Adventure Pirate

View prices & book 9.8 192 reviews
Sunset in the woods (added by manager 13 Sep 2022)
Pitches in the woods
Fast asleep in tents
Daisy in the woods

  • Wild camping site on an outdoor activity centre five miles from Poole
  • A 10-minute drive from Poole and half an hour from the Jurassic Coast
  • Activities on site including archery, mountain biking and axe throwing
From pottering about Poole and scoping out the Jurassic Coast to crossbow shooting, big tree climbing and mountain biking on site, you’ll want to get everyone on deck for a break at Adventure Pirate, five miles from Poole. This Dorset site is wild camping galore and you’ll really be able to muck in, as it’s attached to an activity centre that runs a bucket load of outdoor activities. You’ll need to roll up with all your equipment here (tents or bivvies and nibbles and drinks included), as there are no facilities other than a couple of composting toilets, a single basic shower, a drinking water tap, a washing-up station and some rubbish bins. Once you’ve left your car in the car park and hauled your kit to your chosen pitch in one of the site’s trolleys, you’ll be going fully wild, with ground fires permitted to keep you feeling toasty. There are five acres of safe woodlands on site, so the kids are free to go off and build dens, get muddy or play their go-to games. On top of that, you may very well leave with a new skill under your belt, as the site runs activities including axe throwing, archery, crossbow or air rifle shooting, big tree climbing, survival, foam gun battles and mountain biking. All activities are subject to availability and a fee, and in busier periods, additional sign-up sheets may be displayed (by the way, guests get a 25% discount). For a drink to wash all those activities down or a meal to get your energy levels back on track, Lytchett Minster has a couple of pubs 15 minutes’ walk away or Poole’s got its own delectable dining scene, 10 minutes’ drive away.

Site type

Tent sites 30
Opens 4 April 2025
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).
  • Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • Minimum spacing of 5 metres between pitches.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the campground/park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 4 Apr to

Reviews

98%

would recommend this site to a friend

97%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

I wanted somewhere in the woods where I could have a campfire;…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service No rating
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: I wanted somewhere in the woods where I could have a campfire; this place was perfect for that. The toilets were well-kept, as was the rest of the site, and it was nice to have a wander of the woods, whilst having a morning coffee, and enjoy a swing on the rope swings and say hello to the neighbouring cows (never would have known they were there otherwise - they were silent). Will be staying again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved it here. Owner is very welcoming. Lots for the children to…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Daniel G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: Loved it here. Owner is very welcoming. Lots for the children to doo we stayed in hammocks and there is plenty of places to put them. Highly recomend and will be returning soon. Toilets and showers were clean. And running water on site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Closest your get to wild camping , great staff good pitches

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Dan s. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: We live this camp site pirate adventure , for a start you can have a fire and its the only camp site in Dorset that allows this , secondly the staff james the owner and becks that work there are amazing very friendly , this site even though is the closest your get to wild camping in Dorset it does have showers and toilets along with axe throwing , shooting and archery and also deliver roo with go there , me and my girlfriend spent 4 nights here and will be back next year thank you james and becky

Disliked: None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff and level pitches to camp on.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Alice I. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: The campsite has excellent facilities on site. I also thought that the campsite is very good for children as there are plenty of activities and a play area. I enjoyed my stay because there is so much wildlife to see especially at night in the glistening sky.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing location

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: Campsite is smart and the pitches are a very good size. t
he owners are really friendly and helpful and have a great dog!

Recommend to friends Visit again

We will stay here again and recommend to family and friends!

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: Great fun place to stay, being allowed camp fires was brilliant, the activities on site were well led and great fun.

The toilets are unfortunately compost but that said they were the nicest compost toilets I’ve ever used.

Disliked: I emailed a query before we arrived but no one ever responded.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for the positive review. We can only apologise for not replying to your email before you arrived. We must have missed that one, but it sounds like you were well looked after on arrival and for the duration of your stay.

Great place to camp!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 2
Lewis B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: The woodland location and on-site facilities

Disliked: Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice area. Good parking, spacious, lovely staff for the brief time we actually…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Tanya S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: Nice area.
Good parking, spacious, lovely staff for the brief time we actually met.
Even the toilets weren't as scary as they seem once you get used to them haha
Loved having hot running water at the washing up area!
No complaints at all

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: What a lovely review. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

Very reasonably priced, great location and a well maintained site.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Steve R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: The site is very nice and although this is the second time ive stayed, it was the first time i came alone. I arrived on Sunday and as expected with it being the end of the summer holidays there were some families with kids but come Monday morning I had the place to myself. If you're a family with children and are looking for somewhere safe for the kids to roam and with activities and plenty of facilities to explore, then i think this would be excellent.

As I don't have kids and was wanting to find some peace and quiet for a few days I wasn't disappointed. Theres plenty of room to find a quiet corner of the forest with a fire pit and unwind. The camp is self check in and although there are means to contact the owners/staff and they are on hand if needed, I personally didn't see anyone either time I stayed which to me is a positive. The facilities were clearly being maintained however I appreciated their discreteness. I felt that I was left alone to get on with my stay peacefully, however I'm certain that if I had've needed them they would've been present with a minutes notice.

The toilets are always well maintained and there is a shack which sells firewood and other small items and there is a washing up station on the side of the shack.

If youre looking for a glamping experience then this may not be it. If you're looking for the illusion of wild camping with some basic amenities for additional comfort then this is a great spot and the location is superb.

Disliked: There really was nothing that I could fault for either of my stays.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Wow what an amazing review! You have totally nailed what our site is all about here. Thank you so much for your lovely, details comments.

Excellent place! Highly recommend

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered forest floor tent site

Liked: Loved the whole set up- pitch up where you want and love the fact you have fire pits at every pitch. Great experience and will definitely be back very soon

Disliked: Took a while to get used to the toilet situation but that’s just me being new to camping.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

BMX track 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 Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Themes

Bush

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

Medium (26-50 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Adventure Pirate

Post Green Road

Lytchett Minster

Poole

Dorset

England

BH16 6AP

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.74346°N
-2.0589°W

Nearest transport

Coach
6.5 km Seldown Coach Station
7.3 km Post Office
7.3 km Red Lion
Rail
3.5 km Hamworthy Rail Station
3.8 km Holton Heath Rail Station
6 km Poole Rail Station
Ferry
6 km Poole Ferry Terminal
6.3 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing
9.5 km Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
16.4 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

Activities aren't limited to the site – and that’s for certain at Farmer Palmer's Farm Park (five minutes’ drive). As well as bringing together a farm fantasy with interactive animal activities, this site has indoor and outdoor play areas and woodland trails and a maze (perhaps one of the only places you’ll want to get lost on purpose). Local beaches could certainly count as a playground of their own too, as beach sports and watersports are available for a chock-a-block day in Bournemouth (25 minutes), a nice contrast to the more austere Victorian parks and gardens, museums and galleries in the town. Then, of course, there’s Poole (10 minutes), with the riveting water rides at Splashdown and the harbour for windsurfing, kayaking and the works. You’ll surely want to take a bite out of the Jurassic Coast too, given that it’s only half an hour’s drive away. Whether it’s a scramble over Dancing Ledge (half an hour), a climb to see Old Harry Rocks (half an hour) or a duck into the old quarry caves at Winspit Quarry (35 minutes), this scenic part of the coast is crammed with beauty spots.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Poole Harbour Rockley Sands 3 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Harbour Lake 4.1 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 10.5 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Shell Bay North 10.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Shore Road Beach 10.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Kingston Lacy House and Gardens 7.9 km

Brownsea Island 9.4 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 11.3 km

Corfe Castle 11.6 km

Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre 12.3 km

National Trust

White Mill 6.8 km

Kingston Lacy 7.7 km

Brownsea Island 9.4 km

Corfe Castle 11.8 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 13.3 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

WAREHAM MEADOWS (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 02/08/2004) 4.5 km

CHARBOROUGH PARK 5.6 km

Canford Heath 6 km

ARNE (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 31/08/2001) 6 km

POOLE CEMETERY 6.9 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Adventure Pirate have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Adventure Pirate dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Adventure Pirate? Activities aren't limited to the site – and that’s for certain at Farmer Palmer's Farm Park (five minutes’ drive). As well as bringing together a farm fantasy with interactive animal activities, this … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Adventure Pirate?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Adventure Pirate? From $55.95 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.