Riverside Lakes

View prices & book 9.5 39 reviews
Kingfisher lake - specimen carp to nearly 30lb
Kingfisher lake - specimen carp to nearly 30lb
Bell tents
Cut-out lawns between the meadows
Chill out pitch
Cloverleaf pitch
The island
Comfortable five-metre bell tents
Bell tent
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Bell tents
Cut-out lawns between the meadows
Chill out pitch

  • Attractive natural site on a family-run Dorset smallholding
  • New Forest National Park 15 minutes' drive; Paultons Park half an hour
  • Fishing lakes and animals to meet, plus craft activities for the kids
Riverside and lakes in one location? Yes, family-run Riverside Lakes, on the Dorset/Hampshire border 15 minutes' drive from Wimborne, is an attractive spot indeed, with lots of gorgeous corners to choose from when you fancy chilling out in the open air. The lakes aren’t just for decoration though – they’re for fishing, and open to guests whether they're experienced with a rod or just trying it out for the first time. There are carp of up to 30lb in the specimen lake, with lots of littler ones in the smaller lake. Unhooking mats, weigh slings and nets are provided free of charge (and it's all fenced off so children are kept safe when roaming about). This site is part of a smallholding that’s also home to friendly pigs, alpacas, goats and chickens for you to meet; they’re even friendlier if you turn up with something from the site shop to feed them. Handily there are also various indoor activities available, including pottery painting and tie-dying. There’s a nicely natural vibe at this site, with pitching areas mown but much of the rest left as natural meadow. There's a policy of no cars on the pitches to make sure it's all peaceful and safe for kids. Bathroom facilities are spacious and clean, and there's a washing-up station and a fridge/freezer area to stash all your food and drinks ready for your evening campfire. Each pitch has a free-to-use firepit, with wood available to buy on site (please don't bring your own). Wood-fired pizzas are available on selected nights, or you can walk to one of the local pubs for dinner if you prefer. Just make sure you're back in time for the splendid stargazing on site.

Site type

Travel trailer sites 55
Rent a tent 5
RV sites 55
Tent sites 55
Open now
Opens April 1

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Facilities/activities including fishing are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • Reception is unmanned after 8 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.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed, Apr 1 to

AA 5 pennants

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
0 dogs

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 39 Pitchup.com customers

  • 71%
    10
  • 17%
    9
  • 5%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
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    4
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    3
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Peaceful

97% would recommend this site to a friend

97% would stay here again

What customers say

This family campsite earns praise for its welcoming owners, beautiful setting, and roomy sites. Guests loved the animals, tasty wood-fired pizza, and clean facilities, including a bath. Minor issues included spotty shower hot water and occasional Wi-Fi/phone signal problems. Some noted the parking arrangement, requiring them to park away from their site. Despite this, most guests want to return!

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 2026-07-07

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Reviews page 1 of 4
Arrival date (latest first)

We liked EVERYTHING about this campsite!…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
 Becky S. 1 review

1st Meadow primitive grass campsite

Liked We liked EVERYTHING about this campsite! The owners Kelly and Matt are so lovely! The whole place has such a lovely wholesome family feel.
We loved seeing the animals everyday.
Lottie the pig is so beautiful I wanted to take her home with me 😆
On Saturday evenings you can order homemade (by Kelly) wood fired pizzas and they are insanely good!
The facilities were really good, always clean! There’s even a bath, so great for little ones or just children who generally don’t like washing and make a fuss (like my daughter 😆)
We will 100% go back!

Disliked I didn’t actually get to take the pig home 😭😆

Recommend to friends Visit again

We are going back

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
Glenn r. 2 reviews

Chill Out primitive grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Absolutely stunning place, the family who run it a super friendly, pizza and fishing is a must

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fabulous campsite with super friendly team

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
Amber O. 1 review

Viewpoint powered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Wonderful campsite - beautifully set out with spacious pitches and great facilities. Team are super friendly and helpful - and firewood/pizza delivery is fab! Highly recommend and definitely heading back :)

Disliked Nothing to dislike!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A great, friendly family running a beautiful site. We will be back

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Steve M. 2 reviews

Chill Out primitive grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautifully manicured pitches with loads of…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Anonymous

Chill Out primitive grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Beautifully manicured pitches with loads of space. Very helpful , friendly staff.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful spot, nice and peaceful, great…

Overall

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

Treeline primitive grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Beautiful spot, nice and peaceful, great facilities.

Disliked Pizza was sold out for the evening already when we arrived at 3.30pm and there was no way of ordering ahead or any warning that it might be sold out by that time. Not the end of the world but disappointing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved it all 😍 It was and…

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
Anonymous

Treeline primitive grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Loved it all 😍
It was and excellent camping site to stay at and will return

Recommend to friends Visit again

A very lovely site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Matt S. 1 review

Chill Out primitive grass campervan, tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked This was our first time visiting Riverside Lakes, and we were very impressed. From the moment we arrived, everyone was friendly, welcoming, and happy to chat, creating a really pleasant atmosphere around the site.
We took a wander around and found the whole site to be clean, tidy, and very well maintained. There was a great variety of pitches on offer, for tents, campervans, and caravans,
Overall, it was a lovely place to visit, with a relaxed and friendly feel throughout. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would happily return in the future.

Disliked There were only a couple of minor downsides during our stay. The showers weren't always as hot as we would have liked, and on one occasion we ended up having a cold shower.
The food fridges were a great facility and very useful. However, we did find that someone had gone through our bags, which unfortunately resulted in item's going missing. That said, once we reported it to the staff, they were very understanding, dealt with the situation professionally, and kindly replaced the missing item.
Despite these issues, the excellent customer service and friendly atmosphere meant they did not detract too much from our overall experience.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We will definitely be returning

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
Alan E. 1 review

Lake view powered grass campsite

Liked Very friendly and enthusiastic staff. Clean and well presented site with plenty of room per pitch.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful campsite, peaceful, remote, family run…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Centrepoint primitive grass campsite

Liked Beautiful campsite, peaceful, remote, family run team, farm animals, reasonably priced shop, decent size tent pitch area, plenty of space inbetween pitches, communal fridge and freezers added bonus. At the pitch site there was a bench and firepit included (logs to be purchased separately) They also offer takeaway on the Saturday

Disliked Cannot park car next to tent unless unloading or loading- I was a solo camper with my 18month old and dog. This is stated on the website so i was prepared for this however I called ahead and asked how far the camp is from the car park and I was told it is visible from the pitch, when I arrived I was shown where the car park was and where my pitch was and you could not see either of them from either spot. The walk was a good 5 minutes away if not longer. The toilets, shower block and washing up area are also just 1 unit which is near the reception area next to the car park so there was a lot of back and fourth which is not easy with a toddler and dog and I had to try and plan our shower, toilet and washing up trips to be at the same time. There is a eco toilet in the corner but still not practical with a toddler and a dog to be trying to fit in a small shed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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

Baby-changing facilities 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 Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Tents for hire Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome 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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent sites

Themes

Forest Hikers’ paradise Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge 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 Large (51-200 sites)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Caravan storage facilities Motorhome service point Seasonal sites Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

Riverside Lakes

Slough Lane

Horton

Wimborne

Dorset

England

BH21 7JL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.86347°N
1.92613°W

Route directions

If coming from the Horton Inn way with a tourer or motorhome, you may want to go past the site's turning and find a safe space to turn around, as the turning to the left is at an angle and can be tricky to negotiate.

Nearest transport

Coach
9.6 km Meeting House Lane
13.5 km Bournemouth University
15 km St Johns Church
Rail
15.2 km Branksome Rail Station
15.7 km Parkstone (Dorset) Rail Station
15.8 km Bournemouth Rail Station
Ferry
17.4 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing
17.7 km Tuckton Tea Gardens Ferry Landing
17.9 km Poole Ferry Terminal
Airport
11.6 km Bournemouth International Airport
41 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 a fantastic area for outdoor activities, with places like Moors Valley Country Park (10 minutes' drive), which has cycle paths, orienteering and a treetop trail, and the New Forest National Park (15 minutes) close by. The national park has heaps of walks, bike rides and wildlife, plus attractions like New Forest Water Park (20 minutes) and the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (40 minutes). And there's the coast too, of course – top spots nearby include the sandy beach in Bournemouth (25 minutes), wildlife-rich Hengistbury Head (half an hour) and the sailing hotspot of Lymington (40 minutes). At around an hour’s drive, Swanage and Durdle Door are a little further away but doable for a day trip. More family days out? How about Liberty's Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre (20 minutes), Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park (20 minutes) or Paultons Park, Home of Peppa Pig World (half an hour)?

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Bournemouth Pier 16.8 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood
Bournemouth Durley Chine 16.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bournemouth Boscombe Pier 17 km Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent
Bournemouth Alum Chine 17.1 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bournemouth Manor Steps 17.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Kingston Lacy House and Gardens 9.5 km

Adventure Wonderland 11.4 km

Breamore House 15.5 km

The Bournemouth Balloon 16.3 km

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum 16.7 km

National Trust

Kingston Lacy 9.5 km

White Mill 11.5 km

Brownsea Island 19.6 km

Mompesson House 24.3 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 24.4 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Holt Heath - Horton Tower - Holt Heath 3.5 km

ST GILES' HOUSE 5.6 km

CRICHEL HOUSE 5.8 km

CRANBORNE MANOR 6 km

BOVERIDGE HOUSE SCHOOL 7.6 km

Local events

  • New Forest and Hampshire County Show (Tuesday, July 28, 2026 – Tuesday, July 28, 2026)

    Brockenhurst, England 24.4 km

  • Camp Bestival Dorset (Thursday, July 30, 2026 – Thursday, July 30, 2026)

    Wareham, England 32 km

  • Southampton Boat Show (Friday, September 18, 2026 – Friday, September 18, 2026)

    Southampton, England 36.6 km

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

    Dorchester, England 38.4 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 Riverside Lakes have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Riverside Lakes dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Riverside Lakes? This is a fantastic area for outdoor activities, with places like Moors Valley Country Park (10 minutes' drive), which has cycle paths, orienteering and a treetop trail, and the New Forest National … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Riverside Lakes?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Riverside Lakes? From $136.46 (for 2 nights, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.