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Reviews of Downshay Farm Camping And Touring
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Downshay Farm Camping And Touring
Haycrafts Lane
Swanage
Dorset (Browse area)
BH19 3EB
Tel: 01929 480316
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This site has an availability calendar. You can check for availability here
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Pitches:
Open: 30/03/2024 to 31/10/2024
30/03/2025 to 31/10/2025
Rating: 
   
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Photos (21)
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 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 No Rallies |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
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| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 Washing Up |
 No Bathroom |
 No Baby Changing |
 No Laundry |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 Battery Charging |
 No Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 No Wifi Access |
 Shop <1 mile |
 Bar <5 miles |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <5 miles |
| Activities |
 No Playground |
 No TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 Fishing <5 miles |
 No Wild Swimming |
 Indoor Pool <5 miles |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 Horse Riding <5 miles |
 No Cycle Hire |
 Golf <5 miles |
 Tennis <5 miles |
 Beach <5 miles |
 Watersports <5 miles |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Working Farm |
 Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <5 miles |
 No Dog Walk |
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Reviews:
108 in total, now showing 51 to 60
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Nelson Muntz |
3 reviews from this member |
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 What can you say about Downshay that hasn't already been said?
Wonderful sights, wonderful facilities and wonderful staff.
Although sloping in places, the views over the hills and of Corfe Castle make it well worth it. If you are lucky enough to find a flat pitch, then you can't go wrong.
The facilities are 1st class. Plenty of showers, sinks and loo's for everybody. All 100% clean.
The size of Downshay means that nobody needs to be on top of each other. Loads of room.
Kids seem to be in one place, by a tree in the centre ish of the site, so not too much noise.
The guy who comes around for the rent is friendly, helpful and courteous.
We can't really fault Downshay. Love it. 
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Liverbird08 |
14 reviews from this member |
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Spent a week there in our tent. Serendipity that the original campsite we wanted was full, so last minute change of plan. I rang early on the Sunday, and the answe rmachine is updated daily so I knew that they had vacancies.
Pleasant drive there and we arrived in good time, set up the bell tent and my kitchen tent. I had originally planned to stay for three days and move on, but we (myself and young daughter) had such a great time we spent the week there so truly relaxed.
Things we loved:
- the Swanage steam train. Used this as a form of public transport, to go back and forth to Corfe castle and Swanage, better than driving and paying for parking in my view and more fun. I also felt we were doing our bit to support this wonderful railway staffed by volunteers who are all so committed.
-Corfe castle. Lovely pub called the Greyhound with great food and drinks, big garden at the back with views of castle. Cream tea in the gardens BUT it is true what the signs say - the wasps are relentless and they WILL drive you indoors if you want to eat that jam scone in peace
- snorkelling at Swanage pier. Safe for young children, my daughter found real treasure - £20 note in the water! The beach is a nice sandy one and good for kids, body boarding etc
- Jurassic boat ride - choppy waters so not for the easily queasy, but they sell wine :)
- drove to Kimmeridge to snorkel, but too choppy that day but it is gorgeous for rock pooling and walking/fishing but sturdy footwear for the beach is required as rocky beach. Fantastic gastro cafe close by selling really good food.
- Lulworth cove is stunning, we went later in the day with the snorkelling kit and struck gold around 4pm as less choppy and very warm, but vis not good. Daughter body boarded but this beach will kill your feet without good solid footwear. I came out of the water going 'owowowowowowowow!'
-horse riding at Studland bay - the people who run the stables were really pleasant and fitted us in. There are leaflets dotted around Swanage station with discounts so we got a 15% discount by using this. Went out onto the moors and it was a good ride for us.
The site is lovely I met the farmer's wife and her son, he was just a really lovely young lad, gave a weather update to us each day and very personable.
Pitch was sloped where we camped but just use your table with adjustable legs!
Facilities fine, we only used the big barn but apparently there are other wash rooms, the ones we used were always clean.
A quiet site as many families with small kids who were all in bed around 8pm, and a few older couples without kids who could enjoy the peace. Not for noisy groups.
I love this site and wish I was there now!
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: BecB |
3 reviews from this member |
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The best bit for us about this campsite is the big tree in the middle with lots of low branches, tyre on rope hanging off one, all surrounded by bushes. This is where the children hang out, bouncing and chatting and playing. For hours. 'Can I go to the forest Mama?' was the refrain of the holiday. It isn't remotely a forest, but hidden and exciting enough to give my London kids (9 & 6) who don't get much freedom or independence really, a taste. So as a result I could sit there outside the tent on a blanket with my book, sipping coffee and eating my delicious doughnut from the van (which incidentally my children bought for me every morning, another little taste of freedom), and enjoy the beautiful views.
On the practical side, this site is on a slope which we enjoying running down. Despite some spectacular downpours during our stay there were no issues with puddles at all so I guess it must be well drained. All washing, toilet, shower areas are very clean, water always hot, and well stocked with toilet roll and paper towels. The van I mentioned comes every day between 9-9.30 and has milk, bread, papers, sweets and scrummy doughnuts, and lots of other stuff too by the look of it.
As for the location, the steam railway station is max 10 minutes walk away, where you can train to Corfe, Swanage. It's rather pricey though in my opinion. Corfe is a 5 minute drive: the castle is worth a visit, great crystal shop, lovely bakery, NT shop and cafe where you can have afternoon tea; a sweet little town. Swanage has a good beach and worth a nosey. Studland Bay has NT stunning beaches. Monkey World about 20 minutes drive. It's a fantastic place to have a holiday, we've been twice now and always loved it.
I guess my only down point might be that the site shut on 31 August so we had to leave! we would have loved to have stayed longer. Highly recommended site and location.
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Charlwooduk |
9 reviews from this member |
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The first thing you need to know is on arriving there is no reception. Find a pitch and somebody will come around about 9am and take your money.
The fields can be quite slopping but flat-ish pitches are there. My advice is to make sure you can see Corfe Castle.That way you will have sun most of the day.
There are several toilet blocks, showers and washing up facilities situated near the farm buildings. There are not many showers for the amount of people staying on the site so be prepared to wait.
There are also several freezers where you can freeze ice packs [free of charge] and a washing machine [£1].
The campsite was mainly large groups of friends/families and smaller families.
The rules are quite relaxed so don't expect absolute quiet at night, but it wasn't that bad.
BBQ's are okay but no fires.
We loved hearing/seeing the steam train and lots of people walked down the hill to take it into Swanage or Corfe Castle.
Corfe Castle is about a 5-10 minute drive away and has some great dog-friendly pubs, a fantastic bakery and a few other shops. This place can obviously get quite busy so if you just turn up you might be unlucky, however, there are lots of other campsites nearby.
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
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| Reviewer: Gulliver7952 |
13 reviews from this member |
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Arrived at farm late Friday afternoon (aug Bank Hol). Followed the signs for directions. Drove into the first field on the right which has views of Corfe Castle and the Steam Railway. Found a flattish spot at the edge of the field. You do need to look for the flat spots as the field(s) are sloping. While I was there all the tents were well spaced out and it was not as busy as expected. The following morning one of the staff came round to collect the money. Car £1.00 med. Tent (Cabanon Calais) £4.00 Adult £3.00
Van comes round in the morning with provisions etc. There is a garage/Spar shop on the main road 1/2 mile or so from site and another (Londis) further along the main road towards Swanage.
Facilities are as stated previously.
It did get very windy on Sunday and had to make sure everything was secure.
One thing I noticed was those who had camped next to the trees were in the shade for most of the morning
The Swanage Steam Railway runs trains on a very regular basis. Last train from Swanage 11pm stops at Harmans Cross Station.
You can walk across the the fields to Corfe (2 miles) and catch the steam train back. £3.50
The down side.
Although the main road is some distance away, it was noisy Friday night/Saturday morning as the noise carries across the valley.
Noisy campers at night (but you get them on any large site)
The sites only open July and August
All in all a good site. I would go again.
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
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| Reviewer: Janems |
2 reviews from this member |
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We had a great time on this site! It was popular but not overcrowded. Although it has a 'turn up and pitch' policy for tents and many of the nearby campsites were full, the slope of the camping fields means that much of the space is never going to be occupied although there are plenty of 'flat enough' bits to accommodate quite a number of campers. The facilities are good and clean with plentiful hot water, soap, paper, even washing up liquid. They were obviously frequently cleaned. The best bit though is the view - wow! Rolling hills, dramatic castle ruins, steam train chugging past (10 min walk to the station if you want to leave the car behind), and only a few miles from Swanage, Corfe and the beautiful beaches at Studland.
The friendly farmer comes around in the late morning collecting money and it was very cheap, in fact I would have been happy to pay much more. My 2 children (8 and 10) spent almost the entire time with new-made friends either rolling down the slopes or inside an excellent climbing tree complete with rope swing and tyre. In fact I had to drag them away to the beach! I'm a single parent and I got more time to read my book than in the rest of the summer holiday put together.
The site was a bit noisy in the evenings but only with lively families having a good time and it didn't bother us.
Here's a tip: if you send your kids to buy buns from the bread milk and cakes van, be specific. I gave mine a fiver and they came back with 10 doughnuts between 3 of us!
I'd definitely go back.
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
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| Reviewer: Clojo |
1 review from this member |
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Brilliant facilities - HOT showers, clean toilets (with a never ending supply of toilet roll!) and a washing up point. Also other toilets closer to the farmhouse by the field for caravans - here there is an electrical point and freezer for ice packs in a shed (both free to use) and in the toilet blocks also a washing machine.
Pitches - able to pitch where we wanted and the farm put up a 'site full' sign shortly after we arrived - the space left was amazing. They didn't overcrowd the fields at all. Amazing views and only a slight slope to the field, depending on where you pitch. Cows at the bottom of the field some days and views of the Swanage railway and Corfe Castle.
Site - Short drive to Swanage town centre and well positioned to get to other local attractions such as Kimmeridge Bay, Durdle Door and so on. A petrol station and shop are just down the road too which is handy for picking up any bits. Swanage Railway (Harmans Cross station) is a brief walk from the site with trains to Swanage. £5 return for an adult but I noticed you can get 50p camping discount if you buy tickets from the farmhouse on the campsite.
All in all a lovely stay and we would definitely use this site again. Brilliant value for money and friendly atmosphere on site. We travelled as a couple but lots of families were also at the site so would recommend it for either.
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| Date of Visit: July 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: JamesO |
12 reviews from this member |
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What a site! An instant favourite!
The word rustic has been used to describe Downshay, but all things are relative and that shouldn't discourage campers of any level.
To cover the important things first let's talk about toilets and wash facilities; there are loads of them! After a week we were still finding new ones, and I have literally never seen any campsite keep lavatories cleaner than at Downshay.
What's more the toilet blocks are so well ventilated you don't even have to tolerate any of those normal human smells you tend to expect at popular sites. Showers were many, all excellent, clean, and as hot as you like.
There's a free freezer and plug points in a shed by the farmhouse and a free washing machine too if you need them.
The two main camping fields are on quite a slope which shouldn't alarm because it means you get some epic sunsets over the hills toward Corfe Castle. There's plenty of space too, even in the last week of July there was room for kids to play football and fly kites, and what a charming thing it is to see them doing that of an evening.
Each morning around 9 a van arrives with breakfast type supplies, and it's less than a mile to the Spar shop/petrol station in the village, so this is a campsite where you're never far away if you find yourself short on anything.
The owners were lovely friendly people, when our ice blocks were taken they very kindly lent us spares left behind by previous campers (although I don't expect they're able to do that for everybody!).
Above all for the price it's amazing value. It's easy to pay a lot more at campsites with fewer and less clean facilities with staff who couldn't care less about your stay.
Just superb, and of course so much to do in Dorset.
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| Date of Visit: July 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Nick Renn |
5 reviews from this member |
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We stayed for three days in July at this lovely site.
Things seemed a bit vague as we drove in, but then we saw the A4 notices inviting people to find their own pitch and advising that the rent would be collected in the morning.
There are two fields for tents separated by a row of pines. The grass in both was kept neatly cut. We pitched at the edge of the right-hand field on the most level area we could find. The site is on a terraced hill side, which provides wonderful views over the Isle of Purbeck towards Corfe Castle. The Swanage Steam Railway runs along the valley not 10 minutes walk away. And being at the margin of the site our views were uninterrupted.
As for the facilities, there is a recently refurbished block with two showers and two loos in the Mens. Two sinks for washing up outside. Further towards the entrance there is an older block in porta-cabins with two more showers and 5 loos for Men (I'm sorry I don't know about the womens' facilities) and 4 sinks for dish washing. So the facilities were never crowded to the point of queuing. Everything was kept spotlessly clean, the paper was in ample supply as was the hot water. There are also three freezers for (free) refreezing of cold packs. A mobile shop appear at 09.30 ish, selling bread, news papers and other provisions.
And yes, the rent was collected in the morning and for 2 adults, a 5 berth tent and car it was £13 per night.
Perhaps I'm getting romantic in my middle age, but this is a very peaceful place with a spiritual quality. We will certainly be back.
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| Date of Visit: July 2010 |
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| Reviewer: LucyJK |
3 reviews from this member |
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We (myself, husband, 2 young children & 2 dogs) visited this site on our maiden camping trip, so weren't really sure what to expect.
This site was fantastic and met all expectations and more !
The campsite itself has the most amazing views - I mean really truly breathtaking (and this coming from someone surrounded by countryside)
We positioned our tent right at the top of the hill.
The toilet and shower facilities were spotless
Showers very hot and always clean
Although only 4 female showers and 5 female toilets we never once had to queue
We were also pleasantly surprised to find there was not only a washing up sink but it also had fairy liquid supplied !
There was a little van that came round very morning selling supplies which was very useful
Its only about 5min drive from swanage town and 10mins from Studland beach
I cant honestly fault this campsite, and cant wait to return :)
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Common Questions
Is Downshay Farm Camping And Touring child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Downshay Farm Camping And Touring? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
Is Downshay Farm Camping And Touring dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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