Some campsites are just a place to lay your head at night before going out to explore the wider world.
Chettle Orchard Campsite is not one of those campsites. You won’t want to leave this gem of a place nestled in the Dorset countryside, despite the plethora of wonderful local attractions that surround it. It’s a destination in itself, a place to relax, recharge your batteries, and immerse yourself in its old-school vibe and stunning surroundings. This is camping how your mum and dad did it, and it’s perfect.
Chettle Orchard Campsite opened last year, and offers camping pitches as well as pre-pitched bell tents that can be rented furnished or unfurnished. We were three adults and two children in a furnished tent, which came with soft pillows and duvets and crisp sheets, crockery and cutlery, as well as fresh local fruit and pear juice and Prosecco on ice to welcome us.
Each tent provides plenty of space so that you’re not listening to the family next door having breakfast, as well as a picnic table and benches and a dug out fire pit – firewood is available on site and in the local shop.
There are compost loos and showers, as well as washing up facilities, and a lovely communal area with rustic haystacks and throw cushions where you can settle down with one of the many books dotted around. I enjoyed losing myself in a 1980s Good Housekeeping recipe book, a trip down memory lane!
Local yoga teacher Jordana offers morning yoga, which takes place in the communal gazebo in the centre of the site. We couldn’t think of a better way to start off the day than saluting the sun looking out across the stunning Dorset landscape, with Jordana’s soothing encouragement in a gentle session for all levels and abilities.
Chettle local Liam offers foraging walks, which last two hours and leave from the campsite. The walk comes at a fraction of the price of other similar sessions – only £10 per person, with concessions – and worth every penny.
The walk began with some home made pineapple weed juice, made using a pineapple weed syrup that Liam had created – it tasted so good! This was followed by some of his delicious home made seed flapjacks before setting off on our walk. We learned so much in two hours – from how to find a soothing ready made plant gel to put on stings and burns, where to pick flowers that steeped in tea will give you lucid dreams, which herbs will stem bleeding and how to spot and prepare nutritious seeds that can be added to dishes for flavour and bite. It was a fantastic experience and we enjoyed every minute – suitable for children and adults alike.
Another highlight of Chettle is its lovely, quirky village shop, which sells everything from firewood to locally made candles, fresh fruit and veg and vegan marshmallows for toasting over the fire. There are big plans to move the shop to the Food Hub that the village is planning to open in a few years time… more on that later. For now, it’s a charming place to do a little shopping.
You won’t want to miss a stroll around the village after a visit to the shop. Walk through the dreamy thatched cottages to the amazing kid’s playpark (even adult sized kids won’t be able to resist a bounce on the trampolines and jumping aboard the life sized ship) and then up through the old dairy farm that has been completely reclaimed by nature, abundant with wildflowers and some particularly juicy blackberries.
You could spend your time at Chettle Orchard never leaving the village, but if you do choose to venture further, there’s plenty to do.
The campsite adjoins The Jubilee Way, which links four counties and runs through Dorset’s AONB, Cranborne Chase, and the Chalke Valley – all stunningly beautiful. If you don’t want to take your car, you can walk for miles with the village as your starting point and be back in time for sausages and marshmallows over the campfire. Further afield, there’s Tisbury for river and lake walks, about 25 minutes from Chettle.
If you fancy some swimming, head to Fiddleford Manor as we did. It’s about 20 minutes drive from the campsite, with a lovely river that drops down into tiered weirs and a pond to swim in. There’s also a great spot just outside of Downton with a bridge you can dive off into crystal clear waters – take a right as you exit out of the village heading into the New Forest. Godshill is also a beautiful spot on the same river that’s hidden under the treeline. It takes some finding and can get busy in the summer but is worth it!
If the sea is calling, the world famous Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove are a 40 minute drive. away. Both get very busy but are amazing places to swim, though Durdle is for competent swimmers only – there’s quite a pull as you swim back through the door to the shore. Both are unforgettable swims though and worth the journey!
Chettle is owned by local landowner Alice Favre, who has big plans for the village. A committed environmentalist, together with the local community she is spearheading a fifty year plan designed to mitigate the worst effects of climate change in the village and ensure that Chettle is somewhere that future generations can live, work and thrive.
As well contribute to tackling climate change, her vision is for a community that has future-proofed itself by leading a diverse response to climate change through investing in a sustainable future. It’s a compelling case. Regenerative farming, agriforesty, rewilding, and moving away from destructive industrial practises that have damaged food production to ones that look to a natural balance are all ideas that are increasingly finding purchase among forward-looking farmers, landowners, organisations and so on. Key to this is the community having a greater connection to the land, and key to that is improving access.
Central to Chettle’s plan is their Food Hub initiative, which will make use of an old dairy farm in the village centre. The space will be transformed into a hub with a cafe and new shop, offering local, ethically sourced produce. Locals and visitors will be able to purchase products grown or produced within a few miles of the shop, reinforcing that hugely important connection between consumer and the land.
As well as restoring the old dairy, Alice and her fellow directors have also led on the restoration of local housing, increasing capacity and helping to grow the community, though demand it seems far outstrips supply – plenty of people want to live here, and for us at least, the campsite with its easy-going and super comfortable bell tents was a perfect solution.
Chettle can be reached by bus from Southampton Central rail station. It’s about two hours drive from London if you’re taking the car.
Prices start at £28 per night for a grass pitch and £100 per night for a fully furnished bell tent. You can book here.
Useful Links
Find Jordana, our yoga teacher, at @forage_and_flow on Instagram
Find Liam’s foraging walks on Instagram at @walkingpaceonly