The crew of Deepdale Camping & Rooms in Burnham Deepdale on the beautiful North Norfolk Coast got a fantastic early Christmas gift in the post this week, when they received the AA Small Campsite of the Year 2023 award.
Each year the AA inspects hundreds of campsites for its AA guidebooks, checking all the facilities of each site against their grading scheme criteria. Deepdale was awarded a 4 Pennant Gold Award during this year’s inspection. Then quite out of the blue, a special national award was delivered to Deepdale, AA Small Campsite of the Year 2023.
‘As you can imagine, opening the post is the usual collection of bills, statements and junk mail. Occasionally we receive a parcel from or for a customer, but opening the post the other day was a much more enjoyable experience when the AA award slid out of its padded envelope. We knew that the inspector who visited us this year liked our facilities, but we had no advance warning of this national award.’ said Chris Haycock, Managing Director of Deepdale Camping & Rooms.
‘This award is a huge compliment to our wonderful team and the facilities we have at Deepdale. We pride ourselves on our customer service and clean high quality facilities, which the customers talk about in their reviews. To have been selected as the best Small Campsite in the UK for 2023 is absolutely fantastic, and the team are really proud of this accolade.’.
As Winter arrives on the beautiful North Norfolk Coast, and the amazing winter wildlife visitors arrive, the team have found their warmer gear (ie less wearing of shorts) and embark on landscape management and maintenance while welcoming many wildlife watchers, walkers, cyclists, and a few brave watersports enthusiasts. Deepdale Camping & Rooms is open all year, and during the Winter there are Midweek 3 for 2 offers and car free accommodation discounts, giving customers a great excuse to visit this beautiful part of the world.
‘Our team are what sets Deepdale apart from the majority of other campsites. Their dedication and care really help customers enjoy their stays with us. We’ve invested in facilities, but it’s the team who keep them clean, maintain them, and help customers find their hygge when they stay with us. I’d like to give a special thank you to Chris, my business partner, who leads the team with customer service as the core of everything we do. A huge thank you to the AA for this national award, it means a huge amount to everyone here.’ said Jason Borthwick, Marketing Director of Deepdale Camping & Rooms.
The existing crew at Deepdale, lead by Chris Haycock and Jason Borthwick, took on the running of the campsite, hostels and visitor information centre in late 2016, after the facilities had been leased out for 7 years. They completely rebuilt the facilities and offering, brought in a fantastic dedicated team, and have won many awards since then. The site has a 5 star rating and has won the Travelers’ Choice award on Tripadvisor annually. To be chosen as the best small campsite in the UK by such a well respected organisation as the AA is a huge achievement and the team are rightly proud.
Image by Chris Taylor
The first line-up announcement for Deepdale Festival 2023 taking place from Thursday 21st September to Sunday 24th September has just been released by the team at Deepdale Camping & Rooms, and yet again it seems Chris Haycock, the festival director, is putting together a fabulous programme. India Electric Co., Morganway and The Leisure Society headline this year’s festival, and many other top acts in the folk world join the line-up.
“We are really very excited at how this year’s line-up (our sixth!) is shaping up. Whether it’s fantastic acts from further afield, such as India Electric Co, The Leisure Society, Chris Cleverley and Jacob & Drinkwater, or brilliant bands from right here in Norfolk such as Morganway, Kitewing and the John Ward Trio, among many others, we can’t wait to showcase another weekend of fabulous music.” – Chris Haycock, festival director.
The Deepdale team have announced their Top Albums of 2022 in the Deepdale Podcast.
Which albums have they chosen, and have you got them on your music shelf?
Each December the Deepdale team produce a special episode of the Deepdale Podcast, where Chris Haycock, Deepdale Festival director, is encouraged to get very excited about the best album releases of the year.
This year was no exception, and Chris has chosen seven superb albums as his musical recommendations.
After discovering the joys of relaxing in their garden during the Covid-19 lockdown, Viv and Graham have decided to sell Deepdale Café and enjoy their retirement.They’ve run the busy café with Sophie for more than 6 years, in which time they’ve fed royalty, the famous, and those who love the North Norfolk Coast.
Deepdale Café is at the heart of Dalegate Market, the busy independent shopping centre in Burnham Deepdale. With an all year round footfall, surrounded by lovely independent shops, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating, the café is a brilliant opportunity for new owners with energy and enthusiasm.
“I’ve loved welcoming visitors to eat and drink at Deepdale Café, over the last 6 years. The enforced rest from the lockdown made me realise that it was time to wear my slippers more often, enjoy my garden, and pass on Deepdale Café to someone with more energy than we have.” Viv, owner and manager of Deepdale Café. “Amazing to think we’ve served so many meals in the last 6 years. Going to miss the buzz and seeing the customers, but time to move on and enjoy other things.”