This is where you walk into The Hay Wain every time you pop to the shops — the River Stour, water meadows, steeples and mills are just as Constable painted them. You can clamber to the top of the church tower and capture Dedham Vale in a glance, or take a peek at the artist’s Ascension, which hangs inside the church.
In summer, the danger is that you trip over painters and easels. But the flipside of all these tourists is a rich choice of restaurants and cafes. Le Talbooth, its sister restaurant, Milsoms, and the Sun Inn are the tastiest. Dedham has a grocer, a delicatessen and an arts and crafts shop, but the supermarket giants haven’t elbowed their way in yet.
Children typically