Campervan trip with teen & dog (South England)

[CoolDipCanineLover]

Hi all I plan on hiring a campervan and doing a 7-10 day road trip with my son and dog over the summer. We live in the South (near Chichester). I wondered if anyone had any ideas on places that might be good to stop? Or even a route that has been taken before?

We love beaches and forests. If we take the dog I'm thinking that he might not be allowed on beaches in the summer in the UK though which may be an issue... so we need dog friendly locations/campsites.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be extremely welcome!

Many thanks 🙏

I bought a Robbie Roams book when I did the NC500 last year and found it super helpful - lots of suggestions for dog friendly campsites and stuff like that . There’s a South West version covering Dorset/Somerset/Devon/Cornwall. We took our dog as well

https://robbieroams.com/product/road-trip-south-west-guide-book-cornwall-devon-dorset-robbie-roams/?srsltid=AfmBOor233BMFdYDxkUXalsEFEfynFPgF138zl7-Wy4YwozawkklkKHP

I also joined a few Facebook groups which was helpful.

I live on the south coast and it’s pretty dog friendly. Dogs are banned from a lot of beaches in the summer but some have areas where they’re still allowed to go.

We did something similar, with a dog but with younger dc and we had a tent rather than a camper.
We covered the south coast from Devon across to Bournemouth.
Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove are dog friendly all year round, and there’s a great dog-friendly beach at Lyme Regis (Monmouth Beach) which is good for fossil collecting. Dogs are allowed in the dinosaur musuem, the Swanage Railway, Corfe castle and the model village there.

Search PitchUp with the dog friendly filter - lots of campsites don't take dogs.

Camper or motorhome?
Far more space in a Moho (important if the weather is less than fine) but it can be slightly restrictive when it comes to parking. Warham for instance has only a couple of suitable moho parking bays whereas just down the road in Swanage, the carparks have plenty. Parking a camper is usually much easier.

Research your route beforehand and book if possible, you are going to be in one of the most popular parts of the UK at the busiest time, if the weather turns fine then sites will be really busy.

Beaches need checking beforehand but luckily, it is the work of just a couple of minutes to check online what restrictions there are on dogs. Some are open all year while others have restrictions so we check before we travel.

I've booked a campervan, ideally I'd like to park up near enough to some local attractions so we can walk there/back. I don't really fancy moving the van every time we want to go out somewhere. I may have to on occasions though I suppose.

I am now thinking Dorset is not too far to drive and there are some lovely beaches round there. I need to check for some well located campsites in that area I think.

We are using Haycraft CAMC site near Harman's Cross site for a change as you can hop on the (dog friendly) Swanage railway to get to Swanage or Corfe Castle.
Normally we stop further out (gives better access to other places) and drive into Swanage for the day but decided on a change. Good access for some great walks as well.👍

We liked Steeple Leaze campsite, which is within walking distance of Kimmeridge.

Or, on the other coast, Cloud Farm on Exmoor (there are several other campsites in the Doone Valley).

Or Lower Pennycrocker Farm, above Boscastle.

The majority of dog friendly beaches in the summer are the ones inaccessible by car.

We live near you and bought a camper van last year. We stayed at a lovely campsite near Eastbourne and used the bus and train ( next to the site) to get out and about, really enjoyed it

Fairfields, near Pevensey

Don’t know if it’s dog friendly though

Fairfields, near Pevensey

Just Googled it.
Dogs ok but adults only.

ah that’s a shame

Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions I'll check them out 😀