How much does it cost to stay at The Gaggle of Geese?

From £26 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.

The Gaggle of Geese

View prices & book Last booked 12 hours ago 9.5 61 reviews

Pub site over five acres in the village of Buckland Newton
Half an hour's drive from beaches and the Jurassic Coast
Homemade meals and local beers, plus barbecue and pizza oven in summer

Walkers, riders, fishing folk, dog owners, family groups… all will want to take a gander at The Gaggle of Geese, a friendly country pub in the little village of Buckland Newton. This is a place that’s mighty well located for all sorts of Dorset days out – it’s in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for all your country pursuits, 20 minutes’ drive from the historic market town of Dorchester and half an hour from the county’s stunning coastline. On top of that, those on family hols may like to note that a drive of less that 45 minutes offers up all sorts of ways to entertain/wear out the small sorts – animal parks, fossil hunting, watersports… It’s not all about location though – the pub’s a rather fine destination in its own right. Five fab acres of peaceful fields, an orchard and a pleasingly sizeable beer garden with a soft play double decker bus, ping pong shack, miniature golf, pygmy goats and a space for football make up the outside space. The inside’s all comfy corners and a warm welcome for all (nippers and dogs included) too. Up for a bit more activity? Skip over to the skittle alley or check the events list to see if there are any quiz nights, wine tastings or live music afternoons scheduled. And you’ll be needing eats and drinks of course... homemade pub classics can be washed down with local beers and ciders; summer nights often see action out at the barbecue shack and wood-fired pizza oven too. Barbecues and campfires are welcome if you’d rather go the DIY route.

Site type

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. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
Single-sex bookings of 10 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.

Please note that the pub is closed on Mondays.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

The beer garden and apple orchard in the spring sunshine

Small unique with all facilities and a lovely pub.

Overall	10/10
Location	8
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	No rating

Anonymous Sept 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: Small site on the beautiful grounds of a pub. Soft play on a double decker bus, crazy golf, table tennis, indoor skittles. Outdoor pizza oven. Off the ground Fires allowed.
Good facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Staff were friendly and everything was very easy. Pitches are not marked out…

Overall	8/10
Location	6
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	4

Stephen B. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: Staff were friendly and everything was very easy.
Pitches are not marked out or allocated which makes for some interesting arrangements 😂 but nothing was a problem. Showers and toilets are quirky but work well enough 👍

Disliked: The pub has some funny opening hours which makes for interesting planning around meal times, nothing disastrous . Also in the middle.of nowhere so no other choices around

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly, attentive staff Large campsite with plenty of space between the tents Great facilities…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	6
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	6

Malgorzata D. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: Friendly, attentive staff
Large campsite with plenty of space between the tents
Great facilities - multiple showers and toilet cubical
Cleanliness - facilities have been kept clean, brushed and mopped regularly, toilet paper, bin liners and soap were always available, etc.
Additional facilities - sheltered ping pong table, soft play area for children (under 11), football pitch
Pub on site
Additional events like pizza Saturdays and scheduled live music event (although this got cancelled)

Disliked: Pub food was delicious but seemed overpriced when comparing to other campsite pubs we've been to in the past - a small discount for those camping would be welcome

Pizza's on Saturday we're tasty but very small (around 10 inch or less) and cost £15+

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thankyou for the lovely score and review. Be great to see you again soon

Just to clarify one point for future readers - our wood-fired pizzas are from £12. Our premium pizzas are £15.

We make our dough which is proved for 48 hours. Then hand stretched and cooked with our own sauce in a wood-fired oven...not your average pizza :)

Exceptional site with lovely facilities. Friendly hard working staff

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Catherine B. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: This is a brilliantly well run campsite. Lovely camping field with beautiful facilities (kept exceptionally clean) close to a perfect Dorset country pub. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Lovely walks close by.

Disliked: Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, well equipped. Would recommend Will visit again.

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Anonymous Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: Fantastic site. Small, homely, clean, well equipped. Simon and Sarah the hosts were so friendly and went out of their way to ensure everything was the best they could be for a fab weekend break with friends. They work incredibly hard to make sure the site is run well with the help of a couple who are site managers. The showers are very clean all the time there was plenty of hot water. The use of the hut and horse box for shower/toilet block was pleasantly quirky and worked really well. Camping located at the back of the pub was not at all intrusive and was just an added benefit. Plenty of entertainment for children with the play bus, golf and goats to feed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, lovely surrounding

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	6
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Ward W. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: Spacious, nice pub, nice walks in the neighborhood.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A very enjoyable camping trip. first time campers here and you guys…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	10

Michael C. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: A very enjoyable camping trip. first time campers here and you guys have set the bar very high.
The camping experience was made even better because the children weren’t whining they were bored (which we were dreading) there was so much to keep them busy. Crazy golf. Ping pong. Double decker play bus. Football goals and those adorable Pygmy goats.

Showers and toilets were regularly cleaned and kept stocked up with loo rolls and soap.

The whole place had a friendly vibe.
I honestly couldn’t fault this camping site.
Thanks for a very enjoyable camping experience. Keep doing what you’re doing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely beautiful site, small friendly fantastic food in the pub , toilets…

Overall	10/10
Location	8
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Sarah B. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: Absolutely beautiful site, small friendly fantastic food in the pub , toilets and showers were excellent , really well maintained and clean , we loved it. Probably wouldn’t go for more than 2 nights as there’s not really much within walking distance but if you have a car loads to visit.
Can’t wait to return next year
If your there on a Sunday the roast is absolutely banging

Recommend to friends Visit again

The goats, crazy golf and play bus! And the small but beautiful…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Anonymous Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: The goats, crazy golf and play bus! And the small but beautiful camping area with wonderfully clean and efficient toilet/showers and washing up area!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A fantastic child friendly site we would highly recommend.

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	6

Charlotte A. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch

Liked: The site is fantastic, peaceful, clean & very well maintained, child friendly with great facilities in the pub including a variety of pub games and outside a unique double decker bus soft play area, small play area, clock golf, & delightful Pygmy Goats you can feed. Our children (aged 8 & 11) also loved the site, all it's facilities but especially the bus! It is idyllic with beautiful views and run by a great team who were very efficient. The pub itself is quaint and serves excellent food & drink, we really enjoyed the pizza evening. To top it all off there was a wedding at the venue which was beautiful to see & added a lovely relaxed atmosphere to the site. The location was ideal for country walks with the dog, a 15 minute walk to a playground & local shop and under an hour to the coast too. A massive thanks to the very nice helpful staff, Sarah & the Gaggle team, & the wardens Fiona & Dean for a really memorable stay. We are already planning our next trip & hope to be there for Gaggle Fest next July! Keep up the good work, you have a wonderful pub & campsite thanks to a fantastic team who work very hard

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 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 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 Peaceful Remote location Walkers' paradise

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Pub campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

The Gaggle of Geese

Buckland Newton

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 7BS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.8438°N
-2.44397°W

Nearest transport

Coach

8.1 mi Greenhill

8.1 mi Coldharbour

8.5 mi Queens Head

Rail

5.9 mi Chetnole Rail Station

6.7 mi Yetminster Rail Station

7 mi Maiden Newton Rail Station

Ferry

16.3 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal

21.8 mi Poole Ferry Terminal

22.1 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing

Airport

27.2 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

Country wanderings aplenty await around here – there are heaps of places for walks both short and lengthy in the surrounding Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A popular ramble from the pub is the four-mile route to the Cerne Abbas Giant (indeed a sizeable chap at 55 metres long – potential pub quiz answer...?) Horseback hacks can be had from several stables within half an hour, and there’s a fab coarse fishery with 10 lakes (10!) five minutes’ drive away. Want a bit more oomph in your outings? Head to Henley Hillbillies (five minutes’ drive) for days zooming about on quad bikes or in hovercrafts or souped-up Minis. Need nipper-pleasing days out? Take your (or more likely their) pick from The Dinosaur Museum (20 minutes), Monkey World (half an hour), the Tank Museum (half an hour), the Sea Life adventure park (40 minutes), Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park (40 minutes)… or head to the coast for beach days in Weymouth (40 minutes), watersports at Lulworth Cove (45 minutes) or fossil hunts in Kimmeridge (50 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Bowleaze Cove	14.4 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Weymouth Lodmoor	15.1 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Ringstead Bay	15.2 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Weymouth Central	15.8 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Hive	15.9 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Hardy's Birthplace 8.2 mi

Mapperton House & Gardens 12 mi

The Tank Museum 13.5 mi

Montacute House 13.9 mi

Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre 14.2 mi

National Trust

Hardy's Cottage 8.2 mi

Max Gate 9.4 mi

Clouds Hill 12.1 mi

Montacute House 13.9 mi

Tintinhull Garden 14.8 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

MINTERNE 1.7 mi

Beneath The Feet Of Cerne's Giant 2.8 mi

Piddlehinton - Buck Hill - Piddletrenthide - Piddlehinton 4.9 mi

BINGHAM'S MELCOMBE 5.6 mi

CHANTMARLE 6.4 mi

Local events

Dorset County Show (Saturday 6 September 2025 – Saturday 6 September 2025)
Dorchester, Dorset 8.4 mi
Glastonbury Festival (Wednesday 25 June 2025 – Wednesday 25 June 2025)
Glastonbury, Somerset 22.7 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.

Policies

Booking terms and conditions

Admission

Admission is only permitted after registering at reception.
At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Arrivals and departures

Late arrivals must notify the park as soon as possible. Your booking will be held for 24 hours. After this period the management reserves the right to relet your unit.
No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.

Changes to your holiday

Bookings cannot be amended within 7 day(s) of arrival.

Dogs

Dogs must be kept on leads and supervised at all times.
Guide dogs are allowed on site free of charge.
The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

Extras

Motorbike(s) can be brought instead of the car(s) included.

General

Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
In the event of a complaint, please speak to reception immediately. Complaints which are not brought to the management's attention during your stay cannot be dealt with once you have left the site.
Quiet hours must be respected between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m..
Radio, music and TV players must be kept at a low volume. Car doors and boots must be closed quietly.
The management reserves the right to deny access or terminate the stay of those guests whose behaviour is deemed unsuitable. No refunds will be offered.

Occupancy

No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
Single-sex bookings of 10 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Pitches

You must follow the management directives when pitching your tent/unit and related equipment.

Safety

Barbecues are permitted but must be raised off the ground and attended by an adult at all times.
Firearms are not permitted.

Vehicles

Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
No vehicle movement between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m..
The car is only included in the rate if you are travelling with a touring caravan or a tent. If you wish to bring a car along with your motorhome/campervan please select the extra.

Visitors

Visitors’ cars are not permitted on site.
Visitors must leave the premises by 11 p.m..

Additional terms

Please note that the pub is closed on Mondays.

Payment terms

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

Does The Gaggle of Geese have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is The Gaggle of Geese dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near The Gaggle of Geese? Country wanderings aplenty await around here – there are heaps of places for walks both short and lengthy in the surrounding Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A popular ramble from the … Read more