When it was time, we collected our bags and strolled across to the station.

The Old Ticket Office

There was a live departures board in the hotel lounge so we knew that our train would depart from platform 8. Thither we went via the footbridge though we took the lift at both ends.

On the platform

Three trains arrived here in quick succession, 16:11, 16:14 and 16:20 so the platform was busy with people coming and going. Our train was the last of the above three. Our tickets are for this train only but we do not have reserved seats. That turned out not to be a problem as there were relatively few passengers and plenty of vacant seats. The rack, too, was large enough for our cases.

Aboard the train

We can now relax and wait to be delivered to Liverpool Street Station where we can take the bus for the final leg of the journey.

A view from the window

There is landscape to watch rushing past the window and the train stops at several stations en route. Even so, every minute carries us closer to London and further away from Cambridge. As we went out of Cambridge on two of our four days, we saw relatively little of the town itself so we will need to catch up with it another time.

We have arrived

We arrive at Liverpool Street and join the crowds on the platform

Moving through the station

We cross the station to the upper street level and the bus terminal.

Lurking

Our bus is lurking but will move to join us in two minutes.

Aboard the 153

We bus came and we hauled our suitcases and ourselves aboard.

Back at the Angel

Here we are back at the Angel and home.

It is the end of the trip but we have a long weekend ahead of us with the bank holiday on Monday. “Normal life” will resume soon enough but in the meantime, let’s keep the holiday spirit while we can!

We awoke to what seems likely to be another dull day. It is also our last on this trip. As our train leaves only this afternoon, we have the morning free. We have settled on a visit to Saffron Walden.

Hotel lounge

We handed in our room keys and arranged to leave our suitcases in the hotel until train time. For breakfast today, went to the hotel lounge.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

We had our usual coffee and croissants. (Yes, Tigger breaks hers into pieces.)

Off we go!

At the appointed hour, we went to the bus stop and caught a number 7 bus,

Through villages

The bus follows a circuitous route through towns and villages.

We arrive

After about an hour, we arrived at Saffron Walden, The settlement has a long history (possibly going back to the Neolithic Age). The first part of its name comes from the 16th and 17th centuries when it was a centre for the cultivation of the saffron crocus (crocus sativus). As Wikipedia explains, “The stigmas of the flower were used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an expensive yellow dye, and as an aphrodisiac.” The second part derives from two Anglo-Saxon words, wealh (“foeigner”, i.e. “native Briton”) and denu (“vale” or “valley”), hence “Valley of the (native) Britons”.

As this was a flying visit, we didn’t have time to investigate fully so I will just post a few pictures.

Lunch

We stopped here for lunch. The weather had improved sufficiently for us to sit outside.

Colourful old houses in Gold Street

Then we walked through the backstreets to the High Street and the stop for the number 7 bus at 1:16.

A view from the bus stop

I took a last look down the High Street with the steeple of St Mary’s Church in the background.

Aboard the number 7

The bus came and took us on the hour’s journey back to Cambridge.

Back at the hotel

We have returned to the hotel where we have collected our cases and are relaxing over coffee in the hotel lounge while waiting for for it to be time to cross to the station and board our train.