A relaxing 9¼ km stroll along the beautiful Arun Valley with magnificent views of Arundel Castle. Walking alongside the river, through water meadows and low-lying woodlands gives this route an abundance of wildlife and a spirit of adventure!
Pubs & cream teas
There are two pubs and a tea room that link to this
walk, providing plenty of opportunity for refreshments mid-way and at the
end of the walk.
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The George & Dragon Inn, Burpham
The George & Dragon Inn is a picturesque 17th
century pub at the heart of a traditional Saxon village in the South Downs
National Park. Voted “No.1 Pub to
Walk to” by the Sunday Telegraph and awarded AA Rosettes for its outstanding
food year after year, a warm welcome, stunning food and traditional hospitality
await you.
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The
Bridge Inn, Amberley
The Bridge Inn is a delightful
traditional English Pub, serving well kept real ales and delicious, locally
sourced, home cooked food.
http://www.bridgeinnamberley.com/ |
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Riverside Tea Rooms, Amberley
For breakfast,
lunch or a cup of tea and a slice of cake at the end of the walk, then the
Riverside Tea Rooms are hard to beat. Located on the bank of the River Arun, the
Riverside enjoys fantastic views across the river and south downs.
http://riversidetearooms.co.uk/ |
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The walk
You can open this link to view the Arundel to Amberley
walk in a larger map window or to open the walk on your smartphone in Google Maps.
This is a fully interactive map that will enable you to follow the
route
as you walk and to access additional information such as bus timetables
and
pub or tea room websites, You can use Street View to check features on the route,
for example, to recognise the route on the ground and to identify where
the bus stops are or what to look out for. By activating your phone's GPS you can
identify your location and follow your progress as you move along the route.
Route Description
. 1. Arriving in Arundel by train or by
bus, the walk starts at the railway station access road. Leaving the station
access road, turn left onto the A27 towards Arundel, crossing the busy A27 at
the pedestrian crossing. Continue towards Arundel along The Causeway. At the
top of the steps you will see the first view of the castle.
Arundel
Castle dates back to the 11th century and has undergone
extensive
phases of extension and embellishment throughout its history
Stay on the riverbank as it winds its way
northwards, ignoring the first opportunity to cross the railway line and
continuing alongside the river. Enjoy the spectacular views of the castle, the
cathedral, the water meadows and wetlands as you go. You will pass the Black
Rabbit at Offham, on the opposite bank of the river before the path and the
river turn sharp right, towards the railway line. The Norman church at Burpham
will be visible amongst the trees ahead of you and to the left. Keep a lookout
for buzzards soaring overhead.
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Buzzards
circling on thermals, looking for a meal
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2. Where
the riverbank meets the railway line, follow the field boundary to the right to
reach the railway crossing. Cross the stile and approach the railway crossing
with caution as this is an uncontrolled level crossing. Once across, climb the
stile on the other side and make your way straight ahead across the water
meadow. Cross the stile over the first sluice gate and continue along
the riverbank to the stile at the second sluice gate and then the stile
into the woodland.
Much
of the Arun Valley forms part of a site of
special scientific interest (SSSI)
and is known for its variety of birds and wild fowl
3. Take
the steps ahead of you, up through the woods and onto the plateau. This was the site of a 'promontory' fort that would have been
entered from the north, between two grassy mounds. The site would have been a
defensive position, offering views across the surrounding Arun valley.
Turn left, pass through a gate and walk
straight ahead passing the cricket pavilion. The George & Dragon Inn is
directly ahead of you.
On leaving the pub, follow the road round to
the left and then to the right, passing the Norman church. Alternatively, you
can walk through the churchyard. Continue along the road until it takes a sharp
right hand turn. Cross the road and walk along the public bridleway straight
ahead, alongside the farm buildings and the hedge. Follow the bridleway past
fields and down into trees.
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Poppies in a
meadow overlooking the Arun Valley
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4. After
entering a belt of trees, ignore the first footpath to your left and climb the
stile to the 2nd footpath, beneath a chalk cliff face. The path
follows a drainage channel across the meadow to a stile and over the sluice
gate into the woods. Turn right into a low-lying, marshy woodland.
5. Leaving
the woodland, cross the stile and turn left to join a public bridleway across
an area of chalk grassland, and up to the road.
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Wild
flowers in chalk grassland
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Cross
the road, bearing left and then immediately down the other side of the road, to
where the bridleway continues through the opposite hedgerow and into the woods.
At the end of the bridleway re-join the road, turning right and then left onto
a footpath just beyond the cottages.
6. Follow
the path along an embankment between two drainage ditches. Follow the path
through the woods. Climb the stile at the edge of the woods and turn right
along the riverbank. Climb a further stile and continue along the riverbank. As
you approach Houghton Bridge you will notice the remains of chalk quarries on
the South Downs escarpment. Also, keep your eyes peeled for heron!
Go over a stile and across a footbridge, a
final stile and right onto Houghton Bridge. The bridge was erected in 1875 but is built in the medieval tradition.
The traffic can be heavy along this road so you should approach this with
caution and shelter in the recesses to let traffic pass.
The
Riverside Tea Rooms are located at the end of the bridge or, take the first
turning on the right, signposted to North Stoke, and The Bridge Inn is directly
in front of you.
To find
Amberley railway station, follow the road from the bridge under the railway
bridge and turn immediately right.
Getting There & Away
Stagecoach Coastliner 700 provides regular services from Brighton*,
Hove*, Shoreham*,
Worthing* and Littlehampton*, Monday – Sunday.
Compass Bus84/85 provides services to Arundel from Worthing*,
Chichester*, Billingshurst and Pulborough* at various times through the day, Monday – Saturday.
* Bus services connect to the national
rail network at Brighton, Hove, Shoreham, Worthing, Littlehampton, Chichester
and Pulborough.
Arundel and Amberley are both on the Arun Valley line; Arundel is served by two trains per
hour, Monday to Saturday and Amberley by one train per hour. The Arun Valley Rail Line provides a link between the
Sussex coast and Gatwick Airport to London and beyond, crossing right through
the centre of the South Downs National Park. It provides rail access to Pulborough, Billingshurst, Horsham and Crawley and links to the south coast line
for services from Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham, Havant, Littlehampton,
Bognor Regis, Worthing and Brighton.
For journey planning to and from the walk please use the following tools provided by Transport Direct
For directions to arrive at the start of the walk (Arundel, West Sussex) by public transport
For directions on leaving the end of the walk (Amberley, West Sussex) by public transport
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