Camping near Lyndhurst means the Forestry England campsites, and two of them are almost on the village’s doorstep: Denny Wood and Matley Wood, out among the oaks off the Beaulieu Road. Within a few miles there are bigger sites with showers and shops, a farm campsite with bell tents near Minstead, and plenty of cottages if you would rather have a kitchen and a proper roof.
One rule before anything else: wild camping is not allowed anywhere in the New Forest. If you want to sleep out under the trees, book a pitch.
Forestry England campsites near Lyndhurst
Forestry England’s ten New Forest campsites are run by its partner Camping New Forest, which also runs Long Meadow near Brockenhurst. Book through its website. Older pages from Camping in the Forest, which used to run the sites, are still online with out-of-date dates and prices, so don’t rely on them.
| Campsite | Where | Facilities | Dogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Wood | Off the Beaulieu Road, about two miles east of Lyndhurst | No toilets or showers; drinking water and chemical disposal point | No |
| Matley Wood | Off the Beaulieu Road, about two miles east | No toilets or showers; drinking water and chemical disposal point | Yes |
| Ashurst | On the A35 at Ashurst, about two and a half miles north-east | Toilets, showers, laundry, accessible facilities, some hardstanding | No |
| Hollands Wood | On the A337 at the edge of Brockenhurst, about three miles south | Toilets, showers, shop, laundry, dog wash | Yes |
| Roundhill | On the road between Brockenhurst and Beaulieu | Toilets, showers, shop, accessible toilet | Yes |
| Long Meadow | New Park, off the A337 north of Brockenhurst | Toilets, showers, laundry, electric hook-ups, hardstanding | Yes |
At the time of writing (autumn 2026), Camping New Forest gives the 2027 season at Denny Wood, Matley Wood, Ashurst, Hollands Wood and Roundhill as 19 March to 30 September. Long Meadow opens in March and stays open until 1 November, and Setthorns, near Sway, is open all year. Gates open at 7.30am and are locked at 10pm. Over bank holiday weekends the minimum stay is three nights, and at weekends in the school summer holidays it is two.
Denny Wood and Matley Wood: back to basics
These two are the closest campsites to the village and the most like proper forest camping. Pitches are on grass and tucked between oaks, bracken and fallen trees, with ponies wandering through. There are no toilet or shower blocks, so you must bring your own chemical toilet (not a compostable one); turn up without one and you may be moved to a site with facilities and charged the difference. Both have drinking water taps and a chemical disposal point, and both take tents, caravans and motorhomes.
The big difference is dogs. Denny Wood bans them because of the ground-nesting birds on the surrounding heath, while Matley Wood welcomes them. At Matley Wood, arrivals are on Wednesdays and Fridays only, with a two-night minimum. It is handy for our Matley Heath walk, which starts close by.
Ashurst
Ashurst is the easy option for families and first-timers: proper toilets and showers, a laundry, flat grass pitches or shadier ones under the oaks, and a short walk from Ashurst New Forest station and the village pubs and shops. It doesn’t take dogs, apart from assistance dogs.
Hollands Wood, Roundhill and Long Meadow
South of Lyndhurst, Hollands Wood is a big wooded site within walking distance of Brockenhurst village, with a shop and a dog wash. Roundhill, between Brockenhurst and Beaulieu, is open heath and woodland where the ponies wander through the site and drink at the pond. Long Meadow, in New Park, has electric hook-ups on both grass and hardstanding pitches and is a 20-minute walk from Brockenhurst through the forest.
Camping rules in the New Forest
The animals here are not tame, however calm they look. Don’t feed or stroke the ponies, keep food sealed and out of reach, and zip the tent shut when you go out, because a pony will happily put its head in looking for bread. The New Forest Code covers the rest.
Wild camping is not allowed
Forestry England is clear that wild camping is not permitted in the New Forest. That includes pitching a tent in a quiet clearing and sleeping in a campervan in a car park. Since April 2026 Forestry England has also charged for parking at all 129 of its car parks; see our parking guide for the details.
The reasons are practical. The open forest is grazed common land, much of the heath is protected for its wildlife, and a stray spark can set dry heather alight in minutes.
Glamping near Lyndhurst
Camping New Forest has bell tents at Ashurst, Hollands Wood, Roundhill, Holmsley and Long Meadow. Each sleeps two adults and two children and comes with its own picnic bench and barbecue, but you bring your own bedding.
For something more comfortable, Minstead Manor Farm, a family-run farm between Emery Down and Minstead, has three furnished bell tents, each in its own corner of the farm, with proper beds, electricity, a covered cooking area and a fire pit. The toilets and showers on the farm’s main campsite are a short walk away. The tents open from May to September, with a two-night minimum, and up to two dogs are allowed for a charge. It is a lovely base for our Minstead and Rufus Stone walk.
Self-catering cottages around Lyndhurst
For families, groups and anyone staying more than a few nights, a cottage often makes more sense than a hotel. The local agency New Forest Cottages lists properties in Lyndhurst, Emery Down, Bank and Minstead, and lets you filter for dog-friendly places. In the village itself, the Penny Farthing on Romsey Road lets two three-bedroom cottages, usually by the week, with last-minute short breaks when they are free; dogs are allowed for a nightly fee, and you can book breakfast in the hotel.
Before you book a cottage, check whether the garden is fully fenced (ponies and cattle graze right up to the gates in the hamlets, and a dog can be through a gap in seconds), how many cars it can park, and what the changeover day is. Weekly lets in summer often run Friday to Friday or Saturday to Saturday.
For hotels, inns and B&Bs instead, see our where to stay in Lyndhurst guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which campsites near Lyndhurst allow dogs?
Matley Wood, Hollands Wood, Roundhill and Long Meadow all welcome dogs on leads. Denny Wood and Ashurst don’t, because of ground-nesting birds; our ground-nesting birds page explains why.
Are any New Forest campsites open in winter?
Setthorns, near Sway, is open all year and has electric hook-ups. Long Meadow stays open until the start of November. Most of the other sites close at the end of September.
Can I have a campfire at a New Forest campsite?
No. Burning wood is banned on all the Forestry England sites, including fire pits. Raised charcoal or gas barbecues are fine until 9pm.
