Detour Pit Stop #50: The Oaks Glamping, Norfolk, UK
Photo Charlotte Vowden
Bohemian-hearted glamping in Norfolk offers Charlotte Vowden a break on another adventure with Frisky, her old MGA.
If you’ve answered the siren call of north Norfolk’s coastal road I’m going to let you in on a little secret – waking up to a sea view can be overrated.
This epiphany came one morning, twelve miles inland from Wells-next-the-Sea (the route’s approximate mid-way point) as I sat on the doorstep of ‘Pips’ my timber glamping pod.
Watching the mist swirl and drift skywards from the dewy wild flower meadow that my twin-bed sleeper sat within, I felt as though I’d woken up in a nature reserve that had been reserved for the sole enjoyment of my best friend and I.
Travelling in convoy, me in a sixties’ classic, she on a Yamaha Roadstar, we’d chosen The Oaks, a micro glamping site in the pretty village of Colkirk, to park up and rest up for a couple of nights. It had been a hot and hard ride to get there, but when we did, we were made to feel welcome and wanted – despite our engines disrupting the peace and quiet.
The passion project of husband and wife team, Emma and Dave, The Oaks has something special about it, and that something is soul. A manifestation of their desire to be kinder to the planet and live a more sustainable life, almost everything is built by hand and grown from seed. It’s a small and sophisticated operation.
Accommodating a maximum of ten, there are two en-suite shepherds huts and a third that shares a washroom with the pod. Constructed from salvaged and recycled materials where possible, and furnished with treasures that Emma and Dave have collected during their global travels, each one has its own outdoor seating area and fire pit. Pathways have been mown out of the meadow to connect each one to the car park and shared facilities without the need to trespass on anyone else’s patch.
For social butterflies, there’s a large communal fire pit at the centre of the site, where Emma and Dave host gatherings throughout the year, but “The Old Potting Shed”, a BYO bar next to 'Smokey Joe’s' outdoor kitchen is the place to meet for sundowners. When the weather isn’t so favourable, it becomes a cosy snug kitted out with a piano, wood burner and squishy leather sofa.
As beachcombers, Emma and Dave know the best places for taking in the salty air, and happily share details of their favourite, and lesser known beauty spots. Encouraged to explore, but equally, to stay on site and make yourself at home, they’ve struck the balance just right.
This is boutique glamping with a bohemian heart.
Words Charlotte Vowden Twitter | Instagram
Photography Charlotte Vowden