The Blue Ship

View prices & book 9.1 122 reviews
The pub
The pub
Grassy pitches lined with trees
The beer garden
Plenty of space
Grass setting
Grassy space
Grassy pitches
Beer garden
1/53
Grassy pitches lined with trees
The beer garden
Plenty of space

  • 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
Country walk, nice pub dinner, couple of drinks, very short walk back to your bed… if that sounds like a top way to spend a day, get yourselves over to the pitches behind The Blue Ship, a rural West Sussex pub just under 10 minutes’ drive from Billingshurst. The pitches here are on the basic side (toilets are provided, but not showers) but they’re very well placed for rural walks and bike rides. Nearby trails run alongside rivers or canals and through little villages, and there’s easy access to the Downs Link route not far away too. Families and dogs are welcome on site, making it a splendid spot for a weekend away in the countryside, walks with the dog included and all. If you catch yourself in the mood for a bit of alfresco cooking, it's good to know that barbecues are permitted on the pitches (although please note that disposable foil barbecues are not permitted). Bilingshurst should have most of the supplies you need, and bigger Horsham is about 15 minutes’ drive away for the pickier eateries. That said, the prospect of an evening in the pub is likely to be enticing too – it’s got a good menu of homemade dishes (including desserts and weekly specials) and an equally tempting range of drinks including cask ales. All of this is rightly popular, so booking is essential if you want to dine in the pub for lunch or dinner. In sunny weather, the beer garden (with a play area) is the place to be for an alfresco drink or two.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 10
Touring caravan pitches 10
Tent pitches 15
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.

Admission

  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Dogs

  • 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).

General

  • There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

Occupancy

  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

Safety

  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Vehicles

  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri 1 May to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

9.1

Overall rating from 122 Pitchup.com customers

  • 67%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 4%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

92% would recommend this site to a friend

91% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a quiet, rural campsite adjacent to a friendly pub serving excellent food. Pitches are spacious, flat, and well-drained, with clean toilet facilities. Guests appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, dog-friendly nature, and the owners' welcoming hospitality. While basic, the campsite is well-maintained, with no hook-up or showers, and guests are reminded to take their rubbish home.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 01/09/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 13
Arrival date (latest first)

Nice quite spot, lovely little pub…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Mikie B. 3 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Nice quite spot, lovely little pub and a good price!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Sehr freundlich…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
prisca k. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch (family, large)

Liked Sehr freundlich

Recommend to friends Visit again

A gem of a place that we will be returning to. Friendly owners.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Mark G. 3 reviews

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked A wonderful small site with basic facilities but has all you need. Toilets are clean and serviced regularly, pitches are spacious and sun hits the flat field early morning and stays all day. The pub is a quaint small proper old fashioned place that serves excellent food, local cider and casket ales. It operates restricted opening hours so I suggest pre booking meals, Sunday roast is highly recommended. The staff, Karen especially are extremely friendly and most helpful.

The local area is excellent for walks with a crisscrossed selection of public footpaths across beautiful countryside.

Disliked Nothing during our stay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely as always x

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Emma P. 10 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked As always, a lovely to stay here 🙂 Unfortunately, I forgot the tent poles 😬 and so we had to makeshift something together for the night so it wasn't the best night away 😂 🙈 But that was my fault 😂 Simon was lovely and on hand to offer us support and laugh with us!!!

Disliked ... myself for forgetting the poles!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely small quiet site, pub looked…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Charlotte M. 10 reviews

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Lovely small quiet site, pub looked lovely but was too busy for us (great for the pub though!) Toilets on site too which not many pub stop overs seem to have. Went for a walk in the wood across the road which has some cools things to see/find in it. Very dark at night which I loved and also hundreds of bats which a highlight for me as I adore them!

Disliked Light in the toilets, no one knew how to turn the lights on and the one person that did could only get them to stay on for 10 seconds so was very difficult to go to the toilet, even harder with and autistic child BUT they were clean!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
 Robert W. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Very welcoming and friendly staff, tasty food and amazing cider (Whistling Piggy)!

Disliked Ants were everywhere, they got into everything but I guess that’s country living!
Farmer 2x fields over held a wedding reception until well after 1:30am then a neighbouring field had a party till 3am. It
Was abit difficult to settle but otherwise fine.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We will book again soon.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Bridget B. 1 review

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Just Brilliant, what more can I say?
Campsite clean and tidy, toilets include(great loo paper!)
The Blue Ship, genuinely kind and friendly owner/staff. A buzzy lively pub.
Could not fault.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Jimmy D. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch (family, large)

Liked Perfect

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely stay perfect…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely stay perfect

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely secluded site and v friendly…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 No rating
Value for money
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Sue T. 1 review

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Lovely secluded site and v friendly pub with good food

Recommend to friends Visit again

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 On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available 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 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

Gastronomic delight Peaceful Remote location Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pub campsite

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

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
12.7 mi Crossroads
12.7 mi Crossroads
13 mi The Castle
Rail
3.3 mi Billingshurst Rail Station
4 mi Christs Hospital Rail Station
5.7 mi Warnham Rail Station
Ferry
22 mi Weybridge Ferry Landing
22.1 mi Shepperton Ferry Landing
23.4 mi Ditton Island Ferry Landing
Airport
13.7 mi London Gatwick Airport North Terminal
14.1 mi London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
14.2 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

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 South Downs Way and a camera to snap pics of the sloping hills and river valleys. To fuel those adventures in the South Downs, fill yourself up with a few tasty treats from the market town of Horsham (15 minutes). The energy will also come in handy for the walking and cycling trails that weave their way around Knepp Castle Estate (20 minutes), a gorgeous castle setting with an eco-friendly rewilding project. Or perhaps you’re keen to potter around more historical places. Loxwood Joust (15 minutes) is a medieval jousting festival that runs on select dates. Otherwise, get into the Victorian spirit around Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens (half an hour), a Grade I-listed building with a Victorian garden, a dollhouse museum and wine tastings. When it’s time for a few classic seaside activities like paddleboarding and strolls along the prom, Worthing (40 minutes) is a very worthy spot.

Food and drink

  • The Blue Ship Pub 0.09 mi
  • The Mucky Duck Inn Pub 1.6 mi
  • The Fox Inn Pub 1.6 mi
  • Billy's (On the Road) Restaurant 1.8 mi
  • The Red Lyon Pub 2.1 mi
  • Haywards Restaurant 2.7 mi
  • The Bat and Ball Pub 2.7 mi
  • The Chef Thai Cuisine Restaurant 2.7 mi
  • Curry Village Restaurant 2.7 mi
  • The Kings Head Pub 2.7 mi

Groceries

  • Lidl Supermarket 2.4 mi
  • The Co-operative Food Supermarket 3.9 mi
  • Tesco Extra Supermarket 4.2 mi
  • Brewery Shop Off-licence 5 mi
  • Waitrose Supermarket 5.1 mi
  • Aldi Supermarket 5.1 mi
  • The Co-operative Southwater Supermarket 5.2 mi
  • Sainsbury's Supermarket 5.2 mi
  • Co-op Food Supermarket 5.5 mi
  • The Beer Mine Off-licence 5.5 mi

Parks and play

  • Hilland Road Playground 2.5 mi
  • Diamond Jubilee Garden park 2.9 mi
  • Charrington Way Recreation Ground park 3.8 mi
  • Charrington Way Playground 3.8 mi
  • The Rec park 3.9 mi
  • Leapfrog Playground 4 mi
  • The Green park 4.1 mi
  • Ducky Play Area Playground 4.1 mi
  • Somergate Play Area Playground 4.5 mi
  • Warnham Park 4.9 mi

Family days out

  • Loxwood Canal Centre Visitor attraction 2.7 mi
  • Kids Kiosk Amusement arcade 5.3 mi
  • Kenny's Spitfire Visitor attraction 5.3 mi
  • Old stocks Visitor attraction 5.4 mi

Public transport

  • A29 1.2 mi
  • Bakers Hill Farm 1.4 mi
  • Five Oaks 1.5 mi
  • Queen's Head 1.5 mi
  • Watts Corner 1.5 mi
  • The Fox PH 1.6 mi
  • Guildford Road 1.7 mi
  • A29 Stane Street 1.7 mi
  • Tisseran Farm 1.8 mi
  • Stane Street 1.8 mi

What’s nearby

  • Slinfold Park Golf and Country Club Golf course 1.2 mi
  • Furnace Lakes Fishing 2.2 mi
  • Jengers Mead Shopping centre 2.7 mi
  • Bury St Austen's Lakes Fishing 3.2 mi
  • Sumners Ponds Fishing 3.4 mi
  • Rookwood Golf Course 5.1 mi
  • Swan Walk Shopping centre 5.3 mi
  • The Rec Rooms Nightclub 5.5 mi
  • Gatton Manor Golf Course 6.1 mi

Local services

  • BP Fuel station 1.5 mi
  • Rudgwick Medical Centre Doctors 1.8 mi
  • Rudgwick Pharmacy 1.8 mi
  • Shell Billingshurst Fuel station 2.3 mi
  • Billingshurst Surgery Doctors 2.7 mi
  • Loxwood Surgery Doctors 2.8 mi
  • EV On The Move Charging station 2.9 mi
  • EG On the Move Fuel station 2.9 mi
  • Arun Valley Pharmacy 3.3 mi
  • Alfold Service Station Fuel station 3.8 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

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

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?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Blue Ship? From £25 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.