The Railway Campsite

View prices & book 9.5 242 reviews
Train going past the site
Train going past the site
The steam train running past
Train passing at site
Sunrise one morning
View of the site on a cloudy morning
View of the site
View of the field
Caravans set up on site
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The steam train running past
Train passing at site
Sunrise one morning

  • Eight-acre field with Swanage Railway steam trains passing by
  • A 10-minute drive to Swanage Beach; 35 minutes to Durdle Door
  • Off-ground barbecues and firepits allowed; dogs welcome
If you’ve got little train enthusiasts in your family (or large ones, for that matter…), this is a site that’s likely to please them very much indeed. As the name suggests, The Railway Campsite is located next to the railway – and none other than the famed Swanage Railway. Waving at the steam trains as they puff past is a popular pastime around this dog-friendly site – although there are also some great Dorset countryside views for when there’s no railway action, plus lots of space around the eight-acre open field for whatever you choose to focus your attention on. And presumably you’ll want to take a ride on one of those trains too? That’s easily done, since Harmans Cross station is just next door to the site. All you have to do is choose whether to journey up to Corfe Castle or over to Swanage for a day at the beach (both about 15 minutes by train). When you’re not riding the rails, you can get out to some great coastal corners, including Studland Beach, Kimmeridge Bay or Dancing Ledge – all are within a 20-minute drive. This is a back-to-basics site, but it does have wooden composting toilets, a shower hut and chemical disposal facilities. The on-site snack shack opens its doors on weekends for breakfast, drinks and light evening meals. It's also open on Thursday evenings for Jamaican food. Off-ground barbecues and firepits are allowed (the site has firepits for hire and wood for sale if you need it), so you’re welcome to have a go at making your own dinner. You can source provisions at the small supermarket in the village of Harman’s Cross (five minutes’ walk).

Campground type

Tent sites 50
RV & Motorhome sites 3
Open now
Opens 4 July
Please note
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 16 or over.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 4 July to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 242 Pitchup.com customers

  • 71%
    10
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Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

98% would recommend this campground to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

Great spot near the Swanage steam train & countryside. Owners are lovely, facilities are clean (hot showers, compost loos), and the snack shack's a hit. Spacious, chill vibe, pick your own pitch. Some found loos basic or hills a bit steep, but most rave about it & want to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 25
Arrival date (latest first)

Peaceful back to basics site well maintained with friendly owner

Overall

10 out of 10
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 10
Value for money
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked The simplicity - just the basics ,
Toilets , water, and showers , all very simple
No frills
No electricity
Back to basic proper camping
A good base to explore from. The train gives you access to both Swanage and corfe so need to use the car mine didn’t move for the entire stay.
I fear the pressures of modern camping may force changes - I hope this is not the case
Definitely not for the Glamper/bring every gadget going type campers

Disliked My only dislike was packing up and leaving

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful setting, lovely for kids to…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Beautiful setting, lovely for kids to play, with the added convenience of the snack shack and a nearby shop and playground

Recommend to friends Visit again

Campsite very clean all amenities also…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
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 10
Wifi
 1
Simon C.

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Campsite very clean all amenities also very clean Staff friendly and approachable, food was good and well stocked . Could not fault the place . Would happily go back . The campsite was basic and cheap but this really does not describe the site in any way other than name , basic in really all you need views we're amazing , Hot showers . A site shop/ bar / take away in one . Well done camping as it should be . Not to mention the railway is a 2 minute walk ( entrance opposite campsite ) Many Thanks .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean quiet and trains were a bonus

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Katherine R.

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Absolutely fantastic, just the kind of site I look for! Will definitely be back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful views,great location,Steam trains and diesel rains passing .

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
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 10
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 10
Wifi
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Friendly staff,lovely onsite food/snack shack for burgers,breakfast,coffee drinks etc clean showers, clean compostable toilets well stocked with toilet rolls and good lights located at both sides of the site.Couple of minutes walk to the bus stop,train station is even closer Fantastic price for single traveller to.

Disliked Not the campsite owners fault so much but there was alot of dogs running round off the lead running up to dogs on the lead .Not great but everything else was just wonderful

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic value and will be visiting for the third time next year

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
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Wifi
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Scenery, relaxed friendly and back to basics

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location and a laid back site

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
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Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
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Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked A Lovely location, open outlook across the valley and to the steam railway line.
Position ideal as Corfe Castle on the doorstep, as well as the coast at Studland, Kimmeridge and Chapman's Pool being very close by. Great hot showers.
Great value for money

Disliked While I've stayed on sites with Eco composting loos before, I found that here when the campsite was full the loos were indeed smelly, and the small containers of sawdust ran out quickly. At quieter times with few tents, not a problem.
I did miss having any sinks to do ablutions! there were just open large sinks for washing up in.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site for family getaway

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked The pitch we had was perfect view of the steam trains going past , the staff was very friendly and the onsite cooking / bar area was the added bonus , the showers were lovely and hot

Disliked The toilets was a bit smelly after they had been emptied

Recommend to friends Visit again

So perfect we don’t want anyone to know about it!!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 1
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
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Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
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Child friendliness
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Cleanliness
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Wifi
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toby p.

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Excellent site, clean, friendly, perfect location for steam trains and walking Purbeck. Ideal for lazy camping - shack has bacon sandwiches and coffee for breakfast (full English if you want) and burgers for supper, and more. Very quiet, wonderful night skies, idyllic in every way, our second visit and will return next year.

Disliked Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely large field, very clean…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
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Oli P.

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked A lovely large field, very clean facilities and a great setting plus the train to get back from Swanage when needed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

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 site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. 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

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

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

Farm Large (51-200 sites) Pop-up campground

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Uneven terrain; gravel or loose mud

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

The Railway Campsite

Sunny Glade

Haycrafts Lane

Harmans Cross

Swanage

Dorset

England

BH19 3EB

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.61958°N
2.0239°W

Nearest transport

Coach
3 km East Street
3 km East Street
4.6 km Bus Station
Rail
10.4 km Wareham Rail Station
10.9 km Holton Heath Rail Station
11.5 km Poole Rail Station
Ferry
8.5 km Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
8.9 km Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
9 km Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
22.2 km 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

Famed for its ever-changing shades of blue and green, the Blue Pool (15 minutes’ drive) is surrounded by acres of heath- and woodland laced with trails. Take the easy path skirting the lake (where kids can also hunt for magic fairy doors), or steel yourself for a more challenging uphill route leading to views of the Purbeck Hills. Overlooked by the Georgian Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge Bay (20 minutes) is part of the Jurassic Coast. Rockpooling here may well yield some fossils; if not, you can head to the Etches Collection Museum, which displays fossilised marine creatures dating back millennia. The bay has clear waters for swimming and a summer snorkelling trail. Stay on the Jurassic Coast and move westwards to Durdle Door (35 minutes from the site), an iconic limestone arch stretching out into the sea. You can admire this imposing natural landmark from the dog-friendly beach or from the lookout point up on the cliff (easily reached via the South West Coast Path).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Swanage Central 4.7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Studland Knoll House 6.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Kimmeridge Bay 7.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Shell Bay North 8.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 9.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Corfe Castle 3.3 km

Swanage Railway 4.6 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 6.1 km

Brownsea Island 9 km

Lulworth Castle & Park 13.2 km

National Trust

Corfe Castle 3.1 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 5.8 km

Brownsea Island 8.9 km

Clouds Hill 19.4 km

White Mill 20.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Worth Matravers - Cliffs, Caves and Chapel 2.6 km

Worth Matravers - Winspit - Dancing Ledge 2.6 km

Corfe - Nine Barrows Down - Swanage 3.2 km

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 3.2 km

The Purbecks - Castle and Coastal 3.5 km

Local events

  • Dorset County Show (Saturday 6 September 2025 – Saturday 6 September 2025)

    Dorchester, England 30.5 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 Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Railway Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Railway Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Railway Campsite? Famed for its ever-changing shades of blue and green, the Blue Pool (15 minutes’ drive) is surrounded by acres of heath- and woodland laced with trails. Take the easy path skirting the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Railway Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  4 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Railway Campsite? From $33.04 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.