Ducks, Boats, and Dogs: An Afternoon at Swanbourne Lake in Arundel
- Magda
- Jun 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 7
Everyone (at least in the South East) knows Arundel for its strikingly majestic castle, but the town has so much more to offer for adults and children alike. We headed over to find out if Swanbourne Lake is worth adding to your S.E.A. goals.
At a glance
The Vibe: A circular, easy walk around a beautiful lake, boats, ducks and ice creams.
Boats for hire: £5 per adult, £4 per child (Pay cash by the lake or by card in the café).
Parking: Limited free parking on the road, or paid parking at the Mill Road car park (BN18 9PA).
Toilets: Free public toilets by Mill Road car park, or 20p (cash) by the Swanbourne café.
Food: The Swanbourne Lodge Tea Room serves standard breakfast and lunch options, plus there is an ice cream van on site.
An honest review
Swanbourne Lake is one of our favourite places for a relaxed family afternoon. Depending on what you want to do, it can be completely free, or you can pay for a few additional activities.
First things first, though: how to get there and, more importantly, how to park, as it can be a bit tricky! The easiest option is to park at the huge Mill Road car park opposite the castle. There are public toilets there, and it’s a great base to explore the whole of Arundel. Parking costs between £2.50 and £5. (Tip: If you’re visiting in autumn, there is a brilliant horse chestnut tree next door by the Arundel Museum if you have a conker-obsessed child!).
From the Mill Road car park, it’s an easy, straight 20-minute walk to the lake. However, there is a section of the walk where the pavement disappears, meaning cars and people have to navigate over a narrow bridge and road together. This always gives me a minor heart attack, so have your wits about you and keep the kids close because it can be a bit scary out there. You can also try to find a parking space on the road right by the lake (though it gets very busy on a sunny weekend). If you’re one of the lucky ones, it’s a very short walk to the water, though you will be walking on the road or navigating nettles on the verge, so it's still not ideal.
Once you’re safely by Swanbourne Lake, though, all the stress of parking and trying not to get run over melts away. The lake is truly stunning. You can hire rowing boats for 30 minutes. They didn’t seem particularly strict on the timing, but 30 minutes is more than enough as you can't actually row around the entire lake anyway. We managed to go around the accessible part twice in that time - mostly rowing very poorly and getting stuck in a tree. The tickets cost £5 per adult and £4 per child, and dogs are welcome on board! It was good fun, although the novelty wore off pretty quickly for the Chief Adventurer, who insisted on doing the rowing (hence the tree incident).
After our boat trip, we headed off to feed the ducks. I always make our own mix at home, but you can buy duck food from the café or the ice cream van for 50p a bag.
You can then head out on a circular walk around the water. It’s hard for me to judge exactly how long it takes because we take a million detours to look at trees and pat every single dog we pass, but it’s a lovely, chilled walk even if you aren't particularly fit. When you get back to the main entrance and fancy some refreshment, you can choose either a drink and an ice cream from the van, or a sit-down meal in the Swanbourne Lodge Tea Room, which is situated in a beautiful Grade II listed building.
A visit to Swanbourne Lake isn't a full day out in itself, but on a sunny afternoon, you can easily spend two to three hours here. It’s a brilliant add-on to another trip in Arundel (like the Wetlands, cathedral, lido, or museum; though skip adding it to the castle, as Arundel Castle really needs a whole day to be fully enjoyed!). It also works perfectly as a standalone trip if you live nearby and just want to get out of the house.
Top Tips for your S.E.A. goal
Duck Dining: Pack your own duck food or buy it on site. Remember, bread is bad for ducks!
Check the forecast: This is definitely best enjoyed on a sunny day. If it has been raining, wellies are an absolute must for the muddy paths.
Bring spare change: Make sure you have a 20p coin to pay for the toilet near the café.
Stay safe on the water: Ask for a life jacket for the little ones (and yourself!) before you head out on the boat trip.
Have you visited Swanbourne Lake? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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