 |
| Rows of autumn splendour at Cowdray Estates, West Sussex |
At last it's here. Or not.
As this blog post will show, autumn has indeed arrived in south-east England - at least in terms of colours. However I am still miserably awaiting autumn weather. Here we are, about to head into November, and every day we have temperatures in the mid-to-high teens, with overnight pretty much the same.
At least this week has seen a couple of foggy mornings, but honestly - I am so fed up with wearing the same summer / early autumn clothes, particularly after such a lengthy summer. Attention weather gods: Give us some goddamned frost! Send us some chilly days!
 |
| Winkworth Arboretum |
 |
| Strawberry Tree at Winkworth Arboretum |
 |
| Tunnels of... gold-green |
 |
| A blaze of gold at Winkworth Arboretum |
 |
| Belted Galloway on Ranmore Common, Dorking |
Despite my dissatisfaction with the mercury we have been heading out to make the most of the autumn colour, both locally and slightly further afield.
Cooper beeches, maples, oaks, ash, sumachs and the occasional dazzling display of virginia creeper - I love them all.
 |
| The parish church at Holmbury St Mary |
 |
| The church tower, Holmbury St Mary |
 |
| Autumn funghi at Leith Hill |
 |
| Yes, folks - that's a mushroom - with Kevin's hand showing the scale |
Being out and about in the beautiful Surrey countryside is helping me cope with the stresses of my current job because, yes folks, Maree has done it again - managed to find a job in an environment that was supposed to be low-stress, but it has turned out to be anything but.
I am working for a children's charity and although the people are very nice, I joined at a time of fairly major change. Within about a month of me starting the HR department had three people leave (one of whom was not replaced for two months, and another still hasn't been replaced), and another head off on five weeks' leave to get married. My boss also announced her resignation. As the only remaining full-time employee in a team of about 15 people I was burdened with picking up the slack. I'm a very team-oriented person and was more than happy to help out but after nearly three months of working 10, 11 and 12-hour days I have had enough.
 |
| The Five Arch Bridge at Painshill Park, Cobham |
 |
| Treehouse at Painshill Park |
 |
| 'Mellow fruitfulness' - at Painshill Park |
 |
| The view from The Gothic Temple, Painshill Park |
 |
| The Ruined Abbey, Painshill Park |
Last week I reached crisis point but after discussions with two of my bosses I'm hopeful things will now change - they have put in place some measures which have already relieved the pressure a little, so we'll see.
I was encouraged to take a couple of days off last week, to recharge the batteries, and as it's half-term (yes, Kevin is on holiday AGAIN) we decided to head down to the beautiful and historic market town of Arundel.
 |
| Arundel Castle looms over the town |
This lovely West Sussex town is situated in the beautiful South Downs, on the River Arun. I'm sure it's charming in summer and spring too, but the glories of autumn were so impressive I think we picked the ideal time of year to visit.
Arundel Castle is renowned, and with good reason. It is seriously HUGE and looms over the town together with Arundel Cathedral.
Amazing history, beautiful countryside, cute little boutiques, antiques stores, eateries, incredible walking trails... this place has got the lot. It's only about 30km from Brighton and 16km from Chichester, which my readers will remember from a few blog posts ago.
 | |
|
 |
| Pretty pastel houses just one street back from the River Arun |
 |
| How's this for a portico and front door? |
We stayed in a little self-contained Air B&B cottage, situated in the garden of a 500-year-old thatched, box-framed Tudor cottage in Wepham - a small hamlet about five minutes' drive outside Arundel.
So quiet, great views and a cocker spaniel puppy - it was a lovely spot with a large, rambling garden and an ancient well.
We do constantly wonder where these people get their money to be able to afford such properties... do they all have gigantic mortgages and never expect to pay them off completely? Are they all in high-paying city jobs? Did they inherit?
 |
| Looking back towards the town of Arundel from Burpham |
 |
| Our Air B&B accommodation - The Garden Room in Wepham |
 |
| Our accommodation was part of Thomas Cottage - a 500-year-old thatched, box-framed Tudor cottage |
 |
| Our accommodation came complete with Cocker Spaniel puppy |
 |
| The cottage next-door |
We took our time ambling down to Arundel, taking the scenic route through the South Downs.
Arriving mid afternoon, after checking in at the cottage we just mooched around Arundel, looking at the antiques stores and beautiful houses, visiting the tourist information centre and planning a full program of exploration for the following day.
 |
| Avenues of gold in Arundel |
 |
| On top of Arundel Park, high above the town |
 |
| Hiorne Tower, constructed in 1790 |
 |
| Door in Hiorne Tower - see the next photo for detail |
 |
| This door was made for repelling enemies - yikes! |
 |
| The sun came out briefly, illuminating the autumn foliage [photo by Kevin Joy] |
After a leisurely breakfast we happily did about six hours of walking on Friday.
First we took a circular route that ran from the castle to Swanbourne Lake through beautiful woodland, then up a fairly steep climb to Arundel Park which sits above the town, and back down through the town to the castle.
Then we spent three hours exploring the castle and its amazing grounds. We were fortunate to be catching the last of the summer blooms as well as the colours of autumn.
 | |
|
 | |
|
 |
| The Keep, Arundel Castle |
 |
| The view from The Keep, Arundel Castle |
 |
| View from The Keep over the town, with the River Arun in the background |
 |
| Kevin in the Collector Earl's Garden, Arundel Castle |
 |
| Arbour in The Collector Earl's Garden |
 |
| Last of the dahlias in The Collector Earl's Garden, Arundel Castle (with Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard behind) |
 |
| The Dancing Crown Fountain inside Oberon's Palace, Arundel Castle - the crown is supported solely by a jet of water, and it spins around as if by magic! |
Whilst I am hoping not to be living in the London borough of Epsom indefinitely it really is a fantastic location - we are in reach of so many beautiful places, within an hour or two of driving. Will we ever run out of gorgeous towns to visit? It seems not. We've been here well over two years now and there is still plenty to discover.
 |
Until next time,
- Maree xo
No comments:
Post a Comment