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Haddon Copse Farm

UK England South West England Dorset Blandford Forum

Haddon Copse Farm, Woodrow, Fifehead Neville, Dorset DT10 2AQ

★★★★☆ 2 reviews

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Grass pitch

Grass pitch Sleeps 8 3 Available

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Simple camping and glamping in an unspoilt location with glorious views of the Dorset Downs

They say “less is more” – a good philosophy, we think, when it comes to camping. Nowhere does this ring truer than Haddon Copse Farm, a 30 acre organic farm where looking after the landscape is second nature and camping meadows feel as at home in the scenery as the grazing fields that surround them.

Life here is about the simple pleasures. Off the beaten track, with dark skies at night and excellent views of the Blackmore Vale by day, the most discerning feature here is the relaxed atmosphere and the plentiful space the farm provides. Large pitches are placed around the edge of a vehicle-free field, populated in the middle by children throwing a frisbee and acquiring more than few grass stains – a souvenir of time spent truly enjoying the countryside. Each pitch has a complimentary fire-pit and kindling, while charcoal and logs can be bought from the farm at a very reasonable price.

The newest addition to the site is the Retreat Hut – a cosy cabin for couples with comfy double bed and outdoor campers kitchen, plus lots of lovely extras like fresh towels, organic cotton bedding, complimentary breakfast for your first morning, and, of course, that all important firepit.

The owner’s attitude, too, is exactly what you would hope for. “Settle yourselves in and we will come and see you at some point”, is the opening gambit of Tom, who has to spread time between running the farm and the campsite. A herd of cattle is ushered into new pastures and a morning check of the lambs is all carried out while campers are still yet to unzip the tent flaps. When they do, the reward is freshly baked bread and the chance to buy the fruits of all this labour; award-winning organic meats and eggs from the freely roaming chickens.

Ablutions here are eco-friendly. A stroll through the newly-planted orchard, leads to the to toilets and the wet-room style solar-powered showers. While there are also washing-up sinks and a freezer for ice-packs, the site is refreshingly underdeveloped. Just the way it seems it should be here. The place is blissfully unspoilt and activities like exploring local footpaths or cooking atop the campfire provide wonderfully authentic camping entertainment.

Beyond the wooden farm gates, continue the back to nature experience by swimming in the nearby River Stour, one of the best wild swimming rivers in the country. Its meandering course through the Blackmore Vale, classic Dorset dairy country, makes for various good walking routes, while historic spots like Hambledon Hill are perfect for a summer stroll and countryside picnic. As at the campsite, it's best to let the setting do the work. Walks, swims, picnics, they all allow you to explore Dorset’s wonderful countryside and, in between, the cosy, picture-perfect rural settlements aren’t half bad either.

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The Owner Says

We run a small, quiet site where you can enjoy the peace and beauty of the Dorset countryside away from the hurly-burly of everyday life. We hope you'll begin to switch off the moment you arrive whether you are pitching your own tent or settling into one of our three bell tents. That applies to your phone too - there's no electricity, no wifi and patchy mobile reception and we think those are all good things! Instead, you can relax and enjoy some of life's simple pleasures - take in the view, stroll round our farm walk, light a fire, watch the stars. The site has a relaxed atmosphere and with just seven pitches, never feels crowded or full. All the pitches are well spaced out and it's just a short stroll through the orchard to our two private shower rooms/loos. We hope you'll find the personal touches such as advise on where to walk or swim, warm bread delivered to your tent in the morning or help choosing some of the food we produce on the farm for your barbeque will all combine to ensure that a stay at Haddon Copse Farm leaves you feeling refreshed and full of the good things in life!

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Reviews

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★★★☆☆

nice and quiet, basic

Nice and quiet site, with lots of space between tents, and nice views. Squeeky clean toilet/showers, nice landscaping done by the lawnmower. Good fireplace, and very helpfull staff. Some downsides: no shade (bring tarp), no change of cooking in strong winds or rain (bring windscreen), no change of doing/drying laundry (pack well), bell-tents are very basic (bring chairs), can get boggy in places (bring wellies). Sea is at 30 mins, fresh bread 5 mins, supermarket 20 mins. Alltogether: nice concept, clean and quiet, but very basic and somewhat overpriced (compared to other organic farms where we camped).

Aug 21, 2016 by RuudvanTrijp

★★★★★

Wonderful quiet wild camping

We stayed her for 4 nights over the August bank holiday 2015. From the minute we arrived we were made to feel very welcome by the owner/farmer, Tom. He could not do enough for us to ensure our stay was an excellent one. The site is a large field with only 7 pitches in it. The pitches are an excellent size, we had space for an 8 man tent, porch and large canopy easily. They were also well spaced. even when the site was full, it was never noisy. The facilities were excellent, much more civilised than we had expected. There are two toilet/shower room with hot showers and flushing toilets. There is also a covered washing up area outside with hot running water. All facilities were cleaned daily.

I can also highly recommend the farm produce that was for sale, we tried the eggs, sausages, pork and milk. All were extremely tasty and well priced. There was also well priced charcoal, wood and kindling for sale. Note there are no grills on the fire pits unless you hire one of the bell tents so you will need to bring your own if you want to cook on the fire.

A wonderful, quiet, back to nature camp ground. I would highly recommend.

Sep 21, 2015 by Julie

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Pitches

Three grass tent pitches (no hook-ups), four 5m bell tents for hire, plus a glamping cabin for couples.

Who's In

Campers, glampers – yes. Caravans, campervans, motorhomes, dogs, noisy groups – no.

Facilities

Each pitch has its own fire pit and are well spaced around the perimeter of a vehicle-free field. A short walk through the orchard, brings campers to loos and solar-powered showers in two wet-rooms behind one of the barns. There is also a washing up area, bins and recycling, logs and local charcoal for sale (all lit by fairy lights at night!). A freezer for ice-packs is provided. Four bell tents are available to hire. Each has mattresses for four and the excellent addition of a tripod and grill for cooking over the fire.

If it rains

A short drive to Dorchester rewards you with streets of Georgian and 17th century buildings, inextricably linked with Thomas Hardy, whose former house (01305 262366) sits on the outskirts of town. But on a rainy day the slew of museums will keep you entertained, including the Dorset County Museum (01305 262735), Keep Military Museum (01305 264066), Terracotta Warriors Museum (01305 268885), Teddy Bear Museum (01305 266040) and Tutankhamun Exhibition (01305 269571).

Nearby

On the doorstep, walking options allow you to discover a little more of the farm, following footpaths through the surrounding cow fields, sometimes accompanied by pigs and sheep. A short drive into the Dorset Downs provides further routes. Walk in the footsteps of Thomas Hardy and his characters or swim at various points along the River Stour, renowned for its clear, appealing waters. The Iron Age fort Hambledon Hill (01297 489481), is a few miles away with a steep 20 minute climb to the top. The slopes are trodden in interesting history but today it's a peaceful place, home to a nature reserve preserving the Adonis blue butterfly that flourishes on the chalkland downs. Sturminster Newton has a good collection of pubs and shops but travelling a little further to spots like Sherbourne and Shaftesbury is an excellent choice.

Food & Drink

The farm produces award-winning organic meat under a separate brand name, 'Angel Cottage Organics', which is available onsite during the camping season, along with their free range eggs. Order the night before and they'll be delivered to your tent along with local organic milk, freshly baked bread and organic butter. With advanced notice you can also ask for sausages, chicken, lamb and pork from the freezer.

Open

Mid July – early September.

The Damage

Camping per night: adult £10, Children (2–12yrs) £6, Children (under 2yrs) free. Bell tent hire per night: adult £19, Children (2–12yrs) £14, Children (under 2yrs) free. Retreat Hut £70 per night.

Getting There

Haddon Copse Farm is situated on the Sturminster Newton to Hazelbury Bryan road – do not take the fingerpost turning to Fifehead Neville but continue for 150 yards and you will see their wooden farm sign. At the top of the track, on the left, there is a car-parking area. Park here and use one of the barrows to take your belongings to one of the seven pitches marked in the field. No vehicles on the campsite field. Settle yourselves in and the owners will come and see you at some point.