Camping in Barns Green

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.