Southover Woods

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.3 35 reviews

Meadow camping for groups up to 10 people

Wild woodland site 20 minutes’ drive from Dorchester in Dorset
Half an hour’s drive to the Jurassic Coast and Weymouth harbour
Woodland walks accessed from the pitches, trout fishing next door

Whether you’re looking for a couples’ getaway or a weekend meet-up with a big bunch of pals, you’ll find what you’re looking for at Southover Woods, 20 minutes’ drive from Dorchester in Dorset. With more than 60 acres of private woodland and meadow, the site has nearly wild pitches catering for all different sizes of group. No matter whether there are two of you or 20 of you, you’ll have plenty of space and privacy on the pitches, and each comes with its own firepit and log seating – just the job for a cosy get-together around the campfire. If you’re quiet at night, the chances are you’ll get to hear owls a-hooting and may even see elusive deer flitting through the trees. Direct from the pitches, you can walk for miles on an extensive network of footpaths in Southover Woods, connecting up with the long-distance Hardy Way and Dorset Jubilee Trail. Keen angers can head right next door to the well-stocked trout pools at Wessex Fly Fishing. The site owners also organise bushcraft sessions, yoga, forest bathing and woodland games – talk to them when you arrive to find out more. Just so you’re aware, the camping pitches are down a long and bumpy track that can get muddy, and there will be some fetching and carrying of gear required from your vehicles.

Site type

Open now

Please note

At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

As the site is accessible via a forest track, it is not suitable for sports cars or vehicles with low trim.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Tue, 01 Apr to Fri, 31 Oct 2025

Pitch types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

Choose your dates and we'll email when available.

See nearby bookable sites

Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Campfire area well sited in a depression

Lovely woods if you wantt a more back to basics camping experience.

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

Megan S. Sept 2024

Non-electric forest floor tent pitch (family)

Liked: The woods were beautiful and the pitches felt private and secluded.

Disliked: Difficult to find the correct car park/pitch. Track into the site too many holes, could do with some gravel to fill.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, with very friendly staff, we had a great weekend!

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	10

Paige H. Aug 2024

Meadow non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Beautiful site, very peaceful, staff were so helpful and kind.
Toilet and shower facilities were clean and functional.

Disliked: A bit difficult to find but we called the staff and they helped us find the right route.

Recommend to friends Visit again

This campsite is absolutely wonderful. Amazing surroundings. The drive in was…

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 Jul 2024

Meadow non-electric grass pitch

Liked: This campsite is absolutely wonderful. Amazing surroundings. The drive in was really fun too! Hold on to your seats!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely stunning place! First thing first, parking was great! Didn't have to…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	10

Jessica S. Jun 2024

Non-electric forest floor tent pitch (family)

Liked: Absolutely stunning place! First thing first, parking was great! Didn't have to walk far with all of our stuff to the to the villager pitch and 2 wheel barrows were available to borrow. The compost toilet was actually great to use! You could have a pee/poo with a view and didn't have to worry about people seeing you as the other pitches were really far away, also not once did it smell.
The scenery was absolutely breath taking. So peaceful and beautiful. I loved getting up early and listening to the birds and watching the squirrels rin around the firepit. The pitch was really well laid out, there was plenty of room for my 5m bell tent and we put up a gazebo. The fire pit was great! There are activities to do on site although we didn't do them this time. I will definitely be bringing my 2 boys and husband next time and I
We'll go for longer! The location was great, not too far from anywhere. The staff were really friendly and helpful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Liked the environment…

Overall	6/10
Location	8
Value for money	2
Accommodation	4
Facilities / Activities	4
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	6

Anonymous Jun 2024

Non-electric forest floor tent pitch (large, groups only)

Liked: Liked the environment

Disliked: Quite expensive

Recommend to friends Visit again

Gorgeous wild camping spot in the forest. We’ll definitely return!

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

Anonymous May 2024

Meadow non-electric grass pitch

Liked: A peaceful spot in the middle of the forest. Clean composting toilets and bucket showers. Each pitch comes with a firepit and seats. 15 minute walk to a lovely pub with nice food and great staff.

Disliked: The drive in is long with bumps and potholes.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much!

Great well thought out site

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

Adam C. May 2024

Non-electric forest floor tent pitch (family)

Liked: This is an extremely well thought out site and I just don't get why there are negative comments about it.

The pitches are well laid out and I didn't hear a peep from other campers - they were there somewhere....as evidenced by the car park!

I can by myself, but would definitely and would come back again for sure either solo or with friends and family.

I read some negative comments about the unpaved road leading up to the site. Yes it's about a mile long, but drive sensibly (I have a "normal car") and you won't have any issues.

(my photos don't do the site any justice - the weather was a little grim at the time)

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Dear Adam,

Thank you so much for your review.

We have been to this camp size a couple of times now…

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

reza a. Apr 2024

Non-electric forest floor tent pitch (family)

Liked: We have been to this camp size a couple of times now and it’s one of our favourite places to visit

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much!

Plenty of compost loos

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 Oct 2023

Hazel Wood non-electric forest floor tent pitch (woodland, small)

Liked: Loved the wild camp site. Stayed by myself with my 8 year old for the first few days, and felt very safe. Loved the parachutes providing shelter to cook and have a fire. My son loved being able to roam freely.
Chloe was super helpful and welcoming.
Will definitely return

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much!

Excellent site, and friendly owners.

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

Anonymous Oct 2023

Non-electric forest floor tent pitch (family)

Liked: We liked the back to basics camping, the campsite we had was really big with plenty of space, a fire pit was already there with log seating around it. Plenty of places to go for a walk and a lovely setting. We liked that we were secluded and the other pitches were not too close by. Beautiful place to stay if you are looking for back to basic camping.

Disliked: It was a little tricky to find and the track road is pretty rough but that were the only things we disliked.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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 pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table 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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Budget/backpacker Forest Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No drinkable water point No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby

Location

Southover Woods

Affpuddle car park

B3390

Dorchester

Dorset

England

DT2 7HP

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.73135°N
-2.27892°W

Route directions

What3words: circulate.tedious.pyramid. From the car park, head across the crossroads, under the silver height barrier gate then follow signs for Southover Woods. The Hazel Wood and Meadow Pitches have parking and entry at their own meadow, whereas all other pitches are within the woods. Please check your booking information to know which pitch you have booked, as it is a self check-in service.

Nearest transport

Coach

11.5 km South Station

12.9 km Post Office

12.9 km Red Lion

Rail

4.2 km Moreton (Dorset) Rail Station

6.9 km Wool Rail Station

11.4 km Dorchester South Rail Station

Ferry

18.2 km Weymouth Ferry Terminal

20.3 km Poole Ferry Terminal

20.8 km Poole Quay Ferry Landing

Airport

31.9 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

Should you fancy a change of scenery from Southover Woods, go hunting for fossils on the Jurassic Coast’s Bowleaze Cove or have a potter around the Georgian harbour at Weymouth (both half an hour’s drive). Take a bracing stroll along Chesil Beach, and drive west along the coast to discover the palm trees and water features at 18th-century Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (both 35 minutes). If the kids are with you, take them to see turtles and sharks at SEA LIFE Centre Weymouth (half an hour) or the stuffed toys at the Dorset Teddy Bear Museum (15 minutes) in Dorchester. Watch the mute swans being fed at Abbotsbury Swannery (35 minutes), and chances are you’ll all have a giggle at the club-wielding chalk figure of the National Trust - Cerne Giant (25 minutes) carved into a hillside. Nearby is pretty Cerne Abbas (half an hour), where you can tour the remains of the Benedictine abbey and sneak down a pint of local cider in one of the village’s many traditional pubs.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Durdle Door East	12.2 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	N/A	Excellent
Durdle Door West	12.2 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Ringstead Bay	12.3 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Lulworth Cove	12.7 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Bowleaze Cove	14.6 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

The Tank Museum 4.7 km

Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre 5.8 km

Hardy's Birthplace 7.8 km

Lulworth Castle & Park 11.4 km

Lulworth Heritage Centre 12.7 km

National Trust

Clouds Hill 2.4 km

Hardy's Cottage 7.9 km

Max Gate 10.5 km

White Mill 17.4 km

Corfe Castle 18.7 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Clouds Hill - Moreton 2.9 km

ATHELHAMPTON 3.8 km

Beacon Hill - Hardy's Cottage - Stinsford - Beacon Hill 6 km

WATERSTON MANOR 7.2 km

Higher Bockhampton - Puddletown Forest 7.9 km

Local events

Dorset County Show (Saturday, 6 September 2025 – Saturday, 6 September 2025)
Dorchester, England 10.4 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.

Policies

Booking terms and conditions

Admission

At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.

Safety

Firearms are not permitted.
Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.

Dogs

Guide dogs are allowed on site free of charge.

Safety

If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.

General

In the event of a complaint, please speak to reception immediately. Complaints which are not brought to the management's attention during your stay cannot be dealt with once you have left the site.

Hired accommodation

No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.

Arrivals and departures

No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.

General

Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
Quiet hours must be respected between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m..
Radio, music and TV players must be kept at a low volume. Car doors and boots must be closed quietly.
Refunds within the indicated cancellation period are only possible if the site is able to relet your unit/pitch.

Safety

Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

General

The management reserves the right to deny access or terminate the stay of those guests whose behaviour is deemed unsuitable. No refunds will be offered.
There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.
The site is not liable for any refund in the event of force majeure.

Hired accommodation

Your unit must be left clean and tidy, a fine of £50,00 (R1 194,87) will be charged for unclean units upon departure.

Additional terms

Pitches: each pitch has a wild shower (fill the bucket with warm water heated over the fire, pull up and fill the bucket).
Water is available at one of 3 stand pipes near to the pitches but it needs to be boiled before drinking. Each pitch has it’s own composting loo, toilet roll is provided.

As the site is accessible via a forest track, it is not suitable for sports cars or vehicles with low trim.

Payment terms

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

Does Southover Woods have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Southover Woods dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near Southover Woods? Should you fancy a change of scenery from Southover Woods, go hunting for fossils on the Jurassic Coast’s Bowleaze Cove or have a potter around the Georgian harbour at Weymouth (both half … Read more