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Hi all,

Being fairly new to the world of camping I'm a little blown away by the choice of camp sites.  We (being myself, Dh and young sons) are hoping to set off to Dorset this summer but there are so many sites and reviews I'm blinded by them all lol!

Does anyone have any experience of these areas?  I'm not particularly asking for an actual site (although that would be helpful) but just a little insight as to where is best to go as a young family.

Many thanks

Laura

we are going to South Lytchett Manor Caravan & Camping Park in a couple of weeks, but stayed at east fleet (for one night two years ago, bad winds broke the tent pole and we came home everything wet) it was nice there too.

ttfn

With a young family Weymouth will always have more to do and going on.

Swanage is also nice - a decent sized resort but much smaller than weymouth. We are off to Norden farm campsite in a couple of weeks. We have been before. It would be a nice site for kids that are in to animals and not so expensive. It is close to Swanage and studland - best beach in England.

Poole is more boating and adult in my opinion but adjacent to Bournemouth which is a large resort & great for kids I am sure.

Everywhere else is small coves & villages. My favourite piece of coast but possibly not best for kids.

Bournemouth and Poole have lovely beaches, little in the way of caravan parks close to the resorts and parking is nigh on impossible especially in Bournemouth.  The A31 has several sites, and there's Rockley Park at Poole if you can get on it during the school holidays.  Weymouth again has lovely beaches, parkings a nightmare, and no sites actually near the resort, although I'm not sure if the Haven sites do touring. Wareham and Swanage have some pretty decent sites.  If you  move further along the coast to Charmouth/West Bay and Lyme there's more choice.  there are  3 excellent sites in Charmouth -  Wood Farm, Newlands and Manor Farm.   

Jenny

Last year we stayed at a caravan site in Wareham forest. Unfortunately it doesn't take tents, but the area is lovely with alot of things to do for families. We have 2 boys then aged 7 and 5 and they had a great time.

Wareham is about 20 minutes from Weymouth and 15 mins from Poole. Just outside Poole is a leisure complex with a big indoor water park called Splashdown, family friendly restaraunts, eg Frankie and Bennys etc, and a Cinema. Great if the weather's not.  It's also close to the Isle of Purbeck with Corfe Castle, Lulworth Castle and Cove, and Durdle Door.  The coastline is really beautiful and the main reason we visited the area. There's also the Tank museum (which the boys loved!) and Monkey World very close by and some lovely pubs which were nearly all family friendly (but not the one on the main road through Wareham Forest!) and nearly all did food.

The other sites around this area that we passed seemed to be reasonably quiet, not generally the all singing and dancing type.

HTH

Sally.

Quote: Originally posted by Dorset Belle on 17/7/2010

Weymouth again has lovely beaches, parkings a nightmare, and no sites actually near the resort, although I'm not sure if the Haven sites do touring.  

Jenny

East Fleet gets my vote been there a few times and going again this friday for 8 days. Its a lovely site and the toilets and showers in the stable field are brilliant.

alison 46