The Old Vicarage Campsite
UK England East Anglia Norfolk Norwich
No-frills, tent camping in the Norfolk Broads with campfires permitted and ample space
We love a campsite with campfires at its heart and at The Old Vicarage it’s rare to find a group of visitors who aren’t kindling theirs by 6pm, the second the sun begins to dip towards the horizon. Any excuse and the fires will be going – too cold, too dark, too hungry for marshmallows. Owner Bernie thoroughly encourages it too. “Campfires are an integral part of camping”, he says. “Fire warms, soothes and inspires us”. There aren’t many here who’d disagree.
In fact, Bernie’s custom designed braziers have become such favourites that some visitors have even bought them afterwards, sticking them in the car to take home for evenings of nostalgia. They’re the perfect souvenirs. After all, the simplicity in their design is emblematic of the entire campsite – nothing flashy, nothing too clever, just the basic essentials that do everything you need. It’s a reminder once you’ve left of the simple life that was. The good old-fashioned camping that makes The Old Vicarage so special.
Set in three grassy acres on the edge of the Norfolk Broads, there is pleasantly little to describe about The Old Vicarage. A couple of wooden cabins house the showers and composting toilets and there’s a tap for water. Otherwise that’s pretty much it, save for the scattering of tents that are spread around the field, some tucked near hedges where small gaps peep out at fields of wheat, others pitched more centrally, where children zip around playing catch with their new found neighbours. The space is flat, spacious and car-free (with parking right next to the field) and the entertainment is the sort you make for yourself – think grass stains, sticky marshmallow fingers and daisy chains in your hair.
It’s off site where further activities can be found and there’s enough to write your own guidebook. Three guidebooks, in fact: one for the coast, one for the Broads and another for Norwich, all of which are less than 20 minutes in the car. The city is best saved for any rainy days, when you can retreat into galleries, museums and cafés, while better weather can be spent boating on the network of rivers or pedalling around on two wheels. Arrive by bike and you’ll even get a free bucket of firewood and a broad smile from keen cyclist Bernie. Smiles are generally extended to everyone though. Bernie’s a happy man and the simple truth is, folks who camp at The Old Vicarage are very happy people.
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Details
Facilities
The eco-friendly facilities are designed and built by the campsite. Composting toilets (and a urinal for the gents), hot showers, washing up facilities, drinking water taps, rubbish and recycling bins, USB charging point and a freezer for re-freezing ice-blocks. Everything you need for a comfortable stay! But the highlight has to be the cleverly designed braziers with an inbuilt cooking grill, free to use and built by Bernie himself. This site is car-free with a separate car parking area right alongside. Wheelbarrows are provided to ferry your camping gear and tired children to and from your pitch.Suitable For
Tents, families, friends, couples, individuals, kids, small organised groups, (well-behaved) pets – yes. Campervans, caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents – no. Larger groups or parties should enquire in advance.
Nearby
The Old Vicarage is on the edge of the Norfolk Broads and a 15 minute car ride from the coast and great beaches like Horsey and Winterton, backed by a vast dune nature reserve. Norwich is within easy reach, a fantastically compact little city where everything is within walking distance – including the castle (01603 493 625), arts centre (01603 660352) and cathedral (01603 218300). The Broads will soak up the rest of your time. Visit nearby Ranworth and climb the church tower to get a great birdseye view of the broads, then visit the Ranworth Broad nature reserve and take a 45 minute guided boat trip, great for seeing the wildlife. Nearby Rockland Broad is one of the least-known, but also most beautiful – and characteristic – Broadland landscapes. Alongside it the Wheatfen Nature Reserve (01508 538036) is also worth a visit. They run regular Sunday nature walks and bushcraft sessions – everything from freshwater mussels and medicinal plants to a 'Swallowtail day".Food & Drink
One of Bernie's favourites is The Ferry (01493 751096) in Stokesby, a great riverside spot for meals outside on sunny evenings. For families, The Bridge Inn (01493 750288) is also a fantastic riverside choice, while real ale lovers should try The Cock Tavern (01493 700895) in Cantley. Just a short walk along the footpath from the campsite, Moulton Nurseries (01493 750458) have a coffee shop serving afternoon teas, cakes and meals (not open in the evenings).Open
Late May–mid September (plus the May Bank Holiday weekend).Why book with Cool Camping?
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions
The Owner Says
Established in 2011, the Old Vicarage Campsite was created by people passionate about camping especially for people passionate about camping. We are a tent-only campsite, welcoming all forms of fabric accommodation; tents, teepees, wigwams, yurts, bivvys, swags, gazebos or even bedsheets tied between 2 sticks!
We have no formal pitch boundaries, so families or groups can group tents together to make their own camp while couples can have a peaceful corner to themselves. With over 2 acres and a strictly limited number of bookings, you are guaranteed plenty of space.
Have a campfire with one of our custom made braziers: Cook in the fire or on the hotplate, toast marsh mallows over the embers, enjoy the warmth or just get mesmerised by the flames of a real wood fire. We supply home-grown firewood, seasoned and split to the perfect size for the braziers.
Ideally situated to enjoy the Norfolk Broads, Norfolk Coast and the City of Norwich, as well as the local countryside. In the evenings, enjoy the magnificent Norfolk sunsets and gazing at the stars in our clear night's skies.
Social Distancing Measures
With our spacious site, we have always practiced social distancing between pitches. Our camp-where-you-want policy means you are free to distance yourselves further if you wish.
Our facilities are spaced out, each with individual access, so maintaining a safe distance is easy. To reduce cross-contamination, we are colour coding our facilities and will be assigning a toilet to each booking, with no more than 4 bookings using the same toilet. We will be carrying out regular, thorough cleaning of the facilities, adding extra hand cleaning points and providing clear markings for maintaining a safe distance.
There will be restrictions on how the washing-up facilities are used. The shared freezer will not be available.
We will not be offering our bell tents this year and pods are only available for weekends.
Pitches
A 2-acre grass meadow. Pitch wherever you want.
Large Grass Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 10
11 Available
A pitch on the old vicarage campsite for up to 10 people and as many tents as you require
Alder Pod
Pod
Sleeps 2
2 Available
A contemporary wooden pod, fully insulated and double glazed to isolate you from the elements. Sleeps 2 on a standard double bed that conveniently folds into a sofa. Pitched on our beautiful campsite with beautiful views across open farmland.
Grass Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 5
4 Available
A pitch on the old vicarage campsite for up to 10 people and as many tents as you require.
Location
Contact The Old Vicarage Campsite, The Old Vicarage Campsite, Moulton St Mary, Norwich, Norfolk NR13 3NH
Getting There
Follow the A47 to Acle then follow signs to Reedham. The Old Vicarage is 2 miles from Acle on the right hand side. If you're using a SatNav stay on the A47 until you reach the town of Acle, even if your Satnav says otherwise. From Acle either follow the directions as above or let the SatNav re-calculate and it should bring you straight to the site.
Arrive on foot and you get a free bucket of firewood, by bicycle and they'll give you your third night for free. Bernie's a keen cyclist himself and can recommend great local routes and help mend any broke parts! They also offer a pick-up and drop-off service at Acle train station (the nearest by rail). If you are approaching from South Norfolk or Suffolk, you could make the trip a little shorter and more interesting by using Reedham Ferry. It’s open 7.30am–10pm (8 am–10pm at weekends) and crossing costs £4.30 for a car. As you come off the ferry, follow the main road for 4 miles and the campsite is on the left.
Reviews
Add Your ReviewRated ★★★★★ over 48 reviews
Really fabulous low-key camping experience in a beautiful part of Norfolk with gently undulating hills (yes, hills!)
What a lovely place to hang out. Bernie has worked hard to get everything just right. It's so simple, clean and lovely, and fantastically tasteful. There are stacks of herbs to use by the information hub which also has loads of brilliant local info, usb charging ports, and everything else that's handy for a stay. Immaculate loos and showers and plentiful hot water at the washing up station. Fantastic huge field to find a spot with loads of room and lovely views across wheat fields. What is also fantastic is the no cars where you camp. It does mean hauling your stuff to your desired spot but it's a tiny price to pay for total safety on site and no rumbling engines. It's also located in a brilliant part of the world that has loads to explore - we barely scratched the surface. Love it! We'll be back next summer unless I can convince my husband that I need a year off camping and go all inclusive with kids' clubs........... I imagine we'll be seeing you next year Bernie!
A great family camping trip!
Just back from a lovely family camping trip that brought a smile to all our faces - from the 7 year old to the 72 year old! It was so refreshing to not have any cars allowed on site and the addition of the wheelbarrows to cart your belongings about was an added bonus and a great way to get the kids involved too! Compositing toilets were clean and always had plenty of toilet roll and sawdust; showers were hot and always free; and washing up station had plenty of hot water too! The hut proved very useful too in charging phones and freezing cool blocks. We will definitely be recommending Bernie and his peaceful campsite!
Lovely stay!
Our stay was amazing! I loved the fact that no cars were on the actual campsite as the children could run around and play without us worrying about cars! The facilities were amazing! Toilets were clean, lovely hot showers, and a washing up station with hot water! We loved the fact we could have a campfire and the children loved telling stories around it and roasting marshmallows! We will definitely be booking to come again! Thank you!
Peaceful, spacious, all round good fun
We hired the two bell tents for a long weekend birthday gathering. The beds were comfy and the tents were very clean when we arrived. There were quite a few other groups and families in the field with large tents but due to there being plenty of space, everyone was spread out. Bernie was very friendly and came and greeted us once we'd arrived to check if we were okay and found everything we needed. The cute little village of Acles is only a short 7 minute drive away so was easy enough for us to pop to the local co-op for any supplies we were missing and the Great Yarmouth beach was a short 20 minute drive which made for a nice day trip. The braziers with the inbuilt cooking grill was definitely one of our favourite highlights of the weekend as we used these for every meal and the hand written signs that labelled all the facilities showed much time and effort had gone into making everything feel homely. All in all a very chilled and calm weekend which ran very smoothly due to the great facilities that Bernie provided.
Relaxing and pleasant stay
I booked this site on the recommendation of my son who camped a few weeks before…I was sceptical about composting toilets before my visit (my 12 year old described them before we went) but I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and efficiency of these eco friendly loos…the site is well kept and the owner is a star, he was available immediately when we needed advice on a leaking ice pack (my son dropped it when it was frozen and I didn’t notice that it had cracked) Bernie was straight over to our tent to resolve the situation and disposed of our ice pack contents for us just in case it contained any chemicals…the site is quiet and beautiful, fire pits are free to use and the firewood is reasonably priced…there is a freezer and mobile phone charging port which is also free to use as well as wheelbarrows on hand to lug the camping equipment…overall we had a wonderful and relaxed stay, we will be returning soon as have booked another stay here…well done Bernie, thank you for a wonderful holiday , highly recommend this lovey site 😊
Great campsite
Myself and my 2 children, 11 and 7 hired one of the bell tents on site. It was very comfy and spacious. There was lots of room for the kids to run about the site and it wasn't over crowdes so was also easy to relax. Toilets and showers were also well maintained and easy to use. My children have both asked to come back again
A peaceful relaxing space with everything you need
I stayed for one night with my dog and will definitely return. The site is very sustainable and eco friendly, and all facilities are at a very high standard. There was plenty of space between campers so no overcrowding at all. The bbq/fire pits provided were great. It was so nice to see all the fires around the campsite at night. The car park was situated right next to the site with wheelbarrows provided, so there were no issues ferrying my things back and forth. Both myself and my dog had a great time and look forward to returning in the future!
And relax…
If you like space this is the place for you! We went with our 2 primary school children and we all loved it here. You can keep an eye pn them whatever corner of the campsite they are, they can roam around free as no cars to worry about. There are 4 unisex compost toilets, these are enough and not smelly. I would have preferred a female toilet to be honest. Showers were nice and hot and surprisingly pleasant even in light rain and wind. The charging station in the shed is a great idea, there was always a free usb to use. The space in the freezer was a bit short on the warm days as people use water bottles to top up freezer packs. The herb garden is a great idea and we used some to flavour out foods. You will also be treated to a pair of little owls that live in the oaks on the campsite boundary. We spent 9 nights, there is so Much to do in the Norfolk Broads we will have to go back!
Brilliant set up!!
Absolutely loved by us all having gone with my family with two kids there were plenty of room to run about and explore!! Park up grab yourself a wheelbarrow and camp anywhere you like on the field with great views of beautiful sunsets!! Great set up not bombarded with loads of rules pure simple fantastic holiday!!
Simplicity at its best
The field is beautifully spacious with basic but well functioning facilities. The owner Bernie came to say hi to us and our dog. The welcome is friendly but not overbearing. This is simple camping at its best, reminding us that getting off the grid now and then really is good for the soul. There is room for kids and families to play while still being room so you don’t feel you are on top of one another. A fab mini moon had by us thank you x
Perfect holiday!
This is a great campsite which we couldn’t fault at all! The owner has taken time to suggest lots of local walks, beaches and places to eat which are all displayed in the wood shed - so helpful ! The braziers were great too, and all facilities just what you need and kept clean. Bell tents are lovely and feels like proper glamping ! Lovely touches like fresh herbs to pick, a freezer for cool blocks and daily visits from the owners lovely dog! Would thoroughly recommend.
What a wonderful campsite!
We visited with a group of 5 families with plenty of kids under 5 - everyone had a wonderful time, the amount of space was great and the fire pits were a big hit. Strongly recommended! The wheelbarrows for bringing your stuff from the car to the pitch are a great idea :-)
Lovely campsite with great facilities
This is a great campsite and the facilities are exactly what you need. Love the fire pits which are a great addition. Owner very friendly and helpful! The only thing I would say is it’s a shame you can’t bring your own firewood as the firewood we bought from the campsite wasn’t dry enough to get a decent enough fire going.
No-frills camping as it should be.
Sitting round the fire, well done Bernie.
Bliss!
We had such a special few days at The Old Vicarage campsite. There was plenty of space to pitch and run around in. Bernie had thought of everything to make our stay an easy one - warm, sky-view showers, freezer for cool box blocks, phone charging but most importantly a wonderful fire pit with wood and firefighters at the ready! The toilets were a novelty, but clean and surprisingly smell free!! Lots to explore locally but lovely to return to the peace of the campsite (no radios - what joy). We will definitely be back.
Perfect bikepacking stop
Stopped here for a night on a bikepacking trip. Absolutely perfect in every way. Very easy access from the road for loaded bikes. No cars in the camping field. Clean well thought-out facilities. And a lovely friendly welcome. Our new favourite campsite.
Great campsite with brilliant management
We stayed at The Old Vicarage campsite last week and had a wonderful time. Plenty of space in the field and a relaxed atmosphere. Showers were possibly the best I've ever had on a campsite in the UK, and toilets always clean. It's obvious that the owner takes great pride in his work and is very friendly and caring. Will definitely visit again in future. Many thanks!
Fantastic experience
We absolutely loved our visit to the Old Vicarage Canosite. The site is really well laid out, super calm and friendly. Having no cars on site was really nice and have the space a much nicer, safer feel. We found it really easy to find and sits perfectly in the part of Norfolk we were keen on visiting. Bernie was very helpful and on hand when needed. His braziers are also genius and make cooking and washing up so much easier! I was a little hesitant with compost toilets, but can testify they are actually very pleasant and easy to use. We will definitely be back… loved it
A lovely campsite in Norfolk
This campsite has lovely views and it is very peaceful. It has excellent showers, toilets and washing facilities. All the showers and toliets are eco -friendly! It also has a shed to shelter in. The camping field is large and parking is really close by. The pitches sizes are very generous! There are lots of small town and villages nearby to explore, with some good pubs and shops! The site owner is very friendly and he gives helpful advice about the local area. We are definitely going again. We had a great time! Highly recommended!!
One night Anniversary celebration
Only stayed one night, could have stayed longer as it was a beautiful spot! Had a perfect tent experience with lovely surroundings. Facilities were great, with your own fire place, and no cars allowed on camping ground which was nice. Definitely book again! Only negative was the loud rooster at sunrise ;)
Amazing few days
My Girlfriend and I have spent 3days and 2 nights at the campsite. It was just amazing, plenty of facilities always hot shower no matter how cold it was or late... Bernie is a really nice chap and a fellow climber so he has to be a very good sort anyway😁 All in all I loved the atmosphere and will definitely return next time. Tills
Excellent Camping Trip
My partner and I stayed here for 2 nights mid September. The facilities are excellent for the campsite with the composting toilets, hot shower, washing up and general information area. The owner is a lovely guy who is great to chat to and very welcoming. Despite our stay only being short we felt very comfy and enjoyed some lovely walks as well as a visit to Great Yarmouth. I could not fault the place in any way. The brazier was a lovely addition and made one of the best meals we've had. We would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quiet get away.
peaceful clean energising
I stayed there 1st week of september .I dont drive so i got train from Nowich to Acle which was easy and straightforward then a taxi for £6 which was a very reliable and quick service. Bernie was a friendly helpful guy and the campsite was spacious clean and exactly what i wanted back to basics tent camping . It had toilets there and showers even a place with usb chargers which was very useful indeed. close to yarmouth and a small village closeby. plenty of room to park cars nxt to the campsite highly reccomend a visit i know i will be going back nxt year
Fantastic campsite
Stayed recently for 5 nights with the family - one of the best and most relaxed campsites we've ever been to. The brazier was amazing - perfect both for keeping warm at night and cooking on. Facilities, whilst basic as described, were always clean and the open top shower was lovely. Will definitely be heading back again in future!
Great little campsite!
I stayed here with a few friends over the August bank holiday. The site is the perfect size and the facilities were clean and never busy. Bernie’s braziers are fantastic and we had a toastie campfire. The location is really convenient for the Broads and the Weavers Way runs very close to the site so can walk to Reedham or all the way to Great Yarmouth.
Great intro to camping!
I took my son (3yrs) camping for the first time. We both had a great time at the Old Vicarage Campsite. Plenty of space to run around, privacy, and a great location. The facilities are listed as basic but were perfect for what we needed, the ability to have a fire was a real bonus and being so close to places for a day out made this place a real winner. Looking forward to returning again soon.
Peaceful, chilled out campsite
The Old Vicarage is a lovely campsite, no frills - but exactly what we were looking for. Compost loos were always clean and the shower always warm. Despite it being school holidays the field wasn't at all crowded, and noise from other tents wasn't at issue at all. The location is great, we walked a section of the Weaver's Way which was stunning, and easy trips to the coast and the broads made it a perfect holiday.
Peaceful, chilled out campsite
The Old Vicarage is a lovely campsite, no frills - but exactly what we were looking for. Compost loos were always clean and the shower always warm. Despite it being school holidays the field wasn't at all crowded, and noise from other tents wasn't at issue at all. The location is great, we walked a section of the Weaver's Way which was stunning, and easy trips to the coast and the broads made it a perfect holiday.
A restorative break in a peaceful, eco site
We had a wonderful nine days here with Bernie and his team, who all went to great lengths to make us feel welcome and had plenty of advice on local excursions and cycling options. The site is extremely spacious and very peaceful, never had such incredible space between campers. Hot showers, immaculate facilities. A real find
Simple but so well though out, idyllic peaceful setting
Limiting the campsite to twelve pitches means lots of space...and peace. The facilities are brilliantly designed, especially the fire pits with hot plates for cooking. If you just want to enjoy the outdoors, hear only chatter, laughter and bird song and feel utterly relaxed, this is the campsite for you. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Relaxing campsite
Such a great campsite with so much space! We had such a relaxing time and were sad that we only had 4 nights there. We will definitely visit again. The facilities were all great and everything was cleaned several times a day, very reassuring at the moment!
Everything you need, nothing you don't
This is, in my mind, exactly what a camp site should be. Nothing complicated. Instead, simplicity that works very well. Plenty of space. Relaxing. Tents only. Very friendly host. Lovely location. Well done!
Fabulous!
Barring the rain, we had a great time. Nice field, good hot showers (right shower much better than the left), Bernie was very helpful (thank you, Bernie), toilets pretty good as far as toilets go. And importantly, close to lovely walks all around Norfolk and near the sea. My son and I spent a wonderful 2 nights there. Dog had a wonderful time too!
Fabulous!
Barring the rain, we had a great time. Nice field, good hot showers (right shower much better than the left), Bernie was very helpful (thank you, Bernie), toilets pretty good as far as toilets go. And importantly, close to lovely walks all around Norfolk and near the sea. My son and I spent a wonderful 2 nights there. Dog had a wonderful time too!
Fab u lous
Brilliant place lovely setting, Bernie very accommodating. Only thing I would change is to let vehicles on to unpack and repack but that’s all.
Smashing stay
Totally brilliant campsite. Very hospitable team. All the things you need but low key and simple. Loved the braziers to cook on. Well worth a visit.
Amazing special escape
We have just returned from the Old Vicarage Campsite to celebrate our wedding anniversary ( we got married at the site 4 years ago) and had another wonderful stay with friends. We love the car free space for our children to roam free in safety, the hot showers with a view of the sky, the hot washing up water and sinks, and all the little touches like the fresh herb garden for campers to pick from, bookswap, the shed with local attractions, and of course Bernie's hand created braziers ( we actually also have one at home which Bernie made and we treasure it!). This year, Bernie and Harriet are also starting to offer a few bell tents and pods, and Harriet has been working her creative magic and these are going to be a gem for those campers who like a touch more comfort but still enjoy the campsite experience. Thanks again for a lovely time. We will be back this season!
Amazing 24 hours
From the time we stepped foot on the campsite until the time we left my Daugter ran,laughed and played with new friends.We didn't want to leave.Jessica loved Walnut the dog.I love the care and attention that Bernie has made to the facilities,comparable toilets,open air showers just everything was amazing and will be back in the summer as we only live 25 minutes away.Thank you x
Delightful
It was exactly as advertised. A perfect camping experience. A nice field, great views, easy to find and when I went wonderfully quiet. I went my my 5 year old son Valentin and there were 2 other families who happened to have children of a similar age. Val spoke about Joshua, Saskie (Bubba), Samuel, Liv and Deedee all the way home. We loved it. It was my first experience camping with my son as father and son, and I think we will return to explore more of Norfolk and their funny ways ;-) Bernie was much younger than I imagined. I have to admit I did picture an old retired fell, not someone younger than me but it's a fabulous site. Great prices, good wood, excellent fire burners, good facilities (hot water, compositing toilets that don't smell) and clean air. Great work, thanks. All our love Mav n Val
A lovely stay!
My son and I spent 3 nights at this site. The facilities are easy and good. All (except freezer and wood) are outside, but showers are lovely, really warm with the view of the sky! Toilets are composting but didn’t smell at all and system works well. Would be a more challenging stay in wet weather, but, despite light rain, the quiet field, beautiful sunset, AMAZING (ingenius) open fire/cooker set ups, made this a really enjoyable and definitely repeatable experience.
Lovely, quiet, dog friendly place with campfires
I chose The Old Vicarage quite randomly for our weekend in Norfolk and I'm very happy that I did! Lovely, quiet space with nice places to visit nearby. We loved the campfires (bring some firelighters with you though) and our dog totally loved the campsite - I think he secretly wanted to stay there. This was my first visit to Norfolk but I hope I will be back - and if so, definitely to The Old Vicarage.
Tranquil escape
We loved our experience at the Old vicarage. We have very set parameters we work in when booking a campsite. 1) Not over crowded 2) Dog Friendly 3) Open Fires 4) Lovely views 5) Good facilities The Old Vicarage ticked all this boxes and more. We loved the seclusion with a maximum of 15 pitches at any one time and the open fields surrounding us. Although you feel you are in the middle of nowhere the nearest shop is only a 10 min drive which means if you run out of anything you can get it easily. The only downside was that to access the public footpaths you need to walk on a road which is not ideal, but as the campsite is was not crowded and had lots of open space we just walked our dog Darcey (which loved making friends with Bernie's dog Walnut!) on the field instead of talking to the paths :) Will definitely be returning.
Peaceful little retreat
We stayed here with our 2 young daughters during the May half term and couldn’t have wished for a more peaceful, calm and relaxing stay. The site is pretty basic but has everything that you could need. The braziers were a great touch and we used it everyday for our cooking and evenings warming our cockles whilst roasting marshmallows. Pitch your tent where you want and there’s plenty of space as the owner Bernie limits the amount of campers so you’ll always get an idyllically quiet stay. No cars are on site so the children can be free range with no worries. The site is perfectly positioned for a number of things to do, for example we did a boat trip on the broads, visited the beaches, and did some lovely country walks. The only downside is we didn’t stay for longer!
Not such happy campers
We stayed with our 6 year old son for 3 nights (Tues to Thurs) in August and booked it based on the great reviews about it being peaceful, quiet and uncrowded. We agree that the site is in a lovely rural location and had good basic facilities and really good campfires/braziers. However, our stay was completely spoilt by the fact that the owner had taken a booking for a local music festival on the Friday and Saturday so on our final night dozens of campers arrived and completely took over the site making us feel very uncomfortable and causing queues for showers etc. On Friday morning when we were packing to leave, the site was over-run with people setting up the stage etc with vans and caravans making it unsafe for our child to play and making it very difficult to access our vehicle in the car park from our pitch. So overall we were not at all happy as it was not the quiet uncrowded experience we signd up for. In our view, the owners should avoid taking bookings from the paying public if they are booking the site out for big events. We were not even told about it on our arrival other than that a marquee would be being set up and there was no apology. Perhaps we were unlucky with the timing of our stay but be warned that you might not get what you were expecting!
Response from The Old Vicarage Campsite
Hi Helen, I was saddened to see your review, and only now have the option to respond. I'm very sorry that your holiday was disrupted. There was a misunderstanding with the organisers of the festival. I was not expecting anybody to be staying on the Thursday night. As a result of this and a couple of other issues they are no longer holding their event at the site. I do my best to avoid any disruption to regular customers when we have events. I'm sorry that in this case it wasn't enough.
Perfect break from city life
This place was EXACTLY what we needed for a three day break from busy London (and sorry it was only three days!). The campsite is in a delightful little field surrounded by gorgeous farmland as far as the eye can see. As it's a relatively small campsite, there's always plenty of space and resources are never too in demand. There are solid pits for fire provided around the field, and most of them were ablaze for the duration of every evening we were there. Bernie, the host, is a total charmer, and took great care of us and his site, paying us regular visits to check we were doing alright, and even bringing his new puppy along one day! Thanks to him, and how he's kept his campsite, the whole place has a beautifully calming atmosphere, and makes for a perfect break from busy city life. We can't wait to go back next year!
Washer uppers paradise.
Pretty perfect site. All of the boxes ticked beautifully, (including washing-up sinks, which are of great importance to me as I am a plate and find washing in a shower demeaning). Four campers all very very happy with our stay.
Beautifully sunny and spacious
Bernie and Harriet always look after us incredibly well, and they obviously look after the site just as carefully. The Bernie brazier cooked our meals and warmed us at night with Bernie having a drink and a chat with us, an all round amazing stay. Never crowded, so we could spread out a bit and still feel private. Other campsites seemed cramped and impersonal; if you've found that then go and find bernie's site!!
Wonderful car-free site with camp fires
We try to get in one visit to the Old Vicarage every year and it never disappoints. The location is great for all the attractions in Norfolk and lovely beaches like Winterton. The site is always well looked after and while the facilities are basic, they do the job and are always clean. The site is never crowded and you can pitch where you like. There are no cars allowed on site, so kids can play in the huge open areas safely. Bernie is always happy to help you and here is a general relaxed air to the place. There is now a fridge on site, which is very welcome. My one and only criticism of the site is that there is no washing up sink. There isn't much light pollution in this area, and there's not many things better than sitting out around the fire, looking at the stars with the gentle flickering of everyone else's fires in the background.
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