We were looking at the weather about a week ahead and were quite excited to see that the weather was looking great for this weekend. So we discussed where to go and Sue suggested Arundel (I was pushing for Tom’s field in Dorset). She persuaded me and so I did. a chat GPT search for a good campsite within walking distance to the town.
What a result, a pub , The Ship and Anchor, 3 miles walk along the river from the Castle and a campsite literally 50 yards from the pub. So we booked it.
We set off on Friday after a late lunch, battled through the Chichester roundabouts and got to our spot shortly after 1pm ready to check in for a relaxing afternoon doing nothing! We went to the pub for a couple of beers. I was delighted that they had Hogs Back T.E.A and Timothy Taylor.. 2 of my favourites… so I had to have 2 pints. We then retired to the van, had a van standard meal of fried halloumi, home made hummus, crisps, crudities and cous cous.
We watched RATW on the laptop before retiring for the evening.
It was freezing. I had to sleep with a blanket wrapped around my head.
We awoke to another lovely day and after a cup of tea ventured out to find that the campsite was having its monthly classic car meet up. I was stunned to see a type 1 Fiesta , which was the first car I ever owned. I had the classy gold 1.3s version! It was great to wander around and have a look at them and a few little chats.
We set off on our 3 mile yomp along the river at about 10am. The campsite guy said it was a nice walk but half of the time you appear to be heading away from the town as the river meanders around the “old” flood plains. I say old as the river now has large re-enforced banks, so that the old flood plains can be used for agriculture. It was a lovely flat walk with an ever changing view of the magnificent Arundel town.
When we finally got to the town it was time for a coffee and cake!!! We wandered along the street parallel to the river and found a nice cafe with very tasty cake.
We then strolled along to the castle (the entrance is at the bottom of the hill, not the top!!!! ) and got in the queue. Considering it is £31 per person I was surprised at the queue, which was pretty long. I think the castle probably takes a lot of upkeep as it was looking in great condition. It is still privately owned by the Duke of Norfolk. We even paid the £2 extra to see the bedrooms…. not sure I would bother… you could get half a coffee for that 😱. I think the pictures tell the best story…. especially with the sky that we had!
The next part of the visit was to the gardens. I think they won Stately home gardens of the year. They were very impressive. We had a pleasant hour or so wandering about, before trudging back along the river to the pub.
When we got back we chilled out and finished off the hummus, crisps and crudities all washed down with an alcohol free beer. We were wating in the pub that night. I think they had had a bit of a busy day as half the menu was not available. So we plumped for burger and chips. There was a singer later on so we stayed for an extra pint before getting back to the van for a good nights sleep. 
As we were only 20 miles from Brighton we decided to go and visit Sam for lunch on the Sunday. While it is only 20 miles, it is probably the slowest 20 miles to travel in the country… about 45 minutes, and that is not down to my driving.
We parked up straight outside his block and went up for a cup of tea. We then wandered around his private garden and then queued for a roast lunch of beef short rib. We got a prime spot after queueing for about 15 minutes at the Reading Rooms. I have to say I was very impressed with the food. The beef was the best I have tasted for a very long time!
After that we had a walk and an ice cream (thanks Sam) and then drove home.
The weather was fantastic and we have a little of an over abundance of pictures. Enjoy!