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.

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)

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. 

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.

Price: £1389 for a week in a "comfort caravan" for four people in August 2019.

2. Hoburne Naish Holiday Park (busy family park, indoor swimming pool)

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. 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 2019 for four people was £1035. Hoburne Naish was considerably cheaper at £804, although that's just one set of dates.

3. Shorefield Country Park (large family park, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, walk to beach)

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 from 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: £905 for a week in a standard lodge for a family of four in August 2019

4. Oakdene Forest Park (woodland park, indoor and outdoor swimming pool)

**Winner: best value holiday park**

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, 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. 

Price: £709 for a family of four staying in a 'Statement' caravan for a week in August 2019

5. Glen Orchard Holiday Park (quiet site, simple facilities, good reviews)

Glen Orchard Holiday Park on the Hampshire/Dorset border is a quiet park which makes our list because of its outstanding reviews. 

On-site facilities are basic compared to some but it was scoring 5/5 on TripAdvisor when we checked (2018). 

The park has a playground, games room and launderette but there's no swimming pool or Disney-esque character hosting a kids club. As a result, it's a pleasant base for exploring the New Forest or East Dorset rather than somewhere to fill a week. 

Price: £620 for a week in a 4 berth 'Romsey' caravan in August 2018 (2019 prices weren't available when we checked)

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 2019. We went for the cheapest accommodation available and didn't pick any extras (such as pets or activities). If 2019 wasn't available, we looked at the 2018 price. We searched in July 2018.
  1. ​Glen Orchard Holiday Park ​- £620
  2. ​Oakdene Forest Park - £709
  3. Hoburne Naish Holiday Park - £804
  4. Shorefield Country Park - £905
  5. Sandy Balls Holiday Village - £1389

Other guides from the Holiday Park Guru

Holiday-Park-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer: All the information on this page is accurate, as far as we know. However, facilities at holiday parks change so please check with the park before booking.