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5 of the best New Forest and Hampshire caravan holiday parks 2021
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.
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.
1. Sandy Balls Holiday Village (family friendly, swimming pools)
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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 or the National Trust's Mottisfont is 30 minutes drive. Sandy Balls is run by Away Resorts which has half 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: £1266 for a week in a "comfort caravan" for four people in August 2021. |
Sandy Balls Holiday Village is a large site with caravans and lodges with hot tubs...
...as well as a good-sized indoors 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)
**Discount code: 5% off with code F958. Expires 30/11/21. Ts and Cs apply**
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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: £891 for a week in a 'statement' caravan for a family of four in August 2021. |
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**
**Discount code: 5% off with code F958. Expires 30/11/21. Ts and Cs apply**
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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: £807 for a family of four staying in a 'Statement' caravan for a week in August 2021. |
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. Hoburne Naish Holiday Park or Hoburne Bashley (busy family parks, indoor swimming pools)
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There's very little to choose between Hoburne Naish and Hoburne Bashley. They are both good choices for a family friendly caravan park in Hampshire.
Reviews from various sites are practically identical (around 8.5/10) and they have a very similar list of facilities. Both have indoor and outdoor swimming pools and fitness areas, as well as kids clubs, crazy golf, sports pitches, soft play and places to eat. Hoburne Bashley's notable extra facility is a 9 hole golf course and driving range. The main difference is location. Hoburne Bashley is actually within the New Forest, just about. Hoburne Naish is outside the New Forest but has sea views and is nearer to beaches (see the map). That's the clincher for me, but you might also compare prices and go based on that. Price: When we checked Hoburne Bashley's cheapest option for a week in August 2021 for four people was £863 for a classic caravan. Hoburne Naish was £1399 for a three bedroom lodge. It's worth noting that the cheapest options we found were in very different types of accommodation - a lodge is much bigger and more spacious than a caravan. |
Hoburne Naish has fantastic sea views from some accommodation...
...whilst Hoburne Bashley is a leafy holiday park which is a short drive to the beach
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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: £2430 for a week in a four person Blackwood Silver Birch lodge for a week in early August 2021. |
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 2021. 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 2020.
From cheapest to most expensive:
Images are from Away Resorts, Hoburne, Forest Holidays and Shorefield Holidays.
From cheapest to most expensive:
- Oakdene Forest Park - £807 **Winner: best value holiday park**
- Hoburne Bashley Holiday Park - £863
- Shorefield Country Park - £891
- Sandy Balls Holiday Village - £1266
- Blackwood Forest Lodges - £2430
Images are from Away Resorts, Hoburne, Forest Holidays and Shorefield Holidays.
