Catch the bus for a mini camping adventure

  Camping in Norfolk

Words and pictures by Iain Duff

We all know what makes an adventure. Canoeing down the Amazon, scaling Everest, trekking across the Sahara. The sort of stuff the Ed Staffords and Bear Grylls of this world do before breakfast (which they caught themselves, obviously).

But a camping adventure doesn’t have to be extreme. In fact, believe it or not, you can do it by bus. Yes, it needs some planning, and no, you won’t be able to take that mammoth six-berth Outwell inflatable tent with you.

But there’s something about packing everything you need into a rucksack and heading off for a couple of nights away that reflects the original spirit of camping. The fact that you can leave the car behind and let someone else be responsible for getting you to your destination makes it even better.

So with a couple of days off work and the rest of the family off visiting family elsewhere, I decided to put public transport to the test... going on a bus camping trip to Burnham Deepdale on the Norfolk coast.

Camping adventure by bus

DAY 1

9.00am Setting off

My trusty Fjallraven rucksack is packed and I'm on my way. The bus stop is a five minute walk from the Camping magazine offices in Bourne, Lincolnshire so it's an easy start to the day.

The Delaine 101 to Peterborough is quiet so I get to break the cardinal rule of bus travel and put my rucksack on the the seat beside me.

We leave bang on time and after winding our way through the Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire countryside for about 50 minutes, arrive at Peterborough bus station… a little late, but in plenty of time for the connecting bus.

10.40am: Peterborough to Kings Lynn

Well this is posh. This bus (the X1Excel) has got an automated announcement on board, electronic displays and fancy leather seats.

Basically it thinks it's a train and it's changed days from my daily commute on the No 62 corporation bus into Glasgow, many moons ago.

We’re on our way, and the sun is out! And instead of staring at the road ahead I get to look out the window at the scenery… shame it’s all so flat!

12.05pm Arrive in Kings Lynn
We roll into the bus station exactly on time. I have to say it’s been an impressively hitch-free trip until now.

I’ve got a 10 minute wait for the final leg of my journey on the Norfolk Coasthopper service.

12.20pm Spoke too soon. My Norfolk Coasthopper was due to leave at 1215 but there’s no sign of it. Next one is due at 1245 so we'll see.

12.45pm: Kings Lynn to Burnham Deepdale
Well I'm on a bus – 30 minutes later than expected but no sweat. It’s turned into a lovely day for a trip down the coast.

The Coasthopper is a wonderful bus service; it gently winds its way along the coast, through the bustling seaside town of Hunstanton and pretty coastal villages like Holme, Thornham, Titchwell and Brancaster, before dropping me right outside the campsite at Burnham Deepdale.

And for a change I can actually look out the window and appreciate the places I’m passing through.

NOTE: Since my trip, the Coasthopper operator Stagecoach has withdrawn and the service is now jointly run between Lynx buses (between King's Lynn and Wells as Coastliner) and Sanders Coaches (between Wells and Cromer as Coasthopper).

2.15pm:  Arrive at Burnham Deepdale
In total it’s taken nearly six hours for a trip that would have been less than two hours by car but sometimes you have to treat the journey as the destination.

Less than an hour later, I’m booked into Deepdale campsite, my tent is pitched and I’m ready to explore.

Exploring Deepdale on foot

I wander along the Norfolk Coast Path past the salt marshes to Brancaster Staithe harbour, where I discover a wonderful little crab shack.

A pot of crayfish in sweet chilli sauce with mango makes a tasty late lunch.

And with no car to worry about, I can happily wash it down with a pint at the Ship Hotel before heading back to the campsite on foot.

8.00pm After a couple of hours lazing around the campsite, I’m back at the pub… I could get used to this no car thing! This time it’s a shorter walk to the White Horse where the food (and beer) is good.

This part of the world is a popular destination for visitors from  London, and the downside is that you might find that fact is reflected in the bar prices (Is £5 a pint normal?).

DAY 2

After a peaceful night's sleep in the tent, I awake to a lovely sunny morning on the North Norfolk coast.

Breakfast at the Deepdale café is followed by browsing at the Dalegate Market, a little row of posh shops that is just a short stroll from the campsite.

After a relaxing morning, I catch the Coasthopper back to King’s Lynn and begin the bus journey home. I'm back in the house for tea time, just 20 hours or so after I set off. It was short trip, but hopefully I've shown it's possible to have a mini camping adventure without filling the car to the brim and driving for miles.

You don't even have to travel as far as I did. Find out where local buses/trains go, check if there's a campsite with a bus stop near-by, pack your rucksack and go!

Where I camped in Burnham Deepdale

DEEPDALE FARM
Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk PE31 8DD
01485 210036
deepdalefarm.co.uk

Britain's most scenic bus trips

Fancy trying a camping bus trip for yourself? Here is a list of the 20 most scenic journeys in the UK as voted for by the public to give you some inspiration

1. Leeds & York to Whitby via Pickering over the North York Moors
(840 Coastliner – Transdev Blazefield)

2. Glasgow to Fort William to Skye via Loch Lomond, Rannoch, Glencoe and Great Glen (914/915/916 - Scottish Citylink)

3. Bournemouth to Swanage via Sandbanks, Shell Bay and Studland (50 Purbeck Breezer – morebus)

4. Needles Breezer on the Isle of Wight - Yarmouth to the Needles via Freshwater Bay (Southern Vectis)

5. Fort William to Inverness via Great Glen and Loch Ness (919 - Scottish Citylink)

6. Hebden Bridge to Haworth (B3 Bronte Bus - Transdev Blazefield)

7. Wareham to Swanage via Corfe Castle (40 Purbeck Breezer - morebus)

8. Edinburgh to North Berwick via Longniddry and Gullane (124 - East Coast Buses)

9. Island Coaster on the Isle of Wight - Ryde to Shanklin via Alum Bay (Southern Vectis)

10. Middlesbrough to Scarborough via Whitby along the North Yorkshire Coast (X93 - Arriva North East)

11. Bristol to Wells/Glastonbury/Street (376 Mendip Xplorer - First West of England)

12. Weymouth to Axminster (X53 Jurassic Coaster - First Wessex)

13. Lancaster to Keswick via Windermere & Grasmere (555/599 – Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancs)

14. Keswick circular via Braithwaite, Buttermere and Borrowdale (77/77A - Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire)

15. Manchester to Huddersfield over the Pennines (184 - First Manchester)

16. Harrogate to Pateley Bridge along Nidderdale (24 - Transdev Blazefield)

17. Weston-super-Mare to Burnham-on-sea (20 Somerset’s Coaster - First West of England)

18. Leeds to Ripon via Harewood and Harrogate (36 - Transdev Blazefield)

19. Penrith to Windermere via Pooley Bridge and Patterdale (508 - Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire)

20. Glasgow to Oban via Rest and be Thankful and Inveraray (976 - Scottish Citylink)
• Survey by Bus Users UK

Helping you choose the best place to camp in the UK

Camping in the UK gives you freedom, adventure and the chance to get closer to nature, whether it is a night on the Cornwall coast or a week's holiday in the Highlands of Scotland.

Home is where the heart is, and that's especially true when it comes to camping in the UK. Sometimes we forget just how much there is explore in the UK.

And with the disruption to travel by coronavirus and Brexit, the one thing that seems certain is that more people will be holidaying at home.

Expert information for picking where to camp

Family holidays are so important and we want to help you choose the right destination for your next camping trip. To give you inspiration, we’ve hand-picked some of our favourite UK camping destinations.

Some, like the Lake District, Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands, are obvious. Others are maybe less well-known, but they are all magnificent and should definitely be on your camping bucket list.