Arundel
Children will enjoy the boating lake, ducks, a tower, a castle, a park and traditional sweet shop on this walk.
The landscape of Arundel Park
The Basics
Time: 1 hr 15 mins (with optional extensions along the river)
Distance: 4.5 km / 2.8 miles
Terrain: Town pavements, well surfaced paths around the lake and Arundel Park. Rougher, muddier paths if you walk along the river.
Pushchair: Pushchairs should make it around the main loop; you will need to negotiate a small set of steps and a wide kissing gate. The river paths are unsuitable for pushchairs, especially in winter.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome, but should be on leads between March and September to protect birds nesting around the lake.
Refreshments: Swanbourne Lodge Tearooms, set in a historic stone building, who also run the rowing boat hire and ice-cream kiosk at the lake or there are a number of refreshment options in Arundel town centre. If you walk along the river, you can add a visit to the riverside The Black Rabbit pub.
Toilets: There are toilets next to the tea room with a turnstile and 20p charge as well as toilets in Crown Yard car park off the main street.
Public Transport: Arundel has a train station from where you can reach the town centre in under ten minutes.
Parking: Free parking can be found along Mill Road and if there are no spaces, there is a pay and display car park at the top of Mill Road (Postcode: BN18 9PA - W3W: ///elsewhere.react.comet)
Swanbourne Lake where you can get ice-creams, hire boats, feed the ducks or dine at the tea-room
Arundel is an exceptionally picturesque town with a Medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral standing on the hillside over the River Arun. This walk passes a number of the town’s attractions as it progresses through the historic town centre, through the castle’s parkland, past Hiorne Tower and down to Swanbourne Lake.
If you want to extend your walk, you can add on a path along the river and visit the destination pub, The Black Rabbit.
The Route
Assuming you parked on Mill Road or walked from the train station, these directions will begin from the roundabout at the top of Mill Road where it meets High Street and Queen Street. Begin by walking up High Street with Moathouse Bakeaway to your left and the Post Office to your right. Continue all the way up High Street, passing The Norfolk Arms and the war memorial.
At the very top of High Street, the road will bend around to your left and you will see a large stone gateway to the castle on your right. Proceed onto London Road and continue as the road flattens out towards the cathedral.
After the cathedral, keep going in the same direction past St. Philip’s Catholic Primary School. Just after the school, take the path that branches away from the road to your right on a grassy bank. When you reach the access road towards the castle, turn right, following the sign towards Fauna Brewing and the cricket ground.
Stick with the paved access road, passing a small parking area and then through the bronze/brown coloured gates into Arundel Park. Continue in the same direction, staying with the paved road until you see a footpath leaving the road on your right, just after a lone oak tree and before the tower. The path will take you across the grass and past Hiorne Tower to your left. Proceed on the path to the corner of the fence and then head under the trees and down the rustic steps. Turn left immediately after the steps, going through the gateway to join the wide track.
Follow the track as it takes you down the valley. At the bottom, where a number of paths converge, take the first right, heading along the valley floor. Proceed until a kissing gate, which you should go through and continue forward towards the lake. Pass the lake on your right and then arrive at the tea rooms. In the summer, you can also hire rowing boats here.
Exit towards the road and then turn right. You will need to walk along the side of the road until you reach the bridge, when you can join a footpath to the left hand side of the bridge. Continue along the tree lined pavement of Mill Road towards the town centre and car parking. About half way along, children will enjoy the play area.
If you want to extend your walk and return along the River Arun, look out for the footpath heading away to your left just at the start of the bridge in step six. This will bring you along a rough path by an off-shoot of the river. At the sluice-gate, turn left to walk to the Black Rabbit pub, which is a popular riverside destination, or turn right to walk along the riverbank all the way to the car park/roundabout at the top of Mill Road where this walk started. From the bridge, it will take you about 20 minutes to walk to the pub or 45 minutes to walk beside the river back to town.
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Did you know?
Hiorne Tower was designed and built in around 1787 by architect Francis Hiorne in a response to The Duke of Norfolk’s request to see an example of his building style. The Duke was planning on refurbishments to the castle, but ultimately, he did not chose Hiorne for the job. The three-sided tower continues to stand over the valley and was let out as a residential property up until the late 1960s. It now acts as a storage space for the local pony club.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try another one with a castle at Farnham Park
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