Christmas Festival in Arundel

Earlier in the year Annie & I had visited Arundel in West Sussex to see the impressive castle and have a mooch around the village, which is full of lovely gift shops, galleries, and has some great olde worlde pubs. Whilst there we noticed a flyer for Arundel's annual 'Christmas by Candlelight' festival which was being held in early December on a Saturday that also coincided with my birthday, so we decided it would be a nice cheeky weekend get-away in Big Brig.

So that's what we did!
We left work early on the Friday, and made good time on the drive over to Arundel. We were staying at Manyards Caravan Site just outside of Arundel. Whilst the caravan site won't win any awards, it was functional and ideally located within walking distance of both Arundel village and the local train station. This meant that we could park up and not need to move the motorhome for the whole weekend, which is a bonus. Motorhomes are great for the flexibility of being able to go anywhere, but the downside is that every time you need to drive anywhere you have to ensure everything is packed away in its proper place. Whilst this is never a problem because we try to keep Big Brig nice & tidy, it does mean that you have to plan ahead - you can't just nip down to the shop for a pint of milk; you need to turn off the gas, unplug the electrics, wind up the steadies, close the roof vents, secure everything inside, etc. So having either good public transport connections close-by or being within walking distance of where you want to go is always advisable.

After a quiet night in the van we awoke to a lovely chilled December morning.

A frosty start to a lovely winter's day.

Annie had secretly stashed lots of birthday pressies for me in various cupboards around Big Brig, so after brewing up a cuppa, I set about hacking my way in to reams of wrapping paper & sellotape. As you can see, I was properly spoilt!!!

Cosy in my pit, about to open birthday cards & presents!

Cards galore!

All my pressies!

My favourite present!

After devouring toast & crumpets and another cup of tea for breakfast...

...we headed off into Arundel around lunchtime for the start of the festival. The village was buzzing with people eagerly awaiting the start of the festivities! The main road had been closed off to vehicles, and was full of stalls selling gifts & crafts, and food & drink. The village mayor officially opened the event, and the town crier was on hand to organise proceedings. The local choir sang Christmas carols, and both a brass band and a steal drum band played at various points throughout the afternoon.

Arundel Castle

The brass band

Singing Christmas Carols

After a couple of hours of soaking in the festivities we decided to take a walk along the river to a pub that had been recommended to us. The Black Rabbit is about 1.5 miles from Arundel village centre and is situated on the banks of the river Arun. Being keen to support the local economy we made the difficult decision to have a pint (it wasn't that difficult really!), and proceeded to spend a lovely hour out on the river bank, watching the sun set over Arundel in the west.

Enjoying a pint on my birthday by the River Arun

The sun setting over Arundel Castle

It was nearly dark by the time we left, and the walk back to the village was along a non-lit road, but traffic was light and we soon arrived back to enjoy the remainder of the festival.

In the evening we had another lovely meal in Big Brig, and then walked to the local pub (The Crossbush) for a night-cap!

Our plan for the following day was to catch the train to Chichester, where another Christmas market was being held. The English winter weather wasn't so kind that day, but it didn't stop us! Adorned with umbrellas and warm coats, we trekked off to the station, and arrive in Chichester a little before lunchtime. The market wasn't that great, and the damp weather made traipsing around the town far less appealing, so after a couple of hours we decided to enjoy a lovely Sunday roast at The Fountain before heading back to Arundel & Big Brig.

Annie about to tuck into her Roast Beef at The Fountain in Chichester

Having booked the Monday off work, we enjoyed a leisurely Sunday evening back at the caravan site, before packing up & heading home the following morning, happy in the knowledge that Big Brig had provided us with another wonderful weekend away!