Just down the road from us is the lovely little village of Arundel. Despite its relatively small size, Arundel has an outsized flow of tourists, drawn to the village by its charming little streets and shops, its magnificent cathedral and most especially by its still inhabited castle.

We have been on the castle grounds before and even took our grandchildren there back in June when they came to visit. We have also walked its streets and bought books and sweets from its many little stores. But we had never seen a medieval jousting tournament, which is one of several still competitive jousts in England.

Unlike the shows you might have seen that are no more than a sideshow to a banquet at an exorbitant cost, this joust is a competitive sport with contestants from all across Europe that have a regularly schedule of tournaments across the continent. This year saw two competitors each from England, France, Portugal and even far away Australia.

In addition to the jousting, there was also a falconry display, this year featuring a magnificent snowy owl, country faire booths offering food and medieval crafts, and of course a tour of the castle and the grounds. We missed going the first year we were in England but were determined to find the time this year.

So gathering those few colleagues that were here in the summer, we set off in three cars for the drive and enjoyed a spectacular day in the sunshine watching the competition and cheering on our champion. Much to the disappointment of the crowd, it was the French competitor who won this day, but it was a thrilling spectacle and well worth the effort and the cost to get there.

July 2022