I have a confession to make. I love the outdoors. I love walking. Running. Cycling… but I am yet to fall in love with camping. Sorry! I did my Duke of Edinburgh. I can pitch a tent. But I think we just haven’t got round to it as a family. And my husband needed some convincing!
So when I came across Margins Walking and Glamping through Instagram and then met Gin, the owner, in a meeting, the glamping seed was sewn. Throw in a trip to the Norfolk Show where we saw ‘mini Deepdale’ and we had enough inspiration to give glamping a go.
From the off, the attention to detail was spectacular. I had asked if there were any local walks that might be suitable for our family, and when our welcome pack arrived through the post it included some walks that took into consideration the age of our daughter and that we had a dog. The rest of the pack also outlined everything we needed to know.
We’ve driven past Deepdale many times in the past but hadn’t really clocked how much is there – it’s a great set up. There’s a garage filled with local produce, numerous craft and clothes shops, ‘Gone Crabbing‘ with all their fantastic beach kit and Deepdale Cafe. The shower block was the bit I was most worried about, but it was really clean and they have family wet rooms which were great with a toddler. There were even some nesting Swallows in the toilet block for added child entertainment.
Gin was there to meet us at reception and took us to our pitch. At this point I turned into a squealing child – it was fab. Comfy camping chairs outside the tent (and a lion one for our daughter), Oztent all set up with comfy camp beds/bedding and complete with fairy lights (and special flower ones for our daughter), useful guides and reading material (and kids’ books and crayons for our daughter), plugged in cool box complete with some amazing local and homegrown produce, every cup, plate, glass, pan and utensil you could possibly need, a gas stove, several lamps, shower towels, washing up materials and a welcome card. As someone who loves coffee I was delighted to find a cafetiere and local ground coffee in our hamper. She’d even made us a cake as it was my husband’s birthday!
And that was just for us. The dog had five star treatment too! A seriously comfy dog bed, dog towels and some local ‘Pooch’s‘ hand made dog treats (with a personal message of course).
The whole set up was personal, thoughtful and (reassuringly for a family of reluctant campers) from a place of knowledge and experience.
We opted for Deepdale as our location as Brancaster Beach is one of my favourites along the North Norfolk Coast. We were lucky enough to visit during the heatwave so it was like being abroad. Unfortunately that meant no firepit at the campsite but we took the hit for the good weather! The beaches were stunning. Brancaster beach now has a small coffee stop and shop in addition to the toilets and the car park is only £4 all day or £2 for a short trip.
We had dinner at the White Horse on the first night which has an amazing terrace overlooking the salt marshes (and is really family and dog friendly). The second night we had dinner at the Orange Tree at Thornham which has a fantastic play area and is welcoming for dogs (they have a dogs’ menu).
The weather was so incredible that we stayed on the beach for two days and didn’t go for the walks, but I intend to go back to try them out, particularly as the Thornham one is near the amazing Thornham Deli (if you haven’t been… go!).
All in all, a great little family getaway. We loved having the experience of being outdoors whilst packing no more than our normal overnight gear. I would happily progress to the full, hands-on, camping experience but I’ll never convince my husband about that, so this is a happy compromise for us! Loved it.
For more info about Margins Walking and Glamping, click here
For more info about Deepdale Backpackers, click here
