Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree

View prices & book 9.1 57 reviews
Music and bar at Donkey Down camping
Music and bar at donkey down camping
Flat and spacious eastern field
Flat pitches
Bushy trees
View from the eastern field
Views for miles
Trees in the western field
Seating and social area
1/82
Flat and spacious eastern field
Flat pitches
Bushy trees

  • Spacious site over four acres of a working farm with great views
  • A 10-minute drive from Dorchester and 15 minutes from Weymouth
  • Barbecues and firepits welcome; neolithic tumuli in the main field
With ancient burial sites and some top-notch views to its name, Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree is the sort of place where you’ll certainly be keen to roll out of bed and go for a wander. The spacious site is spread over four acres of relatively flat grassland, next to Came Woods, with excellent views over the north Dorset countryside on one side and glimpses over Weymouth Bay and Portland on the other. There’s a fair bit of history at this working farm, in the form of several Neolithic tumuli in the main pitching field. And there’s more in the surrounding area too, which you can spot as you take walks along local footpaths to Hardy’s Monument and Osmington White Horse or along the Dorset Ridgeway. Getting in and out should be fairly straightforward here: the farm is a 10-minute drive from Dorchester and 15 from Weymouth, both easy journeys via B roads. Closer to home are the villages of Sutton Poyntz and Preston, which have convenience stores, fish and chip shops and a clutch of good pubs. With so much space to run about in, this site is a fine pick for family holidays and those travelling with dogs. Barbecues and campfires are allowed on site too, although some restrictions are in place to ensure the safety of guests and local wildlife alike.

Site type

Tent sites 50
Open now
Opens May 23
Please note
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro) and/or any of the following: Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler, any Mastiff or Tosa.
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, May 23 to

Reviews

9.1

Overall rating from 57 Pitchup.com customers View breakdown

  • 77%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 8%
    8
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    7
  • 8%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 3%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Spectacular sceneryPeaceful

89% would recommend this site to a friend

88% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

Huge space, beautiful views, great showers and toilets!…

Overall 10/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
liam J. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Huge space, beautiful views, great showers and toilets!

Disliked Shame the bar wasn’t open

Recommend to friends Visit again

niektórzy goście nie mają pojęcia jak się zachować w społeczności

Overall 6/10

Location
 7
Value for money
 No rating
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Klimat bardzo dobrze

Disliked Goście z głośną muzyką

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean facilities friendly staff

Overall 10/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Danielle F. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Owner was very friendly and easy to talk too we would return for a pleasant stay we all had some fun with the owners lovely dog who came to play ball with us all

Recommend to friends Visit again

Waiting in the cold for hours and still didn't get a tent!

Overall 2/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 2
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 2
Paul B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked The views were lovely, the site was flat and that they have options for dinner/ breakfast is useful.

Disliked We had booked a bell tent and arrived just after 3pm to check in. They had an issue with the bookings so they didn't have any tents available. Told me to come back in a hour and it would be sorted. Came back an hour later and the tent still wasn't available, got asked to wait in an adjoining field. Waited for a very cold/ windy further 3 hours to find out they had put up other bells tents and given them to other people but ours still weren't ready. Ended up asking for a refund and finding somewhere else to stay for the evening.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: So sorry for the bad experience! Unforgiveable!
We had an issue with Pitchup software not syncing as it should with ours so were completely unaware that the problem was brewing until people arrived. We moved heaven and earth to source more bell tents but I am personally very sorry we failed to meet your very reasonable expectations on this occasion.
I have messaged you directly.

Nice with location with lovely views. All facilities as advertised. Great live music…

Overall 10/10

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

Bell tent

Liked Nice with location with lovely views.

All facilities as advertised.

Great live music and food on Friday and Saturday night.

All staff really friendly.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice place with great views and live music. Good to have a…

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
Karolina T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Nice place with great views and live music. Good to have a small bar on site. Showers were nice and hot. Really enjoyed the stay and would definitely recommend it to my friends!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location with good facilities

Overall 10/10

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

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked We visited this campsite for the second time and it was a brilliant experience with level pitches, good facilities including but not limited to hot water, drinking water, showers, fire pits, live music, etc

The staff are friendly and welcoming. They also loaned us extra large pegs to hold our tents against strong winds.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Leaky bell tent

Overall 4/10

Location
 8
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 2
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked Views and lovation

Disliked Bell tent leaked. Had no reply from owners. Showers incredibly drafty (not in a block)

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: So sorry you had a bad experience. The bell tents are made of cotton canvas and water will wick through into the tent if anything inside is touching it. We always try to deal promptly with such issues. I was not made aware of this particular issue at the time and apologise if my staff have failed to deal with the matter to your satisfaction.
Please feel free to contact me directly if I can be of further assistance.

The pitches were a fab size, the staff working there were lovely…

Overall 10/10

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

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked The pitches were a fab size, the staff working there were lovely and were a
Happy to answer questions and offer advice.
Compostable toliets are not everyone's favourite thing, but I prefer them over port-a-loos any day.

Disliked I may have missed some extra info but the site was a little tricky to find. You can't quite go off the post code or the first result in Google maps. You need to put in the whole name - donkey downs camping at cilliford tree.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your feedback. It is really helpful. I must admit that I was not aware of the issue with finding the site. I will update the Google maps location.

This site was really welcoming, from the moment we arrived at the…

Overall 10/10

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

Primitive grass and earth tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked This site was really welcoming, from the moment we arrived at the reception with full info of the site and surrounding area. The showers and toilets were really clean. The staff made made sure of this. Hot water. Great. The site laid on music free of charge on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening with some great musicians. The site was very clean and our departure was not rushed. We will be back and I would recommend it to all

Disliked None

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 Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat 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

Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Spectacular scenery 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

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree

Chalky Road

Whitcombe

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 8NL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.66769°N
2.4268°W

Nearest transport

Coach
4.7 km South Station
6.6 km Marks and Spencer
22.5 km Red Lion
Rail
3.5 km Upwey Rail Station
4.7 km Dorchester South Rail Station
4.9 km Dorchester West Rail Station
Ferry
6.8 km Weymouth Ferry Terminal
31 km Poole Ferry Terminal
31.6 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
43.7 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

What exactly is the Osmington White Horse (25 minutes' walk)? In the shape of King George II riding his steed, this limestone figure is carved into a smugglers’ landscape. Hardy's Monument (two hours' walk/20 minutes' drive) is a stone monument and a fine reward for a slightly more challenging hike. If you’re keen to see more historical bits, The Tank Museum (20 minutes) houses an impressive collection of war tanks and the Swanage Railway (40 minutes) keeps alive a steam railway from the 19th century. Dorchester (10 minutes) is another good bet, with a dinosaur museum, teddy bear museum and the Tutankhamun Exhibition’s mummy artefacts. Of course, you’re not far from the Jurassic Coast either – big sights there include Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door (20 minutes), Chesil Beach (20 minutes), Portland Bill Lighthouse (half an hour) and Abbotsbury Swannery and Subtropical Gardens (25 minutes). As for classic seaside amusements and other family-friendly days out, count on Fantasy Island amusement park (10 minutes), Bournemouth (45 minutes), Monkey World (20 minutes) and Weymouth (15 minutes). Weymouth has a gorgeous sandy beach, the Sealife Centre and boat trips to fish for mackerel or visit Portland.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Bowleaze Cove 3.5 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Weymouth Lodmoor 4.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Weymouth Central 6.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Ringstead Bay 6.7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Portland Harbour Castle Cove 8.3 km Sea N/AExcellentN/AN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 4.9 km

Radipole Lake Nature Reserve 6.3 km

Hardy's Birthplace 7.4 km

Abbotsbury Swannery 12.3 km

The Tank Museum 13.3 km

National Trust

Max Gate 4.6 km

Hardy's Cottage 7.3 km

Clouds Hill 13.5 km

Corfe Castle 26.2 km

White Mill 29.9 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

LODMOOR (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 25/11/2004) 4.1 km

Nottington - Lorton - Radipole 4.5 km

Lodmoor Nature Reserve - Littlemoor - Preston 4.6 km

Nottington - Southill - Chickerell 4.6 km

Nottington - Upwey - Broadwey 4.7 km

Local events

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

    Dorchester, England 6.1 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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree? What exactly is the Osmington White Horse (25 minutes' walk)? In the shape of King George II riding his steed, this limestone figure is carved into a smugglers’ landscape. Hardy's Monument (two … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  11 a.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Donkey Down Camping at Culliford Tree? From $44.61 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.