Sitting on the now defunct remains of RAF Holmsley South, Holmsley Campsite is a large site well catered for for all types of campers.

If you're exploring the New Forest by motorcycle, you may want to abandon the idea of staying at any of the 'wild' campsites. At the last minute I was told I couldn't stay at my planned campsite as I hadn't brought a separate 'toilet tent', and so I was bumped over to Holmsley instead.

Holmsley wouldn't normally be my first choice of campsite, it's very large and the ex-RAF runway road layout and concrete aeroplane turning pads make the site particularly good for caravans and campers. Personally I find these sorts of sites always very noisy and best avoided.

Sadly this was the case during my stay at Holmsley, although well provisioned for in terms of facilities, the open plan nature of the site coupled with the type of campers that don't usually consider their neighbours, resulted in a fairly uncomfortable stay.

If you have no other choice while you're exploring the New Forest, Holmsley can be used as a general base for exploring the area. The site is easy to use for motorcyclists thanks to the well maintained, flat roads and there's plenty of showers and toilets available throughout the site.

Biker's Note: This is a gated campsite, with the main gates only opening at 7am. However, if you're willing to wake everyone up earlier, it's possible to squeeze a medium sized bike through the pedestrian gate at the exit if needed.