Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park

From £23 For 1 night, 2 adults 8.8 58 reviews
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Grassy area for tents (added by manager 08 aug 2022)
Views (added by manager 08 aug 2022)
View from the park (added by manager 24 apr 2014)

  • Rural Dorset site eight miles from Dorchester and 16 from the coast
  • Treasure trails and countryside walks just steps away
  • Just over a mile from pubs, a tearoom and a shop in Cerne Abbas
Warning! A trip to ancient Cerne Abbas may leave you with a mammoth yearning never to leave: the Dorset village has been described as the ‘Britain’s most desirable village’ to live among the UK’s scenic many. It’s eight miles from Dorchester, within day-tripping distance of the Jurassic Coast and, most famously, is where the 180ft Cerne Abbas Giant doth dwell high up on the hillside. (Yes, the naughty giant with no sense of shyness.) Around a 40-minute stroll from Cerne Abbas is the mightily convenient Giants Head Caravan & Camping Park, a family- and dog-friendly site over three and a half acres with grassy pitches, immense views over the Dorset countryside and thumping good access to the best of Dorset. Countryside walks, as well as treasure trails, literally start within steps of the pitches: Giants Head has several planned walks straight from the park, and runs Treasure Trails Dorset directly from it so intrepid guests can pick up one or two of the 50+ trail packs and take off on the hunt for hidden gems. Sounds like a towering amount of fun… As befits its location, everything at Giants Head is kept nicely natural – think mature trees, hedgerows and trim lawns; and the level or gently sloping pitches are variously secluded, shady or open (there’s also a special tail-wagging area for campers with canines). All parts of the park are well-drained and a hard road leads to pitches. Amenities include showers, hand basins, laundry and washing-up areas; the park doesn’t have a shop, but a well-stocked village store, a tearoom and three pubs are in Cerne Abbas, a mile and a quarter away.

Site type

Tent pitches 50
Touring caravan pitches 50
Motorhome pitches 50
Open now

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Group bookings of 4 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 10 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 10 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Please note that there is a £0.20 charge for the use of a hairdryer (available in the ladies' only).

Languages spoken

English

German

Open from Wed, 27 Mar to

AA 3 pennants

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

91%

would recommend this site to a friend

84%

would stay here again

  • 60%
    10
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    8
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Spectacular Views

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
ken R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: We like the site because it’s very friendly, the views over the valley are beautiful and the place has such a calm lade back atmosphere.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We do try and make everyone feel comfortable, we do like to have the laid back feeling here, even when the site is busy during the summer holidays. We are only a small site so we can always be available to help if needed. The views over the Dorset countryside are wonderful, especially in the early morning with the deer roaming around. We look forward to seeing you again very soon.

Great quiet little site

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Andrew C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Great little site we were given a very warm welcome plenty of room for kids to run around and play extra bonus of an ice cream van visit which kids loved

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: So pleased you had a great holiday with us, we do keep the centre of the site free for the kids to run around and play. Jen's icecreams are lovely, and most kids and adults love them. Look forward to seeing you again soon.

We loved this site. Caroline and her team made us feel so welcome.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Sinead G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Caroline, Andy & Richard Atmosphere Flexibility Simplicity of site Cleanliness

Disliked: Road (can’t be helped)

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us, we do try and make everyone feel comfortable, relaxed and try and create a pleasant atmosphere. Sorry about the road, it cna be a little busy sometimes but like you say - can't be helped. Hope to see you again soon.

Very friendly, considerate and helpful hosts run this quiet and clean site.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Theresa C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Very friendly, considerate and helpful hosts run this quiet and clean site. Ideally situated for exploring Dorset, hot showers and clean toilets, ample waste disposal and even an ice cream van visiting the site, what isn't there to love!

Disliked: Leaving!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. We do our very best to make sure that everyone has a lovely time with us. The ice creams are the icing on the cake :) Look forward to welcoming you back very soon.

Sorry but there is nothing to put in the likes as this…

Overall 2/10
Location 2
Value for money 2
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Dean B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Sorry but there is nothing to put in the likes as this holiday was a disaster and we all hated it all.

Disliked: There is so much to list: Showers are dirty and covered in mould. Also the showers fill up with water so your literally stood in a bath and no where to get dressed. The toilets are very old and very dirty. Pitches are everywhere and there’s no order, hook ups are really far away from each pitch and there is hook up cables every across the field. The owner is walking around all the time and asking to keep the noise down at 9pm even no it’s just kids playing with no music. The maintenance man who lives on site doesn’t have a clue what he’s on about with levelling a caravan and was trying to tell myself that I was doing it wrong. The owner and the maintenance man doesn’t leave people alone to get on with there holiday. The road is very noisy all though the night and day. Access to the site and exiting the site on to the Main road is very dangerous as the hedges is over grown and not maintained. The site office is like a building site and rubbish all over the place. Also the laundrette is always closed and you have to ask for access. I have never left a holiday early but this one we did as we all hated it as we wasn’t able to chill and we all felt really dirty because of the showers and toilets.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are sorry your holiday was such a disaster and you hated it, fortunately you are in the minority. As the majority of our guest who leave reviews enjoy their holiday with us and find all our facilities clean. I am sorry about the blockage in the showers while you were on site but unfortunately someone had stuffed the shower drains with mud and stones, which caused the blockage, this was cleared as soon as it was discovered. We do not have set pitches sizes here as some visitors have extra large tents which we can easily cater for, it may look disorganised but it certainly is not. I can assure you I am not walking around all the time, I have plenty of other things to do but when I receive complaints from other visitors to say that there are children running around wild screeching and disturbing others on site, I will investigate. These children had already been asked to stop their screaming by several other guests before I was called out. I don’t like asking children to behave, and don’t normally have to so as most parents are responsible. Our maintenance man did offer to help you but you knew better, we have been running this site successfully for over 50 years so we probably do know a bit about caravans. We are always available to help and offer advise to anyone on site if needed, we do leave guests to enjoy their holidays unless they or their children are causing problems and distress to other guests. The road can be a little noisy during the day but is quiet during the night, fortunately your pitch was away from the road, I thought this safest for you and all of your children. I agree, the road can be busy but unfortunately I have no control over the traffic or the speed. The hedges are well maintained and cut regularly. We do have building work going on at our office, I did not plan to have part of our office roof collapse, so had no choice but to make repairs. The rubbish, I assume you mean building materials. I am sorry if this caused such a problem for you when you checked in. The laundry is always available to use, and was being used while you were here. We appreciate that we cannot please everyone all the time but most of our guests are very happy as can be seen from majority of our reviews. We have a high return rate here so we must be doing something right.

Basins toilets and showers are very clean but bit old fashion Staff…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Basins toilets and showers are very clean but bit old fashion Staff very friendly

Disliked: Fast road very close.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We know our toilet facilities are a little dated but we do keep them spotlessly clean. Our shower block is fairly new and have received great reviews. We just want everyone to have a great time while staying with us and do our best to make that happen. The road can be a little busy at some times of the day, but we can't control the speed of some cars.

Clean toilets and showers. Friendly owner. Very close to Cerne Abbas.…

Overall 6/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Clean toilets and showers. Friendly owner. Very close to Cerne Abbas. Easy drive to Sherborne.

Disliked: Road noise. Uneven pitches.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: wea re pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. We do try and make sure everyone has an enjoyable holiday with us. Cerne Abbas is about a mile and half walk over the downs, bit steep but worth it. We are about 10/15 mins from Dorchester one way and Sherborne the other way. We are sorry about the noisy road during the day, we are trying to fill out our hedgerow to try and block some of the noise. The sloping area is mainly used for children to play, butthere are a few slightly sloping pitches around this area. We look forward to seeing you again.

The view from the tent, the owners were very friendly and the…

Overall 4/10
Location 10
Value for money 4
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 2
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The view from the tent, the owners were very friendly and the site was quite and in a good place.

Disliked: The showers are dated, the pitch wasn’t level so every time we put something on the table it fell off.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are very sorry you did not enjoy your stay. You did have a lovely view from your pitch and we tried to make you feel welcome. Our toilet block is a little dated but our showers are fairly new, they were built just before Coved struck, so were not even used at times during the pandemic. The pitch at the top of the site, which I offered you was on the flat, but you did pitch a little lower down the site, closer to the childrens area which was slightly sloping, if you had pitched on the flat area I am sure you would not have had the problem with losing things off of your table. I wasn't aware you had a problem while you were here, we would have been happy to rectify any problem if you had asked us.

Really lovely location. Clean facilities and very helpful staff.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Vickie M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Really lovely location. Clean facilities and very helpful staff.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are so pleased you liked our location and enjoyed your holiday with us. We do try and keep everything nice and clean for everyone and try to be there to hekp at all times. Look forward to seeing you again soon.

Excellent site, with fabulous staff and lovely clean facilities.

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The facilities were always very clean and help was always close at hand for any issues. It’s very clear that the owners want to ensure everyone has a great stay and work hard to keep everyone happy. The site is well positioned for some lovely walks in the countryside, being on the Wessex Ridgeway and a short walk through fields to Cerne Abbas.

Disliked: Unfortunately the one dislike is out of anyone’s control - we were at the top of the site with only a hedge between ourselves and the road. The traffic noise is really intrusive with cars, vans, lorries and motorbikes whizzing by at 60mph+. In the evening/ night it was much quieter but we quite like to chill out in the afternoon and it was difficult to hold a conversation past the noise of the traffic. I’m sure for those positioned more centrally in the site, the traffic would not have been an issue.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I am please dyou enjoyed your stay with us, you are right, we do want everyone to be happy while staying with us. There are many walks from and around th esite so great for walkers. The road can be a little busy at times, it is only a C road but a lot of the locals tend to use it as it is a better road than the main A352 through Cerne Abbas. I have tried to do everything in my power about the excessive, dangerous speed of some drivers but unfortunately even being a Parish Councillor not even I can get any sense from the County Council, no one seems to be interested. The majority of pitches along the roadside are for regular caravaners, and they don't seem to notice the traffic sound after being sited there for a while.


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house

Cycle hire

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Fitness centre

Games room

Indoor swimming pool

Kids' club

On-site restaurant/cafe

Outdoor swimming pool

Play area

TV room

Take away

Tennis

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Rallies welcome

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker

Peaceful

Spectacular scenery

Walkers' paradise

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

Nearby farmers' market

Shop nearby

Type

Farm

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Cycle hire nearby

Cycling nearby

Fishing nearby

Golf nearby

Horse riding nearby

Indoor pool nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Restaurant nearby

Sailing nearby

Tennis nearby

Watersports nearby

Location

Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park

Old Sherborne Road

Cerne Abbas

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 7TR

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.82454°N
-2.46272°W

Route directions

The site is situated on the Old Sherborne Road (C12), two miles north of Cerne Abbas and eight miles from Dorchester. From Dorchester Bypass Follow the A37, fork right onto the A352 Sherborne Road, through Charminster. After 500 yds take a right-hand turn signposted Charlton Down. At the T-junction go right past Forston Clinic; at the next T-junction go left onto the Old Sherborne Road. Giants Head is 5 miles from here. From Dorchester At the Top O Town Roundabout take the Sherborne Road. After 500 yds go right at the large petrol station. The shop Lidl will be on your right. Giants Head is 8 miles from here along this road. From Sherborne Take the A352 to Dorchester. At Middlemarsh take the left fork off of the A352; the road is signposted 'Dorchester Alternative Route'. Giants Head is 3 miles from here. From Cerne Abbas Take the road through the village passing the village stores on your left towards Buckland Newton.

Nearest transport

Coach
8 mi South Station
9 mi Greenhill
9.1 mi Coldharbour
Rail
5.6 mi Maiden Newton Rail Station
5.6 mi Chetnole Rail Station
6.9 mi Yetminster Rail Station
Ferry
15 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal
22.1 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
22.3 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
27.8 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

If you have giggling kids along with you – and even if you don’t – a trip to the well-endowed and world-famed Cerne Abbas Giant is most visitors’ first stop, if only to buy a postcard (it’s been noted that postcards of the Giant are the only images of a naked man that can be sent via the Post Office). The man himself is now tended by the National Trust, which has a waymarked circular trail around the site from Cerne Abbas village. Dorchester is an excellent early stop for urbanites and heritage-heads: here you’ll find history-dedicated days out as varied as the Dinosaur Museum, Dorchester Museum, Teddy Bear Museum, Tutankhamen Exhibition and the Roman Amphitheatre; take the Durnovaria Town Walk for an outdoorsy overview of the city’s main sights. Thomas Hardy’s Cottage is at Dorchester too and the literary can book into their schedule the Thomas Hardy Trail, a six-mile circular walk within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Elsewhere around the area, take the enormous amount of things to see and do in your stride: from castles to dinosaurs, theme parks to heritage railways and historic houses to tank museums, the coast to countryside have whopping opps for days out (and in; dash to Dorchester’s West Dorset Leisure Centre on a rainy day when the kids need to let off steam). Historic houses and gardens like Kingston Lacy, Athelhampton House and Minterne House and Gardens should suit the sedately inclined, while the less sedate (hello kids) will no doubt prefer chattering at the likes of Monkey World in Wareham, Adventure Wonderland at Christchurch or Sea Life near Weymouth. Both sorts should have a tanking good time at Bovington’s Tank Museum, the second biggest collection of armoured vehicles on the planet. Head for the coast, half an hour's drive away, to fossil hunt or take a guided fossil tour at Lyme Regis or Charmouth; soak up sun and sights at seaside towns such as Weymouth, Swanage and Christchurch; float on a boat to the Channel Islands or potter around glorious Poole Harbour and epically beaut Brownsea Island, also managed by the National Trust. The award-winning Swanage Railway is a gently relaxed way to see some of the sights of Dorset (including Famous Five inspiration Corfe Castle) and holds regular events including driving experiences and special days for children.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Bowleaze Cove 13.1 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Weymouth Lodmoor 13.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Ringstead Bay 14.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Hive 14.4 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Weymouth Central 14.5 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Hardy's Birthplace 7.3 mi

Mapperton House & Gardens 10.9 mi

Abbotsbury Swannery 12.9 mi

The Tank Museum 13.1 mi

Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 13.8 mi

National Trust

Hardy's Cottage 7.3 mi

Max Gate 8.2 mi

Clouds Hill 11.8 mi

Montacute House 14 mi

Tintinhull Garden 15 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

MINTERNE 1.1 mi

Beneath The Feet Of Cerne's Giant 1.2 mi

Piddlehinton - Buck Hill - Piddletrenthide - Piddlehinton 4.1 mi

CHANTMARLE 5.3 mi

BINGHAM'S MELCOMBE 6.1 mi

Local events

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday 7 September 2024 – Saturday 7 September 2024)

    Dorchester, Dorset 7.2 mi

  • Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival and Rally (Friday 19 July 2024 – Friday 19 July 2024)

    Dorchester, Dorset 8.9 mi

  • Tankfest (Friday 28 June 2024 – Friday 28 June 2024)

    Wareham, Dorset 13.2 mi

  • Camp Bestival Dorset (Thursday 25 July 2024 – Thursday 25 July 2024)

    Wareham, Dorset 17.1 mi

  • Glastonbury Festival (Wednesday 26 June 2024 – Wednesday 26 June 2024)

    Glastonbury, Somerset 23.8 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.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

  • Does Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park? If you have giggling kids along with you – and even if you don’t – a trip to the well-endowed and world-famed Cerne Abbas Giant is most visitors’ first stop, if only … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  12 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park? From £23 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.