Watercress Lodges Campsite

View prices & book 9.3 90 reviews
Poppies looking lovely over at the campsite
Poppies looking lovely over at the campsite
Safari tent exterior
Safari tent exterior
Safari tent exterior
Safari tent exterior
Interior
Amazing views
Amazing surrounding green area
1/76
Safari tent exterior
Safari tent exterior
Safari tent exterior

  • Family-run site by the Watercress Line: see the trains from your pitch
  • A minute's walk from steam engine events of Ropley station
  • Spotless amenities and friendly vibe 20 minutes from Winchester
Do you have a Thomas the Tank Engine fan or mini trainspotter in the family? They might just go up in a puff of excited smoke at Hampshire’s Watercress Lodges Campsite, so close to the historic Watercress Line that you’ll be able to see the trains’ steam from your tent pitch. Engine-ious. No need to be out of puff when tracking other activities in the area either, as the line’s Ropley station and its railway bridge are both a minute or two’s walk from the site, and it has regular events for all ages including Thomas the Tank Engine and Wallace and Gromit days, dining evenings, real ale trains and Santa bookings. Just the ticket then for a well-conducted family hol… The site is on land the Graham family has farmed for four generations and opened as a campsite in 2014, pulling out all the stops to make this a friendly site with a family vibe. Facilities including the new shower and toilet block are spotlessly kept by Hannah and her team, who are on hand if guests have any problems or questions. Off site, once kids have let off steam at the railway, the small town of New Alresford is three miles away for supplies, shops and pubs, and the city of Winchester within a 20-minute drive.

Site type

Tent pitches 30
Rent a tent 2
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 6
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • Reception is unmanned after 6 p.m.. Please inform the site while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time, so that the team can provide information about your unit/pitch.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
  • The charging of electric vehicles is not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.3

Overall rating from 90 Pitchup.com customers

  • 68%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 20%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 7
Peaceful

97% would recommend this site to a friend

96% would stay here again

What customers say

Great facilities, spotless site, and close to the Watercress Line steam railway – a hit with families! Peaceful vibes and neat pitches noted. Shower temps and on-site shop were minor quibbles. Many keen to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 9
Arrival date (latest first)

Nice sits, ruined by guests and not dealt with.

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 3
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Deborah C.

Bell tent

Liked Clean and fairly small site.
Next to train station where they had a day out with Thomas.
Decent toilet facilities.

Disliked Showers were freezing on our first day, although addressed after raising awareness.
I complained about awful noise from campers next to us, swearing, drinking and playing music until early hours of the morning. Unfortunately, nothing was done until the following day when we left anyway. Completely ruined our final night and went home with very tired and grumpy children, who’d heard all manner of expletives throughout the night.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great family friendly place

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
 No rating
Hayley C.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely flat pitches with very clean facilities. Perfect place to take the children as they can watch the trains go by.

Disliked N/A

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great little site. Hot showers , great facilities. They have a shared freezer…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Cherie D.

Bell tent

Liked Great little site.
Hot showers , great facilities.
They have a shared freezer which i thought was excellent.
10 minute walk to the bus stop which is great.
We had a bell tent which was perfect, tonnes of space for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Would definitely come back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great facilities for young children with the play park and attractions at…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Charley D.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great facilities for young children with the play park and attractions at the watercressline

Disliked The trains still running into the night

Recommend to friends Visit again

We loved the quiet campsite, the proximity of the steam railway and…

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked We loved the quiet campsite, the proximity of the steam railway and the number of showers- hot water was great and no waiting.

Disliked Nothing- loved our stay!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice sight,great to be close to the Ropley steam trains. Easy access…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Chris S.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Nice sight,great to be close to the Ropley steam trains. Easy access and parking, good facilities

Disliked The showers need a good jet wash

Recommend to friends Visit again

Freundliches Personal, Stellplätze direkt neben dem Zelt

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Bell tent

Liked Ruhiger Campingplatz mit
Geräumigem Safarizelt

Disliked N/a

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent level pitches with additional unique train experiences!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Ease of arrival. Good space for pitching a small tent with room to play in front for kids. Excellent bonus of having the steam trains going past. Good playground for kids.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean and tidy site friendly staff and right behind Ropley station

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
ollie j.

Bell tent

Liked Was an amazing stay staff were really friendly and the camp site was right behind Ropley station absolutely perfect for us as we’d come up for the MHR diesel gala
The Bell tent was clean and tidy upon arrival

Disliked The only problem we had was that after 10pm it was to be a quiet campsite we felt we had to walk off site in order to have a proper conversation in fear of being too loud

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely stay with family in the tipi tent

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
 No rating
Paul W.

Bell tent

Liked Location, quiet, peaceful

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No 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 Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette 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 No dogs allowed No pets allowed

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Golf nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Watercress Lodges Campsite

Dean Farm

Bighton Hill

Ropley

Alresford

Hampshire

England

SO24 9SQ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.08875°N
1.10031°W

Route directions

You can also arrive in style on a steam train which links to rail mainline services at Alton. Steam rail services do not run every day: please check train times.

Nearest transport

Coach
15 km Broadway Guildhall
15 km Dragon Street
15 km Dragon Street
Rail
11.7 km Alton Rail Station
14.4 km Petersfield Rail Station
15.3 km Micheldever Rail Station
Ferry
29.7 km Hamble-le-Rice Ferry Landing
29.8 km Warsash Ferry Landing
30.4 km Southampton Vehicle Ferry Terminal
Airport
23.9 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

Puff along on the Watercress Line or walk along the River Itchen to sightsee at Georgian New Alresford, or go in the other direction along the 10-mile route to its other terminus Alton, home of historic buildings, art gallery and the Curtis Museum. The ancient market town of Petersfield is about five miles to the east of Watercress: head here for markets, museums and scenic walks/pedals into the South Downs (Petersfield is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is in the South Downs National Park and on the South Downs Way). Winchester and its museum and castle is about 10 miles away: if the kids aren’t suitably awed by the 900-year-old cathedral (tsk), take them to Marwell Wildlife at Owslebury near the city to marvel at the 1,200 or so-strong menagerie of animals from all over the world, or to the simply super INTECH Science Centre and Planetarium on Winchester’s Morn Hill.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Hillhead 31.8 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Lee-On-Solent 32.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Eastney 34 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Southsea East 34.5 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Calshot 34.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Mid-Hants Railway 'Watercress Line' 4.3 km

Jane Austen's House 9.2 km

INTECH Science Centre & Planetarium 11.9 km

Winchester Cathedral 15.2 km

Birdworld 20.9 km

National Trust

Hinton Ampner 6.2 km

Winchester City Mill 14.8 km

Uppark House and Garden 21 km

The Vyne 24 km

Hindhead Commons and The Devil's Punch Bowl Caf� 25.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

OLD ALRESFORD HOUSE 4.1 km

Battle of Cheriton, 1644 4.6 km

BRAMDEAN HOUSE 4.8 km

Abbotstone Down - Abbotstone - Old Alresford - Abbotstone Down 5.8 km

Cheriton and the Civil War Battlefields 6.7 km

Local events

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

    Basingstoke, England 18.1 km

  • Farnborough International Airshow (Monday, 20 July 2026 – Monday, 20 July 2026)

    Farnborough, England 30.9 km

  • Reading Festival (Thursday, 21 August 2025 – Thursday, 21 August 2025)

    Reading, England 42.4 km

  • Arundel Festival (Saturday, 16 August 2025 – Saturday, 16 August 2025)

    Arundel, England 46.2 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 Hampshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Watercress Lodges Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Watercress Lodges Campsite dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Watercress Lodges Campsite? Puff along on the Watercress Line or walk along the River Itchen to sightsee at Georgian New Alresford, or go in the other direction along the 10-mile route to its other terminus … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Watercress Lodges Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  noon –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Watercress Lodges Campsite? From R619,66 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.