England: Romantic Sussex Castle Stay

By arrangement, the casual hosts will make the 3-minute run in their Land Rover to the usually deserted local train station, scoop you up, and take you back to the cozy warmth of their small 20-guest room castle.

Overnighting in this authentic castle, furnished with tapestries and suits of armor, offers the opportunity to experience first-hand the regal side of England. Lived in by bishops, trashed by Cromwell's soldiers, and once owned by Queen Elizabeth I, this 14th-century castle is being restored by its present owners. Today peacocks stand sentry inside the walls, and guests can play croquet in the grass-covered dry moat outside the walls.

Ideally, a visitor books in for two nights. This permits time to experience the castle's refined cuisine one night in the barrel-vaulted Queen's Room Restaurant, where service includes Wedgwood china and Dartington crystal and where in season fresh lavender allium balls grace the table. On another night you can enjoy an informal pub dinner in the tiny village outside the castle's walls. Two nights also allows for a full day to explore the nearby village of Arundel.

West Sussex, where Amberley Castle is located, is an unknown area even for Brits. While many guests come here to celebrate a special occasion, others come just to be refreshed by a quick "break"--as the locals call a mini-vacation. In slower months, a value-priced package includes dinner, bed, and breakfast.

On-property activities available by advance reservation include archery, falconry, and horseback riding. Recently a new all-weather tennis court and stocked fishing lake were added, and an 18-hole putting course opens on June 1.

Off-property pleasures include hiring a cab for the approximately 10-minute "castle run" into Arundel to shop for antiques and to tour the majestic castle there that is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Norfolk. This charming village seems like something out of Masterpiece Theatre. When we sat down for tea at Belinda's, I half expected Miss Marple to walk in. Too bad for her that she didn't, because she missed some really good oat cakes (or "flap jacks") and a spectacular sponge cake filled with cream and preserves.

Just outside the castle gates, the tiny village of Amberley provides more diversion. Thatched-roof cottages with gorgeous gardens, a shop selling ceramics made on the premises, and a pub providing cozy refuge from a drizzle are all within a few minutes' walk. A crumbling old Norman church with a picturesque cemetery popular with painters completes the idyllic picture. The rest of the area surrounding the castle is mostly posh fields of tall, soft grass and miles and miles of farmland.