Summers Camping by Pitching It Reviews

Summers Camping

A big field with basic facilities but a warm welcome from Rob. Plenty of space and relatively quiet.

It had the basics

The campsite was easy to find and not far from shops and a pub. We were aware that this is a pop up campsite so didn't expect anything posh. There were 3 compost toilets and 3 showers housed in a makeshift block. I'm quite use to basic camping and was not phased by the toilets. However, due to very high winds, the structure started falling apart as it was very flimsy. It was a bit scary showering and wondering if the door was going to fly off. It was advertised there would be coffee and food vendors there on occasions, but never saw them. I had read in other reviews that this seemed to be the same for others. However, would consider staying there again as the location was ideal for what we wanted.

Budget

First time camping in our sixties, great.

Perfect

Perfect for our needs. Large, flat field with clean, functioning compost toilets and showers. Plenty of space, field signed with one area for families one for quiet. Location perfect for attractions in and around Bournemouth. Excellent value.

Lovely campsite!

Group of 4 friends, and we had such a fantastic time. The campsite was lovely, basic but very clean facilities, fantastic location gorgeous pub just down the road. The staff were lovely too. Would 100% recommend :)

Such a friendly and accommodating site

The location of the site is perfect, within walking distance of shops, a pub right round the corner, and a six minute drive to the beach. We were welcomed by a lovely, kind, young man (we didn't catch his name) who gave us a barbecue and some wood and let us know he'd be around if we needed anything else. It was very organised and relaxed which was just what we wanted.

Never again

Booked two Bell Tents and they allocated them at a great distance from each other. The warden wasn't very helpful. The toilets were poor. There were 3 showers, one was scalding, one was tepid and one was cold. Told pop up catering vans would visit the site - none visited whilst we were there (high season). Left a day early.

Cozy place

A very nice and quiet place.

Welcoming

The host was very welcoming. He was helpful to us, helping me put up my tent and also packed down. He would check on us every so often to see if we needed anything. Working hard the whole time. We will definitely return. A credit to the campsite. My only quibble was the amount of mosquito bites so wish the grass was cut shorter.

Summer camp

Value for money. Clean facilities even though environmentally friendly. Staff were helpful and went over expectations to make the site work! Thank you.

Not good

The location is very good, nice big field with plenty of room. That's all that was any good. The toilets and showers were absolutely awful. They were a wooden frame with floor protects as walls. The toilet were wooden boxes which you do your business in then cover with sawdust, but all the toilets were full to the top and were not emptied for 2 days. The shower doors had tiny hook locks to keep them closed. It felt like the showers were going to fall over while you're in them. We believed that a food truck arrives in the evening and coffee truck in the mornings. This did not happen. We were booked I for 5 days. We managed 3 days but couldn't cope with the disgusting toilet situation. We did complain to the guy on site. He completely ignored us after we complained. He went to every tent and asked them if they required fire wood, but he walked straight past us. We spoke to other campers and they felt the same as us. One of them was going to the local Sainsbury's to use the toilet. I've been camping for years and this is by far the worst site.

Unfortunate experience with rude camp warden

The site is in a really great location, that can't be faulted. However, we had an incident with the camp warden after we intervened for his behaviour. He proceeded to try to kick us out the site, lying that he had spoken to the camp manager. Whilst the camp manager was nice, we were unfortunately left to our own devices, being told to defuse the situation. Considering the camp warden was camped next to the family section, I think more consideration needs to be taken on who is employed to look steer this site. The facilities were not being maintained, with the toilets being far from appealing, running out of sawdust to use and being entirely full. Unfortunately, this really spoilt our evening and has made me anxious for any further camping trips. I would not stay here again.

Nice

Nice big field, very spacious.

Nice and quiet

Great location. Lovely and helpful host. Would have been great to have the pop-up bar and food trucks.

Cheap, but for a reason

Location is good, beaches close by and 2 pubs within walking distance. Sainsbury's a 5 min drive away and a small corner shop less, so this was all good. Field itself, is, well, a field, nothing spectacular about it, but it's flat with plenty of space and you can pitch wherever you like. Signage to find the field is scant - its a metal gate off a track residential rode with a small 'Summers Camping' sign attached. For this and all the above, I would give it a 7 out of 10. The facilities are what let it down. The whole structure has literally been thrown together, imagine a 2x2" wood frame covered by the thinnest of plastic panelling and you are there. If you lost your balance in the loo or shower, you would go through the wall with no effort. They provide 3 flush-less toilets, basically long drop, with a toilet seat above and then they provide sawdust for you to chuck over. We have used these types of toilets in many campsites, and they are fine and we are not squeamish. However, these were not emptied frequently enough for their use, toilet paper was scarce and they were dirty on almost every visit. When you have young children and adults alike that won't use them and instead drive to Sainsburys or the pub to use their toilets, then this is a problem. The 3 showers were just okay, basic but for the one time I used them, it was doable as long as no one else is using the water at the same time. There is finally one sink with a tap that is for hand washing, washing up and drinking water. If you are in the shower and someone uses the sink, then you get no water, the same if more than one shower is in use. I would say that the field was at 50% capacity during our 3 night stay, so the fact that the toilets became unusable at times really isn't acceptable. I would also say that a dedicated water tap is required, as the one tap was pretty slow and impedes the use of the showers. Finally, the grass was really thick and crunchy and about a foot deep, which when you are living in flip-flops as the weather is good, it isn't the easiest to walk through as it's pretty crunchy. I don't mind this type of grass and I really am not expecting high quality on a campsite, but please give it a mow! There was mention of a coffee van but during the weekend, we saw nothing, so plan for this. Taking everything into account, our group of 12 gave it between a 2 or 3 out of 10 and wouldn't return.

Site's response

Hi Georgina, thank you for your constructive feedback which we take seriously. The toilet cleaning situation, you talk about during your stay back in July when it first opened has already been addressed with dedicated time slots morning and evening check all is okay and replenished. Regarding the grass, as we are a farmers field, it needs a tractor to do this, so we have to wait until the quieter midweek point to have this done for us. Unfortunately for your stay, this happened just after which we apologise for. The water pressure is something we are working on with the water company as its a problem throughout the whole area so we are not alone in this, frustrating as it can be from time to time. Kind regards - Rob.

Fun couple of days

Great little pop up camp site. Very clean compost toilets and hot showers! Very quiet and loads of space. We enjoyed a camp fire both evenings. A place to keep food cool would be an added bonus! Fab Gluten Free fish and chips near by!

Absolutely brilliant site and lovely stay

Lovely campsite, facilities basic but clean!

Quiet camping field

Summers Camping is ideally located for trips to the New Forest and to the beach. It has some basic facilities (compost toilets, hot showers and drinking water) which are of course very useful for your stay. The site manager, Rob, checks on the site daily and was very helpful with directions and recommendations for local activities and places to visit. This is a great pop-up site.

Short family holiday

An enjoyable stay in a great location near Christchurch with Dorset beaches only a short drive. The site is basic but we knew that when booking. A large field, so plenty of space and privacy. Would definitely return.

Would not recommend

Really not happy with our stay. The toilets were awful and snapped on me and cut the back of my legs. No step to help anyone up, as way to high. Also, did not state that the bar and coffee shop was not open during our stay.

Quiet

Lovely location, there is a little corner shop and a pub within walking distance. We didn't see anyone from the campsite, just drove on and pitched. The showers were clean and functional - not super hot but very useable. The toilets were composting toilets with sawdust and perhaps could have done with some instructions for users. I have used composting toilets without issue before, but these ones weren't in the best condition through people using them wrong. 2 toilets may not be enough if the field is busy.

Lovely

Great little campsite. Showers are great, toilets not so great when the camp fills up.