Standing under the archway where King Charles, the late Queen Elizabeth II and plenty of other Royal Family members have been pictured on Christmas Day every year, I look up at St Mary Magdalene church.
I’m spending the afternoon with my fiancé and some friends exploring Sandringham Estate’s house – there are eight rooms open to the public – and the 60-acre gardens.
After a couple of hours in the sunshine admiring the horticulture, including a hydrangea named ‘King George V‘ and countless beautiful roses, we cool off with an ice cream from the Stables Café.
Unlike most guests who visit this regal 20,000-acre Norfolk country retreat, we’re not going home at the end of day.
Instead, we’re checking into accommodation for the next two nights that’s located within the grounds of the estate.
Rather than checking into a stately abode though, we’re staying in a deluxe safari tent at Experience Freedom’s Sandringham Estate glamping site – but it very much feels like we’re in the monarch’s back garden.
The Experience Freedom campsite offers glamping breaks on King Charles’ sprawling Norfolk estate, just a 30-minute walk away from the main house
Travel reporter Alesia Fiddler checked into a safari tent on Experience Freedom’s Sandringham Estate glamping site
The Caravan and Motorhome Club has operated a campsite on the Norfolk-based land since 1977 and it was created with the help of the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who was known to love the outdoors.
It recently underwent a major redevelopment including a new facilities block and reopened earlier this year.
Our tent is one of four different types to choose from – there are 15 in total – and it is fully equipped with everything you might need including a stove top, kitchen appliances, a modern bathroom and even a dishwasher, it hardly feels like a tent.
With enough space for six people – and from just £79 a night in low season, there are three bedrooms including a double bedroom, a twin bedroom and a double cabin bedroom.
It’s deemed too hot to use charcoal and disposable barbecues on the site (the tent is kitted out with a disposable BBQ stand next to the decking), so to make the most of the outdoor space and warm evening, we bring along an electric pizza oven and set it up on the verandah.
Surrounded by towering trees, we tuck into molten slices of margarita and pepperoni pizza as we sit underneath the beige canopy and look out onto the forest and other tents.
At one point during the meal, a wild rabbit pays us a visit and scratches around the ground nearby the decking.
With only fabric walls to separate us from the outside, I feel completely connected to nature and it’s a refreshing change from the hot and muggy London I’ve experienced this summer.
The site sits surrounded by Norfolk nature, with a chance to explore the 20,000-acre royal estate too
In the evening, fairy lights twinkle along the edge of the verandah
There is a spacious outdoor deck area to enjoy that’s sheltered from sun and rain
The woodland walk across the estate from the site to the visitor centre and house
As the sun sets, a string of fairy lights come on and illuminate the edges of the tent and sparkle as the night draws in.
We head inside and spend the evening enjoying drinks and board games on a spacious wooden dining table.
In the morning, birds chirp loudly outside as we rustle up a bacon sandwich on the hob and enjoy it out in the fresh air.
Our plans for the day are scuppered by a downpour – the first I’ve seen in a while in this heatwave summer – and we sit outside under the verandah as rain patters down and bounces off the material.
Water trickles off the canopy and the air fills with the smell of damp earth but the break from the heat isn’t long lived. The rain subsides and the sun breaks through after a couple of hours.
We take the opportunity to explore our back garden – the estate – some more and walk to Sandringham House from the safari tent.
A woodland trail winding through ferns and trees, across wide pathways and a walk through heavily wooded sections of the forest leads us to the visitor centre in around 30 minutes, though it feels much shorter.
In the evening, we’re spoilt for choice with the amount of restaurants and pubs nearby.
We eventually settle for The Farmers – which is only a six-minute drive away – and tuck into homecooked food under wooden beams, sitting beside characterful bare brick walls.
The deluxe safari tent has three bedrooms including a double bedroom (pictured), a twin bedroom and a double cabin bedroom
The kitchen is fully equipped with a stove, sink, appliances and a dishwasher – it hardly feels like a tent
Several beaches are located just a short drive away from the site. Pictured: The red and white striped cliffs at Hunstanton
With the sun still shining into the next day, we venture outside of the estate and head to the beach.
The Norfolk coastline is only 20 minutes away by car and we are soon walking along Hunstanton South Beach, which is popular with families and young children.
Further down, we find the famous red and white striped cliffs and soon reach Old Hunstanton Beach – much more peaceful than our first stop.
We have a paddle in the sea before heading home, this time to our flat rather than a royal estate, after enjoying a weekend fit for a king.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login