Arundel and the Arun: River, Valley, Downs and Town

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Lowland and Hill Walks
Apr 20
2019

16 people attending

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£10.00
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21 km / 13-14 miles. There are some considerable hills to climb.

A great walk for Easter, and a chance to get away from the stresses of life, and out into the fresh air of Sussex, with some notable buildings, settlements and landscapes to see. 

We'll walk from Arundel town, into the hills via Burpham, then climb gradually up on to the South Downs way, which gives some stunning views on a clear day, with Surrey to the north, and the English Channel to the south. From there we'll meander along the ridge, then the river and up into Arundel Park. From there towards Arundel Park, and the town for some sight seeing and a pint. 

The sights: 

Burpham: A lovely, romantic, sequestered village of unaffected flint cottages and barns. St Mary's Church is solid, substantial Norman and Angevin, 1100 to 1220.

Arundel: A very English town close to, but very un-English at a distance, with castle and pinnacled cathedral at either end of a ridge and mellow brick houses tumbling down to the river. A prosperous, immaculate and now quite chic place with antique shops and fine restaurants aplenty.

Arundel Castle: To a 12th-century keep and bailey were added enormous mock-medieval walls and buildings between 1890 and 1903. 

Church of St Nicholas: Built in 1380 in perpendicular gothic. Unique in the country for being both an Anglican parish church and a Roman Catholic chapel.

Arundel Cathedral: The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Philip Neri was built by the 15th Duke of Norfolk at his own expense in 1871-3. Impressive at a distance, forbidding close to, but giving Arundel its dramatic Mont St Michel-like outline.

Hiorn's Tower: The Tower is a habitable folly from 1790. It has a triangular shape with octagonal corner turrents and chequerboard stone and flint facings. A little run-down but a famous landmark.

Arundel Park: This is the landscaped grounds of the castle but also an SSSI, consisting of oak woodland and open chalk grassland. A superb view is to be had over and beyond a broad dry valley.

Food and Drink

Please bring a packed lunch, as there are very few shops en-route. Bring some cash for food and a pint at the end of the day in one of Arundel's historic pubs. 

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