Sandy Balls Holiday Village

View prices & book 7.8 58 reviews
Outdoor Pool
Overhead drone
Pitch
Outdoor pool

  • Surrounded by the scenery of the peaceful New Forest
  • Activities including zorbing, archery and bug hunts
  • Gym, spa, zipwire and two pools
The New Forest is, but of course, fab enough. But when you can retreat back to base for a Jacuzzi session or beauty treatment, or indeed spend days on base getting stuck into activities such as archery and, er, bug hunting... it's fairly safe to say that you've found your New Forest calling. Such forested fun is at Fordingbridge's Sandy Balls Holiday Village, among the spectacular scenery of the forest and set up for couples, friends and families to have long weekends, midweek breaks or (recommended) longer hols among tiptop facilities and absolutely loads to do. Off site, it's about 25 minutes' drive through the forest to Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World, 30 to the New Forest Wildlife Park, and about the same to coast and sandy... toes at Christchurch. The packed activity schedule at Sandy Balls includes varied shenanigans like walking, cycling, bug hunts, arts and crafts activities, football sessions, horse riding, archery, and – if you're here with those you're soppy about – laser combat games. A calendar of special events takes place throughout the year too, and entertainment is available every day during the school holidays and at weekends all year round. Might you now be ready for some pampering? Indoor and outdoor pools, a Jacuzzi, sauna and a beauty suite await your tuckered out self: after full recuperation, you've a pick of two restaurants on site in Aubreys Restaurant and cosy country pub the Woodside Inn. Takeaway and a well-stocked country shop are available too if by this point you just need to stagger back to base after all your active adventures.

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 85
Mobile homes for rent 100
Tent sites 50
Opens July 31, 2026

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 3 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, RV or accommodation hire) traveling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 3 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the park while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time, so that the team can provide information about your unit/pitch.
  • Free entertainment is available every day during the school holidays and at weekends throughout the year.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jul 31 to

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Reviews

  • 36%
    10
  • 6%
    9
  • 27%
    8
  • 6%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 6%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 6%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
5

81% would recommend this site to a friend

79% would stay here again

What customers say

This family-friendly campground is near the New Forest. Reviewers praise clean facilities and helpful staff. Pitches are well-sized and marked. Book pools & arcades ahead. Some noted noise, distant fields lacking amenities, and few food options. Good value overall.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

Excellent site with great facilities and staff that couldn’t do enough

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
7
Laura G.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Great location
Friendly staff
Loads to do

Disliked Pool changing area not great - showers especially bad
Shop didn’t open till 8am and really fancied a coffee after the gym

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would not book again

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
3
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
2
Victoria T.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Location

Disliked Was not aware that the camping field was detached from the holiday park. Booking stated one tent per pitch which is why we paid for two pitches but other people had more than one tent on a pitch. Didn't feel it was good value for money. Everything felt 'temporary' like the toilets and showers in portacabins which could have been kept cleaner considering therr was someone sitting at the gate most of the day

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely exceptional and a must do for all families looking for fun.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked We absolutely adored our first stay at Sandyballs campsite it was amazing in every way. We thoroughly enjoyed the village/ entertainment/ activities/ exploring the local area/ biking through the forests amongst loads of other aspects we will definitely be returning in the near future.
All holiday heroes were amazing - a special shout out goes to Jude who couldn’t have made us feel more at home with her friendly and kind nature. Thank you !

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good site, would definitely return.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
6
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
2
Sophie N.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely pitch, lovely site - lots to do to keep everyone entertained. Restaurants on site are also really good. Nice toilets and showers.

Disliked Bit of a walk to the holiday village but it's a nice one. We're camping field was quite packed in so didn't feel massively spacious.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Grande prairie, sanitaires propres…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
4
Carine M.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Grande prairie, sanitaires propres

Disliked Pas d’ombre, séparé des locations loin des infrastructures
La piscine est accessible par créneau horaire : 1 heure max. Ceci devrait être communiqué lors de la réservation

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lots to do at Sandy Balls…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
6
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lots to do at Sandy Balls and in beautiful area. Staff are friendly

Disliked The camp site being confined within the red marked spaces no privacy

Recommend to friends Visit again

The park was nice and the…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
2
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
2
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
3
Melissa S.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked The park was nice and the pools. I’d definitely stay again just not camping.

Disliked We went camping the pitches were too close together.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely, family friendly site. We loved it and hope to return.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked We had the best time at Sandy Balls! Great sized pitches with plenty of space for children to play. The portaloos were kept really clean, contrary to other reviews we had read. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. The short walk to the main site is easy. The children loved the pool and the arcade. The shop was fantastic with lots of quality produce. We hired bikes from the on site shop and the staff there were brilliant; bikes were great quality too. We avoided the paid activities as we found them too expensive, but enjoyed the outdoor cinema; it was relaxed and a lovely way to spend the afternoon. The campsite was quiet at night pretty much as soon as it became dark. It’s a great location within easy reach/walk of the New Forest and all it has to offer.

Disliked The showers on site were a trickle and each push of the button lasted 10 seconds, so not brilliant and hard to wash hair properly. We used the ones in the pool changing rooms, but they were not that much better. The outdoor pool was freezing and, even in the good weather we had, was too cold to use. There was no WiFi on the campsite (just the main site) and phone reception is poor. This wasn’t a huge issue for us, but different to what we had read before arriving. 9:30am check out is early when you have a tent to dismantle and considering there’s not a great deal/any change-over to be done before check in at 11:30.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site with everything you need great staff l.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Brilliant allround site everything you need with the bonus of all the facilities on the main site we will definitely be returning.

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, great location.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked The pitch size, had enough room for the tent and our car.
The onsite facilities were great, the toilets/showers were cleaned regularly.
The onsite attendant offered services to charge, refreeze ice packs and a pump.
The bins were cleaned regularly too.
The camp site is a field away from the main resort, we didn’t mind the short walk but have seen on the reviews that it was an issue for some.

Disliked Sadly on our third night a very large rough family moved in and stayed in two tents directly behind us. There were loud, the kids kicked footballs at our tent did not apologise and tried to intimidate us.
Of course this is not the parks fault but they put a cloud of our stay at the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club Massages On-site cafe On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade Sauna Soft play area TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Local produce Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Themes

Forest Gastronomic delight Hikers’ paradise Luxury Peaceful Spectacular scenery Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Sandy Balls Holiday Village

Godshill

Fordingbridge

Hampshire

England

SP6 2JZ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.9296°N
1.7609°W

Nearest transport

Coach
9.4 km Meeting House Lane
12.9 km Red Rover
13.1 km Canada Corner
Rail
15.4 km Dean Rail Station
16 km Salisbury Rail Station
17.1 km Ashurst New Forest Rail Station
Ferry
22.2 km Christchurch Quay Ferry Landing
22.3 km Tuckton Tea Gardens Ferry Landing
22.3 km Wick Christchurch Ferry Landing
Airport
17.6 km Bournemouth International Airport
28.3 km 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 an excellently set site, within easy reach of forest wanders and activities, coast and beaches, family days out and heritage highlights. For families and other animals, it's 15 minutes' drive to the critters at the New Forest's Liberty’s Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre, and about 25 to the inhabitants, activities and tractor rides of Longdown Activity Farm at Ashurst. Marwell Zoo is 40 minutes to the east at Winchester. History is all around here too: within the forest at Beaulieu's National Motor Museum and at the 18th-century village of Buckler's Hard (40 minutes); at Henry 8's Hurst Castle (45 minutes) and at the many sights of Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard, 50 minutes away. To find out about New Forest pony rides, hikes and other foresty activity, drop into the New Forest Centre Museum, within 25 minutes' drive at Lyndhurst.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Christchurch Highcliffe Castle 21.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Highcliffe 21.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Friar`S Cliff 22.1 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Avon Beach 22.4 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentGood
Christchurch Bay 22.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Breamore House 4.8 km

Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway 14.5 km

Paultons Family Theme Park 15 km

Salisbury Cathedral 15.2 km

Wilton House 18 km

National Trust

Mompesson House 15.4 km

Mottisfont 19.8 km

Little Clarendon 23 km

Kingston Lacy 23.2 km

Philipps House and Dinton Park 23.5 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Godshill - Pitts Wood Inclosure (New Forest) 2.1 km

Godshill - Frankenbury - Castle Hill 2.1 km

HALE PARK 4.4 km

Linwood - New Forest 4.7 km

BREAMORE 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 Hampshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Sandy Balls Holiday Village have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Sandy Balls Holiday Village dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Sandy Balls Holiday Village? This is an excellently set site, within easy reach of forest wanders and activities, coast and beaches, family days out and heritage highlights. For families and other animals, it's 15 minutes' drive … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  11 a.m. –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Sandy Balls Holiday Village? From $163.78 (for 2 nights, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.