The latest Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain has nice things to say about Essex. After mentioning all the stereotypes of chavs and rundown seaside resorts, it then describes “a rural idyll of medieval villages and rolling countryside”. This is exactly what we encountered a few days ago when we visited Saffron Walden. As the name suggests, its wealth came from the Crocus Sativus, cultivated locally for about 400 years until the end of the 18th century. Saffron Walden has the biggest parish church in Essex which reminded me of some of the “wool” churches in Suffolk when I saw it from a distance. It has a peal of twelve bells, one of the largest rings in Essex. ( Of course, all this “biggest/largest” does sound a bit stereotypical Essex.) Bellringers of the past have quite a few records to their credit, which reminded me of the Dorothy L. Sayers’ book “The Nine Tailors”.
There are quite a lot of very old buildings, Grade 1 and Grade 2 listed, kept in good repair. It is a pleasure to follow the Town Trail round the narrow streets. The castle is now in ruins – I suspect it’s been decaying since Henry II rendered it indefensible in 1158.
The Lonely Planet Guide also states that Britain is now very expensive. I’m sure that depends on the locality. We had two excellent Ploughman’s Lunches and drinks for £15. I’m never quite sure just how up-to-date the Lonely Planet’s research is. I’ve found before that what they print is no longer the case. I think that the credit crunch has made cafés and restaurants more aware of the need to offer real value for money. But Saffron Walden itself is worth a visit; a pleasant little town rich in history. Yet I’m sure many tourists do not know of its existence and just head for Cambridge.
http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/Essex/Saffron_Walden
Boadicea's Chariot 
The Lonely Planet guide should always be read with a little scepticism,it rarely conveys a true picture. I understand, to ring all the permutations for a peel of 12 bells, would take over thirty years, I hope Saffron Walden perform the shortened version 🙂
You’ve made it sound a nice place to visit Sheona, good post.
You’d need a pretty strong paring knife to peel 12 bells.
Peal, perhaps? 😀
Yes, valzone, it is a delightful place to visit. According to the commemorative plaques, the bellringers of St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden, did ring various changes at different periods, frequently being the first to do so in Essex. In “The Nine Tailors” the change rung took nine hours. I’m glad to know you share my doubts about the Lonely Planet guides. Sometimes I find their comments very patronising, especially on the subject of hotels. If we want to make our visit more enjoyable, we will pay extra for accommodation. Yet Lonely Planet seems to feel travellers should be roughing it. You’re not going to meet any more locals in a cheaper hotel or hostel, only more travellers.
Never took to East Anglia, too flat for me. I never bother with guides, travelling with dogs it is a matter of anywhere that will have you!
The accent is pretty offputting too!
I may dust off my passport and cross the water to Essex just to see if there is a nice place in Essex, but first I had better see what vaccinations I may need and what tablets to take to keep the tummy bugs at bay. Is it safe to drink the water there?
I wonder do they speak English and would a Man of Kent be welcome? 🙂
Sounds lovely, Sheona.
This really is not fair. I’ve wanted to go on holiday in England for a while and almost could have gone this autumn. Unfortunately, I was pressured to go to a rather less pleasant country this summer — a fact which grates.
I think flat country has its own charm, CO. I spent a year in the north of France as an “assistante anglaise” and got to love “le plat pays”, as Brel called it, despite missing Scottish mountains. Saffron Walden didn’t have a noticeable accent. I think you have to get farther into Norfolk or Suffolk for that. I’ve just booked us in for a few nights in the High Tatras in August, just as a change from rolling English countryside.
I’m sure a Man of Kent would be welcome anywhere, RR. I didn’t try drinking straight, unbrewed, local water there, though.
Actually Sheona I think Saffron Walden is lovely, the worst part of Essex is the side that borders the Thames, it is really awful. But then the north side of Kent on the Thames is no picture either, but then it is mainly inhabited by Kentish Men, a strange breed.
Interesting, RR. Men of Kent are different from Kentish Men, are they? We did visit Rochester and Isle of Sheppey a couple of years ago, which was interesting if not picturesque. Reminders of “Great Expectations” and a bit too much Dickens memorabilia in general.
Sheona in history Men of Kent (me) are from East of the Medway and their mortal enemies were the Kentish Men (splitters) west of the Medway.
Something to do with the Kentish Men betraying some king or other, hence the split.
Mrs FEEG was an Essex Girl, born and bred. However, her good fortune was to marry me and move south of the Thames, to Surrey. Mind you, “Lonely Planet” was rude about Surrey, so it obviously cannot be taken seriously 🙂
You can always tell when you enter the ‘real’ Essex by the pockmarked floorboards caused by 6″ high heels and the abundance of fake Burberry, innit.
I don’t think we were in the real Essex then, omg. Too close to the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire borders.
I find flat depressing. Both Memphis and Dallas are pretty flat too, so grim.
Glad I finally made it back to mountains. Twenty years plus since I have been in East Anglia, not my scene AT ALL! Don’t like the sea for the same reason, it bores me unless it is having 50′ waves.
They have these whale watching trips round Puget Sound, I’ve been twice, nowadays I make spousal unit take guests by himself, prefer to garden! if you’ve seen one orca you’ve seen em all!
Wouldn’t do to have us all the same would it?
no it wouldn’t
I shall think of you when I’m in the High Tatras, CO. I’ve never been in the right place at the right time for whale watching, but going between two islands in the Azores we came across a tiger shark sunbathing – at no extra charge. Do you not get any other sort of whales in Puget Sound?