Riverside Lakes

View prices & book 9.5 35 reviews
Kingfisher lake - specimen carp to nearly 30lb
Kingfisher lake - specimen carp to nearly 30lb
Bell tents
Cut-out lawns between the meadows
Chill out pitch
Cloverleaf pitch
The island
Comfortable five-metre bell tents
Bell tent
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Bell tents
Cut-out lawns between the meadows
Chill out pitch

  • Attractive natural site on a family-run Dorset smallholding
  • New Forest National Park 15 minutes' drive; Paultons Park half an hour
  • Fishing lakes and animals to meet, plus craft activities for the kids
Riverside and lakes in one location? Yes, family-run Riverside Lakes, on the Dorset/Hampshire border 15 minutes' drive from Wimborne, is an attractive spot indeed, with lots of gorgeous corners to choose from when you fancy chilling out in the open air. The lakes aren’t just for decoration though – they’re for fishing, and open to guests whether they're experienced with a rod or just trying it out for the first time. There are carp of up to 30lb in the specimen lake, with lots of littler ones in the smaller lake. Unhooking mats, weigh slings and nets are provided free of charge (and it's all fenced off so children are kept safe when roaming about). This site is part of a smallholding that’s also home to friendly pigs, alpacas, goats and chickens for you to meet; they’re even friendlier if you turn up with something from the site shop to feed them. Handily there are also various indoor activities available, including pottery painting and tie-dying. There’s a nicely natural vibe at this site, with pitching areas mown but much of the rest left as natural meadow. There's a policy of no cars on the pitches to make sure it's all peaceful and safe for kids. Bathroom facilities are spacious and clean, and there's a washing-up station and a fridge/freezer area to stash all your food and drinks ready for your evening campfire. Each pitch has a free-to-use firepit, with wood available to buy on site (please don't bring your own). Wood-fired pizzas are available on selected nights, or you can walk to one of the local pubs for dinner if you prefer. Just make sure you're back in time for the splendid stargazing on site.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 55
Rent a tent 5
Motorhome pitches 55
Tent pitches 55
Open now
Opens 1 April

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Facilities/activities including fishing are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Reception is unmanned after 8 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.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed 1 Apr to

AA 5 pennants

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 35 Pitchup.com customers

  • 68%
    10
  • 20%
    9
  • 5%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
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    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Peaceful

97% would recommend this site to a friend

97% would stay here again

What customers say

This family-run campsite is praised for its beautiful, peaceful location, spacious pitches, and excellent, clean facilities including communal fridges and fire pits. Owners Matt and Kelly are frequently highlighted for their exceptional friendliness and helpfulness. Guests enjoyed the farm animals and the popular on-site pizzas. Minor points raised include the inability to park next to pitches and occasional issues with shower water temperature. Some noted limited Wi-Fi.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 16/06/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 4
Arrival date (latest first)

Beautifully manicured pitches with loads of…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Anonymous

Chill Out non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Beautifully manicured pitches with loads of space. Very helpful , friendly staff.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful spot, nice and peaceful, great…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
luke a. 1 review

Treeline non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Beautiful spot, nice and peaceful, great facilities.

Disliked Pizza was sold out for the evening already when we arrived at 3.30pm and there was no way of ordering ahead or any warning that it might be sold out by that time. Not the end of the world but disappointing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved it all 😍 It was and…

Overall

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

Treeline non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Loved it all 😍
It was and excellent camping site to stay at and will return

Recommend to friends Visit again

A very lovely site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Matt S. 1 review

Chill Out non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked This was our first time visiting Riverside Lakes, and we were very impressed. From the moment we arrived, everyone was friendly, welcoming, and happy to chat, creating a really pleasant atmosphere around the site.
We took a wander around and found the whole site to be clean, tidy, and very well maintained. There was a great variety of pitches on offer, for tents, campervans, and caravans,
Overall, it was a lovely place to visit, with a relaxed and friendly feel throughout. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would happily return in the future.

Disliked There were only a couple of minor downsides during our stay. The showers weren't always as hot as we would have liked, and on one occasion we ended up having a cold shower.
The food fridges were a great facility and very useful. However, we did find that someone had gone through our bags, which unfortunately resulted in item's going missing. That said, once we reported it to the staff, they were very understanding, dealt with the situation professionally, and kindly replaced the missing item.
Despite these issues, the excellent customer service and friendly atmosphere meant they did not detract too much from our overall experience.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We will definitely be returning

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Alan E. 1 review

Lake view electric grass pitch

Liked Very friendly and enthusiastic staff. Clean and well presented site with plenty of room per pitch.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful campsite, peaceful, remote, family run…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Centrepoint non-electric grass pitch

Liked Beautiful campsite, peaceful, remote, family run team, farm animals, reasonably priced shop, decent size tent pitch area, plenty of space inbetween pitches, communal fridge and freezers added bonus. At the pitch site there was a bench and firepit included (logs to be purchased separately) They also offer takeaway on the Saturday

Disliked Cannot park car next to tent unless unloading or loading- I was a solo camper with my 18month old and dog. This is stated on the website so i was prepared for this however I called ahead and asked how far the camp is from the car park and I was told it is visible from the pitch, when I arrived I was shown where the car park was and where my pitch was and you could not see either of them from either spot. The walk was a good 5 minutes away if not longer. The toilets, shower block and washing up area are also just 1 unit which is near the reception area next to the car park so there was a lot of back and fourth which is not easy with a toddler and dog and I had to try and plan our shower, toilet and washing up trips to be at the same time. There is a eco toilet in the corner but still not practical with a toddler and a dog to be trying to fit in a small shed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site. Great facilities. Very welcoming.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Louise C. 1 review

Viewpoint electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely site.
Great facilities.
Very welcoming.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stay, I would highly recommend.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
James N. 1 review

Viewpoint electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked This was an amazing campsite. Pretty, well thought out and clean. Loads of great finishing touches like having a bath in the shower block, fire pits for all the pitches and a colouring corner for the kids.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful location Clean Friendly Great family feel…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Fiona S. 4 reviews

Viewpoint electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Beautiful location
Clean
Friendly
Great family feel

Recommend to friends Visit again

🤩🤩🤩

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Stephanie S. 1 review

Chill Out non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Best campsite and such friendly owners, felt so welcomed! Such a beautiful campsite. Pizzas are a massive hit! Nothing was too much for Kelly or Matt! We can't wait to come back soon 🤩

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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

Baby-changing facilities Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Tents for hire 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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

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

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Farm Large (51-200 pitches)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Motorhome service point Seasonal pitches Tourer storage facilities Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

Riverside Lakes

Slough Lane

Horton

Wimborne

Dorset

England

BH21 7JL

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.86347°N
1.92613°W

Route directions

If coming from the Horton Inn way with a tourer or motorhome, you may want to go past the site's turning and find a safe space to turn around, as the turning to the left is at an angle and can be tricky to negotiate.

Nearest transport

Coach
6 mi Meeting House Lane
8.4 mi Bournemouth University
9.3 mi St Johns Church
Rail
9.4 mi Branksome Rail Station
9.8 mi Parkstone (Dorset) Rail Station
9.8 mi Bournemouth Rail Station
Ferry
10.8 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing
11 mi Tuckton Tea Gardens Ferry Landing
11.1 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
Airport
7.2 mi Bournemouth International Airport
25.4 mi Southampton 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

This is a fantastic area for outdoor activities, with places like Moors Valley Country Park (10 minutes' drive), which has cycle paths, orienteering and a treetop trail, and the New Forest National Park (15 minutes) close by. The national park has heaps of walks, bike rides and wildlife, plus attractions like New Forest Water Park (20 minutes) and the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (40 minutes). And there's the coast too, of course – top spots nearby include the sandy beach in Bournemouth (25 minutes), wildlife-rich Hengistbury Head (half an hour) and the sailing hotspot of Lymington (40 minutes). At around an hour’s drive, Swanage and Durdle Door are a little further away but doable for a day trip. More family days out? How about Liberty's Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre (20 minutes), Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park (20 minutes) or Paultons Park, Home of Peppa Pig World (half an hour)?

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Bournemouth Pier 10.5 mi Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood
Bournemouth Durley Chine 10.5 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bournemouth Boscombe Pier 10.6 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent
Bournemouth Alum Chine 10.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bournemouth Manor Steps 10.7 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Kingston Lacy House and Gardens 5.9 mi

Adventure Wonderland 7.1 mi

Breamore House 9.6 mi

The Bournemouth Balloon 10.2 mi

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum 10.4 mi

National Trust

Kingston Lacy 5.9 mi

White Mill 7.1 mi

Brownsea Island 12.2 mi

Mompesson House 15.1 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 15.2 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Holt Heath - Horton Tower - Holt Heath 2.2 mi

ST GILES' HOUSE 3.5 mi

CRICHEL HOUSE 3.6 mi

CRANBORNE MANOR 3.7 mi

BOVERIDGE HOUSE SCHOOL 4.7 mi

Local events

  • New Forest and Hampshire County Show (Tuesday, 28 July 2026 – Tuesday, 28 July 2026)

    Brockenhurst, Hampshire 15.1 mi

  • Tankfest (Friday, 26 June 2026 – Friday, 26 June 2026)

    Wareham, Dorset 18.1 mi

  • Camp Bestival Dorset (Thursday, 30 July 2026 – Thursday, 30 July 2026)

    Wareham, Dorset 19.9 mi

  • Southampton Boat Show (Friday, 18 September 2026 – Friday, 18 September 2026)

    Southampton, Hampshire 22.7 mi

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday, 5 September 2026 – Saturday, 5 September 2026)

    Dorchester, Dorset 23.9 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?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Riverside Lakes have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Riverside Lakes dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Riverside Lakes? This is a fantastic area for outdoor activities, with places like Moors Valley Country Park (10 minutes' drive), which has cycle paths, orienteering and a treetop trail, and the New Forest National … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Riverside Lakes?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Riverside Lakes? From £72 (for 2 nights, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.