Overview
Introduction
Sitting on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Arun, the pretty little settlement of Arundel, England, is punctuated by a cathedral and a magnificent castle (where open-air theater is held during the summer). With its quaint half-timbered buildings, old-fashioned tea shops and rowboats for hire, Arundel is a pleasant place to while away an afternoon. It is located 50 mi/80 km south of London.
The nearby Arundel Wetland Centre is an excellent reserve for water birds, although visitors may also enjoy observing the "twitchers," or bird-watchers—who are themselves an interesting species of English eccentricity.
The picturesque village of Amberley, just to the west, consists almost entirely of thatch-roofed cottages. Petworth House, to the north of Arundel, is worth visiting for its fabulous art collection, which includes a number of early 19th-century Turner landscapes.