Pretty new English campsite opens inside huge nature reserve – with food trucks, flamingo spotting & £5 pitches
A NEW pop-up campsite has opened a wildlife park in the UK, with huge bell tents and flamingo tours.
For the first time in its history Pensthorpe Nature Reserve has opened a pop-up glamping site for the school summer holidays.
The pop-up site opened earlier this month, and it will be welcoming holidaymakers until the end of August, 2024.
There are 24 tent pitches on the site as well as six bell tents, which holidaymakers can also book.
According to the Pensthorpe website, each of the bell-style tents are equipped with a double bed and three single beds, giving campers a “luxurious glamping experience”.
Holidaymakers will need to bring their own pillows and bedding when staying in the bell tents.
Prices start from £120 per night, with a two-night stay required as a minimum.
In addition to the bell tents, Pensthorpe Nature Reserve also has 24 grass pitches on its site.
Each pitch is 10m x 10m, allowing enough space for around six people, with the possibility to add two additional guests when booking.
Pitches can be booked from £30 per night, with a two-night stay required as a minimum.
As these pitches have enough space for six people, overnight stays start from £5 per night per person.
Visitors who have booked to stay in one of the bell tents will also be granted a two-day visitor pass into the nature reserve, campers who’ve booked a tent pitch will need to pay for access.
Travel Holiday Deals near Pensthorpe
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- Hotels from £60 per night
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- Holiday Parks in East Anglia from £269 for 7 nights
Fires in fire pits are also permitted, with slabs provided for barbecues.
Holidaymakers who don’t fancy cooking will be relieved to know that there is a food truck serving pizza.
Other facilities on the pop-up campsite include solar-powered toilets and showers.
All the pitches are off-grid, which means holidaymakers will need to charge their phones, and other important devices, in the Courtyard Cafe.
Located just 11 miles from the north Norfolk coast, there are plenty of attractions inside the nature reserve, including four walking routes, five garden, a huge indoor play area and an outdoor play area.
In the Wetland Discovery Area, visitors will be able to glimpse birds like flamingos and cranes.
Other bird species can also be found in the nature reserve, including peregrines, kestrel, kingfishers and many more.
4 walking routes, 5 gardens, Sculptures, huge indoor play, colossal outdoor play, Flamingos, Cranes, den building and so much more!
Entry into Pensthorpe Nature Reserve costs £14.95 for a full-paying and £13.95 for children aged three.
Children under the age of three will be eligible for free entry.
UK’S BEST CAMPSITES
Earlier this year, the best campsites in the UK were revealed by the camping experts Pitchup, who based their findings on 200,000 customer reviews from last year.
To feature in the list, the campsites must have achieved an average rating of 8/10 or above across at least 20 reviews in 2023.
Pitchup said the process enabled them to keep the list simple and relying solely on customer feedback ensures the list is both unbiased and reflects real user experiences.
They said: “We want to say a huge congratulations to the winning sites.
“Their outstanding average rating is the result of months of glowing reviews on Pitchup.com, showing that they provided a truly exceptional guest experience.”
Three camping tips from an expert
DAVID Scotland owns camping equipment retailer Outdoor World Direct and knows all about how to make a camping trip run smoothly.
When visiting any campsite this summer it’s important to make sure you’re not making simple mistakes that could ruin your holiday.
Check your tent
David recommends putting your tent up a couple of weeks before you’re due to travel to give you enough time to repair or replace any damaged parts.
He told Sun Online Travel: “You’d be surprised how many people turn up with broken tents.”
Test the ground
Picking a good spot to pitch your tent is difficult, with lots of things to consider.
One of those should be the condition of the ground you’re putting your tent on top of, according to David.
He said: “Once you’ve found the perfect spot, test the ground with your pegs before you commit to camping there to make sure the ground is soft enough.”
Don’t nap in your tent
It may seem the perfect place for it, but a nap in a tent could end badly, if it’s done at the wrong time of the day.
David explained: “If the sun’s shining and it’s hot inside your tent – don’t do it!
“One of our friends nodded off in his tent during a heatwave at Glastonbury and ended up at the medical tent with heatstroke.”
Instead, he recommends finding some shade outside or somewhere well ventilated.
Meanwhile, here are some of the best seaside campsites in the UK.
And this campsite has direct access to the beach and has been compared to both the Caribbean and Greece.
