My 2c - Also consider something like a Surly Bridge Club. Yes it's slower but you'll go down paths and tracks which would be very uncomfortable at best on a fully-loaded road tourer. If you've got time to properly explore then this adds to your options on the hoof. There was an unmarked used one on eBay recently for £900ono. It seems to have gone but even new these are inside your upper price range.
There are a few threads on here which cover this:
https://www.lfgss.com/microcosms/512/
My 2c - Also consider something like a Surly Bridge Club. Yes it's slower but you'll go down paths and tracks which would be very uncomfortable at best on a fully-loaded road tourer. If you've got time to properly explore then this adds to your options on the hoof. There was an unmarked used one on eBay recently for £900ono. It seems to have gone but even new these are inside your upper price range.