Summary

Arundel in the South Downs National Park is most famous for its restored medieval castle. This short but varied route takes you up past the castle, into open parkland before heading back to the town along a meandering riverbank.
Difficulty:
Leisurely
Distance:
4.6 miles (7.4 km)
Walking time:
02h 00m
Type:
Circular

Start location

Arundel Museum, Mill Road, Arundel

lat: 50.8540032

lon: -0.5520823

Map

Elevation

Route

1 of 0

Getting there

Arundel Museum, Mill Road, Arundel, BN18 9PA (TQ020070).

Arundel rail station is a 10-minute walk away from the start of the route. By car follow the A27 to Arundel.

Waypoints

1

Starting with your back to Arundel Museum, turn L and walk towards the town centre. At the small roundabout by a bridge go R and cross the road to follow the High Street up through the old town towards the large castle walls ahead.When you reach the castle gates at the top of the hill, follow the road round to the L and walk past St Nicholas’ Church to your R and Arundel Cathedral to your L. Continue straight ahead along this road until you reach a driveway into Arundel Park.

2

Take this R turn and head into the parkland. Once through the burgundy red park gates, follow the wide tarmac path leading gently uphill. Just before you reach the Hiorne Tower, take the public footpath R, crossing the grass beside the 18th-century folly. Cross the track and take the path opposite leading between the trees, which soon descends a set of steps to a gate. Go L through the kissing gate and follow the chalky path ahead. There are glorious autumnal views across the hanger opposite as you walk along this stretch.

3

At the bottom of the path, take the footpath leading R through the valley. When you reach the kissing gate, go through it and keep straight ahead (ignoring a R turn). Follow the stony track as it leads you through the park and past Swanbourne Lake.

4

When you arrive at the cafe by the boating lake, leave the park via the large red gates and turn L to follow the quiet road past the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Arundel Reserve.

5

At the Black Rabbit Pub, turn R and follow the riverside footpath, with a view of Arundel Castle ahead. When you reach a sluice, ignore the two R footpaths and continue through the gate and along the riverbank footpath*. Ignore the next R turn (for a restricted byway) and keep straight ahead as the path follows the meandering River Arun and leads you back to the car park by the museum where the route began.*If the riverbank is muddy after heavy rainfall, you can take an alternative route by following the road back past the Wetlands Centre and Swanbourne Lake. Continue along the road over the bridge and along Mill Lane, which takes you back to the starting point of the route.

Problem with this route?

If you encounter a problem on this walk, please let us know by emailing volunteersupport@ramblers.zendesk.com. If the issue is with a public path or access please also contact the local highways authority directly, or find out more about solving problems on public paths on our website.

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Sharing

Join the Ramblers and enjoy

  • unlimited free access to 50,000 Ramblers group walks
  • a library jam-packed with thousands of tried-and-tested routes
  • a welcome pack teeming with top tips plus our Walk magazine
  • exclusive discounts from our partners
  • knowing your support is opening up more places to walk and helping more people discover the joy of walking