Kent Escape to the Country

Behind me is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and below me

the world's busiest passenger port.

Where am I? Find out in just a moment.

'Today we're helping new parents Canadian Kristi

'and Italian-born Francesco find a family home where

'they can experience country life in the UK for the first time.

'There's wonderment...

Oh, my goodness!

'Astonishment...

Wow!

'And disbelief.'

-Oh, my goodness!

-Oh, really?

Really?

On today's show I'm in Kent

and right now I'm stood on top of the white cliffs of Dover.

This particular stretch of water separating

England from mainland Europe, is called the Dover Strait

and is used by over 400 commercial vessels every day,

many of which are carrying the 16 million or so passengers

to and from Dover port, just down there.

I must say, for those arriving here,

it's a great county to start exploring this great country.

'One of the English Home Counties,

'Kent is bordered by Greater London, East Sussex and Surrey.

'Its 350 miles of remarkable coastline

'encompasses 11 blue flag beaches, towering white chalk cliffs

'and appealing seaside towns including medieval Sandwich,

'which was a major port until its estuary silted up

'during the 17th century.

'This atmospheric settlement has the highest density of listed

'buildings of any town in England.

'Away from the coast there are swathes of rolling farmland

'where a diverse range of crops are grown,

'including more than 40% of the entire country's fruit.

'The county's undeniable appeal has inspired countless artists,

'including the famous landscape painter, JMW Turner,

'who portrayed the area in more than 100 works

'and described its skies as the loveliest in Europe.

'And its appeal endures today as people continue to be

'draw by the beauty of this unspoilt county.'

Despite being a rural idyll, Kent is, in fact, a home county with

excellent connections back into our capital, especially road and rail,

which means, of course, you will pay handsomely above £257,000,

which is the national average for a detached house in this country.

Here in Kent, you'll pay £318,000 for that

but if you don't need such access to road and rail,

then you can head east towards the likes of Canterbury and Maidstone

where your budget should stretch just that little bit further.

So where in this county are today's buyers looking to head?

Let's meet them and find out.

'Canadian born Kristi and her Italian husband, Francesco,

'currently live in a two-bedroomed flat in London's Muswell Hill.

'They had always fancied moving to the countryside but it was

'the birth of their daughter, Cora, that gave them

'the final impetus to leave city life behind.'

We do have a 21-month-old daughter

and we just want to give her the best experience that she can have.

She can have lots of outdoor space, a bigger home for her to play in.

When I was a kid I grew up in the country.

For me, it is like my heritage and background.

I would like to have the same kind of opportunity for my daughter.

'Having moved to the UK fairly recently,

'they are not hugely familiar with the country which is

'one of the reasons why they have called for our help.

'They have, however, visited Kent

'and part of its appeal are its handy transport links

'for Francesco's job in business development.'

We've chosen Kent because of its proximity to London

so Francesco will occasionally need to commute in.

I think it's probably one of the most beautiful counties here in UK

and also the quality of education that we can find down there with the grammar schools,

I think the best schooling options for us are down there.

'Francesco and Kristi are hoping their move to the country will

'allow them to embrace some of their pastimes more fully.

Mine has always been an interest in doing sport, and endurance sport,

plus I do triathlon, as well.

I need to try and find a place where I can do cycling,

-swimming and running.

-All in one day.

-All in one day.

I think Kent will give me this opportunity.

Things that I would like to do is really just spending

a lot of quality time with Cora.

We don't have a back yard space so any time we want to go outside

we have schlep off to a playground.

But having the back yard, we just open the door and off she goes,

she's ready to play. She's got her swings, she's got her sandpit.

'Kristi and Francesco met in Canada when they were both working on the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

'Not long after that they relocated to the UK.

'In the three years they've lived here, they've moved three times.'

We're hoping that this move to the country is our last move and

we finally settle in and we establish our lives there and hopefully...

It is important to find the right property

because we don't want to move in another couple of years.

-It's becoming quite stressful.

-Yeah.

-We want to find...

-We want to be permanent...

-We want to be permanent in a place and fingers crossed.

-Mmm.

'So what do they have to spend on a home for keeps in Kent?'

Our budget for the move is around £650,000.

'Because Francesco and Kristi aren't fully acquainted with Kent,

'they're open to looking at properties from anywhere within its borders.

'Before we kick off our countywide search,

'I'm meeting up with them to learn more about their move.'

-Good morning, how are you?

-Morning, very good.

Welcome to a fairly rainy Kent.

I hope it'll get drier later. I've got a list of properties here...

-Great!

-..that you've looked at on the internet and in person.

-Yeah.

-There's some beautiful houses here.

What was wrong with them?

Some of them were beautiful in the picture

but when we arrived there, I mean, what we saw wasn't what we expected.

My only thought here is that you've looked at a lot of the stock.

There isn't a great deal on the market and there hasn't been a whole

tranche of stuff come on the market since you've looked.

-You will need to remain fairly open-minded.

-Yeah, we are.

We are definitely open-minded.

Let's focus on the property itself.

Now what does it look like inside?

-Do you want lots of little rooms, or is it modern?

-BOTH: No.

THEY LAUGH

-No...

-We really like open-plan.

Yeah, open space.

We like character but with modern furniture inside.

We like beams and we really like big fireplaces.

-Yeah.

-And, erm...

We are open, also, to... We like unusual shapes for the houses.

It sounds like you want a property that's been refurbed

and changed by someone.

-Yes.

-What about doing those works yourself? How much work...

We thought about this.

-The issue is we're not very...

-We're not handy.

We're not handy at all.

But we know people who could possibly help us with this.

-OK, how many bedrooms?

-We think four is the minimum.

-Minimum four?

-Mmm.

Well, I think four...

Yes, only because there is the possibility that Francesco

can do some work from home and he has a massive book collection,

so one room dedicated to him for his library/study.

Really, it could be three bedrooms and that one for him.

OK, all right.

How much outside space are you after?

Well, we would like to have a garden that is manageable

but also, you know, we plan to have a dog

so we had big spaces before when we lived abroad.

We're thinking max an acre. Max.

-Max.

-That's not a garden, you need a tractor for that!

And cows!

All for how much?

The max budget we have at the moment is £650,000.

OK, and you're looking to move as soon as possible?

As soon as possible, our house is already on the market.

There is quite a bit of interest in it.

We think it could go fairly quickly.

-Let's get going, shall we? Just this way.

-Let's go.

'With a budget of £650,000 Francesco and Kristi are looking

'for a period home with a contemporary open-plan interior

'and they're looking for four bedrooms,

'one of which will be used as an office for Francesco.

'Outside they'd like a minimum of half an acre

'and they're hoping to be within easy reach of transport links

'for Francesco and a good school for Cora.

'We've found a great selection of Kentish homes

'to show Francesco and Kristi

'but I'll keep them guessing about the price

'until we've had a good look around.

'We'll finish off with the mystery house where the layout

'could leave them hot or cold.'

So are you looking forward to this big move?

I mean, you're living in the metropolis that is London...

-Yes.

-..to rural Kent.

Yeah, but you know what? I don't really think we're city folk to begin with.

I was born on a small island,

the West Coast of Canada called Saltspring

and, at that point, I think there were not even 7,000 people

-living there.

-Goodness me!

By the sounds of it living in London has been a bit of a blip,

you're both country people and hopefully this Kent move

-is going to be the last move.

-I hope so.

In my life I've never lived more than four years in the same place

since I was 16.

-Perhaps I should just find you a house with wheels on the bottom of it!

-I hope so. I really hope so.

THEY CHUCKLE

'Our search begins in the village of Hunton,

'five miles south of Maidstone, Kent's county town.

'Three-and-a-half miles away is the village of Marden

'where there are handy train links to London for Francesco's commute

'and some useful amenities, including a library,

'which Kristi will be pleased to know

'has weekly story circle sessions for toddlers.

'Just down the road, set on a quiet country lane, is our first house.'

-So, property number one is a barn conversion.

-Beautiful.

-It's beautiful.

-This is a good reaction.

-Yeah.

It's a very good reaction.

We were hoping for a barn conversion

and that window in the front is awesome

-Just to let you know what we're getting... This is shared access.

-OK.

The barn itself starts at the end of this return.

-That is what we're looking at.

-OK.

You've got all the land from that first hedge in.

-OK.

-Yes.

-Like it?

-Yes.

-It's got something.

-Let's go.

'I'm very happy with their initial reactions.

'The barn has been converted in the last ten years and its huge

'floor-to-ceiling windows were originally the wagon doorways.'

So this is the formal entrance, if you like.

I love it. I love it.

-It's beautiful.

-It's beautiful. It's very warm and inviting.

That window, I love the woodwork.

It is a good contrast between modernity and character.

Yeah, the floors are beautiful.

Whilst we've walked in this way, I think,

just like with a lot of country properties,

-you come in via the back door.

-Yeah.

-Let's go to the kitchen where that is.

-OK, perfect, thank you.

-So...

-I like the kitchen.

Yeah, it's a good size for us.

Yeah, no, this is great. I love the window by the sink.

The working area is pretty big.

There's lots of counter space for you.

Lots of counter space for YOU?

-Because Francesco is the chef.

-I'm the chef.

And the day care.

-You don't want to keep an Italian man out of the kitchen, do you?

-No.

I'm definitely patient for cooking, I really like it.

I think, on an everyday basis,

because you park your car around the side of the house,

you unload the children and what have you and through this door here.

Also, which is really handy, you've got a utility

-and a downstairs loo as well.

-OK.

So if you're mucking around in the garden, you don't have to traipse through the house.

-It's set up for country living a bit more, isn't it?

-Yes.

-So, so far so good.

-Yeah.

-Living room next, just through here.

-Yes.

-Mind your head there. So, living room.

-I like it.

-Yeah, it's a good size, I think, yeah.

-Yeah.

-You've had great reactions.

-Yeah.

You said you wanted open-plan, it's... I would say, semi-open.

Semi-open, yeah, but it's fine.

This would be a good definition of open for us.

The only thing that I see that is missing is a fireplace.

-It's probably lacking a central feature, isn't it?

-Yes.

-For focus.

-A little bit dark, maybe.

-Yeah, some more windows.

Some more windows,

but the good thing is it opens into the garden, so we could

have the baby, you know, playing outside without being worried.

-Yeah, I feel she's safe out there.

-She is safe there, yeah.

-Let's go up the stairs and take a look at the bedroom stock.

-OK.

'Well, the living room hasn't completely wowed them,

'so let's hope the rest of the place makes up for it.'

So, up the stairs, mind your head on that, Francesco.

-This is the master bedroom.

-Oh, I like it too.

-It's a good size.

It is definitely a good size, this bed is bigger than ours, so...

Yeah, it's better, it's bigger.

Through that door there, that's the en suite, and it's got a lovely spa bath.

Sitting in the bath, you can look out over the land beyond

-which is pretty special.

-Nice!

Now, I do need to tell you that this house is three bedrooms.

The owner... When they bought it, it was two bedrooms.

They split that one bedroom at the far end into two.

There is a shower room

and a loo just the other side of that doorway that those would use.

I personally think, in the long run, you might look at encroaching

-onto that sort of galleried landing area...

-Mm.

-Yeah.

Take 50% of that up and make it a proper family bathroom,

-cos you've already got the plumbing there anyway.

-OK.

That's a job for the future to make it more of a family home.

-Probably makes more sense, yeah.

-OK.

All right, so it's three beds, something to think about.

You know, you're looking for your fourth, aren't you?

So we might have to think about where you might have a home office.

Let's go outside and have a look at the gardens

cos that was important to you.

I know you've got this idea of cows and sheep grazing.

-Some space. Ducks.

-Oh, you want ducks now as well? Oh, good.

'They don't seem too fazed by the number of bedrooms.

'Outside there's definitely no compromise on space, where there's

'almost an acre of land for Cora and their future dog to play in.'

So, outside space. We've got this garden here...

-Yeah.

-And the other side of that post and rail...

-OK.

-That's yours as well.

The reason the post and rail fence is there is because

there's a footpath that just runs along it.

-They've got some separation.

-All right, OK.

So, enough outside space?

Definitely, this is a good size, manageable garden.

More than probably what we said this morning.

Yeah, good, I'm glad you said that.

You know you said you wanted maybe a fourth bedroom

for some home office working? We've got this double garage...

-Yes.

-Mm.

-Maybe you put it there.

So, knowing all of this,

how much do you think this property is on the market for?

-I'm going to take a guess at £625,000?

-OK.

I think probably slightly higher than that.

-I will go for 645.

-OK.

-Well, Kristi, you're good.

-Am I?

-£625,000.

-Wow!

But, you know, that's a small victory.

-We are looking for a home here.

-Yeah.

Now, you can go back into the house, have a look at it and think about

how you might want to adapt it, and I'll meet you whenever you're done.

-OK, thanks.

-Enjoy it.

'Below budget at £625,000, this stylish barn conversion features

'a dining room that flows through to a good sized reception room.

'Upstairs there are just three bedrooms, but there is that

'garage which could be converted into an office for Francesco.

'The house is set in almost an acre of land,

'and has open countryside views.'

When we arrived and we first saw the house, we thought,

"Oh, wow, this is a great place." The open space, the light.

When we explore a little bit better the house I personally thought,

"Maybe not as big as I wanted."

Going through the house, I thought,

"Yeah, you know, this could really work." We liked the kitchen, we liked

the fact that it was Eden, there was a dining room just adjacent.

It does require a bit of work to make it the way we like it,

but possibly it's not quite right for us

in the fact that it is just a little bit too small.

-So, happy with everything? Seen enough?

-Yes, thank you.

-Thanks, we've seen it all.

-OK, onto the next house then?

-Great.

'The chalky North Downs Ridge

'that stretches across the Kent countryside

'has been used as grazing ground by farmers for hundreds of years.

'Fairseat, a village on top of the Downs,

'was once a resting stop for farmers who watered their herds

'at the village ponds as they wended their way to market.

'Just outside the village is Winterdale Farm, owned by a family

'who have worked the Kentish Downs for the past five centuries.

'The latest generation has embarked on an environmentally

'friendly cheese-making enterprise that they hope will sustain

'the family dairy farm for many more years to come.

Kristi and keen cook Francesco

have an interest in locally-produced food

and they are here to meet Robin Betts, one of the two brothers

who are beginning a new chapter in their family's farming heritage.

The great thing about our own family farm is my brother

milks in the morning and we utilise that milk straightway,

so it's lovely warm, fresh milk.

That means it's enabled us to become carbon neutral.

Because that milk is coming in warm we don't need to use any heat

to heat it up to start cheesemaking.

To create their traditional cheese, the fresh-from-the-cow milk

goes into a vat, where it changes from milk into curd.

The curd is cut into fine pieces,

then the whey is drained off and the process known as cheddaring begins.

This involves cutting, stacking and repeatedly turning

the curd in order to drain away as much moisture as possible.

The curd is then pressed in cheese moulds and, after three days,

it's unpacked from the press and is ready to be wrapped in

cotton muslin to protect it whilst it matures.

Robin has a couple of able assistants to help with the task.

In essence, what we've got here is a medieval way of vac-packing.

-That's the best analogy, I guess. Are you up for this?

-Yes.

Right, let me grab a cheese for you. One each.

The cloth is dipped in molten lard, which makes it pliable

and helps seal it to the cheese.

Unlike modern vacuum packs, the muslin allows the cheese to breathe

and the cloth is biodegradable, so is kinder to the environment.

-Oh, it is heavy!

-Yeah, it is. It's 10 to 11 kilos.

Approximately 1,200 litres of milk go into the vat each day,

yielding 10 to 12 rounds of home-made cheese.

Well, that's not bad. Not bad at all, actually. For a first time.

That's brilliant.

Once they are wrapped, the rounds of cheese, known as truckles,

are ready to go into the cellar, which is carved out

under the entire length of the barn.

Because it's dug into the chalky North Downs,

that chalkiness and what you can smell down here, does impart

into the cheese, gives it just that added bit of characteristic.

And that's not the only benefit.

The cave-like cellar maintains the stable 12 degree temperature

essential for maturing the cheese,

so no energy-hungry temperature control units are necessary.

-Would you like to try some?

-That would be good.

-Definitely!

so, I push in quite hard and I slowly turn the cheese iron, like so...

-And then I pull that... cheese out.

-Oh, wow.

-It looks fabulous.

-We are looking at the colour of the cheese.

The colour of it.

The texture, and then on the back of the iron,

how much fat content there is.

That's all looking really good.

So what we do is, we just slide it to the end,

then you break off a little bit of cheese...

And then ultimately, we taste it.

-Oh, it's delicious.

-Yeah, it's fantastic. It's a stronger taste...

It's got, like, a little bit of a tang to it. Very strong taste.

This is, like, the ultimate end to the whole scenario, really.

-Eating it.

-The best part of it!

-Yeah, exactly.

The best part of the cheesemaking experience might be over, but our

property search has really only just begun, so it's time to make a move.

Our search continues an hour's drive east, to the pretty village

of St Nicholas-at-Wade, less than three miles from the Thanet Coast.

The village's positioned on the inland portion of the 32-mile

Viking Coastal cycle trail,

which will be perfect for Francesco's triathlon training.

Before we see our second house,

I'm stopping off in the village with Francesco and Kristi to

point out some other features that should be of interest to them.

Now, facilities-wise, you've got two pubs, a post office.

You've also got a train station in a neighbouring village

called Birchington, about three miles away.

-OK.

-Manageable, yeah.

Most importantly, there is a school.

The local primary school in this village

-is rated as outstanding by Ofsted.

-That's fantastic.

-That's great.

Now, you do have to be in a two mile catchment

for your children to go to the school.

-OK.

-You are within a two minute walk.

-Oh! That's great.

-Good news?

-Yeah.

-Very good news.

-Let's look at the house.

-Perfect, thank you.

Our second offering is right in the heart of the village.

-Now then, I know you like barn conversions.

-Yes, we do.

-Yes.

-And this is a beautiful one.

-They call it the Long Barn.

I've got no idea why(!)

THEY LAUGH

-The garden seems to be a little bit small.

-That...

is the only issue you're going to find with this house.

I've only shown you one property, so I don't know everything

about you, but I think you're going to love this house, I really do.

At the moment...a balancing act - the garden brings us down here.

Prepare to be catapulted like a trebuchet once you get inside.

-Great!

-OK, let's go.

The property, which was converted around five years ago,

was originally a threshing barn and dates back to the 16th century.

So...

-Open-plan. It's very much open-plan.

-Yeah, beautiful.

-Yeah, really beautiful.

-Yeah, I really like it.

This is probably what we wanted in terms of open space.

-It's like a loft, right?

-Yeah.

-Look at the kitchen, though.

-Let's take a closer look.

-Yes.

-It's a good size, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's a great size.

-Great size.

-Yeah, beautiful.

-I like the island in the middle as well.

-There's lots of storage there.

This is a chef's kitchen, isn't it?

All your other white goods are all hidden

-because you've got a utility there.

-Oh, OK.

-OK.

And just next door you've also got a downstairs loo and

-a lovely walk-in shower as well.

-Oh, wow.

So, this is where I want you to tell me

how you're going to start configuring this house, because

they've laid this out as a dining area, initially, there.

But the current owner said, "Well, they've got a living room there,

"another dining room next door, and in the next bay

"they've got like a home office."

And that's before we've even got to the living room!

-So...

-Yeah, probably we would change the layout. We don't need so many...

-I don't think I would dine there. No.

-No.

Well, let's keep looking at the house

and we'll discuss the more macro rationale later on, shall we?

-Living room, the far end.

-Perfect.

-Great.

This is the dedicated living room.

The double doors open - it still feels open-plan,

but you can shut them and have a bit more privacy in here.

I like it.

I think it's probably bigger than what

we thought at the beginning, right?

-Yeah.

-Even from outside it doesn't look like so big.

At the end we've got one set of stairs going up.

You've got a double bedroom, which could also be an office,

if you didn't have enough space down here, which is also en suite.

It's a great place for guests to stay.

-We'll go up the main stairs to the main bedrooms, OK?

-OK.

-OK.

Also on the ground floor, there is a separate room that could be

used as Francesco's office or perhaps a play room for Cora.

There's over 4,000 square feet of internal space, featuring

an impressive vaulted ceiling that makes use of many of the original

timbers and has reinforced glass balustrades to maximise the light.

Upstairs there is a large and stylish family bathroom

and five double bedrooms,

including the one accessed by the spiral staircase we saw earlier.

We are going to take a look at the impressive master suite.

-So...loads of space up here, as you can see.

-Yeah, it's very light.

-Enough space for a sofa!

-Wow.

-Check out this master suite.

-Wow!

-This is fantastic. Wow!

-Wow!

-Yeah!

-This is the size of our apartment right now.

Wow.

-It's enormous!

-Wow!

-It's beautiful. Yeah, it's fantastic.

-You've got an en suite, of course.

-That's beautiful.

More than what we expected.

-We need to understand how to manage all of this property.

-Mm-hm.

-If we can afford it.

-Yeah, if it's in the budget..

That is a question you have to ask yourselves.

-So, let's go back outside and do just that right now.

-OK.

OK, perfect.

I did feel pretty confident they'd love the inside of this place.

It's just the question of whether the outside offers them enough room.

There is plenty of parking space, though,

and a decent-sized garage that can be accessed from the kitchen.

-So, back from where we started, let's revisit this garden.

-OK.

You've got that little bit round the gable end, if you like.

-What do you think?

-You know what? It's growing on me.

It's not so bad after all.

I think we can compromise.

-After viewing that house, yeah, garden, not so much.

-Funny, isn't it?

So, how much do you think this property is on the market for?

I think it's well beyond the budget,

and I'm thinking it's...£735,000?

-OK.

-Yes, I think it's over budget at probably...

-maybe less than Kristi said. 710?

-Right.

Well...this house is on the market for offers of around £625,000.

-Oh, my God!

-Wow! Oh, really?

-Really?

-Yup.

-You're not joking?

-Nope.

-Wow!

-And it hasn't been grabbed yet?

-Not yet.

It had a sale and fell through at the last minute,

-but it's for sale, it's here to be bought.

-Oh, my gosh.

-That's something we need to think about.

-Definitely.

I think what you need to do is go back into the house,

have a good look around all the rooms you haven't yet seen,

there are a number of them. But enjoy it.

-Thank you.

-See you later.

-See you later.

I was initially just a little bit worried about initial perceptions of this garden,

but I knew inside they would love it, and they do.

And with what they're about to see,

I think they'll fall in love with it even more.

This attractive barn conversion is below budget at £625,000

and it's open-plan ground floor

offers plenty of flexible living space.

Upstairs there are five bedrooms including a spacious master suite.

Outside there is an enclosed garden.

And just a two-minute walk away is a highly sought after primary school.

I think Kristi's really excited about this property.

Probably this summarises her dream of a home.

I think the property is more than we expected, much more spaces,

there's five bedrooms, we were thinking about four.

Initially I thought this house was well over our budget

because it is so massive and it's been done in such high standards,

but fortunately for us it's not, it's actually under budget,

so I think this is definitely a property that Francesco and I will consider.

Despite the garden outside,

I can easily see us living here in 20 years from now.

It's a very exciting property,

so I don't have any problems to see this as our home for years to come.

I think this house is a really strong contender for us.

It's got everything that we're looking for,

it's just a beautiful home and certainly I think this is a home that

we should be placing an offer on.

So, lot of it, isn't there?

It's a huge house, it's a beautiful house.

-Is it too big?

-No, it is not.

-No.

-I think it's just the right size.

-I knew that.

You don't know this area particularly well,

so I suggest on the way back we go around some of the villages

-just to get to know the area.

-Yes, definitely.

-Thank you.

It's the second day of our house hunt,

and with a budget of £650,000 we're helping Kristi

and Francesco leave their two-bedroom flat in London

to find their first family home in the Kent countryside.

Still to come - the Mystery House prompts the kind of response we like to hear.

Wow. This is a beautiful room.

And I take to the cliffs to learn the art of traffic control

on a very busy stretch of water.

It looks like a giant-sized game of Battleship.

I really hope that Francesco and Kristi gave the second property

some serious thought last night.

Sure, there was a slight compromise with the size of the garden,

but I rarely get to see such wonderful reactions.

Now today, if the weather holds out,

we're off to see another fantastic property - the Mystery House.

Now, of course there's going to be compromises,

but before we get to those, let's face it,

it's got the big ticks - size of the house? Yes.

Size of the garden? Yes.

But the lay out? Well, it's not exactly open-plan.

The final stop on our search is 45 miles west to the village of Higham

which borders the Hoo Peninsula.

The village was once home to Charles Dickens who bought a house here

in 1856 where he died 14 years later.

Today, the village offers a post office, a greengrocers,

two good schools and a station

where there are direct fast trains to London.

The Mystery House is just moments from the centre of the village.

Our couple did say they were partial to conversions,

so we've found them another, this time a converted oast house.

So, the Mystery House, do you like it?

Yeah, I really like it. I love the brick, I love the windows.

-It's very spacious outside, very green.

-The garden is wonderful.

Let's see what you think of it, shall we?

-Great.

-Thank you.

This home dates back to the early 1900s

and up until 12 years ago it was still a fully functioning oast house.

Let's start off with Francesco's room.

FRANCESCO LAUGHS Yeah, the kitchen.

-Very nice kitchen.

-I like it.

-Very big.

There's a utility room just through there,

so a lot of the white goods out of the way.

-But it's a decent-sized dining kitchen.

-Yes, it is.

If we compare this with the second property yesterday afternoon,

I was going "wows" everywhere.

I think the only issue with this kitchen is that it does seem

a little bit of isolation, right?

-From the rest of the house?

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

The reason we've chosen this is it looks a bit different,

but it isn't that open-plan that you said you wanted.

But whilst we also thought that you might be challenged at that end,

the rooms were of a decent size anyway.

-So, it's something to get your head around.

-Yeah.

-Let's go and have a look around the reception rooms.

-Perfect.

Not an overwhelming response to the inside of the property so far.

Let's see what they make of the rest.

As well as the kitchen, the ground floor includes a family room

that is being used as a home cinema.

There's also a cloakroom and making use of the rather wide hall,

the current owners have created a compact office space.

The end of the hall leads into two large reception rooms,

one is a dining room and the other is a living room.

It's a good size. It's got lots of light.

We are now in the oast house, those tall structures.

It's not the open space we were thinking of,

but there are some compromise.

Every house you look at, it might not be for you,

but it will help you make your mind up about a couple of things that you see.

-It is true.

-Let's go upstairs and have a look at some of the bedrooms.

OK.

It's clear that the lay out of the properties they saw yesterday

is much more to their style.

Upstairs there are two bathrooms, one with a shower

and one with a bath.

There are also five bedrooms, two of those are singles

and two good size doubles.

The fifth bedroom is a master suite.

Aw, it's very pretty.

I really love the flooring. Wow.

This is a beautiful room.

It's a huge room.

It's a big house.

You've got this big double room,

then you've got a dressing area going into an en suite bath.

-You've got a walk-in wardrobe behind this mirror as well.

-Wow.

-I think it's better upstairs than downstairs.

-Loads of space here.

This is your suite if you like, but you're moving here with Cora,

so let's have a look at her bedroom. I've decorated it for her.

Come up these steps, we're going to the top of those oast houses.

-You see the shape now, can't you?

-Yeah, I like this shape.

I love the ceiling height

and this is a really sweet little room for a girl.

It's a bigger house than we thought.

-Let's go outside and have a look at that land.

-OK.

This house might not have open-plan appeal, but it does have space.

Outside, there's almost an acre of land that includes a

double garage with extra parking

and a summer house that could be used as an office for Francesco.

Plus, there's even a playground for Cora.

You get a good parcel of land with this house, don't you?

Yeah, it's a great size.

And you're very own walnut tree, apparently.

-OK.

-Yeah.

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

I think it's pretty much right on budget. I'm going to say £649,995.

OK.

I think I'm going a little bit higher than that.

Probably 660.

Well, in a way you're both right.

You're probably nearest because the asking price is offers above £650,000.

So, you're both in the ball park.

This, hopefully, at the very least gives you something to

compare yesterday afternoon's property, property number two,

so why don't you go back into the house, have a look in there

and I'll catch up with you whenever you're done.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

-I'm off to pick some walnuts.

-See you later.

On budget at £650,000,

this recently converted oast house has plenty of space.

There are three reception rooms, two bathrooms

and five bedrooms including a master suite.

It's set in almost an acre of land

that comes with a converted summer house

and the location has excellent transport links to London.

The Mystery House certainly gives us the space that we're looking for both inside and out.

I just don't see us living here as a family,

it just doesn't have the open lay out that we're looking for.

I think the Mystery House, from an exterior point of view,

has character. Magnificent piece of land.

Inside there is a lot of space. However, it doesn't flow for me.

It's a great property, just not right for us.

-So, all done?

-All done.

I can tell you that walnut tree will be bearing fruit well

this Christmas - there's loads of them there.

Whether or not you'll be picking them, we'll find out.

Let's go for a chat.

For hundreds of years,

Dover's iconic white cliffs served as the front line of defence

against attack from Continental Europe

just 21 miles away across the Dover Strait.

At the turn of the last century, a gun battery was built on land

and cliff overlooking the eastern arm of Dover Harbour

to protect the port and the country,

with its powerful guns seeing action during both world wars.

Today, this historic military site is home to

the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre

which uses the excellent vantage point here to survey

the Dover Straight and coastline below.

The centre's operations manager is Kaimes Beasley

and I'm here to meet him.

There were four 9.2 inch guns situated on this site.

We're stood on one of the emplacements

where one of the guns was...

-Just here?

-Indeed, with a concrete apron in front of us.

-What was the range?

-Oh, gosh. Easily across the Channel.

The artillery and war ships may be gone,

but the Dover Straight still sees a lot of action.

It's one of the busiest international seaways in

the world used by more than 400 commercial vessels each day.

Every year over a billion tons of cargo passes through here

and part of the centre's job is to monitor it all.

Just looking out there now, it's dotted.

It looks like a giant-sized game of Battleship.

It must be terribly complicated to keep your eye on

what's going on there.

That's part of the function we're performing here.

We're making sure that vessels are observing what they're suppose to be doing.

The centre, opened here in 1979, is part of Her Majesty's Coastguard

and is one of 16 centres dotted around the UK shores.

Its staff provide a 24-hour service to mariners and coast users.

By employing a combination of radar surveillance systems,

satellite date and nautical charts,

the team work to prevent loss of life on the coast or at sea.

When you see this chart in front of you,

there's only a small bit of water.

-Are you controlling these ships, telling them where to go?

-No.

We are monitoring the vessel traffic to ensure that they comply with

the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea.

It's the rules of the road. It's the rules that the mariners will be

applying as they are navigating in their ships.

So, you've got a rogue ship somewhere here

and you've got all this traffic going to and fro.

Yes, that's correct.

We need to make sure all the other vessels that may possibly interact

with that vessel are aware to expect something out of the ordinary.

As well as monitoring the huge flow of traffic that passes through the Strait,

the centre responds to more than 1,500 distress calls a year.

When the calls come in, watch officers coordinate

the emergency response by launching the appropriate rescue resources.

Incidents range from walkers who have slipped from cliff paths

to broken down merchant vessels and even missing persons at sea.

Kaimes, thanks to you,

and everybody here at Her Majesty's Coastguard for letting us in.

I have seen a large pair of binoculars over there which

I wouldn't mind having a quick look through, would that be all right?

-By all means.

-Thanks again.

-Thank you.

It's certainly been inspiring to witness the vital work this

dedicated team does to protect the vessels and people around this

world famous coastline and incredibly busy stretch of water.

Time now to return to Kristi and Francesco to find out if

they've come to any conclusions about the houses we've shown them.

The mystery property had one house to beat and that was the second

house we looked at from yesterday, the amazing barn conversion.

I'm not sure it has beaten that property, but I'm hoping it's helped

Francesco and Kristi make their mind up about what they want to do next.

-No coffee for me, then?

-No coffee for you today.

Let's see if I deserved this coffee, then.

I'm asking almost knowingly, but what is your favourite house?

-It's number two.

-Definitely.

-Can you put it down to one thing?

-We saw it and immediately went, "wow".

-You did, didn't you?

-Yeah.

You just enter it and it's so grand and it's so spacious

and it's below budget.

Yeah, that's just the asking price.

For me it's the dream home.

-Dream home.

-The inside for sure.

Well, that's the thing, the garden.

You know what? Not so bad in the end. When you have that house, yeah.

Limited garden space is fine.

We can compromise with it.

It is our dream house and then we can make it work outside.

So, I think we can work with it.

So, if you can make it work, what's your next step?

Well, today we're going to see a little bit

more of the areas around the house.

-This afternoon?

-Yes, right away.

-Drive by the area, see a couple of the villages.

-Great idea.

We need to sell our house and then if everything goes well,

we move forward with an offer.

We're prepared to make that offer on it.

So, fingers crossed your house in London sells and then let us know...

..when you move in. I'm going to go with when.

-Yeah, we will.

-Good luck.

-Thank you so much.

-Thanks a lot.

When Francesco and Kristi told me just what they wanted for their budget here in Kent

I knew they'd have to make a compromise.

But through the process of elimination we found out where

they were prepared to make it.

Let's face it, in property number two I don't think they had to try that hard.

They fell in love with that house as soon as they saw it.

It seemed to have their names written all over it.

So much so that it wouldn't surprise me if they

made a phone call to the estate agent this very afternoon.

See you next time.

Well, Kristi and Francesco put an offer on house number two

immediately and I'm delighted to report that

that offer just been accepted.

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