How to spend 24 hours in Arundel
Visit Arundel throughout the year
Arundel in the Spring has so much to see and do with many ways to fill your day – The Carpet of Flowers at the Cathedral is held during the Festival of Corpus Christi, usually somewhen between 21st May and 25th June. – Visit the Arundel Castle Cricket Club – one of the most famous and beautiful in the whole world. The Club has an outstanding and varied fixture list. Visitors are always welcome.
The Arundel Castle Tulip Festival has the most amazing display of some 80,000 tulips all blooming in their garden. Take a tour of the Castle itself where many of the original features such as the Norman Keep, medieval Gatehouse and Barbican still survive. Get involved in the varied historical events which often take place there.
Just a few miles out of town is Denmans Gardens – a highly unusual ornamental garden with two dry riverbeds, gravel gardens, water features, a walled garden and glass houses. A peaceful, private garden with meandering paths, quiet sitting spaces and unusual plantings. You’ll find Midpines Cafe in the Old Dairy offering breakfast, lunch and sweet treats. Or perhaps you prefer a glass of wine in their shaded garden.
A little further along the road is Aldingbourne Country Centre. A great place to visit with children. Meet the animals on the open farm, explore the Woodland Walk, and have fun in the castle playground. There is also indoor soft play, sand and water play, and ride on tractors; and can you find your way around the Maze without getting lost? Throughout the West Sussex school holidays there are also plenty of event days to choose from.
Digby Fine English has an elegant tasting room in the High Street. Enjoy one of their tasting flights, while learning how they make exceptional English sparkling wine. They also hold special events like blending masterclasses, vertical tastings and sparkling cocktail making.
During the evening the Chichester Festival Theatre, just a few miles away offers a great selection of entertainment.
If you want to stay in Arundel for a couple of nights then there is a great selection of accommodation to choose from including the Norfolk Arms, the Swan Hotel or B&Bs like Arden House and House Arundel all in the town centre. Eat out in fabulous restaurants including The Parsons Table, The Steakist (they even do a Cauliflower steak!) or The Burger Shop – all found right in the centre of Arundel.
The Arundel Festival will be in full swing during August- several days filled with fantastic entertainment. This event just can’t be missed. The Festival was established in 1978 and is more vibrant and popular than ever. With street entertainment, music in the Jubilee Gardens. Pubs and on the streets, the long-established Arundel Gallery Trail, and many other arts and traditional events there is something for everyone.
The Arundel Lido offers 2 outdoor pools and fun for all the family is always a lovely way to spend time when the sun is shining.
Swanbourne Lake has rowing boats to hire, or the Waterside Café has motorboats for hire so you can explore the River Arun. The Arundel Wetland Centre has special events throughout the year and lots of entertainment for the children including pond dipping or a Safari boat ride on their lake to spot the water voles! Mill Road Putting Green & Tea Room nearby has an 18-hole putting course and tennis courts can be hired there.
Arundel Castle has many events on during the summer that provide great entertainment for all the family. Their beautiful garden will be full of colour with plenty to see including the glasshouses, rose garden, stumpery and water features.
If you like to visit gardens, then take a drive to see West Dean or Denmans Gardens. Both unique and quirky they are well worth visiting and still local to Arundel.
Take yourself on a train trip for the day from Arundel Station. A direct link to Amberley, a beautiful village in the South Downs, is only a few miles away. Here you can hire a bike or a boat from the Riverside Tea Rooms. Across the road and right next to the station is Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre. A 36 acre museum dedicated to local industrial heritage with Craftspeople, historic railway and buses, exhibition halls, nature trails, café, shop and more!
Back in Arundel you can get a lovely ice cream from the Moathouse and sit in the historic Jubilee Gardens amongst the ruins of the old Priory and watch the River Arun flowing by.
Treat yourself to an overnight stay in the town centre at the local boutique B&Bs such as House Arundel or The Town House. Or just out of town is the Comfort Inn and further along towards the coast you will find Bailiffscourt or East Beach Guest House opposite Littlehampton Beach. For something a little unusual, the Beachcroft Hotel offers their own luxurious Beach Huts – right next to the sea!
Spend a morning in the town visiting the local independent shops and the Farmers Market held on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Morning coffee or afternoon tea is offered in the many tea rooms and cafes such a Lulamae’s, Belinda’s or the Moathouse.
The Red Lion pub does great food and very often they have live entertainment in the evenings too.
Are you a keen golfer? Drive a short distance from Arundel to have a round of golf at Littlehampton Golf Club – the only true links course in West Sussex, set right next to the sand dunes along the beach. Well worth a visit and is a good test for any standard of golfer.
If less energetic golf would suit you better, there is also an 18 hole putting course at Mill Road Putting Green & Tea Room in Arundel where tennis courts can be hired too. If you stayed overnight at the Avisford Park just a few miles outside town, they also have a golf course in their grounds.
The Boathouse in the Marina just along the road from Littlehampton Golf Course offers a great selection of food available all day. Watch the sun set from its’ outside decking area.
Take the train from Arundel to Amberley and visit the unique Amberley Museum where you can take a ride on a narrow-gauge railway and explore the site in a vintage bus. Across the road is the Riverside Tea Rooms – a perfect place to get some refreshments and you can also hire a bike or a boat from there.
Visiting the town during the Arundel by Candlelight celebrations is an absolute must. Usually held on a Saturday in early December. The whole day is taken up with entertainment and music with the roads in the town centre closed to traffic.
The event provides people with a great opportunity to ‘shop local’ for presents in the many independent shops in the town. Real Christmas trees decorated with simple white lights adorn all the shops, restaurants and pubs, plus many private houses.
This really creates an enchanting day, full of fun and festive cheer; an opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate a memorable day in the run up to Christmas and of course you have to visit Santa in his Grotto in the Arundel Museum!
Spend a day at the Fontwell Park Races and enjoy the fun and excitement at this unique figure of eight track. They often have special themed days including the very popular Boxing Day Meeting or earlier in December is the Festive Jumpers day.
Drive over to the Festival Theatre in Chichester to watch a show. Live entertainment is often available in Arundel from Drip Action Theatre, also there is often live music at the Red Lion and the Brewhouse.
The ducks and wildfowl on Swanbourne Lake will be glad to see you with a bag of corn and a walk around the lake there is always lovely, whatever time of the year it is.
Visit the cosy pubs in Arundel with real log fires like the Kings Arms, the Norfolk Tap or The Swan. All have great beers. Or if you fancy a wintery walk in the South Downs and ending up in a country pub, try The George at Eartham
Digby Fine English has an elegant tasting room in the High Street. Enjoy one of their tasting flights, while learning how they make exceptional English sparkling wine. They also hold special events like blending masterclasses, vertical tastings and sparkling cocktail making.
Stay at the cosy old coaching inn The Norfolk Arms, in the town centre with open fires and great food and drink. Or Bailiffscourt and Spa, just a few miles from Arundel, near the sea, would be a great place to relax and unwind after a busy day out and about.