Norfolk Escape to the Country

This country house was once home to a pioneering 19th-century

social reformer whose face now lines our 21st-century purses and wallets.

Find out who she was and where I am in just a few moments.

Today, our house-hunting couple is taking early retirement

so they can live out their rural idyll.

I can't believe this. It's huge.

And our properties never fail to deliver.

It's not like a bathroom that we've seen before, is it?

-And a view out the window as well.

-It's a room with a bath, it's lovely.

Today, I'm in Norfolk and behind me is Earlham Hall,

childhood home to Elizabeth Fry

whose face may look strangely familiar.

Born to a Quaker family back in 1780,

she was a social reformist and philanthropist

and her face now appears on the back of our £5 notes.

Fry dedicated her life to helping those in need, and though

she's probably best remembered for improving the lives of women

and children in prisons, she also campaigned for mental asylum reform,

enhanced nursing standards as well as better housing for the poor.

Her legacy continues to echo today

and many of her reforms underpin 21st-century society.

A truly influential woman and one of this wonderful county's most famous

and determined daughters.

Norfolk sits on England's east coast and is bordered by the North Sea

and The Wash along its shoreline

and Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk inland.

The county's known for its arresting flat countryside

with crop-rich fields overlooked by tall church towers

and endless views often scattered with vibrant red poppies.

And the winding waterways of the Norfolk broads

flanked by lush green reeds and open plains,

have been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The region is home to a variety of pretty seaside towns like Cromer

and has a wealth of beautiful sandy beaches

overlooked by rugged coastlines.

Hunstanton on Norfolk's northwest coast

not only proudly displays its red and white chalk cliffs

and oystercatchers pecking at the sand,

but it's also one of the few places on England's east coast

where the sun can be seen setting over the sea as the town faces west.

All of these charming characteristics

see an estimated 30 million tourists flocking to Norfolk each year

but it also holds an alluring appeal

to those wanting to call this county home.

With such beautiful landscapes and vistas, it may surprise some to hear

that the value of property in Norfolk is equally appealing.

The average price of a detached house here

comes in at just over £222,000.

That's around £47,000 below the national figure.

Now, couple that with the fact that Norfolk is not only

the fifth largest county in the UK

but it also has the eighth lowest population density,

making it an ideal choice for anybody looking

for a slower, more rural pace of life.

So let's find out from today's buyers what's inspiring them

to make Norfolk the base for their future move.

Aerospace engineer Mark and his wife Steve

have lived in this detached house in Luton in Bedfordshire

for 29 years. They met at a party when they were just 17.

-I fell over you, I think, didn't I?

-You did and I fell over you.

Apparently I fell over on the floor. I'd had slightly too much to drink.

Then I don't know if you said or I said we should stick together

in case we break something.

And then it was love!

-It's our 40th this year.

-It is.

-Don't ask me the date!

-We've been married nearly 40 years.

-So we got married in 1974.

-Four, yeah.

And we'd known each other since 1970.

And with Mark taking early retirement in just two months' time,

they've decided to up sticks and move to Norfolk,

somewhere very close to their hearts.

We're moving away because I want to move off estate,

I want somewhere in the country.

We've done phases of our life and this is a new phase in retiring

and it gives us a new challenge and something to look forward to.

We like the area that we want to buy a house in

and we've spent lots of holidays and lots of time there

so it was a natural progression to move from here to there.

And Mark isn't expecting to rest on his laurels

during his retirement in Norfolk.

And of course it's got the steam railway.

I think that's the main attraction,

is the steam railway for a certain person in my life to go and work

as a volunteer, working in the engine shed tinkering with nuts and bolts.

I don't want to be the train driver, I just want to work on it.

I just like taking things apart and putting them back together again.

Engineering is in Mark's blood and at home his garage is shelter

to his pride and joy which will be joining them in their move

and will also need a new home.

The car that I've got is, I had one when I was a kid,

it brings back my youth.

It needs to go into a garage because it's in extremely good condition.

It's probably better than when it came out the factory in 1979

so I need a decent dry garage to keep it in.

Steve and Mark are also passionate about their grandchildren

whom they're extremely close to.

We see them pretty regularly, which is going to be the difference

between moving from here to moving away.

-They ask to come over for sleepovers at the weekends...

-Yeah.

..so that they can come and stay with us.

So one reason why we need a four-bedroom house when we move

is so that we can still accommodate them.

Steve makes sure that all the precious moments with her family

are documented each year, never to be forgotten.

Photography's my love.

I do photography a lot, and after, post taking the pictures,

I do an annual photographic diary.

So this year's one hopefully will show goodbye to the house

where we lived in and hello to a new one.

And with funds in the bank and Mark's retirement on the horizon,

this busy couple are ready to celebrate

their 40th wedding anniversary in Norfolk.

Life up until now has always been involved with a work ethos and now

that door's closing and another door is hopefully opening

which will give us new adventures and possibilities and is quite exciting.

It's going to slow me down, that's what I'm looking for,

just slowing down and relaxing a bit more.

Steve and Mark have lost their hearts to Norfolk

and are happy to move anywhere in the eastern county,

if the house is right.

So far they've spent a year viewing around 60 properties.

So before we begin our hunt for their new home,

I'm meeting them in the county

to get to the bottom of their property desires.

Welcome, both of you, to a... What a simply beautiful Norfolk morning.

So what's bringing you to this beautiful part of the world?

Over 30 years ago, we started to come on holiday here

when our children were small and we fell in love with it.

Now of course you've got children and grandchildren,

you must see them all the time.

Is moving up here going to be a huge wrench for you?

-Quite possibly.

-Yeah.

-But it's our time now...

-Yes.

..and we want to do something to share our retirement together

and if we're here and the attraction is sandcastles and bucket and spade,

I'm sure that they will be boomeranging down here.

Now, of course, we can't ignore the Norfolk coast.

How far inland would you like to be

or how far from the coast would you like to be?

If we fall in love with the house,

that will determine where we are and how long the drive is.

What does this house look like in your mind's eye, then?

We like light, open and airy.

The house that we have at the moment is light, open and airy.

Style-wise, do you want character?

Yes, character, anything. I think when you look at it, you'll know.

-How many bedrooms are we looking at?

-Four. En-suite if we can.

-Outside space?

-For me, as much as I can get, I think.

-Yeah.

If possible, I want to put a workshop on.

Where do you want this property to be?

Do you want to have amenities nearby or do you want to be out

in the countryside, something completely different?

The house dictates where we will be.

-I'm quite prepared to be quite remote...

-Yes.

..but I think somebody else is not quite so prepared...

-Yeah.

-..to be remote.

Detached, semidetached? What's your thoughts?

A detached house, please.

-Detached?

-Yeah, we've always been detached bar one.

Remind me of how much you're looking to spend?

-We're looking at somewhere between £400,000 and £450,000.

-Yeah.

Well, that's a good budget up here in Norfolk but let's face it,

you've been looking for a long time and not found anywhere yet.

What parts of your wish list do you think you'd be prepared

-to compromise on?

-I think most of it's open because...

-Yeah.

-..we're willing to compromise anywhere.

At the very, very, very, very least, you will know exactly what you want

at the end of this process. But what we're going for is,

hopefully, we'll find you somewhere where you want to live. Yeah?

-Brilliant.

-Somewhere we're comfortable in.

-Yeah.

Somewhere you're comfortable in

-and your family would love to visit and you can be proud of.

-Yeah.

All right, we've got three properties to show you.

All I ask from you guys is that you voice your opinions

so we can maybe learn along the way.

-OK.

-All right?

-Fabulous.

-Right.

-Vocal is good.

I don't think I'm going to get that problem from these two.

I'm just getting that sense. Listen, let's get started.

-Come this way.

-OK.

Steve and Mark have a healthy budget for this part of the world

so I'm confident I'm going to be able to find them what they want

but only they will know if it's got the right feel.

They'd like a detached house with four bedrooms

to put up visiting family and friends and a large garden

so their young grandchildren can enjoy the fresh country air.

Mark would love a workshop and a large garage so he can tinker

with his classic car and they'd like to be in a rural location

but not too far from civilisation.

Steve and Mark know Norfolk well but are yet to find their forever home.

We'll be showing them three very different properties

and after they've had a good look around

we'll reveal each one's price.

Their last visit will be to the mystery house.

We'll be taking a bit of a risk, showing them something quite unusual

and I just hope it pays off.

We're starting our property search in the northeast corner of Norfolk

in the village of East Ruston, three miles from the coast

and a 30-minute car ride from Norwich.

East Ruston is a small community with a traditional pub

and a village hall in its centre.

Shops can be found less than three miles away in the village of Stalham

and it's just a six-minute drive to the coastal village of Happisburgh

with its beautiful sandy beaches.

Not only are they perfect for a seaside walk or run,

the village also boasts the oldest evidence of human occupation

anywhere in the UK after tools over 800,000 years old were found.

A journey of just under three miles takes us back to East Ruston

and our first house, a delightful period cottage.

Oh, wow.

-This is a pretty house, isn't it?

-It is.

-Yes.

-Roses over the door.

-It's got the character.

-Yeah.

-What do we think? I mean you said character.

-Character.

-Yes.

Yeah. It's got the character, yeah.

Parts of this house go back 300 years.

-Good golly.

-This used to be thatched.

-Ah.

-Right.

Now back in about 1901, they took the thatch off...

-Oh, really?

-..and then about 25 years ago,

-they went out the back as well with that extension.

-Sure.

This used to be a tiny farmhouse cottage.

It's got a feel.

-The right feel?

-Yes.

-I like it.

-Let's go inside.

Steve and Mark have said that they'll just know when they

find their dream home and things are already looking hopeful.

Fingers crossed the good feeling continues inside.

The front door leads through the hallway to the dining room

which is also brimming with character.

It's great, it's got the beams. It's light, there's plenty of light.

-It is light, yes.

-And it's roomy.

That's the old external wall. It would be very shallow, this house.

-Yes.

-But thankfully they've managed to push an extension out that way

which gives us a kitchen.

-Right.

-Let me show you.

It's a cottage kitchen, as far as I can see.

-Is it doable?

-It is, yes.

You've got enough cupboard space down the back.

-And it's light because we've got the...

-The skylights.

..skylights up there.

'The kitchen is nestled between the dining room and the sitting room

'which is where we're headed now.

'It stretches from the front to the back of the house.'

It's surprising because you see the room the other side, which is

quite snug, and this one's got the other dimension

for adding that extra width on, it's brilliant.

Well, this is triple aspect as well

so you're getting that nice, light, airy feel, aren't you?

-And that is beautiful.

-You're getting light from all directions.

'And the period cottage character continues upstairs

'where there's a family bathroom and three bedrooms.

'A double to the back, another to the front

'and the master which runs the width of the house.'

It's big and it's light.

It's got two nice windows with a beautiful view

and a lighthouse over there.

I mean, imagine waking up to that view.

-That is just stunning, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's beautiful.

There's a couple of things you said you would love to have.

-First of all you said you wanted four bedrooms.

-Yeah.

You get three bedrooms and a lovely family bathroom but...

-Right.

-..three bedrooms, not four.

-Right.

-You can live with three?

Now, you did say you wanted an en-suite, as well.

-Tah-dah!

-Oh, well, I've got less cupboard space, then.

-Great.

-Oh, and a shower.

-Yeah.

-That's brilliant.

When I first met Steve and Mark,

I wasn't sure if they knew what they wanted in their country home

but this cottage is coming up trumps on all levels.

Hopefully it'll keep up the good work outside

in its rather lovely garden

with stunning views as far as the eye can see.

This is something else, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

-Gorgeous, isn't it?

-It is, it's lovely.

Now, garage-wise, good size garage with power.

-Yeah.

-Boarded for storage at the top as well.

-OK.

So the classic car will go in there, that's fine.

Could you live here?

-Could we live here?

-Yeah.

-Yes, I think we could.

Do you want to live here?

Probably.

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

Golly, I like it so...

£425,000.

OK. Mark?

I was going to say £417,000.

This place is on the market for offers around £380,000.

Good golly.

Have you felt like this before in other houses that you've looked at?

-I was going to have that conversation with Mark and say no.

-No.

So go back around the house

and then I'll meet you out the front whenever you've finished.

There's a nice chair in a sunny place out there.

It's got my name written all over it.

-It's a tough job but I'll struggle through.

-OK, thank you. Bye.

Fill your boots. Enjoy yourselves.

This modernised Victorian cottage comes in at a substantial

£70,000 under Steve and Mark's budget.

It may not have the four bedrooms they were after

but they've fallen in love with its character

and are happy to compromise.

It's got a garage for Mark's beloved classic car

and a pretty garden with stunning views towards the coast.

I think it works really well.

It's sort of old but quite modern in its appearance.

I can't believe how light and airy this house looks.

This house, I really like it, the way it's laid out and the fact

it's still retained its cottage feel because I want to go into a house

that I feel comfortable with and I feel really comfortable with this.

The foliage up the house and its situation,

how quiet it is here, was beautiful.

Going inside, it was full of surprises as well, basically,

because I expected it to be dark and it wasn't.

It's beautiful, I love it.

My feelings are we could quite comfortably come and live here.

Well, I'd be very happy to come and wait for you for as long

as you ever needed in that chair, it's absolutely gorgeous out here.

It's beautiful out here.

-How did you get on inside, all right?

-Lovely.

-Yeah, great.

-Still great?

-Yeah.

-So, good start, then?

-Very good start.

-Yes, it is.

-Excellent. On to the next one.

-OK.

In the 30-plus years that Steve and Mark have been visiting Norfolk,

they've enjoyed trips on the north Norfolk steam railway

and are hoping to become volunteers here when they move.

The railway was built in 1887 to attract tourists to the region

and ran until 1967 when it closed because of national cuts.

In the 1970s, a group of enthusiasts got together to resurrect it

and it now provides a ten-and-a-half-mile round trip

taking in the beautiful surrounding countryside with sea views.

Steve and Mark have come to meet general manager Trevor Eady

at the scenic Heritage Railway, which runs from Sheringham to Holt,

via Weybourne.

How was the railway funded?

Last year, we had 158,000 passengers

and that's where our revenue is coming through

for running the railway.

The reason we survive is really because of volunteers.

We have around 38 staff and just under 400 volunteers at the moment.

My interest is in the engineering side.

Although I'm an aerospace engineer, I just love Victorian engineering

because it's over-engineered. It just lasts.

If you've got skills on the engineering side,

then they would certainly be made use of if you came here.

-Here we are now here arriving at Holt.

-At Holt station.

There are five steam locomotives in operation at the railway,

and Steve and Mark are joining Brian Toovey at the maintenance and

restoration centre where the trains come to be serviced.

Brian volunteers here about 12 days a month.

This is one of our little engines, Ring Haw.

it's just come back into service again. It's been running.

We're going to do some oiling up on it, clean the rods,

keep it all nice and clean, nice and shiny for the customers

so they can see that they're nice, presentable engines.

When you become a volunteer, you start off cleaning the engines

and this way, you get to learn your way round the engines,

what all the bits do, how they work within each other.

If I give you a rag and give you a rag and if I carry on wiping bits

-and if you just follow behind wiping that part off.

-OK.

So when did you start volunteering?

I started down here as a volunteer in 1982.

I started doing exactly this job as a cleaner

and then I slowly went through the different grades that we've got

and finished up as a driver.

The more you come down here,

the faster you can progress through the ranks.

Yeah.

Next stop for Steve and Mark is a visit to the heart of

the whole operation - the Weybourne signal box.

Most of the railway is single track but here in the middle of the route,

there's a passing place for two trains.

The signal box allows trains to safely leave the station,

ensuring another train isn't coming in the opposite direction.

Ed is one of our signalmen here

and will show you how we operate the levers here

and turn the points over and also the signalling aspect of it as well.

The levers operate the signals and the points which direct the train

to the right platform as it approaches the station.

BELL RINGS

OK, we've just had the bells through now

that indicate the train is about to leave Sheringham.

The train driver carries a token in a holder which confirms

he has the right of way on that stretch of track.

Right now, the locomotive's coming

so what you've now got to do is

collect the token from the locomotive, so hold your arm out

and just make a bit more of a fist

so that it comes on and stays there and let him do the work, all right?

-Oh, my God!

-Just make sure you go through the centre.

I thought that was fabulous, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much for letting us come

and enjoy such a beautiful day here.

-Thank you, Trevor. It was lovely.

-Thank you.

For our second house, we're journeying just over 30 miles west

to the rural village of Whissonsett, five miles south

of the market town of Fakenham and 23 miles northwest of Norwich.

In the village, there's little more than a handsome 14th-century church

but in nearby Fakenham, there are plenty of

shops and eateries to choose from.

A 13-minute drive takes us back to Whissonsett and our second property

situated in the heart of the village at the end of a stone driveway.

-So, another old house.

-Yeah.

Not quite as old as the first one but what are your thoughts?

Nice brickwork, flint stone on the side.

Yeah. Mark, what do you think? What are your impressions of,

first of all where we are, right in the middle of this village?

You're in the middle of the village but it's quiet.

-You come down the lane, it's quiet.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

The only things we've heard is two tractors going up and down.

-Well, that's not bad, is it?

-No.

-No.

This brick and flint house dates back to around 1800

with some later additions.

It's had extensive renovations and we're starting off our tour

-in the first of two reception rooms.

-Oh, wow.

Quite snug, parquet flooring in here and a wood floor in there.

Yeah, this was added later on. The current owners put this in.

There was an inglenook fireplace in there, which...well, it was almost too big for the room,

the owners thought, so they put that fireplace in there

and I think it works perfectly.

It's light because you've got two windows there

and the window at the front here.

Behind the two reception rooms at the back of the house is

a shower room and, across the hallway, a large kitchen-diner.

-It's a cracking ,kitchen isn't it?

-It's fantastic, isn't it?

And there's plenty of cupboard space for you.

Plenty of work surface.

-A lot bigger than the last house, isn't it?

-Yeah.

And it's got enough room to socialise in here with

the table that's in here.

It's big, it's square, it's light, it's got lots

and lots of cupboard space.

Let's go upstairs and look at the bedrooms.

We are heading straight for the largest of four bedrooms

across a galleried landing.

-So the master bedroom...

-Oh, wow.

-..is a very elegant affair.

It is and really light, unlike the decor. French provincial.

-Yes.

-And it's bigger than the average room as well.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's a large room.

-Yes.

This spacious bedroom has views to the back and side of the property.

There's also two decent-sized doubles to the front of the house

with a smaller room between them and the eye-catching family bathroom

has a feature bath as its centrepiece.

So what do you think?

In comparison with the other house, this is a lot bigger.

-Yes.

-And squarer, lighter rooms. Yeah.

What do you think you prefer at the moment, Mark?

-I'm tossing up between the two.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it's difficult.

-Because they're totally different.

The other one is a bit smaller

but it's got a different character to this one.

And I'm thinking, hmm...

-Causing us a problem.

-Yeah.

Well, it's a good problem to have.

'Well, I must say I'm rather surprised and rather pleased.

'So far it looks like it's two out of two on our tour of Norfolk houses.'

-Mind the step.

-OK.

'Steve and Mark seem to have that feeling here too and I think

'they'll be even more confused when

'I throw something else into the mix - a beautifully renovated barn.'

I can't believe this. It's huge.

You can see through there, you've got another studio room as well.

We'll have to take in lodgers.

-Wow, this is...

-We could put the grandchildren in here. Be a quiet night.

-We could, we could.

-Lock the door.

-There's another log burner in here.

-Yeah.

-Now, one of the owners...

-Yeah.

-..is a very keen photographer and framer.

Now, I was thinking you said you wanted to get into photography -

-what a great studio this is.

-It would be...

-Yeah.

-It's beautiful. You're right.

-You've got room to drive a car into that top end.

-OK.

But I don't think you'd need to because you've also got a car port.

Oh, wow.

This is a house that just keeps on giving.

Attached to the car port is a workshop

and the manicured gardens extend to around a third of an acre.

So you can see, look, you've got a kitchen garden here.

Mark, you said you wanted as much garden as possible.

It's a good-size garden.

How do you price this?

Ask Mark first.

It's me first.

Well, you're looking at the size of the house and the property

and the outbuildings and the amount of land you've got with it -

I reckon it's got to be up the top end of the budget. £450,000.

OK, 450. What do you say, Steve?

I would agree with that, it is at the top end of our budget

so I will say 445.

Well, this place is on the market with a guide price of £439,000.

-Wow.

-There's a lot...

-For your money.

-..of what both you said you wanted.

-Yeah.

-You guys, go and have a look around the rest of the house

and I'll see you whenever you're finished. Fill your boots.

Coming in at around £11,000 under their top budget,

this detached house will give Steve and Mark a decent amount of change

and it has just the number of bedrooms they're after.

The converted barn will be an ideal space for Steve to indulge in

her love of photography and the workshop and car port will provide

Mark with the space and shelter he's after for his classic car.

The house sits in around a third of an acre, which not only comes

with a ready-made vegetable garden, but is also a great space for

the grandchildren to play.

-Ooh, lovely, claw feet bath.

-Roll top bath.

-And roll top.

-Yeah, it's a nice size as well.

And two windows again so it's light and bright.

It's not like a bathroom that we've seen before, is it?

-And the view out the window as well.

-It's a room with a bath. It's lovely.

-Yeah.

We've been a lot quieter with this house, because there's been

so much more to take in and it fulfils a lot of things that we wished for.

When you first see the house, it's got the look

and you come in and it's got that light airiness but it's warm

and for me, I've got to feel comfortable in a house

and you are in this place.

It's a nice cosy house,

but at the same time it's light and it's bright.

I have warm feelings about this house.

I think that we would feel comfortable in here.

There is enough space for us to entertain

and for our family to come and visit and I can see

that my grandchildren will take over the annexe quite happily.

So how did you enjoy looking around that?

We loved it and there's so much to see.

Yeah.

And there's a lot to think about.

Well, that's hopefully the case because I know you enjoyed this morning but now hopefully

you've got two houses in the bag to think about tonight.

We have and there'll be a lot of conversation.

Well, as long as you let Mark get a word in edgeways.

-OK, away you go.

-Well done.

It's day two of our journey through Norfolk,

searching out the perfect home for Steve and Mark from Luton to retire to.

They've got a good budget of £450,000 to spend on their country home

and they both said they'll instinctively know

when they find the house that's right for them.

Coming up, I'll be revealing our mystery house.

There's enough for about five of us in the bed they've got there.

And I'll be sampling a local Norfolk delicacy.

It's a really nice, thick, tasty meat.

Well, after a cracking day yesterday, I'll be pretty disappointed

if Steve and Mark don't go back to at least one of the houses

we showed them for a second viewing.

Now today, as you can see, it's another glorious start

here in Norfolk and we're off to see the mystery house.

Now, as you know, the mystery house sometimes represents

a riskier prospect and this one is no exception.

So far, the one thing I've learnt from Steve and Mark is

they want a detached property, that is for sure, so guess what?

We're off to see a semidetached house

and on top of that, this one has a slightly more unconventional layout

but if they're prepared to overlook these foibles,

they could get their hands on the style of property that most people

dream of buying when they look to make their escape to the country.

Let's see how we go.

Travelling just over 16 miles east

takes us to our third and final house

in the small village of Brandiston,

ten miles northwest of Norwich

and around a 40-minute drive from the coast.

The village is pretty rural,

but around a five-minute drive away

is the attractive Georgian market town of Reepham,

which has all the facilities nearby residents might need

as well as pretty walking paths,

perfect for a country stroll

or a run, if Mark's feeling a bit more energetic.

Just over two miles away

and we're back in Brandiston at our mystery house.

It's something a little out of the ordinary - converted cattle barns.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-It is.

-Completely different.

-We'll get the cars in that space.

Yeah, you've got enough space for your cars,

-You've got enough space for everything.

-Yeah.

I'll explain to you what we have here.

You've got a big L-shape so obviously from the garage there...

-Yeah.

-..right the way around there to, see that upright black pipe...

-Yeah.

-That is the corner of your property.

-That is the next door neighbour.

-OK.

-Yeah.

I would normally take you inside the house, but because this property

has something that I think you will love, let's start with that first.

-A shed?

-More than a shed.

Somewhere to put it, follow me.

-Now look at this.

-Wow.

The best viewing point is just from this corner.

You can see all the way down there.

-Oh, wow.

-All the way down there and this is all yours, exclusively.

Wow. Wow.

There's a lot of ground there.

-Yeah.

-And you've got a really good view as well.

-So far you've absolutely loved the outside, haven't you?

-Yeah.

-Let me show you the inside at long last.

-Great.

This stunning property sits in almost an acre of land, which

has clearly impressed Steve and Mark and they don't seem to mind

the fact that it's semidetached at all.

We're starting off our tour in the striking kitchen.

I love the ceiling and I love the kitchen.

Not wanting to pre-empt anything,

is there another dining room or is that going to be a kitchen-diner?

I think this is your dining room.

I think we do spend a lot of time here, that's social

because you can get out into the garden and you've got lovely views.

It's lovely.

-I can't be happier, it's a great size and I like it a lot.

-Good.

This beautifully converted barn is laid out in an inverted L-shape.

We're moving from the top of the property,

where the kitchen is located with an adjoining utility room,

to the side where the sitting room is found,

sandwiched between the bedrooms and overlooking the courtyard garden.

It's absolutely beautiful.

It's more than impressive, it's a wow, isn't it? Vaulted ceiling.

Vaulted ceiling, inglenook fireplace.

-Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

-Yeah. I can go through the list.

You've come up trumps here, haven't you?

And there's plenty of light - all those windows there.

Yeah, you couldn't wish for anything more.

I wasn't sure I could top Steve and Mark's reactions to our first

two houses, but the mystery house is certainly working hard for

its place as a serious contender.

This wing of the barn has a family bathroom, a bedroom-cum-study,

a double bedroom and past a single bedroom is the master,

the largest of the four bedrooms.

We're en-suite here, which has got to be good news.

-So what do you think?

-Another vaulted ceiling.

It's got character.

There's enough for about five of us in the bed they've got there.

Now for guests, I mean, let's talk about the grandchildren.

You've got all the bedrooms you need.

This is quite a grand offering here now, isn't it?

-There's a lot there.

-Yeah.

Heading back outside, where there's plenty on offer too,

with a double car port perfect for Mark's classic car

sitting in almost an acre of land.

How are you feeling?

-Over the moon.

-Excited.

Over the moon? Wow.

Well, let's see if we can add to that in guessing the price.

OK, then, Mark, go ahead.

It's over our budget so I'd probably say £460,000, £470,000.

-Which one?

-460.

OK. Steve, what say you?

I think it's over budget and if he says £460,000, I'll say £470,000.

When it first came on the market it was over budget.

It's now on for offers around £450,000.

-Spot on budget, then.

-What do you think, Mark?

They've just gradually got better.

The first one was good, really good, good aspects.

The second one was in a village, had everything we wanted and this one...

-Has surpassed that.

-Yeah, yeah. You've just got better.

I think you should have a bit of time here on your own.

-To have a look around.

-Look around the place, get to know the lie of the land...

-Yeah.

-Quite literally.

-Yeah.

-Take us long as you need.

-Honestly, all right?

-We will.

-And I'll see you at the end.

This superbly designed brick and tile barn conversion is bang

on Steve and Mark's upper budget

but they would have to do virtually nothing to it.

It has just the amount of rooms they're looking for

to accommodate visiting family and friends and although it's

semidetached, the next-door neighbour is only attached

at the far end of the property adjoining the guest bedroom.

Outside is a blank canvas of a garden which Mark

could make his own and although the location feels rural,

it's only a couple of miles from local amenities.

They're using it as a study but we could have this as a bedroom

so that the kids can stay in here.

Can put the grandkids in here quite easily.

When I said at the beginning that we'd know the house

when we walked into it, this house has done exactly that, that we

walked inside and I knew this was the house we wanted to live in.

You can walk in and you feel comfortable.

There's nothing there that you can see that's out of place

or you don't like.

It's, that bit where you think you've got everything

and there's a bit more, well, this place has got everything

and it's got that bit more.

-So - pretty successful morning, I think.

-It has been.

-Very good.

-Hmm.

Well, hopefully we've given you lots to discuss

-so let's find you somewhere to do just that, shall we?

-Yeah.

Half of Norfolk's border runs along beautiful coastline,

and the seaside town of Cromer on its northeast coast

is world-famous for its crab.

I've come to meet Kevin Jonas,

who has followed in his father's footsteps working in the local crab business.

So, Kevin, how long have people been potting for crabs here in Cromer?

I think the first records go back to around about 300 years ago.

-Wow. 300 years?

-Yes, yeah.

What makes Cromer crabs so special, then?

We generally think that the crabs are smaller around here and

-they grow more slowly and therefore they are more fully meated...

-OK.

..and they have a much more tender flavour.

Two years ago, the town's largest crab factory shut down,

leaving a gap in the market for supplying Cromer crab to large supermarkets.

Kevin stepped in and opened his own site nine months ago.

He's hoping to process 200 tonnes of crab in his first year,

keeping his prize catch on shelves countrywide.

Sounds like things are going well. Now I understand,

is it your nephew that works within the company as well?

-Yeah, John fishes our own boat, yes.

-So he's out at the moment?

-That's correct, yes.

-What sort of time does he go out?

About first light, about 3:30 this morning.

I'm going to go over there and meet him. I'll catch up with you later.

-OK. Cheers. Bye.

-Thanks very much, Kevin.

John became a fisherman straight from school and he's been

potting for crabs for Kevin's factory for the last seven years.

He takes the family boat out six days a week,

travelling two to three miles from shore,

where he has a string of around 12 pots lying on the seabed 20 metres down.

-Good morning, John. How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you, and yourself?

Yeah, pretty good, thanks. How did you get on?

Nearly three boxes of crab and about six lobsters.

-Can we have a look?

-Yeah, sure, yeah.

The crabs need to be four and a half inches long

to be legally taken out of the water.

Any smaller, and they're put straight back in.

So point out what makes this fella a good crab.

-When the crab is full of meat...

-Yeah.

..they actually bulge out more.

-Bursting out of its shell...

-Yeah.

-There's loads of meat in there.

-Yeah, yeah.

-How old will this fella be, do you think?

-I should say nine, ten years.

And they take seven years to get to legal length.

I'm going to meet your uncle back on the beach

so I'll leave him to you, John.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

-Cheers.

'The proof of the pudding is in the tasting

'and I can't wait to sample this local delicacy.

'I'm heading back over to Kevin

'to try some of this little crustacean that has put Cromer

'firmly on Norfolk's culinary map.'

How long have they been landed?

They would have been cooked at our factory yesterday.

-That's fresh, isn't it?

-That's fresh, yeah.

How long do they cook for?

About 20 minutes for these sort of size crabs.

This is a fully meated female crab

but as it's cooked, the meat has expanded

so it's broken its membrane.

So this here, this bit has just expanded

-because of all the meat inside.

-That's correct, all the meat inside.

If I hold up the male crab,

-you can see it's a much narrower apron.

-Yeah.

'The apron is a triangle of shell on the underside of the crab.'

And also the male has bigger claws and therefore...

These are much bigger than those, aren't they?

-Yeah, and much more white meat.

-Is there is a preference?

Do people say, "Right, can I have a male crab or a female crab?"

Absolutely, yes, they do.

Some people like, if you like more brown meat,

-sweeter brown meat, that's the female.

-Yeah.

If you like the white meat, they go for the males.

-It's easy to open.

-Oh, wow.

Just comes away like that.

-So you can see all that lovely fresh meat in there.

-Yeah.

And then you put your finger under there

and take out all the digestive part there.

-OK.

-So all that is left in there is then edible, brown meat.

But what we would then do is we'd take the legs off.

And take the claws off.

There's a bit of brown meat in the middle there,

Goes into the bottom there with the rest of it.

Yeah, and that's how you see it, isn't it?

That's correct, yes.

So we pick those parts of white meat out there.

That is what the Cromer crab is all about. They're smaller

but they're fully meated and they taste absolutely out of this world.

So I think I need to try it for myself. Can I?

-Yeah, absolutely, help yourself.

-Right.

Oh, wow, you can tell it's fresh.

It tastes, it's a really nice thick, tasty meat.

I'm going to try some of that brown meat as well

because this is the sweeter stuff, isn't it, the brown meat?

Absolutely, yeah, that's the female crab

so that'll be slightly more delicate flavour than the male crab.

-That tastes absolutely gorgeous.

-Yeah.

'It doesn't get much better than this for al fresco dining.

'Sumptuous locally caught seafood with views of the beautiful

'Norfolk coastline to boot.

'Well, my tummy's been satisfied and I'm eager to find out if

'Steve and Mark are ready to call this wonderful county home.'

I wish you all the very best of luck.

-Thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

So after looking around three cracking properties,

I'm pretty confident that from Mark

and Steve's point of view, the mystery house is coming out on top.

Time to catch up with them to find out their thoughts.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Well, after the reactions I saw this morning,

I've got a fair idea of what the favourite property may be.

-Put me out of my misery.

-Mystery house.

-The mystery house.

-Mystery house.

Course it is. What do you what to do about it?

-Get my cheque book out.

-Do you? It's that good?

-Yes.

-Yeah, it's that good.

-Yes.

For me, it was always a dream to try and own a converted barn.

Common sense says forget it because you're never going to be able

to afford it but you've come up trumps with that

and you've come up trumps with all the other bits we wanted -

the double garage,

the en-suite and the land that goes with it is phenomenal.

I think it's the home for us to retire to, basically

because it fulfils everything on our wish list.

-Everything?

-Hmm.

What does it feel like to know that you've found somewhere to retire to?

-What does it mean to you both?

-You're living the dream.

-Excited.

-Are you?

-Hmm.

-What is your next step?

-Get in touch with the agent...

-Yeah.

-..and put a bid in.

-Yes.

-As simple as that.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

I must say that's music to my ears.

I was worried at the start of the week,

you said you'd been looking for such a long period of time.

Whoever's designed and built that house,

I think they almost built it with you in mind, didn't they?

-They did, they certainly did.

-I think they did.

-Where are you going? Are you going to go to the estate agents from here?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

Well, I wish you both the very best of luck.

I mean, it does seem completely suited to you

so whatever happens or hopefully when you secure the deal...

-let us know, won't you?

-Yeah, we'll do that.

-We will do that.

-Let's toast to that.

-Go on, then.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Thanks, Jonnie.

-Good luck.

For most of us, when we look to buy a property,

our primary focus is understandably on its location,

but as Mark and Steve have been here to Norfolk

so many times over the past 30-odd years, they instinctively knew

if an area worked for them

and then they were able to focus on a house itself.

But I must admit I was getting a bit concerned

when they seemed to be falling in love with everything we showed them.

That was until they saw the mystery property.

Sure, it had everything they said they were after

on their shopping list but it also had that one thing that

you can't quite put your finger on and that's the feeling

it gives you when you first see it and you walk over the threshold.

So, hopefully we'll hear some good news later this afternoon

once they've had a visit to the estate agents.

I'm looking forward to finding out.

Steve and Mark had their offer on the mystery house accepted

the very next day but unfortunately, the sale has since fallen through.

We wish them the very best of luck as their house search continues.

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