Norfolk Escape to the Country

There are 3,000 of these beautiful,

ornate village signposts across England.

But which county do they originate in, and when?

Find out in just a moment.

On today's show, I'll be helping a very diplomatic couple who want

to head east in search of the good life

and the great outdoors.

But it's the bathing facilities in one property which leave them

less than impressed.

Is it the only bathroom?

-It is the only bathroom.

-Ohhh!

And then the mystery house has them struggling for words.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

Oh!

Today we are in Norfolk, and it was here that these beautiful

wooden, and sometimes cast iron village signs were born.

And not hundreds of years ago, but actually in the early 20th century.

It was King Edward VII, a keen motoring enthusiast,

who thought it would be jolly nice to have these painted signs

in the villages on his Sandringham estate,

to lure in passing tourists in their new-fangled cars.

Nowadays, there are more than 500 in the county,

but it's not the only thing

worth looking at in Norfolk.

The most easterly county in the British Isles, Norfolk is

bordered by Suffolk to the south, Lincolnshire to the North,

and Cambridgeshire to the west.

The fourth largest county in England, Norfolk is extremely flat,

with huge swathes of the region given over to

some of the country's biggest arable farms.

It's perhaps surprising that the city of Norwich is in fact

one of the hilliest in the country.

And it is also one of the best preserved,

with over 1,500 listed buildings,

many dating back to the medieval period.

The Norfolk Broads have been a popular boating destination

since the 1880s when entrepreneurial boat builder, John Loynes,

started the first yacht-hire business from the village of Wroxham.

And today, over 2 million tourists visit the Broads'

120 miles of waterways each year.

Let's talk Norfolk property prices.

Just to give you a rough idea,

the average price for a detached house in the county is £212,000,

which is £40,000 less than the national average.

That's great news, considering that house buyers are putting

in offers 5% under the asking price and still getting it.

However, if you want to live out by the coast, the news is not so good.

Around the very fashionable Burnham Market,

and Wells, you could pay double the national average.

Norfolk offers a wide range of architectural housing styles.

Brick and flint-built cottages are a feature of the villages

on the North Norfolk coastline.

Originally used to house local farmworkers,

a two-bedroom property typically

costs around the £250,000 mark, but

highly sought after four-bedroom homes

can be in excess of £800,000.

Moving inland you'll find an array of medieval thatched cottages,

made with Norfolk reed, which has been used as a roofing

material in this region since before Roman times.

Owning a piece of this wonderful Norfolk history will set you back

around £400,000 for a three-bedroom house.

And many of the county's towns and villages also have fine

examples of stunning, symmetrical, Georgian architecture.

These can range in price from around £200,000 for a two-bedroom cottage,

to a grand house in the million pound bracket.

There are some beautiful properties in Norfolk, not to mention

some interesting architectural styles, but are any of them going

to be to the taste of our couple today?

Let's meet them and find out.

Globetrotting couple, Richard and Ceinwen have lived all over

the world, having worked for the Foreign Office.

Their most recent move was six years ago

from London to their four-bedroom

house in Milton Keynes.

Now it seems, they have fallen out of love with the place.

Milton Keynes is evolving, and where we used to walk in open fields

there are now housing estates.

-It's a car city. We have to use the car the whole time.

-Yeah.

This well-travelled twosome met in the line of duty and have been

married for eight years,

but they are both very different characters.

Richard eats meat, he is a real carnivore,

whereas I tend to like more vegetarian food,

and also Richard likes spicy food

and I like Mediterranean,

so Richard has got his cupboard with his spices

and I've got my cupboard with my Mediterranean spices.

Which some people might find rather strange, because we're both

cooking at the same time, but they're completely different meals.

So he cooks on the left-hand side,

and I cook on the right hand side.

So it seems a good-sized kitchen is definitely on the wish list

for their new home, and there is plenty more on the cards.

The property we are looking for

needs to have at least three bedrooms.

We'll want to invite people to stay so we need a spare room.

I want some outside space

so I can increase the size of my vegetable patch.

Richard needs storage for his bicycles.

Yes, I need secure storage for the bikes.

So it is a garage.

And it is East Anglia where they hope to find just the property

they are looking for.

We're looking to move to Norfolk.

It has got some fantastic properties,

some fantastic opportunities there,

but I don't think by moving there we would have to slow our life down.

I still think we'll find we can pursue the hobbies

we have here, but without so much

of the feel of a commuter city.

Richard and Ceinwen love to keep fit, and enjoy exploration.

They manage to combine both passions through their choice of hobbies.

Cycling is a passion of mine. I have been cycling for a couple of years.

This is my Bianchi, we've taken her over the Pyrenees.

I've taken up Nordic walking

since I've been here.

That's because of a neighbour

who introduced me to it,

and it's fantastic here,

going out on the redways and the paths

and down by the river.

Absolutely lovely, I go out at weekends,

and I don't care about the funny looks,

and people shouting,

"You've lost your skis!"

And it seems this pair are always ready to live life to the full.

We dress up.

We go to things like the Whitby Goth Festival,

which a lot of people would say,

"Oh, gosh, that's got to be weird,"

but it's not, there are to 5,000 people dressed up,

from children to 80-year-olds,

all wearing Victorian costume.

Well, we may even be able to find this fun-loving couple

a Victorian property to match,

but that all depends on how much they have to spend.

The budget for our move

is up to £285,000 for the right property.

Our last two houses have really been what

I've articulated we should have,

so it is really her turn to say,

"This is the house for us."

Richard and Ceinwen would like us

to concentrate our search

in the North of Norfolk, within

reasonable distance of Norwich,

but not too far from the coast.

I met up with them on local soil to discover more about what

they are looking for in their new property.

Welcome, you two, to Norfolk.

So, what are your top three qualities for this property?

It's a big move, for you, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Yes, I mean, we moved to Milton Keynes initially,

because it was a quieter place than London, where we previously lived.

But it's getting busier, and so you find Norfolk,

because it's out of the way,

it is that quietness that we are seeking.

I would like to be on the edge of a village, I think,

and I would like the community of a village.

I'd quite like a house with some character this time,

we love our modern house that we have in Milton Keynes,

but it would be nice to have something with character.

And in terms of budget, how much have you got to spend?

Well, about £285,000.

We might be able to push it a little bit

for the right property.

OK. Fine, great.

Let's go and find you a house.

For their budget of £285,000,

Richard and Ceinwen have a small

but definite list of demands.

They'd like a kitchen/diner

they can cook in at the same time,

three bedrooms,

a large enough garden

for growing vegetables,

and a secure garage

for Richard's road bikes.

We found three fantastic properties for them

to have a look at,

but I won't reveal the price of each

until they've had a guess, first.

The last house is, as ever, the mystery house,

which will offer them the quietest of neighbours.

Time to get this property hunt on the road.

So you are quite keen to be in a community, not to be too remote.

Yeah, we don't want to be too remote,

we'd like a village hall

and a local pub with local beers,

the community shop.

A real community spirit is something that I grew up with,

so it would be quite nice to get back to that.

Our first property is in North Elmham,

a village which dates back to Anglo-Saxon times,

and is set in a conservation area,

20 miles from the Norfolk coast.

You'll find every amenity here,

from a doctor's surgery and a pub with a carvery for that

Sunday lunch, to a post office

and a local store for shopping.

House number one is a traditional flint

and brick cottage which I think will surprise our buyers.

How old do you think it is?

I think it's quite modern,

it's not an old traditional one.

It's actually only seven years old.

The lovely story is, that it was bought,

there was an old cottage there, and the owner redid all the foundations

and then built-up, using the same materials, a new property.

That's clever.

So all the flint is recycled.

That looks really good.

-And it's inviting.

-Yeah.

The house combines period detail with modern elements

of their current home as they will discover

when we go inside. Come in.

To a possible Norfolk nest for you both.

Ooh!

So lovely oak floors throughout.

Let me take you straight through into the sitting-room.

Oh, what a lovely staircase.

Oh, that's a nice size.

This is nice.

It's a very simple layout, this house.

It's basically sitting room, kitchen/diner.

But nice big rooms,

lovely oak beams.

Oh, wow.

-You won't bang your head on that.

-No, you won't.

Tell me what you think, come on. Unpack your thoughts.

Well, I have to say I'm not a fan of wood burners.

-I'd rather have an open fire.

-Right.

I don't really get those.

But, I love the fireplace.

-And it's the way, they have also made it uneven.

-Yeah.

And a chimney breast,

somewhere to put your books,

we could put bookshelves in there.

You can paint it jazzy orange.

Jazzy orange?

Are you going to paint something jazzy orange?

So, they are painting this place already, always a good sign.

And I've got a good feeling the kitchen/diner could be just

what Richard and Ceinwen are looking for.

Oh, I'm in love.

Really? I like that.

Why do you say that?

Well, when we were asked what sort of kitchen we wanted, I think there was

an idea that we wanted a big kitchen because we both cook,

but what we need is a practical kitchen

where there is for both of us to be moving around.

Our current kitchen has an island in the middle,

and it's just a bit of a nuisance.

This is just so lovely and open.

You are very contrary.

You say, "I don't like log burners."

Everyone on this show says, "I really want a log burner."

-Everyone on this show says, "I want an island." And you don't!

-No.

We'll stop off in the little kitchen, here,

because it has some features.

It's fantastic, it's absolutely brilliant.

We're getting all sorts of good vibes off the two of you.

Absolutely!

Any drawbacks, so far?

There's no cat-flap, but we can sort that out.

If that's your only problem, we're doing all right.

Let's peek upstairs.

You've got three bedrooms,

two doubles which you can have a peek at, there.

They're being used as kids' rooms.

Then you've got a very nice family bathroom,

nicely lit.

That's quirky, I like that.

And then this would be your room.

This is the master. Oh, with an en-suite, oh well...

Dual aspect and lots of storage.

It's quite a deceptive house.

I think I was expecting the main bedroom

to be smaller than this.

It's a really good size, and again you've got

the detailing in the ceiling,

it's not just all flat and straight.

But it's the way it runs through the house, it's very clever.

With the interior of this property going down a storm,

the pressure is on for the outside space.

And while there is a lawn, a patio with seating,

and a storage area which might just be suitable for Richard's bikes,

there's not a great deal of room for the desired vegetable plot.

That is quite a major drawback, that is quite disappointing.

But, in the village, there are allotments.

I thought you might say that.

There's one free at the moment.

Ah!

With a very, very cheap rent every year, so that might be

an option, obviously, that's not ideal.

I think, whilst I can see that bikes are kept in the shed here,

I think keeping my road bikes out

in somewhere like that,

certainly as insecure as that would be a bit of a concern for me.

Yeah.

So you really want a secure lock-up garage?

Yeah, I think so.

Actually, there are garages next door which belong to the owner of

this one, I don't know if he's planning to sell it,

you could negotiate.

Yeah, he might be prepared to rent one to us.

I suppose you need to think whether the garden is a deal-breaker,

and also whether you can afford it.

How much do you think it costs?

Well, I think it's a lovely house,

and I've fallen for it so I think it's probably top of the budget.

Good psychology. OK.

Ever the optimist,

I'm going to say...

-275.

-275.

Well, if you split the difference you'd be on the money cos

it's just £500 short of 280.

Really?

Has that made it more difficult for you now?

That it's still in budget.

Yeah, it does, because the garden space does let it down but it's

so homely,

it feels like a home, already.

Have a look around, inside and out, and see what you think.

OK, thank you.

This character meets modern home is

on the market at just under £280,000.

It offers a great deal of what they want,

it has a spacious kitchen/ diner

with room for them both cook at once,

three bedrooms,

storage space for Richard's bikes

and a small garden, but there is potential

to rent an allotment just down the road

so they can grow their veg.

It's a beautiful house, I really love it,

I feel really at home.

Good size rooms, I love the kitchen.

I think the only issue that we have, and we both agree on this,

is that the garden is just little bit too small.

Ceinwen does like doing her gardening.

I think it is a brilliant location and it is in exactly the area

we'd have been looking,

up towards the Norfolk coast,

but not too close.

So, yes, an absolutely brilliant start,

I'm very impressed.

As well as its famously flat landscape

and expansive skyline,

Norfolk's coast is beautifully unspoilt

and dotted with historic towns

with a rich maritime history,

such as Wells-next-the-Sea.

This town has been a port for around 700 years,

and over that time not only has it been

a thriving centre for shipping,

it has also been a haven for 18th-century smugglers.

Known locally just as Wells,

the town provides access to Holkham beach, a half-hour walk away

which is one of the largest nature reserves in the country.

It forms part of the North Norfolk Coast Path

which covers 93 miles,

and would certainly provide great walking

and cycling territory for our buyers.

Close by is the spectacular Palladian style mansion,

Holkham Hall,

which has been home to the Cook family

for almost 400 years.

As keen history lovers,

earlier in the week we arranged for Richard and Ceinwen to

meet up with the estate's director,

David Horton-Fawkes, for a tour.

The estate you see today was really

developed and built by Thomas William Cook,

who is perhaps best known to your children and mine

through something called the four course rotation.

Holkham was at the centre

of the agricultural revolution.

Oh, yes.

So the four course rotation refers to a particular way of cropping,

and he worked out that the way you could get the highest

yields from the land was to rotate your crops, so the four course

rotation really enabled the country to feed itself.

And it's one of the reasons why we are particularly proud to

work at Holkham,

because it was an estate that was founded on such a noble principle.

Completed in 1764, the hall is built from buff-coloured brick,

which was produced by the estate's own brickworks.

It is referred to it by many as the

finest example of a Palladian house in England.

What is Palladian?

Palladian is named after an Italian architect, Palladio,

and it refers to the particular style which

I think is dominated

by those pillars.

And the current family live here, don't they?

Yes, the family live in about a quarter of what is a massive house,

and the rest of it is open to the public.

Doesn't the estate own the beach.

The estate owns the beach, it's the best-known part of Holkham.

It has been the location for many famous films,

including Shakespeare In Love,

and almost more famously for The Duchess,

which was filmed inside the Marble Hall.

The Marble Hall, with its lofty vaulted space rising the full height

of the house, was once described by an 18th-century visitor

as the grandest thing of the sort in England.

The European-inspired columns that run around it are all

made from pink Derbyshire alabaster.

They are not solid,

that have load-bearing wooden cores

under the outer alabaster sheath.

Holkham is very much the product

of something called the Grand Tour

which Thomas William Cook undertook

when he was a young man.

Therefore, the statuary, the style

was all built to look after

this amazing collection that he

accumulated on his Grand Tour.

The vast old kitchen was refurbished in the 1850s

when the massive range was installed

and it continued in operation right up to the outbreak

of the Second World War.

The Hall's most famous visitor was Queen Victoria,

who stayed here in 1835 as a 16-year-old princess,

Sleeping in this very grand bed,

in the Green State Bedroom.

But for now, it's time to return to our hunt to find somewhere very

special for Richard and Ceinwen to lay their heads.

We have travelled nearly 28 miles north-west of Norwich

to Whissonsett, an ancient village which appears in the Domesday book.

It has a wealth of attractive brick properties,

a very grand Norman church,

a local butcher,

a post office,

and a village hall for community entertainment.

Our second property is a very different

proposition from our first house,

as here you get three mid-19th

century agricultural workers cottages all for the price of one.

Is it all of it?

All of it.

-Oh!

-Is it?

You can see with the three doors

that it was originally three properties.

So it might be quite quirky inside?

Quirky, is that a good thing,

I have to check if that's a good or a bad thing with you,

because you're topsy-turvy with what you like and don't like.

I like interesting, yeah...

So it's a fine line between quirky and interesting.

The other one you can move straight in, but you didn't get the garden.

Here, I think you'd probably want to do a bit work inside.

OK.

How do you feel about projects?

Erm...

You both took early retirement.

Well, we know a man who could probably do it for us.

Yeah, we'll get somebody in to do it.

-That sort of project.

-Yes, that.

Let's have a look, let's see what you think.

Well, a project may not be what they are after,

but let's see if the interior can win them over.

Come on in.

The thing about this house as we go round is that

I think you'll probably want to think about the flow of it all,

because it is three cottages, one after another.

Let's start in the kitchen.

Into the kitchen.

-Hmmm.

-Right.

It's got the island, we've already got an island.

This is not an island, actually, I checked.

When I came in, I checked.

It moves. They will take that with them.

-OK.

-Right, yeah.

So it will just be a kitchen.

Those sinks which I know are so trendy.

You don't like those, either?

I grew up in an old Victorian house.

You are so perverse,

all the things that all the people on this show adore.

If you drop a plate it just smashes.

So you want a rubber sink.

-No island.

-Or bouncy plates.

No log burners. No traditional ranges.

I'm so awkward, aren't I?

So far this property's bringing back bad memories for Ceinwen.

Here's hoping our next room is more to her taste.

This is the extension, so this was added on in the 90s.

OK.

So you've got more headroom.

Much more headroom, yes.

That's great, I love the wood up there, and the window.

Yeah, but it is quite narrow,

it feels quite tight.

It is definitely, a house,

where you have to strip all the furniture out

and think about actually what you've got.

You don't look at all convinced.

Oh well, you can't win them all.

Fingers crossed the next room

wont prove a further disadvantage.

Now I am hoping that this is not going to

swing it to you too far the other way,

but there is a downstairs bathroom.

Right, is it the only bathroom?

-It is the only bathroom.

-Eek!

So a downstairs bathroom is not Ceinwen's cup of tea, either.

Can the living room save us?

OK.

It is a nice big fireplace.

Actually, I quite like that wood burner.

Because you see the flames.

You can see the flames, yeah.

What do you think about the room?

Erm, I'm not sure.

I am finding it difficult to see past

the amount of furniture, I think.

I think the other thing for us is

that we'd have to go

and have a look at our furniture all over again.

-So, our corner sofa might just get in here.

-Yeah.

But have got a big step cabinet

and there isn't a big enough wall to put that against.

So we would have to think where all of that would go.

Upstairs, there's a quirky double room, with painted,

exposed timbers and floorboards.

And they've used the same effect with a bolder colour

scheme in this single bedroom.

Also, up here, is a third bedroom with space for a double bed.

But we're heading for where Richard and Ceinwen might sleep.

Come on in, this is, well, they are using this as the master bedroom.

This is a nice room.

And you have got ceiling height in here.

Again there are some lovely features, but it is...

Big furniture.

It is very much,

as well, a country cottage.

Is it a bit too historical?

I think I would enjoy coming here for a holiday,

or visiting friends here,

and I would find it quite fascinating.

But I think I would find it difficult to live in

something that is as interesting as this.

With the interesting interior proving a bit of a challenge,

can the garden be a game changer in this property?

Well, there is a spacious lawn with seating,

which offers plenty of room for vegetable plots and pottering.

And the big plus is a secure garage for Richard's bikes.

In terms of garden space, is this what you're looking for?

Is this enough space?

Yeah, it is.

It's more than we've got at the moment.

It's bigger than we've got and more adaptable,

I think, for doing different things in.

Yes, a lot of potential.

I can see you have some question marks about the property inside.

What do you think it is worth,

what do you think the price of this whole package is?

It is really hard,

I am just a bit torn about

whether it would be more than the last property or less.

But I am going to go for 269.

So less.

269?

I am going to go on budget at 285.

-285?

-Yeah, because of the amount of land.

-It is actually on at 280. So it is still on budget.

-Oh?

-Right.

But why don't you look inside, because we did rush around

and it's a confusing layout.

Look upstairs to see if there's anything

you could modify to make it work for you,

and I'll see you out front.

OK. Thanks.

So, much better response to the garden, a tick for the garden.

A big question mark about the house.

Kind of the reverse of this morning, where we had a big tick

for the house, question mark about the garden.

House-buying! It is so frustrating.

This unique and charming cottage is under budget at £280,000.

It gives them a great deal of what they are after.

It has a large kitchen with room for two chefs,

four bedrooms,

loads of growing space in the garden for their vegetable plot

and a secure garage for Richard's bikes.

When we first walked up, it is very different from the first

property in its age.

I always thought that I would be after a house that was a little

more in the country style, but I think it has helped me

galvanise my views on quite what we are looking for in that

three cottages into one

isn't really working for us.

Nice size garden, absolutely great,

that would work really well for the

vegetable growing and an ornamental garden, absolutely perfect,

but unfortunately the house wouldn't work for us.

This cottage literally has roses around the door.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Are you all done?

-Yes, thank you.

So, two properties down.

Yup. Time for a rest.

As dusk falls over the Norfolk countryside, it marks the end

of a day with a few highs,

and a few lows in our property search.

Today's globetrotting couple, Richard and Ceinwen,

want to bid farewell to their home in Milton Keynes

and head for an active, but quieter life in Norfolk.

So far, they have fallen in love with some flint and brick,

but have been underwhelmed by a traditional cottage.

However, coming up, there is all the peace

they could ask for in our mystery house.

Oh, it's going to be nice and quite next door, isn't it!

Dead quiet.

And I visit a goat farm to meet one of their latest arrivals.

Hello, little sunshine.

It's a lovely misty morning in Norfolk and day two

of our property search, and I think we have decided,

after the last property, that Richard and Ceinwen

don't really want a historical, higgledy-piggledy home.

So, in that slightly contrary mystery house way that we have

we're going to show them a Grade 2 listed,

attached, very rural cottage.

None of which was on their wish list but you know what,

I think they might love it.

What do you think the mystery house is going to be?

Probably a thatch with a wood burner,

a country range cooker

and a butler sink.

Yeah, and three islands.

And a downstairs bathroom.

We have travelled 12 miles north-west of Norwich,

close to the market town of Reepham.

It is full of pretty, characterful cottages and quaint road names.

Its past claim to fame is that up to the 16th century it had three

operating churches sharing the same graveyard.

These days, only two remain.

Our mystery house is located just a mile away,

and is set in the secluded and very rural village of Great Witchingham.

Three, two, one open your eyes.

-Ooh!

-Oh!

Ooh!

Oh, what is it?

Nameless grunting, that's the surprise.

That's excellent.

I want to get inside and have a look.

I just don't know what it is.

I think I like it.

I like the windows.

We brought you outside the back

because there is this to your right,

which we thought might fit in with your Gothic predilections.

-Absolutely.

-What a lovely tree.

It's going to be nice and quiet next-door, isn't it?

Dead quiet!

-And lots of garden.

-And lots of garden.

Any thoughts about the house, although we haven't been inside?

Erm, is it semi-detached?

It might be, just little bit.

Just along one wall.

Otherwise it would just be almost too perfect.

Well, it's rural, I have to say, it is rural.

And it is attached.

Right.

-And it is listed.

-Ah.

Oh, no, the L-word. Listed.

And it was all going so well.

But after the issue of too much furniture in the last property,

they may well appreciate the fact that this one is empty.

-Come on in, straight into the kitchen.

-Ooh!

-An island.

-And an island!

Well, it is brand-new. And empty.

It is brand-new,

and no furniture so you're going to have to use your imagination.

But as you can see, very modern,

walnut tops on all the surfaces

and you've got space here for an American-style fridge/freezer.

I like it when we can look around something without too much

stuff in it, so we can start

imagining where we would put our things

without too much effort, so it is nice to see a house like this.

Well, I am fascinated.

I can't wait to see the rest of it.

That is a great start.

I hope they like the rest of the house as much as the kitchen.

On the ground floor, there is also a snug,

or dining room and a sitting room with patio doors, into the garden.

Again, a very simple layout, like the first house.

It's the kitchen and the sitting-room.

It just feels a bit small.

Yeah, we talked about whether, when we look at the size of houses

whether we want to change all the furniture.

Is it something that we're prepared to do?

Are we prepared to dump everything we've got and start again?

As we know others have done.

We're not sure whether we're ready to do that just yet, so we

are looking for a place with an eye to getting our current furniture in.

-And it is quite large.

-Sure.

Well, this is the biggest room,

and very high ceilings for a period property.

The other room, is a bit more snug, hence the name.

Mind your head.

Actually, you might not have to mind your head,

only I have to mind my head.

No, even in my heels, I don't.

There is a log burner.

It is a log burner.

It's only you that doesn't like them,

every country house has to have one.

Oh, it is a great room, I love it.

It is charming, isn't it?

It is, yeah.

I think, sitting on a sofa,

lower down, you're looking up, you can see the trees, this kind of view.

-I like this. Yes.

-I like this.

So, the cosy snug appears to have warmed their hearts,

let's head upstairs and see what this house

has two offer on the first floor.

Each of the three bedrooms in this property has its own en-suite

bathroom, which is very unusual for a period building.

You could take your pick which one is the master,

but this has views of the church, and it's very sunny.

I think the windows are a great height if you are in bed

and looking out, but as you stand here,

your eye line is at the wall, and it's above the window,

so you find yourself...

Drawn to the gravestones?

You're looking onto gravestones,

which is different.

-Erm...

-You are Goths.

At the weekend.

You dance around graves.

It is a nice room, I like the room

and seeing that it has a little en-suite,

I like that.

They have all got en-suites, all three rooms.

So it would be a great place

for having family to stay.

The upstairs has passed the test with flying colours,

now for the all-important grounds.

We have seen the garden, but we need to set Richard's

mind at rest about storage

for his road bikes.

This is a great building because this used to be the washhouse.

If you look inside, you can still see the original wash copper...

Oh, wow!

..and the fire.

And the perfect place for the bikes.

Is there space to do a bit of maintenance?

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean that is perfect.

How much do you think this is on the market for?

I think this one is going to be over budget,

because it is near perfect

for what we wanted.

I am going to go with 295.

Yeah, I agree with Ceinwen.

It's got everything, the size of the land

and the quality of the refurb, I would go for about 300,000.

In this case, Ceinwen was spot-on,

it is on the market at 295.

You know, with the leeway of sensible offers,

it has only been on the market for two months.

It draws you.

Well, let it draw you in and I will meet you at the front once

you have had a little look around.

OK, thanks

On the market at £295,000,

this house is £10,000 over their budget.

But, as properties are selling at around 5% lower,

it could fall within range.

And it has everything they asked us to find.

A beautifully fitted, spacious, kitchen/diner,

three good-sized bedrooms, all with en-suites,

a large garden with

potential for veg growing

and a brick outbuilding for bike storage.

I think it is fantastic. I think it is a lovely place. It is very quiet.

It is quite secluded, but I came to this area without having any

idea about what we were going to see,

and I was really pleasantly surprised by what you brought us to.

I love the garden,

and I am very impressed with how the house has been renovated.

It has a lovely feeling to it,

I can imagine being very at home here.

Unfortunately, it is just a bit too small.

Time to gather the troops.

Guys? Where are you?

Oh, in the snug. Very good. Are you all done?

So if you head down to the car,

time to gather our thoughts.

When you think of farming in Norfolk,

it's most likely the huge arable super farms which spring to mind.

And the vast majority of Norfolk farmers are indeed crop growers.

But, there is a new, emerging face of agriculture here.

And it is the only one of its kind in the county.

I got up at the crack of dawn to find out more.

Six o'clock in the morning on Escape, that usually means we're

going to see some cows being milked, but, look!

Baaah! They're goats.

Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species.

I am meeting Sam Steggles, who has been running his business

since 2009, producing goats' milk which he uses to make cheese,

and more recently, soap.

-Morning, Sam.

-Morning.

He now has a herd of over 100.

So, goats milk, what is the benefit of goats' milk?

People who have intolerances to cows' milk seem to get on quite well

with goats' milk.

The fat globules in goats' milk are more easily digestible

than that of cows' milk.

Basically, what we have to do,

is put the goats' teats in there.

Just go for it.

Oh, hello.

So, how often go they get milked a day?

Twice a day.

These ones have already kidded, so that's when we get the milk.

We are big into the local thing,

from where our goats are housed,

milked, and where the cheese is made it's only 20 metres,

so we're not traipsing milk half way across the country.

Sam sells his products through local farm shops,

and farmers markets,

as well as supplying delis and restaurants in the area.

On average, a good-quality dairy goat

will provide almost 3 litres of milk per day.

As for baby goats,

a pregnant female's gestation period lasts for about 150 days.

The most common result being twins.

I think there is a kid coming.

There is a kid coming.

And as luck would have it,

I have got the chance to witness a live birth.

I'm coming in.

I'm going in. Live birth.

Ooh.

Oh, hello little sunshine.

Oh!

Hello!

Hello!

We'll let her clean it up and then she will have another one, I think.

That was so beautiful. Cute.

Welcome. Welcome to the world.

They stand up at such a little age.

Animals are amazing, they?

They get born, and it's barely a few minutes

and then she's taken a few steps.

Yes, absolutely.

This latest addition to Sam's farm is an Alpine goat.

However, most of the herd are British Saanen goats,

like this little fellow, as both breeds are known to be good milkers.

So this chap is only a few days old?

Yes, this one was born, today is Friday,

he was born yesterday morning.

Mmmm. Big and strong, big and strong,

you are going to be big and strong.

So, with these adorable new additions to the farm,

let's find out if Norfolk could soon be adding to its human

population in the form of Richard and Ceinwen.

This is the bit where you give me

your feedback on the houses you've seen.

The first one, was in a smallish village,

although probably the biggest of all

the villages we showed you,

what were your thoughts about that?

I liked the village, you could feel a sense of community.

And what about the property?

Yeah, the property was so right, in so many ways.

Yes, I like that house a lot.

The kitchen was great, absolutely spot on.

It would have given both of us

room to be in there together.

Just the garden was a deal-breaker?

It was a disappointment with the garden, yeah.

How about the second house?

Lots of different responses!

A different reaction, wasn't it!

Yeah, we're not ready for that.

It was a little too small on the room size,

and there would be some work we would have to do

and I don't really think well, well it's not for me.

But outside, perfect sized garden for everything that we'd want to do.

How about the mystery house?

It was probably rather more rural we had been thinking of.

But such a pretty house.

Lots of character retained within the house, but modernised.

And the garden, that garden was to die for.

Absolutely love that garden.

-It was a great location, but it was quite rural.

-Yeah.

I get the impression that you're probably not going to

proceed on any of those, or am I wrong?

We know this is the area we want to be in.

And what we have done over the last couple of days has confirmed that.

But I think we're going to need to continue the search.

But I think it has helped to clarify what

we are looking for in a huge way.

The cottage idea, and the mod cons, and the size,

the garden is important, all those are key.

Yes, but also what we can get for our money.

And I think we might go back to the first village

and have a look at what else was on offer.

I think we'll go back there, there were a few houses for sale.

I'm really glad that we've ignited your enthusiasm

for Norfolk and maybe it will happen,

-because it is a fairly new project for you to move out here.

-Yes.

-Well, I wish you all the best.

-Thank you.

Norfolk really came up trumps for us this week.

I think, for the budget we found Richard and Ceinwen

some really stunning properties.

And, the thing is they've only just started looking.

Their house hunt is pretty fresh.

So, I think even though we didn't quite get them what they want,

it went a long way to focusing their mind on the elements

of their house hunt that are most important to them.

So, I hope you have enjoyed it too,

and that you will join us

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