hundreds of rare vegetable varieties for generations of future gardeners.

45 min

75

Devon

Jonnie Irwin's house hunt gathers pace as he helps a novelist mother and her horse-loving daughter find a charming equestrian home for £620,000 in the Devon countryside. Plus, Jonnie learns why cob forms the building blocks of Devon's architecture, and how the use of this natural material is far from mud in the 21st century.

45 min