Hillside Farm campsite in Market Weston near Diss hopes to inspire people to visit the countryside

The owner of a campsite on a farm near Diss has spoken of their expansion plans as it completes its first full year.

Alastair Sarson, who inherited Hillside Farm in Market Weston from his father last year, hopes he can play his part in getting people to visit the countryside more often.

The 24-year-old decided to turn what remained of his father David's farm into a campsite for the public following his death, running the site alongside his mum, Deborah, who handles the business side.

He said: "I was working as a visual effects artist in York at the time, but I left there in order to come back here to get my affairs in order."

It was then he decided to turn the farm into a camping spot because they wanted to make use of the land.

Alastair said: "We had a meadow just sitting there which we didn't do anything with - we'd maybe cut the grass once per week.

"We wanted to make use the land and it lent itself quite well to camping."

They opened the campsite towards the end of last August as a trial which has slowly been building up interest since.

The Sarsons hope to expand the campsite in the future, which could allow for other fields to be used.

However, they still require a full licence in order to make full use of the site.

Under UK law, farmers can use their land for public camping for a maximum of 28 days per calendar year.

However, should they wish to allow for more days, they will have to apply for planning permission.

This also offers more flexibility, as the 28 day rule does not allow for hard-bottom tents such as teepees or for caravans and RVs.

Sarson said: "We're hoping to have our licence early next year, which will allow us to open up the site for much of the summer.

"Right now, we really have to limit the days we open to the public. We did the jubilee weekend and we do most weekends in August."

Due to the limited slots they have available, Hillside has stopped for the year, with the final tenants leaving on the morning of August 14.

However, next year, they hope to be open for up to 88 days, the maximum allowed for with the camping licence.

This means they could open for much of spring and summer, and potentially into the early Autumn months.

Should they wish to open on a certain day, but no one shows and the site isn't camped on, they can 'bank' for a later date.

Alastair said: "Initially we sectioned off a section of the farmhouse for shower and toilets, but we eventually got hold of a shower trailer.

"This keeps the site much more independent from the house."

Bookings were initially slow, he revealed, but seems to have picked up this year.

They advertise on popular camping websites such as Pitchup and are quite active on social media.

Outside of camping, the site is sometimes used for parking if they are hosting an event.

The farm's stables have been repurposed into a communal area, and the farm even has a charging port for electric vehicles.

The grounds also host a World War Two museum, the 388th Collection, dedicated to US airmen who served in the region.

This was run by Alistair's dad, and Hillside will be hosting an open day at the museum on August 29 in his memory.

Military vehicles will be present on-site and the museum will be free to explore.

The museum is otherwise available to view upon request.

Alastair hopes that once the business is up and running properly, and his father's estate has been transferred, that he will return to York and resume his old work.

His mother will handle the day-to-day business on the site.

This will also allow them to make changes to the site as necessary to accommodate the expansion of the campsite.