The Railway Campsite

View prices & book 9.5 193 reviews
Train going past the site
Train going past the site
The steam train running past
Train passing at site
Sunrise one morning
View of the site on a cloudy morning
View of the site
View of the field
Caravans set up on site
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The steam train running past
Train passing at site
Sunrise one morning

  • 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 (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).

Site type

Tent sites 50
RV sites 3
Open now
Opens July 4
Please note
  • Twin axle vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 16 or over.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jul 4 to

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

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 193 Pitchup.com customers

  • 74%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 18%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    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
 10
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

98% would recommend this site to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

Great location near Swanage steam railway & countryside. Friendly owners, clean facilities (hot showers, compost toilets), snack shack. Spacious, relaxed vibe, choose your own pitch. Basic facilities & some steep bits, but overall a hit – many want to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 20
Arrival date (latest first)

Will definitely stay again

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Lee J.

Primitive grass RV campsite

Liked Friendly site, quiet, regular steam and diesel trains passing. Easy access to local station which goes from.Corfe Castle to Swanage.
Clean facilities. Late check out time.
Jamaican food on Thursday was great.
Loved Annabel's four gorgeous collie dogs, who kept the site's children (and us) amused for hours

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super campsite for those who enjoy fuss free and basic, which we do.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked The site was spacious, clean, well drained and airy hillside with plenty of flat areas. A cool wooded patch which made a great play area (the village playground was only a couple of minutes down the road, but we did not need it.)
The staff/owners were as friendly and helpful as you could wish.
The snackshack was just that and much appreciated.
Very dog friendly - not that we brought our own dogs but the kids made friends with loads of them.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good quality site for the price.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
S. D.

Primitive grass RV campsite

Liked Very friendly staff. Lots of space, play area for kids, shop onsite breakfast, evening options
Bbq's and fire pits,wood and kindling available. Elsan point, compost loos and showers all onsite.
Rail station for Swanage railway across from camp entrance.

Disliked Not all flat field, don't forget your levels if your in a vehicle.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The facilities are 2nd to none clean tidy and for £20 money well spent

Overall

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

Primitive grass RV campsite

Liked Absolutely fantastic good value for £20 a night for a campervan highly recommend we didn’t plan on staying but it was so nice that we decided to stay more than two nights for a dog friendly very friendly all round steve

Disliked I found nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved seeing train run past every hour. Nice site and had cafe.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Jenny L.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Loved seeing train run past every hour. Nice site and had cafe.

Disliked Breakfast £9.50 plus £2.50 for coffee expensive when served on paper plates, with wooden cutlery just outside of kitchen. Might have let this go but cafe owners friends turned up and were served on proper plates. Friends then proceeded to talk loudly about recent surgery, didn't go well with my breakfast!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Sorry to hear about the conversation you overheard.
I’m afraid I’m not allowed to serve food on washable plates and knives and forks as I don’t have an industrial dishwasher it all has to be disposable for the general public I’m afraid. Only staff and family can eat off the kitchen crockery.
All the meat is from our local butcher and is top quality hence the price .

Great location and very quiet. No airplane or traffic noise.…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Great location and very quiet. No airplane or traffic noise.

Disliked Toilets took some getting used too.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely spacious quiet site…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Lovely spacious quiet site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location. Friendly people…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Great location. Friendly people

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent value and location was superb.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Samantha L.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Location was excellent and beautiful views. So close to train station, it was possible to catch the steam train into Swanage or over to Corfe Castle. The Snack shack was also good.

Disliked It was a shame that the The Snack Shack was not open on Sunday. It would have been nice to have a coffee and a bacon roll before heading off, after breaking camp. The toilets were a bit tricky, as they were very small and pitched at an angle that made standing back up quite tricky. Also, not sure how someone with any mobility issues would have coped.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I’m sorry I missed the snack shack we were open at 8-just got 11 and then 5-9 . I didn’t open this morning as I had a hospital appointment but I put a sign on the hatch.
I bought the Loos as they are. I am looking into adding some larger ones next year but they will need to be made on site. It was only a few years ago that we had only Porta loos . The shack was added last year, the sinks and 2 showers this year. I try and add a bit extra each year to improve the place for everyone.😊

Lovely campsite, especially if you love trains

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Lovely spacious campsite with a food hut.
Great view of the Swanage steam train and only 5 mins walk to the train station.

Disliked It wasn’t a huge problem for us, but the campsite is on a hill. Some parts are quite steep which forces people to bunch up pitches on ‘flater’ areas.

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 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 Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery

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

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 Horseback 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).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Swanage Central 4.7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Studland Knoll House 6.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Kimmeridge Bay 7.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Shell Bay North 8.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 9.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

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, September 6, 2025 – Saturday, September 6, 2025)

    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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  4 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Railway Campsite? From $29.61 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.