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We travel through the lovely Surrey and Sussex countryside to our first stop on the coast, Brighton. It was a fishing village that became a royal resort and then one of the nation’s great holiday playgrounds; it has something of each of these roles to show the visitor. There is no other town quite like it for its blend of old and new, Georgian grace and down-to-earth modern amenities. The Prince Regent visited the town in 1783, liked it and decided to make a home there. High fashion followed, transforming Brighton into ‘London by the sea’, and the town still retains a singular blend of charm and raffishness in its Regency architecture, antique shops, yacht marina and promenades.
After an orientation driving tour of the town we’ll explore the centre on foot. We’ll first head for The Lanes, which date from the 18th century and follow the street pattern of the original medieval village. These narrow byways are lined with tiny weatherboarded houses that were once fishermen’s cottages. Many of them are now antique shops. They form a quaint enclave close to Brighton Square, a traffic-free modern shopping centre. A few minutes’ walk away leads to the Royal Pavilion, an extravaganza rising from tree-shaded lawns and topped by domes, minarets and cupolas. The Royal Pavilion's lavish interiors combine Chinese-style decorations with magnificent furniture and furnishings. Adorned with gilded dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the Palace's unique style mixes Asian exoticism with English eccentricity. Adorned with gilded dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the Palace's unique style mixes Asian exoticism with English eccentricity.
We tour the rolling South Downs to Steyning - a little gem of a town, which is packed with timber-framed Tudor houses and has a marvelous 12th-century church. Nearby is an Iron Age fort, Chanctonbury Ring, which you may wish to visit.
Then it is on to Amberley. It is often called the "the pearl of Sussex" or " the loveliest village in Sussex" and these terms surely describe this small picturesque village. Amberley is a village of deep-thatched cottages overlooked by an old church and the sprawling ruins of a castle built in 1380.
We wind our way to Arundel, where the castle walls tower over a town of elegant Georgian and Edwardian houses. The massive keep and towers of Arundel Castle, built to defend the valley, have dominated the town since the Norman Conquest. We’ll tour the castle, home of the Dukes of Norfolk for 500 years. Situated in a glorious heavily wooded park, Arundel Castle's treasures include furniture dating from the 16th century, tapestries, paintings, armour and a magnificent library. With its castellated walls and turrets, it is everything a schoolboy imagines an English castle to be. No wonder it was featured in the film The Madness of King George.
Afterwards you may care for a coffee by the log fire in the nearby Norfolk Arms, a fine specimen of a 200-year-old coaching inn. Alternatively, you could decide on afternoon tea in a real 14th Century English castle. The castle is on our return journey to London and you'll be greeted by peacocks and black swans swimming around at the entrance, the magical songs of the doves, the fresh country air and the breathtaking views of ancient architecture.
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