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Reviews of The Dower House Touring Park
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The Dower House Touring Park
Thetford Forest
East Harling
Norfolk (Browse area)
NR16 2SE
Tel: 01953 717314
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches: 140
Open: 24/03/2024 to 29/10/2024
24/03/2025 to 29/10/2025
Rating: 
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 Tent Pitches |
 Caravan Pitches |
 Motorhome Pitches |
 Small Campervans |
 Glamping Units |
 No Statics for Hire |
 No Statics for Sale |
 Seasonal Pitches |
 Electric Hookups |
 No Hardstandings |
 No Fully Serviced Pitches |
 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 |
 Baby Changing Facilities |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop On Site |
 Bar On Site |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <5 miles |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 TV Room |
 Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 Fishing <5 miles |
 No Wild Swimming |
 No Indoor Pool |
 Outdoor Pool On Site |
 Horse Riding <5 miles |
 Cycle Hire On Site |
 No Golf |
 No Tennis |
 No Beach |
 No Watersports |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <5 miles |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
110 in total, now showing 81 to 90
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| Date of Visit: July 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Mohawk5 |
7 reviews from this member |
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 Have just returned from a hot and sunny weekend at this lovely site. We last visited over ten years ago and were relieved to find it as good as ever!
The site is approached by a good mile of unmade road which gives a lovely feeling of seclusion - however makes trips out a bit arduous. We stayed on the tent field which is wide and spacious, not broken up by hedges etc but bordered by deep forest - which is fantastic, very atmospheric and wonderful for exploring and walks.
The EHU area and caravan field are more landscaped and feature some really nice roomy pitches. On the tent field you pitch where you like but are asked to keep a distance of 6m from the next tent - in places groups did choose to pitch closer together and this didn't seem to cause a problem. One or two tents pitched quite selfishly, parking cars in acres of space - but I suppose that's the downside of choosing your own pitch. On the plus side it's great to choose yourself a sunny spot!
Toilets and showers are fine and very clean - it's nice having separate toilet / basin-only blocks, no queues for a quick pee! The swimming pool is a little larger than we remembered, with a grassed sunbathing area, but still not nearly big enough for the hordes of children. The on-site pub does serve food in busy periods - even though their website categorically says it doesn't - phone ahead to check if it's important to you: simple menu and takeaways too - including pizza. Lovely outside seating area.
We found the shop to be very well stocked indeed, and, usefully in an isolated spot, sold everything for the bbq, wine and beer and lots of camping supplies. The owners and all on-site staff were cheerful and helpful.
A very busy site, but with no feeling of overcrowding: popular with families (loads of birthday sleepovers) and quite noisy in the morning - well behaved children, just too much energy!. Lovely and peaceful after about 9.00pm though. Lots of walks, children's playarea and table tennis, an equestrian centre in the village, 'Grimes Graves' and an English whisky distillery to visit. Maybe a bit short of things to do in the rain, but fabulous in the sun. Will definitely visit again - highly recommended. 
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| Date of Visit: July 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: AntheaL |
2 reviews from this member |
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We have recently returned from a week at the Dower House.
The Good Bits:
- Free hot showers - never had to queue even tho site was busy
- Small shop on site to top up on basics
- Lovely woods surrounding
- Free outdoor heated swimming pool
- Play area for littlies
The Bad Bits:
- Camping field very bumpy due to rabbit holes (however the owners are aware and are doing their best to fill holes)
- On site shop is very expensive, and nearest supermarket is a good drive away (Thetford or Diss)
- Freezer for ice packs doesn't freeze anything - left mine in for 24 hours once and still not frozen
- Washing facilities expensive (£3.50 per wash) and tumble drier (20p for 10 minutes!) takes a very long time to dry anything - I had a load in for over an hour and it was still wet at the end (no I didn't over load it)
The Really Bad Bits:
- Pub food - awful! We had lunch there once, chicken burgers for the kids and toasted sandwich for me - all were very poor quality and just awful. Such a shame because I'm sure many people would use this facility if the quality was up to scratch. Also expensive - I noticed a sign up on the day we left advertising their new 'American Burgers', £9.95 for a burger plus a dessert - or £6.95 for just the burger!
Over all we had a good week, but I wouldn't rush back to the Dower House.
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Clintyboy12 |
4 reviews from this member |
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Visited on Father's day weekend. Was amazed at how busy it was for a non-BH weekend.
Lots of EHU and caravans, only one (large) field for tents, bounded on 2 sides by forest. Field itself was a bit bumpy, with lots of rabbit holes and mole hills. Admittedly the owners did seem to be quite conscientous in filling them in / flattening them out but in the dark was a bit perilous at times!
No defined pitching areas, though we were asked to keep away from one side of the field which was dedicated to EHU pitches. There was a patch of long grass around the middle of the field which didn't get camped on and we chose to put our tents around that.
Did not get to try the pub, but they were open at lunchtime (until 2.30) and in the evening until 11pm. They served food thru lunchtime and in the evening until 9.30, even offering take away service.
Toilets and showers were kept clean and the water was hot though the showers were a bit poky. Not immediately evident where the showers were, though referring to the map we identified they were behind the bar!
Swimming pool was a focal point and even was being used in the rain. Was heated though you could only tell if you went from the main pool into the unheated baby pool! Lots of chlorine so take your goggles!
Had a very enjoyable weekend even though it rained whilst we were packing away and overnight on the Sat. A little pricey compared to some other places in the vicinity we looked at but it did have everything you need for a great weekend (especially if the sun shines!)
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| Date of Visit: May 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Fuffy |
21 reviews from this member |
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We visited the site on a bank holiday weekend and even though it was full there seemed to be plenty of space for everyone. The campsite is kept very clean and tidy, and has everything you need for a great stay. The tent field (which does have some ehu) is surrounded by woods, which are really safe and lovely for the kids to have the freedom to play in.
There is a small shop on site, but for anything much you need to go much further afield as there is no small village shops nearby. Supermarkets in Thetford and Diss.
The only slight criticism is that because of the space around the tents, there were many people playing 'football' and always next to our tent! which was a problem at times like if you're cooking!
Overall a great site, and will definitely return with friends (we were billy-no-mates on this trip!)
We shall definitely return!
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| Date of Visit: April 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: KatandFamily |
7 reviews from this member |
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I would highly recommend this site. It is peaceful and tranquil. Lovely to wake up to the sound of birdsong, and owls kept us entertained all evening!
The tent field is a large open area with unmarked pitches, although we were asked to keep 6m apart from neighbouring tents. I would like to hope that this is maintained even in high season.
Lovely walks can be accessed from the campsite, and the children loved playing in the woodland surrounding the camping field.
All facilities were very clean and well managed. The site is kept well landscaped and looks very attractive.
The swimming pool looked good, but was not open on our visit. We will definitely return to test it!
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: 2old4this |
5 reviews from this member |
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As far as sites for keeping three 12 year old boys entertained go this one takes some beating. Heated swimming pool, outdoor table tennis, football pitch, pool table & surrounding woodland with BMX track, they only came back to the tent when they were hungry!
The site is very well run with enforced distances between pitches although parts of it were very boggy after a very wet summer.
The shop was well equipped with emergency supplies e.G. Germaline when I was attacked by a pheasant while cycling in the woods. (No, they didn't believe me either!)
The long bumpy road leading to the site made for a safe cycling excursion for exploring the surrounding area with many crisscrossing paths leading through the forest.
I only used the pub once as the draught Becks was well past its best and at £3 a pint I didn't want to risk it again though the pool table was used frequently.
This was our first visit to the site and I can't imagine going anywhere else unless there are no vacancies so I'll need to book early in future, I won't be getting close to another Reeve's Pheasant in a hurry though!
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Mrs Tickle |
1 review from this member |
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We stayed at The Dower House at the end of August. A lovely site which I would recommend to anyone. We stayed on the meadow as we weren't using electric hook up and were told to pitch where we liked. It was a bit of a trek to the toilet block with small children but they were always clean and well maintained. Water was always close whereever you pitched.
The play park kept the children entertained and my 11 year old had a great time playing in the surrounding wood.
The outdoor swimming pool was also clean and well maintained, but I suspect it could get very busy in peak season.
The shop had most things you needed, but were running down their stock of ice creams etc as it was near the end of their season.
A chip van comes onto site on a Friday evening, but we didn't use it. Great if you are arriving fairly late or can't be bothered to cook.
A lovely site which didn't feel at all cramped or hemmed in like you do at some places.
Staff were friendly and did intervene when someone was being crowded into a corner with a group wanting to pitch together.
Only tiny criticism was that there were so many freezer blocks in the freezer, that they only just about managed cold rather than frozen in 24 hours. You didn't have to pay for it though which is always good.
I would definitely stay here again.
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Carol.lambert |
4 reviews from this member |
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We just had a fantastic weekend at Dower House, it having been recommended by another camper.
Although it rained a fair bit and I think other tents may have been flooded, we were on higher ground - together with the moles!
Everything was close by, water taps very close etc. The toilets were always clean, plenty of loo roll and hot water and there was always a cleaner around mopping up muddy/wet footprints (it rained a fair bit!).
The showers were clean also with plenty of hot water and the washing up facilities were excellent - plenty of sinks and again hot water all the time.
The site has a pub which is great for a drink and the whole place is surrounded by forest with lots of interesting and varied walks.
We saw rabbits, squirrels and deer as well as birds, frogs and plenty of insects!
The site was full when we arrived but as the pitches are well spaced out, there was virtually no noise from neighbours.
The site is very safe for children and there is plenty of room for them to play football and other games as well as there being a children's play area and a swimming pool which our son couldn't use as it was too deep and he is not confident at swimming yet - that was about the only downside of the whole place.
The shop was well stocked and all the staff were very friendly and helpful.
We will definitely be visiting again very very soon!
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Mrs jubbly |
12 reviews from this member |
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We have just returned from five nights here and had one of the nicest camping trips ever. Admittedly the weather was superb, which always helps, but the friendliness and relaxed and calm atmosphere of the site and its owners and managers make it something special. We were welcomed like old friends even though it was our first visit, taken to our pitch and advised the best place to set up in order to keep the 6 metre fire rule.
The setting is beautiful, a clearing in the middle of a part of Thetford Forest, therefore the whole site is surrounded by tall trees. The pitches are generous sizes and not laid out in too regimented a form. The facilities are excellent - immaculate loos and showers, baby changing room, laundry room with freezer for ice blocks, and the best washing up room i've seem yet. All this was in easy striking distance of our pitch yet we were never disturbed by noise.
There is a small heated pool and a chillier paddling pool all fenced in for safety; ball games areas; wooden climbing frames and masses of space for the children to play. The pub is pleasant and again relaxed and calm with no noisy arcade machines, the only down side is that it no longer does food. The small shop is cleverly stocked with most essentials I could think of (including bbq utensils and airbed plugs!) and is not overpriced.
The village of East Harling has two pubs which do food, a Chinese restaurant/takeaway and a fish and chip shop which also serves burgers and kebabs. There is a grocers, a diy shop, chemist, post office and an excellent butcher.
The relaxed and friendly atmosphere comes from those that own and look after the site. Whilst everything is well organised, clean and tidy and sensible rules are in place (particularly regarding pool use and puiet times) you are not struck by any sense of regimentation. We will definitely be going back and happily recommend the site to those that want a laid back holiday away from it all.
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Allule |
5 reviews from this member |
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We camped here for three nights with four adults and two small boys in two tents. As we did not want electricity, we were told to pitch where we liked in the meadow, which was ideal - so much space for the children to run around, and not too far from the facilities.
These were very good, and well maintained. Toilets and showers were immaculate. The bar was not open the first two nights, but the shop was thoughtfully stocked with most requirements, even spare airbeds, though we did not discover this till we had made a trip home to fetch ours, which we had managed to miss in the packing!
The road to the site is very rough, but acts as good traffic calming.
We were not hardy enough to use the outdoor pool, but the 'Waterworld' in Thetford was excellent. There were several local attractions - soft play for the children, and Bressingham Steam Museum, and we would like to visit again and discover more.
All in all, we were very pleased that we were not put off by the dreadful weather forecast for the week, which turned out far too pessimistic.
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110 Reviews in total, now showing 81 to 90
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Common Questions
Is The Dower House Touring Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Does The Dower House Touring Park have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to The Dower House Touring Park? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is The Dower House Touring Park dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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