Extra Walk 100a – Amberley Circular via Arundel
Length: 16 km (9.9 miles). Toughness: 4/10.
Or Longer walk, with extra leg back to Arundel: 22¾ km (14.1 miles), 6/10.
10:02 Bognor Regis train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:08, East Croydon 10:18), arriving Amberley at 11:25. If you just miss this, the 10:06 Brighton train is scheduled to overtake it, giving you a sporting chance of catching it at Gatwick Airport. Buy a return to Amberley.
Return trains from Amberley are hourly at 20 minutes past, up to 21:20 (or 15 minutes past from Arundel, if you return from there).
This walk in the Arun valley includes a fairly stiff climb onto the South Downs near the start, but gets progressively easier throughout the day. There's a choice of lunch places in the interesting town of Arundel, with its imposing castle and large churches. The second leg takes a gently undulating route through the low hills on the other bank of the Arun, ending with the choice of a riverside tearoom or pub near Amberley station.
If the afternoon cuppa has revived you and it's a nice evening, you might be tempted to extend the walk to Arundel (again) with an undemanding route down the centre of the valley, the full walk's third leg. If you stay on for dinner in one of the town's restaurants, however, note that the last train back (9.15pm) is earlier than usual this Sunday. [You'll also need to buy a single from Arundel to Amberley to supplement your Amberley ticket, but this combination is actually cheaper than buying a return to Arundel in the first place].
You'll need to print the directions from the Extra Walk 100 page. T=swc.100.a
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n=11 walkers had seen plenty of threatening grey clouds on the train but the day turned into perfect walking weather: w=dry-and-partly-sunny-with-a-light-breeze. The riverside path near the start had a nice gloopy consistency but stacks of wooden planks lying around hinted that future mudlarks might not get the same enjoyment out of this stretch. At Arundel Castle a steady stream of arrivals for a T-20 cricket match suggested that the town might be overcrowded, but the pubs were no busier than usual and the Red Lion served the three pub lunchers its usual excellent fare.
The afternoon stretch takes in some little-used footpaths and one in particular might make good training for anyone contemplating an expedition to the Amazon rainforest; none of us had brought machetes but I think we all made it through. There was plenty of time for tea and cake at the Riverside Café before the 17:20 train, with (as far as I know) no-one opting for the third leg back down the valley. No problems with Southern's ongoing dispute with its drivers, thankfully.
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