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 £20 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.

The Blue Ship

View prices & book Last booked 5 days ago 9.2 186 reviews

Simple pitches behind a West Sussex country pub
A 15-minute drive from Horsham; half an hour to the South Downs
Friendly pub with homemade food, beer garden and play area

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

Opens 2 May

Please note

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.
Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.
Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 2 May to Mon, 6 Oct 2025

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

69%
10
0%
9
22%
8
0%
7
6%
6
0%
5
1%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

The perfect, best tasting meat pie . macaroni cheese, my fav

Nice size field, space in middle for kids to play

One of the smallest bar/serving hatch in england

Photos of the campsite amazing beef burger and a walk we went on in nearby woods.

A field behind the loveliest small pub.

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	No rating
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Rob A. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Just a field with a toilet block - perfect!
Absolutely loved the pub. The most wonderful of local village pubs. Desperate to visit again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Basic site but with clean facilities. Made to feel welcome. Nice pub

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Anonymous Sept 2024

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Friendly pub with good food.
Very relaxed feel to the site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice field behind a traditional, friendly pub set in a lovely area…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Peter T. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Nice field behind a traditional, friendly pub set in a lovely area of countryside. I liked it so much I booked a second night.

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect stop of good price for non electric .next to country pub…

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

Stephen h. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Perfect stop of good price for non electric .next to country pub had steak and chips steak cooked perfect . Staff nice and friendly Will be back

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site and pub, food excellent…

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

Gary B. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Great site and pub, food excellent

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet Clean toilets Pub was lovely. Food looked great though we didn’t eat there Quiet…

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Anonymous Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Quiet
Clean toilets
Pub was lovely. Food looked great though we didn’t eat there
Quiet

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great pub with great atmosphere, with a wonderful camping field. Very friendly…

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

Peter L. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Great pub with great atmosphere, with a wonderful camping field. Very friendly staff and locals. Fantastic walks straight out of the campsite. Toilet block very clean. Very basic site but that’s how we like it.

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

No frills, great food, but avoid huge crowds if they're present ☺

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	6
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Kjetil K. Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: The space, it was nice and tranquil. The pub had amazing food, and extremely friendly and attentive staff!

Disliked: Huge group of people in multiple tents, having set up for the day, kicking football around most of the day, and in the morning, and listening to loud music for over 6 hours, way in to the night. We moved our van at night to not deal with it.

It this really acceptable at a campsite?

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to write a review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again. With regard to the "huge crowd" referenced, for clarity of anyone reading this, it was a family group of several generations who had six pitches booked and so set their pitches up close together rather than be spread out as strangers would wish to be ordinarily. We permit ball games in the centre area (hence why we ask guests to only pitch around all four sides as the centre area is useable communal space for all to enjoy) and welcome families of all ages. As per our site rules we operate quiet time from 11pm and any guests in breach of this are always politely reminded of this and late night noise simply wont be tolerated. Unamplified low level music is also permitted but if this is deemed a nuisance to other guests (or indeed us as we live on site so are always aware of any noise / issues) then we will insist that music is ceased immediately.

Great site

Overall	8/10
Location	8
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	4
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	No rating

Anonymous Sept 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Lovely little spot next to a cute and quirky little pub. Ground was level and noise kept to a minimum. Really nice toilets.

Disliked: You need to open and close the access gate when you enter or depart. This is no problem, but a proper way to hold back the gates whilst you drive through would avoid any chance of the gates slamming shut on your car / van.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to write a review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again. A sidenote re the gate, there is a black traffic cone that is always left with the gate which very simply put in front of it once opened stops the gate moving enabling guests to drive through with no issue. We do request the gate to be kept closed for the safety of guests and security of our site.

The pitch is quite and beautiful, and reasonable price.…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	6
Facilities / Activities	6
Customer service	6
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	2

Anonymous Aug 2024

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked: The pitch is quite and beautiful, and reasonable price.

Disliked: But no shower facility and Wifi

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to write a review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you again. A note to anyone reading this - We don't have showers which is clearly stated in our listing and of course reflected in our pitch rates, we never fully understand why guests mention this in their reviews as this was known when booking. Wifi is simply something we cannot offer in our rural location as the signal simply is not good enough and this is out of our control. We also think from a personal perspective, sometimes a break from our devices is a good thing :-)

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 Watersports

Amenities 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 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

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

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

The Blue Ship

The Haven

Billingshurst

West Sussex

England

RH14 9BS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

51.06338°N
-0.45288°W

Nearest transport

Coach

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.

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

Arundel Festival (Saturday 16 August 2025 – Saturday 16 August 2025)
Arundel, West Sussex 15.1 mi
Goodwood Festival of Speed (Thursday 10 July 2025 – Thursday 10 July 2025)
Chichester, West Sussex 18.2 mi
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.

Policies

Booking terms and conditions

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.

Arrivals and departures

No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.
The site will send you further check-in information 7 day(s) before your arrival.

Changes to your holiday

Changes cannot be made once you have booked.

Dogs

Dogs must be kept on leads and supervised at all times.
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).

Extras

Motorbike(s) can be brought instead of the car(s) included.

General

Disposable barbecues are not permitted.
In the event of a complaint, please speak to reception immediately. Complaints which are not brought to the management's attention during your stay cannot be dealt with once you have left the site.
Radio, music and TV players must be kept at a low volume. Car doors and boots must be closed quietly.
The management reserves the right to deny access or terminate the stay of those guests whose behaviour is deemed unsuitable. No refunds will be offered.
There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.
This site has no on-site shower facilities.

Occupancy

No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

Pitches

You must follow the management directives when pitching your tent/unit and related equipment.

Safety

Barbecues are permitted but must be raised off the ground and attended by an adult at all times.
Firearms are not permitted.
Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.
Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
Open fires are prohibited.
Please do not touch or feed the animals.

Vehicles

Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
Only one car is to be parked by the pitch. Extra vehicles must be parked in the designated area.
The car is only included in the rate if you are travelling with a touring caravan or a tent. If you wish to bring a car along with your motorhome/campervan please select the extra.

Visitors

Visitors are not permitted on site.
Visitors’ cars are not permitted on site.

Payment terms

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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 £20 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.