‘Did I read that right?’ Yes you did! Free Motorhome parking is available in the Wonderful town of Thaxted, Essex. Even better, you are allowed to stay for 48 hours so you don’t have to rush your visit to this charming medieval town.
Amazing Architecture
The drive in to Thaxted was just beautiful and certainly gave us a taste of what to expect.
The country lanes were sprinkled with quaint cottages and traditional pubs and as we approached the town, the beautiful sight of wonky, timber framed buildings came in to sight.
In the centre of the action
We were even more pleasantly surprised to find that the car park that would be ‘home’ for the next two days was not far from the main drag of shops and eateries. WTW Location: https://w3w.co/flute.hires.modern
The Motorhome and larger vehicle section is in the far left corner of the car park. There is enough space for 4/5 vans and there are public toilets near the entrance. Jon was impressed with how clean they were, apparently they could be entered in to loo of the yea.
First stop, Pub!
The first order of business was to check out the local pub. It was late afternoon when we arrived (we were still travelling with John & Mandy) so it was the perfect opportunity to go for a beverage or two before we had dinner (tea to any Northerners reading this).
We were one of only 3 groups of people in there so we had pick of the tables. We were the only ‘out of towners’ and it was really lovely to hear the locals having a laugh and enjoying a pint. They got us involved which is also really nice. It always makes us feel immersed in any place we visit when that happens, its one of the things we enjoy!
Blown away
The weather took a bit of a turn and it became super windy. We decided to head back to our respective vans and call it a night. Good job really as the rain came shortly after that and didn’t stop until past lunchtime the next day!
That didn’t stop Jon visiting the local bakery in the morning to pick up some fresh bacon and cheese croissants! To say they were tasty is an understatement. The pastry was perfectly light and the bacon was cooked to perfection!
Afternoon stroll
We swiftly made the most of the dry spell and finally got out to explore the town. I would like to add that we are not necessarily fair weather explorers but sometimes its not practical to get wet. Unless you get caught out or really have to go out, it’s best not to bring moisture in to the van (such as wet coats, shoes and clothes).
Our walk started by heading towards the top of town, where the Church proudly sits. We walked past there and over to John Webb’s windmill. WTW: https://w3w.co/diamonds.affirming.mega. This is the only remaining windmill in Thaxted and is now owned by the Parish.
No Entry
A combination of Restoration work and Covid means it is not open to the public until further notice. It’s still a wonderful sight to behold though and the views all around can be fully appreciated by sitting on the bench in the grounds.
From there we headed back past the Almshouses and in to town. We went right via Fishmarket Street which runs behind a row of very interesting buildings that lead in to town.
Grand Guildhall
The one that probably stands out the most, and certainly the one that caught my eye, was the Guildhall. WTW: https://w3w.co/bonds.yield.huddling
This 15th Century building doesn’t look like a typical Guildhall but more of a ‘moote’ (a civic meeting place). It stands at 3 stories high with those familiar, jettied levels seen on most medieval structures. The first level is a wonderful open space that would have been used as a market and meeting place.
Again, sadly, we weren’t able to go in as Covid restrictions at the time of our visit meant indoor spaces were still closed.
Gifted – an elite tat shop
After ogling the woodwork of the Moote and the impressive Dick Turpin’s cottage next door, we carried on down town street.
We didn’t get far before Mandy and I both spotted something of great interest – a tat shop! Now this wasn’t just a regular souvenir shop but rather a beautifully presented gift and homeware shop.
In fact I feel a bit mean calling it a tat shop but you all know what I mean and how fond I am of such shops! This is up there with Max in Southwold as one of the most unique and beautiful shops we’ve seen so far this trip (read about our trip to Southwold here).
Gifted proudly stock a variety of delicately crafted gifts, fair trade toiletries, eco friendly kitchen items, beautiful jewellery and even clothes. The shop is based inside The Recorders House, c1465, and the owners have kept the layout.
The gift(ed) that keeps on giving
This means that each section of the shop is set out in a room so you move through the downstairs area of the house as you look around. I was in absolute heaven, marvelling at the Tudor interior. The large brick fireplace and ceiling beams are all still there!
Located in the ‘kitchen’ in the middle of the shop, they have an entire zero refill station. You can refill your containers with soap, shampoo, conditioner, washing up liquid and other cleaning products.
We got chatting to the owners as we were paying for our items and it turns out the lovely ladies are sisters. One of them explained that one of the parish council members is a keen Motorhomer and so it was him that pushed for the Motorhome parking. This was so great to hear, we’re really hoping that other councils can take note of this!
Who are you?
We were in there for a fair while making sure we covered every inch of that shop but I do think the boys were being a bit dramatic when they said they didn’t recognise us when we got back out. To be honest, they could have gone off to the pub, no one was stopping them.
A visit to the chip shop and all was well again. We made it with 5 minutes to spare before they closed! Next stop was the hardware shop for a mooch and then the post office to send some stickers (thank you to everyone that has ordered one!) and pick up some parcels (Amazon free April was over for John so there was a few to pick up).
the old water pump 
views from the windmill 
one of the Almhouses 
The weather started to come in again so we decided to head back to the vans for a movie night and get decide where we would be heading to the next day.
We’ll be back
Even though our actual sightseeing time in Thaxted was in brief spurts between showers, we absolutely loved it. We will definitely be heading back as I really want to see inside the Guildhall when it re-opens. Hopefully by then, the windmill will be open again too!
With free 48 hour Motorhome parking and a tasty bakery 5 minutes away, you don’t have to ask us twice to visit again!
This place looks awesome! Will add it to the list!
It’s wicked! Well worth going to