ESSEX WINTER WARMER

 

43 Members had a thoroughly enjoyable day in Essex on 30^th October.  We managed to squeeze another warm sunny day out the summer as well.

 

We left Lenham at 8.30am and travelled to Essex where a guide from City and Village Tours boarded the coach.  She was fantastic and pointed out various places of interest as we made our way to Thaxted. 

 

We passed many thatched cottages where we were told the thatch was Norfolk.  Many of the walls of houses were painted in pastel colours and a pattern imprinted on them called pargetting.  It was very interesting and our guide certainly knew her Essex history.

 

In Thaxted we had coffee at The Swan Hotel and had time to wonder in the village to see the tutor Town Hall, cobbled streets and windmill.  Our Guide met us in the church to explain the history.

 

Our next stop was Saffron Walden where we stopped for lunch and explored the market.  This was a lovely old mediaeval town.  Unfortunately some of us picked a pub where the service was slow and we didn’t have time to explore as much as we would have liked to.  It may be wise on these trips to go for a snack and not a big meal.

 

Our journey to Steeple Bumpstead took us through Finchingfield which was chosen at the Festival of Britain in 1951 as the best example of a typical English village.  It has remained the same and we saw the village green, pond with ducks, post office and just how life used to be,  We noted to take a visit back some time.

 

We were welcomed at the farmhouse to meet Julie Haylock-Sherry - the Chocolate Lady.  She informed us of the difference in chocolate bars you can buy and went on to show us how to make chocolate truffles and lollies in moulds.  She was very entertaining and had us all laughing.  At the end of the demonstration we were treated to a  cream tea!

 

We all agreed it was an excellent day out.

The cost was £15.95 and we used the free coach that we won as first prize at the Kentara AGM.  The coach was from Kings Ferry and very comfortable.

 

If you want to go onto the web site for The Chocolate Lady it is www.thechocolatelady.co.uk

 

 

KentARA Ten Pin Bowling Competition