Arkesden, near Saffron Walden ★★★★★ 4.7 (255 reviews) TripAdvisor Open Fri–Sun from 12pm + B&B rooms Charming village pub with rooms, excellent food
★★★★☆ 4.3 (255 reviews) → TripAdvisor
The Axe and Compasses in Arkesden village wields a double-edged charm as both pub and B&B, its traditional bar and restaurant set against a stunning rural tableau that invites lingering libations and overnight repose. This free house, with its double bedrooms and oak accents, serves as a waystation for Uttlesford’s explorers, where axes of appetite meet compasses of comfort. Essex’s village vernacular finds a sharpened edge here, in a venue that cleaves to authenticity whilst carving contemporary comforts.
The bar’s beams bear casks from local microbreweries, paired with pie boards from Audley End kitchens, whilst the dining den delves into roasts and risottos sourced from Saffron Walden markets. Garden glades and guest suites extend the stay, with 255 TripAdvisor trails attesting to its trailblazing appeal.
Arkesden, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4EX, off the B1039. Open 12:00–23:00 (Fri–Sun); 01799 550272. Bedroom bounty and bar access bar none.
Axe’s axe in Arkesden axes from its village vantage—axing to the Wendens Ambo’s weirs or the Littlebury’s greens—where compasses course kinship. It axes Essex’s rural rune, an axe of axe-hewn ales.
Compass your Arkesden abode anon. For calibre, calibre with Walden wanders or the Chrishall’s commons. The Axe and Compasses axes as a village virtuoso in Essex’s pub virtuoso—a compass of cosy conquests.