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We have just come back from a 5 night stay at Holmsley, this is our second trip to the camp site and we really like it. Yes the site does get very busy, we tuned up on Sunday ( the weekend England played Germany), there was loads of rubbish around the bins and the the toilets where a little dirty but they had been very busy at the weekend due to the good weather.
The toilets where cleaned a few hours later and rubbish gone by Monday. The staff are great at the site, very helpful and willing to help and happy to give any advice. They offer some great services, if you have a young family they have a family room, just hire a key for £10 ( deposit), also they hire ice blocks for a small fee, once they have defrost you return and get a new one for 50p, I think you need to put a deposit of £2.
The area around the camp site is great for kids, the horses and rabbits are very close and allows them to go for small walks. My little boy loved looking for horses and ponies. They have a nice play area for the kids,We are planning to go back in August. I can recommend this site especially with a Tent, as I don't need electric hook up I can comment on that.
Was a bit concerned after reading some of the other reviews, especially as we wanted an electrical hook up. A warm greeting at the gate, then it was a bit of a free for all -luckily we found a lovely pitch under the trees. The toilets were immaculate and whilst I heard some complaints when in the showers, they were only messy because other campers had left them that way! The rangers were really helpful and gave me directions to walk to Burley through the forest, a wonderful walk. Would we go back - yes but not in peak season as too crowded and would be much harder to find a pitch. And yes it is lots of tarmac but that's because it was a WW2 airfield - its a bit of history that just adds to the atmosphere and not a problem in a campervan with no awning!
Arrived Tue after the Bank Holiday, so not too busy and checked our party of nine quickly. Yes you do have to scout for a perfect pitch and we were lucky and found a great spot. Pitched our 3 tents and pup tent but did have to move one as it wasn't quite 3m apart, a rule the rangers do enforce, so be warned.
Showers and toilets fine, with plenty of hot water, the blocks close for cleaning at different times but this wasn't a problem. Shop on site has all the basics and was open all day.
Make sure all you food is secure as the animals will investigate and nibble if they can get in your tent (no ponies on the site, we're talking badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, probably rats). The kids were really excited and hoped to see the little critters! However the ponies near the site entrance more than made up for the mysterious cracker eating beasts.
The walking from this site is beautiful, head for Whitton ponds and you may be as lucky as we were and see a New Forest pony being born, magical!Or a Lizard scampering across the heathland, springwatch live! All in all a fab four days rounded off with a trip to Bournemouth and sandcastles all round. We will return.!
First impressions were great, we pulled up to the site to be greeted by a ranger who gave us our stickers for the car and caravan. We were then told to find our own pitch which was so difficult as the place was packed and every where you drove you had no idea if you could then get the car and van round if there was no spaces!
Finally found a space and anded up parked on concrete and managed to squeeze our awning onto a patch of grass under a tree! I was gutted at first as no where really to just sit and enjoy the good weather while my 2 yr old played!
As time went on and people went home we had more room to spread out and could explore the huge site. The location is just amazing, plenty of animals to see and lots of places to cycle or walk and have picnics etc!
Facilities were great and when not quite so packed or if you don't need electric hook up I would definitely recommend it! I will definitely go back just maybe not at the end of a school holiday as too busy!
Just back from 5 nights during half term. We have stayed at other Forest Holiday sites in the New Forest and have loved them all. We chose this one because of the electricity supply. But I wish we hadn't. Finding somewhere to park our caravan was the first challenge and even when we finally located a vacant electrical socket, we hadn't got enough room to put up the awning. There was no direction or help to locate a suitable spot - it was a case of 'Good luck to you, it's every man for himself'.
This site is on a disused air field, so it feels a bit like camping in a car park as there is so much tarmac. The site was full the whole time we were there and it was honestly like a middle class refugee camp.
The facilities were fine - clean and well maintained and the shop was well stocked, but it lacked the forest feel that the other sites have; I'd have foregone the electricity had I known what to expect.
If you can avoid school holidays it's probably fine. Otherwise find somewhere with allocated pitches - Holmsley was a nightmare.
This site has to be in one of the nicest settings, just walk out of the gates and you are in the middle of the New Forest, there were ponies outside the gates every day.
Checking in was easy and we could drive round and select our own pitch with electric hook up.
Toilet block and showers very clean, although shower frustrating as on 10second timer and no where to keep cloths dry apart from 1 peg.
Childrens playground excellent, we did not really see our 9 year old much as she was either in the playground or cycling round the very safe site with all the new friends that she made.
The site has an excellent shop and also a takeaway for breakfast and dinner ie pizza and burgers,we did not try it but it looked nice.
We spent 9 nights here over Easter, it was our first visit to this site. The site had only been open a few days when we arrived, so the staff were still learning and the shop had hardly any stock. The site was pretty empty and we had a drive around before choosing where to pitch our caravan and awning. We have to say it is the strangest camp site we have ever been to. The wide concrete roads are runways and parking bays from when it was an RAF base in the war, we half expected to see an old Dakota or something tucked up a corner!
The pitches are not marked out, you just go anywhere, we found a raised grass corner. The toilet/shower blocks look really old from the outside, like they could be as old as the RAF base, but inside they were modern and clean, there were 3 blocks though only 2 were open when we were there.
There is a children's play area, though our son is too old at 12.
After a few days the site started to fill up as the Easter weekend arrived. It went from peaceful and spacious to crowded and manic. There were people everywhere, it seemed like every bit of available space was occupied by either a tent, caravan, motorhome or car. There were kids cycling up and down the roads, playing football, lots of family and friend groups together. It reminded me of a huge motorway service station. The toilets and showers became busy and dirty. After the weekend most people went home and we were peaceful again!
The site is good if you have dogs as we do, plenty of space just outside the site to let them off, the resident ponies and cattle are not bothered about people or dogs. We did see deer run through the site, and we saw birds of prey about. There is more heath land than forest in the New Forest. We found a few walks to go on, though not very well marked some of them, we did get lost one day.
There is a take-away on site, we didn't use it, but it seemed very popular.
Christchurch is a short drive away with plenty of shops and restaurants. We did a fair amount of driving, there are plenty of places to go, Portsmouth, Bournemouth for eg.
If we went to the area again though, we would go to a different site, it was a bit too big for our taste, we weren't stuck on the RAF base theme.
We have stayed at Holmsley in the heart of the New Forest on three occasions. Each time was at Easter or May bank holiday for 3 or 4 nights.
We are a family of 6. We love the fact that the ponies come right up to the fences and you can go for walks from the site. On two of our visits we didn't leave the site except for walks.
The showers and toilets are modern and clean and there are plenty of them.
There is a good shop although on our last visit we couldn't find much for cooking on a camp stove and the sweet choice had reduced. There is a takeaway which is very handy.
The pitches are unmarked and we have always found a good pitch with electric hook up.
We like this site and have been a few times, as it is right on the edge of the forest and we can step out of the caravan onto our bikes. Our most recent visit was rather wet and other than parking on the concrete, everywhere was water logged. Quite a few people gave up and went home.
Facilities are ok but not great. The showers and loos are closed for large parts of the day for cleaning, which must be done using a tooth brush as it takes ages. The only real good thing is the location. In the summer they offer night time nature walks with a park ranger, but they charge a fortune.
We will be staying here again, but will book late, when we know what the weather forecast.
I booked it as a woodland / forest site but the pitch we were on was a big tarmac road, a bit like holidaying on Tesco's car park. We arrived an hour early thanks to traffic not being too heavy and were promptly charged an early arrival fee! Not the kind of welcome I expected.
Being walkers/hikers we promptly set off through the back of the site and were immediately into the New Forest. After 5 hours of walking we returned to the site via a local village which involved walking along the roadside for quite a while as there don't seem to be many bridle paths in the area.
We stayed here for 2 nights as we were going to a family wedding and had pre-booked a pitch with electric hook-up. We arrived and were dealt with by a very helpful assistant. We were told to help ourselves and camp anywhere. This was easier said than done as the vans weren't parked - they appear to have just landed! Once we found a spare hook up we had to trail our lead across several other pitches.
Having set up, the site was wonderful - right in the middle of the New Forest. The site was spotless. It has excellent facilities. We will return when it is quieter.
We thoroughly enjoyed this long weekend. We went there as a couple but also with other members of the family camping in a tent. We found a nice position next to each other and fairly secluded. As previously mentioned the facilities need more frequent attention but know the standard of Forestry Commission sites before going there and this was one of their better ones, certainly the best in the New Forest. Location is excellent, walks plentiful and weather was fairly kind. Taking everything into account an enjoyable time.
Site was reasonably busy but not heaving with people during our stay, so we had a choice of pitch. The vast majority of pitches were on nice, flat ground with plenty of space around.
Friendly staff working from a well-stocked shop with all the basic essentials and a fair few camping bits and bobs all helped to make our stay here welcoming and relaxing.
The shower/toilet blocks are clean, well-kept and not especially busy but the 'tug-a-sheet-at-a-time' loo roll holders are a pain.
There are no New Forest ponies on-site which is handy, but be advised they do hang around right outside the camp gates in the mornings and are all over the roads and nearby villages in the surrounding areas all day so please beware- the local rule is that the ponies have right-of-way and this is (correctly) strictly enforced.
The picturesque village of Burley just outside camp is well worth a visit and for more cosmopolitan tastes the town of Lyndhurst is just a few miles away, boasting various pubs, restaurants, shops, supermarkets and a handy and very well-stocked camping shop.
All in all a lovely site in a beautiful part of the country with lots to see and do in the area.
Stayed at the site as part of a group of four families in mid August and came away disappointed. Maybe it just wasn't my type of place but it seemed very open, very crowded and pretty shabby. Expensive for what it offered too. Location good though.
Toilet blocks were of a good standard but unless you were a very early riser there was little or no hot water left. Washed up in stone cold water a couple of times, which is a bit grim.
We have just come back from a lovely short break at this site. In a beautiful location where, ponies, donkeys and cows dominate the roadside and often stand in the middle of the road! These are unable to access the site but lovely to know they are just a short walk away.
We arrived and checked in no problem, managed to find a lovely EHU pitch alongside the small woodland area along the fence line so had lots of privacy. The 6m apart rule worked well.
The toilets and showers were spotless and the showers lovely and warm, great on an evening now the nights are getting a bit chilly.
Had a lovely latte and croissants from the on site shop for our trip home. All in all we shall look back on our break with fond memories, we shall certainly go back again although we will probably go off peak like we did this time so we can get a good pitch.
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Common Questions
Is Holmsley Camping In The New Forest child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Holmsley Camping In The New Forest? There is a shop on site View all facilities
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Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Motorbikers Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No Freezer / Fridge 
Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar <5 miles 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <5 miles 
Kids Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
No Fishing 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
Cycle Hire On Site 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
Beach <10 miles 
Watersports <10 miles 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <5 miles
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
Electric Car Charging Point
We have just come back from a 5 night stay at Holmsley, this is our second trip to the camp site and we really like it. Yes the site does get very busy, we tuned up on Sunday ( the weekend England played Germany), there was loads of rubbish around the bins and the the toilets where a little dirty but they had been very busy at the weekend due to the good weather. 
