We had the privilege to spend at Afternoon at Arundel Castle
recently and what a lovely time we had. Our 11 year old JJ was away at camp,
which was a shame as I know he would have loved the rich history of this castle
and the super living history we observed as part of the castle siege
weekend.
Do it was just my husband, myself and our 7 year old twin
daughters who got to experience this super event. We spent about four hours at
the castle and in the grounds and didn't get to see it all, so it really is a
place where you can spend the whole day with the family, especially when there
are events on, like the castle siege we attended. I see there are lots of
different events and I particularly fancy the jousting in July but sadly we are
already away at that time.
The cost for entry to the castle siege was £51.00 for a family
ticket and this would have allowed all five of us entry. I think this price is
really good value, much better than many other attractions we have visited
before and if we had visited on a day where there was not a special event it
would have only been £45.00.
The castle siege event had different features through tour the
say and the main ones like the siege repeated twice in the day, which was good
as it gave us flexibility in when to attend. We watched the guns display, the
castle siege and looked round the shops and camp area first, this took us about
an hour and a half but many people had blankets and picnics and I imagine they
had settled down in their family and friends groups for the day.
I love that this event felt so intimate, at no point were we
crowded with people on all sides, there was room to sit, stand or walk round
and always with a good view. There was also plenty of opportunities to have
your photo taken with those in character and all the living history actors I
spoke to were friendly and knowledgeable.
We headed into the castle and it was interesting to see the
changes between the more modern castle and the medieval parts. I loved the walk
up to the keep and even a scardy cat like me was able to go right to the top
and enjoy the wonderful views, despite the tiny spiral staircases.
Inside the castle we saw bedrooms, bathrooms, formal rooms, an
armoury and much more. My favourite was probably the banqueting hall which was
housing loads of crests of the Knights of the Garter. It was a joy to hear my
excitable children asking questions of practically every guide we met and they
were all so enthusiastic and knowledgeable, helping the girls understand just a
little more of British history. Sadly you are not allowed to take any photos inside the castle, which almost broke my heart as it is so glorious but you'll just have to go along to find this out for yourself.
We only spent a short time in the castle gardens, attracted in by
the wonderful church bells and the fabulous views of the cathedral. This really
is a little piece of bliss and I was sorry the sky was clouding over and it was
time to go home. Next time I go back I'll be armed with my macro lens and a few
hours to enjoy photographing all there is.
We didn't get to try out the coffee shop or restaurant as they
were closed by the time we got there (4.30pm) so we will save them for the
future. We did visit the shop, which had great variety and I was able yo buy
some fudge for 90p and London key friends for £1.99.
In all we had a superb time at Arundel a Castle and would not
hesitate to visit again.
Disclosure: we were given complimentary entry to the Castle Siege event in exchange for a honest review of our time.
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