Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site

View prices & book 8.6 135 reviews
Non-electric grass pitch
Non-electric grass pitch
Tent nestled in the trees at holmsley
Tree lined pitches at holmsley
Campsite entrance and pathways
Forest view and grass pitches
Tree lined pitches at holmsley
Grass pitches
Typoon way area of holmsley
1/105
Tent nestled in the trees at holmsley
Tree lined pitches at holmsley
Campsite entrance and pathways

  • New Forest family campsite 20 minutes’ drive from Bournemouth beaches
  • A 15-minute drive to Christchurch, Barton on Sea and Highcliffe Castle
  • Grass pitches on a former airfield with direct access to walking paths
This is a gorgeous location, with pitches on open grassland and surrounded by the ancient ancient trees of the New Forest National Park… and it’s got an intriguing past too. Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site has brought new life to a former World War II airfield and turned it into a splendid woodland base for family camping adventures. Grass pitches here are tucked away among the trees or out in open fields, with spectacular forest views in all directions. When you’re ready to explore, there are miles of stunning way-marked tracks and footpaths leading directly from the site, while cyclists can access National Forest Ride from Holmsley car park (15 minutes by bike) and stop off at a pub in pretty Brockenhurst (half an hour) in the middle of the forest. As well as giving access to the forest, Holmsley is also well placed for excursions to the coastline of Dorset and Hampshire. Bournemouth (20 minutes’ drive) beckons with its sandy beaches, seaside walks await at Barton on Sea and you can look out over the waves from Highcliffe Castle. While maintaining a back-to-nature vibe, Holmsley is well set up when it comes to essential facilities, with electric hook-ups and full toilet, shower and washing amenities all on hand. There’s also a store selling camping essentials and food basics for the self-caterers among you, plus a takeaway service for days when you've worn yourselves out too much to contemplate cooking.

Site type

Tent sites 346
Caravan sites 396
Motorhome sites 396
Rent a tent 10
Open now
Opens 26 March

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • If sleeping in cars, vans, or other converted vehicles, there must be sufficient ventilation (constant airflow to avoid suffocation and drop vents for gas) and internal sleeping accommodation. An open window without rain protection and dashboard air vents are not adequate ventilation. The sleeping compartment must have windows or no bulkhead for emergency access. Windows must have curtains or blinds for privacy. Please do not feed, pet or approach the animals in and around the campsite; they may look friendly but are unpredictable and can bite and kick. Please keep all food sealed and out of reach of the ponies. One amendment per booking is free; subsequent amendments are subject to a £10 fee.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 26 Mar to

This site is a member of Camping in the New Forest group.

View all Camping in the New Forest parks.

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Reviews

8.6

Overall rating from 135 Pitchup.com customers

  • 52%
    10
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    9
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    8
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    7
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Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 5
Bush

87% would recommend this site to a friend

84% would stay here again

What customers say

Spacious, tidy campsite with great facilities, friendly staff & well-stocked shop. Ideal for New Forest walks/cycles amongst wild horses & cows. Some found pitching hard, Wi-Fi limited. Gates lock at 10pm.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 7/07/2026

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Reviews page 1 of 14
Arrival date (latest first)

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1 out of 10
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass site

Liked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean facilities. Love that the shop…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 louise h. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass site

Liked Clean facilities. Love that the shop has frozen water bottles for the cooler. I wish all sites did this. Ponies always next to the site to see though they didn’t look very well, apparently they had some sort of flu. Ground was very hard to pitch in so you may need rock pegs.

The guy in the shop was really nice.

Disliked We pitched next to some tape which we thought was just there to say you can’t pitch there, but it was for a massive group of teenagers who were up at 6am and walking right by our tent. It would have been useful to be told that so we could pitch somewhere else.

No phone signal/internet so couldn’t listen to music or watch a movie in the evening.

Despite telling them I had an access pass to be near toilets I couldn’t get anywhere near the toilets. It was confusing where I could/couldn’t pitch. It would have been useful for someone to show me. I also wanted to be near toilets as a single parent.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite, park is great for…

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10 out of 10
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dannii k. 3 reviews

Unpowered grass site

Liked Great campsite, park is great for the kids and lovely walks around the campsite

Recommend to friends Visit again

Love it!…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
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Child friendliness
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Cleanliness
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Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Unpowered grass site

Liked Love it!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very easy, relaxed and clean

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
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Child friendliness
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Wifi
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Sam S. 1 review

Unpowered grass site

Liked Was super easy checking in and were happy for me to pull up anywhere on the grass area I booked. Toilets were always clean!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Watch the exit times

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1 out of 10
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass site

Liked N/A

Disliked Unable to stay as they said they wouldn't be able to let me out before 7.30am. I lost my payment too as it was within the cancellation period.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything about the site, clean toilets…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
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Cleanliness
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Wifi
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 Michael B. 3 reviews

Unpowered grass site

Liked Everything about the site, clean toilets and shower cubicles. All the facilities u need are on site. Staff very helpful and allways smile on there face even when we had torrential rain. I love this place and will 1 million percent revisit.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Wow - what an absolutely awesome…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
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Child friendliness
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Wifi
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Matt 1 review

Unpowered grass site

Liked Wow - what an absolutely awesome site ❤️ Secluded location, literally next to the forest and horses out front.

Sites massive with loads of room to find a spot - we went in half term and was oodles of space.

2 massive shower and toilet blocks, both very clean and good - a really well stocked shop and prices were good too.

And contrary to a negative comment I saw - the bacon baps and breakfast baps (and coffee machines) were all spot on and just what the morning doctor ordered.

10000% coming back here 🥳

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lots of space to pitch up,…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
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Wifi
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Ruby V. 4 reviews

Unpowered grass site

Liked Lots of space to pitch up, plenty of facilities and easy access to a cycle path straight from the campsite!

Disliked Slightly dated toilets & showers, but worked perfectly nonetheless!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant location for dog walks, friendly…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
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Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
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 Ros R. 3 reviews

Unpowered grass site

Liked Brilliant location for dog walks, friendly staff, clean facilities and good shop, loved our campervan pitch amongst the trees, loads of space as we went in October.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs 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 site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry 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 Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Very large (over 200 sites)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Smooth, hard roads e.g. tarmac Uneven terrain; gravel or loose mud

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horse riding nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Motorhome service point Seasonal sites

Location

Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site

Forest Road

Christchurch

Dorset

England

BH23 7EQ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.79085°N
1.69527°W

Nearest transport

Coach
5.2 km Post Office
5.2 km Post Office
5.2 km Bradbeers
Rail
4.5 km Hinton Admiral Rail Station
4.7 km New Milton Rail Station
6.1 km Sway Rail Station
Ferry
8.1 km Mudeford Quay Ferry Landing
8.5 km Hengistbury Head Ferry Landing
9.1 km Christchurch Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
9.8 km Bournemouth International Airport
29.5 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

The outdoor activities of the New Forest National Park are well documented – come along here and you’ll have access to all sorts of walking and bike trails (including some leading directly from the site). There are also several riding centres nearby offering lessons and forest trail rides, or you could go fishing at Orchard Lakes (10 minutes’ drive). Staying here on the southern side of the national park also means easy access to the coast – including the long sandy stretch in Bournemouth (also a handy place for rainy-day attractions like the Oceanarium) and wilder areas like Hengistbury Head (both 20 minutes’ drive). Seafront Highcliffe Castle (15 minutes) is a fabulous place to visit, or you could pick up the Solent Way trail in Barton on Sea (15 minutes) for a long walk through a lovely nature reserve. On the way home, how about something totally different? Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum (10 minutes) is likely to enthral anyone with an interest in engines, and is well worth a visit to see the 500 rare bikes from around the world.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Highcliffe 6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Highcliffe Castle 6.3 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Bay 6.7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Friar`S Cliff 7 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Avon Beach 7.4 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Highcliffe Castle 6 km

Adventure Wonderland 10.7 km

Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway 12.4 km

The Bournemouth Balloon 14.7 km

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum 14.8 km

National Trust

The Needles Old Battery and New Battery 16.6 km

Brownsea Island 21.7 km

Newtown Old Town Hall 22.2 km

Kingston Lacy 23.8 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 24.3 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Burbush Hill - Dur Hill - Whitten Pond - (New Forest) 3 km

AVON TYRRELL 3.1 km

The Naked Man - New Forest 4 km

RHINEFIELD HOUSE 6.8 km

Rhinefield Ornamental Drive - Blackwater Arboretum 8.4 km

Local events

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

    Brockenhurst, England 9.6 km

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

    Southampton, England 23.5 km

  • Wickham Festival (Thursday, 30 July 2026 – Thursday, 30 July 2026)

    Fareham, England 37.7 km

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

    Wareham, England 39.9 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 Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site? The outdoor activities of the New Forest National Park are well documented – come along here and you’ll have access to all sorts of walking and bike trails (including some leading directly … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Holmsley Caravan and Camping Site? From $66.93 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.