Herston Caravan and Camping

View prices & book 6.4 360 reviews
Well-spaced pitches
Bell tent
Spacious grass pitches
Bell tent with picnic table

  • Holiday park one mile from the beach in Swanage
  • Half an hour's drive from Monkey World and Durdle Door
  • Playground, shop and takeaway on site; dogs welcome
Three cheers for this one on Dorset's Jurassic Coast: Herston Caravan and Camping is a family-friendly site only five minutes' drive away from the town of Swanage and its sandy beach. Everyone should find a full programme of stuff to do and see in this neck of the woods: perhaps rides on the steam-powered Swanage Railway, windsurfing down at Swanage Bay or clifftop walks on the South West Coast Path. The popular attractions of Corfe Castle, Old Harry Rocks and Durdle Door are all under half an hour's drive away too. Facilities on site include a playground and a mini market that also functions as a visitor information centre. Grab food from the takeaway on site when you're hungry. The spacious and clean toilet blocks have plentiful hot showers, family bathrooms and disabled facilities, and the site also has a launderette and a washing-up area. Dogs are also welcome at the park as long as they are kept on a lead and cleaned up after.

Site type

RV sites 164
Tent sites 46
Travel trailer sites 164
Rent a tent 57
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • The charging of electric vehicles is not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Other pitch types

Reviews

  • 25%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 20%
    8
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    7
  • 21%
    6
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    5
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    4
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    2
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    1

51% would recommend this site to a friend

50% would stay here again

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Facilities, location inc. views, maintenance arrangements, showers…

Overall 9/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Facilities, location inc. views, maintenance arrangements, showers

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing site always our go to when that way.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU cement/asphalt travel trailer campsite (large)

Liked: Stayed here a few times now over a few years. Always a cleaner well looked after site. Friendly staff always. Pitches are clean and looked after. Showers are good and spacious.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location & Views. Could do with more toilets and flatter pitches

Overall 8/10

Location
9
Value for money
7
Accommodation
7
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
1
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Site was clean and inspected regular. Views were good. Location was very good for Swanage centre.

Disliked: Ground was not totally flat. Not ideal for tents. Could do with more toilets and a additional separate pot washing area. The toilets where good and had showers within each, but perhaps because of that people queued very regular for them in the morning and in the evening (due to a busy weekend also). The fact is if a toilet was out of order there would be serious concerns/issues.

Recommend to friends Visit again

All good, no complaints

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
1
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Everything !

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite would definitely recommend

Overall 8/10

Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
1
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked: Quite location and had a lovely small shop on site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stay. Will return.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
9
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Friendly welcoming staff. Easy to find pitch. Large spacious pitch. Plenty of clean facilities. Large, hot showers.
Easy walking distance into Swanage.

Disliked: We didn't stay long enough 😂

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing place for family. Loads of space for children to play , beautiful…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Ewa O. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Amazing place for family.
Loads of space for children to play , beautiful views. Short distance to the beach and city . Highly recommend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good family friend site with nice views from the tent field.

Overall 9/10

Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
Deanna S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Good facilities. We were not expecting such a great view of the sea and At night the valley is lit up too. Enjoyed hearing the steam train too. Nice and quiet, handy little shop. Excellent location- close to plenty of nice places to go like Shell beach.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location…

Overall 1/10

Location
6
Value for money
2
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
1
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
2
Cleanliness
1
Wifi
No rating
Nigel R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Location

Disliked: No hot water for a 2 night stay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice place, good people and friendly service…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
1
Ali O. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass campsite

Liked: Nice place, good people and friendly service

Disliked: I think needs more bathroom

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Local produce Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Forest Hikers’ paradise Leave the car at home Luxury Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Gray water hook-up for RVs/trailers Seasonal sites Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

Herston Caravan and Camping

Washpond Lane

Swanage

Dorset

England

BH19 3DJ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.61816°N
-1.97913°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1.6 km Bus Station
5.8 km East Street
5.8 km East Street
Rail
11.3 km Poole Rail Station
11.9 km Parkstone (Dorset) Rail Station
12.2 km Hamworthy Rail Station
Ferry
7.2 km Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
7.6 km Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
8 km Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
20.5 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

A five-minute drive gets you into Swanage for sandy walks, sandcastle building, splashing about and more serious watersports. To kayak round the cliffs and coves of the Jurassic Coast, make for Knoll beach (10 minutes' drive) or Lulworth Cove (40 minutes) to hire your craft and see the place from sea level. The 630 mile-long South West Coast Path passes through town: pick it up and head eastwards to the Studland and Godlington Heath Nature Reserve to see the wild and nature-filled Wessex that inspired Thomas Hardy (or hire a steed from the trekking centre for extra historical detail). Going west, the path goes past the splendid sights of Stair Hole and Durdle Door (40 minutes), while descents of varying steepness lead down to quiet and cove-like beaches like Winspit (accessible only on foot from Worth Matravers, 10 minutes away) and Kimmeridge (half an hour). For a spot of time travel, pick up the Swanage Railway for a nine-mile steam trip to Wareham, perhaps stopping off en route for a clamber round the ruins of Corfe Castle (10 minutes). Younger visitors should have a ball among the play barns, pedal go-karts and pettable animals at the Putlake Adventure Farm, five minutes away. Further afield, there are pony rides, deer safaris, tractor trips and bouncy castles at Farmer Palmer's Farm Park (30 minutes), and at a similar distance the heavy hardware in The Tank Museum and the charming residents of Monkey World should keep everyone's monkeys out of mischief.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Swanage Central 1.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Studland Knoll House 4.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Shell Bay North 7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 8.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Shore Road Beach 9.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Swanage Railway 1.6 km

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 4.8 km

Corfe Castle 6.1 km

Brownsea Island 8 km

Dorset Cruises 13.1 km

National Trust

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 3.5 km

Corfe Castle 6 km

Brownsea Island 7.9 km

White Mill 21.5 km

Kingston Lacy 21.7 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 0.6 km

Swanage to Corfe Circular Walk 3 km

Durlston Castle Historic Landscape 3 km

Studland - Old Harry - Ballard Down - Studland 3.6 km

Worth Matravers - Cliffs, Caves and Chapel 4.7 km

Local events

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

    Dorchester, England 33.5 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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Herston Caravan and Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Herston Caravan and Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Herston Caravan and Camping? A five-minute drive gets you into Swanage for sandy walks, sandcastle building, splashing about and more serious watersports. To kayak round the cliffs and coves of the Jurassic Coast, make for Knoll … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Herston Caravan and Camping?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Herston Caravan and Camping? From $92.38 (for 2 nights, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.