Campsites with swimming in Chichester Harbour AONB

Chichester Harbour AONB draws swimmers with tidal creeks, sheltered coves, and direct access to the water. You’ll find over 330 sites with swimming on tap, from wild dips to gentle paddling spots. Average nights run about £100, but you can pitch up for as little as £12. Facilities like showers, toilets, and campfire rings come standard at most sites. Hikers and horseback riders will find long, winding trails running through saltmarsh and ancient woodland. Top picks include Tomkins Farm (87 reviews), Little Thakeham Farm (38 reviews), and Small Trees Campsite (23 reviews). Go early in the season for fewer crowds and easy access to the water. Bring your swimmers and a flask—Chichester’s coastal air gets brisk, even in summer.

95% (317)

Top-rated campgrounds

Chichester Harbour AONB draws swimmers with tidal creeks, sheltered coves, and direct access to the water. You’ll find over 330 sites with swimming on tap, from wild dips to gentle paddling spots. Average nights run about £100, but you can pitch up for as little as £12. Facilities like showers, toilets, and campfire rings come standard at most sites. Hikers and horseback riders will find long, winding trails running through saltmarsh and ancient woodland. Top picks include Tomkins Farm (87 reviews), Little Thakeham Farm (38 reviews), and Small Trees Campsite (23 reviews). Go early in the season for fewer crowds and easy access to the water. Bring your swimmers and a flask—Chichester’s coastal air gets brisk, even in summer.

95% (317)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Glamping Retreat & Campsite

95%

(10)

17 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Ryde, England

Retro Staycations near Ryde on the Isle of Wight

2. Hastingford Fishery Glamping

100%

(8)

4 units · Glamping · Uckfield, England

Searching for a peaceful holiday/short break without kids underfoot? Ramble along to Hastingford Fishery, an adults-only shepherd's hut and fishing site set in a scenic lakeside setting less than five minutes’ drive from the East Sussex village of Hadlow Down and 20 minutes from Royal Tunbridge Wells. This site should suit couples or singles wanting to 'get away from it all' and also fishing fans down to the ground. It’s got several fishing lakes to choose from with lots of different species, so settle down on the banks with rod in hand and while away a few hours (or days) in quiet contemplation, waiting for something to bite. But please note, the site is not for 'competition anglers' although there are plenty of good sized carp around. and asks anyone fishing to only use barbless hooks, and for fish to be returned to the lake quickly after being caught.Not the fishing type? Chill out in and around your secluded hut, or there’s plenty to entertain in a leisurely fashion: paths wind around the lakes and through copses/shaws (as this is the High Weald) plus through the local countryside. There are spectacular views towards the South Downs National Park from the top lakes. A spring-fed lake is also on site to cool off in with some wild swimming. Lots of bird life around, with feeders outside each hut and waterfowl visitors to the lakes.When it comes to eats, pick up or have supplies delivered from supermarkets or takeaways in Uckfield, Heathfield or Crowborough or take a drive to Buxted Park for some posh food or pubs in Blackboys, Crowborough, Ringles Cross, 5 Ash Down, Rotherfield, or Buxted (it'll take about 10 minutes to drive to any of these). Lots of sample menus in huts.

3. The Secret Campsite

99%

(91)

21 units · Tents, Glamping · Lewes, East Sussex, South East England

A not so secret campsite in East Sussex with camping and glamping – and campfires encouraged

4. Secret Garden Glamping

1 unit · Glamping · Lymington, Hampshire, South East England

A tucked-away bell tent within walking distance of Lymington railway station, near the coast and the New Forest.

5. Small Trees Campsite

97%

(38)

33 units · Tents, Motorhomes · West Wellow, England

A small, campfire-friendly and dog-friendly campsite with approachable hosts

6. Harry's Meadow

97%

(73)

63 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Fordingbridge, Hampshire, South East England

Back-to-basics camping with campfires in a spacious wildflower meadow, set on a beautiful New Forest estate

7. Little Thakeham Farm

97%

(57)

15 units · Tents, Motorhomes · West Sussex, South East England

Almost wild camping in rural Sussex, with campfires, good footpaths and a pub within 15 minutes' walk

8. Ninham Country Holidays

100%

(38)

16 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Shanklin, England

A stunning, family-friendly campsite on the stunning, family-friendly Isle of Wight

9. Harry's Field New Forest

92%

(60)

63 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Fordingbridge, Hampshire, South East England

Family-friendly, traditional New Forest camping with a pub next door and footpaths leading directly from the gateway

10. The Old Airfield

85%

(143)

114 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Hampshire, South East England

A New Forest airfield that's been overtaken by nature, less than 10 minutes' drive from the coast

11. Southwood Park Estate

93%

(7)

12 units · Glamping · Chichester , England

Southwood park estate is a beautifully manicured and peaceful destination for those who want to get back to nature and still have all of the home comforts that they are used to. We are at the foot of the South Downs, and only 8 minutes drive from Chichester and the Good Wood Estate We are family and pet friendly site. All bookings come with cooked breakfasts for each guest per day as well as a large log / lighters pack for each day!

12. Tomkins Farm

96%

(164)

42 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · North Chailey, England

Relaxed camping beside a lake on an East Sussex farm, with alpacas, llamas, and camels

13. Earth Camp

90%

(34)

33 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Lewes, East Sussex, South East England

We are a small, family run, eco-friendly campsite in Chailey, set in a peaceful pocket of Sussex countryside. Our uniqueness includes therapies offered on site, including massage, reiki and pellowah; our classes run on site, including yoga, and gong baths; the wide range of outdoor games we can provide; and our commitment to making your camping experience as pleasurable as possible. We also have a fantastic wood-fired sauna all day on Saturdays, a delicious pizza oven on Saturday evenings, and a coffee truck on weekend mornings! We allow campfires and dogs, and for those who seek a little luxury in camping, we have spacious hot showers. We also have a number of beautiful Bell Tents available to hire, which we will put up for you prior to your arrival (min 2 nights). Look our for our special weekends, including Star Parties, Yoga Retreats, Singing Circles and Wellness Weekends. We also have delicious wood-fired pizzas on Saturday evenings, and an artisan coffee trucks with superb pastries on weekend mornings 8-10am.

14. The Oaks Poultry Farm

100%

(10)

10 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Ditchling, England

Family-friendly summer camping on an East Sussex farm

15. The Field at Findon

100%

(33)

4 units · Glamping · Findon, England

Bell tent camping in the South Downs National Park

16. Fernwood Glamping (New Forest)

100%

(21)

2 units · Glamping · New Forest, England

Secluded, peaceful glamping on the edge of the New Forest

17. Stud Farm

100%

(4)

1 unit · Glamping · Brockenhurst, England

A shepherd’s hut on a traditional New Forest farm

18. Skoolie Stays

100%

(5)

1 unit · Glamping · East Sussex, South East England

A converted, characterful and cool all-American yellow school bus parked up near the South Downs

19. Glamping at Parley by PitchingIt

12 units · Glamping · Bournemouth, England

Set on the Parley Estate near Bournemouth, with a Georgian mansion sitting in four-acres of lovely Dorset parkland, Glamping at Parley by PitchingIt offers pre-erected bell tents on level grass meadows. No fuss, no puzzling tent poles to mess around with. Just arrive on site, move in and your holiday has started. Local attractions and activities include: - Bournemouth Beach & town centre for shops and restaurants 5min drive - Golf: on site 18 hole course and driving range! - Local pub short 10 min walk - Adventure Wonderland (kids’ theme park): five minutes’ drive - Snowtrax Alpine Activity Centre: 10 minutes - Go Ape Moors Valley (tree-top zipwires): 15 minutes - Bournemouth Beach: 15 minutes - Splashdown (water park): 20 minutes - Moors Valley Country Park and Forest: 20 minutes - Mudeford Sandbank: 20 minutes - Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum: 20 minutes - Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park: 25 minutes.

Camper favorites in and near Chichester Harbour AONB

Top-rated campgrounds reviewed by the Hipcamp community.

Earth Camp

90%

(34)

33 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Lewes, East Sussex, South East England

We are a small, family run, eco-friendly campsite in Chailey, set in a peaceful pocket of Sussex countryside. Our uniqueness includes therapies offered on site, including massage, reiki and pellowah; our classes run on site, including yoga, and gong baths; the wide range of outdoor games we can provide; and our commitment to making your camping experience as pleasurable as possible. We also have a fantastic wood-fired sauna all day on Saturdays, a delicious pizza oven on Saturday evenings, and a coffee truck on weekend mornings! We allow campfires and dogs, and for those who seek a little luxury in camping, we have spacious hot showers. We also have a number of beautiful Bell Tents available to hire, which we will put up for you prior to your arrival (min 2 nights). Look our for our special weekends, including Star Parties, Yoga Retreats, Singing Circles and Wellness Weekends. We also have delicious wood-fired pizzas on Saturday evenings, and an artisan coffee trucks with superb pastries on weekend mornings 8-10am.

The Oaks Poultry Farm

100%

(10)

10 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Ditchling, England

Family-friendly summer camping on an East Sussex farm

The Field at Findon

100%

(33)

4 units · Glamping · Findon, England

Bell tent camping in the South Downs National Park

Fernwood Glamping (New Forest)

100%

(21)

2 units · Glamping · New Forest, England

Secluded, peaceful glamping on the edge of the New Forest

Stud Farm

100%

(4)

1 unit · Glamping · Brockenhurst, England

A shepherd’s hut on a traditional New Forest farm

Skoolie Stays

100%

(5)

1 unit · Glamping · East Sussex, South East England

A converted, characterful and cool all-American yellow school bus parked up near the South Downs

Glamping at Parley by PitchingIt

12 units · Glamping · Bournemouth, England

Set on the Parley Estate near Bournemouth, with a Georgian mansion sitting in four-acres of lovely Dorset parkland, Glamping at Parley by PitchingIt offers pre-erected bell tents on level grass meadows. No fuss, no puzzling tent poles to mess around with. Just arrive on site, move in and your holiday has started. Local attractions and activities include: - Bournemouth Beach & town centre for shops and restaurants 5min drive - Golf: on site 18 hole course and driving range! - Local pub short 10 min walk - Adventure Wonderland (kids’ theme park): five minutes’ drive - Snowtrax Alpine Activity Centre: 10 minutes - Go Ape Moors Valley (tree-top zipwires): 15 minutes - Bournemouth Beach: 15 minutes - Splashdown (water park): 20 minutes - Moors Valley Country Park and Forest: 20 minutes - Mudeford Sandbank: 20 minutes - Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum: 20 minutes - Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park: 25 minutes.

Stories from the community

B

Bob

August 2025

3 m Class B

Weekend Trip to Tomkins Farm

Friendly welcome. Good space. Hot water in wash up and showers. Weather changed so I baled one day early so didn't get to try their Saturday night pizzas which sounded fab!

W

William

August 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Tomkins Farm

Phil, family, and staff made us all feel extremely welcome (especially the kids). The showers and facilities were great 😅. The breakfast rolls and the pizzas were really tasty and very handy as we had a lot of rain on one day 😋. Having a forest play area for kids as well as llamas nearby makes it an ideal family camp site.

D

Demi

August 2025

3 m Class B

With pets

Weekend Trip to Earth Camp

really lovely welcome onto the site and friendly hroughout. facilities were nice and clean! loved the coffee van int he morning :)

A

Ade

August 2025

With pets

2 nights at Southwood Park Estate

We enjoyed our stay at The camp surroundings are well maintained, what I noticed is that no annoying flies buzzing around when sitting out and while cooking!. The host and people on site are very helpful and friendly. One night we needed help with lighting a camp fire and they were so quick to respond. The facilities in the camp are a bonus, if the weather is nice you won't get bored. Ladies toilets were okay my kids complained about the men's!!

N

Nuala

August 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Small Trees Campsite

Friendly and free tea in the morning! Very laid back atmosphere. Great for families.

Chris

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Tomkins Farm

Have stayed here before and would again. Really well organised from logs to food, good facilities including the open air showers. staff all really friendly. space is perfectly located for walk (to lots of well placed pubs) pitches are large and no space is very far from the facilities. if i had one request for next time it would be better coffee but that’s a bit picky! really good, reasonable camp for couples and families.

lauren

August 2025

5 m Class B

Weekend Trip to The Old Airfield

Absolutely loved camping at The Old Airfield. Very friendly staff and helpful. Loads of space to park up and tent so you'll never feel 'on top' of other campers. Lovely vibe, clean showers and toilets. Had a nice bar and pizza trailer on site too to order from every night. Very relaxing and loads of free roaming animals near by! Definitely will be coming back!

Dan

August 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Small Trees Campsite

This is a lovely campsite. Excellent shower and toilet facilities. Lovely touch with Tea &Coffee in the morning too. Owners really nice and approachable. Would highly recommend 👍

Stephanie

August 2025

Tent

With kids

3 nights at The Old Airfield

The staff were fab as were the showers, toilets and the sociable communal space serving drinkings and tasty pizzas. The only downside was the noise from the adjacent road.

M

Meeru

August 2025

Tent

With kids

1 night at Small Trees Campsite

Nice and good location and good space love to see again

J

Jassey

August 2025

Tent

1 night at Tomkins Farm

Hot water in shower and sinks. Drinking water a bit cloudy. Lovely and peaceful. Nice walks nearby. Quite surreal with the camels in the distance! Alpacas were sweet but a little far for petting. Not windy as sheltered location. A very large area with many pitches near alpacas, the camels or trees as you prefer. Completely safe and enclosed. Manager came to offer firewood which is available at any time for the permanent fire pits. Bring your own logs

S

Sharon

August 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to The Oaks Poultry Farm

I stayed for 4 nights last week with 5 children aged between 2 and 7. We had an absolute blast. The indoor play area and the play barn were both fantastic. We had lunch in the tea room which was wholesome and a great price too. The animal petting and sand pit were an added bonus which the kids also loved. Most of all for me was a lovely flat field and to be able to have a camp fire was a must. We will definitely be back. Don’t miss out on purchasing meat, veg and really good apple juice from the farm shop.

C

Charlie

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Small Trees Campsite

Wonderful campsite with great hosts. Driving distance to Salisbury, and plenty of pitching space.

P

Patrick

August 2025

Tent

With kids

2 nights at The Old Airfield

An amazing site for young children. Would definitely come again, and for longer. Staff were great, really helpful.

D

David

August 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Earth Camp

Earth Camp was a great place to pitch a tent and relax for a lovely weekend outdoors. The facilities are solid and the pizzas on Saturdays are excellent value for money. Certain parts of the field are a bit sloped, so make sure to arrive early to get the best pick of the pitches!

R

Reece

August 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to The Old Airfield

Firstly, the location - yes it’s a cool old WWII airbase! Loads of room to pitch your tent without feeling like you are encroaching on your neighbours. It’s well kept and very clean. The toilets were clean and so were the showers. There’s food (fresh pizza, pastries, etc) and drinks (a coffee / cocktail bar) on site and I thought the prices were reasonable. The staff are friendly and the place had a nice vibe. We took our dog and although she had to be kept on a lead on site, there is plenty of space close by to let her off. if you like camping and are looking to get back to basics, with a few luxuries close by, you can’t go wrong. Beautiful Mudeford is a short drive so there’s plenty to do if you want to venture out. Overall we really liked it. It was just me and my partner this time but we’ve just decided to go back in a few days, this time with the children.

A

Antonia

July 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Tomkins Farm

Tomkin's Farm was a lovely place to camp for the weekend. Friendly welcome, lovely facilities, lots of toilets, gorgeous open air showers. And a bar/shop every night, and cooked breakfast each morning.. plus pizza one night! Great unexpected luxuries. Thank you guys. See you again 🙂

With a low level heater, table lamp and double plug socket, fairy lights and tea lights, it’s very cosy.

M

Madeleine

July 2025

With kids

Weekend Trip to Fernwood Glamping (New Forest)

Beautiful experience! My 3 year old daughter and I loved it. Such a tranquil location. Rachel was super helpful and gave some great recommendations. The caravan was idyllic. Will be recommending to anyone wanting a good base to explore the New Forest.

James

June 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to The Old Airfield

Lovely site with great facilities in a very picturesque area. Really good for a base for nice walks through the new forest, highly recommend especially the pizza and cocktails are a great touch.

B

Benjamin

June 2025

Tent

With kids

1 night at Tomkins Farm

Tranquil, large open spaces. No noise or light pollution. The owner was lovely, very polite, professional and helpful. The alpacas are a treat to interact with and spectate, a much appreciated rarity for a campsite to have. I would certainly stay again if in the area.