North Down Orchard

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.5 77 reviews
Bell tents (added by manager 15 Sep 2022)
Bell tents
Deluxe bell tent
Deluxe bell tent exterior
Communal area
Nature reserve next to the campsite
Campsite looking towards facilities and glamping
Campsite looking towards facilities and glamping
Wildflower meadow
1/105
Deluxe bell tent
Deluxe bell tent exterior
Communal area

  • Rural Somerset site surrounded by orchards on a working cider farm
  • West Bay, Lyme Regis and Forde Abbey within 40 minutes' drive
  • Bar open on Friday evenings for homemade cider and food
Fond of a drop of Somerset cider? Then you’ll be in your element at North Down Orchard, a small family-run farm five minutes’ drive from Crewkerne. This is a place with a rich history of cider making, and you’ll be settling down right in the middle of the action as the pleasingly flat fields are surrounded by the apple trees that make up the 40 acres of orchard here. The farm practises regenerative agriculture and hundreds of trees have been planted, so you’ll be surrounded by wildflowers, hedgerows and growing trees as well as the fruit orchards. Run on biofuels, North Down Orchard certainly takes care of its environmental credentials: electricity and hot water are supplied by solar panels, composting toilets minimise water usage and facilities have been made using recycled or up-cycled materials wherever possible. And what of that pint of cider you’ve come all this way for? The farm’s own Cider Barn will see you right with their home-made cider, and Basement 17 Tacos can keep you happy on the appetite front. And if you’re here on a Friday or Saturday, Streetwraps and Ethic Street Pizza are regular street-food visitors too. For other amenities, there’s a pub within walking distance in the village of West Chinnock, plus plenty of shops and eateries in Crewkerne, along with a swimming pool where you can work up an appetite.

Campground type

Rent a tent 5
Tent sites 15
Opens
Please note
  • 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).
  • No cars/motorcycles at the site. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Campsite types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

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Accommodation

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

Reviews

97%

would recommend this campground to a friend

97%

would stay here again

  • 83%
    10
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Long or short this is a great place to stay. Clean and friendly.

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Everything, I can't find fault with the site. For one of us this was a first time camping experience as an adult. Really unsure about using a compost toilet but these were clean and not even smelly in the slightest. We chose a Friday that had a function. The band wasn't on too late, the cider was fantastic, tacos lovely (tiny bit pricey but still overall worth trying). Access for cars is great. Pitching up was straightforward car can go in to offload only but there is parking area attached to the field. Most pitches are flat, grass is at a reasonable level, facilities are not very far away. Owners are really friendly and considerate. Happy to have a natter. If you are a light sleeper there is some early morning noise at about 6am from surrounding area from cattle n road. Would recommend ear plugs.

Disliked: .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with the pizza night at the cider barn recommended

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Lovely peaceful site with plenty of space for all. If you want a quiet pitch just set yourself up away from everyone as there is plenty of space. The kitchen is basic but very handy to have access to a fridge and kettle! Pizza night at the cider barn was great too!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with clean facilities, and friendly welcome.

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

Bell tent (deluxe, no pets)

Liked: Great experience from beginning to end. We were welcomed to our bell tent on arrival the atmosphere was warm and family friendly. Our children (11 + 4) loved the swing and enjoyed roasting marshmallows on the campfire. The facilities were everything we needed. The toilets were always clean and well stocked with supplies. Thank you for a lovely Bank holiday weekend.

Disliked: Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, rustic and environmentally friendly.

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful place to stay lovely orchards to walk through. We stayed as a family with young adults who enjoyed the Friday night cider barn. Dogs loved the walks through the orchards. Environment friendly site and star gazing was great. Lovely to have fires. No hidden extras.We took a bell tent, awning,2 dogs, pup tent ,car and trailer. A thoroughly relaxing holiday.

Disliked: Would have like another toilet in camping field.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, small-scale campsite in a stunning location

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 The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent (basic)

Liked: Really enjoyed our stopover at the farm - really easy and friendly, great facilities and a beautiful location. Took the dog for some lovely walks while we stayed, then off to nearby Montacute House on our way home

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a wonderful experience right from the start with the owner.…

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 The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked: We had a wonderful experience right from the start with the owner. The facilities were as described and clean. You could buy a basket of logs for your fire pit. The beds were comfortable.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic site. beautiful area. Very calm and relaxing…

Overall 6/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 2
Victoria S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent (basic)

Liked: Fantastic site. beautiful area. Very calm and relaxing

Disliked: Bad track to drive down , punched a family members car wheel. Set my engine light on( lucky it was just a sensor) No one to grate on arrival, no one to say what Tent you will be allocated. Shared facilities which is fab BUT if you have a family that has booked the WHOLE unit you will not be-able to us the facilities. We sadly had to throw food away, because we couldn’t store it and we couldn’t eat it as a very large family had taken over the kitchen. There is no noise limit…

Recommend to friends Visit again

You need to go!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Ellie S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: We loved our stay at North Down Orchard. The atmosphere on a Friday evening at the Cider barn was amazing! Great food too! Lovely host, would definitely stay here again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely pitch with good views and plenty of walks around the farm

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Open spaces, green credentials, facilities were great, lovely vibe, Friday night at the cider barn was fabulous and should have not eaten before we arrived!

Disliked: Minor point really but may have been nice to know in advance of the party in the barn on the Saturday as we may have pitched a little further away. Lovely live music but it was a bit loud for our kids to get to sleep. Pre warning info needed perhaps

Recommend to friends Visit again

Thoroughly enjoyed my stay!

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
Harriette D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked: The Bell Tent and camping area are in a beautiful spot on the lovely cider farm. Tents themselves are very nice, with good communal facilities. The Cider Barn was fantastic and draws a great crowd of friendly locals and serves fabulous food and drink!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs 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 Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Tents for hire Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly 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

Peaceful Remote location Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge 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

Type

Farm Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby

Location

North Down Orchard

North Down Farm

Haselbury Plucknett

Crewkerne

Somerset

England

TA18 7PL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.90847°N
-2.75399°W

Nearest transport

Bus
6 mi Yeovil Bus Station
10.7 mi Greenhill
10.8 mi Coldharbour
Rail
2.6 mi Crewkerne Rail Station
6.3 mi Yeovil Junction Rail Station
6.6 mi Yeovil Pen Mill Rail Station
Ferry
19.2 mi Bridgwater Ferry Terminal
24.7 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal

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

The scenery around here is rather pretty, so it all lends itself to getting out for a walk – perhaps in the Blackdown Hills to the east or the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the south. Destinations of choice include places like Evershot (20 minutes’ drive), the village that inspired much of Thomas Hardy’s writing, and the huge Cerne Abbas Giant (35 minutes) carved into the chalk hillside. And of course it’s also not far to get down to the Jurassic Coast for visits to West Bay (35 minutes) and Lyme Regis (40 minutes) – the latter being a great place to find fishing boat trips. Elsewhere along the coast are Beer Quarry Caves and Abbotsbury Swannery/Subtropical Gardens (both 50 minutes). For other days out, find out more about the area’s favourite tipple at Perry’s Cider Mills (15 minutes), meet wild beasts at Axe Valley Wildlife Park (35 minutes) or take a tour of Forde Abbey House and Garden (20 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Seatown 13.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Eypemouth 13.4 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
West Bay (West) 13.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Charmouth West 13.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Good
Hive 14.7 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Montacute House 3.5 mi

Mapperton House & Gardens 8.2 mi

Fleet Air Arm Museum 8.9 mi

Haynes International Motor Museum 12.5 mi

Clarks Village 15.2 mi

National Trust

Montacute House 3.4 mi

Tintinhull Garden 4.9 mi

Barrington Court 6 mi

Priest's House 8.2 mi

Lytes Cary Manor 9.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Montacute - Ham Hill - Norton sub Hamdon - Montacute 3.3 mi

MONTACUTE HOUSE 3.4 mi

BRYMPTON D'EVERCY 3.6 mi

HINTON HOUSE 3.7 mi

EAST LAMBROOK MANOR 4.7 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 Somerset?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does North Down Orchard have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is North Down Orchard dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near North Down Orchard? The scenery around here is rather pretty, so it all lends itself to getting out for a walk – perhaps in the Blackdown Hills to the east or the Dorset Area of … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of North Down Orchard?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more