Cotic should be releasing a new Escapade at the end of the year with thru-axle. The current version of it has too many compromises with the main being the rear QR axle while the fork is TA.
Cotic as a whole makes some of the best steel MTB frames. The solaris is a fantastic frame with a killer price for a Reynolds 853 frame. There are lots of steel frame makers in the UK with high quality stuff. Steel frames as a whole are super popular in EU.