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Delicate one, this.  Technically, you were in the wrong, but so was the owner to automatically take aggressive action.  Club sites, and many private onews, do insist on reporting to reception, and requesting permission to look around.  There are several good reasons for this rule.  (1)  As already said, the owners/wardens have a duty to keep the site as secure as possible to prevent theft.  (2) Health and Safety regulations require the owners/wardens to be aware of who is likely to be on site at any given time.  (3) Work of a hazardous nature could be in progress on site, of which visitors staying on the site would have been warned, and told to avoid the immediate area, but which you could stray into and an injury result.

Where the owner, in your case, was totally out of order, in addition to his aggressiveness, was not having adequate signage relating to his camping site.

I would hesitate to strike the site off my list in a knee-jerk reaction.  It may be a very good site, and you already know that going off site and leaving your van should be safe; the owner's objection to strangers wandering around has shown that.

Another thing to remember, is that lots of small sites/CL's are extensions of the owners' private home.  If a stranger accidentally got the wrong house, and you found him wandering around your back garden, I think your initial response would be quite blunt and to the point.

Before passing judgement, it always pays to try and see the situation from both sides.  And a bit of calm psycology might have got you a few nights of free camping.

Bertie.

'Club sites, and many private onews, do insist on reporting to reception, and requesting permission to look around.'

Reception should have been properly signposted.