Saturday, 17th September was a cold and windy day but we were off to Arundel Castle to meet up with Old Scholars for our Annual Summer Outing. There were only six of us, plus several family and friends. What we lacked in numbers we made up for in enthusiasm. We were driven up to the entrance for disabled people in an electric buggy and, when we were all in the Castle, we then had to go up in a Victorian lift! However I had to change to a narrower wheelchair as my own could not negotiate the narrow lift. There was much to see in all the rooms and there were a lot of visitors in each room which made manoeuvring buggies and wheelchairs tricky. The staff were very helpful and cheerful. The Dining Room was very sumptuous, the table being laid for a meal. All the dishes and plates, cutlery and table ornaments were silver. The heir to the Dukedom, had recently been married and there were 200 guests at the wedding. I'm glad I didn't have to do the Guest List and catering! As the Restaurant was a bit pricey we took a packed lunch to eat in the gardens. We found a lovely carved bench to sit on but it was so chilly in spite of the sun making an occasional appearance. After our lunch we wandered around the formal gardens where there are rills tumbling down over steps ,creating lovely cooling sounds. The formal gardens were rather Italianate in style and the border planting was similar too. We then discovered a different section of the gardens - more English in its style and planting. There was also a section of natural meadow garden and borders with late colourful dahlias. Next we found the vegetable section with some fun scarecrows. The produce from this is sometimes used in the Castle for meals and sometimes sold in Arundel's Farmers' Market. After a lovely wander in the gardens we were thoroughly chilled so repaired to the Cafe just for a cup of tea. I sat and waited for Richard and my daughter to visit the Keep. This is the oldest section of the Castle and not accessible to disabled people. All in all we enjoyed our day in spite of the chilly weather. Janet Wilkins, Chairman