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We arrived at this site after other choices were full (I'm a last-minute camper most of the time!). But what a stroke of luck this was! The site is in a beautiful location with stunning views of Corfe Castle in the distance and the steam train track only a couple of fields away. Another bonus is that Harman's Cross station (for Swanage Railway) is a short walk from the campsite - great for a fun way to access Swanage and Corfe Castle!
The site itself is one of the cheaper ones I've visited (£10 for medium tent, car and 2 people in summer), but the facilities were great for the price. No complaints with the toilets, showers or washing up facilities, a freezer is available and a mobile shop appeared every morning. Some building work was on the go, but this wasn't a problem at all. As a working farm, cows were let into the field next to ours which provided added entertainment.
The site is on a hill, therefore it is very slopey which allows for a great view but make sure you pitch correctly and park your car the right way! There was no play area for the kids (excellent one at the station though!) but I've never had this as a priority for a camp site - there was a great ditch with a group of trees in the middle of one the fields that kids congregated around and this enabled new friendships to be made and wild entertainment to be had.
All in all - for the view, price and location I would definitely recommend this site and will happily return!
Stayed on Downshay for a windy bank holiday weekend.
Things we loved:
The laid back atmosphere: Being able to arrive and pick your own location, particularly as it was such a sloping site.
The spacious feeling to the site
The views, and proximity to the steam train and Corfe Castle.
The price (you get what you pay for here).
Drawbacks:
There were only 4 toilets, 4 sinks, and 4 showers for the whole site. This meant that we were queueing just to wash our hands, having to wait for people to finish cleaning their teeth etc.
The sloping site: Hardly anywhere was flat.
The long walk back up the hill after visiting the facilities!
All in all this was a lovely site for a weekend break, for me the facilities were a bit too basic to recommend it for a longer break away.
I would second the previous review and I think we must have been there at the same time as we also had mixed weather!
It was a fabulous site and I was really pleased to find it. The people were all very friendly and there was a lovely relaxed atmosphere. The farmer who came round every morning to collect the site fees would have a chat and give you a weather forecast. And you could decide when you wanted to leave, no booking in advance or committing yourself to a week's booking if the weather turned bad.
There was a little van that came round every morning with milk and bread and you could freeze your ice blocks in the freezer (but they didn't freeze). There was an area where all the kids played, it was just a tyre on a swing in some bushes but my kids were there all day and loved it.
I agree about there being too few showers but it didn't seem to matter as I don't want anything to change about this site. The views were gorgeous and what camping is all about. Though it was really sloped and I saw a VW camper on 3 blocks to try and get it level so it's worth spending a bit of time looking for a fairly level site!
Visited on end May bank holiday weekend. Generally a family site set on two large gently sloping fields surrounded by trees. The views and situation are pleasant.
Most pitches slope a little but there are flatter areas. Because of the nature of the fields, generally tents are not rammed together. We had no issues with noisy neighbours during our stay. Facilities were fairly basic but were kept very clean by the owners.
There are 4 male and 4 female showers and at peak times you did need to queue, but as with many sites this can be avoided by planning ahead. Showers were free and electric, hand basins also had hot water.
I wouldn't describe this as an idyllic campsite but it has plenty of space and the owner was pleasant and friendly. The cost per night was £13 for two adults a small tent and a car.
We stayed for 5 nights (longer than planned) despite mixed weather. The campsite was very pleasant and there is a lot to see and do in the local area.
The site was pretty busy - I counted over 50 tents in just the smaller of the two fields so there must have been well over 100 in total - although there was still plenty of room to play due to the heavily sloping areas of the site which no-one would choose to camp on. Because of this it didn’t feel too crowded. There was a very relaxed family ambience and I felt perfectly safe allowing my two daughters to wander freely and play with their new friends, even when out of view. Other campers were very polite and there was no litter or other inconsiderate behaviour.
The toilets and showers were impeccably clean but there were not enough of them. In the ladies, there were just two toilets, two washbasins and two showers at the bottom of each of the two fields – so 4 of each in total (I don’t know about the mens, but I assume similar) and it was rare not to have to queue even to brush your teeth at peak times. For this many campers, I would think at least double would be necessary. However, despite being under quite some pressure, there did seem to be limitless hot-water and plenty of loo roll, soap etc and I took to going for my morning shower very early, before the queues had a chance to build! Being at the bottom of the sloping site, it would be quite a walk from your camp to the facilities if you had pitched at the very top!
There were also around 4 washing up sinks and a shed with a freezer for ice-packs (though it didn’t seem to be very cold – my ice packs were only well chilled rather than frozen even after a whole night). In the shed there was also a couple of power points, useful for hairdryers, charging phones & games consoles etc. There was also a washing machine but I don’t know how much it cost to use.
There is no official play area but all the kids seemd to congregate in the small clump of trees in the centre of the left hand field.
The views from the site are incredible – an amazing view of Corfe Castle in the distance, framed in the hills (it was fun to try to spot the campsite from the Castle when we visited!). The icing on this beautiful cake is the Swanage Stream railway which runs between Corfe and Swanage late into the evening – it was lovely to see the little puff of steam in the in the distance, and to lay in bed at night and hear it chugging past.
The site owners were super-friendly and the cost - £14 for a family of 4 - seemed very reasonable. There’s a lot of choice of similar campsites in the area – no advance bookings and only open for the summer holidays – but this must be amongst the best? We’d certainly return.
One tip -
We found food a little hard to come by in the area - there are petrol station shops nearby which are just adequate at best, and the old-fashioned grocers shop in Corfe was not brilliant either - there are a Budgens and a Co-op in Swanage but with limited opening hours - and a small Sainsburys in Wareham. So if you have specific ideas for camp cooking, either bring ingredients with you, or stop at the Sainsburys on the way! We ended up dining out quite a lot becuase of this, so it felt like an expensive break - but the Greyhound in Corfe Castle does deserve a special mention for being very good.
Downshay was our second option to camp at as our first option was a bit water logged. We were so pleased that this happened.
We loved Downshay Farm. The views, the space and the peaceful setting suited our family perfectly. We have 4 children aged 10 and under and they all had a great time.
We would recommend taking a while to select where you pitch as the slope can be steeper in some areas. BUT the slope means that the views are spectacular. One tip is (if you have luggage space) is to take a firepit, we did and it kept us lovely and cosy at night and every night we had kids round to toast marshmallows which was wonderful.
Its very cheap too and the informal atmosphere was very welcoming. There is no reception so you just drive in and pitch wherever. The farmer did put full sign up at one point but it wasn't packed and my eldest (football mad) had the size of a football pitch to play on.
All the facilities were great and the morning van was very exciting for kids. Definitely returning next summer.
What can you say about Downshay that hasn't already been said?
Wonderful sights, wonderful facilities and wonderful staff.
Although sloping in places, the views over the hills and of Corfe Castle make it well worth it. If you are lucky enough to find a flat pitch, then you can't go wrong.
The facilities are 1st class. Plenty of showers, sinks and loo's for everybody. All 100% clean.
The size of Downshay means that nobody needs to be on top of each other. Loads of room.
Kids seem to be in one place, by a tree in the centre ish of the site, so not too much noise.
The guy who comes around for the rent is friendly, helpful and courteous.
Spent a week there in our tent. Serendipity that the original campsite we wanted was full, so last minute change of plan. I rang early on the Sunday, and the answe rmachine is updated daily so I knew that they had vacancies.
Pleasant drive there and we arrived in good time, set up the bell tent and my kitchen tent. I had originally planned to stay for three days and move on, but we (myself and young daughter) had such a great time we spent the week there so truly relaxed.
Things we loved:
- the Swanage steam train. Used this as a form of public transport, to go back and forth to Corfe castle and Swanage, better than driving and paying for parking in my view and more fun. I also felt we were doing our bit to support this wonderful railway staffed by volunteers who are all so committed.
-Corfe castle. Lovely pub called the Greyhound with great food and drinks, big garden at the back with views of castle. Cream tea in the gardens BUT it is true what the signs say - the wasps are relentless and they WILL drive you indoors if you want to eat that jam scone in peace
- snorkelling at Swanage pier. Safe for young children, my daughter found real treasure - £20 note in the water! The beach is a nice sandy one and good for kids, body boarding etc
- Jurassic boat ride - choppy waters so not for the easily queasy, but they sell wine :)
- drove to Kimmeridge to snorkel, but too choppy that day but it is gorgeous for rock pooling and walking/fishing but sturdy footwear for the beach is required as rocky beach. Fantastic gastro cafe close by selling really good food.
- Lulworth cove is stunning, we went later in the day with the snorkelling kit and struck gold around 4pm as less choppy and very warm, but vis not good. Daughter body boarded but this beach will kill your feet without good solid footwear. I came out of the water going 'owowowowowowowow!'
-horse riding at Studland bay - the people who run the stables were really pleasant and fitted us in. There are leaflets dotted around Swanage station with discounts so we got a 15% discount by using this. Went out onto the moors and it was a good ride for us.
The site is lovely I met the farmer's wife and her son, he was just a really lovely young lad, gave a weather update to us each day and very personable.
Pitch was sloped where we camped but just use your table with adjustable legs!
Facilities fine, we only used the big barn but apparently there are other wash rooms, the ones we used were always clean.
A quiet site as many families with small kids who were all in bed around 8pm, and a few older couples without kids who could enjoy the peace. Not for noisy groups.
The best bit for us about this campsite is the big tree in the middle with lots of low branches, tyre on rope hanging off one, all surrounded by bushes. This is where the children hang out, bouncing and chatting and playing. For hours. 'Can I go to the forest Mama?' was the refrain of the holiday. It isn't remotely a forest, but hidden and exciting enough to give my London kids (9 & 6) who don't get much freedom or independence really, a taste. So as a result I could sit there outside the tent on a blanket with my book, sipping coffee and eating my delicious doughnut from the van (which incidentally my children bought for me every morning, another little taste of freedom), and enjoy the beautiful views.
On the practical side, this site is on a slope which we enjoying running down. Despite some spectacular downpours during our stay there were no issues with puddles at all so I guess it must be well drained. All washing, toilet, shower areas are very clean, water always hot, and well stocked with toilet roll and paper towels. The van I mentioned comes every day between 9-9.30 and has milk, bread, papers, sweets and scrummy doughnuts, and lots of other stuff too by the look of it.
As for the location, the steam railway station is max 10 minutes walk away, where you can train to Corfe, Swanage. It's rather pricey though in my opinion. Corfe is a 5 minute drive: the castle is worth a visit, great crystal shop, lovely bakery, NT shop and cafe where you can have afternoon tea; a sweet little town. Swanage has a good beach and worth a nosey. Studland Bay has NT stunning beaches. Monkey World about 20 minutes drive. It's a fantastic place to have a holiday, we've been twice now and always loved it.
I guess my only down point might be that the site shut on 31 August so we had to leave! we would have loved to have stayed longer. Highly recommended site and location.
The first thing you need to know is on arriving there is no reception. Find a pitch and somebody will come around about 9am and take your money.
The fields can be quite slopping but flat-ish pitches are there. My advice is to make sure you can see Corfe Castle.That way you will have sun most of the day.
There are several toilet blocks, showers and washing up facilities situated near the farm buildings. There are not many showers for the amount of people staying on the site so be prepared to wait.
There are also several freezers where you can freeze ice packs [free of charge] and a washing machine [£1].
The campsite was mainly large groups of friends/families and smaller families.
The rules are quite relaxed so don't expect absolute quiet at night, but it wasn't that bad.
BBQ's are okay but no fires.
We loved hearing/seeing the steam train and lots of people walked down the hill to take it into Swanage or Corfe Castle.
Corfe Castle is about a 5-10 minute drive away and has some great dog-friendly pubs, a fantastic bakery and a few other shops. This place can obviously get quite busy so if you just turn up you might be unlucky, however, there are lots of other campsites nearby.
Arrived at farm late Friday afternoon (aug Bank Hol). Followed the signs for directions. Drove into the first field on the right which has views of Corfe Castle and the Steam Railway. Found a flattish spot at the edge of the field. You do need to look for the flat spots as the field(s) are sloping. While I was there all the tents were well spaced out and it was not as busy as expected. The following morning one of the staff came round to collect the money. Car £1.00 med. Tent (Cabanon Calais) £4.00 Adult £3.00
Van comes round in the morning with provisions etc. There is a garage/Spar shop on the main road 1/2 mile or so from site and another (Londis) further along the main road towards Swanage.
Facilities are as stated previously.
It did get very windy on Sunday and had to make sure everything was secure.
One thing I noticed was those who had camped next to the trees were in the shade for most of the morning
The Swanage Steam Railway runs trains on a very regular basis. Last train from Swanage 11pm stops at Harmans Cross Station.
You can walk across the the fields to Corfe (2 miles) and catch the steam train back. £3.50
The down side.
Although the main road is some distance away, it was noisy Friday night/Saturday morning as the noise carries across the valley.
Noisy campers at night (but you get them on any large site)
We had a great time on this site! It was popular but not overcrowded. Although it has a 'turn up and pitch' policy for tents and many of the nearby campsites were full, the slope of the camping fields means that much of the space is never going to be occupied although there are plenty of 'flat enough' bits to accommodate quite a number of campers. The facilities are good and clean with plentiful hot water, soap, paper, even washing up liquid. They were obviously frequently cleaned. The best bit though is the view - wow! Rolling hills, dramatic castle ruins, steam train chugging past (10 min walk to the station if you want to leave the car behind), and only a few miles from Swanage, Corfe and the beautiful beaches at Studland.
The friendly farmer comes around in the late morning collecting money and it was very cheap, in fact I would have been happy to pay much more. My 2 children (8 and 10) spent almost the entire time with new-made friends either rolling down the slopes or inside an excellent climbing tree complete with rope swing and tyre. In fact I had to drag them away to the beach! I'm a single parent and I got more time to read my book than in the rest of the summer holiday put together.
The site was a bit noisy in the evenings but only with lively families having a good time and it didn't bother us.
Here's a tip: if you send your kids to buy buns from the bread milk and cakes van, be specific. I gave mine a fiver and they came back with 10 doughnuts between 3 of us!
Brilliant facilities - HOT showers, clean toilets (with a never ending supply of toilet roll!) and a washing up point. Also other toilets closer to the farmhouse by the field for caravans - here there is an electrical point and freezer for ice packs in a shed (both free to use) and in the toilet blocks also a washing machine.
Pitches - able to pitch where we wanted and the farm put up a 'site full' sign shortly after we arrived - the space left was amazing. They didn't overcrowd the fields at all. Amazing views and only a slight slope to the field, depending on where you pitch. Cows at the bottom of the field some days and views of the Swanage railway and Corfe Castle.
Site - Short drive to Swanage town centre and well positioned to get to other local attractions such as Kimmeridge Bay, Durdle Door and so on. A petrol station and shop are just down the road too which is handy for picking up any bits. Swanage Railway (Harmans Cross station) is a brief walk from the site with trains to Swanage. £5 return for an adult but I noticed you can get 50p camping discount if you buy tickets from the farmhouse on the campsite.
All in all a lovely stay and we would definitely use this site again. Brilliant value for money and friendly atmosphere on site. We travelled as a couple but lots of families were also at the site so would recommend it for either.
The word rustic has been used to describe Downshay, but all things are relative and that shouldn't discourage campers of any level.
To cover the important things first let's talk about toilets and wash facilities; there are loads of them! After a week we were still finding new ones, and I have literally never seen any campsite keep lavatories cleaner than at Downshay.
What's more the toilet blocks are so well ventilated you don't even have to tolerate any of those normal human smells you tend to expect at popular sites. Showers were many, all excellent, clean, and as hot as you like.
There's a free freezer and plug points in a shed by the farmhouse and a free washing machine too if you need them.
The two main camping fields are on quite a slope which shouldn't alarm because it means you get some epic sunsets over the hills toward Corfe Castle. There's plenty of space too, even in the last week of July there was room for kids to play football and fly kites, and what a charming thing it is to see them doing that of an evening.
Each morning around 9 a van arrives with breakfast type supplies, and it's less than a mile to the Spar shop/petrol station in the village, so this is a campsite where you're never far away if you find yourself short on anything.
The owners were lovely friendly people, when our ice blocks were taken they very kindly lent us spares left behind by previous campers (although I don't expect they're able to do that for everybody!).
Above all for the price it's amazing value. It's easy to pay a lot more at campsites with fewer and less clean facilities with staff who couldn't care less about your stay.
Just superb, and of course so much to do in Dorset.
We stayed for three days in July at this lovely site.
Things seemed a bit vague as we drove in, but then we saw the A4 notices inviting people to find their own pitch and advising that the rent would be collected in the morning.
There are two fields for tents separated by a row of pines. The grass in both was kept neatly cut. We pitched at the edge of the right-hand field on the most level area we could find. The site is on a terraced hill side, which provides wonderful views over the Isle of Purbeck towards Corfe Castle. The Swanage Steam Railway runs along the valley not 10 minutes walk away. And being at the margin of the site our views were uninterrupted.
As for the facilities, there is a recently refurbished block with two showers and two loos in the Mens. Two sinks for washing up outside. Further towards the entrance there is an older block in porta-cabins with two more showers and 5 loos for Men (I'm sorry I don't know about the womens' facilities) and 4 sinks for dish washing. So the facilities were never crowded to the point of queuing. Everything was kept spotlessly clean, the paper was in ample supply as was the hot water. There are also three freezers for (free) refreezing of cold packs. A mobile shop appear at 09.30 ish, selling bread, news papers and other provisions.
And yes, the rent was collected in the morning and for 2 adults, a 5 berth tent and car it was £13 per night.
Perhaps I'm getting romantic in my middle age, but this is a very peaceful place with a spiritual quality. We will certainly be back.
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Common Questions
Is Downshay Farm Camping And Touring child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Downshay Farm Camping And Touring? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
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Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
No Laundry 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
Shop <1 mile 
Bar <5 miles 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <5 miles 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing <5 miles 
No Wild Swimming 
Indoor Pool <5 miles 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
No Cycle Hire 
Golf <5 miles 
Tennis <5 miles 
Beach <5 miles 
Watersports <5 miles 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <5 miles
No Dog Walk 
We arrived at this site after other choices were full (I'm a last-minute camper most of the time!). But what a stroke of luck this was! The site is in a beautiful location with stunning views of Corfe Castle in the distance and the steam train track only a couple of fields away. Another bonus is that Harman's Cross station (for Swanage Railway) is a short walk from the campsite - great for a fun way to access Swanage and Corfe Castle! 
