Woodfrys Farm

9.7 12 reviews
View of the Water Meadow

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  • Eco-friendly family-run 25-acre smallholding just outside Shaftesbury
  • A 40-minute drive to Salisbury; 50 minutes to Jurassic Coast
  • Campfires and dogs welcome; paddle in the chalk stream on site
Try a true taste of rural Dorset at Woodfrys Farm – pick a pitch at this 25-acre smallholding in Melbury Abbas and you’ll be joining owners Hannah and Liam, their kids and a resident gang of pedigree rare breeds including Hereford cattle and British Lop pigs. This site at the foot of Melbury Hill also has a lake and a clear chalk stream so it’s no wonder that it’s also a popular spot for wildlife – keep your eyes out for herons and ducks by day, or tawny owls and pipistrelle bats by night. Wild animals and guests alike come along here for the peaceful atmosphere so cars are kept in a car park away from the accommodation areas and everyone’s asked stay quiet after 10pm. Being here is all about relaxing and taking advantage of the natural surroundings – you’re welcome to have a paddle in the stream, have a barbecue or light up a campfire for a traditional outdoor evening (logs and firelighters are available to buy on site to make things easy). Dogs are welcome too, but please do remember that this is a working farm so you’ll need to keep them on leads and clean up after them (free biodegradable poo bags are provided for that job). Eco-friendly measures are at the fore here, so you’ll spot touches like handmade compost toilets (spread around the site so they're never far away) and eco toiletries in the showers. Recycling is available too, as are a couple of washing-up stations with lovely views and eco washing-up liquid. There’s much to do in the surrounding area, including walks, beach days and National Trust properties, not to mention the lovely town of Shaftesbury, which you can drive to in five minutes or walk in a bit over an hour along footpaths and lanes.

Campground type

Tent sites 6
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 1
Rent a tent 1
Opens

Languages spoken

French

Spanish

Nearby parks that are bookable on Pitchup.com

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Dorset?

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 Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly 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

Gastronomic delight Hikers’ paradise Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Woodfrys Farm

Redmans Lane

Melbury Abbas

Shaftesbury

Dorset

England

SP7 0DB

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.98436°N
2.17424°W

Route directions

Putting the postcode into a sat nav may send you to nearby houses so it's best to use the farm name in Google Maps. Please be aware that the local lanes are narrow but they have passing places. The site is at the bottom of the hill on Mill Hollow Lane. Let yourself in the gate, then pull up the drive to the signposted car parking area on the left and shut the gate behind you.

Nearest transport

Bus
1.8 mi The Town Hall
1.8 mi The Town Hall
9.8 mi Virginia Ash
Rail
5.5 mi Gillingham (Dorset) Rail Station
6.7 mi Tisbury Rail Station
10.7 mi Templecombe Rail Station
Ferry
20.6 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing
20.6 mi Poole Ferry Terminal
22.5 mi Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
20.7 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

Shaftesbury (five minutes’ drive) is well known for its steep and scenic Gold Hill, and it’s just one of the pretty towns and cities to visit nearby. Sherborne (half an hour), Salisbury (40 minutes) and Dorchester (45 minutes) are all worth a visit too, and of course there’s Weymouth (an hour) – home to one of Dorset’s finest sandy beaches. For other bits of scenery admiring, take yourselves to the National Trust properties Kingston Lacy and Stourhead (both 25 minutes) or head to the Jurassic Coast to snap pics of the famous stone arch Durdle Door (50 minutes). Alternatively, head out to spot animals at Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre (35 minutes) and Abbotsbury Swannery (an hour), or see what you can see on a walk through Duncliffe Wood (10 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Poole Harbour Rockley Sands 19.2 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Harbour Lake 19.8 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Branksome Chine 22.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bournemouth Alum Chine 22.5 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Bournemouth Durley Chine 22.5 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Stourhead House and Garden 10.6 mi

Kingston Lacy House and Gardens 13.3 mi

Longleat 14.7 mi

Wilton House 15.3 mi

Breamore House 17 mi

National Trust

Stourhead 10.5 mi

Philipps House and Dinton Park 10.7 mi

Little Clarendon 10.8 mi

White Mill 13.3 mi

Kingston Lacy 13.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Shaftesbury – Kingsettle Wood – Motcombe - Shaftesbury 1.9 mi

Win Green and Tollard Royal 2.7 mi

The Donheads - Wincombe - Gutch Common - Barkers Hill 3.6 mi

Donhead St Andrew and the Wardour Castles 3.6 mi

Duncliffe Wood 4 mi

Local events

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

    Dorchester, England 21.2 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.

Reviews

  • 83%
    10
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  • 16%
    8
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
6

100% would recommend this campground to a friend

100% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 2
Arrival date (latest first)

Would definitely stay again

Overall 10/10

Location
6
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Jill S.

Ridge primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Beautiful, quiet location. Just a magical setting.

The whole site was clean and well kept. Plenty of hot water for showers and washing up.

Well stocked shop on site with very welcoming staff.

A well equipped, clean, quiet modestly priced site.

Overall 10/10

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

Water Meadow primitive grass tent campsite

Liked A wonderfully quiet meadow pitch next to a beautiful wetland and stream. The welcome was warm and relaxed. A very environmentally conscious site.

Beautiful place to stay, very quiet and clean. The owners were friendly…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Hana C.

Water Meadow primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful place to stay, very quiet and clean. The owners were friendly and helpful.The camping pitch was private with a lovely view over the stream.

Really beautiful site, friendly manager…

Overall 10/10

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

Ridge primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Really beautiful site, friendly manager

From the manager: Thanks Sam. Hope to see you again. Thanks Hannah & Liam

Lovely withy hut and cooking area with private shower and toilet.…

Overall 8/10

Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Helga S.

The Withy shepherd's hut

Liked Lovely withy hut and cooking area with private shower and toilet.

Disliked Solar lights didnt work 2nd evening. Also had a noisy camper arrive on the saturday opposite us with a dog that was left to roam the site.

From the manager: Hi. We're really sorry to hear other guests affected your stay. We wish you'd let us know during your stay as we would have acted on this immediately.

We're also sorry you had issues with the lights. They are actually electric lights, powered by a power-bank, which is charged by a solar panel. The power bank, if not used for a while, powers itself down to save energy and needs powering on again before using. We always run through this in our arrival talk but appreciate it's not always easy to remember everything. Again wish you'd let us know as we'd have been able to fix this in a flick of a switch.

We hope you'll come and give the hut another go. Many Thanks Hannah & Liam

Liam and Hannah were the perfect hosts. The site was immaculate.…

Overall 10/10

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

Water Meadow primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Liam and Hannah were the perfect hosts. The site was immaculate. I was working in the area so sitting in the evening surrounded by green fields and a gorgeous lake was exactly what I needed.

Magical place to visit with great ammeties and friendly hosts. 5-stars

Overall 10/10

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

The Withy shepherd's hut

Liked Magical location, great ammeties in the Withy Hut and outdoor kitchen and a thoughtfully set up campsite. I received a text before arrival to let me know about some road closures which was really helpful.
The outdoor kitchen was such a great option when it rained, we could stil eat, drink, and play games on the table, staying dry. It was also beautiful in the dark with lights. It was great to be able to charge our phones and also have a fridge (felt like cheating to be honest BUT with a 12 year old boy in tow, it worked so well for us!)
We had a lovely first evening weather-wise and enjoyed the fire pit and toasted marshmallows.
We took a short walk around the site and the pitches were really well maintained with lots of space around them.
If you're much over 6 foot the bed might be on the tight side for two, but it's very comfortable. We also pitched a tent and there was ample space.
If you're considering Woodfrys (and/or the Withy Hut), get it booked, it's wonderful 😊

Disliked Nothing!
(As an FYI, the roads coming in near the farm are very tight but little traffic so wasn't an issue.)

Best site I've visited anywhere in England.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Chris M.

Water Meadow primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Superb quiet location within a small working farm, in sheltered 'wild' water meadow complete with its own lake and chalk stream. The valley abounds with wildlife and I was serenaded to sleep by the owls and rose in the morning to lots of birdsong.
Loved the green dry-composting toilets. Our hosts are both friendly and welcoming and enthusiastic about combining their farming with nature.

Lovely surroundings nice pond and wildlife.…

Overall 10/10

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

Water Meadow primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Lovely surroundings nice pond and wildlife.

This place was an unexpected and lovely surprise. I had selected the…

Overall 10/10

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

Ridge primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked This place was an unexpected and lovely surprise. I had selected the campsite purely on location but we found it's not like any other campsite we've been to. The owners are very helpful and patiently explain all the eco loos, showers and other facilities to every new guest. Not only are the pitches very generously sized but they are also well spread out and separated from each other by areas of unmown wild meadow. For many of them belongings have to be transported by wheelbarrow leaving a large and welcome car-free area. We spent a lot of time just chilling out there, walking around the pond, along the grassy paths through the meadow and it's a fantastic place for wildflowers, birds, dragonflies, moths and butterflies etc. My husband didn't want to leave!
There is also a useful little shop, place to freeze freezer blocks, a place to charge phones and local maps that you can borrow. It is all very well thought out. Many thanks.


Frequently asked questions

  • Does Woodfrys Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Woodfrys Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Woodfrys Farm? Shaftesbury (five minutes’ drive) is well known for its steep and scenic Gold Hill, and it’s just one of the pretty towns and cities to visit nearby. Sherborne (half an hour), Salisbury … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Woodfrys Farm?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more