Cambridgeshire Escape to the Country

Stretching across the River Ouse, this bridge behind me

is a superb example of a very rare kind of structure - a bridge chapel.

But, which county is it in? We'll find out in just a moment.

In today's show,

we help a newly retired couple head to the country, after 30 years,

and one of our properties almost has them in tears.

-You seem quite emotional.

-I am.

I am, actually, cos I kept thinking, "They won't find anything we want."

But the mystery house makes them smile.

I could hug you!

-Go on, then!

-Really?

-Yeah!

Today, I'm in Cambridgeshire,

and this is the Chapel of St Leger in St Ives.

Built around 1420, it's one of only six such bridge chapels

in the UK, but back in medieval times they were relatively common,

serving as toll houses and giving travellers a place to pray.

Nowadays, the travellers keep coming,

because every bank holiday,

crowds of people gather to observe a tradition

that's been running for almost 1,000 years - the St Ives street market.

But bridges and traditions aren't the only thing that this area

has going for it.

Lying to the east of England,

Cambridgeshire is home to some 600,000 people,

and is dominated by low-lying fenland.

Historically, this was flat, wild, marshland,

which has given rise to small island towns

such as Chatteris and Whittlesey.

14 miles north of the university city of Cambridge, is Ely,

whose grand Norman cathedral opened in 1189 after 160 years of planning.

It's known as the Ship of the Fens,

a name inspired by the distant views of its towers.

After the 17th century church Reformation,

a large percentage of fenland that previously belonged to

the church was sold, and reclaimed for crops such as wheat and corn,

and evidence of this agricultural history is still apparent

in the many surviving windmills that continue to dart the landscape.

The average price for a detached property here in Cambridge

is just over £260,000.

That's around £6,000 above the national figure.

Now, the majority of the county's residents live in the south,

and villages like Trumpington and Great Shelford

are in high demand, due in no small part to their proximity to Cambridge.

Obviously, the town itself has its world-famous university,

but maybe more importantly, it has excellent transport links to London.

So it should be no surprise that the closer you get to Cambridge,

the higher the property values,

where a detached property there can cost you upwards of £400,000.

Here's a selection of properties that we found

currently on the market.

For £395,000, you could be the owner of this four-bedroom

thatched cottage in West Wycombe.

Dating back to the 17th century and grade two listed,

it offers characterful reception rooms,

with a feature fireplace and secluded rear gardens.

This four-bedroom detached house in Burwell

is on the market for £650,000.

Built in 1997, the house combines character with modern living.

Its features include exposed timbers,

and a brick inglenook fireplace.

And for a budget-busting £800,000, you could be living in this

grand five-bedroom Edwardian property in Ramsey.

Built in 1906, it boasts typically spacious rooms, sash windows

and an acre of well-manicured garden.

A lovely selection of properties there.

Time to meet today's buyers

and find out why they're ready to escape to the country.

Phil and Anne have spent almost 30 years

in their three-bedroom house in Luton, Bedfordshire.

But now they've both stopped working,

they're looking to make a change.

We've decided now is the best time to move.

It's really because our children, they're grown-up,

they've actually moved away, and we're both now retired,

so we don't need the town for work.

It's just the time to go.

We've got the energy and the enthusiasm to move

and to start again, haven't we?

-Yeah, hope so!

-We hope so!

And if we, I think, really, if we don't move now

there's a real danger, because we do love the house, that we won't move.

It would be nice, as we always say, to lift this house up

and take it into a different location.

That would be brilliant.

Well, we can't promise that, but as their daughter and grandson live just a county away,

luckily they've got a definite idea where they'll be heading.

We're looking to move up to the St Ives area in Cambridgeshire,

because we've seen quite a lot of that since our daughter moved up seven years ago.

It's close enough within striking distance of here

and all our roots and our friends and our relations down this end.

And also, we like the east coast as well,

-which is also within spitting distance.

-Yeah.

I think, really, we'd like to live in a village with the local amenities -

shop, bus stop, those sort of things,

and to feel part of a community, really. That would be ideal.

Once they move, there's a number of changes they're planning to make to their lifestyle.

I've always enjoyed swimming. I used to swim regularly before work.

Erm, not so much now, but if the opportunity occurs...

My grandson loves the water,

so I'm sure I shall be in the water at some time with him.

And I walk the dog. I enjoy walking the dog.

I do a three-mile round trip every morning with her.

I spend quite a lot of time playing the piano, and more so since I've been retired.

So we must have space in the new property for the piano

and also, so we don't upset the neighbours, as well, with the row.

With the music!

So apart from neighbours who can handle a bit of a din, I mean, music,

there's range of other criteria that are in tune with their wishlist.

We're looking for a secluded garden, and not too big,

not necessarily any bigger than the one we have.

And we've sort of more or less come to this decision

-it's a minimum of three bedrooms.

-Yeah.

And the kitchen, I love my kitchen, but I've always thought it'd be nice

to be able to sit at a table with a coffee and read the paper.

-The kitchen may be a bit bigger than the one we've got.

-Yeah.

And we do also need a garage for the car and the do-it-yourself.

With all that in mind, the budget is all-important.

If the property ticks all our boxes, we will pay £350,000.

For our search, we'll be concentrating on the area

within a 15 mile radius of St Ives, where their daughter lives.

We'll tempt them with three irresistible properties,

but, as always, I'll hold back on revealing the price until they've had a guess first.

Our final property is, of course, the mystery house,

which could well have them singing its praises.

So why are you making this big move now?

-It's the right thing to do for us, now.

-Yeah, yeah.

And where we are, we've got friends,

but friends are sort of around the area, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire,

we've got friends in Lincoln.

So where do you want to be? I mean, St Ives is wonderful.

-It's not exactly cheap!

-No, no, we do realise that,

and I think there is a danger of following your children

and living next door, and I'm not sure that that would be right,

because they have their lives, we have our lives,

so it's actually that nice balance.

So how close or how far away do you need to be? Have you got a radius?

Far enough that we're not automatic babysitters!

That sounds like Hastings, to me!

No, we don't mind it, in all fairness, we don't mind that at all.

And preferably, I mean, getting even more specific,

we'd rather be slightly south of St Ives than north,

because we are getting further away from our friends

-and relations who are down south.

-And our son.

-Yeah. Yes.

-Well, I think, I think...

-You'll ask the question?

Yeah, I've asked the question,

and I think a lot of it is going to be price versus desirability.

-Yeah.

-And there's going to be a trade-off, isn't there?

-Yeah, course it is. Always is.

-OK, well, let's see how we get on.

So, for a maximum budget of £350,000,

Phil and Anne's must-haves are three bedrooms,

a large kitchen for entertaining, a manageable garden,

and somewhere to keep Phil's piano.

For our first property,

we've come to the ancient village of Gamlingay, close to

the border with Bedfordshire, and on a direct route to St Ives.

Home to around 3,500 people, Gamlingay is steeped in history,

and has many listed buildings, such as the church,

which was constructed from locally quarried stone.

The house we'll be looking at is a modern property, built around eight years ago.

-What do you think of this house here, then?

-Wow!

-Oh, that's pretty!

-It's got some character, hasn't it?

-Yeah, yeah, it has, definitely.

-Very nice!

-Yeah, it's very pretty.

I love the wooden beams down the side of the door. That's lovely.

-Yeah, it's like a porch, isn't it, really?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, very tasteful.

Now, location wise, I think this village

is almost the perfect village for you guys.

It's, you know, the right distance away from your family,

but you've got here, two pubs, a local shop,

a supermarket, a butcher's, a baker's, you got a pharmacy,

and a doctor's, plus it's on a bus route.

Brilliant! Everything that we would have asked for.

-It is, isn't it, really?

-It is, definitely.

Maybe I've peaked too early! Let's look inside.

'The location's right and the front of the house looks good.'

'Let's hope the inside will give us three our of three.' So come on in.

-Oh!

-This is very nice!

-Do you like it?

-That's lovely, yeah.

And it's got a really warm feeling, but it's spacious.

-And it's totally different to what I had in mind.

-Yeah.

All right, well, there's a definite flow to this, cos, obviously,

-it goes right into the kitchen, which is rather nice.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Oh!

-Yeah, it's nice.

-Well, this is good, isn't it?

-Yes, I love it!

I mean, that's just, yeah... And it's not too big.

You know, you're not walking miles,

but you've got all that lovely contact with, you know, downstairs.

Obviously, it's all very open plan at the moment,

but you can shut this room off,

-which I think you'll want to do in the winter.

-Yeah.

-What do you think of it?

-It's cosy.

Yeah, nice size room.

-But not cosy, too small. This is cosy, comfortable cosy.

-Yeah.

Love the fireplace.

That fireplace, I feel like it should dwarf the room,

-but it doesn't. Maybe cos it's recessed.

-Yeah, yeah.

-It's a lovely feature.

-Yeah.

A natural feature. Doesn't look too fussy, and it looks practical.

-And it's nice and bright, nice and light.

-Yeah.

These are all benefits! Can you see any concerns at the moment?

-I'm looking at the piano...

-Or, rather, lack of...

..and wondering where that might go.

But it's a small detail at this stage.

Well, it's a big part of your life, I know. I mean, at the moment,

I was thinking, maybe, behind that door or somewhere

in the dining room. But depending on how strong you're feeling,

maybe there's another room in the house you could put it.

'Provided he can get it upstairs, Phil's piano could go in'

one of the two good-sized spare bedrooms,

one of which is currently used as a study.

There's also a family bathroom up here,

but we're heading to where Phil and Anne could sleep.

-Master bedroom. En suite.

-Right.

-That's nice.

-What do you think?

Good-size room! Yeah, it is. Built in wardrobe.

There's room for a dressing table as well, away from the window.

-Erm, bedside tables, I mean, that's all we need!

-Yeah, I like it.

-I like it, yeah.

-This is really good!

-Yeah, I do!

-Yeah. Don't know what else to say!

-You know what I find really interesting here?

And this is really encouraging for me, is the fact that I know you've

lived in your house for 30-odd years.

-This is very different for you, but you like it.

-We do.

But you see, we've never really looked out.

Well, you're looking out in some style now!

We're looking out now, and it's interesting to see what is on offer.

'Well, there's plenty on offer outside with regards to the view,

'however, all is not as it seems.'

-Lovely outlook, isn't it?

-Isn't that beautiful?

-That's super.

-Never even talked about a view.

That is lovely.

-Let's talk dimensions then.

-But...

-But?

It's not very...

It's not quite the garden we were looking for, to be honest.

I was tempted to not say anything, but I am here to help you,

and there is no garage here.

No, that's what we're looking at.

There's the opportunity here, I think, to put something to the side.

-Would we be allowed?

-You'd need to check with your local planners...

-Yeah.

-..but other properties do have them here.

-There's plenty of room at the side. Definitely.

-Now, can you make the garden work?

We can make the garden work, and I think, south-facing,

looking at a meadow, that is just a bonus.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-It is nice.

And there's another bonus to this house just a short distance away.

This place could be ideal for Anne to take her dog

on those long walks.

Now, every owner of a house on this exclusive development gets

a key to this gate, which gives you direct access to a public footpath.

-So it's dog-walking paradise!

-Yeah!

-Right on your door step.

-Fabulous.

So...

-Oh, wow!

-You seem quite emotional!

I am. I am, actually, cos I kept thinking,

"They won't find anything we want."

I really had that feeling that we were just sort of, perhaps,

being, I don't know, so defensive in a way.

-Right, OK.

-Do you know what I mean?

-Yeah, yeah.

-We're defensive of what we've got, what we've had,

but that is just amazing, isn't it? It is amazing.

Well, who wants to go first at trying to price this house?

Oh, it's got to be top of our bracket, hasn't it?

-I'd have thought so.

-Yeah. I'd have said, 360?

-360.

-Phil?

-345.

Oh, he's looking for a deal! Well, not a bad guess.

-It's on the market for offers around £350,000.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-So look...

-I'm staggered.

-It's a very short walk to the house.

Go back to the house. Have a look around the house.

-I'll catch you later on.

-All right, thank you.

-See you in a bit.

-Yeah, lovely.

Hitting their maximum budget of £350,000,

this property delivers on many of Phil and Anne's demands.

It has three bedrooms, enough space for the family to stay.

A study which could be used to house that piano.

A big kitchen for entertaining,

and a low-maintenance garden with room to build a garage.

This is a beautiful house. It has everything we would want.

The space, the smooth lines... everything beautiful for the family.

But I think the thing that just blew me away was the meadow.

That was stunning.

I think the house is certainly nothing like we expected it to be. It's really attractive.

The room sizes downstairs are probably just spot on for what we're looking for.

-All done inside?

-Yes, thank you.

-Plenty of time to discuss things?

-Yeah, we discussed it all.

-Excellent. All right then, onto the next one.

-Lovely.

Earlier in the week, we found somewhere for keen swimmer Anne

to indulge in her favourite hobby in a unique way.

We sent her and Phil to the South Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester.

Set on the River Granta, it once provided the backdrop

to a set of literary friends known as the Grantchester Group.

They were led by the poet, Rupert Brooke,

renowned for his war poems such as 'The Soldier' and 'The Dead'.

Brooke was a lodger at the Orchard tea rooms in 1909,

and now has a museum dedicated to to his memory here.

One of the group's favourite activities, apart from taking tea,

was going for a dip in the wild open water of the river.

And that's what Anne is having a go at today.

Open water swimming instructor Ed Williams is about to give her her first lesson in wild swimming.

-Hello.

-I'm Ed.

-I'm Anne.

-Anne.

-I'm Phil.

-Hello, Phil.

I'll be teaching you open water swimming.

I teach swimming pretty much six days a week.

And open water is great fun. I'll teach you exactly how to do it, all the things to avoid,

all the things that will help you in the water,

the safety elements of it as well, which are very important.

-So when you're ready, shall we go and get changed?

-I'm looking forward to it!

In the early 1900s, Britain was awash with lidos and outdoor swimming clubs.

But the trend died off with the emergence of indoor pools.

However, the urge to reconnect with our surroundings is on the increase.

Founded in 2006, the Outdoor Swimming Society

is a 4,000-strong organisation of wild swimmers,

which aims to encourage people to swim safely in a variety of rivers, lakes and the sea.

-How are you temperature-wise, Anne?

-I'm getting cooler.

One of the important things about open water swimming, keep moving,

and keep under the water where possible.

-The more continuously you swim, the warmer you'll be.

-Right, OK.

Technically, the faster you swim, the warmer you'll be, the muscles keep moving.

-Yeah, OK.

-Shall we have a go?

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

Choosing where to swim relies more on common sense than set guidelines.

But there are some general rules you should follow.

Beware of tidal conditions. And if there's been a lot of rain, watch out for strong currents.

You should also check that there are suitable entry and exit points to where you're swimming.

And as a beginner, never swim alone.

The River Granta is the historic name of the River Cam,

which had its name changed in Norman times

when the city it flows through first became known as Cambridge.

It's is only upstream here in Grantchester

that its original name has been retained.

-What's it like in there?

-It's lovely.

-Beautiful!

LAUGHTER

-A bit chilly.

-A bit chilly. It's OK once you're out!

So what better way to finish their journey than with a cream tea

in Grantchester's famous English tea room.

-Back in the river after this?

-No. No, that's it for today.

-But I shall do it again.

-I'll do a bit more watching as well!

Will you?!

Meanwhile, back on dry land, the search for their perfect Cambridgeshire home continues.

We've travelled just over five miles west of St Ives

to the pretty village of Upton, which has numerous thatched homes

and a convenient local pub.

And house number two has something in common with our first property,

in that it was built just eight years ago.

-What are your thoughts?

-Well, it's quite similar in style to the previous property.

I think the timber at the front porch.

-And the rendered facade.

-Yeah. And the three windows.

-And actually, I do like the entrance. I rather like that.

-Good.

-It's almost chapel-like.

-Yes, maybe.

-But I quite like that.

-OK.

-Nice entrance.

-Let's look inside.

-OK.

The outside seems to have impressed them.

And I've got a feeling the space inside will be just what they're looking for.

So in you come.

-Nice big reception hall, isn't it?

-Mm, it's lovely. Yeah.

-That is nice. I like the staircase.

-Very nice.

And it actually sort of sets the scenery, doesn't it?

Picking up on what you said in the first house, you said the downstairs the most important part to you.

You have got loads of space here. You've got one reception room there, which we'll look at in a moment.

You've got another room here, you've got one there,

-which could be something else. I know you like the kitchen.

-Yeah.

-Take a look at this beauty.

-Oh my goodness!

Oh! That's lovely, isn't it?

-That's a beautiful kitchen.

-Yeah.

-And the hub of the house in a way.

This is where it all happens, really.

-Just through there, at the moment that's an office. They use the front room as a dining room.

-Yeah.

But just off here, I thought that would make a great dining room.

Well, it lends itself to that, really. And practically it does.

Wow! It's... it's much more magnificent than I'd thought of.

These are the kitchens other people have.

-Often who don't cook!

-Wow! Well!

-Yeah.

-So happy so far?

-Oh, that's amazing.

Well, it looks like I've found Anne's dream kitchen.

Let's see if she and Phil feel at home in the sitting room.

Is this where you'll keep the piano, knowing you've got loads of reception rooms?

We tend not to keep the piano in the lounge.

-You've got choices here.

-Oh, so many.

I know you don't want to be rattling around the house.

I don't think you would feel like you were.

No, cos they're all quite cosy.

And it's so interesting,

cos the house has got the character of a much older property, hasn't it?

-It has.

-The skirting boards,

-just the...

-Chimney breast.

-Yeah.

Everything has that feeling that it could have been here much longer.

I'm very happy with your reactions, because at the start,

you seemed a little quieter, but you seem to be warming up to it.

-It's a nice house.

-Yeah, it's just getting into it, isn't it?

-That impact from the outside is not the same as the last one.

-No.

-The impact.

-No. Sure.

But once you come through the door, it's a different world.

Well, I'm here to make your decisions hard. In a good way.

-Right?

-All right.

-Let's go and have a look at the bedrooms, shall we?

-OK.

On the first floor, there are two spare bedrooms

and a family bathroom.

But we're having a look at what could be their room.

This master has its own en suite. Doorway's just through there.

-Good size, though, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's better than good, really.

Plenty of storage, plenty of space around.

That's excellent for a master bedroom.

-This is further away from your friends, of course.

-Yes.

North of your radius, if you like.

A bit further away from your family, I suppose, as well,

but you've got real room to put them up.

-Lovely big rooms.

-Yeah.

-Good.

Let's get outside, have a look at the garden -

gardens are make or break at the moment, aren't they?

-They are, really.

-See what you think of that.

Outside, there are fantastic views of the surrounding fields

and a Mediterranean-style garden,

which shouldn't prove too much work to maintain.

Now, different areas for this garden, I suppose.

What do you think you'd want to do with this garden? Is it big enough?

-I wish I hadn't asked that now!

-No!

Oh! I'll have to think...

-I mean, it's not an unrealistic size, and we could make it something.

-Yeah.

OK. Well, look,

let's try and price it.

-Who wants to go first?

-320.

-320? Straight in! OK.

I would go a bit more, you see. 340, I think, I'll go this time.

It's yours.

Pulled it back! It's yours(!)

-It's on the market for offers in excess of £350,000.

-Oh, right. OK.

But your offer of 320 speaks volumes in how you've reacted to this house

as against the first house.

Why is that?

Mainly based on its isolation in terms of the amenities.

The house is tremendous inside in terms of space.

Both of you had fantastic reactions inside the house.

-But it's the whole package we're after.

-That's right.

So go back inside the house,

have a good look around and I'll catch you later on.

-All right.

-OK? See you in a bit.

-OK.

Priced at the top end of their budget,

this property gives them everything they need.

It has a huge amount of living space downstairs,

so they'll be spoilt for choice

about where to put the piano,

a big kitchen for entertaining,

four bedrooms -

enough for all of the family to stay -

a reasonably-sized garden,

and a garage for Phil's DIY projects.

A smashing house in terms of its architectural design.

Some of the detailing around the joinery etc really give it

a traditional feel.

Very well-proportioned rooms.

This house is very different to the previous house we looked at.

It has been so beautifully designed, with great thought.

I can't really fault it other than, for us, it's big. Very big.

-Happy? All done?

-Happy. All done.

-A few more rooms to look around this time?

-Oh, definitely.

-Much bigger place.

-Yeah, it is.

Hopefully something to think about tonight.

-More to think about than the other one, I think.

-Really? The plot thickens!

Let's go.

As the evening draws in over the Cambridgeshire countryside,

it marks the end of day one of our property search.

Retired couple Phil and Anne are looking to move from Bedfordshire

over the boarder to Cambridgeshire, to be closer to their daughter.

The houses so far have certainly impressed them,

but still to come, the mystery property leaves them speechless.

Wow! Oh...!

And I find out about the Polish ponies who are proving

invaluable to the fence.

St Ives is obviously your key location and you've got

-a radius around that.

-Yeah.

If your children and grandchildren weren't in St Ives,

where would you like to be, do you think?

Well, the east side of the country is our favourite, really.

Is it? Why's that?

My parents lived in Norfolk, and as a child, we came to Norfolk

every year for a holiday, always up to the north Norfolk coast.

I love it. I love it for its ruggedness, as much as anything.

OK, that's interesting.

Well, that's good,

as we're headed for the east coast for our third property.

We're travelling over the boarder into Norfolk,

around 25 miles north of St Ives, just outside their search area.

The mystery house is a magnificent converted chapel,

situated a little off the beaten track near the tiny Fenland village

of Terrington, St John.

Now, we are, I admit, around an hour away form your target area

around St Ives, which is the big gamble that we've made.

-Right.

-And we've made that gamble because...we found this.

-Which is quite something, isn't it?

-What is it?

-It's a chapel.

-It's a chapel, is it?

-Yeah! 1870?

-Yep.

-My mum would have loved this.

-Would she?

-Yeah, she would.

It's amazing. It is amazing. That's fantastic.

I'm intrigued to see what they've done.

The inside is even more spectacular

than the exterior, so I think they're going to find it quite

breathtaking once they step through the door.

So, in we come.

-Wow! Oh! Goodness!

-They've done a lot of work in here, haven't they?

-Goodness!

-They've done a lot of work.

Come right in. You've got two reception rooms, or two bedrooms,

but walk to here and it opens up.

Oh, that's lovely! Oh, my goodness!

Is that what you were expecting?

No. I don't know what I expected, really.

Actually, most probably I was thinking it would be more wood,

-lots of wood.

-There's a Mediterranean feel, it feels...

-Yes, very much.

And I think the light is the thing. Just the detail.

It's quite an exciting house. You just want to keep looking.

Well, let's keep looking around.

I think you will enjoy this house. Follow me.

I'll let them discover the kitchen for themselves later on,

but I'm interested in seeing what they think of the sitting-room.

Oh, isn't that...? I don't want to say the word nice.

-That's very interesting.

-Very clever.

Nice, cosy place to sit, read the paper, have coffee.

I like the way they've set it out -

you can see that it can be lived in really comfortably.

Lots of clever architectural design gone into this.

Lots of sympathetic design.

It's certainly different.

If you like different, wait till you see upstairs.

The upstairs really makes the most

of the original feature windows of this converted chapel.

The use of the huge amount of space is phenomenal. I can't wait to see their reaction.

I'm going to look down and then look up.

My goodness!

SHE SIGHS It's just amazing!

isn't that fabulous?

And this must be original flooring?

These floorboards are from downstairs, they've been brought up.

That area, they call that the day area. The daybed.

-It doesn't have to be a formal bedroom.

-Yes, lounge-y.

I mean, it'd be a shame if you did it... Oh, she's off, look.

-Oh, sorry!

-It's all right.

You could always put stud partition walls up there.

But if you look at how you'd have this as your house practically,

you only want a three-bedroom house.

You've got two bedrooms downstairs, you can keep that as it is.

-What a treat.

-Yes, it's lovely.

That is so lovely.

-I've never seen anything like it.

-Let me show you the master bedroom.

That's more normal, if you like,

-but I still think it's a lovely room.

-Right, OK.

So, master bedroom.

-That's cosy.

-Yeah, it's not a bad size,

but compared to the rest of the house, it is cosy!

It's cosy, but it's not too small.

You've still got space either side and space to walk in. So it's not...

-Is that storage in there?

-Storage space going into the eaves that way.

-There's some that way. There's an ensuite that side.

-Yeah, I like it.

Again, I like it.

And it doesn't look as if it's something that you couldn't maintain.

You've been very vocal in this house.

You've always been the heart.

Phil, you are the head. Now, I know you're impressed by the design.

-I am.

-But let's talk about this as a home for you guys.

Is it, could it be?

I'm sure it could be for Anne.

So while Anne seems to have lost her heart to this house,

Phil is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

Maybe the gardens will help swing their decision.

Come right round to see the garden properly.

Probably needs cutting back a little bit, to your taste.

-But plenty of beds.

-Yeah, plenty of space.

-Good size?

-It is a good size, actually, for what we...

-It's wide

and although it's not that deep...

-it's medium width and, overall, it's a good-sized area.

-Yes, it is.

Now's the difficult time for you because you've got to price it.

It's quite a bit out of your target area.

It's a new area, let's face it.

How much do you think it's on the market for?

I don't think we can afford it.

-375. I think...

-Yeah.

-£375,000.

£375,000.

£375,000.

OK, well...

I would have gone with Phil, really.

-I think it's out of our bracket, 375.

-Well, it's on the market

-for £325,000.

-No!

-Is it?

-Yeah.

I could hug you!

Go on, then.

I can't believe that!

-Can you believe that?

-No.

Difference in opinion here -

there's practicality here and the heart, the emotional side, here.

It's something you guys have got to go and do now.

Go and have a look around the house, have a good natter,

and when we go away from here, you need to have a good chat as well.

But go and have a peek at the kitchen. It's...

-I like it, let's see if you do.

-All right.

All right, then, catch you in a bit.

This has certainly set the cat well amongst the pigeons.

Yes, of course, it's way outside their target area.

I was very unsure myself when I pulled up outside.

But when you walk around this house,

and I hope this comes across through the camera lens,

it is somewhere quite special.

It's homely, it's design-led and it's like nothing I've seen before.

Well within their budget at £325,000,

this superbly characterful property has everything they want and more.

Oh, this house is absolutely amazing.

The fact that we've moved over the border to Norfolk is,

you know...

further than we'd anticipated coming,

but I think you would come to live somewhere like this.

-It's different, innit?

-Yes, again, very practical.

Yeah, very clean lines.

There is a difference of opinion

between Anna and myself over this property.

She can see the romance of the place and has visions of us living here.

I'm more conventional in my aspirations and do find it difficult

to see myself living here. She may well talk me round

to her way of thinking, which she often does.

I thought there might be an argument in there.

We all got on well in that house, but I sense a difference of opinion.

Let's find out, let's have a chat.

Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is one of the few natural wetlands

left in Britain and one of Europe's most important areas of its type,

supporting an abundance of wildlife. But it's currently too small

to provide a sustainable home for many of them.

To help rare species become established,

they need more space to expand their territories

and they need the right sort of habitat to help them thrive.

Wicken Fen has been owned by the National Trust since 1899,

but over recent years, there has been a unique project known as the Wicken Fen Vision,

an ambitious conservation venture aimed at opening up new areas of land to explore.

I'm meeting Carol Laidlaw to find out more.

Essentially, it's a 100-year plan

to create a 5,300-hectare nature reserve,

stretching from Wicken Fen, the old fen, from there,

-all the way down to Cambridge.

-That's huge.

-It is.

Wicken Fen is a tiny, tiny remnant of what used to be a very wide fen

that used to cover most of East Anglia.

East Anglia used to be covered in 99.9% of fenland.

Now, it's less than 0.1%.

Wicken Fen is just a tiny section of that. It's just preserving

and giving the tiny little fragment we've got left

a chance to breathe and a chance, possibly,

to expand onto new land as we slowly increase the size of the reserve.

-This scheme has been going for how long?

-10 years now.

-10 years.

-And it's a 100-year scheme?

-Yes.

What's happened over the last 10 years?

Essentially, we've managed to double in size.

How have you done that?

-Have you been gifted land, have you bought it?

-We've bought it.

Yes, we've been able to buy land. As local farmers have decided

they're finding it too difficult to farm this area

or they want to move on to somewhere else, the land has come up for sale

and we've been in the fortunate position to be able to buy it.

The fenland is maintained by some very unusual landscape engineers,

ones with four legs to be precise.

These are grazing herds of an exotic breed called the Konik pony.

-There's a lot of them. How many have you got?

-49.

First obvious question, where do they come from?

They are an Eastern European breed of horse. They come from Poland,

that's their origin.

Why these, why not a normal pony or even Shetlands?

These guys are the best suited for the job that we want them to do.

We do get asked a lot, "Why don't you use one of the British natives?"

And the simple answer is that they're all heathland and upland specialists.

That's what they've adapted to be.

The Konik, which means horse in Polish, is a short, stocky breed

that's ideally suited to all-year-round wetland grazing.

It's a close relative of the Tarpan,

a wild horse that lived in prehistoric time and became extinct in the early 20th century.

If you just look to the small group over there, to our right,

-see the tiny little foal just fresh born this morning?

-Just this morning?

Nature always amazes me.

-Just how quickly newborns are up and about.

-Yes.

-Within 30 minutes.

-They're obviously a very hardy species.

-Yes.

-Is that one of the reasons why you chose the Konik pony?

-Very definitely.

-Look at this pair here.

Yes, just squaring off to each other.

All part of the social interaction we get with these groups.

-What exactly is their role here?

-Through their social interactions

and their behaviour and the fact they move around as a herd

and the way they use the land, they will help,

along with the Highland cattle, to create a mosaic of habitats.

There'll be short-grazed lawns, medium-length grasses,

up to scrub and woodland in the end.

Because of the way they move around and use the land,

this will slowly shift over time.

So the mosaics will change.

Not in human terms in five or ten years, but possibly over a longer term,

we will get the gradual change in the landscape

-and that is the key thing for us.

-I see.

'With the help of the Konik ponies in reshaping the fen landscape,

'the National Trust aims to make this area of Cambridge

'grow into an exceptional place to sustain wildlife.'

A unique UK landscape. And those Konik ponies are quite something.

It's now time to meet up with Phil and Anne again

and find out their thoughts on the three properties we've shown them.

-So, how have you enjoyed the whole process?

-Really enjoyed it.

-Yes, it's been fabulous.

-Let's start at the beginning.

The first property,

-were you expecting to see a house of that type?

-No.

-We weren't.

-Not at all. The open plan was a surprise and I like that.

The back garden was south facing, albeit small, but the meadow behind was yummy.

-All our asks, I think, were there, apart from the garage.

-Yeah.

In the afternoon, we looked at a similarly aged house.

It was almost like our house at the moment,

but bigger. Much bigger.

It was probably too big for us, just the two of us,

with occasional visitors. But wouldn't have been too big

10 or 15 years ago.

It would've been an ideal size.

And then came the mystery house.

It was a massive gamble taking you that far out,

but when we got to the destination,

we were met with quite a different property, weren't we?

-Amazing.

-Different, yes.

-In every way.

-It took us totally by surprise.

It was a very well designed property.

A lot of vision had gone into it.

And I love the use of the original oak floorboards.

The parts of the chapel

that they had actually integrated into the building were just...

Well, it was just amazing.

I've only given you a small amount of time

to think things over, have you been able to come to any decision on what your favourite house might be?

Mine is the mystery house.

OK. No big surprises there.

-Mine would be the first one.

-The first one?

-Even without the garage?

-That could be overcome, hopefully.

Right, OK.

So what's the next step, then?

Well, we're actually going back to our daughter, you know, soon

and she was the...

she and her family were the people that were keen for us,

and we were keen, to come and live near them.

I think what would be good - and we haven't had a chance to talk about this properly yet -

would be to take them to see both properties.

So you can put it in the hands of other people to make the decision!

No, and give... To say, "What do you think?"

-Don't you think that would be good?

-It would be interesting, yeah.

Please let us know what you're up to.

-But good luck with whatever you do.

-Thank you.

-Thanks for your help.

I'm always relieved when the couple tell us they have a favourite.

Just in this instance, they each have a different favourite. In fact, they're in different counties.

So I think it's very prudent of them to get their family involved.

After all, it was the family that was the catalyst behind this big move to the countryside.

So whichever they choose, I'm sure, just like me, you wish them the very best of luck.

See you next time.

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