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Clippesby Hall

Norfolk Nr29 3 Bl, Norfolk, England
1 acre hosted by Clippesby H.
Great facilities combined with a peaceful, relaxed, family atmosphere in a beautiful rural location

Clippesby Hall in the Norfolk Broads achieves the near impossible – managing to make a large campsite feel friendly, non-commercial, peaceful, and altogether rather lovely.

Set in the manicured grounds of John Lindsay’s family manor house, the site forms its own little self-contained canvas village. The facilities are pretty extensive, with 115 pitches (many with electric hook-ups),  two grass tennis courts, a football pitch, mini-golf, archery courses, two children’s play areas – including a BeWILDerwood-style adventure playground – a tree house in the woods, a games room, cycle trail, bike hire, shop, café, holiday cottages, pine lodges, and even an onsite pub.

You might assume that this place is about as quiet and peaceful as a night on the hard shoulder of the A12. But somehow John and his family have managed to incorporate all these amenities into the grounds of their home, while still retaining its unique character and personality. The result is an exceptionally tasteful camping park with a relaxed, family atmosphere.

The site began life as a market garden, but campers have been coming here since the 1970s. It has gradually evolved at its own pace over the years and today the pitches are divided across several discrete camping areas, each landscaped and spacious enough to avoid any feeling of overcrowding, and named according to their individual characters. Pine Woods is a dog-free space almost entirely surrounded by conifers, The Orchard has plenty of tree cover, while The Dell is hidden away in a quiet corner with woodland pitches just for tents. Rabbits Grove is a favourite among younger campers, and the Cedar Lawn has pitches spread out over a gently sloping sweep of lawn beneath a huge cedar, complete with rope swing. There is plenty of space between pitches and some interesting little nooks and crannies mean that even in busy periods you can still find a relatively secluded space to call your own.

Clippesby Hall is the perfect location from which to explore the Broads National Park, a network of rivers and lakes that forms Britain’s largest protected wetland. Although the rivers are natural, the lakes are man-made, the result of 400 years of enthusiastic peat digging from the 12th century onwards. Hundreds of acres of peat were dug up for fuel in the absence of suitable woodland in the area. However, water soon began seeping through the porous ground, causing marshes and then lakes to appear. In a centuriesold example of how human intervention can significantly change the landscape, nature has also demonstrated its ability to adapt to a changing environment, and this collaboration of industry and nature has resulted in a stunning waterscape.

True to form, John has organised a unique way of exploring the Broads. The CanoeMan (aka Mark Wilkinson), accompanied by his two springer spaniels, Mr Darcy and Uisce, takes you directly from the site for a peaceful nature-spotting canoe trail through beautiful waterways inaccessible to motor-powered boats. If you’d rather explore the local area by pedal power, Clippesby also hires out bikes along with circular route maps, helmets, locks, and repair kits (child seats and other accessories too).

Don’t be surprised when you are personally guided to your pitch on arrival – it’s all part of the service, along with the deliberate decision not to put large, obtrusive pitch markers and unnecessary signs everywhere. After all, this is John’s home and garden. It’s been in the family since his grandfather bought the hall back in 1945, and he doesn’t want to ruin it by making it look like, well, a campsite. And that’s the beauty of this unique place. It doesn’t feel like a conventional, commercial campsite. It’s more like camping in the delightful grounds of a stately home.

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Location
Norfolk Nr29 3 Bl, Norfolk, England, United KingdomTraditional, ancestral territory of various First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Clippesby H.Joined in June 2010
From the host
Our award winning touring and camping facilities are spread over 8 distinctive areas, providing you with a choice between more secluded individual pitches set into the natural woodland, and more open, family-oriented lawns, most with electricity connection available. All of our camping and touring pitches are individually numbered and set around the perimeter of the various areas of the park, ensuring that you and your family have sufficient space to fully enjoy your stay with us. Each pitch has space for you to park your car alongside, with a large car park available for additional vehicles. We have invested in high quality toilet and shower facilities, all centrally heated and providing free, unlimited hot water. One of our shower facilities includes a family bathroom particularly suitable for younger children not yet comfortable using a shower. Facilities on the park include tennis courts, mini golf, cycle hire, Wifi access, coffee shop, bar and restaurant. Combined with the coveted '5 pennants' awarded by the AA together with inclusion in their list of 'Premier Parks', the 5 star award from the Tourist Board, a gold award for conservation from David Bellamy and a gold award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, you can be confident that helping you enjoy your holiday is our number one priority.
Nearby attractions

The Broads National Park is Britain’s largest protected wetland, and Clippesby Hall's welcome pack includes a booklet all about discovering the area, including lots of ideas for days out on foot, and bike, boat or canoe. One of the best means of exploration is in a Canadian canoe with knowledgeable ‘CanoeMan’ Mark Wilkinson (0845 4969177), who runs all sorts of wildlife-spotting and bushcraft tours. For something bigger, head for Potter Heigham – ‘the Blackpool of the Broads’ as Mark likes to call it – 4 miles north of the campsite, where there are boatyards hiring out all sorts of vessels by the hour or day, as well as pleasureboat trips. There are glorious dunes and sandy beaches at Winterton-on-Sea, about 6 miles away, and then at Horsey, a few miles north, where you’ll also find the 19th-century Horsey Windpump (01263 740241). Climb its 5 flights of steep steps for views over the coast and broadlands landscape, then walk along the dyke to Horsey Mere; or hike across the fields for half an hour or so to the dunes and beach, where you will almost certainly see members of the local grey seal colony. Get some one-to-one angling tuition and catch yourself a monster pike. Professional angler Charlie Bettell (01603 714352) can arrange everything you need.

Food and drink

Onsite, Susie’s Coffee Shop serves hot drinks and croissants for breakfast, and sandwiches and cakes throughout the day. You can order freshly baked bread or pizza to take away, and the shop sells local and fair-trade produce. The campsite pub, the Muskett Arms, serves decent meals and local real ales and ciders. Off site, the Lion Inn (01962 670796) in nearby Thurne village is a decent pub, there’s also a good pub in nearby Winterton-on-Sea, The Fisherman’s Return (01493 393305), which serves food, and The Nelson Head (01493 393378) in Horsey village, is a good spot for a pint of locally brewed ‘Wherry’ and a hearty lunch after a seal-spotting trip. In the other direction, south towards Acle, The Ferry Inn (01493 751096), right on the river in the pretty village of Stokesby, does great food lunchtimes and evenings, and is the perfect spot to down a pint of ale while checking out the traffic on the river. In Acle itself, right on the main road into the village, The Hermitage (01493 750310 ) is a legendary local fish restaurant, serving up everything from regular fish and chips to superb scallops and mussels, all locally sourced – sometimes by the chef himself.

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