Andark Lake

View prices & book 8.7 310 reviews
Lakeside pitches
Swimming and diving on site
The grass pitch
Entrance to site

  • Peaceful site near the River Hamble: two pubs within walking distance
  • Six miles from Southampton and 12 from Portsmouth's ferry terminal
  • Set in scuba diving and open-water swimming lake grounds
Get set to get wet… with the Solent coast a couple of miles away, the Hamble river down the road and of course the lake on site, it’s safe to say that life pretty much revolves around the water at Andark Lake, a small and quiet grassy site six miles from the centre of Southampton. The main focal point here is the purpose-built scuba diving training lake, where wetsuit-clad types can sign up for training courses (when pre-booked) or recreational dives, hire kit and fill air tanks (for certified scuba divers). Open-water swims can be had for an extra charge at the weekends, when staff are on site and the place isn't in use by divers. Outside of swim time, there’s more water-based activity (sailing, paddleboarding, kitesurfing and windsurfing) along the riverside or at Swanwick Marina. Should all this aquatic activity have worked up a bit of a hunger, trot over to the site café for snacks and light lunches, plus hot and cold drinks throughout the day. For your evening meals, three pubs are within walking distance, or you can pick up supermarket supplies two miles away for a sunset sausage sizzle. Other amenities on site include a drinking water tap and a toilet block with male and female changing rooms, lockers and showers, all open 24/7. A coldwater sink is available in the pitching field where guests can wash pots and pans, and an accessible toilet is available on request.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 7
Tent pitches 10
Open now
Opens 3 January
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • Group bookings of 3 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 3 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the site while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time, so that the team can provide information about your unit/pitch.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Lake open-water swimming is not included in the rate and is charged at £7 per person for a day ticket . Swimming is only available Wednesday to Sunday. No swimming while divers are in the lake. The lake must not be used after hours or when no staff are on site, as it's a deep diving training lake and can be dangerous. Dogs are not allowed in the lake at any time.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 3 Jan to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

  • 62%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 18%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 9%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 4%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
8

87% would recommend this site to a friend

84% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 31
Arrival date (latest first)

Excellent site, good facilities

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Holly L.

Electric grass tent pitch

Liked We loved everything about it, it was easy everything was accessible and it was the kids first time camping and they loved it

Disliked N/a

Excellent site for a peaceful night away.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Anonymous

Electric grass and gravel campervan pitch

Liked This was our 5th visit to this site. As always it was a peaceful night away with good clean facilities. Staff are welcoming and friendly and although we didn’t try any, the food and drink in the cafe looks amazing.

Disliked Nothing

Fantastic place clean beautiful really helpful staff thank you…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
6
Jayne W.

Electric grass and gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Fantastic place clean beautiful really helpful staff thank you

Beautiful camp, amazing lake, shop close by.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Craig R.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Pitches were nicely mown, the scenery is lovely.
The swimming lake is excellent, such clean water and I loved swimming with the ducklings! It's bigger than a swimming pool so plenty of space to swim.
The showers and toilets are nice.
You can walk through the woods at the back of the pitches and if you turn right and walk 10 mins it takes you to a little onestop and a fish and chip shop. If you turn left you can walk about 20 mins to the nature reserve.

Disliked N/A

Excellent toilet and shower facilities.…

Overall 9/10

Location
No rating
Value for money
No rating
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
No rating
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Excellent toilet and shower facilities.

Great site, quiet, friendly and decent facilities. Would recommend.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Hannah T.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Location was perfect for our needs.
Shower and toilet facilities were clean and fit for purpose.
Nice hot water and good pressure on the showers!
We met other friendly campers and our dog loved meeting other canine friends.
Would recommend and we'll certainly be using again.

Disliked No hot water option for sinks regards washing up/washing hands. Equally, we could have boiled a kettle we were just tight for time!

Toilets basic Showers geared up for swimmers…

Overall 8/10

Location
9
Value for money
6
Accommodation
6
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Alan P.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Toilets basic
Showers geared up for swimmers

Super little site overlooking a small lake

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
4
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
5
David T.

Electric grass and gravel motorhome pitch

Liked The location overlooking the lake is fabulous and handy for the Hampshire ferries - toilets and showers all good and a fabulous cafe on site! 😁

Disliked Unless you get a pitch near the entrance it’s a bit of a walk to the WC/ showers

Nice quiet campsite near the coast

Overall 9/10

Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
9
Selena B.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Location, walk to waterfront/marina
Short drive to nice beaches and restaurants
Quiet campsite, lake for swimming
Clean toilets and showers
Friendly staff

Disliked Cold showers! Maybe we were too late for hot water
Not an issue for us, but if you had children not a lot for them to do - site not level enough to play ball games etc

A lovely lake with a field for camping. Lovely to hear the wildlife

Overall 7/10

Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
5
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
10
Anonymous

Electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely view of lake
Clean facilities
Small park
Great for wildlife
Wild camping feel

Disliked Washing up station only had cold water on field.
Men's changing rooms only has 1 toilet and 1 shower (only 1 shower working when we stayed). Pretty much always someone in there so a bit limited especially when general public are there swimming.


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site cafe On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports Wild swimming

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycling nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Andark Lake

Oslands Lane

Lower Swanwick

Southampton

Hampshire

England

SO31 7EG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.88013°N
1.29099°W

Route directions

The site is at the top of Oslands Lane, an unmade track. The access road is opposite the Old Ship pub (Bridge Road). The road runs between Andark Shop and the Carsa Car dealership.

Nearest transport

Coach
5.1 mi Telephone House
5.1 mi Telephone House
5.1 mi Terminal 1
Rail
0.7 mi Bursledon Rail Station
1.1 mi Swanwick Rail Station
1.8 mi Hamble Rail Station
Ferry
1.8 mi Hamble-le-Rice Ferry Landing
1.9 mi Warsash Ferry Landing
4.8 mi Hythe (Hants) Ferry Terminal
Airport
5.7 mi Southampton Airport
24.7 mi Bournemouth International Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Wetsuits at the ready – if you’re into your watersports you’ll have plenty to pick from around here. Swanwick Marina is 10 minutes’ walk away for sailing training, and there’s paddleboarding, windsurfing and kayaking on the Hamble 15 minutes’ drive away. Kitesurf kit hire and lessons are 40 minutes away on the other side of the river. Take a break from the big blue for a wander around Holly Hill Woodland Park, five minutes away by car, or a sea-view stroll through Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, 20 minutes away. SeaCity Museum, Solent Sky Museum and the Tudor House and Garden in Southampton are worth a visit too, and there are shops, restaurants and a cinema at the city’s West Quay. Cross the River Hamble to hit the New Forest National Park, 25 minutes’ drive away, for a walk, bike ride or horse ride or a trip to meet the furry and feathered residents of the New Forest Wildlife Park. It’s also worth trundling along to the classic car collection at Beaulieu’s National Motor Museum (35 minutes away).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Calshot 5 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Hillhead 5.4 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Lee-On-Solent 6.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Lepe 7.2 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Cowes 7.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Southampton Maritime Museum 5.1 mi

Beaulieu National Motor Museum 8.1 mi

Portchester Castle 8.3 mi

Osborne House 8.9 mi

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard 9.8 mi

National Trust

Newtown Old Town Hall 12.5 mi

Winchester City Mill 12.5 mi

Hinton Ampner 12.8 mi

Mottisfont 15.4 mi

Bembridge Windmill 15.9 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Grace Dieu 0.9 mi

ROYAL VICTORIA COUNTRY PARK, FORMERLY ROYAL VICTORIA MILITARY HOSPITAL 2.2 mi

TOWNHILL PARK 4.7 mi

CENTRAL PARKS, SOUTHAMPTON 5.1 mi

SOUTHAMPTON CEMETERY 6 mi

Local events

  • CarFest (Friday 22 August 2025 – Friday 22 August 2025)

    Basingstoke, Hampshire 23.4 mi

  • Goodwood Festival of Speed (Thursday 10 July 2025 – Thursday 10 July 2025)

    Chichester, West Sussex 24 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Hampshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Andark Lake have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Andark Lake dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Andark Lake? Wetsuits at the ready – if you’re into your watersports you’ll have plenty to pick from around here. Swanwick Marina is 10 minutes’ walk away for sailing training, and there’s paddleboarding, windsurfing … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Andark Lake?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Andark Lake? From £20 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.