Last checked November 2026.
Norfolk has the long North Norfolk coast from Hunstanton round past Brancaster, Holkham, Wells, Sheringham and Cromer, the rivers and broads of the Broads between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, and Thetford Forest in the Brecks to the south. It’s a county for touring in a campervan, but not for stopping where you like. North Norfolk council bans sleeping in all its car parks and asks motorhomes not to wild camp at beach access points, on heaths and in Broads car parks, Holkham has no overnight parking for visitors, and the council car parks at Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton and in Broadland aren’t for staying the night either. There are plenty of campsites, though, and several are open all year.
Where you can and can’t stay overnight
There’s no general law in England against sleeping in a van that’s legally parked on a public road, but local rules are common and you have to read the signs. There’s no right to wild camp in a vehicle anywhere in England: you need the landowner’s permission. The National Trust doesn’t allow overnight parking at any of its places, and Forestry England doesn’t allow it in its car parks; its 2026 campervan trial at High Lodge in Thetford Forest ended in September. A council can also direct people living in a vehicle on a roadside or other land to leave; ignoring the direction, or coming back within three months, can mean a fine of up to £1,000. More in wild camping and free camping.
Council by council:
- North Norfolk (Cromer, Sheringham, Wells, Holt, Mundesley and the coast from Weybourne to Sea Palling): overnight sleeping isn’t allowed in any of the council’s car parks. The council also asks motorhomes not to wild camp at beach access points, in woodland and on heathland, in Broads car parks or on public access sites anywhere in the district. By day, the car parks it lists as suitable for motorhomes are Runton Road in Cromer, Beach Road at East Runton, Cart Gap at Happisburgh, Gold Park at Mundesley, Pauls Lane at Overstrand, Clink Lane at Sea Palling and Beach Road at Weybourne. The council provides no water, toilet emptying or bins for motorhomes, and asks you not to empty cassettes in public toilets.
- Great Yarmouth: the borough’s car-park order bans sleeping or camping in its car parks, and apart from its lorry and coach park, residents’ parking and free car parks, you can’t leave a vehicle in them overnight without the council’s permission.
- King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (King’s Lynn, Hunstanton and the coast to Brancaster): motorhomes have their own pay and display parks for the day. Hunstanton Coach Park on Southend Road (PE36 5AR) has 44 bays for coaches and motorhomes only, open from 8am to 6pm, and all vehicles must be gone by 6pm; it costs £7.60 for up to 3 hours and £10 to £11.20 until 6pm. In King’s Lynn, Austin Fields Coach Park (PE30 1PH) has six bays for coaches and motorhomes, open 24 hours, at £3.60 or £4.60 for the day and £3 for the evening, but the council doesn’t offer it as an overnight stop.
- Broadland (Acle, Aylsham, Coltishall, Brundall and the villages north of Norwich): the council’s free car parks don’t take vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, 5.5 m long or 2 m high, and most are listed as no overnight parking or camping.
If you do stop on a road, park facing the direction of traffic at night, use your parking lights on roads with a limit over 30 mph and in their lay-bys, and don’t block anyone.
The old free spots have gone the same way: the forest car parks at Santon Downham are Forestry England’s, with no overnight parking, and the Brancaster beach car park is for day visitors.
Holkham and Wells
The Holkham estate runs the car parks for Holkham beach and Wells beach. Lady Anne’s Drive (NR23 1RG), for Holkham beach, and the Wells beach car park on Beach Road (NR23 1DR) are both open from 6am to 5pm, and cost £3.80 for up to 2 hours, £7.20 for up to 4 hours or £14 for the day, which also covers parking at Holkham Park the same day. Holkham Park, for the Hall, is open from 10am to 4pm at £6.50 a day. The estate says there’s no overnight parking for visitors, only for guests staying at The Victoria or its Pinewoods Holiday Park. Pinewoods, on Beach Road at Wells, has serviced touring pitches for caravans and motorhomes; arrive after 1pm, as there’s nowhere to wait with a van on site or in Wells town.
The Broads
The Broads lie between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. North Norfolk council asks motorhomes not to wild camp in Broads car parks, and Broadland’s village car parks don’t allow overnight stays, so use a campsite: the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Norfolk Broads site at Ludham is in the middle of them, and the Great Yarmouth Racecourse site and the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Norwich site are at either end.
Campsites
Seasons are for 2027 where they’re published, and they change every year, so check before you travel. Book ahead for summer weekends and bank holidays.
| Area | Campsite | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Hunstanton | Searles, South Beach Road, PE36 5BB | Tel: 01485 534211. Holiday park with touring pitches for caravans, campervans and motorhomes, with electric |
| Sandringham | The Sandringham Estate Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), Glucksburg Woods, PE35 6EZ | Tel: 01553 631614. Open all year, non-members welcome. Vans up to 9 m, mostly hardstanding |
| Sandringham | Sandringham Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Coach Road, PE35 6EA | Tel: 01485 542555. 5 February 2027 to 3 January 2028. Motorhome service point |
| Brancaster | Deepdale Camping, Burnham Deepdale, PE31 8DD | Tel: 01485 210256. Open all year. Tents, campervans, motorhomes and RVs; pitches from 8 m deep |
| Wells-next-the-Sea | Pinewoods Holiday Park (Holkham estate), Beach Road, NR23 1DR | Tel: 01328 710439. Serviced touring pitches for tourers and motorhomes; arrive after 1pm |
| Weybourne and Holt | Kelling Heath Holiday Park | Tel: 01263 588181. Touring pitches in 300 acres of woodland and heath, with a motorhome drive-over point for water and waste |
| West Runton, near Cromer | Incleboro Fields Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), Station Close, NR27 9QG | Tel: 01263 837419. 19 March to 4 October 2027, non-members welcome. Vans up to 8.5 m |
| West Runton, near Cromer | West Runton Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Holgate Lane, NR27 9NW | Tel: 01263 837544. 22 March to 25 October 2027. Motorhome service point |
| Cromer | Seacroft Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), Runton Road, NR27 9NH | Tel: 01263 514938. Closed for rebuilding; due to reopen in early July 2027, then open all year. Vans up to 8.5 m |
| The Broads | Norfolk Broads Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), Johnson Street, Ludham, NR29 5NY | Tel: 01692 630357. 19 March to 1 November 2027, non-members welcome. Vans up to 8.5 m |
| Great Yarmouth | Great Yarmouth Racecourse Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), Jellicoe Road, NR30 4AU | Tel: 01493 855223. 16 April to 4 October 2027, non-members welcome. Vans up to 11 m |
| Norwich | Norwich Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Martineau Lane, NR1 2HX | Tel: 01603 620060. 22 March to 25 October 2027. About 40 minutes’ walk into the city, or take the bus |
| Thetford Forest | Thetford Forest Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), High Ash, Hilborough, IP26 5BZ | Tel: 01842 878356. 25 March to 18 October 2027, non-members welcome. Vans up to 10.5 m |
The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s and the Camping and Caravanning Club’s own sites above take non-members. Members of either club can also use their small certificated sites, which take up to five vans and are often on farms. Since 2023 pop-up sites in England can open for up to 60 days a year and take motorhomes and campervans as well as tents. Brit Stops members can stop a night at farm shops, pubs and other hosts that take self-contained vans.
Getting there and driving
The A11 comes up from the M11 past Thetford to Norwich, and the A47 crosses the county from King’s Lynn through Norwich to Great Yarmouth. The A10 comes up from Cambridge to King’s Lynn, and the A148 runs from King’s Lynn to Cromer. The A149 is the coast road, through Hunstanton, Brancaster, Holkham, Wells, Sheringham and Cromer.
There are no clean air zones in Norfolk. Campervans and motorhomes up to 3.05 tonnes unladen have the same speed limits as cars: 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 on dual carriageways and motorways. Heavier motorhomes are limited to 50 mph on single carriageways and 60 on dual carriageways.
Hunstanton and Brancaster
Hunstanton is on the Wash. Motorhomes park by day at the Coach Park on Southend Road, and Searles has touring pitches in the town.
At Brancaster, Beach Road leads to the beach car park (sat nav PE31 8AX), with parking on the right and toilets on the left. The car park isn’t the National Trust’s, so members pay too. The toilets are open from 6am to 6pm, depending on the tide. The National Trust warns that strong, fast tides and hidden channels make this beach dangerous, so don’t try to cross the main channel. At Brancaster Staithe there’s no parking from May to September except for launching boats. Deepdale Camping at Burnham Deepdale, just along the A149, is open all year.
Cromer, Sheringham and West Runton
Cromer and Sheringham are North Norfolk’s seaside towns. Beacon Hill, a mile south of the West Runton Camping and Caravanning Club site, is the highest point in Norfolk. Runton Road car park in Cromer and Beach Road at East Runton take motorhomes by day, and there are three club sites at West Runton and Cromer.
Thetford Forest
Forestry England calls Thetford Forest the UK’s largest man-made lowland forest. High Lodge, its main visitor centre, is just over the border in Suffolk, and there are lovely walks through the woods around Santon Downham, where deer have been seen. The forest car parks are for day visits, so stay at the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Thetford Forest site at Hilborough.
More on England
- England by campervan
- Suffolk, the next county south
- Lincolnshire, across the Wash
- Cambridgeshire
- Campsites
- Wild camping and free camping
- UK campervan hire
Sources: North Norfolk District Council (motorhomes: camping and parking); the Borough of Great Yarmouth off-street parking places order (2014); the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk car park pages; Broadland and South Norfolk councils’ car park pages; the Holkham estate; National Trust; Forestry England; gov.uk (speed limits, clean air zones, Highway Code); Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; the Caravan and Motorhome Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club and campsite websites; checked November 2026. Know of a change? Tell us in the comments below.