A new glamping company hopes to open the North Norfolk coast up to a new breed of campers.
MarGins runs short walking and glamping holidays along the county's coastal paths, but helps make the experience more effortless – by carrying walkers' luggage and setting up their tents for them.
Bookings are coming in – from a 50/50 split of East Anglian visitors and tourists from elsewhere in the UK – for its three packages, which encompass three, four or six days of walking.
From the starting points on the Norfolk Coast Path in Hunstanton and Cromer, founders Mark and Gin Wilson-North follow guests from campsite to campsite with their luggage, dismantling and reassembling their glamping accommodation each day.
Walkers are able to leave their luggage for collection at Hunstanton tourist information centre or Cromer's Red Lion pub.
Ms Wilson-North has made arrangements with five campsites along the coast in Burnham Deepdale, Stiffkey, West Runton, Happisburgh and California Sands, who are supportive of her venture.
She believes her mid-week pitch bookings – most holiday packages start on a Monday – could provide a welcome trade boost to the campsites.
She said: 'We have plenty of bookings to keep us going. We were just over the moon that people liked the idea.
'It is amazing how many people have said they would consider camping if they didn't have to set the tent up.
'For those who want to try it, but don't want the hassle of it, this is the solution.'
MarGins' three glamping tents have separate bed and living spaces and feature a padded bed with mattress topper, hot water bottles, an electric cool box and gas burner.
Ms Wilson-North champions local food and drink producers and suppliers, providing her guests with a breakfast hamper with Norfolk goodies like granola, fruit, meats, bread, tea and coffee.
There is also the option of an evening platter with local cured meats and cheeses with wine pairings from TFW Fine Wines.
Norfolk musician Matt Watson was one of MarGins' first clients – it provided accommodation for him on the second leg of a 134-mile charity trek from Woodbridge to Hunstanton in aid of Nelson's Journey, A Change of Scene and the RNLI.
Coastal attraction
Visitors to the North Sea coast can explore even more of Norfolk's coastal delights after the opening of a 21-mile stretch of coast path between Sea Palling and Hopton last October.
It was the second stretch of England Coast Path to open in the county after the 26 miles established between Weybourne and Sea Palling in December 2014.
Together with the Norfolk Coast Path trail from Cromer to Hunstanton, opened by the Prince of Wales in 1986, these paths cover 84 miles of the Norfolk coast, the longest section of coast path in the East of England.
A report by Natural England in 2016 revealed visitors can spend up to three times more money at coastal destinations than inland ones (£18 compared with £6).
MarGins' three holiday packages – Avocet, Curlew and Lapwing – cover both the Norfolk and England Coast Paths between Hunstanton and Hopton. They range from 38 to 84 miles, over three to six days' walking.
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