Sandy Balls Holiday Village

View prices & book 7.8 45 reviews
Outdoor Pool
Overhead drone
Pitch
Outdoor pool

  • Surrounded by the scenery of the peaceful New Forest
  • Activities including zorbing, archery and bug hunts
  • Gym, spa, zipwire and two pools
The New Forest is, but of course, fab enough. But when you can retreat back to base for a Jacuzzi session or beauty treatment, or indeed spend days on base getting stuck into activities such as archery and, er, bug hunting... it's fairly safe to say that you've found your New Forest calling. Such forested fun is at Fordingbridge's Sandy Balls Holiday Village, among the spectacular scenery of the forest and set up for couples, friends and families to have long weekends, midweek breaks or (recommended) longer hols among tiptop facilities and absolutely loads to do. Off site, it's about 25 minutes' drive through the forest to Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World, 30 to the New Forest Wildlife Park, and about the same to coast and sandy... toes at Christchurch. The packed activity schedule at Sandy Balls includes varied shenanigans like walking, cycling, bug hunts, arts and crafts activities, football sessions, horse riding, archery, and – if you're here with those you're soppy about – laser combat games. A calendar of special events takes place throughout the year too, and entertainment is available every day during the school holidays and at weekends all year round. Might you now be ready for some pampering? Indoor and outdoor pools, a Jacuzzi, sauna and a beauty suite await your tuckered out self: after full recuperation, you've a pick of two restaurants on site in Aubreys Restaurant and cosy country pub the Woodside Inn. Takeaway and a well-stocked country shop are available too if by this point you just need to stagger back to base after all your active adventures.

Campground type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 85
Caravans for hire 100
Tent sites 50
Open now
Opens 1 August

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 3 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 3 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the campground while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • Free entertainment is available every day during the school holidays and at weekends throughout the year.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 1 Aug to

Open from Fri, 31 July to

Away Resorts AA 5 pennants
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Reviews

  • 35%
    10
  • 6%
    9
  • 26%
    8
  • 6%
    7
  • 6%
    6
  • 8%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 8%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
4

80% would recommend this campground to a friend

76% would stay here again

What customers say

Great family spot near New Forest. Clean amenities & friendly staff praised. Pitches good. Book ahead for pools/arcades. Minor noise/food gripes. Good value overall.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 5
Arrival date (latest first)

Excellent camping area

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
4
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
4
Child friendliness
3
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
1
michelle w.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked We camped, the shower block and toilet, wash up area is kept really well. The site is really flat, which makes for a brilliant setup. The staff who man the camping are really nice, helpful with knowledge
The pool is amazing, and the staff too. Young fresh and with great personal skills. Something that the whole site staff needs...Refreshing.

Disliked Within the main site, I found staff could do with some training on children with neuro diversity. There was little to no understanding or compasion with regards to our children in our group who have autism, and adhd. They did not feel inclusive, and quickly became full on anxiety and very upset, only feeling safe in the camping area or pool. Numerous times we had to explain over and over again about them. To which they were actually quite rude regarding. Maybe this is an age thing as quite alot of staff are older. With one very rude man in the arcades area, and a woman in the restaurant.
Drinks are very pricey. We paid £30 for 4 j20's and 2 fruit ciders.
The shop is super expensive and not your ordinary shopping. Organic etc. Great if thats the morning that you eat. With very little choice. Maybe focus more on food that gifts. In the restaurant we paid £12 for 3 portions of chips which came in a burger tray, so you can imagine how many were there!
Child friendly if you kids don't play or make noise!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Level pitches, clean facilities.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
4
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Ellie L.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Camp site a nice field with clean toilet, shower facilities

Disliked I feel like sandy balls focus A LOT on the lodges and not enough detail to care for camping..
there is no play ground for the children it is just a field and have to walk through a woodland trail to get to the site. Could do with including camping more to the business. But had a lovely time just wish they would put a little bit more in e.g. playground for the camp site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved the face it's a small…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
7
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
2
Customer service
2
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
No rating
Caroline W.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Loved the face it's a small site and the walk to the main complex is lovely. It's like a little adventure through the trees every day for the children.

Clean toilet facilities. Friendly staff.

Disliked The pool at sandy balls was, once again, a let down.

The indoor pool was closed for 2 days of our 3 day stay. We have been to sandy balls 3 times and every time there has been an issue with the pool. In the winter (early Jan) the heating was broken and it was literally ice cold but open. Then the next day it was closed due to poor water clarity. This time it was closed due to chlorine levels. It really isn't good enough that such a major feature of a family holiday is closed and there is never any sign of an apology or compensation. Of course everyone booking family holidays at sandy balls is expecting the pool to be available. Why is there continual problems and why don't sandy balls seem to care?

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good facilities and clean spacious pitches.…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
5
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Good facilities and clean spacious pitches.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Use of sandy balls main facilities…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
4
Maria C.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Use of sandy balls main facilities were great. The kids loved the swimming, arcade, entertainment and even alpaca walking. The camping site itself is very spacious and the pitch size is generous. The facilities are basic but perfectly adequate for the amount of people there. We neverreally have to queue for anything. It was a 10 minute walk to the main site through some woodland which was lovely.

Disliked Whilst we were here the camping site was unfortunately burgled. Large items were taken such as trailers and bikes. The site is not secure at night and the gate is constantly left open for anyone to enter. There is a representative at the gate during the day but no-one at night. I was told a watchman comes by every 30 mins in the night and the burglary must have happened in between these times. Either way no effort was made after this point to implement any new safety measure for the guest staying there. We never travel with valuables and large items so were not affected by this incident. But, if you do decide to stay here please lock your belonging away at night.
Despite what happened we really enjoyed our stay here and I would come here again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Relaxing and chilled family time. Campsite…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
3
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
3
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
8
Rebekah B.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Relaxing and chilled family time. Campsite clean and friendly.

Disliked Mainly booked because of the pools onsite - outdoor is a splash pool not a swimming pool. Indoor is nice but on a first come first served not always guaranteed to get in. We were told not allowed to mix between the pools but we saw plenty did and nothing being said.
Outside pool closed for a day after half hour of being open the chemicals weren’t right. Is this not checked before opening to the public?

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great Resort. Will visit again!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
7
Trish S.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked It was amazing. The staff was very friendly.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Overall it was fine, but I wouldn't go back.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
7
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Pools were nice. Activities available were good. Food was nice in the pub.
Friendly staff. The main square was always quite busy with a big screen and other entertainment.

Disliked Terrible WiFi, not available very often. The Away Resorts App was awful, especially when trying to book food. It said things weren't available/couldn't be selected but they could be ordered when ordering from the bar.
The campsite is miles away from the main resort and is very basic and was really noisy until late. There is no lighting at all from the resort to the campsite. No WiFi available at the campsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely holiday for all the family, thank you!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
1
Joanne C.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Great pitches
Helpful staff
Good atmosphere
Good restaurants
Nice pool

Disliked Toilet facilities for camping could be cleaned more regularly or have more. Only 3 toilets and showers (per sex) for all them pitches meant they were often occupied or dirty.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Level pitch, friendly staff.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
5
Value for money
7
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Nicola B.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked The staff were so friendly and the site is well-manned. The facilities are regularly cleaned.

Disliked Washing up taps temperature was dodgy and mostly cold. The camp is very close the to the road and the signage to walk to the Away Resort was not great.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club Massages On-site cafe On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area Sauna Soft play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Local produce 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

Bush Gastronomic delight Luxury Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Nearby leisure

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

Location

Sandy Balls Holiday Village

Godshill

Fordingbridge

Hampshire

England

SP6 2JZ

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.9296°N
1.7609°W

Nearest transport

Coach
9.4 km Meeting House Lane
12.9 km Red Rover
13.1 km Canada Corner
Rail
15.4 km Dean Rail Station
16 km Salisbury Rail Station
17.1 km Ashurst New Forest Rail Station
Ferry
22.2 km Christchurch Quay Ferry Landing
22.3 km Tuckton Tea Gardens Ferry Landing
22.3 km Wick Christchurch Ferry Landing
Airport
17.6 km Bournemouth International Airport
28.3 km Southampton 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

This is an excellently set site, within easy reach of forest wanders and activities, coast and beaches, family days out and heritage highlights. For families and other animals, it's 15 minutes' drive to the critters at the New Forest's Liberty’s Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre, and about 25 to the inhabitants, activities and tractor rides of Longdown Activity Farm at Ashurst. Marwell Zoo is 40 minutes to the east at Winchester. History is all around here too: within the forest at Beaulieu's National Motor Museum and at the 18th-century village of Buckler's Hard (40 minutes); at Henry 8's Hurst Castle (45 minutes) and at the many sights of Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard, 50 minutes away. To find out about New Forest pony rides, hikes and other foresty activity, drop into the New Forest Centre Museum, within 25 minutes' drive at Lyndhurst.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Christchurch Highcliffe Castle 21.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Highcliffe 21.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Friar`S Cliff 22.1 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Christchurch Avon Beach 22.4 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentGood
Christchurch Bay 22.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Breamore House 4.8 km

Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway 14.5 km

Paultons Family Theme Park 15 km

Salisbury Cathedral 15.2 km

Wilton House 18 km

National Trust

Mompesson House 15.4 km

Mottisfont 19.8 km

Little Clarendon 23 km

Kingston Lacy 23.2 km

Philipps House and Dinton Park 23.5 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Godshill - Pitts Wood Inclosure (New Forest) 2.1 km

Godshill - Frankenbury - Castle Hill 2.1 km

HALE PARK 4.4 km

Linwood - New Forest 4.7 km

BREAMORE 5 km

Local events

  • CarFest (Friday 22 August 2025 – Friday 22 August 2025)

    Basingstoke, England 47.6 km

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.

Want to know more about camping in Hampshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Sandy Balls Holiday Village have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Sandy Balls Holiday Village dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Sandy Balls Holiday Village? This is an excellently set site, within easy reach of forest wanders and activities, coast and beaches, family days out and heritage highlights. For families and other animals, it's 15 minutes' drive … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  11 a.m. –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Sandy Balls Holiday Village? From $184.01 (for 2 nights, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.