We found the Watercress Lodges whilst looking for accommodation when our house was renovated. Initially we booked for 1 week and ended up staying for 1 month!! Throughout Hannah was... read more very considerate of our circumstances and reduced the stress on us. The Lodge was an ideal home from home and the setting was exceptional, with slovenly views across the South Downs and regular steam trains passing nearby (during the season) Thank you Hannah

  The Watercress Lodges are ideally situated for a break in peaceful surroundings with the occasional toot toot of steam trains. The location of the Lodges are within a short drive... read more of many places to visit including the South Downs Way and historic Winchester.We plan to return for a second stay when hopefully the weather will be much dryer.

  We have just returned from a week staying in the Alton lodge. What a wonderful place the setting is by the watercress railway line and is beautiful with amazing views... read more and an abundance of wild life. The lodge itself was perfect and very clean. All amenities are catered for with plenty of kitchen utensils. The inside is comfortable and cosy a great home from home. We also travelled with our dog Charley who was also made very welcome and loved the open space to roam around. Jo the owner is lovely and very helpful if you need anything at all especially with knowledge of the area and attractions. It is worth using the railway as it’s a lovely ride to near by villages on old steam trains all the staff are volunteers and the stations are so smart and well kept. This is a fantastic base for the surrounding areas we visited
Winchester
Salisbury
Portsmouth
Southampton
Alresford
Stone henge
New forest
Chichester
South Downs national park
Beaulieu
Recommend eating places in the area for us were
The ship inn
Horse and groom
Thai lounge
Cricketers
The millennium walk around Alresford is also beautiful for a stroll in lovely surroundings
I would highly recommend watercress lodges for a simply fabulous holiday with everything you need if you are a camper the site is also fabulous with great pitch areas and lovely facilities thank you jo and team for a wonderful break if we decide to return to the area in the near future we know where we will stay
Karen send andrew chapman

  We stayed in one of the lodges beside the railway line, and seeing the steam trains was great. The lodge wasn’t the best. We stayed in the Itchen Abbas lodge,... read more and unfortunately it has seen better days. Externally the lodges are long overdue a paint job, and inside, we had a real problem with the shower which leaked through the lounge ceiling. Although a handyman was sent to mastic the shower, the shower itself was a poor design, and water constantly ran out the front door when used. We putter down multiple towels to stop the flow, but it was in vain.
The holiday was somewhat tarnished by the worry of whether the ceiling was going to come down. It was obviously a historic problem, as the ceiling looked as if it had been patched multiple times.
We did ask if we could be moved, but we’re told the lodges were fully booked although the one beside us remained unoccupied for 4 days of our 5 day stay.
I’m sure if the shower was fine, our stay would have been better, but I spent a lot of time on edge, with a bucket constantly positioned on the lounge floor. Some compensation would have been good, but it wasn’t offered, and I wasn’t going to ask.
Although the campsite did try to help with the shower, it was a token effort, and I think the customer service could have been better, although I appreciate it was the height of summer, and they were fully booked.
Would I go back, I don’t think so, which is a shame, as it could be much better if a bit more pride was taken.
If you have booked a lodge, try to make sure it isn’t the Itchen Abbas Lodge.

  We have just returned from a week staying in the Alton lodge. What a wonderful place the setting is by the watercress railway line and is beautiful with amazing views... read more and an abundance of wild life. The lodge itself was perfect and very clean. All amenities are catered for with plenty of kitchen utensils. The inside is comfortable and cosy a great home from home. We also travelled with our dog Charley who was also made very welcome and loved the open space to roam around. Jo the owner is lovely and very helpful if you need anything at all especially with knowledge of the area and attractions. It is worth using the railway as it’s a lovely ride to near by villages on old steam trains all the staff are volunteers and the stations are so smart and well kept. This is a fantastic base for the surrounding areas we visited
Winchester
Salisbury
Portsmouth
Southampton
Alresford
Stone henge
New forest
Chichester
South Downs national park
Beaulieu
Recommend eating places in the area for us were
The ship inn
Horse and groom
Thai lounge
Cricketers
The millennium walk around Alresford is also beautiful for a stroll in lovely surroundings
I would highly recommend watercress lodges for a simply fabulous holiday with everything you need if you are a camper the site is also fabulous with great pitch areas and lovely facilities thank you jo and team for a wonderful break if we decide to return to the area in the near future we know where we will stay
Karen send andrew chapman

  Really enjoyed our stay at Watercress Lodges. Our first holiday in UK for a while (normally aim overseas). Joanne and her team were always available, very friendly and very helpful.... read more

The lodge itself was lively, very clean, great layout and comfortable.

The location, 50m or so from a working steam railway was lovely. Our ride on the train was fun and the trains gave a lot of character to the area. We also enjoyed being able to wander up the lane to go on our own little safari to see deer, hares, rabbits, foxes and owls.

We chose the location initially as we went to radio 2's "CarFest", and it was ideal. We were able to use it as a base for that as well as Portsmouth, the New Forest and the local attractions.

Will be recommending Watercress Lodges to our family and friends.