This five AA pennant-rated camping and touring park, located within Wareham Forest, has excellent walking paths and cycling tracks, and is a stone’s throw from the Saxon-walled town of Wareham, regarded as one of gateways to the Isle of Purbeck.
This immaculately presented park, which has won various awards and accolades over the years, including the AA Campsite of the Year for the south west of England 2022/23, is set across 55 acres and benefits from an open air, heated swimming pool and toddler pool, which are open from late-May to early September, along with pleasant, extensive grounds with a dog exercise area, large green for ball games or picnicking, and a children’s playground.
Further facilities include a games room with table tennis, clean and modern shower blocks, disabled facilities, and laundry and wash up areas.
For your security, entrance to Wareham Forest Tourist Park is by barrier, and the grounds are monitored by CCTV.
You do have main supermarkets in both nearby Wareham and Swanage, as well as a range of independent butchers and bakeries, but there is also a licensed shop on site, selling everything you need to make your stay comfortable. Whilst there is no restaurant on-site, just a short walk from the Park is The Silent Woman pub, which serves food and is dog-friendly, and there’s a diverse selection of further eateries in Wareham itself.
From Wareham you can catch a train across to West Dorset to discover places like Dorchester and Weymouth, or east toward Bournemouth and Poole, or simply hop on a bus, grab a taxi, cycle or drive into Swanage for a day at the seaside.
Explore Wareham Forest Tourist Park
Wareham Forest Tourist Park is a ‘Best of British’ Quality Touring & Camping Park and is particularly popular with returning families year-on-year, with several generations passing down the pleasure of staying in this special place.
It’s an ideal location to explore the Isle of Purbeck and the wider Dorset county. If you like a trip to the beach on a warm day but want to be able to retreat away from the crowds to your oasis of calm within the trees, pitching your motorhome or tent here will be the perfect Dorset holiday.
Pitches
There’s a range of both spacious grass and fully-serviced hardstanding pitches available throughout the Park, with 112 of the 200 being hardstanding.
Superior hardstanding pitches provide guests with their own water & waste water as well as electric hook-up and TV point.
There are various other hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up and pleasant areas for grass pitching. There are also electric-free woodland pitches, which are reserved for tents only.
Swimming pool
The heated outdoor swimming pool is open from May until early September each year.
It’s kept beautifully clean and is in a perfect location – right next to the Park’s shop and game room. Grab some snacks or a cold drink and take a break from the water under a parasol at one of the picnic tables lining the pool.
There’s steps down into the pool with a handrail for your safety. The small toddler’s paddling pool is right next to the main pool.
As across the rest of the Park, the poolside area is an extremely pleasant place to wile away some time, with many of the flowers and plants grown on-site by the owner, who takes a real pride in the Park’s appearance. There are both patio and grass areas to sit on.
Playground
This excellent play area has loads to keep kids of all ages entertained and has soft playground flooring on the ground.
There’s also a vast grassy area in front, which is kept attractively maintained with stripes, where families can have picnics and play rounders, football and frisbee.
Shop
The shop is located in the main visitor centre and Reception building, where you’ll find extremely welcoming and helpful staff to assist you with any queries or give you tips on exploring the local area.
It has a great range of essential items, many of which are local Dorset produce, such as wine from the nearby Farrer Estate.
There’s also freshly-baked bread and pastries at peak times, postcards and local guides, and plenty of children’s entertainment such as colouring books and pocket-money gifts. You’ll also find a selection of camping essentials in case you run out of anything while you’re here.
Facilities
The facilities at Wareham Forest Tourist Park are maintained to a high level and staff strive to keep them always spotlessly clean and inviting.
Hot showers are free-of-charge and there’s separate male, female and disabled toilet cubicles.
Four-legged visitors’ information
Wareham Forest tourist Park is dog-friendly. Here’s everything your pooch needs to know before coming to stay:
🐾 There’s a dedicated dog exercise area located a short walk from the main caravan site through the woodland where dogs can let off steam and play with other resident pups at the Park This area is fully enclosed and has benches for owners to sit and watch their four-legged friends have fun
🐾 There are plenty of both short and long hiking trails through Wareham Forest, straight from your tent or motorhome door.
🐾 Take advantage of the warm-water dog-wash facility to keep muddy paws off sleeping bags and duvets
🐾 Pet supplies and snacks are available at the on-site shop (including doggy ice cream)
You might be interested in our dog-friendly beaches page, which outlines the best places to take your four-legged friend along the Dorset stretch of the Jurassic Coast.
Tariffs & Booking
Pitches at Wareham Forest Tourist Park vary in price across low, mid and high season, and you can choose from superior, standard hardstanding, standard grass, and woodland (the latter is a tent-only area).
Visit the Park’s website for latest prices and any upcoming special offers and discounts: www.warehamforest.co.uk
Seasonal pitches
Both full and part-seasonal pitches are also available here.
Note however that these pitches at Wareham Forest Tourist Park are extremely popular and there may be a waiting list.
Caravan & motorhome storage
Wareham Forest Tourist Park is open year-round and, in addition to casual visitors, offers seasonal, long-term pitches, as well as a storage service for returning, regular visitors.
Visit their website for prices and availability.
Contact details
For all enquiries, including booking, motorhome storage, short-term and seasonal pitches, drop the team at Wareham Forest Tourist Park an email or give them a call:
- 📞 01929 551393
- 📥 holiday@warehamforest.co.uk
- 📍 North Trigon, Wareham, BH20 7NZ
- ℹ️ www.warehamforest.co.uk