Best campsites for hikers in West Sussex

West Sussex delivers for hikers—over 180 camping options sit within reach of footpaths that wind through ancient woods and open downland. Expect sites with toilets, showers, and campfire spots, plus easy access to wild swimming holes and local wildlife. Prices range widely, with pitches from as little as £12 a night and an average around £100, so you’ll find something for any budget. Locals rate Hook Farm Campsite (105 reviews) for its quiet fields and starry skies, while Cattlestone Farm Adult Only (77 reviews) stays peaceful even in summer. For river access and a relaxed vibe, try The Slips (50 reviews). Bring sturdy boots—this is hiking country, with plenty of routes that start right at your tent flap.

98% (450)

Top-rated campgrounds

West Sussex delivers for hikers—over 180 camping options sit within reach of footpaths that wind through ancient woods and open downland. Expect sites with toilets, showers, and campfire spots, plus easy access to wild swimming holes and local wildlife. Prices range widely, with pitches from as little as £12 a night and an average around £100, so you’ll find something for any budget. Locals rate Hook Farm Campsite (105 reviews) for its quiet fields and starry skies, while Cattlestone Farm Adult Only (77 reviews) stays peaceful even in summer. For river access and a relaxed vibe, try The Slips (50 reviews). Bring sturdy boots—this is hiking country, with plenty of routes that start right at your tent flap.

98% (450)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. The Slips

91%

(85)

39 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Henfield, England

A relaxed, back-to-basics campsite in the West Sussex countryside

2. Cattlestone Farm Adult Only

97%

(122)

36 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · West Sussex, South East England

Friendly camping and glamping on a Sussex farm, with animals to meet, a pond to swim in, and the South Downs nearby.

3. Sindles Farm Glamping and Camping

100%

(14)

9 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping · Emsworth, West Sussex

We are a small, friendly site on a working farm in the beautiful South Downs National Park. We have shepherds huts, bell tents and a land pod in an old sheep paddock, all with private fire pits. We’re surrounded by footpaths and bridleways that can be explored all day, and 10 minutes drive from the sea. We also have a small grass-pitch campsite that opens in the summer for tents and camper vans.

4. 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!

5. Hook Farm Campsite

98%

(203)

18 units · Tents · West Sussex, South East England

Blissfully back-to-basics camping in the heart of the West Sussex High Weald

6. Wild Boar Wood Campsite

97%

(68)

9 units · Glamping · Haywards Heath, England

Wild woodland glamping in the heart of Sussex with fires

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. Woodfire at Westerlands

99%

(51)

22 units · Tents · West Sussex, South East England

A foodie campsite with outdoor feasts, set in the heart of the South Downs

9. The Oaks Pop Up

100%

(4)

7 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Horsham, England

Camp next to heritage breed sheep, in a small pop up site, within 7 acres, where wildlife & organic growing is our key focus :-) The historic town of Horsham, with it's cobbled street, weekend market, parks, restaurants & music in the bandstand is nearby. Country walks aplenty a short drive away.

10. Quaint Farm in a National Park

100%

(26)

2 units · Glamping · Liphook, England

Our 17 acre Farm is set deep within the beautiful South Downs National Park on the outskirts of the quiet village of Milland (near Liphook) in rural West Sussex (close to its border with Hampshire and Surrey). We have direct access to an excellent bridleway and footpath network through peaceful open countryside and quiet lanes as well as being on the Serpent Tail and close to the South Downs Way. Our Glamping Pod and Shepherd's Hut are available to book all year round. We also offer stabling if you would like to take your horses or ponies on holiday with you! Milland village (0.8 miles) has the Rising Sun pub, serving great food and drink, and Milland Stores, which stocks all your essential fresh and local produce as well as having a small cafe.

11. Fox Wood Campsite - under the oaks

98%

(48)

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

Woodland camping with campfires in the South Downs National Park

12. Foot of the Downs

100%

(24)

3 units · Glamping · West Sussex, South East England

Glamping on a family farm in Sussex, just off the South Downs Way and not far from Brighton

13. The Field at Findon

100%

(33)

4 units · Glamping · Findon, England

Bell tent camping in the South Downs National Park

14. South Downs Hideaway

100%

(4)

1 unit · Glamping · Arundel, West Sussex, South East England

A stylish oak-beamed bolthole for two – just off the South Downs Way

15. 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

Camper favorites in and near West Sussex

Top-rated campgrounds reviewed by the Hipcamp community.

Quaint Farm in a National Park

100%

(26)

2 units · Glamping · Liphook, England

Our 17 acre Farm is set deep within the beautiful South Downs National Park on the outskirts of the quiet village of Milland (near Liphook) in rural West Sussex (close to its border with Hampshire and Surrey). We have direct access to an excellent bridleway and footpath network through peaceful open countryside and quiet lanes as well as being on the Serpent Tail and close to the South Downs Way. Our Glamping Pod and Shepherd's Hut are available to book all year round. We also offer stabling if you would like to take your horses or ponies on holiday with you! Milland village (0.8 miles) has the Rising Sun pub, serving great food and drink, and Milland Stores, which stocks all your essential fresh and local produce as well as having a small cafe.

Fox Wood Campsite - under the oaks

98%

(48)

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

Woodland camping with campfires in the South Downs National Park

Foot of the Downs

100%

(24)

3 units · Glamping · West Sussex, South East England

Glamping on a family farm in Sussex, just off the South Downs Way and not far from Brighton

The Field at Findon

100%

(33)

4 units · Glamping · Findon, England

Bell tent camping in the South Downs National Park

South Downs Hideaway

100%

(4)

1 unit · Glamping · Arundel, West Sussex, South East England

A stylish oak-beamed bolthole for two – just off the South Downs Way

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

Stories from the community

A

Alan

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

Really quiet, toilets and showers clean and tidy. Definitely be going back!

A view of the hut from one of the surrounding footpaths.

E

Emily

September 2025

1 night at Quaint Farm in a National Park

Matt met us on arrival and helped carry our bags to the The Shepherds Hut which is well fitted out , nicely decorated , lovely and clean, and well equipped. Nice hot shower and towel rail. Electric fire and also a log burner should you need it for the cold weather,The bed was so so comfy and the oat biscuits and eggs were delicious !! All windows had lovely views. Ivan & Sylvia S xxx

István Ferenc

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

Perfect place. I loved the small woods. Highly recommend

R

Rosemarie

September 2025

Tent

2 nights at Cattlestone Farm Adult Only

We loved the setting, the camping field is surrounded by trees. We heard owls hooting at night. There is a small herd of fab Highland Cattle, a piggy wig and two cute goats. Donna & Allen are very hospitable and the farm has been in Allen's family since the early 1800's. We spent three days there in September...it was quiet and the perfect setting to relax and reset.

A

Alan

September 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

Lovely time once again at Hook Farm. Can't recommend this site enough

D

Daniel

September 2025

4 m Class B

1 night at Cattlestone Farm Adult Only

What a lovely campsite! Very peaceful and great facilities.

E

Elizabeth

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

The campsite was lovely, huge with nice compost loos and you could camp anywhere. Fires were welcomed and the hot showers were great too. However, the site wasn’t very flat, so you had to pick a good spot. It also seems like the site is only weekends which is a lot of effort to get setup for only two nights! If we could camp for longer we’d definitely be back as we loved it!

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!!

A

Alex

August 2025

Tent

1 night at Hook Farm Campsite

Beautiful location. Great facilities. Really helpful and friendly team. Hope to return soon. Thank you for providing such a lovely location.

R

Rachel

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

Hook Farm was an absolutely beautiful site, surrounded by woodland and lovely walks. All of the staff were extremely helpful and we had such a memorable stay. The facilities are simple, and eco conscious which is what we were looking for. The warm showers were lovely. Thank you for hosting us!

d

daniel

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

A great site Will definitely be coming back Very clean facilities

E

Elspeth

August 2025

7 m Class A

Weekend Trip to The Slips

This is a beautiful area and we have stayed at The Slips before.

J

Jen

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

This was such a perfect campsite for my friend and I over the bank holiday. We took the train into Hayward’s Heath and grabbed a cab outside the station (cab is about £20 each way). As others have mentioned, it’s not the flattest site but it’s easy enough to find a spot. It was so quiet and peaceful and lovely to have a fire right at our tent. In terms of nearby food, we had a great burger over at the Missing Link brewery, a quick drink at the Cat Inn and a sunny breakfast at the Pericles Cafe (all accessible on foot not that far from the site). We went on a couple big walks walked through loads of local woods and up to the Gravetye Estate and the Weir Wood Reservoir - there’s plenty of public pathways (useful to have the OS app for this) and beautiful countryside. We’ll definitely be back. Didn’t use the showers but the compost toilets were totally fine and not smelly and there was plenty of water points around.

A

Andrea

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

What a wonderful place to escape the rat race! Such friendly and attentive hosts and what a beautiful, peaceful setting. Kids ran free through the woodland - building dens, getting their hands dirty, and making new friends. Yes, the pitches are sloped and compost toilets aren’t for everyone - but we love the back to basics slow living. We also appreciated the “no music” rule and how quiet the campsite got towards 10pm. Despite being the bank holiday weekend, the site was a pleasant level of business - not crowded at all. We will be back!

M

Maria

August 2025

7 m Class B

With pets

Weekend Trip to The Slips

Very relaxed campsite, lots of space and good facilities as advertised! Thanks for a lovely stay!

B

Barnaby

August 2025

Weekend Trip to Quaint Farm in a National Park

Really lovely stay, absolutely nothing bad to say. Highly recommend!

L

Lucy

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Cattlestone Farm Adult Only

Lovely campsite with nice walks and farm animals nearby. Everything you need in a great location, run by lovely people.

C

Cameron

August 2025

Weekend Trip to Quaint Farm in a National Park

We loved our stay at the hut - it was perfect! Being surrounded by the beautiful scenery at the back of the farm and waking up to the incredibly friendly sheep and horses was so nice. The hut itself is really cozy, lovingly decorated and has everything you need in it. We would love come and stay again!

B

Barb

August 2025

2 nights at Quaint Farm in a National Park

Super nice shepherd’s hut! Loved the animals nearby too.

D

Dovile

August 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Hook Farm Campsite

Lovely place,very clean,so many toilets sinks for water

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

We’ve picked a selection of well-run camping and glamping sites and skipped the holiday parks to reveal only the very best camping hideaways. Whether you want to explore the High Weald or the South Downs, to build dens in the woods or skim stones on the beach, you’ll find a good base to pitch your tent or a place to rest your head in our collection.