Your dream day. You have 24 hours in your local area, what would you do?
This was a difficult one to write about as there is sooooo much we could see and do.
We're making the most of our 24 hrs, we’re not going to get much sleep, so best you go to bed early the night before.
We’re up early and heading off to Petworth to join up with the British School of Ballooning. A sunrise balloon ride awaits us whisking us up to 2000ft above the Sussex Weald. The view is tremendous, it could not have been a better sunrise. We can see across the whole of Sussex, the South Downs are gently undulating beneath us, rolling into the English Channel. Looking north we can just about make out London waking up from it’s slumber.
We land with a thump and are whisked back to the take off field and the car. We drive down into the charming town of Petworth and find a little cafe for our belated breakfast, tucking into a traditional English eggs and bacon. Once finished we head off to Petworth House, an important and historic 17th century stately home with grounds sculptured by Capability Brown. Here we have a look around at how the other half lived and how it was captured in Turners paintings for posterity.
As lunch approaches we head off in the direction of another charm filled town, Arundel. On the way we marvel at the beauty of the South Downs and the small hamlets that litter the route, spying out an appropriate pub for our lunch time indulgence. Perhaps this will be the George and Dragon in Houghton Village, where Charles II stopped off once for a bite to eat. Tucking into the delicious food and drinking a pint of ‘Sussex’ Ale from Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes (assuming they have it available...)
We head into Arundel Town marvelling at the Cathedral and Castle jostling with each other for the skyline and our eyes. Time to explore this small town, it’s twittens, said Cathedral and said Castle. The afternoon is fast closing in on us and the evening beckons. Where to now? Time to head to another historical place, the city of Chichester, the old Roman town of Noviomagus Reginorum and just in time to have a quick meal in one of it’s delightful restaurants before heading to the acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre for a showing of a Shakespearean play. The play is done and so are we, let’s head home, but, perhaps, if there is time, stopping at one more little country pub for a last drink.
What a wonderful day out in Sussex. To be repeated many times over with many other towns and villages, historical houses, castles and restaurants means of viewing this wonderful county.
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