About
Norfolk Living Guide is a small independent publication that covers only Norfolk and is edited in the county. Its four writers publish under pen names, each on a set beat.
We started Norfolk Living Guide in early 2026 because the area guides we could find online were either written by estate agents with something to sell us or so general they could have been about any county.
Who we are
We are a small independent publication run by people who live in Norfolk, and we cover only Norfolk, all of it: Norwich, the Broads villages, the north coast and the quieter market towns in the west. The guides concentrate on the practical things that decide whether a place suits you, such as the school run, the commute and what is on the high street.
Nothing online gave a full, plain account of what living in each place is like. So we built one.
The writers
Each writer looks at the county from a different angle. A guide to the coast and a guide to the commuter belt need different questions, so each byline keeps to its own beat. The writers publish under consistent pen names, a standard practice in local publishing. What stays fixed is the beat each one covers and the sourcing behind it.
Tom Fletcher
Property and relocation editor
Tom has lived in Norfolk for 12 years and works from a base in South Norfolk. He covers the property market, transport links and moves from London and Cambridge, and walks the towns he writes about. Price analysis, council tax comparisons and the day-to-day cost of living in each area appear under his byline. Every price is checked against HM Land Registry data before it is published.
Sarah Ellis
Coast and lifestyle editor
Sarah grew up in North Norfolk and came back after a career on the south coast. She writes about the coast, the Broads and retiring to Norfolk: second homes and a slower pace of life, what stays open in winter, what downsizing involves and how a town changes with the seasons. Her guides set the postcard version of these places against what they are like all year.
James Ward
Money and property finance editor
James spent eight years in financial services before moving to Norfolk. He covers money: mortgages, conveyancing, home insurance and the cost of running a Norfolk home. His guides are written from the buyer’s side of the table. They name firms, never accept payment for editorial placement, and check regulatory points against the published guidance of the FCA, the SRA and the CLC.
Helen Marsh
Schools and family editor
Helen moved her family from Cambridge to Norfolk in 2018 and has been through state and independent admissions here herself. She writes the schools coverage, the family guides and the pieces on village life, including catchment areas and admissions. Every school rating under her byline is checked against the most recent Ofsted inspection and DfE records, because a Good rating does not always tell you everything about a school.
Rightmove has the property prices. It does not have the school that looks fine on paper but has had three head teachers in five years, or the village that floods every winter because nobody has dealt with the drainage since the 80s. That gap is what this site is for.
How the guides are built
Every area guide on this site starts from public data, including ONS statistics, Ofsted reports, Land Registry figures and Ofcom broadband data. We then check it against local sources: council pages, bus and rail operators, the Environment Agency and the town’s own organisations. When sources disagree, or something looks wrong, we look into it further.
48 guides so far
They include Norwich, Wells-next-the-Sea on the coast, the old streets of King’s Lynn and the lanes around Loddon. Every guide follows the same format, so you can compare places like for like.
Checked against named sources
Property prices come from Land Registry records, school ratings from Ofsted and broadband speeds from Ofcom. Every specific claim is checked against a named source before it goes live.
Corrections
If we get a road, a distance, a bus route or a supplier wrong, email us and we will correct the guide. Several of our corrections have come from readers who live in the town.
Our research
For property prices we use HM Land Registry sold-price data and the official UK House Price Index. School information comes from Ofsted reports and Department for Education records.
Transport details are checked against the operators’ own timetables, and broadband speeds against Ofcom Connected Nations data. GP, pharmacy and dentist details are checked against the NHS service finder.
Who the guides are for
We write for anyone thinking of moving to Norfolk or moving within it. That includes first-time buyers making a London salary go further, families who want better schools and more space, remote workers who can now live anywhere, and retirees who want somewhere peaceful that still has good connections.
Whether the house you have in mind is a Georgian townhouse in Holt or a new-build on the edge of Attleborough, the guides are meant to give you what you need to decide with confidence.
How the site is paid for
We are independent. Reading the site is free and nothing sits behind a paywall. The site is paid for by sponsorship and featured-partner placements: local businesses that meet our standards can pay to appear alongside relevant guides, and those placements are always clearly marked.
None of this influences what we write. If a town has poor broadband we will say so, even if a broadband provider is featured on the same page. Our advertise page explains how working with us works.
Get in touch
Tell us if we have got something wrong, or if there is a town we have not covered yet. We rely on local knowledge from residents, and we keep working to improve the guides.
Who writes Norfolk Living Guide
The guides run under four bylines, each with its own beat, and are edited by an editor who lives in Norfolk. The byline appears on every article and links to the author pages below.
- Tom Fletcher: house prices, transport, and moving from London or Cambridge.
- Helen Marsh: schools, family life, villages, and the practical side of moving with children.
- James Ward: mortgages, conveyancing, insurance and what a Norfolk home costs to run.
- Sarah Ellis: the coast, the Broads, retirement and the slower side of county life.
Our contributors write under pen names, a long-standing practice in local publishing that our privacy policy sets out. Each byline is a consistent identity tied to a beat, and the same sourcing and fact-checking standards apply to every guide whichever name is on it. Our methodology page explains how we research property prices, school ratings and transport.
Planning a move to Norfolk?
Our guides to hiring the firms a move needs.
We earn no commission on these links. Paid placements are sold separately and always labelled. See our advertising and disclosure page.