Thorncombe Farm

From £17 For 1 night, 4 adults 9.5 76 reviews
Visitor image of the peaceful and good-sized pitch (added by manager 06 Sep 2022)
Bell tent (added by manager 17 oct 2022)
Bell tents (added by manager 17 oct 2022)
Main camping field (added by visitor 29 jun 2023)

  • Small family-run farm deep in Hardy Country, two miles from Dorchester
  • Less than 10 miles from the Jurassic Coast
  • Firepits for hire, with wood supplied
If you're a Thomas Hardy fan, you'll know about Dorchester: it was where the Tess-writing dude lived and was his inspiration for the town of Casterbridge. And if you're taking the trail, settle down afterwards in a bell tent at Thorncombe Farm – it might be the perfect setting to reread Tess…? Thorncombe is a small family-run livestock farm in Dorset countryside, near the hamlet of Bockhampton where Thomas Hardy was born, and two miles from the county town of Dorchester. Weymouth, Durdle Door, Chesil Beach and the Jurassic Coast are less than 10 miles away. The five-metre bell tents here have been set up for those who want a bit less hassle on hol and who don't want to be faffed with putting up and taking down tents. Each is furnished with a separate dining area with seating and table, as well as a deluxe double and two single beds, carpeting and rugs, a storage cabinet and a mirror. There's electricity to power lighting, a small fridge and recharging points for devices. Each bell tent also has a firepit barbecue (if you'd rather eat out, try Yalbury Cottage Restaurant or Pine Lodge Farm, both in Bockhampton, the Wise Man pub in West Stafford or the Blue Vinny at Puddletown). The Thorncombe team supplies firepits, wood and charcoal – read The Mayor of Casterbridge along with marshmallows, maybe…?

Site type

Rent a tent 5
Touring caravan pitches 25
Motorhome pitches 25
Tent pitches 25
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed, 1 May to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

96%

would recommend this site to a friend

91%

would stay here again

  • 78%
    10
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    8
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Amazing Bell tent ⛺️ and facilities. The goats were very funny! Ness…

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
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent (no pets)

Liked: Amazing Bell tent ⛺️ and facilities. The goats were very funny! Ness the host was great and very friendly.

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful place, very clean showers and toilets. Very good location.…

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Beautiful place, very clean showers and toilets. Very good location.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent value, perfect host and stunning views

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
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Wonderful host, Ness. Multiple recycling areas including food scrap/compost Immaculate and beautiful site Goats 🐐 Hot washing up water

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not for pubs or shops

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Price Dog price Quiet Plenty of room

Recommend to friends Visit again

Cheap and cheerful. Bring fire lighters and kindling for the logs. Goat…

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Cheap and cheerful. Bring fire lighters and kindling for the logs. Goat products amazing. Good showers. Bit of noise from from the road, but who goes camping without ear plugs?

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful Farm setting with great facilities

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

Bell tent (no pets)

Liked: Loved staying in the bell tents which were fully equipped with beds, fridge, BBQ/Firepit and a gas cooker! The setting was beautiful, despite the rain on one of the days, and the goat herd was particularly enjoyed by our little one who went to pet them each day and feed them grass. The owner was lovely and made us feel welcome. The farm also supplies meat for the BBQ and the Goat burgers are a must try for those that like their meat fresh and tasty! We decided that this would be our annual camping trip location as it met all of our needs and was a trip we thoroughly enjoyed.

Disliked: n/a

Recommend to friends Visit again

Thorncombe is a lovely place to stay - friendly and helpful hosts,…

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

Bell tent (no pets)

Liked: Thorncombe is a lovely place to stay - friendly and helpful hosts, the bell tents are excellent, comfy beds, and the covered picnic tables make a huge difference

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely farm campsite close to amenities, very welcoming and kind owners. Delicious…

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Lovely farm campsite close to amenities, very welcoming and kind owners. Delicious sausages and other meats available at the farm!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean showers and toilets, very friendly and welcoming owner.

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: The friendly owner Ness, the animals and the proximity to Dorchester and Weymouth. We came as a family and the fire pits for the bell tents and seating area were a great touch! Our family booked 3 bell tents and we pitched a tent alongside them. The children liked the very friendly goats on the farm! the children were able to play ball games and run around but it is a very basic site, the addition of a small play area would be great for visiting families! Dorchester is a ten minute drive and Weymouth is around 20 minutes. We drove to Durdle door which was lovely. If you could walk to a little pub that would of been lovely but you needed to jump in the car for any amenities.

Disliked: The site is very basic. The road behind the tents is very noisy from very early in the morning and disturbed our sleep.

Recommend to friends Visit again

This is our forth time stay here we love ness the owner…

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

Bell tent (no pets)

Liked: This is our forth time stay here we love ness the owner she amazing anything u need ness is there to help my son love the goats and sheep roll on May when we stay again

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

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

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Luxury

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

Public transport nearby

Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby

Cycling nearby

Fishing nearby

Golf nearby

Horse riding nearby

Indoor pool nearby

Leisure/theme park nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Restaurant nearby

Sailing nearby

Tennis nearby

Watersports nearby

Location

Thorncombe Farm

Higher Bockhampton

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 8QH

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.72417°N
-2.39377°W

Nearest transport

Coach
2.2 mi South Station
8.3 mi Marks and Spencer
12.7 mi Post Office
Rail
2.2 mi Dorchester South Rail Station
2.3 mi Dorchester West Rail Station
3.9 mi Moreton (Dorset) Rail Station
Ferry
8.4 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal
17.6 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
17.9 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
24.9 mi 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

The open woods of Thorncombe and Puddleton are next to Thorncombe Farm with miles of trails for walking, cycling and horse riding. Zorbing is available for the more energetic at the neighbouring farm – ask the Thorncombe team for details – and fishing, sailing and golf are all available locally too. Dorchester is two miles away and well worth at least a day to browse its museums – the Dinosaur Museum is a definite must and also much recommended are the Dorset County Museum, the Tutankhamun Exhibition, and Thomas Hardy's townhouse Max Gate. Plenty of pubs, shops and cafés are in town as well. Weymouth and the Jurassic Coast are a short drive from the farm: go for the long sandy beach, marina and harbour at Weymouth, the castle at Portland and the famed Chesil Beach stretching for about 18 miles to the west towards Lyme Regis. Other nearby Dorset days out could be had at The Tank Museum, the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, Maiden Castle and Abbotsbury Gardens and its swannery.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Bowleaze Cove 6.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Ringstead Bay 6.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Weymouth Lodmoor 7.1 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Weymouth Central 8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Durdle Door West 8.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Hardy's Birthplace 0.4 mi

The Tank Museum 6.9 mi

Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 7.2 mi

Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre 7.9 mi

Radipole Lake Nature Reserve 8.1 mi

National Trust

Hardy's Cottage 0.4 mi

Max Gate 1.7 mi

Clouds Hill 6.2 mi

White Mill 15.6 mi

Corfe Castle 15.9 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Higher Bockhampton - Puddletown Forest 0.3 mi

KINGSTON MAURWARD 0.4 mi

Beacon Hill - Hardy's Cottage - Stinsford - Beacon Hill 1.9 mi

TOWN WALKS, DORCHESTER 1.9 mi

BOROUGH GARDENS 2.2 mi

Local events

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 1.4 mi

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 4.6 mi

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

    Wareham, Dorset 6.9 mi

  • Camp Bestival Dorset (Thursday 25 July 2024 – Thursday 25 July 2024)

    Wareham, Dorset 10.1 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.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

  • Does Thorncombe Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Thorncombe Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Thorncombe Farm? The open woods of Thorncombe and Puddleton are next to Thorncombe Farm with miles of trails for walking, cycling and horse riding. Zorbing is available for the more energetic at the neighbouring … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Thorncombe Farm?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Thorncombe Farm? From £17 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.