Arundel brings together castle history and town life with wetlands and birdwatching. Arundel Castle offers views across the South Downs and the River Arun, while the Arundel Wetland Centre focuses on expansive wetlands. The museum, cathedral, festival and market add historical and cultural themes to the mix. When choosing your accommodation, you can consider whether you are particularly interested in the town’s history, nature or an event date.
Castle and Town History
Arundel Castle was built at the end of the 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel. The date and the person who commissioned it give the castle’s history a specific historical context. The views across the South Downs and the River Arun are another feature: the castle’s history and the surrounding landscape are two distinct aspects of Arundel.
The Arundel Museum tells the story of the town, its port, the castle and its residents, covering more than just a single building. The museum also offers a children’s trail. A specific architectural feature of Arundel Cathedral is its rose window, created in 1873 by Hardman’s of Birmingham. The museum and cathedral thus offer different points of interest, from the history of Arundel and its residents to a work with a precise date.
Wetlands and Birdwatching
The Arundel Wetland Centre has extensive wetlands offering a variety of natural sights and sounds. The bird groups specifically named include diving ducks, avocets and redshanks, which live in the walk-through Coastal Creek aviary. Observation hides provide close-up views of birds and wetland wildlife. These features have different focuses: the aviary is home to specific groups of birds, while the hides offer close-up views of birds and other wetland wildlife. Visitors who want to focus mainly on nature will find a different emphasis here than at the museum, castle or cathedral.
Festival, Market and Rowing Boats
The Arundel Festival is an annual ten-day celebration of music, art, theatre, culture, food and drink. If the festival is important when choosing your dates, check the programme dates before travelling. Tarrant Square Market takes place every Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm and offers fresh produce, craft stalls and live music; check the dates and times against your travel plans in advance.
Swanbourne Lodge has 15 rowing boats available to hire at Swanbourne Lake. Availability is seasonal and should be checked before your visit. The festival, market and boat hire therefore follow different schedules: an annual festival, a weekly Saturday market and a seasonal activity. This can help you choose your travel dates without requiring all three offerings to shape your stay.
Getting Here and Routes
Arundel station has direct mainline connections to London Bridge, London Victoria and Gatwick Airport. It is a short walk from the town centre. If travelling by train, check the services and timetables in advance; the connections listed here provide specific starting points for planning.
One route passes through Arundel Castle Park and High Street, then crosses the River Arun and continues to Warningcamp. The route follows a clearly defined sequence: first the park and High Street, then the river crossing and finally Warningcamp. Alongside the individual cultural and nature-related attractions, this provides a named route connecting these places in exactly that order.
Discover more destinations: Wiston, Trotton, Bolney, Findon, Lancing, Worthing, Balcombe, Steyning.
For the broader travel overview: West Sussex.
