High Barn Retreats

8.4 11 reviews
The field (added by manager 12 Jun 2023)

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  • Dog-friendly wild camping site in the South Downs National Park
  • A 25-minute drive from Lewes and half an hour’s drive from Brighton
  • A five-minute drive to pubs, local shops and the beach in Rottingdean
Buckle up for a splendid slice of countryside in the South Downs National Park. High Barn Retreats is a pop-up wild camping site that welcomes all those wild about walking and cycling in the South Downs. Half an hour’s drive from Brighton, if you like you can also mix in a bit of buzzy city time with your time spent hiking along bridle paths and the famed South Downs Way. Have a lazy day down The Lanes, unwind on Brighton Beach or tire yourself out on the 1899 Brighton Palace Pier’s fairground rides. The city is accessible by bus, taxi or car. If you’re spending the full day in the South Downs, on the other hand, you might want to take in the views on a hike or bike ride. Track down somewhere to get a bite to eat (there are pubs, beach cafés and local shops in Rottingdean, five minutes’ drive away) but make sure you’re back in time for the site’s sunset sea views. If snacks are a sunset essential, there’s a large supermarket within 10 minutes’ drive of the site too. About a mile up a private road from Rottingdean village, High Barn Retreats is wild in the sense there are no showers, electricity or wifi. They’ve sorted out toilets, cold mains water and bins for you, though. The vibe here is all about leaving no trace, so take everything you bring with you away too.

Site type

Tent pitches 50

Languages spoken

English

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in East Sussex?

Features

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

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Local produce

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker

Leave the car at home

Peaceful

Remote location

Spectacular scenery

Walkers' paradise

Wild camping

Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities

Chemical disposal

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Public transport nearby

Shop nearby

Type

Farm

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Pop-up campsite

Location

High Barn Retreats

Balsdean Manor Farm

Rottingdean

Brighton

East Sussex

England

BN2 7LA

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.82446°N
-0.05074°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1.7 mi Longridge Avenue
1.7 mi Longridge Avenue
3.1 mi Roderick Avenue
Rail
3 mi Southease - Piddinghoe Road
3.1 mi Falmer Rail Station
3.4 mi Moulsecoomb Rail Station
Ferry
5.2 mi Newhaven Harbour Ferry Terminal
Airport
10.5 mi Shoreham Brighton City Airport
23.5 mi London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
23.5 mi London Gatwick Airport

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.

Local attractions

Eat up historic Eastbourne (50 minutes’ drive), where the waterfront is lined with Victorian buildings – sea kayaking, boat trips and paragliding are some of the ways to soak up the coastal landscapes. Lewes (25 minutes) is very historic and this extends to its pubs and old working brewery, where dry horses shift the beer through town. It’s home to the Lewes Castle & Museum (25 minutes), which has a Sussex history museum, and the Anne of Cleves House (25 minutes) about Henry VII, the Tudors and the Elizabethans. If you’ve got kids to keep entertained on your travels, they might like the petting farm and owls at the Knockhatch Adventure Park (45 minutes), and Drusillas Park (half an hour), which has animals like orangutans, red pandas and armadillos.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Saltdean 1.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Brighton Kemptown 3.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Good
Brighton Central 4.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Hove 5.1 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Seaford 7.3 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Brighton Marina 2.4 mi

Volks Railway 3.6 mi

Brighton Sea Life Centre 3.7 mi

Brighton Pier 3.8 mi

Royal Pavilion 3.8 mi

National Trust

Monk's House 3 mi

Alfriston Clergy House 9.1 mi

Sheffield Park Garden 12.3 mi

Wakehurst Place 16.8 mi

Nymans 16.9 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Woodingdean (Juggs Road) - Balsdean Village 1.5 mi

KEMP TOWN ENCLOSURES 2.7 mi

Brighton Marina 2.7 mi

WOODVALE CEMETERY 2.9 mi

QUEEN'S PARK, BRIGHTON 3.2 mi

Local events

  • Glyndebourne Festival (Thursday 16 May 2024 – Thursday 16 May 2024)

    Lewes, East Sussex 6.2 mi

  • Arundel Festival (Saturday 17 August 2024 – Saturday 17 August 2024)

    Arundel, West Sussex 22.1 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.

Reviews

82%

would recommend this site to a friend

73%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

We had such a lovely time here!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi No rating
Shona W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Beautiful location, view of the sea, nice walk to the beach and pubs etc. We loved how natural and simple the site was. Delicious eggs from the farm delivered right to our tent.

Disliked: The toilets were on a bit of an angle which made me feel like I was going to trip over when I went up and down the steps to them! Not a big issue, but could easily be placed slightly further along the fence where it’s flatter next year

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: The loos were installed when I wasn't there. I was, um, surprised(!) at where they put them... 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Amazing stay, but be aware it’s not your typical campsite.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Callum P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Stunning location, helpful owners, easy access to Brighton (£15 Uber either way or 30 min walk and 20 min bus or an easy 15 min drive) great price for the campsite, even cheaper if you have a big group of you all pitched up.

Disliked: Can’t park next to your pitch and the grass is a little rough by the pitch and could see how some of the branches could come through the bottom of the tent if you do not spend time removing them before pitching up. Very steep hill so it is a challenge even getting your stuff down to the campsite, never mind getting it back up (well worth it tho).

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Nice to meet you, albeit briefly! We are considering what to do about cars for another time. 😊

The space! We had enough privacy, and the location was so nice…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: The space! We had enough privacy, and the location was so nice and remote. Great wild camping with toilets and running water. Great value for money

Disliked: Not a big deal but the toilets were placed on a slope so it was very easy to trip and lose balance

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Yes, I completely agree about the toilets. I was a little surprised when I saw where they'd put them! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Thanks for coming!

Really great stay thank you x

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Dora K. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Amazing stay, the owners are wonderful just all round lovely people! The compost loos and bins were very clean and actually I found them better than portaloos for smellyness. The site was very peaceful and loved the sunset and sea views. Big hike everyday up and down the hill with a four year old but we took it slow and both really enjoyed it.

Disliked: Take the description of wild camping seriously! I damaged my ground sheet and sleeping mats and we both got lots of little cuts from the stubby spikey reed type grass because we wore shorts and sandles! This is just because I wasn’t properly prepared for wild camping nothing to do with the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Lovely to meet you and your son! Pleased to hear you had a good time! :)

Nice views…

Overall 2/10
Location 6
Value for money 2
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service No rating
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 2
Wifi No rating
Andrew W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Nice views

Disliked: The walk to the site. If we had know you had to walk so far to the site and leave the car so far away we would never had booked the site if we had known. Its a shame that isn't in the in the listing for the site

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: All the details are in the welcome email. I don't want cars on the site because it would cause enormous damage to the fragile grasslands, and they would probably get stuck. I would also be concerned about everyone's safety. I am always available for a chat and would have happily talked through any concerns you had if you'd called me.

Loved how cheap the camping was, we paid £35 for 5 people…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Jade T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Loved how cheap the camping was, we paid £35 for 5 people for 2 nights. Toilets were clean and the manager was lively and helpful and even went and got ice for us.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Don't tell everyone about ice! They'll all want some! Pleased to hear you had a good time! :)

Beautiful campsite, the lady I spoke to was lovely

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Caitlin M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Lovely area, views and stuff to do in the local town. Nice camping area that wasn’t too busy! Great for wild camping

Disliked: Earwigs 😂

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I'm not a massive fan of earwigs either! Thanks for saying I was lovely 🥰

So clean, Jess was lovely,pitch bit stone but they come in handy 4 bbq

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Zoe H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: All of it, great couple of days there

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for coming! Great to host you! :)

Excellent Location - Great people with fantastic views.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
rachel m. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: If you're looking for a sustainable camp site in the most beautiful setting - Then High Barn is for you. I stayed here for Pride Weekend and everyone was so friendly and nice. It's quite far out but it's a 30/35 min walk (down hill) to the nearest bus stop. Which was really easy to get to Brighton Town. I loved how ECO friendly this campsite is. I loved the layout of the site, with different pitches marked out in the grass. I liked the how clean the toilets were - even though these were completely wild. I also REALLY appreciate the email to pre arriving - this had some really nice touches and good tips. Really recommend - great job. Can't wait to book for next year.

Disliked: I didn't like how it wasn't mentioned how much of a walk the car park was and it wasn't clear about the hill either - That wasn't fun to find out on the day. As I'm young and fit - the hill didn't bother me as I could manage it. But if you aren't great with hills, I would be aware of it. I also didn't like how rough the grass was, this poked a hole in the bottom of my tent. But over time I guess this will become softer. Other then that.... it's a perfect lil campsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I'm really pleased to hear that you had a good time! The field is so dry that the spiky bits left over are really rigid but brittle. We've been discussing how to improve it. We've also been discussing moving the car park.

Fantastic stay, safe and welcoming.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Iyanna O. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Honeysucks Field non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: - Gorgeous valley view of the fields and the sea. - alot of space available on the pitches. - Good value for money. -Friendly and helpful staff. Jessa was wonderful and very helpful, she helped us bring some of our things down unto the site. And made us aware of the fire pits and local produce such as eggs and sausages available.

Disliked: - The massive downhill leading to the campsite pitches. Warning on the description wouldve been helpful so that guests could bring maybe a 4x4 vehicle. Driving down to the pitches was an absolute no,, you will have to walk with all your equipment to the site. It's a 5min walk and completely doable but definitely not accessible if you have any mobility issues.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: It was lovely to meet you all. Thanks for coming!


  • Does High Barn Retreats have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is High Barn Retreats dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near High Barn Retreats? Eat up historic Eastbourne (50 minutes’ drive), where the waterfront is lined with Victorian buildings – sea kayaking, boat trips and paragliding are some of the ways to soak up the coastal … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of High Barn Retreats?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  10 a.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more