Parkwood Brighton & Hove Scout Campsite
WHERE
Brighton
What it’s like
A campsite on the edge of the South Downs built for Scout, Guide and school groups, with orienteering, an assault course and a fire lighting session.
This isn't a site you book as a family for the weekend. It's set up for organised groups, Scout and Guide troops, schools, church groups, DofE expeditions, anyone running a proper youth programme with a leader who's got current DBS clearance. If that's you, there's a genuinely good list of things to fill a day or a weekend with.
The free stuff is worth planning your visit around: orienteering across the site, an adventure/assault course, and a traverse wall for the ones who want to test themselves on something vertical. There's also fire lighting and backwoods cooking, pioneering with spars, tunnels for an underground crawl, and a camp fire circle for the evening bit that everyone actually remembers afterwards. The Bodger's Camp is the one exception to the free list, that one's chargeable.
Being right by the South Downs Way means the hiking option isn't a token add-on, it's proper walking country on your doorstep, and groups doing DofE will find the public footpaths genuinely useful rather than decorative. The site lists wheelchair access and toilets among its facilities, though it doesn't go into detail beyond that.
Getting there without a car is possible: the Stagecoach 17 stops at Parksite every half hour on weekdays, and Hassocks station isn't far if your group's coming down from London. For a group leader planning logistics, that's one less headache to sort out.
Facilities
Need to know
- Getting there by bus or train
- Stagecoach Service No 17 bus stop at Parksite, runs every 30 minutes weekdays
- Bookings are restricted to Scout, Guide, school, church and youth groups with a DBS-checked leader, not open to individual families
- Most of the activity list is free; only the Bodger's Camp is chargeable
- The South Downs Way runs close by, handy for DofE groups needing real walking routes
- Toilets and wheelchair access are on site
Plan your visit
Can any family just turn up and camp?
No, bookings are only taken from Scout and Guide groups, schools, church groups, DofE groups and similar youth organisations, and the group leader needs current DBS clearance.
What do groups actually do while they're there?
Orienteering, an assault course, fire lighting and backwoods cooking, a traverse wall, pioneering with spars, tunnels, and a camp fire circle in the evening. Most of that's free, though the Bodger's Camp costs extra.
Is it accessible for wheelchair users?
The site lists wheelchair accessibility among its facilities.
How do groups get there without driving?
The Stagecoach 17 bus stops at Parksite every 30 minutes on weekdays, and Hassocks Railway Station is nearby if you're coming from London.
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