Barns Green

Hotels are scarce in Barns Green itself, as this is a small working village rather than a tourist town, so most visitors base themselves a short drive away in Horsham or Billingshurst, both of which offer a reasonable spread of hotels, inns and guesthouses within about ten to fifteen minutes. Horsham, the larger of the two, has chain hotels alongside smaller independent options near its town centre, museum and park, making it a practical base for exploring the wider Sussex Weald while still being close enough to Barns Green for an easy day visit to Sumners Ponds or a walk along the Downs Link. Billingshurst, just two and a half miles south, is smaller but has its own pubs with rooms and guesthouses, and keeps you closer to the quieter lanes around Barns Green itself.

Because the village has no hotel of its own, staying nearby generally means combining accommodation in Horsham or Billingshurst with day trips out to Barns Green for its fishery, pub and the Downs Link path. This suits visitors who want a comfortable, well-equipped base with easy access to shops and restaurants, while still being able to reach genuinely rural Sussex countryside within minutes. Families and couples looking for a country escape rather than a big-town stay may prefer the camping and glamping options at Sumners Ponds itself, but for anyone wanting a bed-and-breakfast or hotel room with all the usual comforts, Horsham is the sensible choice, with Billingshurst a smaller, quieter alternative.

The village itself is small, but the surrounding Sussex Weald and nearby Horsham give visitors plenty to fill a few days.

• Sumners Ponds Fishery - Five well-stocked fishing lakes set across 100 acres of lakes, woodland and pasture, right in the village, with a working farm and lakeside cafe attached.
• The Downs Link - The former railway path running 37 miles between the North Downs and South Downs passes close to Barns Green, popular with walkers and cyclists following the old trackbed through the Weald.
• Horsham town centre - A few miles south, Horsham offers the Museum & Art Gallery, the Piries Place and Swan Walk shopping areas, and the wide green expanse of Horsham Park.
• Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens - A celebrated Sussex garden of lakes, rhododendrons and wildlife a short drive from the village, particularly striking in late spring.
• Southwater Country Park - A large country park with lakes and woodland walks between Barns Green and Horsham, good for an easy afternoon out.

The Queens Head, a 17th-century pub in the heart of the village, is the main spot for a meal or a drink locally. Cafe by the Lake at Sumners Ponds serves food and drink through the day, including weekend breakfasts, and is a popular stop for cyclists on the Downs Link. Beyond the village, Horsham and Billingshurst add a broader range of pubs and restaurants within easy reach.

Barns Green''s main draw for campers is Sumners Ponds Fishery & Campsite, set across 100 acres of lakes, woodland and pasture right in the village. It offers a wide spread of options, from traditional camping and family camping fields to glamping pods, safari tents, shepherd''s huts and more comfortable lodges, alongside five well-stocked fishing lakes, a working farm and the on-site Cafe by the Lake. Wooded footpaths and cycle paths lead out from the site toward the Downs Link, the long-distance path linking the North and South Downs, making it a good base for walkers and cyclists as well as anglers.

As with camping anywhere in England, wild camping is not legal here without the landowner''s explicit permission, so a licensed site like Sumners Ponds - or another registered campsite in the wider Horsham district - is the way to go for anyone pitching a tent in this part of the Sussex Weald. The Weald''s terrain around Barns Green is gentle rather than dramatic: rolling farmland, wooded lanes and small ponds rather than open hillside, which makes it comfortable ground for family camping and less experienced campers, though the clay-heavy Wealden soil can turn heavy and muddy after sustained rain.

Late spring through to early autumn is the best window to camp here, when the lakes, woodland and surrounding countryside are at their most inviting and the campsite''s facilities and cafe are running at full swing; summer weekends are understandably the busiest, particularly around fishing matches and the village''s own sporting calendar. Outside those months, the site''s glamping pods, safari tents and lodges offer a more sheltered way to enjoy the Weald without needing to pitch a tent in wetter or colder weather, extending the camping season for those who want the setting without the exposure. Overall, Barns Green suits campers looking for an easy, well-equipped rural base close to Horsham, with fishing, cycling and walking all available without needing to travel far from the pitch.