The Dorset Hideaway

Looking over the grass pitch area towards the Scrub Amenity building (added by manager 18 Jul 2016)

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  • Quiet, secluded, well-maintained rural site 3.5 miles from Charmouth
  • With beauty and therapy courses, painting classes and fishing
  • High-quality facilities and recently updated
Do you rather fancy a Swedish massage, please? Or a lounge in a spa, or some beauty and therapy treatments without having to go off site...? The Dorset Hideaway might be small and rural, but for what's on offer on site, it's perfectly formed. This is a holiday retreat for serious relaxation in the Dorset countryside: on-site beauty sessions include everything from facials, manicures and pedicures, to massages and holistic therapies, and guests can also take painting courses at the on-site art studio. There's also a modern toilet block and a dishwashing area kept clean and completely up to date – the site has already had several facelifts since opening in 2016. The Dorset Hideaway also has a shop stocked with locally made items, firepit and chimenea hire (please ask and pay at reception for firepits when you arrive), wood and kindling for sale, DVD hire and a book exchange. A pond is on site for (non-commercial) informal fishing: please note this is catch and release only. The setting is in farmland a few miles from the Jurassic Coast, with a glowingly good local landscape overlooking Dorset's highest coast and countryside hills. Although it's secluded and peaceful, it's only three miles from the main road for getting out and about – suitably relaxed and refreshed – around Dorset. (Please note that while wifi is freely available in the information room, it isn't superfast fibre optic – this is what BT provide currently.)

Site type

Tent pitches 30
Rent a tent 9
Touring caravan pitches 11
Motorhome pitches 11

Tourist board rating

Languages spoken

English

French

German

Silver David Bellamy Conservation Award

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house

Cycle hire

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Fitness centre

Games room

Hot tub

Indoor swimming pool

Kids' club

On-site restaurant/cafe

Outdoor swimming pool

Play area

Pétanque

TV room

Take away

Tennis

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Local produce

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Tents for hire

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

Dogs allowed all year

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Luxury

Peaceful

Remote location

Spectacular scenery

Walkers' paradise

Wild camping

Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities

Chemical disposal

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Nearby farmers' market

Type

Farm

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Cycle hire nearby

Cycling nearby

Fishing nearby

Horse riding nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Restaurant nearby

Sailing nearby

Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Drainage hook-up points for tourers

Seasonal pitches

Tourer storage facilities

Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

The Dorset Hideaway

Bridge Farm

Gassons/Cardsmill Lane

Whitchurch Canonicorum

Bridport

Dorset

England

DT6 6RW

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.7761°N
-2.84627°W

Route directions

From the A35 westbound, go through the village of Morecombelake and take the right turn at the art gallery towards Whitchurch. Follow the single track lane for approximately a mile to the centre of the village. Turn right at the pink thatched cottage on the opposite corner. If you are coming eastbound on the A35, take the first sign towards Whitchurch Canonicorum village (Berne Lane), then do not turn at the pink house, just carry straight on 500 yards past the village hall/old school. Should you wish to approach from different directions other than those here please note that while it's possible, it will involve more single track lanes and it is not signposted all the way, only as you get near. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER TAPHOUSE OR LODGEHOUSE FARMS WHATEVER YOUR SATNAV TELLS YOU, YOU HAVE NOT REACHED YOUR DESTINATION! KEEP DRIVING FOR ANOTHER HALF A MILE TO REACH THE SITE. Go through the village of Canonicorum and at the hall/old school, take the exit to the left to Marshwood/Gassons Lane (opposite Berehayes Holiday Cottages, also known as Cardsmill Lane on Google). Follow the single track lane for approximately 2 miles; do not turn off. You’ll pass the Mandeville Stoke Farm turning on your right (marked dead end) and you will turn through a sharp 90-degree bend to your left. After 200 yards go under the pylon wires overhead. Slow down as our site entrance is coming up on your left. You have arrived at Dorset Hideaway – welcome! Please pull into the site entrance, close the gates and enquire at reception for pitching instructions and site information. Please note this is a geographical postcode and as such is shared by more than one address. Please use the directions above once near as Google Maps and satnav software will sometimes take you past the campsite and farm for a further half mile. Please note the satellite image shown on Google maps is 6 years out of date and so the improvements and changes are not yet shown.

Nearest transport

Coach
4.7 mi Coach Station
14.9 mi Yeovil Bus Station
18.5 mi South Station
Rail
6.9 mi Axminster Rail Station
7.4 mi Crewkerne Rail Station
12.1 mi Maiden Newton Rail Station
Ferry
21 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal
26.1 mi Bridgwater Ferry Terminal
27.6 mi Exmouth Ferry Landing
Airport
25.2 mi Exeter 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

Jurassic Coast towns and coves are within a few miles of The Dorset Hideaway, with other top destinations of Dorset, Devon and Somerset within easy driving distance. The main towns of the Jurassic Coast closest to The Dorset Hideaway are all worth a day trip for coast and countryside pursuits: Charmouth for its fossil museum; Bridport for brewery tours at Palmers' and vineyard tours at Furleigh Estate; and Lyme Regis for the Dinosaur Museum, marine aquarium and town museum, full of fossilly finds. More museums – of teddy bear, county and Keep Military – are at Dorchester, along with the Tutankhamun Exhibition, the first outside Egypt to show an exact recreation of Tutankhamun's mummy and one of Dorchester's most-visited attractions. For other museums and history highlights in the region, have a look at (Thomas) Hardy's Cottage just outside Dorchester; the Tolpuddle Martyrs museum at Tolpuddle; Northe Fort, the nineteenth century naval museum at Weymouth, and the castles at Corfe and Sherborne. Seven miles south of Dorchester is another esteemed Jurassic Coast town, Weymouth – head here for sailing, the Sea Life observational tower and the lighthouse and cliffs of Portland Bill (bring camera to here and surrounding Chesil Beach). From Weymouth, drive further along the coast to Swanage, Wareham, Corfe and Poole: Swanage for the Swanage Steam Railway and Studland Beach; Wareham for Monkey World and Cloud's Hill, the birthplace of TE Lawrence; Corfe for an Enid Blyton-style castle and Poole for all sorts of sightseeing including trips to spectacular Brownsea Island. In the other direction from Weymouth, stop off at Seaton to see one of our fave sights along the Devon coast, the Pecorama model and light railways set most scenically in the hills above Beer. From Seaton, head inland to Axminster, Chard, Shaftesbury and Yeovil, or continue along the coast to reach Torquay, Brixham and Paignton.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Seatown 3.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Charmouth West 3.9 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Good
Eypemouth 4.9 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Lyme Regis Front Beach 5.5 mi Sea N/A Good Good N/A
West Bay (West) 5.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Mapperton House & Gardens 6.2 mi

Montacute House 13.4 mi

Abbotsbury Swannery 13.4 mi

Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site 18.5 mi

Fleet Air Arm Museum 18.8 mi

National Trust

Loughwood Meeting House 9.4 mi

Shute Barton 9.4 mi

Barrington Court 12.8 mi

Montacute House 13.4 mi

Branscombe: the Old Bakery, Manor Mill and Forge 14 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Fishpond Bottom - Wootton Fitzpaine and River Char 2 mi

North Chideock - Symondsbury and More. 2.9 mi

Langdon Hill - Golden Cap - Langdon Hill 3 mi

Champernhayes - Monkton Wyld - Wootton Fitzpaine 3.2 mi

Seatown - Golden Cap - Ridge Barn - Stanton St Gab 3.8 mi

Local events

  • Sidmouth Folk Festival (Friday 2 August 2024 – Friday 2 August 2024)

    Sidmouth, Devon 18.3 mi

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday 7 September 2024 – Saturday 7 September 2024)

    Dorchester, Dorset 18.8 mi

  • Beautiful Days (Friday 16 August 2024 – Friday 16 August 2024)

    Ottery St Mary, Devon 20 mi

  • Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival and Rally (Friday 19 July 2024 – Friday 19 July 2024)

    Dorchester, Dorset 24.1 mi

  • Tankfest (Friday 28 June 2024 – Friday 28 June 2024)

    Wareham, Dorset 27 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.

Reviews

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  • Does The Dorset Hideaway have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Dorset Hideaway dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Dorset Hideaway? Jurassic Coast towns and coves are within a few miles of The Dorset Hideaway, with other top destinations of Dorset, Devon and Somerset within easy driving distance. The main towns of the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Dorset Hideaway?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.

    Reception is unmanned after 6pm. Please call the site using the contact details provided in the booking confirmation email if you are arriving after this time. The team will then provide you with the relevant information about your pitch.

    Read more