The Blue Ship
View prices & book
/-0.4528755000000046,51.0633847,12,0,0/376x277@2x)
- Simple pitches behind a West Sussex family-run freehouse country pub
- A 15-minute drive from Horsham; half an hour to the South Downs
- Pub with homemade food and local beers and produce; beer garden
Site type
10
10
15
This site has no on-site shower facilities.
Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.- The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
- No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
- Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
- At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
- There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.
Languages spoken
English
Open from Fri, 2 May to
Open from Fri, 1 May to
Pitch types & availability
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
5 people maximum 
8.8/10
58 reviews Ground type: Grass
Pitch size: Max 6m width × 4m depth (24m²)
Arrival daysFrom £20
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Non-electric grass touring pitch
5 people maximum 9.3/10
110 reviews Ground type: Grass
Pitch size: Max 6m width × 6m depth (36m²)
Arrival daysFrom £22.50
View prices & book -
Non-electric grass tent pitch (family, large)
7 people maximum 9/10
5 reviews Ground type: Grass
Pitch size: Unlimited
Arrival daysFrom £30
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Reviews
91% would recommend this site to a friend
89% would stay here again
What customers say
This basic, quiet campsite is situated behind The Blue Ship pub, praised for its delicious food and friendly atmosphere. Campers appreciate the spacious, level pitches and clean toilet facilities. While some note the lack of showers and Wi-Fi, the peaceful rural location and welcoming hosts are consistently highlighted as major draws. The site is ideal for short, relaxed stays.
Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews
Exellent spot…
Non-electric grass touring pitch
Liked Exellent spot
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to welcome you again soon.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
Food and drink great, hosts were…
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
Liked Food and drink great, hosts were lovely!
Disliked Nothing
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to welcome you again soon.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
Location, clean facilities, generous spaces in…
Non-electric grass touring pitch
Liked Location, clean facilities, generous spaces in large camping field
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to welcome you again soon.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
Ones agine very good stay. And…
Non-electric grass touring pitch
Liked Ones agine very good stay. And the food was very good 👍 .I've stayed twice and will stay again.
Disliked None
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting and we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.
We hope to welcome you again soon.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
OK Budget camp with overrated pub grub
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
Liked Location to Gatwick for outbound flights
Disliked Washing up facilities a ground based soiled butlers sink with tired house pipe. Toilets adequate. In flight path to Gatwick so only a 5-6 hour quiet window
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: I’m most confused by your review, you liked that we are in a good location to Gatwick (about a 30-40 minute drive for those reading this) and yet disliked that you have planes heading to Gatwick?!?! A total contradiction….?
For clarity for those reading this, any plane heading to Gatwick is at a considerable height due to our distance from the airport, I’m not even sure this has been mentioned in a review of our campsite before that is how insignificant it is!
Yes our washing up area is a large butler sink, nothing less, nothing more.
Our facilities overall are exactly as we claim them to be, we are a basic rural campsite and I simply can’t emphasise enough that if anyone is looking for considerably more facilities than we offer here then please don’t book to stay at our campsite as we could not be clearer about our offerings.
For those that want a basic rural camping weekend in a beautiful location, they love it as you’ll see from our many many reviews on here and other sites.
As for our “over rated pub grub” having won on award this year for one of the top ten pubs in West Sussex, there are many who would very much disagree with you. Everything is locally sourced and freshly prepared to order. Likewise all of our beers and ciders are local too.
Having read your other reviews too, I may suggest that perhaps camping is not for you and a hotel may be better suited as it appears you are yet to find a campsite you actually like.
The amount of space per pitch.…
Non-electric grass touring pitch
Liked The amount of space per pitch. We had dinner in the pub too which was fabulous. Very friendly, peaceful campsite with basic facilities
Disliked Liked everything.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting and we are delighted you enjoyed your visit.
Lovely to read how spacious you thought it was given the ridiculous comments raised above by another guest! Hope to welcome you again soon.
Best wishes
Sophie
- Location - Good value for…
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
Liked - Location
- Good value for money
- Relaxed friendly atmosphere
- Clean, modern toilets
- Nice pub next to campsite
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to welcome you again soon.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
Flat clean pitches toilets and facilities very clean
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
Liked Quiet , welcoming and clean , great food and drinks at the pub !
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to welcome you again soon.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
Won’t be heading back
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
Liked Clean tidy toilets
Disliked No hot water to wash hands, no soap, no fire pits (too dry) lighting in toilets went off in 20 seconds so in pitch black, pub is over priced, no washing up facilities
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Our listing is exactly as stated, a basic rural campsite, no more no less.
We have toilets, cold water sinks (with soap so not sure how you missed the large blue bottles!) and a large butler sink for washing up. The toilets have lights that come on with movement sensors, they do not only stay on for 20 seconds but the rest of the campsite is not lit as we are in a rural location and it is in our listing and our welcome letter that a torch will be required, which I would have thought was common sense when camping but it would appear not.
As for fire pits...yes it is too dry, have you missed the weather, the news with wildfires around the country and the fact that the grass is literally brown and dry.
There was a wildfire only a few miles from us on Sunday just gone with fire crews in attendance for over 12 hours, I can share the link with you if you wish as perhaps this will educate you as to why we have taken the sensible decision not to permit firepits currently. We put guest safety and the protection of our home, our business and our beautiful surrounding countryside before moronic comments like yours and stand by that decision 100%. Furthermore, every single guest is made aware of this in advance by email and text message and it also states in out listing that firepits may not be allowed if weather conditions are not suitable.
As for pub being overpriced, astounding how you can comment on this given that you did not dine at the pub.....seems you are just being vindictive with a 1/10 score and inaccurate comments.
Fantastic site, minimal but the essentials are all there.
Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch
Liked A fantastic set up, simple and yet ideal. The toilets were well maintained and clean, the field is minimal but has plenty of space for the children to play and to have a wander around with the dog.
The blue ship pub is incredible and an absolute must for those staying on site. Fresh, home cooked food that was delicious. The service was wonderful, felt like a real home from home. They were clued up on allergies (I’m coeliac) and even went out of their way to cook a pudding from scratch for me to enjoy.
It’s a brilliant base point for exploring West Sussex. For our first camping trip it didn’t disappoint and we would most definitely return in future.
Disliked Not a dislike as such, but I’d have loved to have been able to pop into the blue ship for breakfast some mornings.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for visiting and we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.
We hope to welcome you again.
Best Wishes
Sophie.
Features
Dogs allowed
Leisure on site
Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis WatersportsAmenities on site
Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area WifiGroups welcome
Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcomeRules
Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all yearThemes
Peaceful Remote location Walkers' paradise Wildlife havenUtilities
Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energyNearby amenities
Bar nearby Dog walk nearbyType
Medium (26-50 pitches) Pub campsiteNearby leisure
Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Restaurant nearbyLocation
The Blue Ship
The Haven
Billingshurst
West Sussex
England
RH14 9BS
Directions Timezone
Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)
GPS
51.06338°N
0.45288°W
Nearest transport
Coach
Rail
Ferry
AirportPlease note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.
Local attractions
Water quality at nearby bathing waters
| Name | Distance | Type | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancing, Beach Green | 17.8 mi | Sea | N/A | Good | Good | Good |
| Worthing | 17.9 mi | Sea | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Shoreham Beach | 18.2 mi | Sea | N/A | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Littlehampton | 18.4 mi | Sea | N/A | Good | Good | Good |
| Southwick | 18.8 mi | Sea | N/A | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Data source: European Environment Agency
Must see
Fishers Adventure Farm Park 2.9 mi
Petworth House & Park 8.6 mi
Parham House & Gardens 10.2 mi
Nymans 11.2 mi
Denbies Wine Estate 13.8 mi
National Trust
Petworth House and Park 8.6 mi
Winkworth Arboretum 8.8 mi
Oakhurst Cottage 8.9 mi
Nymans 11 mi
Shalford Mill 11.8 mi
Cycle routes
Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.
Other
WARNHAM COURT 4.9 mi
Shipley - Knepp Castle - River Adur Circular 6.4 mi
SEDGWICK PARK 6.6 mi
KNEPP CASTLE 7 mi
Nuthurst 7.2 mi
Local events
- Farnborough International Airshow (Monday 20 July 2026 – Monday 20 July 2026)
Farnborough, Hampshire 19.8 mi
Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.
Want to know more about camping in West Sussex?
Frequently asked questions
- Does The Blue Ship have a swimming pool? No View all features
- Is The Blue Ship dog friendly? Yes View all features
- What attractions are near The Blue Ship? With the South Downs National Park (half an hour’s drive) so straightforward to get to from The Blue Ship, your packing list might need to include hiking boots for trails like the … Read more
- When can I check in and check out of The Blue Ship?
Read moreCamping and touring Arrive: 2 p.m. – 9 p.m. Depart by: 12 p.m. - How much does it cost to stay at The Blue Ship? From £20 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.