The Red Lion

View prices & book 8.5 176 reviews
The site
The pub in the early morning sunlight
The red lion lit up at night
Winter sunrise over the campsite

  • Family-friendly campsite adjoining a Winfrith Newburgh pub in Dorset
  • A 10-minute drive to the Jurassic Coast, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door
  • Showers and loos on site; delicious food and drink in The Red Lion pub
Set in the middle of lovely Dorset countryside and on the outskirts of the peaceful village of Winfrith Newburgh, The Red Lion is a family-run pub with a namesake campsite on the extensive field to its rear. There’s easy access by car to dump your gear at the spacious pitches – most are sheltered by mature trees – and modern facilities on-site include showers, mains water toilets and a washing-up area. The adjoining pub is open throughout the year: winter brings warming log fires while summer invites alfresco dining in the beer garden – and whenever you visit, you’re assured of a constant supply of delicious food as well as award-winning West Country ales and ciders. Luckily the site is dog-friendly as it’s a great base for soaking up Dorset’s rural vibe on quiet walks across the downs. If you’d like to spark up your barbecue while you’re there, there’s a small store in the village, otherwise do a bigger stock up in Dorchester (15 minutes).

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 6
Tent pitches 20
Motorhome pitches 6
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • Bookings must not be for more than 28 consecutive nights.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • 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.
  • The charging of electric vehicles is not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Other pitch types

Reviews

  • 56%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 19%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 11%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 2%
    2
  • 1%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
7

85% would recommend this site to a friend

83% would stay here again

What customers say

Rally next to the Red Lion pub. Staff praised for being friendly and helpful. Pitches are nice and level. Close to Durdle Door. Facilities are clean but basic, some need updating. Pub's food and vibe get good feedback. Road noise and the odd issue with codes or availability during busy periods were mentioned. Good value for a handy, nice stay.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 18
Arrival date (latest first)

Great site for a weekend

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
7
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
5
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
No rating
Phae S.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Clean site, pub friendly, quiet on site good value for cost

Disliked Road was a bit noisy
Pitches were a bit close together - but maybe we were being fussy!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Staff were amazing. Really welcoming. The facilities are good and pub fantastic.…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
1
Jon W.

Non-electric hardstanding touring pitch

Liked Staff were amazing. Really welcoming. The facilities are good and pub fantastic. Staff really lovely. Reallly recommend.

Disliked Not a lot to dislike. WiFi a bit rubbish

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very good location, easy drive to beach. Very good staff. Calm and…

Overall

1 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
Kumara A.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Very good location, easy drive to beach. Very good staff. Calm and quiet. Showers and toilet every thing fine

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great overnight stay at the red lion. The staff were awesome!

Overall

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

Non-electric grass campervan or tent pitch

Liked Great atmosphere, friendly staff and awesome entertainment! The pub was lovely as was our breakfast! Thanks!

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good location but a few tweaks needed here and there.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
4
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
1
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
5
Wifi
1
Suzanne D.

Electric grass pitch

Liked Location.Nice flat pitch.

Disliked Not enough sanitary provisions. Only 3 showers and toilets. Not good enough. When this site is full couldn't imagine the chaos of this. Both mornings no toilet paper in toilet. Need to spend out on a nice shower block. Site needs a bit of a tidy up. Bins overflowing, not good in the heat. When we arrived someone was on the pitch allocated to us, resolved but not the point. Hospitality not very good ,should at least show you to your pitch. Used pitch up a lot and other sites make more of an effort with cleanliness/ hospitality.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A nice calm and friendly site

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
7
Matthew M.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked the field was nice and spacious and the whole surrounding area was calm and quiet. The pub itself is very homely and welcoming and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The facilities on the campsite were also well looked after. We felt very relaxed here and would certainly recommend staying here for a nice quiet retreat. Durdle door and Lulworth Cove are just a short drive down the road too.

Disliked Nothing at all

Recommend to friends Visit again

A great great stay, lovely people and plenty of space.

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
Tom F.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked The overall site was fantastic, great field next to the site for walking my dog. The pub attached looks fantastic we didn’t use it on this occasion but when we checked in the inside was fantastic and the people super helpful and polite.
They had music on outside one of the evenings and that was a great evening listening to that while relaxing at our van. Great stay would recommend!!

Disliked Nothing to dislike -

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would stay again

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
4
Anonymous

Corner non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked Nice and quiet despite being next to a main road. Helpful staff and good working facilities. 9 minutes drive to Durdle Door. Quaint little village a few minutes walk away.

Disliked 4G/5G coverage not great.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stopover and great pub but with limited opening times

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
10
Lynne M.

Electric grass pitch

Liked Had a wonderful stay on this quiet site. Just perfect for us , very relaxing .

Disliked Not really anything to dislike . We did however arrive at 2 and no one was there until the pub opened at 3 . This isn’t made clear on the confirmation letter.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Convenient stay in Pub grounds, good food too.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
amanda d.

Electric grass pitch

Liked The large, flat space for motorhome, which although next to the pub was quiet at night.

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 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

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

Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pub campsite

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

The Red Lion

Winfrith Newburgh

Dorset

England

DT2 8LE

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.66708°N
2.2767°W

Nearest transport

Coach
12 km Red Lion
12 km Post Office
12.3 km South Station
Rail
4.2 km Wool Rail Station
4.6 km Moreton (Dorset) Rail Station
11.8 km Wareham Rail Station
Ferry
13.8 km Weymouth Ferry Terminal
20.6 km Poole Ferry Terminal
21.2 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
33.7 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

You won’t have to wander very far afield to sample the best of Dorset attractions; The Red Lion is only 10 minutes’ drive from Man O’War Beach on the Jurassic Coast, the spectacular Durdle Door sea arch and romantic, almost circular Lulworth Cove. The kids will relish the chance to encounter the primates at Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre (yes, also 10 minutes away), or see the nesting mute swans at Abbotsbury Swannery (40 minutes). Weymouth (25 minutes), its sandy beaches and Sea Life Adventure Park is also a good bet for keeping youngsters happy. Take the Dorset air as you scramble up to Osmington White Horse (15 minutes), cut into the limestone landscape in 1808, for views over the downs to the English Channel. There are more wonderful vistas to be had from hilltop Corfe Castle (also 15 minutes), and if any cobwebs still need blowing away, head to Chesil Beach (half an hour) for a blustery walk along the shingle.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Durdle Door East 5 km Sea N/AExcellentN/AExcellent
Durdle Door West 5 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Lulworth Cove 5.7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Ringstead Bay 6.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bowleaze Cove 10.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

The Tank Museum 3.9 km

Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre 5.4 km

Lulworth Heritage Centre 5.7 km

Lulworth Castle & Park 5.7 km

Hardy's Birthplace 10.6 km

National Trust

Clouds Hill 5.9 km

Hardy's Cottage 10.6 km

Max Gate 11.3 km

Corfe Castle 15.8 km

White Mill 21.6 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

West Lulworth Circular 4.8 km

Lulworth and White Nothe Coastal Tour 5.4 km

South Down Car Park - White Horse Hill - Osmington - Osmington Mill - Ringstead - South Down CP 5.5 km

LULWORTH CASTLE 5.5 km

Clouds Hill - Moreton 5.6 km

Local events

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday, 6 September 2025 – Saturday, 6 September 2025)

    Dorchester, England 12.2 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 Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Red Lion have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Red Lion dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Red Lion? You won’t have to wander very far afield to sample the best of Dorset attractions; The Red Lion is only 10 minutes’ drive from Man O’War Beach on the Jurassic Coast, the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Red Lion?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Red Lion? From R522,79 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.