An estate agent would most likely call it compact and bijou with unrivalled views.And they wouldn't be wrong about the setting.Self-built from scrap timber, driftwood and the roof of a grocery van, this north Norfolk coast getaway is on the market for £60,000.

An estate agent would most likely call it compact and bijou with unrivalled views.

And they wouldn't be wrong about the setting.

Self-built from scrap timber, driftwood and the roof of a grocery van, this north Norfolk coast getaway is on the market for £60,000.

Sowerby's estate agents is advertising what is called The Ark at Burnham Overy Staithe for sale after its owner of 17 years reluctantly decided to sell his little hideaway.

Although it resembles a beach hut on water, sat on remote mudflats, it has been artist Lucas Kuys' base for rambles, sketching and just listening to the radio ever since he rescued it from the mud.

Mr Kuys, 65, made the 1950s creation, perched on a former Bailey bridge, his retreat after it was handed to him by a friend.

But between trips to his home country, Holland, and America to visit family, he is finding less time to make the most of his haven.

“It is incredibly sad for me,” he said. “I have spent many happy moments there on my own and with friends. We have had lunches, dinner parties and even a funeral of a friend who wanted her ashes to go out on the tide.

“It is one of the most beautiful spots in the whole UK. And it is not a thing you sell easily. But I spend more time abroad these days.

“I hope it will be bought by a young family with children for many happy times like I have had.”

It comes with a gas stove and gas light, table, chairs and a space for two people to sleep. But otherwise, the accommodation is basic.

It has sat on the same secluded spot, 40 minutes' walk from the harbour, where it was tugged after being built in the early 1950s on the drive of a doctor from Grimston in west Norfolk.

That was in the days when people could park boats where they liked.

Mr Kuys came across it when he bumped into David Bree, one of the doctor's sons who lives in Holland and was glad to find it a home as it had fallen out of use.

Mr Kuys and his wife, Lynn George, now want to spend more time in America where they have family. The pair has had a home in Norfolk for 20 years after discovering the county on a holiday.

For details, call Sowerby's at Burnham Market on 01328 730340.