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The Fox Goes Free

“Friendly pub in a lovely South Downs setting”

LOCATION

CHARLTON, WEST SUSSEX

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Our View

Standing in unspoilt countryside at the foot of the South Downs, this lovely old brick and flint free house was a favoured hunting lodge of William III. With its three huge fireplaces, old pews and brick floors, the 17th-century building exudes charm and character. The pub lies close to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, where 50 historic buildings from around southern England have been reconstructed. You can watch the world go by from the solid timber benches and tables to the front, or relax in the lawned rear garden. The Fox is a friendly and welcoming place with a good selection of real ales, including the eponymous Fox Goes Free bitter. Whether you’re looking for a quick bar snack or something more substantial, the daily-changing menus offer something for every taste.

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AA Pick of the Pubs

The Fox Goes Free

CHARLTON, West Sussex, PO18 0HU

Phone: 01243 811461

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About the area

Discover West Sussex

Divided from East Sussex back in 1888, West Sussex is so typically English that to walk through its landscape will feel like a walk through the whole country. Within its boundaries lies a wide variety of landscape and coastal scenery, but it is the spacious and open South Downs with which the county is most closely associated.

In terms of walking, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Studying the map reveals a multitude of routes – many of them to be found within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park – and an assortment of scenic long-distance trails leading towards distant horizons; all of them offer a perfect way to get to the heart of ‘Sussex by the sea,’ as it has long been known. If you enjoy cycling with the salty tang of the sea for company, try the ride between Chichester and West Wittering. You can vary the return journey by taking the Itchenor ferry to Bosham.

West Sussex is renowned for its many pretty towns, of course. Notably, there is Arundel, littered with period buildings and dominated by the castle, the family home of the Duke of Norfolk, that dates back nearly 1,000 years.