The Railway Campsite

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.4 325 reviews
Train going past the site
Train going past the site
The steam train running past
View of the site on a cloudy morning
View of the site
View of the field
Party in the woods
Pitches
View of the site
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The steam train running past
View of the site on a cloudy morning
View of the site

  • 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 in the designated areas (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).

Campground type

Tent sites 30
RV & Motorhome sites 20
Opens
Please note

Admission

  • At least one of the party members must be aged 16 or over.

Safety

  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The campground/park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.

General

  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • This is a quiet campground/park: no music is allowed.
  • Raised fire pits are allowed in designated areas only.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating from 325 Pitchup.com customers

  • 67%
    10
  • 12%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
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    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
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

98% would recommend this campground to a friend

95% would stay here again

What customers say

Chill, no-frills spot near the Swanage Heritage Railway. Campers love the friendly crew, roomy sites, and snack bar. Toilets are compostable, showers are hot. Heritage trains are a bonus! A few found the hills and noise a bit much, and the compost toilets weren't for everyone. Great value and location, though!

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 01/09/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 33
Arrival date (latest first)

Lots of space, very relaxed, great…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Lots of space, very relaxed, great value and was great having a place we could eat and get drinks. Would definitely stay again!

Recommend to friends Visit again

The whole campsite…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 No rating
Kiri R. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked The whole campsite

Disliked The toilets were not nice there were flies

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved it.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Easy, simple, friendly, chilled vibe.

Disliked Toilets, like the sentiment not the ambience.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will definitely go back.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Well run campsite & in a really handy place for exploring this area of Dorset. Very attentive owners - they checked everyone in my friends/family group were safe & prepared for possibly windy weather that was forecasted. Composting toilets were checked regularly & showers were very clean & hot every time I used them.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Space, Snack Shack, compost toilets, closeness…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Space, Snack Shack, compost toilets, closeness to railway line, host/owner

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site lots of room…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Anonymous

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Great site lots of room nice camp where you want to very dog friendly definitely go back again

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean compost loos, plenty of loo…

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
angela h. 1 review

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Clean compost loos, plenty of loo roll. Showers are nice and hot.
Theres a café on the site, and seeing the steam train from our campervan was a daily joy.

Disliked Just be mindful there are some slopes at the campsite, with regards to selecting your pitch.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely pitch, lovely snack shack serving…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Martin A. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Lovely pitch, lovely snack shack serving local cider. Clean, quiet field. Great location for Steam train to Swanage and walk into Corfe.

Disliked Avoid the far end as the field beyond are not so courteous and quiet

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: For anyone reading this, the field beyond is another Campsite!

Keep coming back because it's the…

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
N G. 8 reviews

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Keep coming back because it's the best around.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect positioning for the stream trains…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Zoe D. 4 reviews

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Perfect positioning for the stream trains and station.
Fantastic Railway snack shack onsite.
Clean wash and shower facilities and a peaceful setting.

Disliked The dogs on leads policy was not upheld by some as we were bother a lot by a wandering dog.
Our dog was always kept on a lead, and became quite distressed at times when this loose dog kept coming over.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

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 Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry 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 Leave the car at home Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

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 Public transport nearby

Type

Farm Large (51-200 sites) Pop-up campground

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site 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 +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.61958°N
2.0239°W

Nearest transport

Coach
3 km East Street
3 km East Street
4.6 km Bus Station
Rail
10.4 km Wareham Rail Station
10.9 km Holton Heath Rail Station
11.5 km Poole Rail Station
Ferry
8.5 km Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
8.9 km Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
9 km Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
22.2 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

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).

Food and drink

  • The Kings Arms Pub 1.9 km
  • Square and Compass Pub 2.6 km
  • Scott Arms Pub 2.7 km
  • The Castle Inn Pub 2.8 km
  • The Fox Inn Pub 3.2 km
  • The Greyhound Pub 3.2 km
  • The Royal Oak Pub 3.2 km
  • Golden Bengal Restaurant 3.5 km
  • Isle of Purbeck Golf Club Restaurant 3.5 km
  • The Globe Inn Pub 3.5 km

Groceries

  • The Dorset Cider Farm Off-licence 3.6 km
  • Courthill Stores Off-licence 4.2 km
  • Co-op Food Supermarket 4.6 km
  • Budgens Supermarket 4.7 km
  • Sainsbury's Supermarket 9.5 km
  • The Co-operative Food Supermarket 9.7 km

Parks and play

  • West Burton Field Playground 2.9 km
  • King George's Play Area Playground 4.2 km
  • Days Park 4.4 km
  • The Chadwick Playground 4.8 km
  • Blue Pool Play Area Playground 5.8 km
  • The Hayricks park 8.4 km
  • Natural Play Area Playground 8.7 km
  • John Procter Memorial Ground park 9.3 km
  • Bestwall Park 9.4 km

Family days out

  • Burngate Purbeck Stone Centre Visitor attraction 1.3 km
  • Norman's Quarry Visitor attraction 1.3 km
  • Putlake Adventure Farm Visitor attraction 2.1 km
  • Spyway Barn Visitor attraction 2.7 km
  • Corfe Castle Model Village Visitor attraction 3.2 km
  • Corfe Castle 3.4 km
  • Dancing Ledge Visitor attraction 3.4 km
  • Corfe Castle Visitor attraction 3.4 km
  • Swanage Lockup Visitor attraction 4.7 km
  • Punch and Judy Visitor attraction 4.8 km

Public transport

  • Haycrafts Lane 1.1 km
  • Acton Lane 1.4 km
  • Worth Lane 1.5 km
  • Langton Matravers, Capston Field 1.6 km
  • Durnford Drove 1.8 km
  • Kings Arms 1.9 km
  • Steppes Hill 2.1 km
  • Three Acre Lane Bottom 2.4 km
  • Three Acre Lane Top 2.4 km
  • Halves Cottages 2.4 km

Beaches

  • Swanage Beach 4.9 km
  • Knoll Beach 6.2 km
  • South Beach 6.2 km
  • Studland Naturist Beach 7.4 km
  • Shipstal Beach 8.3 km
  • Sandbanks Beach 9.6 km

What’s nearby

  • Isle of Purbeck Golf Course 3.7 km
  • Kirkwood Park Golf course 3.9 km
  • Swanage Golf Games Golf course 4 km
  • Shell Bay Marine Marina 8.3 km
  • Ridge Marina 8.5 km
  • Royal Motor Yacht Club Marina 9.4 km

Local services

  • Murco Fuel station 0.4 km
  • BP Fuel station 1.1 km
  • Mer Charging station 3.1 km
  • RAW Charging Charging station 3.5 km
  • Texaco Fuel station 3.7 km
  • Pod Point Charging station 4.4 km
  • Swanage Hospital 4.7 km
  • Well Pharmacy 4.7 km
  • Pod Point Charging station 4.8 km
  • Well Pharmacy 4.8 km

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Corfe Castle 3.3 km

Swanage Railway 4.6 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 6.1 km

Brownsea Island 9 km

Lulworth Castle & Park 13.2 km

National Trust

Corfe Castle 3.1 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 5.8 km

Brownsea Island 8.9 km

Clouds Hill 19.4 km

White Mill 20.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Worth Matravers - Cliffs, Caves and Chapel 2.6 km

Worth Matravers - Winspit - Dancing Ledge 2.6 km

Corfe - Nine Barrows Down - Swanage 3.2 km

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 3.2 km

The Purbecks - Castle and Coastal 3.5 km

Local events

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

    Dorchester, England 30.5 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.

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 caravan
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  4 p.m.
    Read more