Escape To The Country

Now in its 24th series, Escape to the Country is much-loved, aspirational and factual property programme, hosted by a group of knowledgeable and colourful presenters, who provide insight and information with a sprinkling of entertainment, although their prime role is to help prospective house buyers find their dream home in the country.

In each episode, the buyers are taken on a journey of discovery in the form of three to four idyllic country properties, the last being a ‘mystery house’ and, in a bid to help them get a deeper understanding of their chosen local area and community, they are also exposed to local country life, including visits to beautiful towns, iconic British monuments, historic homes, or experiencing traditional rural trades and crafts.

22 – 28 April: Episode 5 – North Devon

Nicki Chapman is house hunting with a creative couple who have £375k to start a new life in rural Devon where they can indulge in their arts and crafts. Whilst in the area Nicki visits a vast collection of military memorabilia and experiences a short journey travelling in a World War 11 tank.

Episode 6 – Herefordshire

Ginny Buckley is house hunting in Herefordshire with a couple who have a budget of £330k and want to move from the coast to the countryside. Ginny also finds out how a mobile cider press is helping locals to turn their own windfall fruit into a tasty tipple.

Episode 7 – North Devon

With a budget of £375k, Ginny Buckley joins in the search for a rural home in North Devon and land for animals is top of the wish list. During her time in the county, Ginny joins the harvest at a traditional Devonshire orchard where over 70 of the country’s heritage apple varieties are grown.

Episode 8 – North Wales

Today’s house hunt is in North Wales where Jules Hudson is helping a pair of returning expats find their ideal country home for a budget of £350k. Whilst in the region, Jules heads out with a local fisherman to gather wild mussels using an ancient method that’s been used on Wales’ northern coast for 200 years.

Episode 9 – Cornwall

Today’s house hunting duo are a couple from Essex who are about to marry one another for the second time! Ginny Buckley is helping them spend their £700k budget to find the perfect home in Cornwall where they can make a fresh start together. Ginny also meets a local artist to find out how he transforms glass ‘jewels’ that are washed up the nearby beaches into works of art.

Episode 10 – Norfolk

Today Sonali Shah is property shopping in Norfolk with a dog and horse loving couple who have a £850,000 budget to find a dream country home with enough land for all their animals. Sonali also visits a unique collection of vintage engines, organs and fairground rides.

Episode 11 – Cambridgeshire

Jules Hudson is property shopping in Cambridgeshire with young newlyweds who have £800k and want to escape London in favour of some space and serenity in the country. During his time in the county, Jules can’t resist the chance to get up close and personal with some iconic aircraft at his favourite museum.

Episode 12 – South Devon

Margherita Taylor has £750k to spend in South Devon as she helps a married couple find their ideal rural home with enough space to house a collection of over 3000 books. Sticking to a literary theme, Margherita visits the beloved home of Agatha Christie for whom the West Country landscape was a constant source of inspiration.

Episode 13 – Cornwall

With a top budget of £560k, Jules Hudson is assisting a retired couple in their bid to move to Cornwall, where they hope to get involved in the local community and volunteer for the National Coastwatch Institution. And, it’s the ideal time to visit, as Jules gets the pick of the bunch in the county that’s the home of the British daffodil.

Episode 14 – Welsh Borders

After tying the knot last year, a super active and self-employed couple now have desires a new rural backdrop for their married life and business. Jules Hudson is helping them find that base in the Welsh Borders, with a budget of £365k. Whilst in the region, Jules also visits a timber-frame manufacturer in Herefordshire who is keeping alive the tradition of heritage properties associated with the area.

Episode 15 – Leicestershire

With a love of entertaining, today’s couple has £450k to find a country home in Leicestershire where they can host family and friends. Alistair Appleton is their guide on the property quest and while in the area, he also meets the Duchess of Rutland who fills him in on an exciting recent discovery at Belvoir Castle.

Episode 16 – East Devon

Nicki Chapman finds herself in the beautiful East Devon countryside with a couple who have £750k to find a more pastoral life and business. Whilst in the county, Nicki goes deep into the woods to meet an artist who transforms fallen timber into beautiful bespoke, winged sculptures.

Episode 17 – West Sussex

Jules Hudson heads to Sussex to help a couple find their first shared home together on a budget of £700k. As well as house hunting, Jules also finds time to meet master craftsmen keeping the county’s traditional trug making heritage alive.

Episode 18 – Cornwall

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Episode 19 – North Wales

Nicki Chapman is tasked with helping a rural property shopper who has £250k to buy her ideal country home in North Wales and has drafted in her best friend for moral support. Along the way, Nicki takes an historic train ride along the beautiful coastline, and meets the volunteer train driver who is helping keep Wales’ railway heritage on track.

Episode 20 – West Sussex

Alistair Appleton goes house hunting with a couple who want their £ 950k budget to buy them a family home in the West Sussex countryside that will give them a better work life balance. While there, Alistair heads to the seaside town of Worthing, and finds out how one of the oldest working cinemas in the country has been saved from redevelopment.

Episode 21 – Dorset

Nicki Chapman is on a property hunting mission in Dorset with a young couple from Surrey who are seeking rural home for their £350k budget. As well as potential houses, Nicki also heads to the southernmost tip of the county when she bravely attempts to scale the limestone cliffs on the Isle of Portland.

Episode 22 – Derbyshire

With a budget of £475k, Alistair Appleton is helping a couple and their young sons to quit London and make a new life and home in Derbyshire. Alistair also spends time with an artisan craftsman who’s bringing back the local skill of knife making.

Episode 23 – Cornwall

Nicki Chapman heads to Cornwall on a property search with a couple who have 750k pounds to realise their dream of starting their married life together near the Cornish coast.

Episode 24 – Dorset

Nicki Chapman helps a happily married house hunting couple who have a £500k budget to buy a slice of romance for their retirement years in the Dorset countryside. Whilst in the county, Nicki finds out more about the historic signs known a “finger posts,” and meets some committed residents who are refurbishing them so they continue to survive as distinctive local landmarks on Dorset’s country lanes.

Episode 25 – Welsh Borders

Margherita Taylor helps a house searching couple who have £500k to make a much yearned for leap to a country life on the Welsh borders. Along the way, Margherita visits Tredegar House, now home to local artists’ studios, and lends a hand making traditional Welsh musical instruments.

Episode 26 – Worcestershire

Jules Hudson is on a house hunting mission in South Worcestershire with a young couple who have just got engaged and are looking for their first joint house purchase with a budget of 300k pounds.

Episode 27 – Gloucestershire

Jules Hudson is helping a self-confessed city-lover to break free from the Big Smoke and find some countryside calm where she can raise her young son. With a budget of £850k, Gloucestershire is the chosen location and little sister is coming along for support. Whilst in the county, Jules also tries his hand at some 19th century building skills within the walls of an abandoned Gothic mansion.

Episode 28 – Buckinghamshire

Alistair Appleton helps a house hunting couple find a country home with their £700k budget and get back to nature in Buckinghamshire. Whilst in the area, Alistair visits an entrepreneurial snail farm which produces high end snail caviar, where he samples this unusual gastronomic delicacy.

Episode 29 – Snowdonia

Jules Hudson heads to Snowdonia with buyer who wants to downsize and move closer to relatives. For a £350k budget, she’s after a new house as well as a new business and has brought her son along to help. Away from the house hunt, Jules joins one man and his dog to learn about shepherding in the region’s protected landscape.

Episode 30 – North Yorkshire

Jonnie Irwin is on a house hunting mission with a couple who have £750k to break away from their London suburb and find a rural family home in North Yorkshire. Whilst in the county, Jonnie learns how to make a traditional wooden walking stick from a craftsman based in the heart of the Yorkshire Moors.

Episode 31 – East Midlands

Sonali Shah is on a mission to help find a country home for £300k in the East Midlands for an eager buyer who has brought along her friendly neighbour for support. While in the region, Sonali pays a visit to an Edwardian house in Worksop, now managed by the National Trust, and steps back in time to learn about everyday life and work in the East Midlands during that era.

Episode 32 – North Yorkshire

Margherita Taylor is in North Yorkshire helping a lady who has £500k to find a country property back in her home county. During her time there, Margherita hits the production line at an organic farm who specialise in seasonal veg and fruit boxes.

Episode 33 – Dorset

Jonnie Irwin is house hunting in Dorset with couple who have a £650k budget to realise their dream of retiring in the country. And Jonnie also gets a real taste of the county when he visits an award winning dairy farm putting the county’s cheeses on the culinary map.

Episode 34 – Rutland

Margherita Taylor is in the country’s smallest county helping a young mother to carve out a new country life for her family with a budget of £450k. And no trip to the county is complete without visiting Rutland Water where Margherita will get a hands-on course in fly fishing to find out what she might catch for dinner.

Episode 35 – Oxfordshire

Jules Hudson is house hunting with couple who have a £500k budget to start a new life in the Oxfordshire countryside, closer to loved ones. Sticking with bricks and mortar, Jules also visits an impressive 17th century Jacobean house where dust and cobwebs play a vital role in its story of survival.

Episode 36 – West Sussex

Nicki Chapman is helping a couple who want to turn their backs on London life, to fulfil their long held dream of a move to the countryside. Armed with a very substantial budget of £1.1m, they’ve set their sights on a new life in West Sussex. Away from the house hunt, Nicki visits one of the county’s greatest architectural gems, Chichester Cathedral, where she tried her hands at ringing the bells.

Episode 37 – Lancashire

Ginny’s house hunting mission is to help a couple of empty nesters with a £600k budget relocate to the Lancashire countryside, putting them healthy distance from their grown up children. Along the way, Ginny heads to the Victorian seaside resort of Blackpool and gets her teeth into the heritage of that popular sweet staple, the stick of rock.

Episode 38 – North Dorset

Ginny is tasked with helping a couple who have £375k to find their “forever home” in the Dorset countryside. While there, Ginny visits the renowned Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy, and takes an exhilarating trip in a traditional sailing vessel.

Episode 39 – North Devon

Sonali Shah heads to the North Devon countryside to help a career minded couple with £950k to spend on a family home and start up a holiday-let business. While in the county, Sonali visits the UK’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve to learn about the long term ambitions to connect people and nature, and efforts to conserve one of the most fragile grassland areas in the South West.

Episode 40 – Shropshire

Margherita Taylor is property hunting in Shropshire with a couple of keen gardeners who want their £425k to buy them a country home with ample space for them and their hot tub. While in the county, Margherita samples some of Shropshire’s pioneering local produce at Chadwell Park Farm, which has successfully turned its hand to making vegetable juices from its salad crops.

Episode 41 – North Cornwall

Ginny Buckley is on a house hunting mission to help a couple with a £525k budget find a country home in North Cornwall to retire to. Along the way, Ginny visits the annual Royal Cornwall Show, which has showcased the county’s heritage for over 220 years. While there, Ginny samples the traditional nettle covered Yarg cheese, and sees if a very rare breed of sheep manages to win a “best in class” rosette.

Episode 42 – South Wales

Today, Jonnie Irwin is house hunting in the South Wales countryside with an itinerant couple who have £600k to find a rural retreat close to their growing grandchildren. While in the area, Jonnie heads to the south coast of Monmouthshire, and tries his hand at catching a salmon using the rare art of lave net fishing, a traditional skill which stretches back 400 years.

Episode 43 – Yorkshire

Sonali Shah heads to Yorkshire to help a couple of retired teachers with a £450k budget find a country home and finally return to their family roots. Along the way, Sonali meets a young Dales farmer who is using his dairy herd to produce Icelandic inspired Skyr yoghurt.

Episode 44 – Yorkshire Dales

Nicki Chapman is on a house hunting mission in the Yorkshire Dales with a pair of brothers, one of whom wants his £500k budget to furnish him with a country home in rural isolation. Whilst in the area, Nicki joins the Dales Park Rangers and helps them on their everyday rounds as well, as learning about the growing popularity of geocaching with walkers.

Episode 45 – Somerset

Today Sonali Shah is in rural Somerset, helping a retired teacher return to her West Country roots and find her country home with a £385k budget. While in the county, Sonali visits a local farm which has diversified into lavender growing. With the fields in full bloom, Sonali sees how the crop is harvested, and has a chance to try her hand at making traditional lavender products.