Holyrood Farm Campsite

From £20 For 1 night, 4 adults 9.8 127 reviews
View from campsite (added by manager 20 Jul 2020)
Great views and relaxed camping at holyrood farm campsite. (added by visitor 25 aug 2020)
Sunset (added by visitor 27 aug 2018)
Shaftesbury church (added by stella_r101534 29 aug 2017)

  • Wild camping half a mile from Shaftesbury
  • Spectacular views over the Blackmore Vale
  • Campfires allowed
The views from this Shaftesbury site, they are stunning. As is the setting: small and secluded Holyrood Farm Campsite is in Dorset countryside overlooking the Blackmore Vale, within easy walking distance of the pubs and shops of Shaftesbury. It's close to several good footpaths for walking too – or you could take things up a notch with a stagger up Shaftesbury's Gold Hill, the famously steep cobbled street used several times as a set for the big and small screen…? Those spectacular vale views are from Holyrood's working farm, with sheep, rare-breed pigs and Dexter cattle (standard), alpacas (less so) and a badgers' watch (nocturnal trips ahoy). The vibe is wild camping, but there's a shower available all season. Campfires – of course – are allowed, and food (and beery?) bits can be sorted 10 minutes' walk away at the supermarkets and independent shops of Shaftesbury. Following a successful start to the site and taking feedback received into account, the owners have added flushing toilets, a washing-up area and improved access in and out, along with on-site checking in, firepits for rent and wood for sale. A permanent shower has also been added, with plenty of room to dry off and hang your clothes while showering.

Site type

Tent pitches 54
Motorhome pitches 3
Open now
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Coronavirus update: there are no sausages for sale this year due to the current safety measures.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 29 Mar to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

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would recommend this site to a friend

100%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Great relaxing stay

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: The views,The space Informality Close to shops if needed

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite! Perfect location, clean facilities & amazing views. Nothing more required.…

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
Abigail B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Great campsite! Perfect location, clean facilities & amazing views. Nothing more required.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean Facilities

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

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked: Lovely peaceful campsite with amazing views and sunsets. Nice clean facilities was better than expected for my fussy girls aged 10 & 8. Also easy walk to town mostly on public footpath nice pub and park less than 15 min walk.

Disliked: Coming home

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing views and lovely uncrowded camp site.

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Amazing views and lovely uncrowded camp site. Shower and decent toilets, but still has a feel of 'wild'(ish) camping. Just 10 minutes walk into Shaftesbury town, and some nice long countryside walks close by. Purchased two bags of wood for £5/bag.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The simple set up ⬆️ beautiful view…

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: The simple set up ⬆️ beautiful view

Recommend to friends Visit again

The views from the campsite are excellent. It's walking distance into town. The showers…

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
Mark A. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: The views from the campsite are excellent. It's walking distance into town. The showers are hot and clean. This is the third time we've visited and it was just as good.

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite with decent basic facilities - toilets/showers. It is a lovely…

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Great campsite with decent basic facilities - toilets/showers. It is a lovely location with plenty of room and only a 15 to 20 minute walk into the town

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, looking forward to going back!

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Had a great weekend here. Jason was lovely and made us feel very welcome. Amazing views with loads of room and lots of choice for pitch. Lovely hot shower with good pressure, clean toilets and sink to wash up and fill water bottles. Definitely coming back :)

Disliked: Nothing !

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning views from the campsite

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Stunning views and short walk to Shaftesbury along a path. Would definitely recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent peaceful site

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: The views! Grass pitch is like a golf course and you have so much space, gorgeous old town next door, good shower (pressure and temperature)

Disliked: No hot water in the washing up area makes it hard to wash up anything greasy. One shower head was broken so only one shower available.

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

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

Budget/backpacker

Peaceful

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

Shop nearby

Type

Farm

Large (51-200 pitches)

Pop-up campsite

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby

Indoor pool nearby

Outdoor pool nearby

Restaurant nearby

Tennis nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal pitches

Location

Holyrood Farm Campsite

Gascoignes Lane

St James

Shaftesbury

Dorset

England

SP7 0NA

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.99825°N
-2.19545°W

Nearest transport

Coach
0.5 mi The Town Hall
0.5 mi The Town Hall
9 mi Virginia Ash
Rail
4.2 mi Gillingham (Dorset) Rail Station
6.7 mi Tisbury Rail Station
9.7 mi Templecombe Rail Station
Ferry
21.8 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing
21.9 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
23.8 mi Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
22 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

If you're a UK sort of a certain age and can remember the famed ad for Hovis bread, nearby Gold Hill is where it was filmed – and did you know, big screen buffs, that the ad was directed by one Ridley Scott? The hill is five minutes' drive from Holyrood Farm Campsite, so totter up it for yourself when you get there; careering down afterwards on a bicycle very much recommended too. Your tired legs should also make an in-town effort to see Shaftesbury's two museums, one beside the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey and telling its tale, and the other back at the top of Gold Hill, telling the history of Shaftesbury via many artefacts from its surrounds. (Best to have a look at this latter on your first climb, to save having to trek back up.) Day trips are within easy driving distance away from Shaftesbury: try the gardens at Stourhead House and Kingston Lacy 20 and 40 minutes away; the Fleet Air Arm Museum, telling the heady story of British aviation, half an hour away, and Dorchester about 50 minutes away. Other good day trip options are Longleat Safari and Adventure Park, 30 minutes away; the small peninsula of golden sand at Sandbanks 45 minutes away, and the town of Bournemouth, about an hour from the farm. Or stay close to the site if you're around at the end of August, and use it as a peaceful base to come back to after days at the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Poole Harbour Rockley Sands 20.4 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poole Harbour Lake 21 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poole Branksome Chine 23.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Bournemouth Alum Chine 23.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Bournemouth Durley Chine 23.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Stourhead House and Garden 9.3 mi

Longleat 13.5 mi

Kingston Lacy House and Gardens 14.6 mi

Wilton House 15.7 mi

Haynes International Motor Museum 16.1 mi

National Trust

Stourhead 9.2 mi

Philipps House and Dinton Park 10.8 mi

Little Clarendon 11 mi

White Mill 14.6 mi

Kingston Lacy 14.8 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Shaftesbury – Kingsettle Wood – Motcombe - Shaftesbury 0.8 mi

Duncliffe Wood 2.9 mi

The Donheads - Wincombe - Gutch Common - Barkers Hill 3.7 mi

Donhead St Andrew and the Wardour Castles 3.7 mi

Win Green and Tollard Royal 3.8 mi

Local events

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 17.7 mi

  • Glastonbury Festival (Wednesday 26 June 2024 – Wednesday 26 June 2024)

    Glastonbury, Somerset 20.3 mi

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

    Wareham, Dorset 21.1 mi

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 21.5 mi

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

    Wareham, Dorset 24.9 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 Holyrood Farm Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Holyrood Farm Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Holyrood Farm Campsite? If you're a UK sort of a certain age and can remember the famed ad for Hovis bread, nearby Gold Hill is where it was filmed – and did you know, big … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Holyrood Farm Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Holyrood Farm Campsite? From £20 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.