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General
Surely even the most determined of sofa-huggers will find something to tickle their fancy at this action-packed Shorefield Holidays park in Hampshire…and if not, you have our full permission to send them home.
It’s all quite effortless too: as the name might hint, St Leonard’s Oakdene Forest Park has a forest backdrop – the Avon – and there are 55 acres of parkland to potter around; the bike and cycle trails from the park lead directly into the forest for access to nature reserves, country parks and the land of the Forestry Commission. (The park is more than half a mile from the nearest road, so safe for kids to run about.)
If even forest walks seem too much hassle to a complaining family member, shove them in the direction of all the on-site activities that come included in the pitch fee: the fully-equipped gym* might be too much, but the sauna, steam room and flumes of the indoor pool should get them up and about.
Naturally they’ll need a rest after all that sauna-going: they can take their pick from the Blues Bar, Colour Café or the Oak Suite… and if they’re feeling up for it they might then want to join in the regular Oak Suite entertainment and activities laid on by the Oakdene team, such as cinema nights, quizzes and parties.
Food of all sorts, as well as takeaway, is laid on at the licensed Oak Suite, and there’s a fully-stocked supermarket on site too with off-licence – everything here has been thoroughly thought of, shorely…
*Please note there is a £2 induction fee for the gym; usage is free thereafter.
Site type
Tourist board rating
Languages spoken
✓ English
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Features
Leisure on site
Bar or club house
Cycle hire
Evening entertainment
Fishing
Fitness centre
Games room
Hot tub
Indoor swimming pool
Kids' club
On-site restaurant/cafe
Outdoor swimming pool
Play area
TV room
Take away
Tennis
Watersports
Amenities on site
Bath available
Car parking by pitch/unit
Composting toilet
Disabled facilities
Dog park
Drying room
Food shop
Free wifi
Ice pack freezing
Internet access
Launderette
Parent & baby washroom
Pick-up from public transport
Portaloo
Pub toilets
Public telephone
Shower available
Toilet block
Washing-up area
Wifi
Groups welcome
Family friendly
Motorcycle friendly
Single-sex groups welcome
Student groups welcome
Rules
Barbecue provided
Barbecues allowed
Campfires allowed
Commercial vehicles allowed
Dogs allowed
Themes
Forest
Spectacular scenery
Walkers' paradise
Utilities
Charging facilities
Chemical disposal
Electric car charging point(s)
Gas cylinders available
Recycling available
Renewable energy
Nearby amenities
Bar nearby
Dog walk nearby
Type
Large (51-200 pitches)
Nearby leisure
Cycle hire nearby
Cycling nearby
Fishing nearby
Golf nearby
Horse riding nearby
Leisure/theme park nearby
Restaurant nearby
Sailing nearby
Location
Nearest transport
- Coach stations
-
Meeting House Lane
— 6.2 kilometres
Bournemouth University — 8.1 kilometres
Bournemouth Station — 9.4 kilometres
- Train stations
-
Pokesdown Rail Station
— 9.2 kilometres
Bournemouth Rail Station — 9.3 kilometres
Christchurch Rail Station — 9.7 kilometres
- Ferry ports
-
Tuckton Tea Gardens Ferry Landing
— 10.3 kilometres
Christchurch Quay Ferry Landing — 10.6 kilometres
Wick Christchurch Ferry Landing — 10.7 kilometres
- Airports
-
Bournemouth International Airport
— 4.2 kilometres
Southampton Airport — 38.4 kilometres
Take the A31 westbound from Ringwood. After three miles and two roundabouts, Oakdene is signposted on the left just past St Leonards hospital. Reception is at the end of the drive on the right.
Local attractions
The sandy beaches of Bournemouth are only nine miles from Oakdene Forest Park: add the ones at neighbouring Poole and Christchurch and you’ll keep the kids happy for the whole hol, especially when you throw in the fossil-hunting of the Jurassic Coast and the Adventure Wonderland Theme Park.
Start off at the Bournemouth Eye to see the town from heady heights; once nerves have recovered, totter off to the seven miles of award-winning Bournemouth beaches and the newly refurbished pier with kids’ rides and boat trips along the Dorset coast. To get about on land, take the Land Train along the pier to Poole – with a stop-off on the way at Alum Chine for the acclaimed Tropical Gardens and the pirate-themed playground.
Poole’s gorgeous natural harbour is the biggest in Europe, and a harbour cruise from Poole Quay might make you think you’re in the Med (the multi-million pound houses of the Sandbanks peninsula might give this impression too). There are boat trips from the harbour to the National Trust’s Brownsea Island, home of increasingly rare red squirrels and described by Bill Oddie as ‘the best place for seeing wildlife in Dorset’.
Go east from Bournemouth and Poole to reach Christchurch and another lovely natural harbour, then Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with historic ships including HMS Victory. West leads to the seaside towns of Weymouth and Swanage, famed for watersports and more miles of sandy golden beaches. Boat trips and sea fishing trips can be picked up anywhere along this stretch of coast; if you want to keep it simple and/or cheap, give the kids a line and bucket and let them crab off Bournemouth Pier.
Back in Hampshire, the New Forest wood be wrong to miss, and we suspect this won’t be an option once small people in your party discover it’s the location of Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park. The popular Beaulieu Motor Museum and Village, voted the best large visitor attraction 2013 by VisitEngland, is in the heart of the New Forest and also has Beaulieu Abbey and Palace House and Gardens on site.
Must see
- Adventure Wonderland (4.2 kilometres)
- The Bournemouth Balloon (10.1 kilometres)
- Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum (10.4 kilometres)
National Trust
- Kingston Lacy (12.2 kilometres)
- White Mill (14.2 kilometres)
Cycle routes
Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.
- Does Oakdene Forest Park have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
- Is Oakdene Forest Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
- What attractions are near Oakdene Forest Park? The sandy beaches of Bournemouth are only nine miles from Oakdene Forest Park: add the ones at neighbouring Poole and Christchurch and you’ll keep the kids happy for the whole hol, especially … Read more
