Property: Money isn't always the property answer as couple with £1.5m budget found in the Peak District

That was the dilemma for a couple on Tv’s Escape to the Country as they toured three amazing homes in an effort to move to the Peak District and be near their family.

Mike and Carol, who have lived abroad for 30 years, wanted a home that was near a golf course, could accommodate their frail mums, who are in their 90s, had a large kitchen and separate dining room and three or four bedrooms.

And when you’ve got their kind of budget, that sounds possible. But not them.

Their search took them firstly to a five-bedroom 18th century stone-built property with 15 acres of garden in Kettleshulme, Cheshire, which was within 15 minutes of three golf courses.

The next property they viewed was a 1970s lakeside house in Marple Bridge which had been remodelled with an open-plan layout and was on the market for £1.3million.

Lastly, they visited the ‘mystery house’ which was a four-bedroom converted farmhouse with detached studio/office in Wheston, a mile away from Tideswell, which had a price tag of £895,000.

None of the properties swayed Mike and Carol into a definite ‘yes’ but they did say that they would give the Kettleshulme house a second look.

That’s very big of them.

Perhaps it was their need to house an 800 bottle collection of wine which proved troublesome. At least when they visited Renishaw Hall they sampled the wine produced there.

It just shows that money isn’t the answer to everything and perhaps when you’ve got so much you get spoilt by choice. Or just spoilt. The couple’s lack of decision is no reflection on the Peak District, it’s more a case of an Escape to the Country getting clouded by cash.

Programme presenter Jules Hudson commented: “It’s the biggest budget I’ve ever had to play with on this show.”

Which proves size isn’t everything and perhaps this couple would do better to look beyond the golf course and wine cellar to focus on what they were originally trying to do – put family first.