Herston Caravan and Camping

View prices & book 6.4 397 reviews
Well-spaced pitches
Well-spaced pitches
Bell tent
Spacious grass pitches
Bell tent with picnic table
Gather friends and family
Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch
Friendly site
Bell tents with great rural views
1/123
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.

Campground type

Camper sites 164
RV sites 164
Tent sites 46
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

Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

6.4

Overall rating from 397 Pitchup.com customers

  • 25%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 19%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 20%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 9%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 18%
    2
  • 2%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 5
Peaceful

52% would recommend this campground to a friend

51% would stay here again

What customers say

This large, well-located campground is a short walk from Swanage town and beach, offering competitive prices and good on-site amenities like a shop and food truck. Guests praise the friendly staff, excellent WiFi, and spacious sites. While many facilities are clean and functional, some reviews note they are dated and could benefit from maintenance. There are mixed reports on cleanliness and noise levels.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 40
Arrival date (latest first)

Brilliant campsite! Great location and lots of facilities on site.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Powered grass campsite

Liked How close to Swanage we were, just a short walk into town.
The convenience of the shop and bar/food hut.
Never queues for toilets and showers, lot of them.
The price is very competitive and they had availability for electric pitch up at very short notice. The site is big and lots of spaces.
Brilliant wifi and phone signal!! Which you don't get at many campsites.

We had an amazing visit and will definitely be back! The site and staff were great. My only minor complaint would be that the facilities are a bit dated and could benefit from some maintenance. That said, for the price and all the other great things about this site, it’s a very small issue. I was initially hesitant due to some of the negative reviews mentioning cleanliness, but honestly, it was nowhere near as bad as I expected. Don’t let those reviews put you off — we’re really glad we went!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will visit again

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 4
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

FHU cement/asphalt and grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Lots of space to spread put

Disliked Some Toilets showers need to be updated, looking tired and not particularly clean, ones at bottom of site good,

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good location to walk into town…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Helen T.

FHU cement/asphalt and grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Good location to walk into town

Disliked Pitches were close together, toilet and shower blocks were unclean with dirty floors ( in summer peak season) . Untidy grounds and site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would book again

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Rosie H.

Powered grass campsite

Liked This whole campsite was beautiful. Clean toilet pods that included a shower each, apl over the campsite in various different places so never had to wait. Cleaned twice a day. Helpful staff. Wifi available at no extra cost. 5 minute drive to beach. 25 minute walk.

Disliked Could do with a washing up section in the tent field - only because im too lazy to walk across a field!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely place to camp clean facilities…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

FHU cement/asphalt and grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Lovely place to camp clean facilities

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
yones N.

Powered grass campsite

Liked Everything

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location but far too crowded.

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 4
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 No rating
Jackie A.

Powered grass campsite

Liked The location and the shower toilet pods.

Disliked Small pitches. More epensive than ones we usually stay on. Overcrowded at the weekend. Tents were pitched with no space between them. It was much better on Monday when quieter.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super friendly staff

Overall

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

FHU cement/asphalt and grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Food was so good 😊

Disliked There is nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location only.…

Overall

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

FHU cement/asphalt and grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Location only.

Disliked The whole site was a disgrace!
Do not stay here!!
The facilities were disgusting, filthy, and unkept. Definitely not worth the cost of the site.
Loud disrespectful people, would never recommend to anyone!
If you do have to stay, then just be prepared to be disappointed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Close to the beach the pitch sizes were decent…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 4
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 2
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 4
Anonymous

Powered grass campsite

Liked Close to the beach the pitch sizes were decent

Disliked Not enough toilets.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 caravans 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

Bus
1 mi Bus Station
3.6 mi East Street
3.6 mi East Street
Rail
7 mi Poole Rail Station
7.4 mi Parkstone (Dorset) Rail Station
7.6 mi Hamworthy Rail Station
Ferry
4.5 mi Shell Bay Ferry Terminal
4.7 mi Sandbanks Ferry Terminal
5 mi Brownsea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
12.8 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

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 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Studland Knoll House 2.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Shell Bay North 4.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular 5.2 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Poole Shore Road Beach 5.7 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Swanage Railway 1 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 3 mi

Corfe Castle 3.8 mi

Brownsea Island 5 mi

Dorset Cruises 8.1 mi

National Trust

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 2.2 mi

Corfe Castle 3.7 mi

Brownsea Island 4.9 mi

White Mill 13.4 mi

Kingston Lacy 13.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Herston - Worth Matravers - Corfe 0.3 mi

Swanage to Corfe Circular Walk 1.8 mi

Durlston Castle Historic Landscape 1.9 mi

Studland - Old Harry - Ballard Down - Studland 2.2 mi

Worth Matravers - Cliffs, Caves and Chapel 2.9 mi

Local events

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

    Dorchester, England 20.8 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.

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

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 $66.56 (for 2 nights, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.