After suffering from a serious case of cabin fever, I decided it was high time to go wobbly house hunting…after a stroll through my bookmarked pages on the web I decided a little trip to Saffron Walden was in order…it’s a real hidden gem of Essex.
The market town really ticked all my boxes – wobbly drunk buildings…
…colourful houses (I’m not a fan of beige, can you tell!)…
…cute little cottage names, we fell in love with Buttercup Cottage, front door and all…
…a rather handsome church…
and pretty doors (you know I can’t pass up a pretty door!).
My new word for the week…pargetting (thank goodness for G’s mum explaining this all to me!)…
…which is this beautiful mould work on the outside of the buildings. One of my lovely instagram followers has suggested a visit to Clare for more pargetting sweetness…it was already on my radar so I think it now has to happen!
This cute little building which now houses an antique store which wasn’t open…
…was the headquarters for Oliver Cromwell way back in 1647 (I’m a King Hentry VIII groupie…not a fan of Mr Cromwell AT ALL)…
…way before I was a twinkle in daddy’s great, great, great, great grandfathers eye…or could it be more than x 4…who knows?!?
Look at all the fabulous pargetting…
…it’s just so exquisite! Of course I may have taken way too many photos…can you tell that pargetting is my new favourite word.
Saffron Walden is really and I mean REALLY fabulous for shopping; it’s full of little antique shops (totally gutted that I didn’t buy that vintage gondola bag…maybe I could return as it’s only a 45 minute drive from Bedford hmmm)…absolutely lovely interior shops that make you want to redecorate your house five times over and set up a million pinterest boards…and then of course there was the door shop…
…you know I love a good ol’ door!
Just be weary of this crowd…the super dangerous, Pram Gangsters!
Spring has officially sprung in Saffron Walden thank goodness…I get excited at this time of year as I know the National Trust, English Heritage and the Historic Houses around the United Kingdom all start to do a bit of spring cleaning in readiness for opening…and I can’t wait…anyone else with me?!
Saffron Walden has held a market town warrant since 1141…so it seemed like a good idea to visit the town on a market day which is held on every Tuesday and Saturday…we had a snoop around the fresh produce (one of the stores only sells local produce from within a certain mile reach…I love stores like that…we need to support our local growers!)…fresh bread…we picked up some bits and pieces for G (no gluten free options unfortunately)…
…looked at the flower stall and decided to buy a cheap bunch of daffodils instead…and then moved onto the olives for G. Apparently Jamie Oliver is a frequent visitor to the market as he lives locally…we didn’t spot him but if you’re stalking Mr Oliver then maybe this is a good starting point.
We came away with a big bag of treats, mainly for G as he was left at home dogsitting his little one-eyed doggy sister…and I left feeling so much better…drunk wobbly buildings are the best medicine in world (give me a drunk wobbly building over a paracetamol any day!)
Travel Tips for Saffron Walden, Essex
- If you are visiting the town on Saturday, my advice is to get there early as the town centre can get busy traffic wise. There is a large car park (just follow the parking signs) which is only a short walking distance from the market and there is a fee payable so make sure you have some coins jingling in your pocket.
- You can travel to Saffron Walden by train however you need to catch the train to Audley End Station and then catch the bus to the town – you can find more train information at thetrainline.com
- The English Heritage property, Audley End House and Gardens is close by so you could visit both Saffron Walden and then move onto Audley End House.
- We struggled to find gluten free options in Saffron Walden (I wasn’t in the mood for a baked potato!) however we finally found a little spot which did a really corker piece of gluten free carrot cake…Maze Cafe – Maze by Day, Meze by Night…the team are super gorgeous and very polite so make sure you pop in for a slice of cake and a cuppa.
- The fabulous buildings with pargetting can be found on Castle Street and Bridge Street.
- Sensible shoes are required for a wander around the town but you could do it in heels if you love to live dangerously!
- If you need any other Essex travel tips then why not check out my post on the delightful Constable country and also the Visit Saffron Walden website and Visit Essex website.
xx
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