CAMP MELA

A lifetime of outdoor adventure and travel around the world have inspired Camp Mela where the canvas and poles of six tipis rise from a two-acre Norfolk meadow. This adults-only site has been carefully crafted and curated by Maddie and her partner Nick who’ve put down roots at Salle Moor Farm near Reepham. And while the tipis and campfire tales nod to distant cultures there’s something earthy and organic here too. In addition to the tipis, Salle Moor soil supports an ancient oak which offers shade to summer campers and, nearby, a host of independent businesses including a veg box scheme and a craft ale brewery in a 500-year-old barn.

You’ll find Camp Mela and its age-old oak tree, past the farm buildings and in a lush meadow beyond, where the collection of six traditional Sioux tipis are spread around. Five are beautifully furnished as bedrooms for guests with double beds, rugs, coffee tables and rustic touches to help you feel at home. The sixth is the largest of the lot; towering 11 metres tall and offering a cathedral-like space for socialising in style with sofas, sheepskin rugs and authentic Indian throws. Each tipi is traditionally built and a real work of fine craft: see the long wooden poles, the short staves stitching the circular doorway in place and the fitted cotton tipi liners for added warmth and insulation. Stepping inside there’s a magnificent sense of height and airiness – the perfect space for summer in a hay meadow.

The ambience of Camp Mela is undeniably chilled out. Campfires are very much encouraged – with a firepit and seating outside each tipi – and there’s a separate campfire cooking area for all, with a tripod, grill and hanging skillet. This, alongside the giant tipi and communal kitchen wagon, creates a great social point for guests and is a fantastic place for groups to convene. The kitchen wagon is worth a shout-out here. Crafted largely with reclaimed wood, it's beautifully rustic while having lots of mod cons you might otherwise miss. While the tipis are all blissfully electricity free, there are places here to charge your phone and the facilities to cook and make cups of tea and coffee quickly. And it's not just any coffee but the fresh ground beans from the Norfolk Coffee Co who operate from site.

It’s a 15–20-minute walk to Salle’s church and village green and around the same in the opposite direction into the market town of Reepham, where the main square has a clutch of great places to eat and a market every Wednesday morning. On the way into Reepham you’ll cross the Marriott’s Way, a 25-mile car-free trail that runs between Norwich and Aylsham, another nearby market town. It’s a fantastic route for cyclists to follow in either direction, for a day out in Norwich or for a visit to the beautiful, National Trust-owned Blickling Estate. Further afield, but not far, the North Norfolk Coast at Cromer and the peaceful Norfolk Broads offer days out you won't want to miss, both around a half-hour drive away.