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November 8, 2013 by: Sunny London

Arundel and a Castle in the Sky

As a city girl, I don’t like to step too far away from London. However, for an opportunity to see a castle in the sky, I make an exception.

This is exactly what I experienced on a beautiful long-weekend getaway to West Sussex.

We started with a drive in our convertible to Arundel, and as we entered the market town we could see the restored medieval castle floating in the sky.

Arundel

Well, maybe it wasn’t “floating,” but the image was breath taking. We certainly don’t have views like this in Florida!

Arundel

Arundel Castle

We checked in to The Swan Hotel, which is located in the heart of Arundel.

ArundelArundel

Our first journey was a walk to one of the local pubs. It provided great “refreshments” after a two-hour drive from North London.

Arundel Black_Rabbit

Once refueled, we began our unprepared exploration through the streets and wandered in to the Cathedral.

Arundel-Castle

Arundel

Arundel

 Arundel-17

For Day 2, we drove through nearby towns Littlehampton and Bognor Regis and had a delicious fish and chips dinner back at The Swan. We saved the castle tour for the morning of Day 3 because the weather forecast was spectacular. Purchasing the Gold Access tickets provides access to everything. If you’re making the trip from London to Arundel, it makes sense to spend few extra pounds for the best tour. When you make the extra 10% charity contribution, you receive double the amount in a voucher that you can use in the coffee shop, restaurant or gift shop.

Arundel

However, you could skip the £1 admission to enter the small zoo in the castle gardens. Since my husband/photographer/driver/tour guide has spent countless hours walking up and down King’s Road with me on shopping expeditions, I figured I could appease his excitement to see meerkats for 10 minutes and went through it with him.

Arundel

Arundel

Next, we entered the Fitzalan Chapel. The gentleman stationed inside eagerly assisted people with their questions and approached us to inquire if there was anything that made us curious. He was a rich vessel of historic knowledge and English pride.

Arundel-Castle

Arundel-Castle

Once inside the castle, which was officially established on Christmas Day in 1067, we were unable to take pictures. Actually seeing the suits of armor and ferocious medieval weapons is mind-blowing. A picture really wouldn’t capture how unsettling it is to stand before a battle axe or cleaving weapon. I was much more at ease viewing the remodeling that the Duke of Norfolk did for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s visit in December of 1846.  This included seeing her bed, the guest book which displays her signature, and her toilet. (Wahoo!)

Finally, we made our way up hundreds of stairs to the Keep. (Girls, skip the heels and break out the flats for this adventure! There are several super tiny spiral staircases.)

After feeling like we had made it to the top of Mt Olympus, we collected pictures of the gorgeous English countryside from every outlook.

Arundel-23

Finally, we descended and made our way back to the car to begin our journey to Midhurst.

I would recommend visiting Arundel to Londoners and all those interested in English history and exquisite scenery. The castle has been in the Duke of Norfolk family for 400 years. Since it still serves as their residence, make sure it’s open to the public before planning a special trip to Arundel.

Also, I’d love to answer questions you have about visiting the area and would appreciate feedback from those who have also visited. If you have any suggestions of similar trips, please share them too!

 

The Charles Dickens Museum and a curious conversation with Nan
Hyde Park, Santa and warm, bubbly water

Comments

  1. Hannah says

    December 14, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    Lovely photos 🙂 You seem like you’re really enjoying living in London! x

    Hannah
    http://www.the-london-blog.co.uk

  2. Sunny in London says

    December 15, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    Thank you, Hannah! I enjoyed reading your great post that included Bea’s of Bloomsbury today. It’s one of my favourite bakeries. They have a nice gluten free selection. The legal battle they are facing with Starbucks right now is really disheartening. Long live the #duffin!

Trackbacks

  1. Midhurst and the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup | Sunny in London says:
    November 22, 2013 at 9:58 am

    […] After enjoying two fabulous nights/days in Arundel, my husband and I drove our convertible to the beautiful town Midhurst, also located in West Sussex. We were a bit curious when this banner greeted us as we pulled in to town… […]

  2. Experiencing More Of London – Brits09 says:
    June 5, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    […] of the world’s best castles and palaces out there such as the Windsor Castle and the nearby Arundel Castle Harry Potter or the Kensington Palace and the nearby Kew […]

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