Come over the downs from the north and Arundel appears all at once: a castle of grey towers and battlements on a ridge above the River Arun, a French Gothic cathedral beside it, and a steep little town tumbling down the slope to the bridge. It looks almost too much like a film set, and it has served as one more than once.
The castle has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk for most of the last five centuries. It was founded soon after the Norman Conquest, battered in the Civil War and largely rebuilt by the Victorians, which explains its slightly storybook perfection. The cathedral, built for the Catholic dukes in the late nineteenth century, is dedicated to Our Lady and St Philip Howard, an Elizabethan earl who died in the Tower for his faith. Below the town the Arun is tidal, brown and fast, and the wetland reserve on its banks fills with ducks, geese and waders in winter.
For riders the name that matters is Bury Hill. The A29 north of Arundel climbs the South Downs in a run of fast, open bends with views over the Arun valley, and on fine weekends the café at the top roundabout becomes an impromptu motorcycle show. Goodwood, a few miles west, adds the Festival of Speed and the Revival to the area's calendar, when every road nearby fills with machinery of every era and the traffic police are on full alert.
The A27 that skirts the town is notoriously congested, especially in summer, so plan to arrive early or late. Parking a bike in the narrow streets is usually manageable near the river.
Fuel is easiest towards Littlehampton or on the main roads. In town, the tea rooms and pubs on the High Street do a steady trade in walkers and bikers alike; take a table by the window and watch the castle change colour as the light goes.