Blue Peter Gardener Chris Collins enjoys a great day out in his home county to pay homage to the Great British picnic and explore what the top three Sussex sites have to offer.


With the snow and the frost finally behind us (fingers crossed), spring is once again in the air and tempting us outdoors to indulge in a range of activities, including resuming our love affair with the Great British picnic. Once again, I have been asked to visit picnic sites, as part of family baker Warburtons Picnic Awards 2009. With ten sites across ten regions, including the South East, all vying for a place in the final I am glad that it’s you, the public, who get to choose, as the competition is stiff.

Going back to my roots, I’m delighted to find out that Sussex is home to no less than three of the UK’s top picnic locations. The stunning landscape is dominated by the beautiful Downs, which form the backbone of the county. Stretching from East to West, the Downs make a formidable site and form the backdrop to many towns and villages from Brighton, the Sussex capital, as I like to think of it, with its cosmopolitan feel and trendy nightlife to my first port of call and an idyllic picnic spot, Eastbourne seafront.

Eastbourne is a slow and gentle moving town, the perfect place to step away from the hustle and bustle of modern life and, as soon as I arrive, I feel myself shifting down a few gears. The seafront is expansive, with large regal hotels and the pebble beach, which retains its original identity and has yet to succumb to all the paraphernalia of modern holiday resorts. The character of the planting beds drifting along the promenade reflects Britain’s eclectic past, with Mediterranean type planting beds containing Palms and Cordyline sitting next to large sweeps of typical Parks Department bedding displays. Today they are like a firework display, spewing out bright colours from tulips, pansies and wallflowers.

Picnic benches are available along the seafront but if you wanted a true seaside picnic venture onto the beach itself. It’s pebbled, which means no sand in the sandwiches! If that doesn’t suit, a large grass expanse with neatly cropped lawn is not too far from the classical Victorian pier and this proves to be a nice sheltered spot, should those sea breezes get too much. For me though, the towering site of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head, back dropped by the mighty Downs, makes this one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country.

My next stop is a small town with astounding beauty and, after many years absence, the power of its first impression is as strong as ever. The sight of Arundel when first encountered with its enormous castle and cathedral towering above everything else certainly does leave a lasting impression. The town itself is straight out of a Famous Five novel and has a relaxing and friendly atmosphere. Why not have a picnic with a difference and visit the Arundel Lido. Nestled on the river and below the mighty castle, this is a rare picnic spot where you can eat your sarnies and pork pies as well as enjoy a dip in a smart and nicely contained outdoor swimming pool…not that I’m encouraging you to do both at the same time! This neat picnic area has the advantage of being well contained, lined with fir trees, so those of you with small children can keep an eye on them while enjoying your surroundings.

Once you’ve finished your picnic, Arundel has much more to offer. The twisting river backed up by native British woodland makes for an excellent walk and, if wildlife is your thing (particularly birdlife), then get a look at the Wetlands Centre. There is even a boating lake and trips down the river if you fancy getting nautical. Arundel tends to be a seasonal town so check to see what and when things are open but, all in all, it’s well worth the visit.

With reluctance, I departed from Arundel and headed for my final picnic destination. Moving in land, I travelled to one of the largest properties owned by the National Trust in the South – the immense Petworth Park. Petworth, like Arundel, is a magical and beautiful village and, in the sunshine, it looks particularly amazing. At its heart is the huge piece of land that belongs to Petworth House. There is 700 acre of pleasure grounds open to the public and plenty of options for the perfect picnic spot. The area is huge and boasts up to a 1,000 deer and two large lakes. The grounds were landscaped by the genius that was Capability Brown and screams traditional British landscape, like a Constable painting in the flesh. This place is perfect for the family as children can run around until their hearts content, a perfect way to tire them out! Its grass is short and ideal for that picnic we all see in films or on the TV (the one with the blanket and picnic hamper and a glass of Chianti). There is even one of the best looking banks for a Roly Poly that I have seen in quite some time.

There is so much space here that I’m sure it would be tempting to while away your day just relaxing but, if you fancy a bit more, there is also the formal gardens and house, which, although cost a small fee, are great to visit. The house contains around 300 paintings, a few undertaken by Turner who was once a resident of the house, plus 200 pieces of sculpture as well as a small Pinetum on the grounds. The Pleasure Grounds consist of 30 acres of woodland garden and include some fantastic veteran trees, like oaks and sweet chestnut. The wildflower meadows are currently under a Bluebell-infused haze of blue and you can also see fritillaria, orchids and anemones there too.

These are just three of the top ten South East picnic sites that I have been lucky enough to visit and they each need your support to win the coveted Warburtons Picnic Award so make sure you have your say! Check out the South East’s top ten and vote for your favourite at www.welovebread.co.uk before Friday 24 April. The lucky winners from each region will be announced during National Bread Week which runs from 4 – 10 May and will then go on to represent their region in the national final. So, get buttering that bread, get voting for your favourite site and get picnicking!