Perfect Glamping Spot in Norfolk, England
People talk about Norfolk whenever you mention your desire to escape to a spot in the UK with great beaches and wide open skies. This is exactly what we found on our recent glamping weekend!
We booked a safari tent at the aptly named glamping spot ‘Wild Luxury’ near Hunstanton in Norfolk for a three night weekend. The drive was good with clear roads even though we were crossing the country from west to east and there are no major highways only ‘A’ roads. With two teens and a dog in the car, we were glad of the many places to stop on the way and made good use of the roadside cafes.
The first impression we had of the county was that we could see for miles which made the sky look wide and vast. The second one – after driving through a few of the lovely villages – was there’s no litter on the streets. Both a definite plus from us!
Our ‘glamping’ site was at the centre of a working farm and as we drove around the fields into the site it became apparent why they’d chosen it. The view is stunning! Just five tents look out across a dip in the fields and over a small wood rolling on over even more fields. It was easy to think we were miles from anywhere.
Ellen, who manages the camp, greeted us and explained how everything worked. The tents are large with two bedrooms at the rear and a wooden enclosed double bed in the centre which is perfect for little kids as you can close them in! The kitchen is well stocked with crockery, cutlery, pots and pans and a huge bag full of wood, fire kindling and matches. They really have thought of everything!
The wood burning stove is in the centre of the living area and is perfect for warmth and cooking if you don’t want to BBQ on the grill outside. The free range chickens mean free fresh eggs daily to add to the huge brunches before setting out to explore the area.
Having good weather, two teenage boys and a dog with us we headed straight for the nearest beach at Heacham. This is the nearest sandy spot from the site and it’s great for walking. The only thing we didn’t like was that most of the area is filled with static holiday caravans.
We loved Wells Beach which joins up with Holkham. It’s sandy, wide and has sand dunes to climb and trees alongside. Holkham Beach is a wide expanse of beach about 6kms long so perfect for family days out. We walked and picnicked there enjoying the sunshine but it wasn’t quite warm enough to swim!
Coming back, we stopped at The Lavender Farm for afternoon tea and only minutes away from the campsite. We loved exploring the plant centre and gift shop and finding out more about which plants are used in the treatment of minor ailments. There’s a petting zoo for the kids here but there is also a farm shop and a stunning homewares shop to browse in and get great ideas!
Another wonderful place to visit in Norfolk is Sandringham Estate. Walking in the country estate is free and the gardens are beautiful. We parked at one of the many paths leading into the estate and walked for miles through sandy pathways lined with azaleas over 1.5m high!
Late afternoons were spent reading on the deck, playing badminton, walking in the fields, swingball or having wheelbarrow races! After supper, it was all about building up the fire to toast marshmallows for dessert and tell ghost stories!
All too soon our lazy weekend was over and we were packing up our belongings and thinking about when we could get back to this perfect hideaway in England’s big sky country.