Escape to the Country Season 16, Episode 2: Essex

1

Lincolnshire

Jonnie Irwin takes a soon-to-be-married couple from Hertfordshire on a property-searching mission to rural Lincolnshire. With a budget of £375,000, Jonnie pulls out all the stops to find them a character property, before buckling up to experience a miniature motoring icon.

45 min

2

Essex

Jules Hudson leads a spiritual couple from London's Stamford Hill on a fact-finding property search in rural Essex. With £495,000 to spend, they are looking to escape city life and embrace active living in the countryside.

45 min

3

Norfolk

Sonali Shah is on the hunt for a home in rural Norfolk for a retired couple who are living in Manchester. Looking for a slower pace of life, they have £400,000 to fund their country move.

45 min

4

Gloucestershire

Ginny Buckley takes a couple from Harrogate who are looking to put their family first on a property search in Gloucestershire with a budget of £650,000. Ginny shows them properties with unique character and charm before putting pedal to the metal in the Gloucestershire gravel.

45 min

5

Suffolk

Jonnie Irwin goes property-hunting with young parents from Stevenage who are seeking an authentic country lifestyle in Suffolk and a rural family home. Jonnie offers his expertise along the way before experiencing the rich spoils of the Suffolk coastline.

45 min

6

West Sussex

Sonali Shah is property searching in West Sussex with a couple who want their £625,000 to buy them uninterrupted peace in the country. Plus, Sonali stops off at one the UK's finest preserved heritage steam railways.

45 min

7

South Devon

Ginny Buckley helps a couple with a healthy £800,000 budget find a perfect country house in Devon with enough accommodation for visiting family. Ginny also meets an architectural sculptor who, from his rural studio, creates ornamental plasterwork which graces some of Britain’s most famous historic buildings.

45 min

8

Wiltshire

Nicki Chapman goes property-hunting with a couple who have £575,000 to spend on a rural family home in Wiltshire. While there, Nicki tries her hand at painting traditional pub signs, a rare craft practised these days by only a few artisans.

45 min

9

Herefordshire

Ginny Buckley helps a couple with £500,000 find a country home in rural Herefordshire. While in the county, Ginny samples a potent yet palatable drink produced by one pioneering farm there.

45 min

10

Welsh Borders

Jules Hudson is house hunting on the Welsh borders with a dynamic couple who want their £750,000 budget to provide them a country home with B&B business potential. Along the way, Jules finds out how the region's iron works heritage is being recast into unique super-sized sculptures.

45 min

11

Cumbria

Jonnie Irwin goes house-hunting in the rural Lake District with a couple who want to find their first marital home on a budget of £325,000. While there, Jonnie sets sail on Windermere and discovers more about Lakeland marine life.

45 min

12

Lincolnshire

Jonnie Irwin is house-hunting in Lincolnshire with two returning expats who have £270,000 to fund their country move. Digging into the county's rich food heritage, Jonnie also visits a farm to discover how modern machinery helps to harvest a range of traditional produce.

45 min

13

Suffolk

Nicki Chapman helps a couple find a charming period property in the Suffolk countryside with a budget of £275,000. Nicki also visits historic Kentwell Hall and discovers how the owners have spent decades restoring this once unloved Tudor mansion.

45 min

14

Oxfordshire

Nicki Chapman helps a buyer who is being supported on the house hunt by her daughter. She has a budget of £475,000 with which to up sticks from Edinburgh's city centre in favour of a rural life in the Oxfordshire countryside. Nicki also hits the road and visits the humble manor house of the pioneering motor man William Morris.

45 min

15

West Sussex

Jules Hudson is on a property-finding mission to uncover a new home and a tranquil lifestyle in the West Sussex countryside for a well-travelled couple from London who have a budget of £950,000. While there, Jules hits the runway where planes have made way for peppers at one of Europe's largest nurseries.

45 min

16

North Somerset

Jonnie Irwin is in rural north Somerset, property shopping with a budget of £500,000 for an engaged couple in the throes of planning their wedding. Along the way, Jonnie explores one of the county's extraordinary cave systems.

45 min

17

Peak District

Nicki Chapman helps a campervan-loving couple with £400,000 find a perfect rural property within range of the Peak District. Along the way, Nicki turns her hand to some unique woodcraft with Britain's last traditional bowl turner.

45 min

18

South Wales

Jules Hudson is in South Wales with a couple who have a £350,000 budget to buy a 'forever' home in the country. Plus, Jules is given special access to the Royal Mint, the body that manufactures the nation's coins.

45 min

19

Yorkshire Dales

Nicki Chapman is in the Yorkshire Dales. She's house-hunting with a couple who have a handsome £900,000 budget to spend on a country property with business potential. While in the region, Nicki learns the art of barrel making from Britain's only master cooper.

45 min

20

Argyll and Bute

Jonnie Irwin heads to the Scottish region of Argyll and Bute with a couple who have £350,000 to find a country home in a fantastic setting. While there, Jonnie heads for the area's sea loch waters to find out how seaweed harvesting has enjoyed a recent revival.

45 min

21

Staffordshire

Ginny Buckley supports a sociable and successful couple who are looking to buy their first home together in rural Staffordshire. Their healthy £700,000 budget turns up an assortment of attractive properties, and Ginny learns about the county's driving force, something that has influenced agriculture and architecture across the globe.

45 min

22

Somerset

Nicki Chapman helps a buyer who is property shopping with her best friend. She has £375,000 to find some countryside respite to suit her and her elderly mother. Away from the house hunt, Nicki meets a fashion-entrepreneur-turned-horticulturist with designs on an iconic Somerset garden.

45 min

23

Suffolk

Alistair Appleton is in Suffolk helping two city slickers escape the demands of London life with a £550,000 budget. While in the county, he takes to the water on board one of the few surviving Thames barges.

45 min

24

Anglesey

Jules Hudson heads to Anglesey to help a couple with £300,000 find a permanent base on the Welsh island that has long been their favourite holiday destination. Away from the house hunt, Jules finds out about the prehistoric character that defines the local landscape and learns some Bronze Age skills.

45 min

25

Lincolnshire

Jonnie Irwin is in rural Lincolnshire helping two canal boat enthusiasts find the perfect rural pad to suit their lives on dry land. Away from the house hunt, he helps to power up one of the county's iconic windmills.

45 min

26

South Somerset

Alistair Appleton goes house hunting with a couple who have £425,000 to spend on a move away from busy coastal city living to rural South Somerset. While in the area, Alistair visits Somerset County Cricket Club and learns about its heritage and passion for championing this traditional English sport.

45 min

27

Devon

Sonali Shah goes house hunting in north Devon with a dog-loving couple whose £575,000 budget needs to fund the purchase of a country home with land to realise their business plans. While in the area, Sonali explores the history of Ilfracombe's beach tunnels, which paved the way for the Victorians to enjoy visits to the seaside.

45 min

28

Dorset

Nicki Chapman helps a property hunting couple with £650,000 to spend swap the fast pace of London life for a village community in Dorset. While in the county, Nicki learns more about how the Lulworth Estate rangers' conservation efforts help to maintain the Jurassic coastline and countryside.

45 min

29

Cheshire

With a budget of £400,000, Jules Hudson is house hunting with a couple who seek a new rural life in Cheshire.

45 min

30

Cheshire

Jonnie Irwin is in Cheshire with a house-hunting pair who hope their £650,000 budget will secure them a country retreat. Along the way, Jonnie visits Bostock Green on the Tatton Estate to find out what it takes to create the 'perfect' village.

45 min

31

Shropshire

Jules Hudson is house hunting in Shropshire with a couple who have £400,000 to find a foster-friendly country property. While in the area, Jules goes behind the scenes at the Ironbridge Museum and gets up close to a historic River Severn working boat that is being restored to its former glory.

45 min

32

Oxfordshire

Jonnie Irwin goes on an Oxfordshire property hunt with a couple of brothers, where one has £675,000 to buy himself a character country home. Jonnie also sets sail on the River Thames to experience pleasure boating in true Victorian tradition.

45 min

33

Devon

Nicki Chapman is in Devon helping a fun-loving couple with £475,000 find a country home which suits their entertaining ambitions. While in the county, she tries her hand at traditional glass blowing and is delighted by the results.

45 min

34

North Wales

Alistair Appleton is property shopping in rural north Wales with a couple who have £400,000 to make their return from France to UK soil. While in the area, Alistair rides the Great Orme tramway, a travel highlight for tourists for over a century.

45 min

35

Sussex

Jonnie Irwin is in Sussex with a house-hunting couple who hope their £650,000 budget will secure them their perfect rural retreat. Along the way, Jonnie visits Arundel Castle while it is in the throes of hosting the largest medieval jousting tournament in the country.

45 min

36

Hampshire

Jonnie Irwin is on a multi-generational property mission to help a mother and son from London find rural harmony in the Hampshire countryside. Veering off track from bricks and mortar, it's full steam ahead as he takes the controls of a vintage locomotive on the county's historic Watercress Line.

45 min

37

Shropshire

Alistair Appleton is house hunting on a budget of £470,000 with a couple looking to begin a new life in rural Shropshire. Alistair also visits a family-run farm which has diversified to become the UK's first commercial producer of quinoa, an ancient grain normally found in South America.

45 min

38

Devon

Jonnie Irwin is tasked with helping a nomadic couple find their 16th home. They have £500,000 to spend on a picturesque property near the Devon coast. As a diversion from house hunting, Johnnie takes a refreshing pit stop at an ecofriendly brewery.

45 min

39

Gloucestershire

Alistair Appleton welcomes returning expats to the Gloucestershire countryside where they hope to retire with a generous £700,000 budget for a rural home. He arrives in perfect time for the springtime hatch of rare breed ducklings protected by a conservation effort at Slimbridge Wetland Centre.

45 min

40

Lincolnshire

Nicki Chapman is helping a globe-trotting young couple who are returning to the UK with £425,000 to find peaceful and permanent sanctuary in the Lincolnshire countryside where they can raise their daughter. And it's hello and goodbye as Nicki bids an emotional farewell when a rehabilitated seal is released back into the wild.

45 min

41

Hampshire

Jonnie Irwin is on a property hunt with a couple who hope their £650,000 budget will afford them a more outdoor-focused life in the Hampshire countryside. Jonnie freshens up when he visits a farm reviving English-grown peppermint.

45 min

42

Monmouthshire

Jules Hudson is on a property-hunting mission in Monmouthshire with two returning expats and their two young daughters who are seeking a rural family home.

45 min

43

North Somerset

Alistair Appleton is in north Somerset with a couple who have £750,000 to purchase their very first home together in the countryside. Whilst in the county, Alistair takes a seashore safari along the northern coast.

45 min

44

Cornwall

Jonnie Irwin travels to Cornwall to help a horse-loving mother find rural respite with a £465,000 budget.

45 min

45

Dorset

Nicki Chapman helps a fun-loving couple who have £400,000 to fulfil their dream of moving to Dorset. Her visit to the county is perfectly timed to coincide with the 2015 British Beach Polo Championship, where she gets in the saddle to master basic skills.

45 min

46

Wiltshire

Jonnie Irwin goes property hunting with a couple of new grandparents who have a budget of £800,000 to buy a rural home in Wiltshire, close to their family. Whilst there, Jonnie learns a traditional process of curing Wiltshire bacon and savours the results.

45 min

47

Derbyshire

Sonali Shah is house hunting with a couple who have a £750,000 budget to make the break from the Home Counties and return to their roots in the Derbyshire countryside. Sonali also puts her best foot forward and visits a longstanding family-run bootmaker in the Peak District, a reminder of the many local factories which once supplied the mining workforce during the Industrial Revolution.

45 min

48

Devon

Alistair Appleton is in Devon helping a couple of journalists to find a characterful country home with holiday let potential. They have a generous property budget of £700,000 with which to make the move. While in the county, Alistair meets a pioneering young sheep farmer and gets a masterclass in hand shearing the grey-faced Dartmoor sheep.

45 min

49

Cheshire

Sonali Shah goes house-hunting in Cheshire with an expat couple who want their £450,000 budget to transport them back from Germany to the British countryside. While in the area, Sonali learns more about Cheshire's waterways and visits one of the UK's largest collections of traditional canal craft.

45 min

50

Dorset

Alistair Appleton goes property shopping in Dorset with a buyer looking for a fresh start in the country. She has a budget of £380,000 to purchase a new 'forever' home. Alistair also goes fishing for seafood off the coast of Lyme Regis and samples some local whelks.

45 min

51

Cotswolds

Alistair Appleton is in the Cotswolds on an unusual house-hunting mission with a couple whose £900,000 budget needs to fund two separate homes under one roof.

45 min

52

North Devon

Alistair Appleton goes property hunting in North Devon for a couple whose search for a country home on a £325,000 budget has so far fallen short. He also learns about a unique local pigment, known as Bideford Black, and enjoys the artistic freedom of painting on the beach.

45 min

53

Wiltshire

Jules Hudson goes property hunting in rural Wiltshire with a couple who have £950,000 to buy a family home with land, where they and their young children can enjoy a self-sufficient lifestyle. Jules also takes time out to find out about the county's glove-making heritage and sees some famous examples made for famous figures.

45 min

54

Herefordshire

Jules Hudson heads to Herefordshire to advise a couple who have a budget of £650,000 to invest in a country home with holiday letting potential. While there, the presenter also visits the county's Rural Crafts Centre and learns the skills of blacksmithing.

45 min

55

Dorset

Jules Hudson is house hunting in Dorset with a couple who hope their £600,000 budget will secure them a country home with some income-generating potential. Also, Jules opens the door on how to make a traditional shepherd's hut, the new 'des res' of rural holidaying.

45 min

56

Wiltshire

Jules Hudson is on a property hunting mission in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With a £500,000 budget, he's helping a couple to buy their very first British home, and traditional character is high on their wish list. Plus, Jules visits a master clockmaker and examines the delicate inner workings of a 300 year old timepiece.

45 min

57

Suffolk

Sonali Shah is helping a couple from Essex who have a £400,000 budget to find some rural respite in the Suffolk countryside.

45 min

58

Northamptonshire

Ginny Buckley is helping a couple, with a £450,000 property budget, who want to up sticks from Hertfordshire to make a new life in the Northamptonshire countryside, closer to their family. The county was once the epicentre of footwear manufacturing, so whilst there, Ginny gets her foot in the door of a sixth generation bespoke bootmaker.

45 min

59

North Devon

Sonali Shah is helping a couple with a £650,000 property budget who want to leave their home in Surrey and settle in the north Devon countryside.

45 min

60

Norfolk

With a property budget of £425,000 to spend, Ginny Buckley is in Norfolk helping retirees make a return to the British countryside after 30 years living in Spain.

45 min

61

Oxfordshire

Jules Hudson is on a property-hunting mission in Oxfordshire with two fun-loving young newlyweds who have a budget of £400,000 to bid farewell to the City and return to their countryside roots to start a family. Turning the pages of the county's rich academic heritage, Jules visits a bespoke bookbinder who's keeping traditional handcrafted techniques alive.

45 min

62

Cornwall

Jules Hudson is house-hunting in Cornwall with a married couple from Berkshire who have a budget of £450,000 to find a rural Cornish idyll, complete with a five-bar gate. From country cottages to a medieval manor, Jules also makes time to explore the Grade I-listed Cotehele House.

45 min

63

North Wales

Jules Hudson is house-hunting in north Wales with a couple who have a budget of £600,000 to find their perfect property. Jules also makes the climb up to a 13th-century Welsh castle to find out why the ruins of this former stronghold are worth preserving.

45 min

64

Cornwall

Jules Hudson is in Cornwall helping an Essex couple with a budget of £450,000 find the right rural property to suit their opposing styles. During his time in the county, Jules visits the birthplace of British studio pottery and throws his very own Cornish clay pot.

45 min

65

Shropshire

Nicki Chapman is property shopping with a buyer looking to swap the hustle and bustle of London for the tranquillity of the Shropshire countryside on a budget of £350,000. Nicki also delves deep into the county's mining heritage when she descends underground at the end of a rope.

45 min

66

Peak District

Alistair Appleton is house-hunting with a couple who have £500,000 to buy their first property together, closer to family in the picturesque Peak District. Whilst in the county, Alistair meets an innovative farmer who is growing a field of furniture.

45 min

67

Devon

Nicki Chapman is on a rural property hunt in Devon, helping a couple to find their ideal country home for £400,000. Nicki also finds out about the county's heritage underfoot when she visits a centuries-old carpet manufacturer.

45 min

68

Hampshire

Alistair Appleton is on a property-seeking mission with a retired couple who have £700,000 to find their ideal country home in Hampshire. Whilst in the county, Alistair meets apprentice furniture makers keeping the early 20th-century arts and craft design principles relevant today.

45 min

69

Derbyshire

Nicki Chapman is house hunting in Derbyshire with a couple who have a budget of £380,000 to find their dream rural home. Away from houses, Nicki gets a real taste of the county when she meets traditional dairy producers reviving a village's cheese-making heritage.

45 min

70

Scottish Borders

A couple want to spend their retirement in the peace and quiet of the Scottish borders and Alistair Appleton is on hand to help them find the perfect pad for their £350,000 budget. Alistair also visits a mill which has been weaving the country's iconic fabric, tweed, since the early 19th century.

45 min