Coolham Advance Landing Ground

During World War Two, RAF Coolham served as an advance landing ground for fighter aircraft supporting operations across the Channel. Today what remains is largely scattered across farmland near Horsham - concrete runways, dispersal areas, and the physical imprint of wartime urgency pressed into Sussex soil.

You won't find a visitor centre or café here. This is archaeology you can walk, not a packaged heritage experience. The site itself rewards patient exploration if you know what to look for - the geometry of the airfield still visible from certain angles, the way the landscape has been shaped by military necessity. It's the kind of place that hits differently once you understand what happened there: young pilots scrambling to intercept enemy bombers, the constant pressure, the losses.

History enthusiasts and anyone serious about WWII will find it worthwhile, particularly if combined with other Sussex wartime sites. Families might find it rather abstract unless the kids have a genuine interest - there's no dramatic wreckage or theatrical displays, just the landscape itself. Allow an hour or so to get a proper sense of the layout.

Staying nearby works well. Knepp Wildland Safaris just 2.4 miles away offers something completely different - rewilding rather than wartime - or try Sumners Ponds Fishery further out if you prefer a more conventional campsite. Base yourself in Horsham and make Coolham part of a broader Sussex exploration. Admission appears free, as it's essentially an open historical site rather than a managed attraction.