Thorncombe Farm

View prices & book 9.5 106 reviews
Visitor image of the peaceful and good-sized pitch (added by manager 06 Sep 2022)
Bell tent
Bell tents
Main camping field

  • Small family-run farm deep in Hardy Country, two miles from Dorchester
  • Less than 10 miles from the Jurassic Coast
  • Firepits for hire, with wood supplied
If you're a Thomas Hardy fan, you'll know about Dorchester: it was where the Tess-writing dude lived and was his inspiration for the town of Casterbridge. And if you're taking the trail, settle down afterwards in a bell tent at Thorncombe Farm – it might be the perfect setting to reread Tess…? Thorncombe is a small family-run livestock farm in Dorset countryside, near the hamlet of Bockhampton where Thomas Hardy was born, and two miles from the county town of Dorchester. Weymouth, Durdle Door, Chesil Beach and the Jurassic Coast are less than 10 miles away. The five-metre bell tents here have been set up for those who want a bit less hassle on hol and who don't want to be faffed with putting up and taking down tents. Each is furnished with a separate dining area with seating and table, as well as a deluxe double and two single beds, carpeting and rugs, a storage cabinet and a mirror. There's electricity to power lighting, a small fridge and recharging points for devices. Each bell tent also has a firepit barbecue (if you'd rather eat out, try Yalbury Cottage Restaurant or Pine Lodge Farm, both in Bockhampton, the Wise Man pub in West Stafford or the Blue Vinny at Puddletown). The Thorncombe team supplies firepits, wood and charcoal – read The Mayor of Casterbridge along with marshmallows, maybe…?

Campground type

Rent a tent 5
Caravan sites 25
RV & Motorhome sites 25
Tent sites 25
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed, 1 May to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

96%

would recommend this campground to a friend

92%

would stay here again

  • 81%
    10
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Location was good with some great local walks from the campsite…

Overall 6/10
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
Richard B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Location was good with some great local walks from the campsite

Recommend to friends Visit again

Wonderful site, can't fault it.

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
Samuel R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Lovely facilities, good ground for pitching up, and all very reasonably priced, only a 45 minute walk to Dorchester.

Disliked: Nothing, it was exactly what we wanted.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Toilet and shower facilities were clean and well looked after. Tent pitches…

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Toilet and shower facilities were clean and well looked after. Tent pitches were spacious and the staff were very friendly

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely campsite fire/pit bbqs well worth the money to hire Ness welcoming and…

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
Amy P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Lovely campsite fire/pit bbqs well worth the money to hire Ness welcoming and helpful Everything you need for a great stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site with everything you will need.

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Lovely peaceful site, had lots of space not close to other campers. Owner very nice & helpful. Not far from lots of things to do so a perfect base if you want the best of both. Basic but more than functional facilities. Shower/toilets/washing up. Loads of space for children to run around and play. Will definitely visit again.

Disliked: Very short timer on shower which made it hard to shower with kids & no temperature control. Very small issue. Our pitch was a little uneven however the field is very big and further down the pitches are apparently a bit more even. This would quite a walk to shower/toilets/washing up especially if you had small children but perfect if this isn't an issue for you. Many people either drove to them or rode bikes. Again a tiny tiny issue and not sure how many kids stay there but a small play park set would be ideal for kids & there would be space for this

Recommend to friends Visit again

This was my 2nd visit to this campsite. Love it...it's just perfect!

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Clean facilities, lovely peaceful setting and perfect proximity to visit the wonderful sights of Dorset.

Disliked: There's absolutely nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Was a great place to stay and Ness was very friendly. Facilities…

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Was a great place to stay and Ness was very friendly. Facilities were clean and the fireplace was great.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful little farm very quiet and clean. Goats and sheep on the…

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Beautiful little farm very quiet and clean. Goats and sheep on the farm which was lovely. We will definitely be coming back.

Disliked: Only electric hook up if you stay in a bell tent but it was really nice to get away from electronics and social media for a while.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly welcome Simple but nice facilities Good space Peaceful location…

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Friendly welcome Simple but nice facilities Good space Peaceful location

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, clean facilities, lovely host

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

Unpowered grass site

Liked: Facilities were clean and exactly what we would need. Site was peaceful and the sky at night was just gorgeous as no light pollution. Easy assess to Dorchester itself. Friendly host and all in all a great stay, if we are ever back this way we will definitely be staying again 😄

Recommend to friends Visit again


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 site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport 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 Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Themes

Luxury Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Thorncombe Farm

Higher Bockhampton

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 8QH

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.72417°N
-2.39377°W

Nearest transport

Coach
3.5 km South Station
13.3 km Marks and Spencer
20.5 km Post Office
Rail
3.5 km Dorchester South Rail Station
3.7 km Dorchester West Rail Station
6.2 km Moreton (Dorset) Rail Station
Ferry
13.5 km Weymouth Ferry Terminal
28.3 km Poole Ferry Terminal
28.9 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
40.1 km 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

The open woods of Thorncombe and Puddleton are next to Thorncombe Farm with miles of trails for walking, cycling and horse riding. Zorbing is available for the more energetic at the neighbouring farm – ask the Thorncombe team for details – and fishing, sailing and golf are all available locally too. Dorchester is two miles away and well worth at least a day to browse its museums – the Dinosaur Museum is a definite must and also much recommended are the Dorset County Museum, the Tutankhamun Exhibition, and Thomas Hardy's townhouse Max Gate. Plenty of pubs, shops and cafés are in town as well. Weymouth and the Jurassic Coast are a short drive from the farm: go for the long sandy beach, marina and harbour at Weymouth, the castle at Portland and the famed Chesil Beach stretching for about 18 miles to the west towards Lyme Regis. Other nearby Dorset days out could be had at The Tank Museum, the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, Maiden Castle and Abbotsbury Gardens and its swannery.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Bowleaze Cove 10 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Ringstead Bay 10.8 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Weymouth Lodmoor 11.4 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Weymouth Central 12.9 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Durdle Door West 14 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Hardy's Birthplace 0.7 km

The Tank Museum 11.1 km

Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 11.6 km

Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre 12.8 km

Radipole Lake Nature Reserve 13 km

National Trust

Hardy's Cottage 0.6 km

Max Gate 2.7 km

Clouds Hill 10 km

White Mill 25.1 km

Corfe Castle 25.5 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Higher Bockhampton - Puddletown Forest 0.5 km

KINGSTON MAURWARD 0.6 km

Beacon Hill - Hardy's Cottage - Stinsford - Beacon Hill 3 km

TOWN WALKS, DORCHESTER 3 km

BOROUGH GARDENS 3.5 km

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 campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Thorncombe Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Thorncombe Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Thorncombe Farm? The open woods of Thorncombe and Puddleton are next to Thorncombe Farm with miles of trails for walking, cycling and horse riding. Zorbing is available for the more energetic at the neighbouring … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Thorncombe Farm?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Thorncombe Farm? From $33.31 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.