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General
- Rural Dorset site eight miles from Dorchester and 16 from the coast
- Treasure trails and countryside walks just steps away
- Just over a mile from pubs, a tearoom and a shop in Cerne Abbas
Warning! A trip to ancient Cerne Abbas may leave you with a mammoth yearning never to leave: the Dorset village has been described as the ‘Britain’s most desirable village’ to live among the UK’s scenic many. It’s eight miles from Dorchester, within day-tripping distance of the Jurassic Coast and, most famously, is where the 180ft Cerne Abbas Giant doth dwell high up on the hillside. (Yes, the naughty giant with no sense of shyness.)
Around a 40-minute stroll from Cerne Abbas is the mightily convenient Giants Head Caravan & Camping Park, a family- and dog-friendly site over three and a half acres with grassy pitches, immense views over the Dorset countryside and thumping good access to the best of Dorset.
Countryside walks, as well as treasure trails, literally start within steps of the pitches: Giants Head has several planned walks straight from the park, and runs Treasure Trails Dorset directly from it so intrepid guests can pick up one or two of the 50+ trail packs and take off on the hunt for hidden gems. Sounds like a towering amount of fun…
As befits its location, everything at Giants Head is kept nicely natural – think mature trees, hedgerows and trim lawns; and the level or gently sloping pitches are variously secluded, shady or open (there’s also a special tail-wagging area for campers with canines). All parts of the park are well-drained and a hard road leads to pitches.
Amenities include showers, hand basins, laundry and washing-up areas; the park doesn’t have a shop, but a well-stocked village store, a tearoom and three pubs are in Cerne Abbas, a mile and a quarter away.
Open from 27/03/2024 to 21/09/2024
Site type
Tourist board rating
Languages spoken
✓ English
✓ German
Please note
Group bookings of 4 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
Group bookings of 10 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
Single-sex bookings of 10 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
Please note that there is a £0.20 charge for the use of a hairdryer (available in the ladies' only).
Check availability at Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park…
To generate better results:
- Choose the 'Multiple units per pitch' filter in the search results.
- Break your booking down into smaller groups and book multiple pitches.
- Click the button ‘Make another booking like this’ on the confirmation page to easily rebook.
- Ask to be sited together in the ‘Special requests’ box on the booking form.
You can also try filtering your search by group type and by sites allowing multiple tents/caravans/motorhomes per pitch.
Max. persons: 8 x
One Trailer tent or Tent or Campervan or Motorhome or Touring caravan allowed per pitch
Pitch size: Max 10.0m width x 10.0m depth (32.8ft width x 32.8ft depth) Calculated area: 100.0m² (1076.4ft²)
Ground type: Grass
Max. persons: 8 x
One Trailer tent or Tent or Campervan or Motorhome or Touring caravan allowed per pitch
Pitch size: Max 10.0m width x 10.0m depth (32.8ft width x 32.8ft depth) Calculated area: 100.0m² (1076.4ft²)
Ground type: Grass
Reviews
Spectacular Views ken R.Confirmed
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Great quiet little site Andrew C.Confirmed
From the manager...
So pleased you had a great holiday with us, we do keep the centre of the site free for the kids to run around and play. Jen's icecreams are lovely, and most kids and adults love them. Look forward to seeing you again soon. |
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We loved this site. Caroline and her team made us feel so welcome. Sinead G.Confirmed
From the manager...
We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us, we do try and make everyone feel comfortable, relaxed and try and create a pleasant atmosphere. Sorry about the road, it cna be a little busy sometimes but like you say - can't be helped. Hope to see you again soon. |
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Very friendly, considerate and helpful hosts run this quiet and … Theresa C.Confirmed
From the manager...
We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. We do our very best to make sure that everyone has a lovely time with us. The ice creams are the icing on the cake :) Look forward to welcoming you back very soon. |
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Sorry but there is nothing to put in the likes … Dean B.Confirmed
From the manager...
We are sorry your holiday was such a disaster and you hated it, fortunately you are in the minority. As the majority of our guest who leave reviews enjoy their holiday with us and find all our facilities clean. I am sorry about the blockage in the showers while you were on site but unfortunately someone had stuffed the shower drains with mud and stones, which caused the blockage, this was cleared as soon as it was discovered. We do not have set pitches sizes here as some visitors have extra large tents which we can easily cater for, it may look disorganised but it certainly is not. Our maintenance man did offer to help you but you knew better, we have been running this site successfully for over 50 years so we probably do know a bit about caravans. We are always available to help and offer advise to anyone on site if needed, we do leave guests to enjoy their holidays unless they or their children are causing problems and distress to other guests. The road can be a little noisy during the day but is quiet during the night, fortunately your pitch was away from the road, I thought this safest for you and all of your children. We do have building work going on at our office, I did not plan to have part of our office roof collapse, so had no choice but to make repairs. The rubbish, I assume you mean building materials. I am sorry if this caused such a problem for you when you checked in. The laundry is always available to use, and was being used while you were here. We appreciate that we cannot please everyone all the time but most of our guests are very happy as can be seen from majority of our reviews. We have a high return rate here so we must be doing something right. |
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From the manager...
We know our toilet facilities are a little dated but we do keep them spotlessly clean. Our shower block is fairly new and have received great reviews. We just want everyone to have a great time while staying with us and do our best to make that happen. The road can be a little busy at some times of the day, but we can't control the speed of some cars. |
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From the manager...
wea re pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. We do try and make sure everyone has an enjoyable holiday with us. We are sorry about the noisy road during the day, we are trying to fill out our hedgerow to try and block some of the noise. The sloping area is mainly used for children to play, butthere are a few slightly sloping pitches around this area. We look forward to seeing you again. |
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From the manager...
We are very sorry you did not enjoy your stay. You did have a lovely view from your pitch and we tried to make you feel welcome. Our toilet block is a little dated but our showers are fairly new, they were built just before Coved struck, so were not even used at times during the pandemic. The pitch at the top of the site, which I offered you was on the flat, but you did pitch a little lower down the site, closer to the childrens area which was slightly sloping, if you had pitched on the flat area I am sure you would not have had the problem with losing things off of your table. |
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Really lovely location. Clean facilities and very helpful staff. Vickie M.Confirmed
From the manager...
We are so pleased you liked our location and enjoyed your holiday with us. |
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From the manager...
I am please dyou enjoyed your stay with us, you are right, we do want everyone to be happy while staying with us. There are many walks from and around th esite so great for walkers. The road can be a little busy at times, it is only a C road but a lot of the locals tend to use it as it is a better road than the main A352 through Cerne Abbas. I have tried to do everything in my power about the excessive, dangerous speed of some drivers but unfortunately even being a Parish Councillor not even I can get any sense from the County Council, no one seems to be interested. The majority of pitches along the roadside are for regular caravaners, and they don't seem to notice the traffic sound after being sited there for a while. |
Features
Coronavirus
Hand sanitising stations
Masks/gloves available
More frequent emptying of bins
Shared spaces: more frequent cleaning
We're Good To Go (VisitBritain accreditation)
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
Disabled facilities
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
Dogs allowed all year
Themes
Budget/backpacker
Peaceful
Spectacular scenery
Walkers' paradise
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
Shop nearby
Type
Farm
Medium (26-50 pitches)
Nearby leisure
Canoeing/kayaking nearby
Cycle hire nearby
Cycling nearby
Fishing nearby
Golf nearby
Horse riding nearby
Indoor pool nearby
Mountain biking nearby
Restaurant nearby
Sailing nearby
Tennis nearby
Watersports nearby
Location
Nearest transport
- Coach stations
-
South Station
— 8.1 miles
Greenhill — 9.0 miles
Coldharbour — 9.1 miles
- Train stations
-
Maiden Newton Rail Station
— 5.6 miles
Chetnole Rail Station — 5.6 miles
Yetminster Rail Station — 6.9 miles
- Ferry ports
-
Weymouth Ferry Terminal
— 15.0 miles
Poole Ferry Terminal — 22.1 miles
Poole Quay Ferry Landing — 22.3 miles
- Airports
-
Bournemouth International Airport
— 27.8 miles
The site is situated on the Old Sherborne Road (C12), two miles north of Cerne Abbas and eight miles from Dorchester.
From Dorchester Bypass
Follow the A37, fork right onto the A352 Sherborne Road, through Charminster. After 500 yds take a right-hand turn signposted Charlton Down. At the T-junction go right past Forston Clinic; at the next T-junction go left onto the Old Sherborne Road. Giants Head is 5 miles from here.
From Dorchester
At the Top O Town Roundabout take the Sherborne Road. After 500 yds go right at the large petrol station. The shop Lidl will be on your right. Giants Head is 8 miles from here along this road.
From Sherborne
Take the A352 to Dorchester. At Middlemarsh take the left fork off of the A352; the road is signposted 'Dorchester Alternative Route'. Giants Head is 3 miles from here.
From Cerne Abbas
Take the road through the village passing the village stores on your left towards Buckland Newton.
Local attractions
If you have giggling kids along with you – and even if you don’t – a trip to the well-endowed and world-famed Cerne Abbas Giant is most visitors’ first stop, if only to buy a postcard (it’s been noted that postcards of the Giant are the only images of a naked man that can be sent via the Post Office). The man himself is now tended by the National Trust, which has a waymarked circular trail around the site from Cerne Abbas village.
Dorchester is an excellent early stop for urbanites and heritage-heads: here you’ll find history-dedicated days out as varied as the Dinosaur Museum, Dorchester Museum, Teddy Bear Museum, Tutankhamen Exhibition and the Roman Amphitheatre; take the Durnovaria Town Walk for an outdoorsy overview of the city’s main sights.
Thomas Hardy’s Cottage is at Dorchester too and the literary can book into their schedule the Thomas Hardy Trail, a six-mile circular walk within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Elsewhere around the area, take the enormous amount of things to see and do in your stride: from castles to dinosaurs, theme parks to heritage railways and historic houses to tank museums, the coast to countryside have whopping opps for days out (and in; dash to Dorchester’s West Dorset Leisure Centre on a rainy day when the kids need to let off steam).
Historic houses and gardens like Kingston Lacy, Athelhampton House and Minterne House and Gardens should suit the sedately inclined, while the less sedate (hello kids) will no doubt prefer chattering at the likes of Monkey World in Wareham, Adventure Wonderland at Christchurch or Sea Life near Weymouth. Both sorts should have a tanking good time at Bovington’s Tank Museum, the second biggest collection of armoured vehicles on the planet.
Head for the coast, half an hour's drive away, to fossil hunt or take a guided fossil tour at Lyme Regis or Charmouth; soak up sun and sights at seaside towns such as Weymouth, Swanage and Christchurch; float on a boat to the Channel Islands or potter around glorious Poole Harbour and epically beaut Brownsea Island, also managed by the National Trust.
The award-winning Swanage Railway is a gently relaxed way to see some of the sights of Dorset (including Famous Five inspiration Corfe Castle) and holds regular events including driving experiences and special days for children.
Must see
- Hardy's Birthplace (7.3 miles)
- Mapperton House & Gardens (10.9 miles)
- Abbotsbury Swannery (12.9 miles)
National Trust
- Hardy's Cottage (7.3 miles)
- Max Gate (8.2 miles)
Cycle routes
Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.
Policies
Permitted arrival/departure time
Camping and touring | ||
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Arrive: | 12 p.m. – | 8 p.m. |
Depart by: | 12 p.m. |
Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park cancellation policy
Balance refunds: no penalties
No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.
If you need to cancel or amend your booking, please give as much notice as possible so that someone else has the chance to book. You may wish to buy holiday insurance for cancellations and for your property/injury whilst away.
Please note that your deposit is paid to Pitchup.com and is non-refundable.
Payment
A 15% non-refundable deposit is payable now.
The remainder is payable direct to Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park on arrival.
Payment methods accepted on the park
American ExpressBank transfer
Cash
Cheque
MasterCard
Postal order
Visa
Terms and conditions
Site booking terms and conditions- Does Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
- Is Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
- What attractions are near Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park? If you have giggling kids along with you – and even if you don’t – a trip to the well-endowed and world-famed Cerne Abbas Giant is most visitors’ first stop, if only … Read more
- When can I check in and check out of Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park?
Camping and touring Arrive: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Depart by: 12 p.m. - How much does it cost to stay at Giants Head Caravan and Camping Park? From £23 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.
We do try and make everyone feel comfortable, we do like to have the laid back feeling here, even when the site is busy during the summer holidays. We are only a small site so we can always be available to help if needed.
The views over the Dorset countryside are wonderful, especially in the early morning with the deer roaming around.
We look forward to seeing you again very soon.