Following a trip with my good mate Matt to Arundel, I was eager to show Raquel this incredible place just a short trip away from Brighton.
The gorgeous views over the hills, the epic castle towering over the little town and the farmers market that pops up on the third Saturday of every month, Arundel is the perfect staycation location.
The countryside walks also offer an opportunity for you to try cycling them, however I wouldn’t fancy cycling up some of those hills.
The first thing to know when walking through Arundel is that the station is just outside of the town, which is quite unusual, however it just takes a couple of minutes, walking along The Causeway road until you get to town.
Swanbourne Lake
This is a 3-mile walk, so it should take you around 1 hour if flat, but with the hills and the opportunity to stop for some photo opportunities, it will more likely be 1 hour and 20 minutes.
After leaving the station and crossing over the River Arun via The Causeway, transitioning into Queen Street, you keep going straight forward up the steep road, passing the Norfolk Arms.
You then head to the left along London road, passing Arundel Cathedral, however you might want to stop for a quick photo.
Once you reach St Philip’s Primary School, you take the turning on the right and enter Arundel Park. From here, you walk until you reach Hiorne Tower, which certainly stands out surrounded by fields.
From here you descend down the hill, to the right of Hiorne Tower as you reach Swanbourne Lake.
This is the split where you either do the short or the long walk. We’ve only done the shorter walk, so I can’t give many details on the longer version, but if you want the longer walk then you go left at the lake and keep going along Monarch’s Way.
If you’re continuing with my route then you walk around Swanbourne Lake. You will also find pedalo’s available to hire, which is a great activity if you’re visiting with your family.
The pedalo’s are alongside Swanbourne Lodge Café, where you can stop for a coffee or a quick wee, with public toilets open most of the year.
You then exit as you start walking along Mill Road, which will take you back towards town, as you walk past Arundel Castle.
You will also pass Mill Road putting green and café, where you can stop for a game of mini golf. We stopped off for some lunch, being a jacket potato with cheese and beans, how could we say no?
You can then finish this walk with a seat at either the Waterside Café, offering you beautiful views of the River Arun, or if you want an alternative, you could have a picnic on Jubilee Gardens.
The longer route I briefly mentioned will take you through Arundel park and South Stoke, which is a 7 mile route, which apparently takes 3.5 hours on average.