Arundel river, castle & park circular: 7.2m / 11.7km

The historic, busy market town of Arundel is around 40 minutes drive South, and is well worth a day trip; it is very picturesque, and there is so much to see and do there. Set on a high hill, the street lined with pretty antique shops, cafes & restaurants, a walk up to the vast Medieval castle, imposing gothic Catholic cathedral & pretty flint studded almshouses is a pretty good work out in itself!

Parts of Arundel castle date back to 1068. It was built at the end of the 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, and is now ‘seat’ to the Duke of Norfolk. (Also titled Earl Marshal; a post which gives him responsibility for organising major ceremonial events such as the state opening of parliament).

The somewhat austere castle is set in around 40 acres of grounds; both castle and award winning grounds being open to the public seasonally. The beautifully kept gardens feature all the classic highlights that you would hope for from an award winning heritage site – a tropical & an English garden, formal knot garden, rose garden, quirky stumpery, glasshouse complete with chilli plants, lemon trees and vines, and a ‘white garden’.

Despite its fortification, including a huge gate house constructed in 1070, and thick stone walls which circle the whole site, the castle was badly damaged, first by Royalists and then by Cromwell’s Parlimentarian force during the Civil War (1642-45).

In 1846, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert came to visit; staying in one of the numerous bedrooms for 3 days. Specially commissioned furniture for her room and the library was made by a leading London furniture maker. In addition, the castle is home to personal items owned by Mary Queen of Scots, and collections of furniture, paintings, tapestries and clocks by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Mytens, Lawrence, Reynolds, Canaletto and others. 

The impressive Arundel Cathedral was commissioned by the 15th Duke of Norfolk in 1868. It was designed by Joseph Hansom, who designed several buildings including other churches and convents, but is principally known as the inventor of the Hansom cab. It’s scale and french gothic style is unmissable, and a stark contrast to the quirky little shops & cafes, buildings intricate with charming, gentle old world detail, that line the high street.

This walk passes through the park, through town, and along the grassy-banked river; good contrasts of environment in terms of architecture, as well as the busy bustle of the town, and the quiet of outlying areas.

As you can see from the photos below, parts can get very muddy due to the low-lie of the land: quiet flooded on our early January visit – but no less enjoyable, despite the wet, and grey skies!

Flooded pontoon at the boatyard, high tides, & a very wet seat!

The river Arun is a key feature – swaying grasses mark its banks and the Black Rabbit pub, which serves good food and overlooks the river, is a good destination for refreshments.

See here for details of the Black Rabbit – good pub food & parking available.

For the route and details of this walk, click here.

On our return, we called in at The Pig, Sussex; the newest in the ‘litter’ of Pig hotels, which officially opened just a few months earlier in 2021. I was particularly interested to call in and see the kitchen garden – which, despite being an overcast winter day, was looking lovely – and full of promise. I do love the structure and formality that traditional, particularly walled, kitchen gardens offer.

Just 10 minutes drive, on the way home from Arundel, we will certainly visit our local ‘Pig’ again. I look forward to watching the planting all around the site develop – particularly in the food production areas!

Classic style with a modern twist – typical of the Pig Hotels! See here for more details. I love the way this funky hotel chain celebrates home grown and locally sourced produce so beautifully 🙂

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Click here for a link to the Walking Britain route of this walk.