Walk 22 : Amberley to Arundel

14.5 km (9 miles) 4 hours 30 minutes. For the whole outing including trains, sights and meals allow at least 9 and a half hours.

OS Landranger Map No. 197. OS Explorer Map No. 121. Amberley, map reference TQ 026118, is in West Sussex, 9km north of Littlehampton.

5 out of 10

This is a very beautiful and not too strenuous Downs walk which starts with a slow gradual climb amongst a luxuriance of wild flowers throughout the summer months. It takes in the pretty village of Burpham for lunch. After lunch it meanders along the River Arun to Arundel allowing a visit to the castle for those who arrive before 4pm. Arundel is also remarkable for the fact that it contains 5 branches of Peglers, the specialist walking and expedition outfitters with their young and friendly staff.

It is possible to call a taxi from the lunchtime pub in Burpham to Arundel.

Amberley Museum (tel 01798 831370). This is a working museum which has an interesting collection of exhibitions related to bygone crafts and trades. It houses working craftspeople as well as a narrow gauge railway, vintage buses and a cafe.

Arundel Castle (tel 01903 883136). An impressive looking castle which has the unusual distinction of being both an ancient castle and a stately home. Special events are often organised here during summer weekends including Falconry Displays and re-enactments of battles.

Take the train nearest to 9.00 am from Victoria Station to Amberley. Journey Time from Victoria 1 hour 22 minutes. Buy a cheap day return to Arundel.

There is a station car park at Amberley. There are hourly trains back to Amberley daily.

The suggested lunch place is The George and Dragon (tel 01903 883131), Burpham. Please note that this pub stops serving lunch at 2pm so take sandwiches if you think you could miss the deadline. The food is good but a little pricey.

Picnic Virtually anywhere along the route would be a good picnic spot.

There is a wonderful selection of tea places in Arundel. Saturday Walkers might like The Copper Kettle (tel 01903 883679),on Tarrant Street or for people on a tight budget the station also provides tea in polystyrene cups for 30p when the ticket office is open. There is a good selection of pubs in Arundel of which The Swan (tel 01903 882314) is probably the best – the landlord is welcoming and the food appears interesting and tasty.

Start: Amberley Station is near : BN18 9LR. [gmap]

Finish: Arundel Station is near : BN18 9PH. [gmap]

London to Amberley | Arundel to London

The text above was taken from the 2004 edition of the book, and may be a little out of date. Please check the updates for this walk.