Great Dunmow is a small town in Essex, England. It lies roughly six miles west of Stansted Airport and 12 miles north-west of the county town Chelmsford.

Dunmow lay on the Stane Street Roman road between Ermine Street and Camulodunum (Colchester), which was an important castrum or fort. The town has got a foodie feel with plenty of pubs and restaurants.

Understand

High Street, Great Dunmow

An ancient flitch town, worth a walk up and down the high street.

Get in

By plane

1 Stansted Airport lies roughly six miles west of the town. There are direct flights into Stansted from destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, along with some domestic routes from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newquay. Essex AirLink routes X20 and X30 connect Stansted Airport with Great Dunmow. Essex Bus route 42A also connects Stansted Airport with Great Dunmow.

You can also fly into London Southend Airport from destinations in western and northern Europe. Essex AirLink route X30 connects Southend Airport with Great Dunmow.

London Luton and London Heathrow airports are within a two-hour drive of Dunmow in good traffic.

By train

There is no railway station in Great Dunmow. Nearby stations areː

• Stansted Airport - Express and local trains from destinations throughout the UK including Birmingham New Street, Cambridge, Leicester, London Liverpool Street, Norwich, Peterborough and Tottenham Hale. Trains are run by CrossCountry, Greater Anglia and Stansted Express (by Greater Anglia), all part of the National Rail network. Direct bus routes from Stansted Airport to Great Dunmow include Essex AirLink X20 and X30.
• Braintree - Local trains from London Liverpool Street, London Stratford and Shenfield. Trains are run by Greater Anglia, part of the National Rail network. Direct bus routes from Braintree to Great Dunmow are Essex AirLink X20 and Arriva route 133.
• Chelmsford - Express and local trains from destinations in London and the East of England including London Liverpool Street, London Stratford, Shenfield, Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester. Trains are run by Greater Anglia, part of the National Rail network. The direct bus route from Chelmsford to Great Dunmow is Essex AirLink X30.

By car

Great Dunmow is signposted from the A120 dual-carriageway between Bishop's Stortford and Braintree.

From London - Exit M11 at Junction 8A and join the A120 towards Colchester. You can access the M11 from M25 Junction 27.

From Cambridge - Exit M11 at Junction 8 and turn left at the roundabout onto towards Colchester.

From Colchester and Ipswich - Exit A12 near Marks Tey for A120 towards Stansted Airport.

From Chelmsford - Leave the city using the A131 Essex Regiment Way towards Braintree. Near Little Waltham, join the B1008 towards Felsted. Remain on the B1008 into Great Dunmow.

From Thaxted and Saffron Walden - Follow the B184 into Great Dunmow.

By bus

Several local bus routes serve Great Dunmowː

• Essex AirLink X20 - from Stansted Airport, Braintree, Marks Tey and Colchester
• Essex AirLink X30 - from Stansted Airport, Chelmsford, Rayleigh, Southend Airport and Southend
• 313/314 - from Thaxted and Saffron Walden
• 323/324 - from Bishop's Stortford

You can find more about local buses on the TravelEssex website or app.

Get around

Great Dunmow is a small, reasonably flat town which you can get around on foot.

Long-stay car parking is at 2 White Street, CM6 1AB. (updated Dec 2023)

Short-stay car parking is atː

• 3 Angel Lane, CM6 1AQ. (updated Dec 2023)
• 4 Chequers Lane, CM6 1EQ. (updated Dec 2023)
• 5 New Street, CM6 1BT. (updated Dec 2023)

See

St Mary the Virgin, Great Dunmow

• 1 Dunmow Flitch Trials, Talberds Ley, Great Dunmow (Off Star Lane and in Great Dunmow town centre), info@dunmowflitchtrials.co.uk. The Dunmow Flitch takes place every four years. Married couples who claim to have gone a year and a day without once wishing themselves unmarried go on trial. Those who can defend their claim before a jury of six maidens and six bachelors win a "flitch" (side) of bacon, which is defended by its own counsel. Humble folk carry the successful couples to Great Dunmow Market Place on the ancient Flitch Chair where they make an oath. The trials date to 1104. They are mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale" - one of the Canterbury Tales (pre-1400). (updated Dec 2023)

Old Town Hall

• 2 Old Town Hall (in the Market Place). The town hall was commissioned as a guildhall following the incorporation of the borough in 1555. It was designed in the Elizabethan style, built using timber-framing with plaster infill, and was completed in around 1578. It is now in retail use, and is a Grade II listed building. (updated Jan 2024)
• 3 Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin. A Grade I listed building. (updated Jan 2024)

Drink

1 The Boars Head, 37 High St, CM6 1AB. (updated Dec 2023)

Go next

• north to Thaxted and Saffron Walden
• east to Braintree
• south to Chelmsford
• west to Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire

Routes through Great Dunmow

Bishop's Stortford ← Stansted Airport ←

W  E

→ Braintree → Colchester