The Railway Campsite

View prices & book 9.5 191 reviews
Train going past the site
Train going past the site
The steam train running past
Train passing at site
Sunrise one morning
View of the site on a cloudy morning
View of the site
View of the field
Caravans set up on site
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The steam train running past
Train passing at site
Sunrise one morning

  • Eight-acre field with Swanage Railway steam trains passing by
  • A 10-minute drive to Swanage Beach; 35 minutes to Durdle Door
  • Off-ground barbecues and firepits allowed; dogs welcome
If you’ve got little train enthusiasts in your family (or large ones, for that matter…), this is a site that’s likely to please them very much indeed. As the name suggests, The Railway Campsite is located next to the railway – and none other than the famed Swanage Railway. Waving at the steam trains as they puff past is a popular pastime around this dog-friendly site – although there are also some great Dorset countryside views for when there’s no railway action, plus lots of space around the eight-acre open field for whatever you choose to focus your attention on. And presumably you’ll want to take a ride on one of those trains too? That’s easily done, since Harmans Cross station is just next door to the site. All you have to do is choose whether to journey up to Corfe Castle or over to Swanage for a day at the beach (both about 15 minutes by train). When you’re not riding the rails, you can get out to some great coastal corners, including Studland Beach, Kimmeridge Bay or Dancing Ledge – all are within a 20-minute drive. This is a back-to-basics site, but it does have wooden composting toilets, a shower hut and chemical disposal facilities. The on-site snack shack opens its doors on weekends for breakfast, drinks and light evening meals. It's also open on Thursday evenings for Jamaican food. Off-ground barbecues and firepits are allowed (the site has firepits for hire and wood for sale if you need it), so you’re welcome to have a go at making your own dinner. You can source provisions at the small supermarket in the village of Harman’s Cross (five minutes’ walk).

Site type

Tent pitches 50
Motorhome pitches 3
Open now
Opens 4 July
Please note
  • Twin axle vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 16 or over.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 4 Jul to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 191 Pitchup.com customers

  • 74%
    10
  • 4%
    9
  • 18%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

98% would recommend this site to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

This campsite offers a fantastic location, with many guests highlighting its proximity to the Swanage steam railway and beautiful countryside views. Visitors frequently praise the friendly and helpful owners, clean facilities including hot showers and compost toilets, and the on-site snack shack. The spacious, relaxed atmosphere and freedom to choose pitches are also popular. While some mention the basic nature of the facilities or occasionally steep terrain, the overall sentiment is highly positive, with many expressing a desire to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 20
Arrival date (latest first)

Brilliant campsite, good amenities lovely friendly people who run it.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Rebecca B.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Brilliant campsite, good amenities lovely friendly people who run it.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good quality site for the price.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
S. D.

Non-electric grass motorhome pitch

Liked Very friendly staff. Lots of space, play area for kids, shop onsite breakfast, evening options
Bbq's and fire pits,wood and kindling available. Elsan point, compost loos and showers all onsite.
Rail station for Swanage railway across from camp entrance.

Disliked Not all flat field, don't forget your levels if your in a vehicle.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The facilities are 2nd to none clean tidy and for £20 money well spent

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass motorhome pitch

Liked Absolutely fantastic good value for £20 a night for a campervan highly recommend we didn’t plan on staying but it was so nice that we decided to stay more than two nights for a dog friendly very friendly all round steve

Disliked I found nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved seeing train run past every hour. Nice site and had cafe.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Jenny L.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Loved seeing train run past every hour. Nice site and had cafe.

Disliked Breakfast £9.50 plus £2.50 for coffee expensive when served on paper plates, with wooden cutlery just outside of kitchen. Might have let this go but cafe owners friends turned up and were served on proper plates. Friends then proceeded to talk loudly about recent surgery, didn't go well with my breakfast!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Sorry to hear about the conversation you overheard.
I’m afraid I’m not allowed to serve food on washable plates and knives and forks as I don’t have an industrial dishwasher it all has to be disposable for the general public I’m afraid. Only staff and family can eat off the kitchen crockery.
All the meat is from our local butcher and is top quality hence the price .

Great location and very quiet. No airplane or traffic noise.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Jenny L.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Great location and very quiet. No airplane or traffic noise.

Disliked Toilets took some getting used too.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely spacious quiet site…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Louise R.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely spacious quiet site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location. Friendly people…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Chris S.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Great location. Friendly people

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent value and location was superb.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Samantha L.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Location was excellent and beautiful views. So close to train station, it was possible to catch the steam train into Swanage or over to Corfe Castle. The Snack shack was also good.

Disliked It was a shame that the The Snack Shack was not open on Sunday. It would have been nice to have a coffee and a bacon roll before heading off, after breaking camp. The toilets were a bit tricky, as they were very small and pitched at an angle that made standing back up quite tricky. Also, not sure how someone with any mobility issues would have coped.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I’m sorry I missed the snack shack we were open at 8-just got 11 and then 5-9 . I didn’t open this morning as I had a hospital appointment but I put a sign on the hatch.
I bought the Loos as they are. I am looking into adding some larger ones next year but they will need to be made on site. It was only a few years ago that we had only Porta loos . The shack was added last year, the sinks and 2 showers this year. I try and add a bit extra each year to improve the place for everyone.😊

Lovely campsite, especially if you love trains

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Michaela S.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely spacious campsite with a food hut.
Great view of the Swanage steam train and only 5 mins walk to the train station.

Disliked It wasn’t a huge problem for us, but the campsite is on a hill. Some parts are quite steep which forces people to bunch up pitches on ‘flater’ areas.

Recommend to friends Visit again

PURRRFECT!! Super friendly well organised chilled set up !! Will be back…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Richard S.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked PURRRFECT!!

Super friendly well organised chilled set up !!
Will be back

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great would stay again

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Antonia R.

Non-electric grass motorhome pitch

Liked The snack shack!
Great location, good facilities, and lovely walking

Disliked NA

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campsite

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 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 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 Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

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

Farm Large (51-200 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Uneven terrain; gravel or loose mud

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing 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

The Railway Campsite

Sunny Glade

Haycrafts Lane

Harmans Cross

Swanage

Dorset

England

BH19 3EB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.61958°N
2.0239°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1.8 mi East Street
1.9 mi East Street
2.9 mi Bus Station
Rail
6.5 mi Wareham Rail Station
6.8 mi Holton Heath Rail Station
7.1 mi Poole Rail Station
Ferry
5.3 mi Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
5.5 mi Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
5.6 mi Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
13.8 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

Famed for its ever-changing shades of blue and green, the Blue Pool (15 minutes’ drive) is surrounded by acres of heath- and woodland laced with trails. Take the easy path skirting the lake (where kids can also hunt for magic fairy doors), or steel yourself for a more challenging uphill route leading to views of the Purbeck Hills. Overlooked by the Georgian Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge Bay (20 minutes) is part of the Jurassic Coast. Rockpooling here may well yield some fossils; if not, you can head to the Etches Collection Museum, which displays fossilised marine creatures dating back millennia. The bay has clear waters for swimming and a summer snorkelling trail. Stay on the Jurassic Coast and move westwards to Durdle Door (35 minutes from the site), an iconic limestone arch stretching out into the sea. You can admire this imposing natural landmark from the dog-friendly beach or from the lookout point up on the cliff (easily reached via the South West Coast Path).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Swanage Central 2.9 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Studland Knoll House 3.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Kimmeridge Bay 4.7 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Shell Bay North 5.2 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 6.1 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Corfe Castle 2 mi

Swanage Railway 2.9 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 3.8 mi

Brownsea Island 5.6 mi

Lulworth Castle & Park 8.2 mi

National Trust

Corfe Castle 1.9 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 3.6 mi

Brownsea Island 5.6 mi

Clouds Hill 12.1 mi

White Mill 12.9 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Worth Matravers - Cliffs, Caves and Chapel 1.6 mi

Worth Matravers - Winspit - Dancing Ledge 1.6 mi

Corfe - Nine Barrows Down - Swanage 2 mi

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 2 mi

The Purbecks - Castle and Coastal 2.2 mi

Local events

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday 6 September 2025 – Saturday 6 September 2025)

    Dorchester, Dorset 19 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 Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Railway Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Railway Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Railway Campsite? Famed for its ever-changing shades of blue and green, the Blue Pool (15 minutes’ drive) is surrounded by acres of heath- and woodland laced with trails. Take the easy path skirting the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Railway Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  4 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Railway Campsite? From £16 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.