Avon Heath in East Dorset

Stop here for a short break before continuing our journey to the weymouth nice stop off point cafe was very busy but was clean and the staff friendly

This is a beautiful country park with excellent and friendly Rangers. Avon Heath is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protected Area and a Special Area of Conservation which makes the walks far more interesting when you have the opportunity to see the local wildlife and the work that is done to preserve the land. We look forward to seeing the planned future work as the heathland is restored even further over the coming years.

Nice place, great play area, lovely walks

The kids love to hit the playground before heading out for a walk across the heath. The café is worth a visit. Plenty of parking (pay on exit). Loos. Recommended.

They have the balance of keeping it smart and letting it grow wild. The dogs love it.

Great walk with the family found lots of new places to go. Dogs really enjoyed it too finished off with a lovely hot chocolate from the café. And the kids playing in the playground.

Greatbplace well laid out and easy to get highly recommended

Great walking trails and beautiful views all around. Looks like great amenities and activities for children.

Fantastic place Plenty of track walks which are suitable for pushchairs too. A lovely play park. Plenty of parking. Cafe and activity centre!

An excellent park for kids and families. An amphitheatre style with tables from which parents can overlook the children at play. A good friendly café serving teas, coffees, cakes and a limited but good savoury offering. Highly recommended.

Great for a dog walk and a snack after

Lovely walk's nice place for a cup of tea and cake

Exellent place to bring your children and dogs for a lovely wooded walk. Plenty of climbing frames swings and a super slide for the children . Restaurant on site with a good selection of dishes fod adults and children.If you have not been? Please do give it a BobbI guarantee you will return... Goodluck!!

The children always love this park and also lovely walk for the dog

Fantastic place to play with the kids the cafe is lovely as well and the staff in the cafe are so sweet I was sat inside with my baby feeling a bit down in the dumps being unable to play with my son and partner in the park after a c section a week before and I had the most amazing latte and the staff sat and chatted with me for a good 10-15 mins swooping stories it was so nice and really helped me :)

Just off the main road with a beautiful rest spot for all vehicles

Delightful place my twins of 7 loved it ! We loved it ,so much to see and do , we will back very soon

Free HGV parking for around 12 trucks. Nice and peaceful. Never had any issues there. Toilets open till after 8pm when I was there. Be warned, though. It's a popular dogging site, but they won't bother you

Good sized play area for the children, with easy to follow trails.

Plenty of parking. It has a cafe and a toilet block. Dog friendly with trails. A short one which is about 30minuets or a longer trail. I have mobility issues and the short trail was doable in a wheelchair for me. When I was able to work I did the long trail and that took a couple of hours.

Perfect place for families, dog walkers or any walker to visit. You start by entering car park. You pay at the machine at the end of visiting. We walked our 2 dogs around the red route, beautiful, a mix of glades, forest picnic areas, sandy walks and twists and turns, then back to visitor centre with gifts, books and interesting facts. We went to the cafe and had a bacon bap, with salad, crisps and salad dressing and a regular cappuccino while partner had the sausage bap which also came with crisps, salad and dressing but had an apple juice. I also got our dogs a dog ice cream to share. Vikki was amazing and very thoughtful and kind. Was a lovely visit went last year but was a little humid and overcast, pups were younger and we only did a short route. A beautiful sunny day with plenty of shade. Cafe was immaculate and a fair price for an unexpected large offering. Thank you Vikki, it's credit to you and staff that made our visit perfect.

Perfect place for families, dog walkers or any walker to visit. You start by entering car park. You pay at the machine at the end of visiting. We walked our 2 dogs around the red route, beautiful, a mix of glades, forest picnic areas, sandy walks and twists and turns, then back to visitor centre with gifts, books and interesting facts. We went to the cafe and had a bacon bap, with salad, crisps and salad dressing and a regular cappuccino while partner had the sausage bap which also came with crisps, salad and dressing but had an apple juice. I also got our dogs a dog ice cream to share. Vikki was amazing and very thoughtful and kind. Was a lovely visit went last year but was a little humid and overcast, pups were younger and we only did a short route. A beautiful sunny day with plenty of shade. Cafe was immaculate and a fair price for an unexpected large offering. Thank you Vikki, it's credit to you and staff that made our visit perfect.

A great country park, very dog friendly. There is a nice cafe and various marked trails. Plenty of kids playground equipment. Public toilets. There is plenty of parking in a height restricted car park and an area for larger vehicles just outside the entrance

A true hidden gem! Great park Great trails And a great little cafe! We can’t wait to go back!

A true hidden gem! Great park Great trails And a great little cafe! We can’t wait to go back!

Recommend Take yours or others 🙃kids out nice place to visit

Plenty of picnic tables and seating in front of the children's play area. Cafe, toliets and plenty of parking spaces. Lovely woodland walks dotted with picnic tables. A good day out. Pay to park.

Busy during the day, lovely walking the dogs after 6 pm

Nice place for dogs, kids and families.

Visited here while on holiday in Bournemouth. This place is awesome, brilliant for the kids and the dog. Parking is right next to all the facilities and play areas, nice little cafe and visitor centre. The play areas are massive and great fun for everyone. Well worth a visit!!!

Found this place by accident on a Bank Holiday when Moors Valley were turning people away. Lovely walks Good open spaces and play areas Some awesome views

Large play area, lots of toilets, cafe with ice creams. Dog friendly. Info centre about the local heathland.

Amazing play park, fun for all ages. Lots of climbing, swinging, and a zip wire.

A brilliant day out with the Grankids, they love it

So much to do! Fun for the whole family. Parking rates were really reasonable. Walking trails too.

Took teens and little ones there. It was enjoyable for them all. Stayed a couple of hours even on the rain.

Had a picnic and did a bit of bird/Lizard watching. Will go back earlier in the day to see what else can be discovered

Great place to visit and children had so much fun on world's biggest bouncy castle event that was happening at the time

Fantastic place.for.walks and views amazing park.for the little.terrors to run aand play places to have a family bbq on there purpose built stoves just bring your own food there is a good pet was for.when they get mucky just a wonderful place to be

We came to visit the World Biggest Bouncy castle. The parking attendants were great and friendly, even remembering where I parked my car when we were leaving.

It was a very nice place to spend a few hours. It has a choice of very pleasant walks of varying lengths, some that are suitable for push chairs. It has a cafe, a play park for children with picnic area and restroom. We felt the parking charge was reasonable considering the facilities on offer.

Loved the overall experience, some things stand out for me; the communal kitchen which you can use, the cleanliness of toilets and lastly the ice cream!!

Great place to stop off for a walk and refreshments

Amazing for parking lorry, quiet and pub 5 mins away with good food.

Nice looking place, but we didn't stay long as it was pouring down! ( bit longer than the free 15mins free parking.....

Lovely place , great food at realistic prices. Nice place to stop if you are travelling down to the west country, although a bit tricky to find if you are driving past so maybe make a point of noting in your satnav before hand.

Very helpful and friendly staff lots to do lovely walks

Little gem, good for all the family. Lovely ice creams

Great park for a day out with the family. Play area for the kids and a nature trail as as some open space for games. Some BBQ areas that you can book for parties etc. Cafe is nice and does some really good sized portions - recommend the paninis 👍 Note - there's no bins so you do have to be prepared to take your rubbish home with you.

A very nice playground, it has a cafe and there are toilets.

Has signs about BBQs but no signs saying dogs heavily restricted for the better half of the year. That was fine, all for protection of birds, but having to pay £3.50!!! for the 15mins we parked before we realised it was no use for our needs is not fine.

Lovely walks amongst the Heather. Looking forward to seeing it in flower late July.

A fabulous place for family fun. Great park lovely walks, great cafe good food choices, reasonably priced (great new owners) The park is a favourite for us.

4 stars as only stopped for a toilet break

Lovely place to spend a few hours.

Lovely place to have fun with the grandchildren. Parking is reasonable, too.

Lovely environment, good parking. Nice spot for the family.

Great for dogs on a break back from holiday

Great place to spend a few hours - nice large park with a cafe and lots of seating nearby. With a big field for games and picnics. We also like the visitor centre and the reptiles house and bird hide. Staff very helpful and friendly. Good value parking which is much better than moors valley down the road. Although granted there isn't as much to do at Avon Heath. Be aware there are no bins at the park, so you have to take rubbish home if you bring a picnic. Not sure if this applies for if you buy from the cafe and takeaway or whether they will take rubbish for you in there. A lovely way to spend a morning!

Absolutely loved it here! Plenty of places to sit with a picnic, visitor center really informative, colouring for the kids to do to. Park is amazing the kids could of stayed all day! Definitely looking forward to returning soon.

My grandson absolutely loved playing there.we went early in the evening, and it was quite empty, so great fun..toilet were open, but café was shut at that time..

♿ Great to see accessible features at this country park, including some level paths to some play features.

Absolutely loved this place. Always knew about but not sure why we never been. Really great for kids and for family picnic. So many benches and beautiful lawn. We will be regulars.

Love bringing my son to play here. The playground is massive with plenty of different activities to do with kids and also you can go for a nice walk through the forest path just outside the playground. All kept clean and safe.

Great for children with plenty to do. Nice walks & Coffee shop. Only down side distinct lack of bins to put your rubbish.

Brilliant place for children from 2 to 11 Lots of equipment to climb and play on and free! apart from the reasonable cost of the car park

Lovely park for the kids to play at. Plenty of picnic benches. Toilets are lovely and clean

Perfect place for a few hours or even a day oit with the children. I love that there is sooo many picnic table available right next to the playground that the children can be seen easily. There is a cafe and public toilets which comes handy. ☺️

Lovely cafe. Gravel path to walk dogs. Dog bath. Great little visit.

Good place especially on sunny weekends for children

No toddler slides or swings( we had an active 1 year old with us who wanted to be on the move). Great for 4 years plus , and older kids, but nothing for tinies. Nappy changing area was dirty and left a lot to be desired!

Stopped on our way back from Cornwall. Walked the dogs around well marked paths, it was lovely. Places to get food and drink and lots for children to do.

Fantastic place to take the children. cafe staff really good, and the food is amazing

Decent attraction, a bit more suitable for toddlers and younger kids than the nearby Moore's valley which is quite spread out and results in inevitable tired child carrying. 4 stars only because the toilets were an absolute portal to hell down both times we visited.

A lovely country park: we went on good Friday and there was live music at the cafe which was a plus. The playground is brilliant, with plenty for all ages. The information centre has activities for kids. The heath is beautiful for a walk. Parking was reasonably priced given the facilities.

Lovely play park in the nature, always love coming here with the children when camping nearby.

Such an amazing location to chill out with the dog and kids. All the rangers and staff are friendly and welcoming.

Very cool place to spend the day wonderfully...nature, games and more...

Nice cafe,plenty of open space to walk with or without a dog, plus lots of things for children to enjoy and plenty of clean toilets in case the need arises. Plenty of parking, which is not free unless you own a coach or an hgv.

Nice place to stop Great dry dog walks Dog washing facilities Really friendly staff in the coffee shop. Nice food at decent prices Would recommend

Expensive parking, but otherwise a great place to spend a couple of hours at.

Great for dog walks, good cafe had a nice breakfast friendly staff will go again 😊

Decent playground, cafe and facilities

Really nice walks here. good size park for the kids to play in and the cafe is priced great as well.

Great play park, friendly helpful staff and the half term trail was good

Very popular today due to half term long queue to get into the car park. But some lovely Heathland walking routes. Weather was great and good to see lots of families out walking or enjoying the facilities on offer.

Brilliant little area to take the kids

Good play park for kids aged 4+ I really mean that.. struggled with any age under that. Park does nerd a bit of maintenance it's getting a bit tired. Parking is a bit extortionate and the system and barriers are often faulty. but I suppose that is like everywhere now. If you want to go on the walks the signs posting is pretty rubbish. If you are local then this could be a once very couple of months visit but if from afar you will be disappointed.

Nice place for a little walk but the car park charges are pricey

Amazing little place, easy to get to. Massive child play area right next to the car park as you come in. Parking is alot cheaper than Moors valley which is just down the road from here. Dogs are allowed here but during peak bird seasons they are strict to wether they are on/off lead. If you want a family day out but don't want the cost of Moors valley parking, come here!

grandchildren trip out to park and cafe lunch inset day at their school.

We took our Children yesterday to see Santa and what a truly magical experience that was. They started off with writing letters to Santa, hot chocolate and biscuits then went through a little mini wonderland and then met Santa. Santa was possibly the most authentic Santa I have ever seen and Sparkles the elf made this experience completely magical. She truly was amazing and made my girls feel so special. We will definitely be returning again, thank you soo much to everyone at Avon Heath you made the whole experience so worth while!

Had the most amazing day today at Avon heath country park. We for a nice walk around the heath then stopped at the park. We were booked in to go and see Santa. Went to the cafe the children got to decorate there own cookies , make a list to Santa also got a free hot chocolate. We went down to see Father Christmas and it was just so magical. Was able to take beautiful pictures of the kids and Santa. It wasn’t a in or out situation Santa took his time talking to each child and giving the presents out. Also a snow machine to top it off. We went and took some lovely photos on the sleigh. Had such an amazing day. They didn’t do gifts for babies( little girl is 4 months ) but messaged in advance and they made sure that my little girl got one. The presents were wonderful aswell . Best day out I cannot recommend anywhere better. Will definitely be coming again next Christmas.

Great place for young children....nan and grandad....

Turns out its doggers paradise at night, sorry state of affairs, leather clad lorry drivers looking all rapey, had to skidaddle quick smart

Great place to visit. Never knew this gem was there. Will be going back

Lovely location for family walk. Great play ground.

Great place to visit plenty of things for the kids to do. Amazing dog walks and a dog bath...

Didn't used to have to pay for parking here. Great stop on a long car journey

Great place for a short Sunday loop and a coffee afterwards.