A short break to recover from Disneyland Paris! What better than a two centre, two night break, in Guildford and then Arundel. A common theme of both towns is that they are overlooked by brooding edifices, none of which would look remotely out-of-place in Disneyland!

In Guildford, it is the cathedral, started before WW2 and completed some 30 years later. Indeed, this edifice is why we chose to visit Guildford, having seen it in a Guardian article about 20th century architectural marvels… And there it was, on the hilltop, especially impressive in sunlight with dark clouds behind.

A veneer of bricks give it a ‘1950s water treatment works’ vibe, but it is undeniably awesome…

And then inside to where the bricks are changed for monumental stone, surrounding towering heights…

Without the patina and wear of the ages, it may lack warmth as a building, but the space is undeniably impressive. What it must be like to hear that space filled with organ music we can only imagine, but it will be on our radar for a future trip.

Largely clear class windows lend an airy feel, with visual interest added by texturing within the glass to create transient sculpting of light as the sun shines through.

The cathedral is set atop Stag Hill, the local peak of the North Downs. Evidently the air here is relatively clean, to judge from the density and diversity of bark-dwelling lichens and mosses.

But Guildford we found (actually much to our surprise) is much more than its cathedral. We had no idea we would be visiting such a vibrant town, with all sorts of historic buildings, including guildhall and hospital.

A castle as well, set amid a pleasant garden, with spring bulbs and flowering Hazel, including one heavily infested with the mites that case the Hazel Big-bud gall. And on the older walls, mostly chalk from the quarry below, again a range of lichens.

Churches too were interesting, especially St Nicolas’, with its magnificent wall painting and  inter-faith links with the Romanian Orthodox church…

… and St Mary’s with some lovely art and modern stained glass.

The river Wey, a tributary of the Thames, runs through the town and was crossed by a ford in historic times, hence the name. Prone to flooding, the lower part of town was at risk of flood again, the river in spate after a day of heavy rain previously.

A few plants in flower included Alder, Cherry-plum and Danish Scurvy-grass, all several days off flowering back home.

And the Weyside pub, by the mill and alongside a canalized section of the river, was a fine place for lunch with a view!

And so through Sussex to Arundel. Here dominating this particular settlement are two Disneyeque edifices, a fairyland castle and the hulking Gothic-style cathedral, straight out of the Addams Family!

Being winter, the castle and gardens were closed, but the outside of the wall had some interesting plants, including Wall Rue and several lichens, including the large, foliose blackish Lathagrium fuscovirens.

The cathedral was dramatic outside, if only for its uncompromising bulk, but actually quite disappointing within, apart from the shapely columns and again the interplay of sunlight, glass and stone:

But much more interesting, betwixt castle and cathedral, was St Nicholas Church, its ecological churchyard and positive messages within about God’s Acre being for nature as much as for people.

Again, the walls and churchyard sculptures had a good range of lichens and mosses:

The town was attractive enough, with flint walls, and plenty of places to eat (La Campania Italian restaurant was especially good, and surprisingly good value, on its Wednesday fish night) or buy trinkets (if not normal day-to-day shopping). And our hotel, the Swan, was an excellent Fuller’s pub which produced a breakfast like no other, including the best black pudding I have ever tasted.

At the river, the Arun was in spate after the same rain system that had affected Guildford.

But again welcome messaging everywhere about nature, pollinators and steps being taken to protect and enhance the natural world. And yes, in the late February sun there were bees and hoverflies taking full advantage of the largesse of the townspeople. A lovely end to a splendid three days away.