Ernie’s Plot

Some campsites have a view. Ernie’s Plot has Colmer’s Hill, one of Dorset’s best-loved landmarks, with sunrises and sunsets to match. This peaceful, adults-only dog-friendly campsite for motorhomes and caravans sits at Miles Cross in Symondsbury, just outside Bridport, and dogs are very welcome.

The land has a lovely family story behind it. It once belonged to the owner’s grandfather, landlord of the Ilchester Arms, who walked his cows up the lane to graze here. Ernie’s Plot opened in 2018, and today there are Jacob sheep, ducks and hens on site, along with 70 newly planted native trees and two hedgerows that have brought in plenty of wildlife. Keep an eye out for deer, foxes and buzzards.

There are just eight double-width hard-standing pitches, open all year, each with its own water supply and a coin-operated 16 amp electric hook-up. Facilities include two modern toilets with individual access codes and coin-operated showers, one of them with underfloor heating, along with grey and Elsan waste disposal and recycling. The little information shed has local tips, bus timetables and a shop with local biscuits, cakes, milk, dairy, meats and Purbeck ice cream, plus eggs when the hens cooperate.

Your dog will be in good company, as resident dogs Willow and Fern live here too. There’s a dog wash for after muddy walks. Dogs need to stay on a lead at all times on site, which matters with the sheep and poultry around, and owners are asked to clear up after them.

The walking is excellent, starting with a 30 to 40-minute climb from the site up to the top of Colmer’s Hill. Symondsbury village is a couple of minutes’ walk away, the Ilchester Arms is about five minutes on foot, and Bridport is an easy walk from the site. Buses run from nearby Sprakes Corner, and West Bay and Golden Cap are close by for days out on the Jurassic Coast.