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An Art Lovers Luxury Break

Spend a few days in the luxury of one of the Milsom Hotel Group’s properties in the Dedham Vale, deep in the heart of Constable Country.

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Day 1

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Spend the morning in Braintree, exploring the District Museum.  A converted Victorian school, the museum brings to life the story of this interesting market town, known for its local textile industry, the Courtauld Silk Mills thrived in the town. Local craftmanship is also celebrated here and there is a dedicated area to Crittals, another local firm.

Choose lunch in one of the many cafes and pubs in the town.

From 3pm, check in to Idle Waters, a Milsom’s luxury self-catering cottage set beside the River Stour in the Dedham Vale, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Or book your stay at Talbooth Hotel & Spa, a 4 AA*, boutique country house hotel with just twelve individually designed bedrooms, a pool, tennis court and lovely views out across Constable’s Countryside.

Options for dinner include Milsom's and Talbooth Restaurant as well as numerous other eateries in Dedham.

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Day 2

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Morning visit to Saffron Walden - start at the Tourist Information Centre on the market square which is also a lovely shop selling gifts and local produce, including Saffron! Here you can pick up a Trail Map and explore the town, pop into the cathedral-like St Mary’s Church and marvel at the ancient, pargetted buildings around town.  Don't miss Bridge End Gardens and the ancient ‘turf’ maze on the Common.Tuesdays and Saturdays are market days. There are lots of independent shops to explore and make time for the Fry Gallery where you can see works by the Great Bardfield artists who lived and worked in North-West Essex in the 1950s, the most well-known of which are Edward Bawden and war artist, Eric Ravilious. The gallery is only open on selected days so check before setting out.

Choose from a variety of cafes and pubs for lunch in the town.

After lunch, drive to Thaxted to see the impressive medieval church, timber-framed guild hall and large Georgian windmill. A blue plaque marks the house in the high street, where Gustav Holtz, composer of ‘The Planets’, once lived.

Next up are the picture-postcard villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield, where the abovementioned artists lived and you can see a blue plaque on Brick House in the high street.

Drive back to Dedham via Great Dunmow where the quirky Flitch Trials take place every four years. Married couples from anywhere in the world can come to Dunmow and win a side or a ‘flitch’ of bacon if they can prove to a judge and jury that in the last twelve months they had not argued with each other nor regretted their marriage!

Return to Dedham to relax before dinner at The Sun Inn, a delightful historic inn, opposite the church in Dedham High Street.

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Day 3

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Morning visit to Britain’s first recorded town, Colchester, where the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year 2021, Firstsite, is tucked away in the new ‘Cultural Quarter’. Free to enter, this remarkable, ultra-modern building was purpose built as a gallery and is a perfect space to spend time appreciating works of art.

Pop over the road to Colchester Castle where you can easily spend a couple of hours engrossed in the excellent Castle Museum.  Alternatively, take to the high street for some retail therapy.

Lunch in the Firstsite café, looking out over the gardens, or choose from a range of eateries in town. 

Afternoon - head back to Dedham for an afternoon stroll alongside the River Stour, taking in scenes associated with John Constable, or get out onto the water and try paddle boarding or canoeing.

Time for tea…?  The Essex Rose, Tiptree tea rooms are slap bang in the centre of Dedham where you can try the exquisite Little Scarlet strawberry jam, exclusive to Tiptree. 

Alternatively, spend the afternoon walking the woods in Wrabness, by the Stour estuary.  Park at the railway station (or arrive by train) and you can see the eccentric and delightful, Grayson Perry’s House for Essex, on your way down to the woods. 

A couple of miles up the road is Old Harwich where you can wander along the old Ha’Penny Pier and take afternoon tea at The Pier Hotel.  

Image: Michael Landy, Welcome to Essex, 2021 © Michael Landy. Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery.