Jet lag is brutal for outward bound travel to the UK, I guess gaining hours is harder on the body clock than loosing them. England is eight hours ahead and no matter how much sleep, alcohol, exercise or medication you take you will feel like shit for two days.
Great Dunmow is located 33 miles North East of London and surrounded by countryside, anyone visiting would consider it the quintessential English town. With a population of 35,516 it features a duck pond, multiple recreational parks, a river, many stores, restaurants, coffee shops and of course pubs. Great Dunmow is growing quickly with new housing developments popping up on a regular basis to the annoyance of locals.
My mother and I moved here in 1985 when I was 13 years old. We arrived in this small town after living in Scotland and along with our Scottish accents we had a Basset Hound named Holly. At this point in my life I had already moved multiple times along with a few years in boarding school so moving had become a theme.
Soon after moving into our new home I had a target on my back; teenage girls in small towns are threatened when potential competition arrive and within the first three months I had been threatened to be beat up and stabbed. I was 95lbs dripping wet and this was an intimidating and scary experience. Survival mode kicked in and my transformation into a nose pierced, mohawked girl sporting a tartan skirt and Dr Marten boots emerged and I quickly garnered the nickname of “Sid”. The bullying stopped and I became a known presence in Great Dunmow and to this day I can walk into the Chequers Pub and someone will say “alright Sid” to the amusement of my kids!
Great Dunmow is well known for an event it holds every four years called The Dunmow Flitch Trials. These Flitch trials reportedly go back to the year 1104 however the first official record is from 1445. Registered couples who have been married for at least a year and one day compete to win a flitch of bacon (half a pig!). These couples must convince a Jury that they are truly happily married. The Jury is made up of 6 maidens and 6 bachelors and the court is presided by a Judge with counsel representing the couples and opposing counsel representing the donors of the flitch of bacon. Winning couples are paraded through the town and go home with their flitch of bacon, it is a big deal!
This event has gained international recognition and couples from New Zealand and America were included in the last trials held in 2022. Months leading up to this event the town is literally covered in Pigs (luckily not real ones), crocheted pigs hang from trees, pig banners line the streets and pig artwork is displayed in all windows…the whole town goes pig crazy. I was lucky enough to be in Great Dunmow during the 2022 trials and purchased tickets for the court event so my bemused family could experience it first hand. Along with the trials the day is filled with games, pony rides, entertainment, food trucks and a drink tent, it is a fabulous day for the whole family so if you have the desire to visit Great Dunmow I would suggest visiting during a Flitch Trial Event.
I arrived at my Mum’s house this past Monday during the late afternoon and quickly took off for a walk to shake out my traveling legs. I typically find it a bit jarring going from my present world to my past life and tend to make comparisons. Kids in England are still on their summer break and there were groups of kids riding bikes but in contrast to Carlsbad, CA they were all using pedal power, I did not see one electric bike. Another notable difference is all the shops were closed, shops typically open at 9am and close between 4-5pm and I love how in the evening this gives a sense of calm to a town that is bustling during the day.
During this short pit stop I plan to eat lots of chocolate and indulge in a true British fish and chips, I need to fuel my start to my Camino. My flight departs Stansted Airport first thing on Thursday morning arriving in Biarritz 9:30am when my official Camino will start. I still can’t believe I am actually doing this!
The Flitch Oath
“You do swear by custom of confession
That you ne’er made nuptial transgression
Nor since you sere married man and wife
By household brawls or contentious strife
Or others in bed or at board
Offended each other in deed or in word
Repented not in thought in any way
Or since the church clerk said amen
But continue true and desire
As when you joined hands in holy quire.”