Arundel
Arundel is a small hillside town built up around its castle, with narrow streets that climb steeply from the River Arun towards the walls above — most of it walkable in an afternoon, but worth staying over for the setting alone.
Arundel Castle has stood on the same site since shortly after the Norman Conquest and has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, the Fitzalan-Howard family, for centuries — it remains their private residence, with parts of the castle and grounds open to visitors for much of the year. The castle dominates views of the town from almost every angle, sitting above the rooftops on its motte. A short walk below it, Arundel Cathedral — properly the Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard — is a striking Gothic Revival building completed in the late 19th century, built for the Catholic Dukes of Norfolk and still very much part of the town's skyline alongside the castle.
The river and the town
The River Arun runs along the bottom of the town, tidal at this point and lined with a scattering of boats, and it's what originally made Arundel a working port before the railways changed the local economy. The town itself is small and easy to navigate on foot, with steep lanes connecting the riverside to the high street and the castle above.
Where to Stay in Arundel
- Norfolk Arms Hotel — a Georgian coaching inn on the High Street, in the shadow of the castle.
- The Swan Hotel — a refurbished 18th-century inn on the High Street, a minute's walk from the castle.
- House Arundel — a boutique bed and breakfast in a Grade II listed High Street building.
- Premier Inn Arundel — on Crossbush Lane, a five-minute walk from the railway station.
- Avisford Park Hotel — set in parkland between Arundel and Chichester.
Getting there
Arundel has its own railway station, a short walk from the town centre, on the line between London Victoria and the coast at Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. The South Downs rise immediately to the north, making Arundel a reasonable base for combining a town stay with time on the Downs.