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5 Best New Forest And Hampshire Caravan Holiday Parks 2022
Most of the New Forest and Hampshire's caravan holiday parks are bunched around the West side of the Forest with easy access to Lymington, New Milton or Bournemouth if you want a day out in Dorset.
There's a decent choice of family friendly holiday parks, several of which have swimming pools. Some offer bike hire for wiggling your bottom around the New Forest, others have things like children's entertainment onsite.
The New Forest is also well located for a day trip to the Isle of Wight, with 40 minute ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth. Local attractions include the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Some are also close to Paultons Park/Peppa Pig World.
Here's our guide to five of the best caravan holiday parks in the New Forest and Hampshire, including a price comparison for a week in the August school summer holidays in 2022.
There's a decent choice of family friendly holiday parks, several of which have swimming pools. Some offer bike hire for wiggling your bottom around the New Forest, others have things like children's entertainment onsite.
The New Forest is also well located for a day trip to the Isle of Wight, with 40 minute ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth. Local attractions include the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Some are also close to Paultons Park/Peppa Pig World.
Here's our guide to five of the best caravan holiday parks in the New Forest and Hampshire, including a price comparison for a week in the August school summer holidays in 2022.
1. Sandy Balls Holiday Village (family friendly, swimming pools)
**Sandy Balls Discount Code: Save 10% via this link with promo code HPG10. Valid until 31/12/22**
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Stop giggling at the back, there's nothing funny about the name Sandy Balls. Guests should not get any amusement from saying things like "We're a big fan of sandy balls" and they certainly shouldn't pretend it is the name of Ed Balls' daughter.
Once you've got over the giggles you'll find it's a solid choice for a holiday park in Hampshire. It's in Fordingbridge, so not right by the sea and not technically in the New Forest but there's plenty of greenery around and it makes a good base with lots to do on-site. If you want a day out, Stonehenge is 40 minutes drive away, the National Trust's Mottisfont is 30 minutes drive or Go Ape Moors Valley is 15 minutes away. Sandy Balls is run by Away Resorts which has about a dozen caravan holiday parks. It is very much aimed at families with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, as well as soft play, an adventure playground, on-site places to eat, outdoor cinema in the summer and bikes to hire. They also offer axe throwing and archery, which would be asking for trouble with my children. Reviews average about 8/10 across various sites. It won a bronze award at the South East's tourism awards in 2019 in the holiday park of the year category. Price: £1550 for a week in a "luxury caravan" for four people in August 2022. This was the cheapest caravan we could find, but it actually sleeps eight people in three bedrooms. If you can fill it up, it's much better value (about £27 per person, per night for those dates). |
Sandy Balls Holiday Village is a large site with caravans and lodges with hot tubs...
...as well as a good-sized indoor swimming pool, outdoor cinema and playgrounds.
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2. Shorefield Country Park (large family park, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, walk to beach)
**Shorefield offers: Extra 15% off for NHS and emergency services + Summer Holidays 2022 from £645**
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Shorefield Country Park ticks plenty of boxes for what I look for in a holiday park. It's a large site with loads to do, a coastal(ish) location and strong reviews of around 8.5/10 on most sites.
It's certainly one of the better equipped holiday parks in Hampshire and the New Forest with indoor and outdoor swimming pools which are better than most. There's family and children's entertainment, play areas, tennis, places to eat and fishing. The beach isn't quite on your doorstep but it's about a 20 minute walk to the coast at Milford on Sea near Lymington. Some of the larger lodges can cost up to £5k per week in high season but the standard sized caravans are much more affordable. Price: £1111 for a week in a 'statement' caravan for a family of four in August 2022. |
Shorefield Country Park has classy lodges and green surroundings...
...and you can walk to the beach in about 20 minutes.
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3. Oakdene Forest Park (woodland park, indoor and outdoor swimming pool)
**Winner: best value New Forest and Hampshire holiday park**
**Shorefield offers: Extra 15% off for NHS and emergency services + Summer Holidays from £645**
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Technically, Oakdene Forest Park is in Dorset, but it's exceedingly close to Hampshire so I hope you'll forgive its inclusion and won't write an angry email of complaint.
It's got the same owners as Shorefield Country Park (see number 2) and gets similar reviews of about 8.5/10 from most sites. It's not as close to the beach as Shorefield, but it does have a great selection of things to do, so you can certainly waste a fair amount of time onsite. There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, which have flumes and water jets and the like. Some sports cost extra and include archery, crazy golf, crossbow and fencing. There's also an outdoor play area, somewhere to eat and evening/kids entertainment onsite (including a Take That tribute when I checked...). They've also got a Virtual Reality room, which you pay extra for. You can drive to Poole or Bournemouth in about half an hour. Price: £1011 for a family of four staying in a 'Statement' caravan for a week in August 2022. |
Oakdene Forest park isn't by the beach but it has woodland walks nearby...
...and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
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4. Solent Breezes Holiday Park (coastal park, outdoor swimming pool)
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Solent Breezes Holiday Park in Hampshire makes our list thanks to its coastal location. It's got terrific views across the Solent and you can even try out some sea fishing at the site. The Solent is a very busy port so you'll be able to watch cruise ships, container ships and yachts sailing up and down. I would pack some binoculars.
It's not a huge holiday park but it gets solid reviews of 4/5 from customers on TripAdvisor. There's a heated outdoor swimming pool for summer days as well as a tennis court and a playground. The 'clubhouse' was revamped in 2020 and offers food and evening entertainment. If you fancy a day out, Paultons Park/Peppa Pig World and Marwell Zoo are both about 35 minutes away. You can also do day trips to the Isle of Wight from Portsmouth or Southampton. Price: £1247 for a week in a two bedroom 'gold' caravan for a week in August 2022. For about £100 extra you could get a three bedroom caravan which sleeps eight people. They've also got lodges if you want an upgrade. |
The view from Solent Breezes Holiday Park is pretty good...
...and the heated swimming pool will provide some entertainment
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5. Blackwood Forest Lodges (woodland lodges and treehouses with hot tubs)
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Blackwood Forest Lodges is a bit of a step up from most caravan parks, and it costs a lot more. However, it's quite a cool experience and offers a more back-to-nature holiday than you'll get in the clubhouse of a caravan site.
For your money you get a posh lodge or a treehouse in a woodland area towards the north of Hampshire. The lodges come with hot tubs and are available in various sizes including two person lodges for couples right up to a ten person lodge with a treehouse attached. The site doesn't have a lot of facilities but you can hire bikes, go for woodland walks or try out archery. There's also a useful café and shop onsite. Reviews are very good, with an average of 4.5/5 on most sites. Price: £2515 for a week in a four person Blackwood Silver Birch lodge for a week in early August 2022. |
Fancy a few nights in a woodland lodge...
...with a hot tub?
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Price comparison of 5 of the best caravan holiday parks in the New Forest and Hampshire
We compared the price of a week's holiday for a family of two adults and two children in August 2022. We went for the cheapest accommodation available and didn't pick any extras (such as bringing pets or signing up for activities). We searched in November 2021.
From cheapest to most expensive:
Images are from Away Resorts, Park Holidays, Forest Holidays and Shorefield Holidays.
From cheapest to most expensive:
- Oakdene Forest Park - £1011 **Winner: best value holiday park**
- Shorefield Country Park - £1111
- Solent Breezes Holiday Park - £1247
- Sandy Balls Holiday Village - £1550
- Blackwood Forest Lodges - £2515
Images are from Away Resorts, Park Holidays, Forest Holidays and Shorefield Holidays.
