Howard's Wood

View prices & book 9.6 75 reviews
Aerial view of Dorset countryside
Aerial view of dorset countryside
Campsite
Campsite and shower
Woodland clearing
Site entrance
Trail through the woodland
Aerial view of the woods
Campsite
1/90
Campsite
Campsite and shower
Woodland clearing

  • Almost wild camping in a 25-acre woodland at Netherbury in Dorset
  • Charmouth 25 minutes’ drive and Abbotsbury Swannery 35 minutes
  • Dog-friendly pop-up site 15 minutes’ walk from the local pub
There’s getting away from it all – and then there’s really getting away from it all. If you feel the need to do the latter, then do it somewhere like Howard’s Wood, an almost wild pop-up site on the outskirts of Netherbury in Dorset. Here you can escape into a 25-acre woodland – planted in 2003 by the landowners – and truly relax in the middle of a wildlife haven. Bring your dogs and exercise them while exploring the woods, and let the kids run around within earshot on the playing fields next to the pitches. The pretty basic setup here consists of composting toilets and hot showers, and is suitable for anyone and everyone looking for a simple camping experience out in nature yet near to some big-name Dorset attractions. For at Howard’s Wood, you can wake up to mornings filled with birdsong, with the chance of spotting deer and squirrels roaming around near your tent. After a day out at the mysterious National Trust - Cerne Giant (35 minutes’ drive) or scouring for fossils along the Jurassic Coast (half an hour), return to base for relaxing times cosying up around a firepit or cooking up a barbecue – pick up food in Beaminster or Bridport (both about 10 minutes’ drive). Alternatively you can wander down to the local pub (15 minutes’ walk), which has luscious country views, a beer garden for warmer evenings and good home-cooked food.

Site type

Tent sites 15
RV sites 11
Rent a tent 1
Open now
Opens July 18
Please note
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jul 18 to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesTravel trailer sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
Other options

Reviews

9.6

Overall rating from 75 Pitchup.com customers

  • 81%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 9%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
ForestPeaceful

99% would recommend this site to a friend

99% would stay here again

What customers say

Howard's Wood offers a unique "wild camping" experience in private woodland clearings, praised for its peace and natural setting. Guests highlight spacious, secluded pitches, friendly hosts, and good basic facilities. While some pitches are uneven and signage could be improved, most visitors found it excellent value and plan to return. Ideal for a quiet escape.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Great little campsite pitchs are secluded…

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
 No rating
Damon E.

Primitive forest floor tent campsite

Liked Great little campsite pitchs are secluded and feel private stayed 2 nights love being in woods facilities clean and stocked great stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, we will be coming back again soon

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
 No rating
Ben S.

Primitive forest floor tent campsite

Liked Beautiful woodland campsite, large pitches with lots of space between. Fires allowed and basic toilet and shower. Perfect for an offgrid experience.

Recommend to friends Visit again

perfect site for a relaxing and peaceful break

Overall

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

Primitive forest floor campervan campsite

Liked The peacefulness, the individual pitches and the natural forest environment, a truly beautiful site. Basic but has toilets, hot shower and washing up facilities.
Each pitch has its own burner and logs are provided.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nature at its best

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
April H.

Primitive forest floor tent campsite

Liked Nature and wild enjoyed my stay very much , it's peaceful through the night, be back again soon

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Almost wild camping in a safe space

Overall

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

Primitive forest floor campervan campsite

Liked Great location, back to basics almost wild camping, but in a safe space. Beautiful individual pitches, nice walks, away from it all, peace and tranquility. A hot shower, 2 composting toilets and a drinking water tap, fire pits to hire and logs, everything you need. A short drive from Bridport and West Bay, and the rest of the Jurassic Coast. Great communication, Steph was very friendly and helpful

Disliked Not exactly a dislike, just a little uncomfortable with only a shower curtain and no door on the shower

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect place to relax

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Matyas V.

Primitive forest floor campervan campsite

Liked Quite and peaceful
Rural area

Disliked N/A

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful and fantastic site

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
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Chloe P.

Primitive forest floor tent campsite

Liked Lovely site, very peaceful and pretty

Disliked I got bitten by lots of insects but that’s camping ( I forgot insect repellent so that’s on me!)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peace and quiet, each pitch in…

Overall

9 out of 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
Roger B.

Primitive forest floor campervan campsite

Liked Peace and quiet, each pitch in its own cleared space in the woods. Feels like wild camping but with the benefit of toilets and a shower. All very laid back! Very convenient for Bridport and the Jurassic Coast. We’ll definitely come here again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

One of the best sites I’ve…

Overall

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

Primitive forest floor tent campsite

Liked One of the best sites I’ve stayed at. Pitches are private and spaced apart. There’s two toilets in different locations and a warm shower and washing up area. Just less than 20 minutes away from bridport but on the edge of a quiet village. There’s a Lidl about 10 minutes away and a couple of village pubs a short drive away.

Disliked The only thing I would suggest is either putting hooks on the doorway so you could secure the shower curtain or putting a door on the shower. Wasn’t a big issue but was unnerving when showering while it was windy.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very quiet and rustic, good fun…

Overall

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

Primitive forest floor tent campsite

Liked Very quiet and rustic, good fun . Good comms from Steph.

Disliked Nothing , exactly as described

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade 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 Scouts welcome 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

Budget/backpacker Forest Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Wild camping 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

Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Howard's Wood

Netherbury

Bridport

Dorset

England

DT6 5RT

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.78721°N
2.75317°W

Nearest transport

Coach
6 km Coach Station
19.4 km Yeovil Bus Station
23.9 km South Station
Rail
9.8 km Crewkerne Rail Station
13 km Maiden Newton Rail Station
15.4 km Chetnole Rail Station
Ferry
29.3 km Weymouth Ferry Terminal
43 km Bridgwater Ferry Terminal
Airport
47.2 km Exeter 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

Dorset packs a mighty historical punch, and there are several Iron Age sites to see locally. Hike up to the fort at Rawlsbury Camp (50 minutes) for spectacular views over Bulbarrow Hill and Blackmore Vale, or glimpse the sea from the top of the burial mounds at Eggardon Hill Fort (25 minutes). Time-travel forward to Saxon times to see the National Trust-owned Cerne Giant (35 minutes’ drive) etched into the chalk hillside above thatched Cerne Abbas village (half an hour). A day on a Jurassic Coast beach may be in the sightseeing schedule too; choices include the fossil hub of Dorset at Charmouth (25 minutes) or the soft sandy town beach at popular Lyme Regis (half an hour). Heading east, Seatown Beach (20 minutes) is a quiet shingle spot for solitary walks, while trips to the West Dorset Heritage Coast repay with scenic hikes along Chesil Beach (40 minutes) and the chance to feed the swans at Abbotsbury Swannery (35 minutes). If you’d rather stay closer to home base, tour the orchards and taste a drop or two of local scrumpy at Dorset Nectar Cider (five minutes), and if the kids have been well behaved, reward them with cuddly donkey encounters at Donkey Walking Adventures (10 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Eypemouth 8.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
West Bay (West) 8.5 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seatown 8.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Hive 10.3 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Charmouth West 12.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Mapperton House & Gardens 3.4 km

Abbotsbury Swannery 17.8 km

Montacute House 18.5 km

Hardy's Birthplace 26.3 km

Fleet Air Arm Museum 26.6 km

National Trust

Montacute House 18.4 km

Barrington Court 20.8 km

Tintinhull Garden 21 km

Loughwood Meeting House 21.5 km

Shute Barton 21.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

PARNHAM 1.5 km

BEAMINSTER MANOR 3.3 km

MAPPERTON HOUSE 3.4 km

DOWNE HALL 5.7 km

North Chideock - Symondsbury and More. 7.5 km

Local events

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday, September 6, 2025 – Saturday, September 6, 2025)

    Dorchester, England 24.2 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 Howard's Wood have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Howard's Wood dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Howard's Wood? Dorset packs a mighty historical punch, and there are several Iron Age sites to see locally. Hike up to the fort at Rawlsbury Camp (50 minutes) for spectacular views over Bulbarrow Hill … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Howard's Wood?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  noon
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Howard's Wood? From $18.64 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.