Practical Motorhome Independent Site Reviews.

This is a complex with many facilities, including holiday homes, pine lodges, apartments and a motel. Established over 30 years ago, the present owners, who bought it in 1999, have an extensive on-going development scheme. It's a clean, well-run and well-maintained site with an emphasis on quality, and it accepts Camping Cheques.
Due to its design and road layout there is little awareness of how much there is on site. Access to the three touring pitch areas does not require driving through any other sections of the site. The terraced pitches are on the side of a steep hill and offer fine views of Charmouth and the surrounding hills, but may not suitable for the less mobile.
There are 113 pitches with 10 or 16 amp electric hook up – all will be upgraded to 16 amps as part of a rolling improvement programme. Some 17 pitches are on hardstandings with water, drainage and electric hook up points, and five have a washing machine and tumble dryer for your own use. There is some road noise. A new toilet block is a welcome addition, and the older unit is well-maintained.
The excellent leisure facilities include a jacuzzi, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The play area provides entertainment for children of all ages. For older children there is a two-lane American-style bowling alley. The large bar area has evening entertainment during the season. There is also 'Seagulls' take away and 'The Heritage' restaurant on site; both have extensive menus. More than that, the beach on Dorset's famous Jurassic Coast is just a few minutes' walk.
The site is easily accessed via a wide entrance and there is a lay-by to avoid congestion on the road. There are sufficient facilities to cope well in high season and with all the amenities it is an excellent site off season, as the touring pitches are open all year. However, it should be pointed out that the bar, restaurant and take-away close from mid-November until mid-March, except for Christmas, New Year and the February half term.

Practical Caravans Top 100 Parks Awards 2003

How many caravan sites put you at the edge of a World Heritage Site? Or put you face to face with animals from the Jurassic period? Well, Newlands Holidays in Charmouth does just that – it’s sited very close to England’s first World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast. Here, you can explore the country’s prehistoric past, and go fossil hunting in some of the world’s richest fossil grounds. The site even organises fossil hunters’ weekends.

Newlands is much more than just a good base for fossil hunting. It’s also a good, family-owned and well-cared-for park, occupying the top of a hilly site with splendid views over the hills and valleys. The pitches are terraced in two fields, because the site is on a steep slope. You’ll find 10A electricity on 154 of these pitches, and 40 of these have hardstandings, waste and fresh water. Five pitches are Millennium pitches and another ten are fully serviced.

There are two toilet blocks, one near the top of the site and the other at the bottom. The older, more traditional one, is at the top, and is tidy, well-kept and heated, while the lower one is modern and bright and has roomy showers.

There’s a children’s club with Dino the Dinosaur acting as frontman, a small indoor pool (small entry fee), and jacuzzi, and a large children’s play area. There’s also a free outdoor heated pool and paddling pool. The site has a licenced bar, shop and restaurant, and at reception there‘s a very good tourist information centre.