Scaldbeck Cottage

Travel along the main north Norfolk coast road between Sheringham and Hunstanton and, just west of the village of Morston, you’ll pass a very missable hand-painted sign bearing the legend ‘B&B and campsite’. This is Scaldbeck Cottage, which turns out to be a fine-looking traditional Norfolk flint cottage with a small camping field just beyond its garden. It’s a thoroughly informal affair and perhaps one of the best campsites anywhere in Norfolk, let alone the North Norfolk Coast.

Access to the site is around the back of the cottage, under some trees and past upturned rowing boats, while a path off through the garden leads to the loo and shower. Do pop a mallet in with your luggage, because although the grass looks soft enough, the ground beneath it is really quite hard after the first inch and will take a certain delight in bending your pegs should you attempt to ram them in with your foot.

Just a five-minute stroll from National Trust-owned Morston Quay, a vast marshy tract of land where boats bob in and out at high tide, the site is ideal for hikers who want a base from which to walk sections of the Norfolk Coast Path. Simply take the excellent Coasthopper bus to whichever point you want to walk along, then let it bring your weary legs back in the evening. To fuel you up, the bus stops at The Anchor Inn, a 10-minute stroll down the road, too, and you can re-freeze ice-packs at the campsite if you're taking a pack lunch. In the event of fire, famine, pestilence or the sword, the cottage also has a couple of rooms available for B&B.