Herston Caravan and Camping

From £22 For 1 night, 4 adults 6.3 221 reviews
Well-spaced pitches (added by manager 26 Jul 2022)
Bell tent (added by manager 19 nov 2017)
Spacious grass pitches (added by manager 30 jul 2022)
Bell tent with picnic table (added by manager 19 nov 2017)

  • Award-winning holiday park a mile from the beach in Swanage
  • Half an hour's drive from Monkey World and Durdle Door
  • Lively entertainment programme at the site's show bar
Three cheers for this one on Dorset's Jurassic Coast: Herston Caravan and Camping is an award-winning and family-friendly site a five-minute drive from the town of Swanage and its sandy beach. Everyone should find a full programme of stuff to do see and do in this neck of the woods: perhaps rides on the steam-powered Swanage Railway, windsurfing down at Swanage Bay or clifftop walks on the South West Coast Path. The popular attractions of Corfe Castle, Old Harry Rocks and Durdle Door are all under half an hour's drive away too. Facilities on site include free wifi, a playground and a mini market that also functions as a visitor information centre. The café/bar sells meals, coffees and a dizzying range of cocktails, and there's also a separate show bar with dance floor and a lively entertainment programme of live music, karaoke and other events. The spacious and clean toilet blocks have plentiful hot showers, family bathrooms and disabled facilities, and the site also has a launderette and a washing-up area. Dogs are welcome at the park as long as they are kept on a lead and cleaned up after.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 164
Motorhome pitches 164
Tent pitches 46
Rent a tent 57
Open all year
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

49%

would recommend this site to a friend

47%

would stay here again

  • 23%
    10
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    8
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Really felt welcome. It was clean. The showers were okay they were…

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

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: Really felt welcome. It was clean. The showers were okay they were clean but needed a little bit of updated really helpful in the shop and when we went to check out they were really helpful. I would definitely recommend

Disliked: Nothing really

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet site, close to swanage, clean.…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 4
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Tricia D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: Quiet site, close to swanage, clean.

Disliked: No instructions left for when we arrived after reception had closed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

I liked the location as you can travel anywhere around the coast…

Overall 6/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 6
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 8
Phillip N. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding touring pitch (large)

Liked: I liked the location as you can travel anywhere around the coast

Recommend to friends Visit again

Exactly what I expected

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
katie P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding touring pitch (large)

Liked: Really nice size pitch, close enough to toilets and shower block.

Disliked: Shop shut at 2pm on a Saturday, found this very strange park was water logged

Recommend to friends Visit again

great site for visiting Swanage, friendly staff

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi No rating
jim P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: great location to walk/drive into Swanage. We booked last minute as was let down by CMC Great value for money facilities in need of revamp but useable Club ( which was a blues band venue which was perfect or us as we went specifically for the Blues festival farm house shop great walks friendly staff

Disliked: the hardstanding we had could o been slightly bigger, as getting in and out the van was difficult due to it being so wet. our van steps was on extremely wet sodden grass which was extremely muddy. would be fine in the summer with better weather

Recommend to friends Visit again

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Overall 2/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Simon W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: Small hardstanding pitches with the absolute minimum amount of hard standing. The grass was completely waterlogged which is fair enough given the time of year. Only 3 showers open, again fair enough for the time of year, but there's no heating and they are dirty. Ventured into the onsite bar on the Friday night. All I can is that it was a shit show. Staff that had obviously never worked a bar in their life. Lager in bitter glasses, Guinness with half a pint of head and 100ml measures for a double vodka. Who decides to employ these people? This is a large site and will more than likely descend into chaos when the season starts. If you can book somewhere else.

Disliked: See above. Very bad site and should not be listed on pitchup

Recommend to friends Visit again

Expensive for a site with so little open

Overall 6/10
Location 10
Value for money 4
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 6
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: The scenery and closeness to swanage

Disliked: The entrance to the site is offputting. Its a permanent site too . The shop wasnt open much and the bar and food van were not open. The toilet facilities need replacing as holes all over the inside of the shower too. They were clean tho

Recommend to friends Visit again

Adequate

Overall 6/10
Location 10
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: The views

Disliked: Water logged pitches were allocated when drier positions were available as only 5 units were there. The toilet/shower facilities were adequate but really need to be replaced as the walls were very damaged. Having said that, they were clean and private. The entrance to the site looked like an encampment as it looked like permenant campers were there. Im sure it would look better when its dry and all the facilities were open. The electric kept tripping out even though we wernt using much. The site is litter free and quiet

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect simple campsite all basic needs.Friendly staff.Will go again.

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

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: Friendly helpful staff. Ample space on our hard standing pitch. Electric hookup, fresh water tap and grey water disposal at every pitch. Elson points regularly around site.Toilet and shower rooms cleaned everyday. Peaceful surroundings, beautiful views. Walk through fields into Swanage. You can have fires.

Disliked: Out of season so the bar, restaurant, refreshments and shop were closed. Didn't have WiFi password but wasn't bothered about that.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location to swanage - a short but muddy walk to swanage…

Overall 2/10
Location 6
Value for money 2
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked: Location to swanage - a short but muddy walk to swanage

Disliked: Out of season so everything was closed. Disappointed that all the washing up stations had no water so had to wash up in the shower! Toilets very tired looking - didn’t dare have a shower!

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

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups 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

Forest

Leave the car at home

Luxury

Peaceful

Remote location

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

Public transport nearby

Shop nearby

Type

Large (51-200 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Climbing nearby

Cycle hire nearby

Cycling nearby

Fishing nearby

Golf nearby

Horse riding nearby

Indoor pool nearby

Leisure/theme park nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Outdoor pool nearby

Restaurant nearby

Sailing nearby

Surf school nearby

Tennis nearby

Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Drainage hook-up points for tourers

Seasonal pitches

Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

Herston Caravan and Camping

Washpond Lane

Swanage

Dorset

England

BH19 3DJ

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.61816°N
-1.97913°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1 mi Bus Station
3.6 mi East Street
3.6 mi East Street
Rail
7 mi Poole Rail Station
7.4 mi Parkstone (Dorset) Rail Station
7.6 mi Hamworthy Rail Station
Ferry
4.5 mi Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
4.7 mi Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
5 mi Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
12.8 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

A five-minute drive gets you into Swanage for sandy walks, sandcastle building, splashing about and more serious watersports. To kayak round the cliffs and coves of the Jurassic Coast, make for Knoll beach (10 minutes' drive) or Lulworth Cove (40 minutes) to hire your craft and see the place from sea level. The 630 mile-long South West Coast Path passes through town: pick it up and head eastwards to the Studland and Godlington Heath Nature Reserve to see the wild and nature-filled Wessex that inspired Thomas Hardy (or hire a steed from the trekking centre for extra historical detail). Going west, the path goes past the splendid sights of Stair Hole and Durdle Door (40 minutes), while descents of varying steepness lead down to quiet and cove-like beaches like Winspit (accessible only on foot from Worth Matravers, 10 minutes away) and Kimmeridge (half an hour). For a spot of time travel, pick up the Swanage Railway for a nine-mile steam trip to Wareham, perhaps stopping off en route for a clamber round the ruins of Corfe Castle (10 minutes). Younger visitors should have a ball among the play barns, pedal go-karts and pettable animals at the Putlake Adventure Farm, five minutes away. Further afield, there are pony rides, deer safaris, tractor trips and bouncy castles at Farmer Palmer's Farm Park (30 minutes), and at a similar distance the heavy hardware in The Tank Museum and the charming residents of Monkey World should keep everyone's monkeys out of mischief.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Swanage Central 1 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Studland Knoll House 2.6 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Shell Bay North 4.4 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 5.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poole Shore Road Beach 5.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Swanage Railway 1 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 3 mi

Corfe Castle 3.8 mi

Brownsea Island 5 mi

Dorset Cruises 8.1 mi

National Trust

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 2.2 mi

Corfe Castle 3.7 mi

Brownsea Island 4.9 mi

White Mill 13.4 mi

Kingston Lacy 13.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 0.3 mi

Swanage to Corfe Circular Walk 1.8 mi

Durlston Castle Historic Landscape 1.9 mi

Studland - Old Harry - Ballard Down - Studland 2.2 mi

Worth Matravers - Cliffs, Caves and Chapel 2.9 mi

Local events

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

    Wareham, Dorset 10.1 mi

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

    Wareham, Dorset 12.7 mi

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 16.6 mi

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 20.8 mi

  • New Forest and Hampshire County Show (Tuesday 30 July 2024 – Tuesday 30 July 2024)

    Brockenhurst, Hampshire 23.1 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 Herston Caravan and Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Herston Caravan and Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Herston Caravan and Camping? A five-minute drive gets you into Swanage for sandy walks, sandcastle building, splashing about and more serious watersports. To kayak round the cliffs and coves of the Jurassic Coast, make for Knoll … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Herston Caravan and Camping?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  12 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Herston Caravan and Camping? From £22 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.