A back-to-nature staycation in north Norfolk
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know that I love to travel: I’m never happier than when planning the next escape to some far-flung country. Well this summer, we decided to stay in Norfolk for a ... wait for it... staycation, yeah that extremely annoying word coined to make you feel better about the fact you’re very very skint and need to stay right where you are baby.
Then this Brexit shamble happened I got even more twitchy about staying on home soil. Thankfully that weekend I managed to escape to a field near Swaffham with likeminded friends and their families in tow. Pitched up a tent in a wildflower meadow, sat round a huge open fire putting the world to rights late into the night. The kids ran wild and the parents got to party en masse; I hadn’t felt this content in ages. Once I’d found the winning formula we didn’t need to leave the county for six weeks – find a squad, book a pitch and pray the weather behaves. You’re welcome.
One of the highlights of our summer exploring Norfolk was a stay at the Norfolk Brickyard, located close to the coast at Wells-next-the Sea. It’s like no other campsite I’ve been to, in that it doesn’t actually feel like a campsite; more a natural habitat that you’ve been given the privilege to camp in.
You won’t find marked out pitches, ugly shower blocks, electric hook-ups or floodlights. Each camping plot is secluded, tucked away behind thoughtfully placed hedgerows and trees so that every area has privacy and shelter, with its own central firepit, which creates a natural communal space.
Facilities are deliberately minimal; one hot shower with toilet and sink (and long drop compost toilet and bucket shower for the brave). It’s proper back to nature here; not some sanitised version of camping that’s become all too familiar to us Brits.
Once the tents were up, the kids were off exploring the surrounding fields, ponds and woodland (I’m told barn owls, foxes, deer, pheasants, bats, rabbits and toads share the space with us campers) not to be seen until dusk when toasted marshmallows were on the cards. Giving us adults ample time to settle in and sink a beer or two in peace. Win-win.
There’s no doubt that Norfolk Brickyard’s owners Tim and Catherine Zoll have successfully created a back-to-nature campsite while retaining some of the site’s brickmaking heritage. The original Peterstone brickyard was established around 1720 by William Kent, the architect of nearby Holkham Hall. There are ruins of the old brickmaking process dotted around the site, such as an old kiln, all respected and left alone to blend seamlessly into its natural surroundings.
Majestic Holm Oaks dot the estate; some erect, some fallen, have settled into the estate despite not being a native species and have been encouraged to colonise in the area. According to Tim it’s thought that the abundance of Holm Oak is due to the fact that branches of the trees were used as primitive bubble wrap inside crates containing marble statues and other treasures brought back by Thomas Coke on his Grand Tour of Europe.
“Part of the character of the Brickyard is it’s natural feel, the feeling that the land has been forgotten and only just re-discovered. This natural feel can’t be faked, it’s genuine and we love it like that,” explains Tim. With exciting plans afoot, I can’t wait to return next summer, if of course I’m not jetsetting abroad!
Norfolk Brickyard Photo credit: Tim Zoll
Norfolk Brickyard Photo credit: Tim Zoll