Devon/Dorset Campsite Recommendations?

[SiT]

Morning,

Looking to get away for a couple of nights over Aug BH in our recently purchased family tent. Don’t want to venture too far so looking at Devon/Dorset areas, close proximity to a beach with a local pub in walking distance for a bit of food.

Don’t want a sardine style site where you are all crammed in, bit of space and chilled nature is order of the day.

We have a 9 year old daughter so can’t be adults only and would like some nice hot showers/toilet block.

Can anyone recommend anywhere that is worth a try, we only need the one pitch for a tent so hoping I might be able to grab a last minute pitch.

Si

[A205GTI]

Try pitchup.com or national trust website or camping and caravaning

but in all honesty you may struggle due to covid issues. most have reduced pitches or closed camping completely.

but good luck OP we ourselves are heading to the highlands for semi wild camping.

we have stayed at ladram bay before that was ok, bit busy but own beach and swimmable water (Sand at far end of pebbled beach) own pool (You have to pay) sadly as it was a holiday park they did the evening entertainment (We never went) food was good though and kids enjoyed it.

Edited by A205GTI on Tuesday 4th August 16:24

[hantsxlg]

We like longthorns campsite near Bovington. A 15 min drive to lulworth cove and has onsite pop up bar... good showers and toilet and not much else, so doesnt attract too many Navarro pickups.

[Unknown_User]

I'm not sure if Tom's field is open but it is in a lovely area plus within staggering distance of the Square & Compass in Worth Matravers.

[SiT]

Thanks for all the suggestions, the problem I am finding is that with social distancing most of these places are running at half capacity so all fully booked.

Might be the back garden! Lol!

Si

[Bill]

On a normal bank holiday a lot of these places would be fully booked. I'd have a look inland and accept a drive to the beach as a trade off with walking to the pub.

[DelicaL400]

hantsxlg said:

We like longthorns campsite near Bovington.

I've been there a few times, lovely site with the added attraction of the occasional tank driving past (there's an MoD training facility over the road).

UKcampsite.co.uk is a good source of reviews.

[Manners79]

I'm just back from a few nights at https://www.pineappleestate.co.uk/farmholidays

Lovely site, clean faciltiies, good little shop on site. Fires allowed in their fire pits. Was good value as well and lots of space between pitches especially in the non-hardstanding areas. Might be worth checking availability.

[stogbandard]

Warcombe Farm, near Woolacombe is great for having individual pitches defined with hedges, which helps to shelter tents from the wind. Bonus is more privacy and distance from others.

We used to go to North Morte Farm in Morte Hoe nearby. It is (or was at the time) a first come first served site. Beautiful site overlooking the sea and glorious sun sets, but when the weather turns you know about it because it is very exposed. We’ve had one or two really rough nights in the past. We’ve seen many other tents flattened and binned the next morning. The last time we stayed we tried the bottom edge of the field to be sheltered from the worst of the wind, only to find ourselves in the part of the site that would become waterlogged during heavy rain. Seeing the groundsheet floating was our cue to terminate our weeks stay on our second night, pack up and drive back home through the night, 400 miles back to the North East. Writing this reminds me of seeing someone in a Saxo, about a half mile ahead on the M5 pirouette off the carriageway on that journey home.

Edited by stogbandard on Monday 24th August 21:25

[notslopes]

Bit late to this party but Wareham Forest site is a good one

[PurpleTurtle]

stogbandard said:

Warcombe Farm, near Woolacombe is great for having individual pitches defined with hedges, which helps to shelter tents from the wind. Bonus is more privacy and distance from others.

Thanks for the tip. We've booked into here with our caravan for the half term week from Sunday. Weather doesn't look particularly great but we're generally outdoorsy types and our 5yo doesn't care if it rains or not. It's very reasonably priced in low season so if it all goes properly tits up weather wise we can sack it off midweek and come home.

[PurpleTurtle]

stogbandard said:

Warcombe Farm, near Woolacombe is great for having individual pitches defined with hedges, which helps to shelter tents from the wind. Bonus is more privacy and distance from others.

We used to go to North Morte Farm in Morte Hoe nearby. It is (or was at the time) a first come first served site. Beautiful site overlooking the sea and glorious sun sets, but when the weather turns you know about it because it is very exposed. We’ve had one or two really rough nights in the past. We’ve seen many other tents flattened and binned the next morning. The last time we stayed we tried the bottom edge of the field to be sheltered from the worst of the wind, only to find ourselves in the part of the site that would become waterlogged during heavy rain. Seeing the groundsheet floating was our cue to terminate our weeks stay on our second night, pack up and drive back home through the night, 400 miles back to the North East. Writing this reminds me of seeing someone in a Saxo, about a half mile ahead on the M5 pirouette off the carriageway on that journey home.

Edited by stogbandard on Monday 24th August 21:25

Based on your tip we enjoyed last Sunday - Friday at Warcombe Farm. Lovely site, friendly people, lots to do in the area, but by crikey it was wet. They kindly phoned us on the morning of our arrival to let us know that they would be allocating us to a serviced hard standing pitch - we had booked grass, but the constant rain had just made everything really muddy. Our little Eriba and its awning survived several nights of 40+ mph winds and rain, but by the Friday we cut our week there short by two nights as the weather forecast was only getting worse. Seemingly everybody else did too, the M5 was a 30-40mph slog through Somerset, it took us 6hrs to do the 140 mile run home to Reading, although that included a 45 min stop.

It's definitely a site I would return to though, great chippy in Morthoe, and some fabulous coastal walks and beaches. Thanks again for the tip.