Camping in Chichester

Camping around Chichester means choosing between two quite different landscapes. South of the city, the ground is flat coastal plain running out to the tidal creeks of Chichester Harbour and the beaches at Selsey and West Wittering, exposed to onshore winds but easy walking and cycling country, with the biggest campsites and holiday parks clustered here and around the city's own fishing lakes. North of the city, the land rises into the chalk of the South Downs, where a smaller number of farm-based and wild-camping style sites sit among working fields and woodland, quieter but with far less shelter if the weather turns and generally no vehicle access right to the pitch.

Wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal in West Sussex, unlike the specific access rights that exist on Dartmoor, so pitching up on the Downs or the harbour foreshore without asking first is not an option; the closest legitimate equivalent is a small number of farms, such as those near Goodwood, that let out basic grass pitches with minimal facilities under their own licence, which gives much of the same off-grid feel without the legal risk. Most people camping in the area use one of the established sites instead, which range from large family-oriented parks with pools and entertainment to simple touring pitches attached to working farms.

The camping season here runs broadly from Easter to the end of September, in line with most sites' opening dates, with July and August the busiest and most expensive weeks, particularly around the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival when demand across the whole district spikes. Spring and early autumn offer a good compromise of milder crowds and reasonable weather, though the coastal plain can be windy and exposed at any time of year, so a sturdy tent and decent groundsheet are worth having whatever the forecast looks like on the day you leave.