Swanage Bijou Camping

9.1 43 reviews
Pitches by the trees (added by manager 07 Jun 2023)

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  • Flat camping field close to Swanage town centre and beach in Dorset
  • A 10-minute drive to the Jurassic Coast and Dorset Adventure Park
  • Snack Shack on site and a free adventure playground next door
Set in a six-acre field surrounded by high hedges, Swanage Bijou Camping is well away from the nearest road or house. It’s also only eight minutes’ walk to Swanage town-centre shops, restaurants and pubs, and a five-minute level walk to the sandy beach. The site backs onto 20 acres of playing fields, with an adventure playground and skateboard park accessed without going near a road, so you can send the kids off for an hour or two worry free. Pick your own pitch (get together with friends or family) on the camping field, which is flat and manicured. It’s also tents-only, so that’s no car radios, no early-morning engine noise and no safety worries about kids and cars in the camping field. In fact this is a quiet site with no electricity, so you won’t be disturbed by TVs in neighbouring tents either. Simple, spotless facilities include toilets, free hot showers and hair dryers, as well as hot water for washing up. Open fires and barbecues are permitted so you can get the wild-camping vibe, and there’s also a Snack Shack if you don’t feel like cooking. Thoughtful extras include 13-amp sockets in Reception so you can charge your devices for free – you can also blow up air mattresses, freeze ice packs and chill stuff in the communal fridge for no charge. Maps and information on walks and activities are available at Reception, and the owners are usually on hand to advise on sightseeing ideas. On last word: there’s a security patrol at night for your total peace of mind.

Site type

Tent pitches 50

Languages spoken

English

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

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

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

Peaceful

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)

Pop-up campsite

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

Tennis nearby

Watersports nearby

Location

Swanage Bijou Camping

Kirkwood Park

Victoria Avenue

Swanage

Dorset

England

BH19 1AR

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.61259°N
-1.96824°W

Nearest transport

Coach
0.4 mi Bus Station
4.2 mi East Street
4.2 mi East Street
Rail
7.4 mi Poole Rail Station
7.7 mi Parkstone (Dorset) Rail Station
8.1 mi Hamworthy Rail Station
Ferry
4.7 mi Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
5 mi Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
5.3 mi Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
12.9 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

Local attractions and activities include: - OceanBay Watersports: five minutes’ drive - Swanage Railway (steam train): five minutes - Studland beach: 10 minutes - Dorset Adventure Park: 10 minutes - Jurassic Coast: 10 minutes - Old Harry Rocks (landmark): 10 minutes - Corfe Castle: 10 minutes - Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve: 10 minutes - Lulworth Castle Wareham: half an hour - Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park: half an hour.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Swanage Central 0.5 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Studland Knoll House 2.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Shell Bay North 4.6 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 5.4 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poole Shore Road Beach 5.9 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Swanage Railway 0.4 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 3.3 mi

Corfe Castle 4.4 mi

Brownsea Island 5.3 mi

Dorset Cruises 8.2 mi

National Trust

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 2.3 mi

Corfe Castle 4.3 mi

Brownsea Island 5.2 mi

White Mill 13.9 mi

Kingston Lacy 13.9 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 0.5 mi

Swanage to Corfe Circular Walk 1.3 mi

Durlston Castle Historic Landscape 1.3 mi

Studland - Old Harry - Ballard Down - Studland 2.4 mi

Worth Matravers - Winspit - Dancing Ledge 3.2 mi

Local events

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

    Wareham, Dorset 10.6 mi

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

    Wareham, Dorset 13.3 mi

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 17.2 mi

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

    Dorchester, Dorset 21.4 mi

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

    Brockenhurst, Hampshire 23 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

93%

would recommend this site to a friend

91%

would stay here again

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    10
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    8
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Location, site cleanliness, facilities for washing.…

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Location, site cleanliness, facilities for washing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Wouldn’t book this unless you want to be disrespected

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Location was brilliant.

Disliked: Where do I start, upon arrival we decided to check out the pitches before we paid as it looked extremely busy. Looking through the fields the tents were so close together and cramped up that it could be a safety hazard (if one tent had a fire, they would have all caught!) so politely went to Andy the owner and explained that we wouldn’t be staying on the site due to how crowded it was. Now he did try and resolve it I will give him that, but when we continued to explain that it just wasn’t what we was looking for. We was also quite shocked that this was the only site that asked for £25 per head “noise deposit” and when questioned why it was a problem, we just explained that it would mean having less money to enjoy (until we received that deposit back), I was then extremely rudely asked by Andy “well are you that poor?” I was visibly shocked and explained how extremely disrespectful that comment was and that I would never dream of speaking to someone like that. Baring in mind the ‘noise deposit’ worked out £20 more than the weekends stay. he then decided to say “well I didn’t know you were all down to your last £25 each” because which was completely not the case and besides the point. Baring in mind that I had seen another family book in and the ‘noise deposit’ wasnt even mentioned to them at all! I and completely disgusted with the experience I have just received. I’d have given minus stars if I could! Happy ending though, found a site not even 2 miles away for a fraction of the price and it’s almost empty! Happy Days!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I absolutely dispute this review. Even before arriving I had problems with this booking with numerous alterations. On arrival they had ignored all of the mails I sent, they were difficult, claiming 'we hate being near people' - what do you do about that? Give them a huge space of their own? No not good enough - someone might walk by - then they disputed our standard policy of a bond for noise held for all tents with more than two adults in - this was not a family - stating that £25 was all they had to spend for the weekend - what utter tosh! Then they decided to go - thank God! They never stayed, have no clue about the site and now have used the review process as a weapon - as they threatened when going. You have to wonder what makes them so angry - very disappointing but so happy they didn't stay to further drain the lovely energy we have on our site.

Good value

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Darina E. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch (XL)

Liked: Showers and toilets are clean Hot water and friendly hosts Very close (15 min walk) to the town with shops and the beach

Disliked: A bit crowded on weekends. to find a spot we had to wait for someone to leave

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site with clean facilities. Great location.

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (XL)

Liked: Lovely site, feels rural, but only 10 mins from centre of Swanage and the beach. Decent clean facilities. Really clear noise policy. Nearby adventure playground and skatepark for the kids. Lovely touches like fairy lights in the trees make it feel special. Would recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fabulous but don’t tell everyone because we want to go again! 🤣

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (large)

Liked: Great campsite, clean, friendly staff, accommodating, small and not overcrowded, great little breakfast van, toilets and showers good for an occasional open campsite.

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Such a Beautiful campsite. Clean toilets and showers. Nice walk to…

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (large)

Liked: Such a Beautiful campsite. Clean toilets and showers. Nice walk to the town and beach. Loved the noise of the steam engines going past twice a day.

Disliked: None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good site in an excellent location

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: We loved the location, really close to the centre of Swanage and with really flat pitches. It had all the basic facilities you need and seemed friendly.

Disliked: Not a dislike, but I hadn’t realised how inaccessible the site would be for a wheelchair user (my fault for not checking). Luckily we pitched near to where you can drop the car off so I could manage without my chair.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ideal stay in Swanage

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: I felt safe and welcome, the site is mainly families with young children and the noise rules are kept to. Great facilities, kept clean and nice throughout the stay. Very close to the town and beach, only a short walk. Wheelbarrows to help you get stuff from the car. Nice pitches. Golf games if you fancy it. Could charge my power bank, very slowly, but this was very useful. Fridges for everyone's use, too.

Disliked: Cash only, which seems to be a conspiracy theorist and political stance than solely tax avoidance (which I've no problem with but felt a bit odd and I'd left my purse at home and it made me feel like I'd done something abhorrent..) Some passive aggressiveness in signage, which is seemingly an extension of the owner, again fine but again, a little odd.. or 'quirky'. Generally, not enough to negatively impact my stay but I'd ask why it's necessary.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your positive review Jessica - I appreciate you taking the time! In answer to the signeage I woud say it was simply informational. People are not being warned of the dangers of a cashless society. When your spending is controled by government it shall one day soon become conditional - you can buy bread, you cannot buy chocolate - and there shall be no alternative. It is the duty of everyone who understands this trap we appear to be blindly walking in to to do their best to enlighten others who haven't seen the danger, and that is why the signs and the effort of keeping cash transactions alive. It's not a conspiracy threory but, once it is brought to your attention, an obvious fact. 'Card declined' shall one day rule your life if you aren't very careful!

Fantastic location within walking distance of the town and beach. Lovely vibe…

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (large)

Liked: Fantastic location within walking distance of the town and beach. Lovely vibe and great touches such as pump for beds, fridges etc!

Disliked: Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, close to local amenities

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (XL)

Liked: Plenty of space for pitches. Owner was extremely friendly and helpful. Well thought out site with everything you need for a comfortable camping trip.

Recommend to friends Visit again


  • Does Swanage Bijou Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Swanage Bijou Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Swanage Bijou Camping? Local attractions and activities include: - OceanBay Watersports: five minutes’ drive - Swanage Railway (steam train): five minutes - Studland beach: 10 minutes - Dorset Adventure Park: 10 minutes - Jurassic Coast: … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Swanage Bijou Camping?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more