In a county pimpled with National Trust estates and grand country manors, it seems only right to go glamping somewhere historic. Surrounded by the moat of old Haveringland Hall, this luxury Norfolk retreat certainly fits the bill. The site has, in fact, been home to no fewer than three great halls over the years – one medieval, one 16th century and a final version built in the late 1800s. Today, the medieval moat surrounds not bricks and mortar but canvas quarters instead; a collection of Lotus Belle tents quite unlike anywhere else.
10 miles north of Norwich, Moat Island Glamping is comprised of five Lotus Belle tents, each sleeping up to four people and situated around the old moat. Inside, they’re kitted out with all the comforts you could need – double beds, wood burners and, in the two ‘Stargazer’ tents, clear ceiling panels so you can stargaze from your bed. Outside, meanwhile is Moat Island’s pièce de résistance, a naturally filtering swimming pond with a jetty you can jump in off.
The swimming pond is not quite as natural as it may first seem – it’s about two metres deep and is actually man made – but it has the very same beauty and ecology. Wetland plants grow along the shallow edges, attracting dragonflies that dance around as you swim, and a couple of old milling wheels lend extra olde world charm. In one corner, bubbles rise as if there’s a breathless crab beneath the surface. It’s a small pump keeping everything oxygenated and encouraging the plants to grow.
The eco system the pool creates is just one sign of the effort made here to keep things green and nature friendly. Along with a set of super luxurious washrooms, with flushing loos and powerful showers, there are compost toilet options closer to your tent. The overgrown Christmas trees, meanwhile, that once covered the car parking area, have been re-used around the site to build small footbridges and in the top-spec outdoor kitchen, which features a range oven, Smeg fridge-freezer and a pizza oven, the work surfaces have all been made from snooker-table slates. The resulting effect is a setting with history and wildlife but also a glamping site with a real sense of the cutting edge.
Beyond the boundaries, the immediate surroundings are a quiet backwater. It’s best to make the most of it on foot or by bike. The Marriott’s Way is just down the lane – an old railway line that’s now a beautiful, car-free, greenway into Norwich – or you can head of north to the market town off Aylsham and the National Trust’s Blickling Estate (you can hire bikes at the latter). By car, meanwhile, the North Norfolk Coast becomes eminently reachable, as do the waterways of the Broads. Not that you need the River Bure or the popular swimming spot at Horstead Mill to get your fix. You’ve got the coolest swimming spot in the country already.
