England 2026

Thursday, May 14 – Petworth and Arundel

Another reason this is a special trip is that we can, and have, slept in every morning. We cannot remember another time that we have enjoyed this luxury. This could be another reason to return to West Sussex.

We are very much enjoying “The Nook,” our home away from home. The sitting room has an automated fireplace that really heats up the space. I take several photos of the house. 

Our drives through this beautiful, green countryside are special. Often, the trees and hedges form a tunnel over the narrow roads – once so dense that our Rover’s headlights turned on. Occasionally, we get a view of the rolling green hills. There is no room and no time with the traffic to stop for photographs. Speaking of traffic, you have not lived until you meet a giant truck going very fast on what appears to be a single lane road.

We decide to return to Arundel for lunch and to check out the town. I have been using both the Range Rover’s navigation as well as the maps on my iPhone (Only the iPhone shows the restaurant.) Unbeknown to me, I enter Arundel on the Rover’s map and Arundel on the iPhone. These two towns are in opposite directions. Crazy! One map shows we are getting closer, the other farther away. The iPhone map is correct. The lesson is to be more careful before one starts. We are not in a hurry.

The castle was front and center as we entered Arundel. The streets are lined with small shops. After another delightful lunch, we began exploring. There are many hat shops, a barber cutting hair, bookstores and, of course, antique shops. One antique shop had seven rooms on the second level chock full of antiques. The place was very clean and organized – right down Karen’s alley. I bought a “Georg Jensen” pin. Next, I discovered a bookstore that literally had a wall of old aviation books. They did not know how to FedEx, so we confined our purchase to three large, heavy books.

The drive back to Petworth was uneventful. We relaxed and read until bedtime. We felt no need for dinner after our large lunch. Tomorrow is our final day in the English countryside.

Robert