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.