The Blue Ship

View prices & book 9.2 155 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

Motorhome pitches 10
Touring caravan pitches 10
Tent pitches 15
Open now
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.
  • There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 2 May to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

9.2

Overall rating from 155 Pitchup.com customers

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

90% would stay here again

What customers say

Lovely, peaceful rural site behind The Blue Ship pub, known for great food & atmosphere. Spacious, level pitches, clean loos. No showers/Wi-Fi, but hosts are brilliant & location's a dream. Perfect for a chilled break.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 16
Arrival date (latest first)

Always love it here 😊

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Emma R.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Always a favourite - pub on hand next door, plenty of space to pitch and the kids to play - all you need for a night or two away to chill and have some family time 😊

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good value and a lovely spot

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Zoe O.

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Charming old pub with a good atmosphere. Basic facilities but the camping field is flat and well maintained and the toilet facilites are clean, so everything that you need for a peaceful night or two.

Disliked The pub opening hours are limited, so if you are planning to eat there, check the website and book in advance.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Does the Job!

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 4
Accommodation
 4
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 7
Anonymous

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Very basic but does the job!
- No showers good for one night if needed. - Theres a pub next door with beer garden and play area for children...
- Pitches not allocated
- Toilet block unisex but male/female on toilet doors

Disliked Nothing in particular

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting us. It seems we did not meet your expectations given you rated us as a four (which you will see from other reviews is most unusual) and yet we are very transparent with our listing and offer exactly as listed.

For anyone reading this - We offer exactly as we state, no more, no less. We are a basic rural campsite.
We don't have showers.
We have a newly built toilet block with six toilets, three male, three female, they are proper toilets, not compost or your typical campsite toilets and are kept very clean.
Our pub is next door, highly regarded for food and ranked in top 10 in Sussex.
We don't allocate pitches.

Location was lovely and all as described. Toilets were clean. Free choice…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Location was lovely and all as described. Toilets were clean. Free choice where to pitch which suited us as we were leaving early so could avoid disturbing others.

Disliked Very tight to get even a small caravan into the camping field.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely quiet spot, very low key. Clean, small site, very informal.…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely quiet spot, very low key. Clean, small site, very informal.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet, beautiful and pub on doorstep - perfect!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Alli C.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Really friendly owners, beautiful surroundings and very quiet.
Had a lovely meal and a pint in the pub right next to the field. Couldn't ask for more 😊

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice little site but very basic .

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Sarah H.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked We have been going to the blue ship for a few yrs now and it's a liverly quiet site , owners ver nice and charming little pub . It's the ideal place to just relax .

Disliked the toilets were very smelly this Yr

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean toilets. Lovely, spacious field.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Deborah R.

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Clean toilets. Lovely, spacious field.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

Clean and tidy. Nice pub and owners…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Matthew M.

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Clean and tidy. Nice pub and owners

Disliked To improve could be wider on the entry for caravan. Shower and chemical waste point are needed

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.

The gate is wide for anyone reading this as would not like anyone to think there are access issues. I have personally had an eight wheel 20T Tipper Lorry through the gate as well as a 36T Digger so a caravan is not an issue. We also had a large RV access last year who had booked to camp with us, so in the 13 years we have been at the pub I have never had a vehicle that could not access.
We don't offer showers or chemical disposal points, our EA Discharge licence does not permit this and as the maximum stay with us is 3 nights (4 on a bank holiday weekend) then we don't foresee this as an issue. We offer as we advertise, no more no less. If anyone looking to book wants more facilities than we can offer then please don't book to stay at our campsite as we genuinely hate to have dissatisfied guests when we do our upmost to be totally transparent with our offerings ahead of anyone booking a stay with us.

Best Wishes
Sophie.

Quiet basic field with lovely pub next to it.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Angela H.

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Quiet basic field with lovely pub next to it.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for visiting and we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.

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/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

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 +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 16 August 2025 – Saturday 16 August 2025)

    Arundel, England 24.3 km

  • Farnborough International Airshow (Monday 20 July 2026 – Monday 20 July 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.

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?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Blue Ship? From €23.20 (for 1 night, 5 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.