Happyard

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.4 31 reviews
Visitor image of the beautiful views (added by manager 27 Feb 2023)
Cute neighbours (added by manager 27 feb 2023)
Alpacas (added by manager 02 aug 2019)
Tent pitches (added by manager 06 aug 2019)

  • Off-grid farm and alpaca centre in peaceful rural Dorset
  • Alpaca walks, meets and parties all available to book
  • A 10-minute drive to Bridport, 15 to Dorchester and 30 to Lyme Regis
It’s all about alpacas at Happyard, an eco-friendly farm home to a herd of friendly woolly beasts that guests can meet, walk with or even book a party with. The herd’s home is rural Dorset, in a swathe of green space with views over fields towards the Hardy Monument in the distance. It’s deep in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but is a handy spot for getting to sightseeing of all sorts: Dorchester is 15 minutes’ drive to the east, Bridport 10 minutes’ west and Weymouth within 25 minutes. Driving west again past Bridport, the Jurassic Coast’s Charmouth and Lyme Regis are easily day-trip doable at 30 and 35 minutes. Or stop off at the site on the way to Devon or Cornwall, as its setting just after the village of Winterbourne Abbas is minutes from the A35. The roomy accommodation field has spacious open-plan pitches – no postage-stamp sizes here, points out the site team – so there’s loads of room to roam when you’re not making friends with the Happyard herd. And yet another happy feature? Campfires and barbecues are allowed, so spark up your masterpiece and sit back under the night sky. Please note that the site is off grid and that guests should bring their own drinking water. Portaloos and a standard toilet are the main yard but please note there are no showers on site. Book alpaca experiences in advance, using the contact details in your booking confirmation email.

Site type

Tent pitches 40
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.
    • The site is off-grid and guests should bring their own drinking water. Strong tent pegs may be required, in particular in dry weather.

    Languages spoken

    English

    Reviews

    97%

    would recommend this site to a friend

    94%

    would stay here again

    • 77%
      10
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    • 19%
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    Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

    Nice and quiet place.

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Quiet and not busy place. Clean portable toilets with toilet paper and sanitizers. Nice views. Lovely place.

    Disliked: Shower would be advantage. I wouldn't stay there longer that one night as I would need shower after all day walk or paddleboarding.

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Thankyou very much for your review,we are considering showers although this would then have a bearing on the price and like to keep costs down to stay in the wild camping/ budget break but we certainly are looking at the options Wishing you a super time for the rest of the holidays and hopefully see you in the future 🤠

    Lovely little site, simple facilities with plenty of pitching space

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: It’s a beautiful small and simple camping site. We loved the alpacas, cows and other animals down in the yard! The portaloos were clean and there was another toilet down in the yard, but we didn’t have to use it as there was never a queue. There was just a handful of other campers, so it was quiet and peaceful, but everyone including the hosts were really friendly and welcoming! We loved our short stay and wouldn’t definitely recommend and go back!

    Disliked: Nothing at all! It is quite tricky to find if using satnav, however what.three.words locations and map coordinates are given on the confirmation, so be sure to use those!

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Thankyou so much for your wonderful review it really means so much to us as really debating whether we offer camping again in the future as this season has really been a tricky one with this awful weather but reviews like this really perk me up Thankyou Enjoy the rest of your holidays hopefully the weather will be kinder 🤠

    Really good value. Super friendly staff. Alpacas, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits and…

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Really good value. Super friendly staff. Alpacas, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits and cats. Beautiful views. A previous review mentioned road noise was a problem but we didn't find it an issue at all. You can hear it a bit but no more than many other camp sites and not enough to keep me awake and I'm a light sleeper.

    Disliked: Slightly sloping pitches. Not really a problem if leveling ramps are used but would be good to know in advance so extra ramps can be packed.

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Thank you so much for taking the time to write a really kind review. Were so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to see you all again in the future 🤠

    The kids could go off to the horses and Lammas was safe…

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: The kids could go off to the horses and Lammas was safe enuff to let the kids play

    Disliked: Nowhere to put ur rubbish Nowhere to empty ur toilet

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    Back to basics heaven

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Loved the views Friendly hosts Alpaca heaven Clean porteloos In the middle of nowhere Good phone signal (impressed teenager)

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Wow thankyou so much,I'm so pleased you all enjoyed your holiday. Hope you come back again Enjoy the rest of your holidays 🤠

    Animals

    Overall 4/10
    Location 4
    Value for money 10
    Accommodation 4
    Facilities / Activities 6
    Customer service 10
    Child friendliness 10
    Cleanliness 10
    Wifi No rating
    Kelvin W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Lovely people that run it. Cats, guinea pigs etc

    Disliked: The road noise The crows first thing in the morning, they are loud!

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Dear Kelvin, I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your stay with us unfortunately the crows and traffic are rather out of my hands other than finding a gun for the crows maybe 🤔😂 However our main camping field is away from the crows but unfortunately this year we have been hampered by the weather and are now finally able to cut our hay and use the main camping field for our final weekend of camping. We do try hard to to keep the costs down so that customers can enjoy a little break without the expensive rates of the majority of sites this time of year and I do find a 4/10 review for the location rather harsh and quite upset as it really could have a great detrimental effect on our last weekend of the summer which has already been a very damp and difficult season.😢

    Lovely site, friendly staff, beautiful views!

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Lovely quiet campsite, we were on the top field, beautiful views of rolling fields surrounded by cows, horses and alpacas - perfect! We really enjoyed our stay! Close to some beautiful beaches/ things to do!

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Thanks so much for your lovely review it really means so much to us.And the photos are great!! Hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays and hope to see you all again in the future 🤠

    Nice place to stay…

    Overall 10/10
    Location 10
    Value for money 10
    Accommodation No rating
    Facilities / Activities 4
    Customer service 10
    Child friendliness 10
    Cleanliness 6
    Wifi 2
    Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Nice place to stay

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    Great for a short stay, friendly and tidy

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Lovely area, easy to find and near to Dorchester. Alpacas were cool to be around!

    Disliked: Much smaller than expected from photos and a fair amount of people pitched in a smallish area

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Hi, Thankyou for your lovely review. Unfortunately due to the bad weather this year our main camping field has been delayed in cutting the hay so I've not been able to use it . We hope to be able to use the top field this weekend so that there is plenty of space as in previous years. Hope to see you in the future 🤠

    Friendly staff, clean loo.

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

    Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

    Liked: Lovely little site, we pitched for one night. Had a toilet. Our little one loved the animals.

    Disliked: Nothing. Perfect for what we needed.

    Recommend to friends Visit again

    From the manager: Brilliant thankyou so much for your lovely review it really means a lot to us at the happyard Hope to see you again in the future 🤠


    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

    Remote location

    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

    Type

    Farm

    Medium (26-50 pitches)

    Pop-up campsite

    Nearby leisure

    Canoeing/kayaking nearby

    Horse riding nearby

    Indoor pool nearby

    Leisure/theme park nearby

    Restaurant nearby

    Sailing nearby

    Watersports nearby

    Touring and motorhomes

    Seasonal pitches

    Location

    Happyard

    Bride Valley Farm

    Kingston Russell

    Long Bredy

    Dorset

    England

    DT2 9ED

    Directions

    Timezone

    Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

    GPS

    50.72098°N
    -2.59332°W

    Route directions

    Please do not turn off the A35 until you see the sign for Kingston Russell; a satnav may tell you to turn off too early. The site is a few hundred yards down the lane on the right, just after the old farmhouse. The site's What3words is loopholes.trials.dressings.

    Nearest transport

    Coach
    6.9 mi South Station
    7.5 mi Coach Station
    9.8 mi Marks and Spencer
    Rail
    4.2 mi Maiden Newton Rail Station
    6.7 mi Dorchester West Rail Station
    6.9 mi Dorchester South Rail Station
    Ferry
    10.1 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal
    26.3 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
    26.7 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing

    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

    Even away from the alpacas, this is an excellently family-friendly place in which to settle down for a Dorset hol, whether you want countryside, coast, farms or fossil hunting. Or ditch the idea of day trips while you’re here and set off on the hiking paths and bike trails around the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – Kingston Russell manor house, the Dorset Downs, Long Bredy village and the Valley of Stones National Nature Reserve are all within walking or pedalling distance. If alpacas have whetted the kids’ appetite for creatures of all sorts, drive 20 minutes or so south to Abbotsbury Swannery, the world’s only managed colony of mute swans. Around 600 swans are here to see and help feed, on a sizeable site also home to a petting farm, play areas, pedal go-karts, a nature reserve and a maze. (The Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens are five minutes’ drive from here if you crave a calmer time afterwards.) Other excellent options include West Bay, scenic setting of the TV drama Broadchurch (15 minutes); a gawp at the Cerne Abbas Giant (20 minutes), the 55-metre chalk figure etched into the Dorset hillside, and following the Thomas Hardy trail around Dorchester to Higher Bockhampton.

    Water quality at nearby bathing waters

    Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
    Hive 5.9 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
    West Bay (West) 7.6 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
    Eypemouth 8.4 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
    Weymouth Lodmoor 9.3 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
    Bowleaze Cove 9.5 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

    Data source: European Environment Agency

    Must see

    Abbotsbury Swannery 4.3 mi

    Mapperton House & Gardens 7.1 mi

    Hardy's Birthplace 8.9 mi

    Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 9.2 mi

    Radipole Lake Nature Reserve 9.4 mi

    National Trust

    Max Gate 7.5 mi

    Hardy's Cottage 8.9 mi

    Clouds Hill 14.9 mi

    Montacute House 16.8 mi

    Tintinhull Garden 18.3 mi

    Cycle routes

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

    Other

    South from Little Bredy 1.6 mi

    BRIDEHEAD 1.7 mi

    Eggardon Hill and Powerstock 3 mi

    Hardy Monument Circular 3 mi

    ABBOTSBURY GARDENS 4.2 mi

    Local events

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

      Dorchester, Dorset 7.3 mi

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

      Dorchester, Dorset 13.1 mi

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

      Wareham, Dorset 15.4 mi

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

      Wareham, Dorset 17.8 mi

    • Sidmouth Folk Festival (Friday 2 August 2024 – Friday 2 August 2024)

      Sidmouth, Devon 28.2 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 Happyard have a swimming pool? No View all features
    • Is Happyard dog friendly? Yes View all features
    • What attractions are near Happyard? Even away from the alpacas, this is an excellently family-friendly place in which to settle down for a Dorset hol, whether you want countryside, coast, farms or fossil hunting. Or ditch the … Read more
    • When can I check in and check out of Happyard?
      Camping and touring
      Arrive:  4 p.m. –  10 p.m.
      Depart by:  12 p.m.
      Read more