Andark Lake

View prices & book 8.7 316 reviews
Lakeside pitches
Swimming and diving on site
The grass pitch
Entrance to site

  • Peaceful site near the River Hamble: two pubs within walking distance
  • Six miles from Southampton and 12 from Portsmouth's ferry terminal
  • Set in scuba diving and open-water swimming lake grounds
Get set to get wet… with the Solent coast a couple of miles away, the Hamble river down the road and of course the lake on site, it’s safe to say that life pretty much revolves around the water at Andark Lake, a small and quiet grassy site six miles from the centre of Southampton. The main focal point here is the purpose-built scuba diving training lake, where wetsuit-clad types can sign up for training courses (when pre-booked) or recreational dives, hire kit and fill air tanks (for certified scuba divers). Open-water swims can be had for an extra charge at the weekends, when staff are on site and the place isn't in use by divers. Outside of swim time, there’s more water-based activity (sailing, paddleboarding, kitesurfing and windsurfing) along the riverside or at Swanwick Marina. Should all this aquatic activity have worked up a bit of a hunger, trot over to the site café for snacks and light lunches, plus hot and cold drinks throughout the day. For your evening meals, three pubs are within walking distance, or you can pick up supermarket supplies two miles away for a sunset sausage sizzle. Other amenities on site include a drinking water tap and a toilet block with male and female changing rooms, lockers and showers, all open 24/7. A coldwater sink is available in the pitching field where guests can wash pots and pans, and an accessible toilet is available on request.

Campground type

RV sites 7
Tent sites 10
Open now
Opens January 3
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • Group bookings of 3 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 3 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the park while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Lake open-water swimming is not included in the rate and is charged at £7 per person for a day ticket . Swimming is only available Wednesday to Sunday. No swimming while divers are in the lake. The lake must not be used after hours or when no staff are on site, as it's a deep diving training lake and can be dangerous. Dogs are not allowed in the lake at any time.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jan 3 to

Campsite types & availability

Other campsite types

Reviews

  • 61%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 18%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 9%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 4%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
8

87% would recommend this campground to a friend

84% would stay here again

What customers say

This peaceful, clean campsite has friendly staff and great facilities, including warm showers and restrooms. It features a beautiful lake for swimming/water sports and offers a natural, tranquil setting perfect for wildlife viewing and local hikes. Convenient location, though some mentioned minor traffic noise and basic dishwashing sinks. Highly recommended for a relaxing getaway.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 32
Arrival date (latest first)

Great site, great location

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
10
Ben D.

Powered grass and gravel campervan campsite

Liked Location, peaceful site, helpful staff, lovely experience all round - will be back

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely lake and great breakfast.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
8
Accommodation
7
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
7
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Lovely lake and great breakfast.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super easy booking Relaxed place Lovely and quiet Great staff…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
9
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
5
Wifi
8
Kelly B.

Primitive grass and gravel RV campsite

Liked Super easy booking
Relaxed place
Lovely and quiet
Great staff

Disliked Showers could do with a deep clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would visit again!!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
8
Lucy S.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked I highly recommend this campsite for anyone with any type of camping, facilities are excellent and clean.
Staff were kind and friendly, had no
Issues overall and would 100% stay if in the area.
Views were amazing with a lake on site to paddle board and swim, with plenty of activities nearby.

Disliked Nothing to complain about!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Tree shade from sunshine in hot weather (till noon). Lake swim remember your…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
stuart f.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Tree shade from sunshine in hot weather (till noon).
Lake swim remember your goggles.
Easy walk to shops and nature reserve.
Facilities adjacent to lake for campers

Disliked Minor M27 background noise
No hot water for washing up

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good stopover for the early ferry.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
7
Accommodation
7
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
6
ant a.

Primitive grass and gravel RV campsite

Liked Closeness to Portsmouth ferry terminal. Clean toilets

Disliked Not much facilities..shop etc

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, good facilities

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
Holly L.

Powered grass tent campsite

Liked We loved everything about it, it was easy everything was accessible and it was the kids first time camping and they loved it

Disliked N/a

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site for a peaceful night away.

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

Powered grass and gravel campervan campsite

Liked This was our 5th visit to this site. As always it was a peaceful night away with good clean facilities. Staff are welcoming and friendly and although we didn’t try any, the food and drink in the cafe looks amazing.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic place clean beautiful really helpful staff thank you…

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
6
Jayne W.

Powered grass and gravel RV campsite

Liked Fantastic place clean beautiful really helpful staff thank you

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful camp, amazing lake, shop close by.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Craig R.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Pitches were nicely mown, the scenery is lovely.
The swimming lake is excellent, such clean water and I loved swimming with the ducklings! It's bigger than a swimming pool so plenty of space to swim.
The showers and toilets are nice.
You can walk through the woods at the back of the pitches and if you turn right and walk 10 mins it takes you to a little onestop and a fish and chip shop. If you turn left you can walk about 20 mins to the nature reserve.

Disliked N/A

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site cafe On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports Wild swimming

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Themes

Hikers’ paradise Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycling nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Andark Lake

Oslands Lane

Lower Swanwick

Southampton

Hampshire

England

SO31 7EG

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.88013°N
1.29099°W

Route directions

The site is at the top of Oslands Lane, an unmade track. The access road is opposite the Old Ship pub (Bridge Road). The road runs between Andark Shop and the Carsa Car dealership.

Nearest transport

Bus
5.1 mi Telephone House
5.1 mi Telephone House
5.1 mi Terminal 1
Rail
0.7 mi Bursledon Rail Station
1.1 mi Swanwick Rail Station
1.8 mi Hamble Rail Station
Ferry
1.8 mi Hamble-le-Rice Ferry Landing
1.9 mi Warsash Ferry Landing
4.8 mi Hythe (Hants) Ferry Terminal
Airport
5.7 mi Southampton Airport
24.7 mi 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

Wetsuits at the ready – if you’re into your watersports you’ll have plenty to pick from around here. Swanwick Marina is 10 minutes’ walk away for sailing training, and there’s paddleboarding, windsurfing and kayaking on the Hamble 15 minutes’ drive away. Kitesurf kit hire and lessons are 40 minutes away on the other side of the river. Take a break from the big blue for a wander around Holly Hill Woodland Park, five minutes away by car, or a sea-view stroll through Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, 20 minutes away. SeaCity Museum, Solent Sky Museum and the Tudor House and Garden in Southampton are worth a visit too, and there are shops, restaurants and a cinema at the city’s West Quay. Cross the River Hamble to hit the New Forest National Park, 25 minutes’ drive away, for a walk, bike ride or horse ride or a trip to meet the furry and feathered residents of the New Forest Wildlife Park. It’s also worth trundling along to the classic car collection at Beaulieu’s National Motor Museum (35 minutes away).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Calshot 5 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Hillhead 5.4 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Lee-On-Solent 6.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Lepe 7.2 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Cowes 7.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Southampton Maritime Museum 5.1 mi

Beaulieu National Motor Museum 8.1 mi

Portchester Castle 8.3 mi

Osborne House 8.9 mi

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard 9.8 mi

National Trust

Newtown Old Town Hall 12.5 mi

Winchester City Mill 12.5 mi

Hinton Ampner 12.8 mi

Mottisfont 15.4 mi

Bembridge Windmill 15.9 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Grace Dieu 0.9 mi

ROYAL VICTORIA COUNTRY PARK, FORMERLY ROYAL VICTORIA MILITARY HOSPITAL 2.2 mi

TOWNHILL PARK 4.7 mi

CENTRAL PARKS, SOUTHAMPTON 5.1 mi

SOUTHAMPTON CEMETERY 6 mi

Local events

  • CarFest (Friday, August 22, 2025 – Friday, August 22, 2025)

    Basingstoke, England 23.4 mi

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 campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Hampshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Andark Lake have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Andark Lake dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Andark Lake? Wetsuits at the ready – if you’re into your watersports you’ll have plenty to pick from around here. Swanwick Marina is 10 minutes’ walk away for sailing training, and there’s paddleboarding, windsurfing … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Andark Lake?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Andark Lake? From $26.95 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.