Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museum houses a huge collection of U.S. warplanes. And there's much more,
including some of the best air shows in Britain and other regular events.
Duxford Airfield, Duxford.
&
01223/835000.
www.iwm.org.uk. Admission £17 adults, £14 seniors,
children 15 and under free. Mid-Mar-Oct daily 10am-6pm, Nov-Mar daily 10am-4pm (last admission
5pm in summer, 3pm in winter).
Saffron Walden Museum
MUSEUM This very traditional but charming
museum is award winning and family friendly, with displays of local history, archeol-
ogy, furniture, ceramics, and natural history. The ruins of the town's 12th-century
castle are on the grounds, which are perfect for picnics.
Museum St.
&
01799/510334.
www.visitsaffronwalden.gov.uk. Admission £1.50 adults, free for chil-
dren under 18. Mar-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun and bank holidays 2-5pm; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 10am-
4:30pm, Sun and bank holidays 2-4:30pm. Closed Dec 24-25.
St. Mary the Virgin Church
CHURCH The largest church in Essex is, like
many East Anglian churches, light and airy. It was built in 1430, under the watchful
eye of John Wastell, who designed the Chapel at King's College, Cambridge.
Church Path.
&
01799/506024.
www.stmaryssaffronwalden.org. Admission £1.50, free for children
under 18. Open daily.
Where to Eat & Stay
The Cricketers
There are no hotels in Saffron Walden, although the Tourist
Information Office (see above) can help you find B&Bs. Alternatively, try The
Cricketers in Clavering, just the other side of Newport, which has a mix of con-
temporary and four-poster bedrooms in a 16th-century inn. It's been owned and
run by TV chef Jamie Oliver's parents, Trevor and Sally, since the 1970s, so the
food is award winning and was well regarded even before Jamie became a catering
superstar. Main meals are pricey—£15 for homemade steak-and-ale pie is the
cheapest—but the food is good.
Wicken Rd., Clavering, Essex CB11 4QT. www.thecricketers.co.uk.
&
01799/550442.
Fax 01799/550882.
14 units. £95-£115 double. AE, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar.
In room:
TV, hair dryer,
Wi-Fi (free).
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CONSTABLE COUNTRY
63 miles NE of London; 8 miles NE of Colchester
Dedham Vale was already known as Constable Country when the artist John Con-
stable was still alive. Nearly 200 years later, this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
on the Essex-Suffolk border is still a magnet for art lovers. Many are drawn to
East
Bergholt,
the pretty village where Constable was born; to
Dedham,
the small mar-
ket town where he went to school; and to
Flatford Mill,
which he immortalized in
his paintings. There's a display dedicated to Constable at the National Trust's
Bridge
Cottage
near Flatford Mill. Constable Country also takes in three long-distance
footpaths: the
Essex Way,
the
Stour Valley Path,
and the
Suffolk Coast and
Heaths Path.
It's also only an easy hour's walk through lovely countryside from
Manningtree
railway station.
In addition to the Constable connection, Dedham is home to the
Sir Alfred
Munnings Art Museum,
which was created in the artist's own home after his death
in 1959. His widow set up a trust fund to establish the museum, and it is filled with
