The Blue Ship

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9 129 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

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

Choose your dates and we'll email when available.

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

Overall rating from 129 Pitchup.com customers

  • 67%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 14%
    8
  • 4%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

91% would recommend this site to a friend

90% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a peaceful, basic campsite adjacent to a highly-rated country pub. Campers praise the clean toilet facilities, spacious pitches, and the friendly atmosphere. The pub is a highlight, offering excellent food and local ales. While some mention the lack of showers and Wi-Fi, many appreciate the rural setting and tranquility. The site is ideal for short stays and those seeking a relaxed escape.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 22/09/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 13
Arrival date (latest first)

Could be so much more.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 4
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Jane G. 1 review

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked level field, quite and nice food in the pub lovely wooded walks

Disliked Lights in the toilets would be a simple fix.
rubbish & recycling facilities should be provided
So many rules/signs
£30 a night plus 5 for a dog? is a lot for lack of facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are pleased you liked the site overall and enjoyed the pub.

With regard to the cost, it is not £5 for a dog, you must have misread our info. Two dogs are included in all of our pitch types, any extra dogs are then chargeable at £5 per extra dog.

Our listing states no rubbish disposal just as it states our facilities very clearly so if you wanted rubbish disposal or more facilities than we offer then it leaves us perplexed as to why you opted to book our site. If we lied or were not clear about what we offer then we would entirely understand your dissatisfaction but we offer exactly as we state, no more and no less and if you did not read our listing clearly before booking then we cannot be responsible for that.

There are LED lights in the toilets...they are set at a low light level and are motion censored.

Rules....we are lost as to this....it is a very relaxed site, we don't allocate pitches and within reason you can pitch where you wish....the site rules are so very basic...pitch anywhere around all four sides and leave the centre area and gates clear. No firepits are permitted and take rubbish home with you...oh and to please dispose of bbq ashes in the metal bins provided. None of which we feel are unreasonable and are reflected in the signage. Simple as that.

We hope you find somewhere more to your liking next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

Easy access. Clean modern toilets. Lovely food Friendly…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Easy access.
Clean modern toilets.
Lovely food
Friendly hosts

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

Very quirky little pub. Very…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
becca 10 reviews

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Very quirky little pub. Very peaceful. Burgers are lovely! Perfect for an adult evening catching up with a friend

Disliked Could do with a lower or extra mirror in the bathroom. Could do with a sign to let you know if the tap water is drinking water

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

Good toilets and the food at…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Matt t. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch (family, large)

Liked Good toilets and the food at the pub was 10/10

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

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

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

What a lovely stopover for the…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
David H. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked What a lovely stopover for the night, we pitched up, went to the pub, had a lovely meal with some lovely local characters.

The pitch was clean and peaceful and the facilities were great. Would highly recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

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. 4 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

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

Nice pub, nice staff, had place…

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
Anonymous

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Nice pub, nice staff, had place to ourselves on second day. Good walks nearby

Disliked No showers, but fine for our short trip

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

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

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again next season.

So sorry about your tent poles :-)

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 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.
(within 6.2 mi)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park and Zoo (within 10 mi)

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
  • Fishers Farm Park Zoo 2.8 mi
  • Kids Kiosk Amusement arcade 5.3 mi
  • Kenny's Spitfire Visitor attraction 5.3 mi
  • Old stocks Visitor attraction 5.4 mi
  • Sedgwick Castle 6.3 mi
  • Knepp Castle 7.7 mi
  • Wallaby Enclosure Zoo 8.9 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

Other 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
  • Denne Park 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
  • Ifold Stores And Cafe Cashpoint 3.4 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