Ouse Meadow Campsite

View prices & book 9.7 114 reviews
Peaceful setting
Calm evening
Campsite across the river
Railway meadow wide

  • Almost-wild camping on the banks of the Ouse river by Sheffield Park
  • Bluebell Railway station over the road; Ashdown Forest 10 mins' drive
  • Rope swings, hammocks and play area; firepits for hire on site
What an excellent spot for an East Sussex break – as the name suggests, Ouse Meadow Campsite is on the banks of the Ouse river, and it’s got views out over the lovely National Trust-owned scenery of Sheffield Park (which is free to wander around and can be accessed via a bridge and footpath from the site). Just across the road is another splendid attraction in the form of Sheffield Park station, a stop on the steam-powered Bluebell Railway line – you’ll be able to board trains here or just watch them puff past (a real treat for train fans of all ages…). The site is also just on the southern edge of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so there are walks galore to be had nearby – and handily there’s a brewery and taproom just over the road for a restorative drink when you get back. Shops for other supplies (and indeed more pubs) are 15 minutes’ drive away in Lewes. ‘Wild camping stays with a few little luxuries’ is how the owners describe their site – the emphasis is on maintaining a peaceful environment, but you will have access to basic amenities of drinking water, toilets and showers, and will be allowed to bring along off-ground barbecues (or hire firepits and buy logs on site if you’d like to have a campfire). There are no set pitches, so you can choose the spot you most like the look of and set it up how you wish (within reason…) with things like an awning or a gazebo. Free-range kids can play swingball and badminton or use the rope swings; there are also a few hammocks around for chillout time.

Campground type

Tent sites 50
Open now
Opens May 2
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • There are no garbage cans onsite: all garbage will need to be taken home with you.
  • Please be aware that there is a river running along the boundary of the campsite so children must be monitored at all times.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, May 2 to

Campsite types & availability

Reviews

  • 85%
    10
  • 4%
    9
  • 7%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 0%
    5
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    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
5

99% would recommend this campground to a friend

96% would stay here again

What customers say

This roomy campground offers a quiet country getaway with many fields, including an adults-only section. Guests loved the clean facilities, especially the hot outdoor showers, and ample pitch spacing. Great location for the Bluebell Railway and Sheffield Park. Friendly staff, onsite food trucks, and kids' activities were popular. A few noted a lack of trash cans and some plane noise.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 12
Arrival date (latest first)

Great,clean,friendly,relaxing.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Nice site, friendly and welcoming. Enjoyable stay with friends, plenty of space. Toilet block kept clean and restocked, showers nice and large and hot water. Washing up area, great supplies, bowls, liquid and sponges.
Took a little look at bluebell railway, walked to Newick, lovely walk, fab cafe.
A great weekend was had, many many thanks.

Also weekend bar, pizza, coffee mornings available.

Disliked Shame the brewery taproom has closed down.
Some gateways could do with vegetation trimming, but these things grow….

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved this site. Clean, great outdoor showers and very helpful staff.

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
6
Jill H.

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Loved this site. Had a large pitch next to river. Coffee cart with fantastic pastries for breakfast. Outdoor showers with loads of hot water. Rope swings, large field for ball games and table tennis. Generous bag of wood for bonfires in the evening. Very helpful staff.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect place for a weekend camp

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
Alex V.

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked The site owner is absolutely lovely and very welcoming. The pitches are perfect and very spacious. The site is surrounded by amazing country side for long walks with the dog. The blue bell steam trains are just opposite so it's lovely to hear the whistles blowing in the distance.
Fire wood and fire pits can be purchased from the site owner so you can roast marshmallows around a campfire.
Coffee van in the morning on weekends is perfect, can grab a coffee and croissant.
I've visited this site several times and it never disappoints and I will definitely visit here again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful and lots of space, even at the weekend. Great showers too.…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
1
Richard B.

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Peaceful and lots of space, even at the weekend. Great showers too.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, simple but clean and spacious

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would definitely recommend.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Friendly and helpful. Great location. Good showers.

Disliked No bins.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a lovely stay in the Railway Meadow!…

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
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked We had a lovely stay in the Railway Meadow!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, very clean toilet block. Pitch where you want.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Quiet pitch
Lovely open air showers which are secluded
Directly opposite the Bluebell Railway so ideal for visiting

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning place, loads nearby.…

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
1
Ashley B.

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked Stunning place, loads nearby.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Heel veel plek

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
5
Accommodation
6
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
1
Henriette P.

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked De douches en de ruimte op het camping terrein

Disliked Geen afvalplek, geen bereik, veel lawaai van vliegtuigen. Geen goede plek om af te wassen.Duur

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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 Wild swimming

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 Rallies welcome Scouts welcome 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 Leave the car at home Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Outdoor pool nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Ouse Meadow Campsite

Sheffield Park

Lewes

East Sussex

England

TN22 3QL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.9937°N
0.00247°E

Route directions

Look out for the site directly opposite the Bluebell Railway (Sheffield Park station)

Nearest transport

Bus
3.5 mi School Lane
3.6 mi School Lane
4.4 mi Bus Station
Rail
4.4 mi Uckfield Rail Station
4.8 mi Haywards Heath Rail Station
5.3 mi Plumpton Rail Station
Ferry
14.2 mi Newhaven Harbour Ferry Terminal
Airport
13.4 mi London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
13.4 mi London Gatwick Airport
14 mi London Gatwick Airport North Terminal

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

You’ll definitely want to pack your walking boots for a stay here, as there are lots of options for exploring on foot. A short 10-minute walk gets you to Ringwood Toll, which has a great natural woodland play trail for the kids, while a half-hour wander along the riverbank takes you to Newick for a butcher, a baker and three pubs. You’ll want to take a stroll around Sheffield Park (next door) as well – and quite possibly the lovely trails of Ashdown Forest (10 minutes’ drive), which inspired AA Milne and has various Winnie-the-Pooh-themed areas. The gorgeous gardens of Wakehurst (20 minutes) and Nymans (25 minutes) are well worth a visit too. Heading south, you’ll get to the South Downs National Park within about 15 minutes’ drive for lots more great walks. It’s also easy to get to places like Drusillas Park (35 minutes) for animal spotting, or Brighton (40 minutes) for a day at the beach.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Brighton Kemptown 13.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentGood
Saltdean 13.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Brighton Central 13.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Hove 13.9 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Southwick 15.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sheffield Park Garden 0.5 mi

Bluebell Railway 0.6 mi

Wakehurst Place 6.4 mi

Standen 7.6 mi

Nymans 9.5 mi

National Trust

Sheffield Park Garden 0.5 mi

Wakehurst Place 6.3 mi

Standen 7.6 mi

Nymans 9.6 mi

Monk's House 10.8 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

SHEFFIELD PARK 0.6 mi

Danehill - Cumnor House - Newnhams - Buttocks Bank Wood 2.8 mi

NEWICK PARK 2.9 mi

Horsted Keynes - Sheffield Park 4.2 mi

Fairwarp - Ashdown Forest - Fairwarp 4.2 mi

Local events

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

    Arundel, England 26.1 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.

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in East Sussex?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Ouse Meadow Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Ouse Meadow Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Ouse Meadow Campsite? You’ll definitely want to pack your walking boots for a stay here, as there are lots of options for exploring on foot. A short 10-minute walk gets you to Ringwood Toll, which … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Ouse Meadow Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Ouse Meadow Campsite? From $35.30 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.