Happyard

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.4 39 reviews
Visitor image of the beautiful views
Visitor image of the beautiful views
Cute neighbours
Alpacas
Tent pitches
Meet Bride valley Jubilee Jack and more cria ready to unpack shortly
Views from site
Views from site
Non electric pitches
1/84
Cute neighbours
Alpacas
Tent pitches

  • Off-grid farm and alpaca centre in peaceful rural Dorset
  • A 10-minute drive to Bridport, 15 to Dorchester and 30 to Lyme Regis
  • Free animal experiences for guests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
It’s all about animals and the countryside at Happyard, an eco-friendly farm home to a herd of friendly woolly alpacas that guests can meet, walk with or even book a party with for an additional fee. The herd’s home is rural Dorset, in a swathe of green space with views over fields towards the Hardy Monument in the distance. It’s deep in the Dorset National Landscape but is a handy spot for getting to sightseeing of all sorts: Dorchester is 15 minutes’ drive to the east, Bridport 10 minutes’ west and Weymouth within 25 minutes. Driving west again past Bridport, the Jurassic Coast’s Charmouth and Lyme Regis are easily day-trip doable, at 30 and 35 minutes. Or stop off at the site on the way to Devon or Cornwall, as it is just after the village of Winterbourne Abbas and minutes from the A35. The roomy field has plenty of room for you to roam when you’re not making friends with the Happyard herd. Guests can join the free animal feeding sessions: ponies on Tuesdays, alpacas on Wednesdays and guinea pigs on Sunday afternoons. All other Happyard animal activities are for an additional fee (and must be arranged in advance using the contact details provided in your booking confirmation). And yet another handy feature? Firepits and barbecues are allowed, so spark up your masterpiece and sit back under the night sky. As the site is off-grid, please bring your own drinking water. Flushing toilets and showers are in the main yard.

Campground type

Rent a tent 5
Tent sites 15
Opens
Please note

Admission

  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.

General

  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Hired accommodation

  • Guests must bring their own duvets, pillows, sheets and towels when staying in rental accommodation. You will not be allowed to stay if you do not bring these items.

Occupancy

  • Bookings must not consist of more than 3 different households.
  • Group bookings of 3 or more units travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Reception

  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Safety

  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.
  • The site is off-grid and guests should bring their own drinking water. Advance bookings are recommended for the alpaca walk activity to avoid disappointment, by contacting the site on the details provided in your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating from 39 Pitchup.com customers

  • 69%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 17%
    8
  • 5%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Peaceful

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

This welcoming, no-frills campsite is a hit for its adorable alpacas and closeness to nature. Guests rave about the friendly staff and stunning views, though some note wind and sloped pitches. Ongoing upgrades and occasional road noise are mentioned, but it's a great value for animal lovers.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 9/8/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 4
Arrival date (latest first)

Little gem

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Lovely little place. Owners are fab. Will definitely stay again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved the Alpacas of course and…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Andrew M. 2 reviews

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Loved the Alpacas of course and the other animals. The site and facilities were clean and the owner really friendly. It was a very relaxing stay and a great night sleep.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice friendly site.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 C S. 6 reviews

Bell tent

Liked Nice small campsite with clean facilities.
My children loved the Alpacas meet and greet.

Disliked I wouldn't say a dislike but you are a 10 min drive from a shop etc.
The site isn't to far from the main route which runs along the coast.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A wonderful place; we will definitely come back for a longer stay.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Dariusz A. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Great location, wonderful staff—highly recommended.

Disliked Non

Recommend to friends Visit again

What a wonderful hidden gem! Small…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 No rating
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Charlotte W. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked What a wonderful hidden gem! Small site (not on top field but there is another field so I’m told!) nice and cosy working farm with the cutest entertainment…44 alpacas! Very basic site which was perfect for us. Toilets, showers and washing up facilities. Really enjoyed just sitting and watching all the animals, as did the children.

Our host Tina was fab, very helpful when my car broke down and on hand if needed.

If you’re looking for a simple, back to basic sight with animals this is the place! Will deffo be returning at some point in the future!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Charlotte, thank you for your wonderful review and thank you for staying with us.
we are very glad to hear you all had a great time! Hopefully we will see you again soon.
Best wishes
Tina

We had a wonderful 8 days…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Sophie W. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked We had a wonderful 8 days here this summer, we loved it at Happyard and could have stayed even longer.
The site was fantastic and there is so much to do in the area.

It is in a great convenient location for visiting the Jurassic Coast. Dorchester, Lyme Regis & Weymouth are all just a short car trip away.

There was also the adorable alpaca on the site, including babies, one called Russell who had just been born the day we arrived and John who was a week old. The kids loved seeing them play together and all the other animals especially the friendly farm cats! They were all clearly well cared for.

The free animal feeding on three days was a great bonus too, such an amazing experience to see the alpaca up close.

The site itself was lovely and quiet, with nice clean facilities. We had a spacious flat pitch, understandably due to the drought the ground was hard, so recommend hard ground pegs.

The owner, Tina, and all the staff were all very friendly and helpful, the kids are already asking to go back next year!

Disliked Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Sophie, thank you so much for your wonderful review. We are so glad you all had a great time, hopefully we will see you again next year!
Best wishes,
Tina

Very cute campsite, was lush waking…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Jordan W. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Very cute campsite, was lush waking up to the alpacas (we loved John & Juniper). Friendly service. Great communication from start to finish, would stay again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Jordan, thank you very much for your lovely review and thank you for staying with us. We are so glad you enjoyed yourselves!
Hopefully we will see you again soon.
Best wishes,
Tina

Kids love the farm animals.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Jershelyn P. 2 reviews

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Fantastic stay. Kids love the alpacas, bunnies, guinea pigs.

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant location camping in the farm.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Jimmy W. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Brilliant location camping in the farm. Getting to meet and feed all the animals in the evening was lovely. For an extra small fee the alpaca meet and feed was brilliant will definitely return. Also good facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic alpaca farm campsite with spotless showers & toilets

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Tina H. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked What an absolute little jem of a campsite!
We stayed at this lovely alpaca farm last night and honestly had the most wonderful time. The alpacas were absolutely adorable, so friendly and clearly very well cared for. It was such a peaceful and relaxing little getaway.

The pitches were fantastic too — nice and flat with beautiful views across the countryside, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable and relaxing.

I also have to mention how spotless the facilities were — the showers and toilets were exceptionally clean and well maintained, which really made the stay even more comfortable. You can tell the owners take great pride in the place.

A truly charming stay and we will definitely be returning. Highly recommend to anyone wanting a quiet countryside escape with the sweetest alpacas!
Already looking forward to book for the summer, as we are so excited to meet the baby alpacas!! 🥰
Thank you so much to Tina and staff for making our stay so memorable.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs allowed

Portable toilet

Pop-up campground

Campfires allowed

Leisure on park

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

Amenities on park

Bath available 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 Tents for hire Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed No pets allowed

Themes

Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No drinkable water point Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal sites

Location

Happyard

Bride Valley Alpaca Farm

Higher Kingston Russell

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 9ED

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.72098°N
2.59332°W

Route directions

Please do not turn off the A35 until you see the sign for Kingston Russell; a satnav may tell you to turn off too early. The site is a few hundred yards down the lane on the right, just after the old farmhouse. The site's What3words is loopholes.trials.dressings.

Nearest transport

Bus
6.9 mi South Station
7.5 mi Coach Station
9.8 mi Marks and Spencer
Rail
4.2 mi Maiden Newton Rail Station
6.7 mi Dorchester West Rail Station
6.9 mi Dorchester South Rail Station
Ferry
10.1 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal
26.3 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
26.7 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing

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

Day trips to the countryside, coast, farms or fossil-hunting havens are easily done from Happyard. Keen hikers can set off on the hiking paths and bike trails around the Dorset National Landscape – Kingston Russell House (55 minutes' walk), the Dorset Downs (50 minutes), Long Bredy village (40 minutes) and the Valley of Stones National Nature Reserve (an hour and a half) are all within walking or pedalling distance. If alpacas have whetted the kids’ appetite for seeing creatures of all sorts, drive south to Abbotsbury Swannery (20 minutes' drive), the world’s only managed colony of mute swans. Around 600 swans are here to see and help feed, on a sizeable site also home to a petting farm, play areas, pedal go-karts, a nature reserve and a maze. (The Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens are five minutes’ drive from here if you crave a calmer time afterwards.) Other excellent options include West Bay (15 minutes), the scenic setting for the TV drama Broadchurch; Cerne Abbas Giant (20 minutes), the 55-metre chalk figure etched into the Dorset hillside; and following the Thomas Hardy trail around Dorchester (15 minutes) to Higher Bockhampton.
(within 6.2 mi)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park, & Zoo (within 10 mi)

Food and drink

  • Coach House Inn Pub 2.2 mi
  • White Horse Inn Pub 2.2 mi
  • The Crown Inn Pub 3.4 mi
  • Spyway Inn Pub 3.5 mi
  • Kings Arms Pub 3.8 mi
  • Ilchester Arms Pub 3.8 mi
  • Swan Inn Pub 3.9 mi
  • Bull Inn Pub 3.9 mi
  • Chalk and Cheese Pub 4 mi
  • Colonial Restaurant 4.1 mi

Parks and play

  • Litton Cheney Playing Field Playground 1.9 mi
  • Frampton (Millennium Green) park 3.4 mi
  • Arboretum & Apiary park 4.1 mi
  • West Lawn park 4.1 mi
  • Abbotsbury Swannery Playground 4.3 mi
  • Play Park Playground 5.9 mi
  • The Great Field park 5.9 mi
  • Malta CLose Green park 6.1 mi

Family days out

  • Kingston Russell Stone Circle Visitor attraction 2.3 mi
  • Abbotsbury Children's Farm Visitor attraction 4 mi
  • Chilean Border & 'Lookout' Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Southern Hemisphere Garden Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Bothy & Fern Glade Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Jungle Glade Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Sino Himalayan Glade Visitor attraction 4.2 mi
  • Abbotsbury Swan Maze Visitor attraction 4.5 mi
  • Abbotsbury Swannery Visitor attraction 4.6 mi
  • Powerstock Castle 4.7 mi
  • Sandworld Theme park 9.2 mi
  • Leisure Ranch Theme park 9.2 mi
  • Sealife Centre Zoo 9.3 mi
  • Fantasy Island Fun Park Theme park 9.6 mi

Public transport

  • Kingston Russell Turn 0.2 mi
  • Long Bredy Hut 0.7 mi
  • Whiteway Cross 1.6 mi
  • Litton Cheney 2 mi
  • Coach and Horses 2.1 mi
  • St Mary's Church 2.3 mi
  • Winterbourne Valley School 2.4 mi
  • Hamlands 2.7 mi
  • Steepleton Manor 3.1 mi
  • Chilcombe Lane 3.8 mi

Beaches

  • Hive Beach 5.9 mi

What’s nearby

  • Village Store 4 mi

Local services

  • Esso Fuel station 2.5 mi
  • Portesham Surgery Doctors 3.8 mi
  • Texaco Fuel station 4 mi
  • Long Ash Service Station Fuel station 4 mi
  • Rowlands Pharmacy 6 mi
  • Frederick Treves House Doctors 6 mi
  • Poundbury Clinic 6 mi
  • Texaco Fuel station 6 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Abbotsbury Swannery 4.3 mi

Mapperton House & Gardens 7.1 mi

Hardy's Birthplace 8.9 mi

Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 9.2 mi

Radipole Lake Nature Reserve 9.4 mi

National Trust

Max Gate 7.5 mi

Hardy's Cottage 8.9 mi

Clouds Hill 14.9 mi

Montacute House 16.8 mi

Tintinhull Garden 18.3 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

South from Little Bredy 1.6 mi

BRIDEHEAD 1.7 mi

Eggardon Hill and Powerstock 3 mi

Hardy Monument Circular 3 mi

ABBOTSBURY GARDENS 4.2 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.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Happyard have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Happyard dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Happyard? Day trips to the countryside, coast, farms or fossil-hunting havens are easily done from Happyard. Keen hikers can set off on the hiking paths and bike trails around the Dorset National Landscape … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Happyard?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more