Woodfrys Farm

9.7 12 reviews

Paddle out of your front door in the clear chalk stream

The long grass in the water meadow gives space and privacy between pitches

Pitches are mown into the meadow – just pick your favourite spot

Eco-friendly family-run 25-acre smallholding just outside Shaftesbury
A 40-minute drive to Salisbury; 50 minutes to Jurassic Coast
Campfires and dogs welcome; paddle in the chalk stream on site

Try a true taste of rural Dorset at Woodfrys Farm – pick a pitch at this 25-acre smallholding in Melbury Abbas and you’ll be joining owners Hannah and Liam, their kids and a resident gang of pedigree rare breeds including Hereford cattle and British Lop pigs. This site at the foot of Melbury Hill also has a lake and a clear chalk stream so it’s no wonder that it’s also a popular spot for wildlife – keep your eyes out for herons and ducks by day, or tawny owls and pipistrelle bats by night. Wild animals and guests alike come along here for the peaceful atmosphere so cars are kept in a car park away from the accommodation areas and everyone’s asked stay quiet after 10pm. Being here is all about relaxing and taking advantage of the natural surroundings – you’re welcome to have a paddle in the stream, have a barbecue or light up a campfire for a traditional outdoor evening (logs and firelighters are available to buy on site to make things easy). Dogs are welcome too, but please do remember that this is a working farm so you’ll need to keep them on leads and clean up after them (free biodegradable poo bags are provided for that job). Eco-friendly measures are at the fore here, so you’ll spot touches like handmade compost toilets (spread around the site so they're never far away) and eco toiletries in the showers. Recycling is available too, as are a couple of washing-up stations with lovely views and eco washing-up liquid. There’s much to do in the surrounding area, including walks, beach days and National Trust properties, not to mention the lovely town of Shaftesbury, which you can drive to in five minutes or walk in a bit over an hour along footpaths and lanes.

Site type

Languages spoken

French

Spanish

Nearby sites that are bookable on Pitchup.com

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Features

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 site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table 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

Gastronomic delight Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Tiny (1-10 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Woodfrys Farm

Redmans Lane

Melbury Abbas

Shaftesbury

Dorset

England

SP7 0DB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.98436°N
-2.17424°W

Route directions

Putting the postcode into a sat nav may send you to nearby houses so it's best to use the farm name in Google Maps. Please be aware that the local lanes are narrow but they have passing places. The site is at the bottom of the hill on Mill Hollow Lane. Let yourself in the gate, then pull up the drive to the signposted car parking area on the left and shut the gate behind you.

Nearest transport

Coach

2.9 km The Town Hall

15.8 km Virginia Ash

Rail

8.8 km Gillingham (Dorset) Rail Station

10.8 km Tisbury Rail Station

17.2 km Templecombe Rail Station

Ferry

33.1 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing

33.2 km Poole Ferry Terminal

36.3 km Brownsea Island Ferry Landing

Airport

33.3 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

Shaftesbury (five minutes’ drive) is well known for its steep and scenic Gold Hill, and it’s just one of the pretty towns and cities to visit nearby. Sherborne (half an hour), Salisbury (40 minutes) and Dorchester (45 minutes) are all worth a visit too, and of course there’s Weymouth (an hour) – home to one of Dorset’s finest sandy beaches. For other bits of scenery admiring, take yourselves to the National Trust properties Kingston Lacy and Stourhead (both 25 minutes) or head to the Jurassic Coast to snap pics of the famous stone arch Durdle Door (50 minutes). Alternatively, head out to spot animals at Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre (35 minutes) and Abbotsbury Swannery (an hour), or see what you can see on a walk through Duncliffe Wood (10 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Poole Harbour Rockley Sands	30.9 km	Estuary	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Poole Harbour Lake	31.9 km	Estuary	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Poole Branksome Chine	36.1 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Bournemouth Alum Chine	36.1 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Bournemouth Durley Chine	36.2 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Stourhead House and Garden 17 km

Kingston Lacy House and Gardens 21.5 km

Longleat 23.6 km

Wilton House 24.6 km

Breamore House 27.3 km

National Trust

Stourhead 16.9 km

Philipps House and Dinton Park 17.2 km

Little Clarendon 17.4 km

White Mill 21.5 km

Kingston Lacy 21.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Shaftesbury – Kingsettle Wood – Motcombe - Shaftesbury 3.1 km

Win Green and Tollard Royal 4.4 km

The Donheads - Wincombe - Gutch Common - Barkers Hill 5.8 km

Donhead St Andrew and the Wardour Castles 5.8 km

Duncliffe Wood 6.4 km

Local events

Dorset County Show (Saturday, 6 September 2025 – Saturday, 6 September 2025)
Dorchester, England 34 km
Glastonbury Festival (Wednesday, 25 June 2025 – Wednesday, 25 June 2025)
Glastonbury, England 34.8 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.

Payment terms

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

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1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

2 tents in the background show how spread out the site is

Pitches are all surrounded by wild flowers

Would definitely stay again

Overall	10/10
Location	6
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	6
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Jill S. Aug 2024

Ridge unpowered grass tent, campervan or trailer tent site

Liked: Beautiful, quiet location. Just a magical setting.

The whole site was clean and well kept. Plenty of hot water for showers and washing up.

Well stocked shop on site with very welcoming staff.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A well equipped, clean, quiet modestly priced site.

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 Jul 2024

Water Meadow unpowered grass tent site

Liked: A wonderfully quiet meadow pitch next to a beautiful wetland and stream. The welcome was warm and relaxed. A very environmentally conscious site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful place to stay, very quiet and clean. The owners were friendly…

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

Hana C. Jul 2024

Water Meadow unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Beautiful place to stay, very quiet and clean. The owners were friendly and helpful.The camping pitch was private with a lovely view over the stream.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really beautiful site, friendly manager…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Sam W. Apr 2024

Ridge unpowered grass tent, campervan or trailer tent site

Liked: Really beautiful site, friendly manager

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks Sam. Hope to see you again. Thanks Hannah & Liam

Lovely withy hut and cooking area with private shower and toilet.…

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	6
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Helga S. Sept 2023

The Withy shepherd's hut

Liked: Lovely withy hut and cooking area with private shower and toilet.

Disliked: Solar lights didnt work 2nd evening. Also had a noisy camper arrive on the saturday opposite us with a dog that was left to roam the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi. We're really sorry to hear other guests affected your stay. We wish you'd let us know during your stay as we would have acted on this immediately.

We're also sorry you had issues with the lights. They are actually electric lights, powered by a power-bank, which is charged by a solar panel. The power bank, if not used for a while, powers itself down to save energy and needs powering on again before using. We always run through this in our arrival talk but appreciate it's not always easy to remember everything. Again wish you'd let us know as we'd have been able to fix this in a flick of a switch.

We hope you'll come and give the hut another go. Many Thanks Hannah & Liam

Liam and Hannah were the perfect hosts. The site was immaculate.…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Lyndon k. Aug 2023

Water Meadow unpowered grass tent, campervan or trailer tent site

Liked: Liam and Hannah were the perfect hosts. The site was immaculate. I was working in the area so sitting in the evening surrounded by green fields and a gorgeous lake was exactly what I needed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Magical place to visit with great ammeties and friendly hosts. 5-stars

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Lucy J. Jul 2023

The Withy shepherd's hut

Liked: Magical location, great ammeties in the Withy Hut and outdoor kitchen and a thoughtfully set up campsite. I received a text before arrival to let me know about some road closures which was really helpful.
The outdoor kitchen was such a great option when it rained, we could stil eat, drink, and play games on the table, staying dry. It was also beautiful in the dark with lights. It was great to be able to charge our phones and also have a fridge (felt like cheating to be honest BUT with a 12 year old boy in tow, it worked so well for us!)
We had a lovely first evening weather-wise and enjoyed the fire pit and toasted marshmallows.
We took a short walk around the site and the pitches were really well maintained with lots of space around them.
If you're much over 6 foot the bed might be on the tight side for two, but it's very comfortable. We also pitched a tent and there was ample space.
If you're considering Woodfrys (and/or the Withy Hut), get it booked, it's wonderful 😊

Disliked: Nothing!
(As an FYI, the roads coming in near the farm are very tight but little traffic so wasn't an issue.)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Best site I've visited anywhere in England.

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

Chris M. Jul 2023

Water Meadow unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Superb quiet location within a small working farm, in sheltered 'wild' water meadow complete with its own lake and chalk stream. The valley abounds with wildlife and I was serenaded to sleep by the owls and rose in the morning to lots of birdsong.
Loved the green dry-composting toilets. Our hosts are both friendly and welcoming and enthusiastic about combining their farming with nature.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely surroundings nice pond and wildlife.…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Assheton G. Jul 2023

Water Meadow unpowered grass tent, campervan or trailer tent site

Liked: Lovely surroundings nice pond and wildlife.

Recommend to friends Visit again

This place was an unexpected and lovely surprise. I had selected the…

Overall	10/10
Location	8
Value for money	8
Accommodation	No rating
Facilities / Activities	No rating
Customer service	No rating
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	No rating
Wifi	No rating

Anonymous Jun 2023

Ridge unpowered grass tent, campervan or trailer tent site

Liked: This place was an unexpected and lovely surprise. I had selected the campsite purely on location but we found it's not like any other campsite we've been to. The owners are very helpful and patiently explain all the eco loos, showers and other facilities to every new guest. Not only are the pitches very generously sized but they are also well spread out and separated from each other by areas of unmown wild meadow. For many of them belongings have to be transported by wheelbarrow leaving a large and welcome car-free area. We spent a lot of time just chilling out there, walking around the pond, along the grassy paths through the meadow and it's a fantastic place for wildflowers, birds, dragonflies, moths and butterflies etc. My husband didn't want to leave!
There is also a useful little shop, place to freeze freezer blocks, a place to charge phones and local maps that you can borrow. It is all very well thought out. Many thanks.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Frequently asked questions

Does Woodfrys Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Woodfrys Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near Woodfrys Farm? Shaftesbury (five minutes’ drive) is well known for its steep and scenic Gold Hill, and it’s just one of the pretty towns and cities to visit nearby. Sherborne (half an hour), Salisbury … Read more