When the summer sun comes out, the grassy playing fields harden and the rugby players hang up their boots for the season, it’s time for the campers to come out of the woodwork. That’s the story in the Sussex town of Horsham, anyway, where entrepreneurial events organiser, Scott Doane, has teamed up with the local rugby club to create an exciting pop-up campsite on the edge of the High Weald. It’s perfectly logical, of course. Flat, grassy fields that have been cared for by groundsmen all year make for the perfect camping ground and the recently refurbished rugby club building? Well, rename it the ‘washblock’, with hot showers and well-kept facilities, and job’s a good’un.
You don’t have to be a rugby fan to enjoy the masses of space the campsite offers. The camping area is set on a large grassy apron just beyond the car park, with regular playing fields beyond and a fenced-off astroturf football pitch to one side. Campfires are allowed – bring your own firepit or rent one to ensure your fire is raised well off the grass – and there are phone charging sockets in the rugby club building you can use if you're desperate to stay in touch with the digital world.
Walk along to the top corner of the field and along the hedgeline and, eventually, you’ll reach a track that links up with the High Weald Landscape Trail, a pleasant footpath that takes you through St Leonard’s Forest. In the opposite direction, meanwhile, it takes around half an hour to walk the two miles into the centre of Horsham, a busy town with a largely pedestrianised centre. There’s a slew of open gardens and woods within easy driving distance, including the National Trust’s Nymans, and its 25 minutes to the South Downs National Park. Beyond that? It’s the beaches of the south coast, of course, with Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing 25 minutes’ drive away.
At the far end of the campsite a footpath leads a few hundred yards north to link up with the High Weald Landscape Trail, which leads into vast St Leonards Forest, a great place for kids to explore, build dens and watch for wildlife. It's four miles to Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens (0871 8733 389 ), a privately owned wood and garden, with a Victorian rock garden, a dollhouse museum and, oddly, a wallaby colony, while National Trust-owned Nymans (01444 405250) is five miles away, with High Beeches Gardens (01444 400589) also just beyond. One of the closest attractions is the bird of prey centre, Huxley's Experience (07545 594610), less than a mile from the campsite and easy to reach on foot. It's a 25-minute drive to Brighton, Worthing and the beaches of the south coast.
It takes about 15 minutes to walk to The Hornbrook Inn (01403 252638) and only a little longer to The Foresters Arms (01403 251399), which are both around a mile away, the latter needing booking in advance if you're going in for their Sunday roast. There are plenty more options in Horsham town centre, two miles away, including all the big names like Nandos, Wagamama and Pizza Express, as well as a host of independents.