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Holmsley Camping In The New Forest
Forest Road
Thorney Hill
Bransgore
Dorset (Browse area)
BH23 7EQ
Tel: 01590 631641
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches: 600
Open: 26/03/2026 to 31/10/2026
26/03/2027 to 31/10/2027
Rating: 
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Photos (15)
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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 |
 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 Rallies Welcome |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
 Motorbikers Welcome |
| Facilities |
 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 |
| Activities |
 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 |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <5 miles |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
 Electric Car Charging Point |
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Reviews:
219 in total, now showing 121 to 135
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| Date of Visit: July 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Abelle |
2 reviews from this member |
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 Firstly great location. The drive up to the entrance was postcard perfect. The new forest ponies surrounding you and sleeping in the road, just as imagined.
On arrival the men that meet you at the gate very friendly. We were unable to book a pitch with hook up as full so were told to drive and find.Easier said then done.
I would describe the site as heaving. We found the site to be noisy with no regard for the quiet time. No warden to be seen and tents cramped in any which way. We (ourselves with a 7 year old and 4 year old and friends with 2 similar aged children) were due to stay 2 nights but packed up on day two as when we returned from the lovely surrounding beaches even more tents had arrived and we could not even get our car near the tent. We did ask at reception if they sold ear plugs and the man thought we were joking, when he realised that we had had a bad night he said maybe they hadn't patrolled that section but would tonight.
The shower/toilet block were ok. Campers did not seem to respect the facilities so mostly they looked like they needed cleaning but again more the thought of the campers than the site facilities themselves.
I would sum this site up as fab location, but more like camping at a festival than a campsite and my 7 year old would describe it as to noisy to sleep. 
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: WWTR |
1 review from this member |
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Travelled to holmsley from Wales to spend weekend with friends. On arrival the site was huge and packed but found a space enough for two tents. Unfortunately this site gets too busy sometimes and we encountered problems with youths 'partying' til the early hours. Though warden did come out twice to deal with the issue.
There are only 3 toilet/shower blocks for 600 units which does not seem enough especially when half the toilets in the third block appeared to be locked from the inside, rendering them out of use for the majority of the weekend.
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Lewis04 |
1 review from this member |
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Just returned from our first ever camping trip. We arrived at 1ish on the Friday afternoon and it was already quite busy. We paid for EHU and struggled to find somewhere. The staff were very friendly on arrival and suggested where to pitch as it had been raining the night before and some areas were very wet. There was a shop on site which was really nice and sold some lovely fresh baked food and hot sausage rolls. Toilet and shower facilities were really good and cleaned every day. Fellow campers did not keep the areas very clean which was frustrating. Not enough washing up facilities for the size of the site but were always clean. The surrounding forest was fabulous and we went for a walk to look at some of the roaming horses. We took a short car journey to Christchurch beach which was beautiful. We were lucky with the weather and would definitely go there again.
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Yummy Girl |
4 reviews from this member |
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This site is a great base to explore the New Forest and surrounding area.
The site is well kept, with clean facilities and friendly staff that were very helpful and informative.
It was very peaceful of an evening with the quite time nicely enforced between 10.30pm and 7.00am.
My only little moan is the site shop which seemed to stock a lot of ‘gourmet’ frozen meals than essentials, but I’m sure they know there market and there is a Sainsbury’s 10 minutes drive from the site.
We were a party of four - two adults, a three year old and a two year old and can highly recommend a visit to Mudeford as we had great fun crabbing there and enjoyed the beach what with the glorious weather.
All in all a fabulous experience as this was our first time camping.
This is a gem of a site which we will be recommending to family and friends and intend on returning to again and again!
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: RoxanaB |
2 reviews from this member |
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Good site, little bit downhill in the tent area, ground a bit hard for the metal pegs.
Child friendly, good shop on site and clean shower and toilets, plenty of hot water as well. The tent area has no lights at all, at nights, that can be inconvenient.
Will definitely return with better equipment. Lots of lanterns and inflatable mattress.
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Vickiverky |
6 reviews from this member |
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We have just returned from a fantastic weekend at this site. Four tents, eight adults eight kids. Found the staff to be really friendly and helpful. We booked in advance and they encouraged family groups. Just book per pitch and share your reference numbers and if you get there first you can save the other pitches. Found a nice spot with just enough space surrounded by the forest with a gazebo in the middle. Perfect.
Kids found their way playing in the forest and no probs with the ponies thanks to good fencing. Found the ground to be extremely hard the plastic pegs worked better than the metal ones????
Showers and toilets were very clean and loads of hot water on a push button system. The shop was good with a modern feel and the kids loved the hot dogs. Would have been better with cycles as there are loads of tracks to follow and cars kept to the 5MPH speed limit
All in all a perfect site and will definitely be returning.With better tent pegs and bikes!
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| Date of Visit: May 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Sleepymummy |
3 reviews from this member |
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We stayed at Holmsley paying for a premium pitch for 2 nights at the end of May.
It is a very pleasant campsite in a lovely location. There were a couple of points though that must be noted. It is a campsite where there are no defined pitches so anyone just camps anywhere. This is fine but when you've paid a lot of money for EHU and then have trouble getting near a socket due to poor pitching from other campers it can be quite frustrating. We found somewhere eventually but with 2 small children in the back of the car it would have been nice to avoid this. During peak times they really should have a warden to help efficient pitching (they do at Gracelands, one of the Forestry Commission's other campsites).
My other point is that I found the staff to be a bit grumpy. Admittedly it was hot and busy but a smile would have been nice!
The toilets and showers were clean and functional and the family room was much appreciated. As others have mentioned, the temperature in the main showers was on one setting (hot!) but in the family room it is adjustable.
There is a playground which has lots of variety and suited us well.
PS The breakfast baps are really really good!
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| Date of Visit: May 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Paul Baker |
9 reviews from this member |
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Our party of 5 adults and 10 kids spent 3 nights at this campsite during the second May bank holiday weekend. We all enjoyed the experience.
The site is located in a picturesque corner of the New Forest. Immediately surrounding the site are wooded areas (great for tree-climbing kids) and an open heathland area with wild horses, most of which will tolerate well behaved kids stroking them.
Check-in was handled at the gate on the weekend we were there and seemed to be smooth and efficient. New arrivals should keep in the left hand lane as you approach the site. You get a sticker for the car and a lable for the tent / caravan.
We pitched our tents over to the right as you enter the site. We were about 2 min walk from the nearest toilet block.
There are no defined pitches. We arrived at around 2pm on the Friday and had no trouble finding space. However people still arriving on Saturday afternoon had to squeeze in.
There seemed to be hot water available virtually all the time except for a short time at 7.30 am on the Saturday. There were short queues for the showers at peak times (morning & early evening) but at any other time there were always showers free. The toilet blocks were kept clean. They are closed whilst they are being cleaned but other blocks on site are always available. The showers were very hot and had no temperature adjustment. Too hot for my kids to cope with and hotter than I would normally shower. The shower cubicles are also very small when you're trying to sort out an 8 and 6 year old as well as yourself!
There is a decent looking shop on site but we did not use it.
There is a wooden children's play area on site but we did not use this because it was too far from our tents for the kids to play unsupervised.
Despite the campsite being full over the weekend (600 pitches) there were still small patches of grass for games of badminton. Plus there are quite a number of areas of concrete which can be used for football games etc. The site was very quiet at night, I expect this was because most parties there included children. The site seems generally well managed.
We visited Moors Valley Country Park for a day and Highcliffe beach the next, both great for the kids and a reasonably short drive.
At GBP 83 (IIRC) for 3 nights for tent, car, 1 adult & 2 kids I thought it a little pricey, but perhaps I am out of touch. :)
We would visit this well-run site again.
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| Date of Visit: May 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: CScoggins |
9 reviews from this member |
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Stayed at Holmsley for three nights over the late May Bank Holiday and enjoyed it immensely. Very un-British weather, it was scorching hot with only one rain shower on Monday morning.
It was our second visit to this site, so we were prepared for the crowds - it's a huge site and was very busy over the Bank Holiday. Great for kids and those who like to be sociable, and don't mind a bit of noise in the early evening. If you're looking for a quiet break, go somewhere else!
The toilets are plentiful, clean and well maintained. Even with the site full the loos were never *that* dirty. Some queues for showers at 'peak' times, but that is to be expected. As other reviewers have said, the showers are very hot, which may be a problem with children. However, there is a 'family room', which may contain an adjustable shower - we didn't check as families can only gain access via a key available from Reception, to prevent abuse.
The site shop is a bit odd - seems to stock more 'gourmet' frozen meals than essentials (runs out of bread and milk very early on), which might be useful in a caravan with a microwave, but no use to 'real' campers. There's a good Co-Op in nearby Bransgore, should you need it, although it's a drive, not a walk. The on-site shop does serve coffee and a wide range of snacks, handy if the weather turns and you can't cook outside your tent!
As mentioned, the site was full being a Bank Holiday and the start of Half Term holidays. The '6 metres between units' rule was not rigidly enforced, as long as people were sensible. We arrived at noon on Friday and had plenty of choice of pitches, but people arriving later and later during the weekend had increasing trouble squeezing in. Most people seemed pretty friendly and the close proximity of others was never a problem. Of course this entirely depends on the quality of your neighbours and the control they exercise over any children / pets!
Quiet hours are from 10.30pm - 7am, and it was quite amazing how quiet the site was, considering the number of people on it. A few 'over-enthusiastic' groups could be heard, but they never carried on *too* long, maybe the wardens had a word. The site gates are locked at 10.30pm, which reduced traffic noise a lot. If you arrive back at the site after 10.30 you have to park outside the gates. This does mean there is a bit of traffic noise at 7am when the gates re-open - I could never understand why people felt it necessary to retrieve their cars at that hour!
The only other major rule is 'no fires' - gas or charcoal BBQs are allowed, as long as they are raised off the grass (bricks are available from behind Reception). This was one rule that was rigidly enforced - we witnessed a nearby group being reprimanded by the wardens when they tried to burn some cardboard on their charcoal BBQ.
All in all a great site for families and (well behaved) groups, not far from the coast and all the New Forest has to offer.
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| Date of Visit: May 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: 2gocampin |
7 reviews from this member |
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Just got back from a long weekend at Holmsley and we can highly recommend this Forest site, in fact we would go as far as to say this is possibly the best of all the New Forest, Forest Holiday sites as we have now done them all, or at least the ones that allow dogs.
The site is well laid out around an old air base so most of the caravans and motor homes stay to the hard standing areas leaving the greener areas for us tent people and the odd caravan. The site has a nice mixture of open areas and cosy corners to choose from and with 3 good sized and spotlessly clean toilet / shower blocks around the site your never too far away.
The site has its own shop and cafe where you can grab a fancy coffee and a pizza if the urge takes you and they also have the basics in the shop area as well as a few camping odds and ends, but if you need more than that then its a 10 minute drive to Sainsburys which can be found on the main road heading towards Christchurch.
All in all a great site, great location, the best facilities so far and one that we will definitely be returning to again and again.
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| Date of Visit: April 2009 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Rads |
15 reviews from this member |
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Just spent the Easter weekend at Holmsley. This was our first visit to this site and I am sure it won't be our last. Although it got busy on the Thursday night, we had managed to get a good pitch on the side of one of the old aircraft aprons when we arrived on Wednesday.
The staff were very helpful and the toilet blocks were all clean - the third block was only opened on the Thursday. The shop is reasonably stocked with the basics as well as a range of camping equipment from tent pegs to tents! Our children concluded that the shop was expensive when they found their favourite sweets to be a bit more than our local corner shop.
The Forest is accessible for walkers directly from the site and for cyclists there is Holmsley Enclosure, which is not far from the front entrance of the site - turn left along the front of the site. We also had a great day out at Moors Valley Country Park at Ringwood. The only money you have to spend is up to £8 for the car park. There is a miniature railway as well as excellent free play and tree-top trails.
There is a well stocked Co-op in Bransgore or if you like queuing for a car parking space, Sainsbury's is a few miles away in Christchurch - at the first roundabout you come to.
All in all, we will be back, but again, before the rush.
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| Date of Visit: April 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Val-09 |
1 review from this member |
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Stayed here for 3 nights. Reception staff very helpful and gave plenty of information about the local area. Shower facilities and toilet blocks very clean and plenty of hot water.
Onsite shop not a lot of stock but maybe because it was the beginning of the season. Plenty of shops nearby and the Toby Carvery is worth a visit (their yorkshire puddings are to die for).
Will definitely be visiting here again very nice campsite.
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| Date of Visit: April 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Aria30 |
14 reviews from this member |
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Just had 4 nights at this site. It's still early in the season, so the site was very quiet. We were met with friendly reception staff, who gave us information about what to do and where to go and the rules for camping in the New Forest.
We pitched on the outside of a large grassy area, along with other tents, caravans and motorhomes. It was lovely to see the horses coming up to the fence. Although we had heavy rain during the night, the ground soon dried up in our area.
The toilet blocks were always very clean, and there were plenty of bins and water points around. Our children enjoyed discovering the forest walks. We found it well situated to visit Christchurch, Bournemouth and Milford on Sea. The shop was expensive, but had what we needed.
I would go to this site again, but probably in low season, as I imagine it gets very busy with having 600 pitches in high season.
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| Date of Visit: April 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Kjaugust05 |
2 reviews from this member |
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We stayed here this weekend and had a great time. We have a large tent and found a lovely spot with electric hook up. The camp is well situated in the New Forest with miles of walks available nearby.
The staff were very helpful although we found the shop not very well stocked and very expensive. There are several supermarkets and takeaways in the nearby towns which are reasonably priced. Yangs Chinese Takeaway in Christchurch does a good curry!
The showers and toilet facilities were immaculately kept and there was always hot water whenever we went although oh said the mens showers didn't stay on long enough resulting in lots of button pressing!
The playpark got fab reviews from my 8 year old daughter as did the ponies munching in the woods behind us. As it was so early in the season the site was quiet!
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| Date of Visit: November 2008 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Pjh4463 |
6 reviews from this member |
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Stayed here for the last two days of the season. There was plenty of space due to the time of year yet we found the facilities to be excellent, very clean, plenty of hot water and well cared for.
The shop (even though they were running supplies down) was still good and the staff were friendly. We did stay here a few years ago at the height of the summer and found that it was a 'pot luck' system to find a space which can be quite frustrating. So when we return (and we shall) we shall go out of season.
A good base in which to explore the New Forest, Bournemouth, Southampton etc
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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
Is Holmsley Camping In The New Forest dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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