The Railway Campsite

View prices & book 9.5 166 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 pitches 50
Motorhome pitches 3
Open now
Opens 4 July
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, 4 Jul to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
Other pitch types

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 166 Pitchup.com customers

  • 78%
    10
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  • 18%
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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

Lovely, spacious, friendly site, great value. Clean loos (compost!), showers. Handy for steam train, Corfe Castle & Swanage. Food shack's a bonus. A few queues for showers in busy times, but people love it and plan to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 17
Arrival date (latest first)

Stunning views, safe & chilled with all amenities & cafe

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
 10
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Large open space, some shaded areas, views of the steam railway carriage, the valley overlooks the beautiful ridge of the Purbecks. Very chilled and lovely owner makes passing visits so you feel safe. Plenty of water taps and assessable loos, washing up and showers. Cafe on site, plenty to drink and eat.

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Space - location . Toilets were kept clean…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Space - location .
Toilets were kept clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

has a great location just next to the swanage rail line which…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked has a great location just next to the swanage rail line which makes for a nice journey into Swanage. Also very close to studland and harry's rocks. Also a great price compared to other campsites. They also had a food shack which was also very handy. The toilets are very clean and smell pretty good considering!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location, spacious setup…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Great location, spacious setup

Disliked Some toilet doors didn't lock properly from the inside

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Will check and sort the locks!

Best price in area Close to bus stop and rail stop Better check out…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Best price in area
Close to bus stop and rail stop
Better check out time then other sites
Lovely owner and dogs

Disliked I think wait time for shower or toilets will be long when busy campsite
Lots of air traffic noise late into night

Recommend to friends Visit again

Plenty of space in the large field and not too busy on…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Plenty of space in the large field and not too busy on the Thursday eve I was there. Nice new shower.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Top stuff

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
 10
Nigel B.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Loved it! Great site, perfect setting, everything just worked! Annabel was a great and helpful host, we'll be back and back and back . . .

Disliked Nowt

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, great management.…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 2
Fiona Grace N.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely site, great management.

Disliked WiFi would of been awesome

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly campsite with easy access to many Dorset prime attractions

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
David P.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Superb, economic, improved and environmentally friendly campsite with the added advantage of on-site food shack and views of the local steam railway passing occasionally (daylight hours only) and countryside.
Friendly family run establishment with excellent cleanliness.
Minutes from Corfe castle and it’s village facilities whilst a local shop is within an easy walking distance.
The seaside town of Swanage is easily accessible by car, bus or 🚂 the later has Harman Cross station right on the doorstep making a trip for child (and adults) an exciting added adventure.
Ample water, WC’s (composting) and spacious showers available, no power or WiFi.

Disliked I had to leave, but will be back!!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Relaxing holiday

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Friendly atmosphere, good food.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campsite

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room 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 Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location 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 Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Farm Large (51-200 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch 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 Horse 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 6 September 2025 – Saturday 6 September 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?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  4 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Railway Campsite? From €18.44 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.