Sometimes you simply need to get away in nature and hide away from everything else. That’s what stays at Get Away Hide Away are all about. Here, you’ll find two well-converted horse lorries permanently parked up in a wildflower meadow. Each is a self-contained, off-grid hideaway that’s ready and waiting for you to arrive and take it easy under Norfolk’s starry night skies. Any buzzing here comes from the bees and any tweeting comes from the birds, both of which are in abundance in this half-acre plot along with badgers, hare and deer.
While Dixie and Douglas, the two horse-lorry hideaways are both off grid, they do have solar power for lights and charging devices via USB ports – just don’t tell the kids. That way you can have the kind of old-school holiday this place is designed for; one where you chat around the campfire, explore the countryside, and play a board game or two.
Dixie is the most family-friendly accommodation as she has room for up to four. She’s also hardly recognisable from her roots with a new roof and lots of decking. Douglas, meanwhile, is a vintage Bedford dating from the 1960s, sleeping up to three. Both have their own toilet and shower facilities a few steps away and, inside, are well set up with kitchenettes and log burners with bedding and towels provided.
Whichever you choose, there’s a lot to admire as they’ve been lovingly converted by hosts, Tori and Ciaran. You won’t necessarily see them during your stay but you’ll see their care and creativity everywhere you look – and they are never far away if you need them. This land is part of a family farm that’s passed through five generations. It’s no surprise, then, that they know the area rather well. Their local tips are given in a guestbook. You can follow their suggested routes for a walk and take their advice on which nearby pub to visit. You can get their tips on what to see in Norwich or which beach to visit on the North Norfolk Coast, both of which are just 20 miles from this hideaway.
Get Away Hide Away is on the outskirts of the village of Elsing, about five miles from the town of Dereham. The village and the glamping site are a good place to set out from for peaceful walks and bike rides in the surrounding countryside and there are some suggestions in a welcome pack provided by your hosts. Kids are well catered for in the nearby area with ROARR! The dinosaur-themed adventure park six miles from site and The Bug Parc even closer, just four miles away. There’s also BeWILDerwood, the treetop adventure park, just over 20 miles away. It’s the same distance to the coast and being Norfolk there’s plenty of that. Wells-next-the-Sea is probably the closest place to hit the beach, but Blakeney and Cromer are not much further and all offer something different within the protected landscape of the North Norfolk Coast. Winterton with its seals and Southwold with its quirky pier are other options too. The lovely city of Norwich is just under 20 miles away and well worth exploring.
Tea, coffee and handy essentials like salt and oil are provided in the hut and if you want to cook, there’s a small farm shop two miles down the road, Dann’s. The speciality there is ice cream made with their own milk from cows in the surrounding fields but you can also buy super fresh milk from their vending machine and other local produce too. There are village shops for other basics in Lyng (two miles) and Swanton Morley (three miles) but Dereham is not much further and has plenty more shops including supermarkets. For a meal out, you could walk in an hour or so, or drive in a few minutes, to one of three local pubs. The Lodge in North Tuddenham is probably the closest, just under two miles away, and specialises in grilled and griddled food. The Fox at Lyng is just a little further and Darbys in Swanton Morley is three miles away.
