The Blue Ship

View prices & book 9.2 143 reviews
The pub
The pub
Plenty of spaces available
Level pitches and no designated spaces
Grassy pitches lined with trees
The beer garden
Plenty of space
Grass setting
Grassy space
1/48
Plenty of spaces available
Level pitches and no designated spaces
Grassy pitches lined with trees

  • 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

RV sites 10
Travel trailer sites 10
Tent sites 15
Open now
Opens May 2
Please note
  • This park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No bachelor/bachelorette 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 flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • There are no garbage cans onsite: all garbage 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, May 2 to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesTravel trailer sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.2

Overall rating from 143 Pitchup.com customers View breakdown

  • 69%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 20%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 6%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Peaceful

92% would recommend this site to a friend

90% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 15
Arrival date (latest first)

Would highly recommend.

Overall 9/10

Location
 9
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 5
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite (large, family)

Liked Lovely spot, friendly site, great pub with the best macaroni cheese I’ve ever had.
Made very welcome.
Beautiful countryside.

Disliked Would ha appreciated rubbish bin as half our party came by bike so difficult for them to take away

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, no hassle, pretty level, very peaceful.

Overall 8/10

Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Easy access and choice of pitch. Well signed with rules etc.
Very good toilet block. And access to water for washing up outside.

Disliked The weather! But nothing can be done about that!😁
No EHU, but that was stated in the description. Just my personal thing..

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really liked the ease of just heading through to the pitch. The…

Overall 10/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Becky W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Really liked the ease of just heading through to the pitch. The grass area was very spacious and neatly cut. Plenty of space without being too close to other campers. Lovely walk starting opposite the pub. We arrived back at the pub late but Sophie went out of her way to pop in and get us a drink, very much appreciated. Toilet block clean and plenty of loo rolls and soap. Electric handryer too.

Disliked Loved it all!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site with clean toilet block, friendly staff in the pub.

Overall 9/10

Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Alex P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Spaciousness of campsite.
Being next to pub.
Quiet location.
Friendly welcome in pub.
Clean toilet block.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Love this site. Basic but that's OK. It was very busy as…

Overall 8/10

Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 4
Janet W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Love this site. Basic but that's OK. It was very busy as bank Holiday weekend. Lovely old fashioned pub next door

Disliked Downside no wi fi and mobile reception not the best

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved it. Friendly staff, nice pub next door.

Overall 8/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Catherine C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Quiet simple campsite.

Disliked Lack of marked pitches made positioning tricky.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Atmosphere, service and food all great nice spot to stop.…

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
Joanne Y. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Atmosphere, service and food all great nice spot to stop.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would recommend

Overall 8/10

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

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Ease of booking quite site surrounded by nature close to Knepp value for money

Disliked No hot water but we knew this before booking

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely and peaceful field, even with lots of other campers it was…

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
Rosie H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Lovely and peaceful field, even with lots of other campers it was lovely and quiet. Clean and well kept facilities. We found a little footpath nearby that walks through a sweet little forest, not a long walk but a perfect little wander.
The pub is incredible! Such a cute little place and everyone was very friendly. The food was glorious, the best burgers we've had for a while, you could really tell that they were hand made to order. We will definitely be recommending this place to everyone we know and will keep it on our radar for future visits.

Recommend to friends Visit again

everything!…

Overall 10/10

Location
 6
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass travel trailer campsite

Liked everything!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No hot water Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 sites) Pub campground

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

The Blue Ship

The Haven

Billingshurst

West Sussex

England

RH14 9BS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.06338°N
0.45288°W

Nearest transport

Coach
20.5 km Crossroads
20.5 km Crossroads
20.9 km The Castle
Rail
5.4 km Billingshurst Rail Station
6.4 km Christs Hospital Rail Station
9.3 km Warnham Rail Station
Ferry
35.4 km Weybridge Ferry Landing
35.5 km Shepperton Ferry Landing
37.6 km Ditton Island Ferry Landing
Airport
22 km London Gatwick Airport North Terminal
22.7 km London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
22.8 km 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 2020201920182017
Lancing, Beach Green 28.6 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Worthing 28.9 km Sea N/AN/AN/AN/A
Shoreham Beach 29.2 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodExcellent
Littlehampton 29.7 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Southwick 30.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Fishers Adventure Farm Park 4.7 km

Petworth House & Park 13.9 km

Parham House & Gardens 16.4 km

Nymans 18 km

Denbies Wine Estate 22.2 km

National Trust

Petworth House and Park 13.9 km

Winkworth Arboretum 14.1 km

Oakhurst Cottage 14.3 km

Nymans 17.8 km

Shalford Mill 19.1 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

WARNHAM COURT 7.9 km

Shipley - Knepp Castle - River Adur Circular 10.4 km

SEDGWICK PARK 10.6 km

KNEPP CASTLE 11.3 km

Nuthurst 11.5 km

Local events

  • Arundel Festival (Saturday, August 16, 2025 – Saturday, August 16, 2025)

    Arundel, England 24.3 km

  • Goodwood Festival of Speed (Thursday, July 10, 2025 – Thursday, July 10, 2025)

    Chichester, England 29.2 km

  • Farnborough International Airshow (Monday, July 20, 2026 – Monday, July 20, 2026)

    Farnborough, England 31.8 km

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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Blue Ship? From $37.52 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.