A Fairytale Visit to Arundel
Located in the foothills of South Downs National Park, there is a fairytale castle and village. One might even think it only exists in Disney World! Arundel is a cute little village complete with a 11th century castle and church! Perfect for a day trip or a quiet overnight stay, Arundel will not disappoint!
Logistics:
Thankfully, getting to Arundel is rather simple as the town is well connected to London and the surrounding cities such as Brighton and Chichester.
By Car
Depending on the origination, driving can be much easier! Because we were coming from Brighton, it was an easy 40 minute drive. For parking, there are two options - free and paid! Input “Mill Road Carpark” to be mere steps away from the castle. It costs 5GBP for the day, but closes at 6pm so not suitable for overnight guests. However, if you want free parking, then you park on the side of Mill Road.
Travel Tip: I utilize Skyscanner.net to find the best rental car deals!
By Train
From London, there is a direct hour and a half train ride from Victoria that leaves every 30 minutes. Once at the train station, it is an easy walk into the town centre.
Travel Tip: I use thetrainline.com to find the best times and train prices!
Lodging
There are a few options in the city that are mostly B&Bs with some pub and hotel options. Lonely Planet recommends the Arundel House, Arden Guest House, and Town House. Ultimately, we went with AirBnB under Arundel B&B located in a tea room. Because the room is located literally in the middle of the village, we had easy access throughout our stay. However, if you’re not use to street noise, it could became an issue in the morning when the village awakes!
Travel Tip: For non-brand hotels, I use Hotels.com for their loyalty program. Other sites such as booking.com and expedia offer similar programs!
Exploring the Fairytale
Peeking out of the woods similar to a Disney movie opening is how we felt when we drove into Arundel. The medieval castle sits high on a hill and towers over the village and adjacent cathedral. Instantly we knew that we found a gem!
Because we arrived at 2pm, parking can be difficult but we luckily found a spot as the day trippers started to leave this enchanting village. Since Arundel is not that big, we easily found the high street from the parking lot and starting exploring the fairytale.
In typical English village fashion, the high street was buzzing with activity, from ice cream shops to tea shops, we found plenty to window shop! Because of COVID, we are hesitant to walk in the shops but that did not completely stop us! On the high street, we found a wonderful little farm shop, ice cream parkours, tea shop, bakery, and tiny little restaurants!
My favourite was the LG Cafe, pink everywhere but had the most tasty brownies! Obviously, I ate too quickly to snap a photo but trust me it is worth a visit!
We could have sat inside but we wanted to continue to wander through the village. Next, Mary Frances had lovely homemade ice cream from the Moathouse.
Medieval History
Located on the “other side” of the village is the French Gothic Catholic Cathedral. Initially, we found it very odd that we found an old Catholic Church in a rural village because we thought most of them were destroyed once England became Protestant. According to Wikipedia, the church survived because the duke and his family were one of the only (and lucky) families who weren’t forced to turn Protestant. And, the church only dates to the 1800s although it looks much older!
Next door to the cathedral is the truly medieval church dating to the 14th century! Inside their are paintings and memorials with inscriptions to the 1200s. It is really incredible! Although it was badly damaged in the English Civil War, it still is in great shape. We felt like we were in history here!
Wild Walk
Because the castle is now partially closed due to COVID, we decided to see another free option. Located behind the castle is a Wetland Reserve.
Although we speculated that it really is the Duke’s land! There is a lovely little pathway leading to a charming lake complete with white swans! Perfect for a sunny day!
We enjoyed a peaceful and scenic walk around the lake wondering if we would stumble upon the Duke along the path. Something tells me this is far too common for him! For a free activity, we quite enjoyed it!
Travel Tip: The castle is only open on certain days and times because the Duke and his family still live there! Check times before going!
After Hours Arundel
Because Arundel is a small village, we noticed really quickly when the day trippers went home! The town felt deserted around 5pm and we were happy to be alone in this fairytale!
For our dinner, we did not have many options but we felt that they were good options nevertheless! There are a few pubs, Indian, burger shop, and Italian restaurants in town with all having decent reviews. Our preferred restaurant sadly wasn’t open due to COVID but we felt like we made a solid choice in the Red Lion.
However, looks can be deceiving. By far one of our worst pub meals whilst we have been in the UK. From drinks to food, we didn’t enjoy it. That is all I want to dedicate to our meal!
Photo Mission: Arundel
Early in the morning, I struck gold on my Arundel photo mission! There are two terrific locations within a mile of the village that provide excellent views of the castle and village.
If one is leaving the town, there is a road on the left right after the station. I stayed there for the full view, trying to capture the arrival magic!
Next, there is a footpath before you reach the round about (if you’re leaving town). It was my favourite as it was also along the water! Perfect ending to our stay in Arundel!
The Unchartered Summary
A fairytale visit to Arundel is a excellent day trip or quaint countryside overnight stay. With plenty of English B&Bs, it is an escape from the city life in a village that doesn’t remind you of England!
- Check the castle opening times! When we visited, the castle hadn’t reopened so we weren’t able to see it. Although we have seen plenty of castles here so we don’t feel it was a huge loss.
- Part of us wished that we had more time to take an afternoon cream tea in the village as there as plenty of shops for that!
- This is an easy day trip from London without any train changes and the station is less than a mile away from the center. We probably would have made it a day trip if we were staying!