In the second week of my parental leave in July, we travelled to Norfolk for a couple of nights in a ‘yurt’. We’re not hardened campers, so this was a tame introduction for Little L to the outdoors. What I didn’t expect, was to fall in love with the Norfolk coast.

I stumbled across Deepdale Backpackers Farm when doing a random search for a two night break. The site has good eco credentials as well as several options for accommodation: pitch your own tent, hiring one of their yurts or tipis and there’s even a hostel for groups or families. Practically speaking, the yurts are a little pricey for a family holiday, starting at £85 per night, considering you could hire a small cottage, complete with your own kitchen and bathing utilities, for a similar price in the same area. It must be the novelty factor that draws people to the experience. It is posh camping, indeed.

Yurts originate from Central Asia in regions, by nomadic folk that passed through regions with the harshest of winters. The Deepdale Farm yurt, is Mongolian style, a strong wood lattice structure with two wooden doors, carpeted floor, one futon double bed frame with a proper sprung mattress plus another futon and sofa bed perfect for Little L. The key feature must be the stove, which we were glad of as the good old British soggy summer reared it’s head on our 2nd night. Happily we were travelling with a friend who knew how to build a fire but the staff at the farm are equally as helpful to novice campers. While other people were huddling round cups of tea in their awnings in wind cheaters, we were sat around in t-shirts sweating and cooking roast vegetables in a pan on the top.

As well as a Costcutter, petrol station and a mini-retail outlet selling arts, crafts, cookware and property, the campsite is also lucky enough to have a café just next door, which is actually a real gem. Deepdale Café serve evening meals (last orders at 8pm) but are licensed and stay open till 10pm. It was the breakfast that caught me by surprise, their full English one of the best eating experiences I’ve had in a long time, excellent meaty sausages, black pudding and crispy bacon with poached eggs that melted on the plate. From the outside you would think it was just another roadside ‘caff’.

There’s plenty of activities on offer along Burnham Deepdale and Brancaster, cycling, walks, sailing and fishing to name a few. A short walk from the farm is the coastal path and Brancaster National Trust Park. This is a couple of miles of tidal creeks and marshes, known for the birdlife and mussels. If you continue for a couple of miles along the coastal path (not particularly buggy friendly) you’ll arrive just behind the tall dunes of Brancaster Beach. If it wasn’t for a distant hum of waves, you could have easily thought the sea had vanished. The sandy shore stretched endlessly in all directions, we had great fun splashing about in sandy pools and digging holes in the sand. Even with the rain spitting intermittently we managed to chill out on the beach and watch dog walkers and kite flyers come and go. It was extremely free but peaceful and exactly what were looking for.

Find out more about the area: http://www.brancasterstaithe.co.uk/ Follow news about the area on Twitter @burnhamdeepdale Don’t take my word for it: www.deepdalecafe.co.uk