Marwell Resort

View prices & book 8.8 1,124 reviews
Aerial view of the freshwater carp lake (added by manager 27 Jul 2020)
The site and surrounding area from above.
Sunset at the lake
Perfect pitches

  • Lakeside site on the edge of the South Downs National Park
  • A 15-minute drive from central Winchester; 1.5 miles from Marwell Zoo
  • Fishing, archery, quad biking and other adventure sports
Zebras, tigers and bokibokies await in these handsome Hampshire surrounds – taking the kids to see Marwell Zoo's multitude of beasts is likely to make for some very happy hols indeed. Marwell Resort is within walking distance of this much-loved menagerie and is home to plenty of adventurous action in its own right – head here if you like the sound of oodles of outdoor activities in a pretty lakeside setting. The team at Marwell Resort have been instructing for more than 25 years, so they're well qualified to help you try out sports like archery, quad biking and clay pigeon shooting. Please note that many of these activities have a minimum age restriction applied- please check directly with the site. The site lake has a total of nine swims available for anglers (mega-sized carp can be found in its waters, including whoppers weighing up to 45 pounds). Surrounded as it is by trees, it also looks pretty fine (especially at sundown) and is a popular spot with local wildlife. Marwell Resort has strong all-round facilities, including toilets, showers and wifi. There's also an on-site bistro restaurant that serves up nourishing meals seven days a week. You can set up a barbecue and cook your own grub, too (stock up on fresh meat and veg 15 minutes' drive away at Westlands Farm Shop).

Site type

Rent a tent 6
Touring caravan pitches 25
Tent pitches 25
Motorhome pitches 25
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Facilities/activities including fishing, archery, junior quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, treetop adventure are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • The bar and/or restaurant is open between 02/01 et 31/12.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Reception is unmanned after 6 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.
  • The bar is open between 02/01 and 31/12.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.
  • Please note that the restaurant opening times vary, depending on guest occupancy numbers at the time of stay. Please note these are the age requirements for the activities: minimum age 3 years old: adventure golf minimum age 8 years old: archery, junior quad biking, treetop adventure, air rifles maximum age 10 years old: indoor soft play minimum age 16 years old: clay pigeon shooting The bar and grill will be closed on 07 October from 5pm due to a private event. Guest wifi is available in the bar and grill area but may unfortunately be slow. Due to the site location phone service can also be limited, depending on your provider.

Languages spoken

Dutch

English

French

German

Spanish

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

90%

would recommend this site to a friend

87%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

This place could be amazing with a bit of money spent on it

Overall 6/10
Location 6
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 4
Wifi 10
Dean H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Stayed here earlier in year when weather was better and without kids and enjoyed it so thought I’d come back with grand kids Crazy golf is the best thing this place had

Disliked: Toilet and shower block was cold at £50 a night would assume it to be heated On site shop shut I expected mud yr in woodland but my oh my it was so muddy A lot of pot holes Music from gym is a bit loud Stayed on nicer for less

Recommend to friends Visit again

Breskfast at the bistro.…

Overall 6/10
Location 8
Value for money 6
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Gary C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Breskfast at the bistro.

Disliked: Took two 12-year-olds as the resort boasted so many activities, only to find none of them are available except for adventure golf. And this was in kids half term holiday? Also, the main toilet block hand dryer didn’t work and there was no hand towels for the full five days I was there. Was a case of shaking my hands and wiping them dry on my shorts every time. Disappointing really.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really nice site with friendly staff.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Giles S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Large flat well serviced pitches on a nice field. Great toilets and showers. Nice bar and restaurant. Very friendly and helpful ful staff.

Disliked: Bar only open to 6pm out of season.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good spot all round

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Thank you for a great long weekend, very easy check in, even though it was a quiet time, the staff was plenty full and pleasant. Even helped to look for our little cavapoo when we thought she’d wandered off, when in fact she’d just jumped in to the van 😄 And no complaints even though we were a little late in packing up, over 3 hours later 😳 Thanks again

Disliked: It’s a shame the bar wasn’t open a bit later 😂 And possibly a better wifi connection

Recommend to friends Visit again

Avoid!

Overall 2/10
Location 8
Value for money 2
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Arthur W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: We liked the fact that the electricity to our pitch was on and there was hot water in the shower block and washing up area.

Disliked: Where can I start! We arrived late afternoon, but there was nobody in the reception area and it was locked even though it was within the time stated for open hours. I rang the number for the Warden 4 times, but all I could do was leave messages. My wife walked away trying to find where the touring pitches were, as there were no signage indicating such, and luckily found where they were, so we were able to hook up. The Warden did turn up eventually. We had a quick chat, but he didn't hang around, although he told me the restaurant had just closed, even as it was only around 5pm. The shower and toilets were absolutely filthy. We were the only people staying there, but it looked like the place had been abandoned. There was toilet paper strewn around the floor in the toilet cubicles together with muddy footprints. The showers looked like they hadn't been cleaned in months and there were hundreds of Crane flies everywhere, even in the showers. The lights in the men's area were sensor activated and left me in total darkness literally half way through my shower. The washing up area had no lighting so we had to wash up after our meal using a torch. We paid £52 for the pitch, only because we thought we'd be able to participate in some of the activities, but after booking I was told that the activities only took place at the weekend, so was left wondering why I'd paid so much, especially as I'd paid around half that for the camp we'd stayed at prior to Marwell, which had underfloor heating in the toilet blocks and was spotless!

Recommend to friends Visit again

The pod itself is gorgeous. The lake setting, the fire pit and…

Overall 4/10
Location 4
Value for money 6
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 6
Wifi No rating
Helene W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod (lake view)

Liked: The pod itself is gorgeous. The lake setting, the fire pit and logs provided was great and much appreciated. The response of reception to our delayed arrival in the dark was great.

Disliked: The noise from the road nearby. Deafening! From our pod decking we could actually see the cars passing by on the busy fast Portsmouth road at quite a speed. And I’m not talking about lorries. No attempts at blocking of the noise seems to have been made. They should block off the noise with natural bamboo plants or some sort of natural screening which we be great. From the busy road, we could clearly see our pod. So no surprise it was so noisy. The shower and toilet facilities are in need of upgrading.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The site was clean and well maintained. The toilet block and showers…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The site was clean and well maintained. The toilet block and showers were clean and well serviced. The bar was welcoming and the staff were really helpful

Recommend to friends Visit again

Other than the grumpy man all staff were really friendly and helpful.

Overall 6/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The facilities were great and there was so much to do on site.

Disliked: We were next to the glamping field, which was empty when we arrived. My son’s football went through the fence and a man who was moving the bbqs quite sharply told him to get out of the field as it wasn’t for him. My son cried as he was literally the other side of the fence getting his ball. A few hours later a very large group of people arrived and filled all the glamping tents and set up for a party. This party went on until the early hours and was extremely loud. We were unable to sleep- I’m sure it says on the website no large groups or music after a certain time

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff, Good services & can get just eat too!

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
Abbi S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The accessible shower and communication with staff

Disliked: The weather (genuinely can’t fault the place itself)!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nothing, other that a member of the family came out to assist…

Overall 2/10
Location 2
Value for money 2
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Dennis G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Nothing, other that a member of the family came out to assist with pitch allocation after a number of phone calls.

Disliked: No reception. No notice to explain where to pitch up. Toilets not automatically secure so full of insects overnight. No heating in shower area.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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 Soft play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit 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

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 Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful Wildlife haven

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 Shop nearby

Type

Large (51-200 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal pitches

Location

Marwell Resort

Hurst Lane

Owslebury

Hampshire

England

SO21 1EZ

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.98572°N
-1.27669°W

Nearest transport

Coach
8.7 km Broadway Guildhall
10.1 km Southampton Uni Interchange
10.1 km Southampton Uni Interchange
Rail
5.4 km Shawford Rail Station
5.5 km Eastleigh Rail Station
6.1 km Hedge End Rail Station
Ferry
13.5 km Southampton Vehicle Ferry Terminal
13.6 km Southampton Passenger Ferry Terminal
14.4 km Hamble-le-Rice Ferry Landing
Airport
7.1 km Southampton Airport
45.4 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

Marwell Zoo (five minutes' drive) has over 140 different species to admire – you can also leave the car back at base and stroll over (about 20 minutes) for a pedestrian safari. Paultons Park (25 minutes' drive) is another perennial fave for family-oriented days out – here you can meet Peppa Pig, crash down log flumes or opt for wanders through a dinosaur-filled forest. The South Downs National Park has some truly splendid hiking trails, including the 100-mile-long South Downs Way (the trail starts 15 minutes down the road in Winchester). Mountain bikers also have plenty to choose from around these parts – an exhilarating bike track through the woods is on hand in the nearby village of Bishopstoke (10 minutes). The gorgeous New Forest National Park (25 minutes) is also within easy reach, and one of the best ways to get around is by open-top tour bus. There are three routes to choose from – it all comes down to whether you prefer vistas of heather-covered heathland or coastal explores. Speaking of the sea, beaches like Lepe and Highcliffe Castle (both 40 minutes) are very much worth the journey (make sure to pack jelly shoes and a towel if at all tempted).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Hillhead 19.5 km Sea N/A Good Good Good
Calshot 19.8 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Lee-On-Solent 21.2 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Lepe 23.1 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Cowes 24.3 km Sea N/A Good Good Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

INTECH Science Centre & Planetarium 8.3 km

Winchester Cathedral 8.8 km

Southampton Maritime Museum 13.4 km

Mid-Hants Railway 'Watercress Line' 13.9 km

Mottisfont Abbey Garden, House and Estate 19.3 km

National Trust

Winchester City Mill 8.6 km

Hinton Ampner 10.8 km

Mottisfont 19.3 km

Uppark House and Garden 27.2 km

Newtown Old Town Hall 31.5 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Upham - Woodcote - Green Hill - Upham 3 km

Upham - Street End 3 km

Shawford - Highbridge - Marwell - Shawford 5.4 km

CRANBURY PARK 6.5 km

COMPTON END 6.6 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 Marwell Resort have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Marwell Resort dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Marwell Resort? Marwell Zoo (five minutes' drive) has over 140 different species to admire – you can also leave the car back at base and stroll over (about 20 minutes) for a pedestrian safari. … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Marwell Resort?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  noon –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Marwell Resort? From R629.26 (for 1 night, 8 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.