Two nights camping in the New Forest, and the question of what to do about the other two dogs

This was our first camping trip with the dogs. Last July, two nights at Holmsley in the New Forest, in the middle of a heatwave. We took Silky and Nell. Gertie and Wilma stayed at home.

That last sentence is the one that bothered me before we left. Most campsites, and most cottages, allow up to two dogs per pitch. Once you have four, planning a family holiday becomes an exercise in either splitting the family across two trips or writing off most of the country. Holmsley was a two-dog site, so we took the two who’d been to fewer places. The four-dog campsite list is forming, and I’ll come back to it at the end.

A note on links in this post: This post contains links to products on Amazon and to a campsite booking site. If you buy or book through them, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Where I can, I link to the specific item I bought and used. If that item is no longer available, I link to something similar. – Joanna

The setup

We arrived late on the Tuesday afternoon. The temperature was up in the high twenties, sweltering for two amateurs putting up a tent for the first time. The ground was very hard. We had known it would be and brought rock pegs, but knocking some of them in was still a struggle. About 90 minutes later we had the tent up, the chairs out, the gas stove unpacked, and the dogs settled, which I’m choosing to interpret as steady progress. The dogs themselves sat in the pop-up pen in the shade, watching us with what I can only describe as polite scepticism.

The pop-up pen has come everywhere with us since I bought it. It folds flat, it’s plenty big enough for Silky and Nell, and it just about works for all four for short stretches. (Outward Hound pop-up pen on Amazon.) For longer stays at the pitch we set up a bigger metal pen, borrowed for this first trip, since bought (metal pen on Amazon). It isn’t portable enough for day trips, but it’s perfect for the campsite.

The pitch was grassy with an electrical hook-up. The toilet and shower blocks (separate ladies and men) were clean and well kept. Holmsley staff had directed us to the pitch on arrival; a stile at the edge of the field takes you straight out into the open forest. We went over it that first evening for a wander before dinner.

the pitch in golden hour, car and tent tucked under the tree

On the other side of the stile: vast expanses of New Forest scrubland, and on the next field, a small group of wild ponies grazing in the evening sun. The ponies couldn’t get onto the campsite as far as we could see, which felt like a sensible arrangement for everyone.

view from the pitch over the fence, wild ponies grazing in the next field, with the metal pen and one of the dogs visible in the foreground

We had dinner on the pitch, opened a bottle of something cold, and turned in.

Hurst Castle and the Lighthouse, day two

I was up early the next morning with Silky and Nell. The temperature had dropped overnight. We went out into the forest before breakfast and met more ponies, this time closer.

Silky in foreground on a walk, a wild pony grazing in the background

Back at the pitch we cooked sausages on the gas stove (no fires allowed at Holmsley, but the gas stove handles everything you’d actually want to cook).

The plan for the day was Hurst Castle in the morning and Christchurch in the afternoon.

Milford on Sea is about 25 minutes’ drive from Holmsley. You park at Hurst Road East Car Park and walk a long pebbled spit out to the castle – about 40 minutes each way, with pebbles underfoot the whole way. The pebbles make it more of an effort than a flat path of the same length. The views are worth it. It’s a strikingly straight finger of land out into the Solent, with the Isle of Wight close enough to feel reachable.

Joanna's partner walking the Hurst Spit ahead, both dogs on lead

both dogs at Hurst Castle with the Tudor castle / Victorian west wing signage and an old artillery piece

The castle was built between 1541 and 1544 as part of Henry VIII’s chain of coastal defences (the same chain as Pendennis, St Mawes, Calshot, and Portland), guarding the narrow western entrance to the Solent. It saw service for nearly four centuries. Charles I was held there briefly in 1648 before being moved to London for trial and execution. In the 1860s it was modernised with massive Victorian wing batteries to defend against the perceived threat of Napoleon III’s France. It was used for coastal defence in both World Wars. English Heritage now looks after it.

We spent about an hour and a half looking around. The dogs are welcome on leads. There’s a small café on site, but we’d decided on the way out to head back over to the Lighthouse for lunch instead.

Joanna with one of the dogs at Hurst Castle, lighthouse and battery in the background

Back across the spit to the car park, then a short hop to the Lighthouse restaurant in Milford on Sea. We hadn’t booked. We had spotted it on the way out that morning and made a mental note to come back, and we got lucky on a midweek lunchtime. The sun had come out by then and we sat outside. There was just enough room at our table for the pop-up pen, which the dogs settled into and which attracted a steady drift of curious other dog owners across the lunch service. The food was light and very good, and the service was friendly and efficient. I would book a table at weekends.

Christchurch in the afternoon

After lunch we drove to Christchurch and parked in the car park near Waitrose. We walked around the town for an hour, then down to the River Stour. The Old Mill Tea Rooms had been recommended to us. They were very busy when we got there, so we took ice creams away and ate them in the park by the river instead. The selection of flavours was good and there was no shortage of people queueing for them.

From the park we walked along the river to the Captain’s Club Hotel & Spa, which has an outdoor seating area with comfortable sofas. We set up the pop-up pen, had a cold drink, and a snack. The dogs slept.

the dogs in the pop-up pen on the patio at the Captain's Club, table 63

We headed back to the campsite for a long forest walk that evening, dinner cooked on the pitch, and a couple of drinks under what was, by then, a very pleasant sky.

The Pig in Brockenhurst, day three

We had until 11am to get the tent down and the car packed. We did, just.

The drive home included a planned stop at The Pig in Brockenhurst, which has earned its reputation. We walked the Perrywood and New Copse Loop first – a 3.8-mile circular that the staff at The Pig sent us off with a printed map for. (The same map is available as a PDF on The Pig’s website.) The terrain is even and mostly flat, easy walking. About an hour and a quarter for us at a relaxed pace, including stops to let the dogs sniff things.

both dogs leading the way down the Perrywood path, view from behind

We hadn’t booked The Pig either, but we had told the staff when we picked up the walk map that we’d be back for lunch after. They slotted us in easily at about 1.30pm. We had a selection of small plates to share – flatbreads, dips, salads – and a pot of tea. Highly recommended.

lunch at The Pig: flatbreads, broccolini, salad, two pots of tea

We pointed the car home, dusty and content, and started planning the next New Forest trip – with all four ladies this time.

On the four-dog problem

Holmsley couldn’t have been a better introduction to camping with the dogs, but the two-dog rule is a real constraint when you have four. I’ve since found two campsites that take up to four dogs per pitch (more on those in a future post – they need their own write-up), and we’re booked into one of them later this summer for the four-schnauzer test.

If you’re a multi-dog household and you’ve found a UK campsite or cottage that welcomes more than two dogs, please let me know via hello@bringthedogs.co.uk. I want to build a dedicated page listing all the ones I find.

How we travelled with the dogs

A practical note that might help if you’re thinking about a similar trip. We normally travel with the dogs in a single crate in the boot, but for this trip we needed the boot for the tent and camping kit, so the dogs travelled in dog harnesses on the back seat instead. The harnesses have an attachment that loops around the seat belt once it’s plugged in. I bought ours years ago, but you can buy similar from Pets at Home or on Amazon.

Silky and Nell on the back seat in their car harnesses, wild ponies just visible through the rear window

Practical summary

Campsite: Holmsley (Camping in the Forest), New Forest. Two dogs per pitch. Pitch with electrical hook-up. Clean toilet and shower blocks. Stile from the field into the open forest. Bring rock pegs – the ground is very hard.
Pop-up pen we use this one. Goes everywhere with us.
Larger metal pen we now have this one for the campsite pitch.
Car harnesses for back seat travel: available from Pets at Home or Amazon.
Cooking: no fires allowed at Holmsley. We used a portable gas stove for everything.
Hurst Castle: English Heritage. Dogs welcome on leads. 40-minute pebbled walk each way from Hurst Road East Car Park, Milford on Sea (about 25 minutes from Holmsley).
The Lighthouse, Milford on Sea: dog-friendly outside seating, light lunch menu. We didn’t book and were fine on a midweek lunchtime; weekends I would book.
The Old Mill Tea Rooms, Christchurch: good ice cream selection. Very busy when we were there at the weekend; we got ours to take away and ate them in the park by the river.
The Captain’s Club Hotel & Spa, Christchurch: outdoor sofa seating, dog-friendly, cold drinks.
The Pig, Brockenhurst: dog-friendly. We didn’t book – we told them on the way out that we’d be back for lunch after the walk and they slotted us in easily at 1.30pm. The 3.8-mile Perrywood and New Copse Loop walk starts and ends here; staff will give you a printed map, or download the PDF.