Escape to the Country Season 21, Episode 43: Oxfordshire

1

Dorset

Nicki Chapman helps an animal-loving house hunter from a town in Oxfordshire, who has a generous budget of £700,000, to find a new village community in Dorset, ideally close to the coast. Making the most of the seaside locale, Nicki visits a luxury yacht manufacturer to experience how the other half set sail in serious style.

45 min

2

Dumfries & Galloway

Alistair Appleton helps an aspiring writer who wants to make a dramatic relocation from the frenetic bustle of east London to the rural idylls of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. With a budget of £300,000, he has his sights set on somewhere isolated that will inspire his creativity. Away from the houses, Alistair heads for the hills hoping to strike it lucky on a Scottish gold rush.

45 min

3

Bedfordshire

Margherita Taylor is in Bedfordshire with a sociable couple who have £500,000 to find the right country home to suit them and their pooches and to house their very own bespoke garden pub. Aside from houses, Margherita discovers the county’s agricultural pedigree when she encounters some wonderfully preserved vintage tractors.

45 min

4

Chiltern Hills

Today, a young married couple are looking to escape London’s Docklands and move to the beautiful Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire. Guided by Ginny Buckley, and with a healthy budget of £850,000, they want to realise their dream of raising their family with more room inside and more green space out. The property search happens to fall in the same week as the Henley Regatta, where Ginny gets behind the scenes with rowing royalty at this famous societal sporting event.

45 min

5

Derbyshire

Jules Hudson is in Derbyshire with a recently married couple making an epic location shift, swapping the Blue Mountains in Australia for the wilds of the Peak District. They have a significant budget of £750,000 and have their hearts set on a character home with a large garden for their three dogs. Elsewhere, Jules comes across an unlikely centre of manufacturing nestled in the county’s rural countryside.

45 min

6

Carmarthenshire

Ginny Buckley is house hunting with a couple who are looking to return to their Welsh homeland after twenty years of living in Oxford. The pair have a budget of £450,000 to find the right home in Carmarthenshire with enough land to accommodate visiting friends and their pooches. Elsewhere, Ginny samples a regional delicacy at Britain’s only manufacturer of pickled cockles.

45 min

7

Yorkshire Dales

Jules Hudson teams up with a couple of keen horticulturalists who have £450,000 with which to find their ideal country home in the Yorkshire Dales, with the garden a top priority. Making the most of his time in Yorkshire, Jules also tests his own green fingers when he visits RHS Garden Harlow Carr for some top tips from none other than gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh.

45 min

8

Norfolk

Ginny Buckley presents an arresting range of houses to a couple who have a substantial budget of £700,000 and are hoping to relocate their family to the wonderful Norfolk countryside. For over half a century, Norfolk has been home to Lotus cars, so whilst in the county Ginny finds out more about the company heritage before catching a glimpse of the future when their latest hypercar is unveiled.

45 min

9

Shropshire and Herefordshire

Nicki Chapman heads to the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to help a recently retired couple with a £550,000 budget find a dream country home that’s full of traditional period charm. Away from the property search, Nicki meets enthusiasts who reach for the sky when she visits the Weston Park Model Air Show.

45 min

10

Cotswolds

Alistair Appleton guides a pair of budding entrepreneurs who want to escape to the Cotswolds. They have a generous £900,000 to play with, but the property must have the potential to develop a boutique country holiday let. Alistair also spends an exhilarating day at the University of Bath as he launches himself on to the UK’s only bobsleigh and skeleton push-start track.

45 min

11

Devon

Heading west from Surrey to Devon, a young couple who met as students need Nicki Chapman’s help to find them a sizeable home to fit three generations of their family, and all for a budget of £800,000. In addition, Nicki spends time on the county’s south coast, meeting a local fisherman and sampling the delicious catch of the day.

45 min

12

East Riding of Yorkshire

Armed with a top budget of £450,000, Jules Hudson property shops with a couple wanting to make a permanent move from Kent to the scenic East Riding of Yorkshire. They are in search of a house with space for a burgeoning catering business. Jules also heads to Bridlington, where he tests his sea legs in a traditional fishing boat unique to the area.

45 min

13

Surrey

A health-conscious couple from London enlist Sonali Shah to help them spend £1.3million on a detached property in Surrey with enough land to create a wellness retreat. Taking a breather from house hunting, Sonali immerses herself in the county’s ancient woodlands as she learns about the Japanese practice of forest bathing.

45 min

14

Pembrokeshire

An escapee from Surrey challenges Alistair Appleton to find her the perfect property in a county and a country she's never been to before, Pembrokeshire in Wales. For a very top budget of £900,000, the wish list includes a remote period house with spectacular views. Alistair takes time away from the property search to visit a forward-thinking farm which specialises in edible insects.

45 min

15

Dorset

With a budget of £450,000, a married couple looking to uproot from Greater Manchester seek the help of Jules Hudson to find a new family home close to the coast in glorious Dorset. Jules is in his element when he meets one of the county’s blacksmiths, who specialises in restoring relics of bygone eras using traditional techniques.

45 min

16

Lake District

Alistair Appleton helps a couple from Newcastle who want to turn the spectacular Lake District from a holiday destination into their permanent home. With a budget of £750,000, they are looking for a property with fabulous views and enough space for visiting family. Alistair also takes to the water when he meets a passionate boat builder who restored what is thought to be the oldest passenger ferry in the world.

45 min

17

Rutland

In England’s smallest county, Rutland, a couple from Buckinghamshire with a budget of £500,000 ask Steve Brown and the team to find them a detached property with a garden big enough for a vegetable patch. Continuing the horticultural theme, Steve visits Barnsdale Gardens to see for himself the legacy left by one of the country’s best loved gardeners, the late Geoff Hamilton.

45 min

18

Devon

Sonali Shah is in Devon, accompanying a married couple from Berkshire with an impressive budget of £1,200,000. On today’s property shopping list is a five-bedroom detached property with land where their four children can enjoy the great outdoors. Away from the house hunt, Sonali visits a farm where she discovers that flowers are not the only way to her heart. Edible flowers are too.

45 min

19

Norfolk

A couple from Bedfordshire with a budget of £450,000 need Ginny Buckley’s help in Norfolk to find them the first house they are buying together. They would like a character property with a good-sized garden for some new canine companions. Ginny also heads to Great Yarmouth, where she straps in for a white-knuckle ride on one of the country’s last remaining wooden rollercoasters.

45 min

20

North Yorkshire

Steve Brown showcases some tempting properties to a young couple of keen cyclists who have a budget of £600,000 to make the move from London to the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire. Steve also meets a truly inspirational, award-winning cheese maker from Syria who’s brought a taste of home to the British countryside.

45 min

21

Cornwall

The stakes are high for Jules Hudson as he helps a couple wanting to uproot from Essex to find a modest cottage in Cornwall to call their forever home. The two nurses have a budget of £340,000 for a property with character in a rural location. Jules also heads inland to inspect a plantation of trees normally found down under, and for the first time in his life, he tries an oyster!

45 min

22

Norfolk

Nicki Chapman is in Norfolk with a couple from Northamptonshire who have previously lived and worked all over the world. With a whopping £1 million to spend, the globetrotting pair want a property with the wow factor and spectacular views to boot. On the beach, Nicki helps a local chef to cook a classic dish, using seasonal shellfish from the nearby coast.

45 min

23

Staffordshire

A recently retired couple looking to downsize from their Essex home head to Staffordshire with Sonali Shah hoping to find peace, pubs and a detached home with a view. Sonali also visits a celebrated Victorian pottery that is now a modern-day hub of art, design and training.

45 min

24

North Wales

Two retired police officers with £600,000 explore the breathtaking landscapes of North Wales on a house-hunting expedition with Jules Hudson. The couple want a traditional Welsh home with at least an acre of land. Jules also tests his nerve and takes the plunge when he experiences one of the region’s many extreme water sports.

45 min

25

Wiltshire

Alistair Appleton tempts a newlywed Olympian and his wife to part with up to £525,000 for one of three fabulous properties on offer in wonderful Wiltshire. Away from the house hunt, Alistair’s ball skills are challenged as he tries his hand at the little-known sport of stické tennis.

45 min

26

North West Wales

In the stunning landscapes of north west Wales, Sonali Shah meets a couple from Warwickshire who have a dream of owning a property that would provide them with a home and the ability to offer holiday lets. While in the region, Sonali meets a paddle-boarding campaigner helping to rid the area of plastic pollution.

45 min

27

Cotswolds

In the Cotswolds, Sonali Shah showcases three fabulous properties to a couple from Essex who are hoping their budget of £550,000 will buy them a new home with three bedrooms, one of which could be used as a home office. Sonali also visits a local quarry from which Cotswold stone is supplied for use in new builds and conservation projects.

45 min

28

High Weald

A young, canine-loving couple from Hertfordshire are hoping for a fresh start in a new High Weald home and, with their budget of £600,000, Ginny Buckley has some tempting properties to show them. Away from the houses, Ginny gets to grip picking some of the local grape harvest, before treating herself to a glass of fizz.

45 min

29

Suffolk

Jules Hudson helps a buyer who wants to relocate herself and her dog-grooming business to Suffolk with a budget of £320,000. Jules also takes a step into the past when he meets the team behind an exciting and ambitious project to recreate an Anglo-Saxon longship, the remains of which were unearthed by an amateur archaeologist in the 1930s.

45 min

30

Wiltshire

Ginny Buckley is in Wiltshire with a young couple from London looking for a new home to house them and their 5 guinea pigs. They have £600,000 to spend and would like enough land for some more, somewhat larger animals. Whilst in the county, Ginny also goes on an inland fossil hunt before helping to transform one prehistoric piece into stylish jewellery.

45 min

31

Welsh Borders

Jules Hudson is on home ground in the Welsh Borders as he showcases some tempting houses to a retired couple who have a whopping £1 million to spend. Along with a characterful property, they are after somewhere with holiday-let potential or space for a glamping business. Jules is also in his element when he meets experts in traditional construction methods, who are keeping heritage building skills alive.

45 min

32

Somerset

A young Essex couple need Nicki Chapman’s help to find them a new home in lovely Somerset. They have £725,000 to spend on a property for their growing family, preferably one that has some income potential. Nicki also visits a local farm to sample some homemade specialities made from its crop of an ancient grain, spelt.

45 min

33

Cornwall

Returning home from South Africa, today’s buyer has a budget of £450,000 and heads west to Cornwall with Steve Brown to find a character property that has holiday let potential. Steve also pays a visit to the Newlyn Copper Works and has a bash at transforming the striking reddish metal into a delicate work of art.

45 min

34

Herefordshire

In his treasured home county of Herefordshire, Jules Hudson presents some fabulous, rural properties to a couple from Kent who have a budget of £700,000. Away from the houses, Jules meets two farmers who turn their potato crop into tasty crisps which are sold inside innovative compostable packets.

45 min

35

Somerset

Sonali Shah showcases some superb Somerset properties to a couple who have a budget of £700,000 and want a countryside home where they can upgrade an allotment to their very own back garden veggie patch. Sonali also learns about the potentially perilous Bristol Channel and meets the volunteers who operate two life-saving rescue hovercrafts.

45 min

36

Hampshire

Nicki Chapman is on hand to help an artist find a period property in Hampshire with potential for a painting studio and a garden in which to practise yoga. Away from the property hunt, Nicki visits the South Downs National Park and gets involved in a tree-planting initiative to mark the park’s tenth anniversary.

45 min

37

Devon

A couple wanting to make a new start in Devon enlist Jules Hudson’s house-hunting knowhow to find a detached, family home with a large garden for their two young children and some income potential. Whilst in the county, Jules gets stuck into some woodcraft using nothing but steam to sculpt some impressive interior design pieces.

45 min

38

Shropshire

There’s an urgent need for Alistair Appleton to find today’s buyers a new home in stunning Shropshire, as they have just sold their current house in Essex. For their budget of £375,000, the couple would like a detached property with a big kitchen for baking and a large garden for growing fruit. Alistair also visits a sustainable Shropshire flower farm and attempts to design a wedding bouquet.

45 min

39

Essex

Ginny Buckley meets a couple of Londoners who have a massive £1million to spend on a detached property in the Essex countryside with lots of space for family and friends. On a break from the house tours, Ginny visits a farmer who has found that the county’s unique climate has enabled him to grow a crop usually found much further afield.

45 min

40

Somerset

Sonali Shah helps a married couple who, after 40 years in the same house, are upping sticks to find their ideal rural property in Somerset for a £425k budget. Away from the countryside, Sonali heads for a town high street to visit a shop that is challenging customers to think about their shopping habits in a bid to reduce packaging and food waste.

45 min

41

Surrey

Jonnie Irwin is with a young couple wanting to escape London to build a new life in the Surrey countryside. They're hoping that their great £900,000 budget finds them a large home for their growing family that's close to good schools, with convenient links to the capital. Jonnie also gets to grips with a bat when he joins a local baseball team to try out America's national pastime, which can trace its roots back to the county.

45 min

42

Cotswolds

In the Cotswolds, Nicki Chapman and a couple from Scotland don't need to look too far to find the characterful cottage of their dreams for a £600,000 budget. Whist in the region, Nicki drops in on show jumping legend and double Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton, along with his sons Harry and Dan, who are following in their father's ‘hoof' prints.

45 min

43

Oxfordshire

A musical couple from London need Steve Brown's help to unearth a new home in the Oxfordshire countryside. On the £950,000 shopping list is a detached property with space for a studio and good links to the capital. Away from house hunting, Steve checks out a dairy farm and samples kefir, purportedly an ancient, health giving drink made from fermented milk.

45 min

44

Norfolk

A retired army couple looking to escape busy Bedfordshire enlist Margherita Taylor to help them spend their house hunting budget of £680,000 in the rural wilds of Norfolk. On the wish list are three bedrooms, some land, a potential income and seclusion. Taking a break from the properties, Margherita learns about the world’s most expensive spice, saffron.

45 min

45

Dumfries & Galloway

Sonali Shah visits spectacular Scotland, making her way to Dumfries and Galloway with a married couple from London who are seeking a life-changing move. They’re hoping their £350,000 budget can buy a house for them with enough land for a retreat business. Sonali also visits an ethical dairy farm that has written a brand new rule book when it comes to animal welfare.

45 min

46

Wiltshire and Somerset

Travelling through the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset, Jonnie Irwin helps a pair of early retirees spend their whopping £1.3million budget on an impressive home in the countryside. They are after a characterful and spacious period property with at least four bedrooms and separate studies, but the most vital feature turns out to be sky high ceilings!

45 min

47

Shropshire

With ambitions to start a cookery school in Shropshire, a couple from Hertfordshire get a helping hand from Nicki Chapman to spend £900,000 on a new home for their new life in the country. Getting to know the area and local producers, they all visit a small farm which supplies veggies to local restaurants and cafes.

45 min

48

West Wales

Jules Hudson joins a couple from Cambridgeshire for a packed few days in west Wales, skimming stones, learning Welsh and meeting a chef from France who loves to whip up tasty dishes using locally made mead. Jules even has time to help the couple look for a three-bedroom home with a holiday let or annexe and an acre of land, all for a budget of £425,000.

45 min

49

Cotswolds

Alistair Appleton gets a lesson in feng shui from today’s buyer who is looking to move from Greater London to a country cottage in the picturesque Cotswolds. Alistair also meets a group of artists drawing inspiration from the magnificent trees at Westonbirt Arboretum.

45 min

50

Dumfries and Galloway

In Dumfries and Galloway, Steve Brown helps a house buyer from the Lake District to find a home for her, her husband, their cat and not one but twelve motorcycles. The budget? £350,000 for a detached, rural home with at least a double garage. Whilst there, Steve crashes a wedding and discovers why Gretna Green is the wedding capital of the country.

45 min

51

Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire keeps Nicki Chapman and a couple from London busy visiting a bespoke garden office, a co-housing development and a local florist, in between searching for a new house to entertain in. The young buyers are hopeful their budget of £850,000 will buy them a three-bedroom property with his and hers workspaces.

45 min

52

Cheshire

Jules Hudson is in Cheshire, helping a couple from Liverpool find an open-plan, three-bedroom house. Jules also meets a pampered pooch as well as local legend and internet sensation Jackie Weaver. It's also wild garlic picking season, so there are some tasty, garlicky treats on offer too.

45 min

53

Devon

The bluebells are out in Devon as Sonali Shah helps a young couple search for a new home with enough land to start a glamping business. Along with the properties, they check out a lovely shepherd's hut and a luxury treehouse. Sonali also visits a farm that grows a number of delicious lettuce varieties without using soil.

45 min