Length: 21.0 km (13.1 mi) [shorter
walk possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 237m
Net Walking Time: ca.
4 ½ hours
Toughness: 4 out of 10
Take the 09.35 Bognor Regis train from Victoria (09.42 Clapham
Junction, 09.53 East Croydon, arrives Arundel 11.02. Return
trains: xx.22 and xx.52.
There are many attractive walking routes where the River
Arun cuts through the South Downs from Amberley to Arundel and much of this
walk will be familiar to those who know the classic Arundel to
Amberley walk (1–32). The walk starts along the eastern bank of the river
and then goes over some low hills into the small village of Burpham
(pronounced Burfem). It then returns to the river for a long clockwise
loop via South Stoke to the lunchtime stop at Houghton Bridge, near
Amberley station. After an undemanding stroll down the river valley via North
Stoke and Offham, the walk enters Arundel Park. A stretch alongside
Swanbourne Lake and a gentle climb to the top of the landscaped parkland is
followed by a descent through the attractive hilltop town of Arundel,
its skyline dominated by the massive castle, the principal seat of the Dukes of
Norfolk, and the ornate Roman Catholic cathedral.
Walk Options:
For a shorter afternoon leg you could return from Amberley station, next
to the main lunch stop at Houghton Bridge. The full Alternative Walk
reverses the ending of Walk 1–32 with a loop across the water meadows to
the picturesque village of Amberley, but you could substitute a visit to
the open-air Amberley Museum or simply head straight to the station.
The other method of shortening the walk cuts out the entire loop between
South Stoke and Houghton Bridge. For variety this Short Circular Walk
takes a different route back down the Arun valley, rejoining the Main Walk for
the final stretch through Arundel Park into the town. In both cases you could
take a shorter ending along Mill Road into Arundel, cutting out the
climb through Arundel Park.
Lunch: The Bridge Inn in Houghton
Bridge (11.3 km, food all day, phone 01798 831 619).
Tea: plenty of options
in Arundel. For details
consult the webpage or the pdf.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos, a
video and gpx/kml files click here . t=swc.100
3 comments:
Keep an eye on the weather forecast for this one. On Monday evening a BBC News report on flood warnings in the south of England had some drone shots of flooded meadows around Pulborough and Amberley. The river levels are falling now but after the River Arun has overflowed its banks the paths on top of the embankment will be very gloopy.
If you do go to Arundel and find the posted walk infeasible you could walk up through the town and devise a walk around Arundel Park. There are plenty of nice paths on this high ground which shouldn't be affected.
Of course if you wanted to do a slightly less ambitious walk avoiding the waterlogged river area you could always walk the Amberley to Arundel walk and take the quiet side roads from Burpham to Arundel after lunch . It would be possible to have lunch in Burpham at the George and Dragon pub .However this pub has gone a little up market .It is owned by a consortium of local residents. You would probably need to book if having a meal Jane
Posted on behalf of an attendee:
Four met at the station. One who had taken an earlier train was also seen briefly by one of the walkers en route, so N=5. (W=Sunny presumably? - Ed)
The going was muddy except near the Bridge Inn where the water was ankle deep - at which point one sensible walker took to the road leaving the other three to swim and arrive 30 min later (having kindly called the pub to ask them to say they were going to be late). The Bridge Inn was fully booked - which the hostess said was a regular occurrence.
At this point one walker bailed and took the train from Amberley leaving the other three to walk back to Arundel.
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