Arundel Park
Children will enjoy the boating lake, ducks, a ‘mini castle’ and ice-creams on this walk.
The landscape of Arundel Park
The Basics
Time: 30 mins around the lake, or 1 hour with the tower
Distance: 2 km for just the lake, or 3.8 km with the tower
Terrain: Well surfaced paths around the lake. Steep with some steps to the tower and a kissing gate.
Pushchair: Yes, although if you want to get it to the tower you will need to negotiate one kissing gate and some wide steps.
Dogs: Yes, but should be on leads between March and September to protect the birds.
Refreshments: Swanbourne Lodge Tearooms, set in a historic stone building, who also run the rowing boat hire and ice-cream kiosk
Toilets: Next to the tea room with a turnstile and 20p charge
Parking: Free parking can be found along Mill Road and if there are no spaces, there are pay and display car parks closer to the town centre (Postcode: BN18 9PA - W3W: elsewhere/react/comet)
Swanbourne Lake where you can get ice-creams, hire boats, feed the ducks or dine at the tea-room
Arundel is an exceptionally picturesque town with a Medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral standing on the hillside over the river. This walk is just one of many attractions around the town and we highly recommend adding a visit to the castle or the wetland centre to your day out as well as a stroll through the town centre with its many listed buildings and independent shops.
The Route
If you are parking in Mill Road, head along the tree lined pavement in the opposite direction to the town. After going over a bridge, you will begin to see the head of the lake on your left. The pavement will run out for the last 50 metres before you come to the gateway into the park on your left with the recognisable stone building of the café.
Rowing boats can be rented from the café and the grass beside the lake also makes a nice place for a picnic. You can buy ice-creams from the kiosk and children can purchase bird seed for the ducks. To begin the loop, follow the lakeside path in an anti-clockwise direction. Along this first stretch, the path is made of compacted gravel and is easy to navigate.
When you eventually come to a kissing gate, you have some choices to make. To keep going around the lake to your starting point, turn left down the chalky path and continue with the water always to your left. To take a direct, but steep, route up to Hiorne Tower, go left down the chalky path but then go through the gate straight ahead and follow the little worn path up the hill towards the tower. To take a longer route up to the tower that is more suitable for pushchairs (you will need to negotiate two kissing gates and some steps) and has a more gradual gradient, go through the kissing gate and follow the wide chalky path ahead. When you come to a meeting of paths, take the one to your left which rises gently up the hill in the same direction in which you came. At the end of this path, you will come to a gate into woodland. Go through the gate and turn right up some steps. You will emerge in the large open space of the castle park where you can explore the exterior of the tower.
If you took the diversion to the tower, you will need to return by your preferred path and then you can complete your anti-clockwise lap of the lake.
There is a play area about half way along Mill Road which you can easily walk to as an add on to this route.
Did you know?
Hiorne Tower was designed and built in around 1787 by architect Francis Hiorne in a response to The Duke of Norfolk’s request to see an example of his building style. The Duke was planning on refurbishments to the castle, but ultimately, he did not chose Hiorne for the job. The three-sided tower continues to stand over the valley and was let out as a residential property up until the late 1960s. It now acts as a storage space for the local pony club.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try connecting it to this Arundel walk that follows the river to a destination pub.
