Arundel - one of England’s great hidden gems

With the days being shorter and the weather colder it is nice to have something to look forward to. With this in mind we decided a weekend away would be a great idea. We wanted somewhere which was full of character, with plenty of heritage, beauty, and was relatively unknown.

The place we finally settled on was Arundel, a historic town which lies at the heart of the picturesque South Downs in Sussex and is dominated by a stunning Norman castle and Gothic cathedral.

We stayed at Arundel House a small cosy quality assessed restaurant with bedrooms. The place was beautifully designed, with a strong warm homely feel -which not only came from the genuine welcome we received, but also from the way the hotel was decorated "like a dream home", with attention paid to the smallest of details. We were even given a key to the front door, so that we could come and go as we pleased.

Once we checked in we set out to explore Arundel. Unfortunately the Castle we wanted to visit which dated back to the 11th century was closed for the winter, so we took the opportunity to visit the Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre instead. The centre is set in over 60 acres - with ponds, lakes and reed beds, offering a fantastic day out for seeing and learning about wetland birds and wildlife in their natural environment. You can even feed the ducks which was wonderful, bringing back child hood memories of my grandparents taking us to the park to feed the ducks.

That evening we ate in the hotel restaurant – the food was out of this world. Normally we are not the biggest of eaters, but the food was so amazing that we felt we had to finish it. We even ordered the dessert platter which had 6 different desserts to share.

The next day after a wonderful hearty full English breakfast we left Arundel and drove to the seaside town of Littlehampton which was a short drive away. Living in London we were eager to see the sea and breath in the fresh sea air. Whilst the beach as you would expect in winter was empty except for a few dog walkers - it was wonderful to just be able to walk along the beach and look out to sea. Even in winter the beach still offers a relaxing and wonderful experience.

We had such a brilliant time that weekend that we are now planning our next weekend away - this time to Bath. Let us know your favourite places in England to visit during the winter and also any places you suggest we visit in Bath.

For more information about Arundel and its surrounding areas visit http://www.enjoyengland.com/where/destinations/south-east/west-sussex/arundel.aspx

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[Richard Jennings]

Anyone interested in visiting Arundel might like to learn more about the town and its residents at www.arundel.tv
The community TV channel has programmes about all aspects of the town, from its history to its current attractions.