East Anglia

1. Colchester
2. The Stour Valley
3. Bury St Edmunds
4. Ipswich
5. The Suffolk coast
6. Norwich
7. North Norfolk coast
8. King’s Lynn
9. Ely and around
10. Cambridge and around

Strictly speaking, East Anglia is made up of just three counties – Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, which were settled in the fifth century by Angles from today’s Schleswig-Holstein – but the term has come to be loosely applied to parts of Essex too. As a region it’s renowned for its wide skies and flat landscapes, but there are a few surprises too: parts of Suffolk and Norfolk are decidedly hilly, with steep coastal cliffs; broad rivers cut through the fenlands; and Norfolk also boasts some wonderful sandy beaches. Fine medieval churches abound, built in the days when this was England’s most progressive and prosperous region.

Heading into East Anglia from the south takes you through Essex, whose proximity to London has turned much of the county into an unappetizing commuter strip. Amid the suburban gloom, there are, however, several worthwhile destinations, most notably Colchester, once a major Roman town and now a busy place with an imposing castle, and the handsome hamlets of the bucolic Stour River Valley on the Essex–Suffolk border. Essex’s Dedham is one of the prettiest of these villages, but the main attraction hereabouts is Suffolk’s Flatford Mill, famous for its associations with the painter John Constable.

Further north, Suffolk boasts a string of pretty little towns that enjoyed immense prosperity from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the heyday of the wool trade. Lavenham is the prime example, but neither should you miss the old abbey town of Bury St Edmunds. Suffolk’s county town is Ipswich, which has more to offer than it’s given credit for, but really it’s the Suffolk coast that is the main magnet, especially the delightful seaside resort of Southwold and neighbouring Aldeburgh, with its prestigious music festival.

Norfolk, as everyone knows thanks to Noël Coward, is very flat. It’s also one of the most sparsely populated and tranquil counties in England, a remarkable turnaround from the days when it was an economic and political powerhouse – until, that is, the Industrial Revolution simply passed it by. Its capital, Norwich, is East Anglia’s largest city, renowned for its Norman cathedral and castle; nearby are the Broads, a unique landscape of reed-ridden waterways that have been intensively mined by boat-rental companies. Similarly popular, the North Norfolk coast holds a string of busy, very English seaside resorts – Cromer and Sheringham to name but two – but for the most part it’s charmingly unspoilt, its marshes, creeks and tidal flats studded with tiny flint villages, most enjoyably Blakeney and Cley.

Cambridge is much visited, principally because of its world-renowned university, whose ancient colleges boast some of the finest medieval and early-modern architecture in the country. The rest of Cambridgeshire is pancake-flat fenland, for centuries an inhospitable marshland, but now rich alluvial farming land. The cathedral town of Ely, settled on one of the few areas of raised ground in the fens, is an easy and popular day-trip from Cambridge, while farther up the River Ouse is the ancient port of King’s Lynn.

Long-distance footpaths

Given the prevailing flatness of the terrain, hiking in East Anglia is less strenuous than in most other English regions, and there are several first-rate long-distance footpaths. The main one is the Peddars Way, which runs north from Knettishall Heath, near Thetford, to the coast at Holme, near Hunstanton, where it continues east as the Norfolk Coast Path to Cromer – 93 miles in total (nationaltrail.co.uk for both). At Cromer, you can pick up the 61-mile Weavers’ Way (ldwa.org.uk), which wends its way through the Broads to the coast at Great Yarmouth.

Getting around: east anglia

By train Trains from London are fast and frequent: one main line links Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich, another Cambridge and Ely. Among several cross-country services, there are trains between Peterborough, Ely, Norwich and Ipswich.

By bus Beyond the major towns you’ll have to rely on local buses. Services are patchy, except on the north Norfolk coast, which is well served by the Norfolk Coasthopper bus (stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east/coasthopper).

southwold

Highlights

1 Orford Solitary hamlet with a splendid coastal setting that makes for a wonderful weekend away.

2 The Aldeburgh Festival The region’s prime classical music festival takes place every summer.

3 Southwold Handsome and genteel seaside town, which is perfect for walking and bathing – with the added incentive of the most inventive Under the Pier Show in the country.

4 Norwich Market This open-air market is the region’s biggest and best for everything from whelks to wellies.

5 Holkham Bay and beach Wide bay holding Norfolk’s finest beach – acres of golden sand set against pine-dusted dunes.

6 Ely Isolated Cambridgeshire town, with a true fenland flavour and a magnificent cathedral.

7 Cambridge With some of the finest late medieval architecture in Europe, Cambridge is a must-see, its compact centre graced by dignified old colleges and their neatly manicured courts.

Highlights are marked on the East Anglia map

< Back to East Anglia

Colchester

If you visit only one place in Essex, it should be COLCHESTER, a lively, medium-sized town with a castle, a university and an army base, just fifty miles or so northeast of London. Colchester prides itself on being England’s oldest town, and there is indeed documentary evidence of a settlement here as early as the fifth century BC. Today, Colchester makes a good base for explorations of the surrounding countryside – particularly the Stour Valley towns of Constable Country, within easy reach a few miles to the north.

Brief history

By the first century AD, the original settlement was the region’s capital under King Cunobelin – better known as Shakespeare’s Cymbeline – and when the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD they chose Colchester (Camulodunum) as their new capital, though it was soon eclipsed by London. Later, the conquering Normans built one of their mightiest strongholds here, but the conflict that most marked the town was the Civil War. In 1648, Colchester was subjected to a gruelling siege by the Parliamentarian army; after three months, during which the population ate every living creature within the walls and then some, the town finally surrendered and the Royalist leaders were promptly executed for their pains.

Colchester Castle

Castle Park, CO1 1TJ • Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11–5pm • £7.75 • Tours 3–4 daily; 45min–1hr • £3 • Park Daily dawn–dusk • Free • 01206 282939, www.cimuseums.org.uk

At the heart of the towns are the remains of Colchester Castle, a ruggedly imposing, honey-coloured keep, set in attractive parkland stretching down to the River Colne. Begun less than ten years after the Battle of Hastings, the keep was the largest in Europe at the time, built on the site of the Temple of Claudius. Inside the keep, a museum holds an excellent collection of Romano-British archeological finds, notably a miscellany of coins and tombstones. The museum also runs regular guided tours, giving access to the Roman vaults and the castle roof, which are otherwise out of bounds. Outside, down towards the river in Castle Park, is a section of the old Roman walls, whose battered remains are still visible around much of the town centre. They were erected after Boudica had sacked the city and, as such, are a case of too little too late.

Firstsite Art Gallery

Lewis Gardens, High St, CO1 1JH • Daily 10am–5pm • Free • 01206 713700, firstsite.uk

In a new and stunningly handsome modern building near the castle, the Firstsite Art Gallery offers a varied and often challenging programme of contemporary art exhibitions. Recent exhibitors have included Ed Gold and Patrick Hough. The building itself has a lustrous metallic gold sheen and was designed by the Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly.

The High Street

Colchester’s long and largely pedestrianized High Street follows pretty much the same route as it did in Roman times. The most arresting building here is the flamboyant Town Hall, built in 1902 and topped by a statue of St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great and daughter of “Old King Cole” of nursery-rhyme fame – after whom, some say, the town was named. Looming above the western end of the High Street is the town landmark, “Jumbo”, a disused nineteenth-century water tower, considerably more imposing than the nearby Balkerne Gate, which marked the western entrance to Roman Colchester. Built in 50 AD, this is the largest surviving Roman gateway in the country, though with the remains at only a touch over 6ft high, it’s far from spectacular.

Arrival and INFORMATION: colchester

By train Colchester has two train stations. Colchester station (a 20min walk north of the centre – follow the signs) covers mainline services, including for the Tendring peninsula. Colchester Town (on the southeast corner of the centre, about 500yd from the High St) is only for local services out along the Tendring.

Destinations (Colchester) Clacton (hourly; 30min); Ipswich (every 30min; 20min); London Liverpool Street (every 20min; 1hr); Norwich (every 30min; 1hr); Sudbury (change at Marks Tey; hourly; 40min).

Destinations (Colchester Town) Walton-on-the-Naze (hourly; 40min).

By bus The bus station is on Osborne St, on the southeast side of the centre, near Colchester Town train station.

Destinations Chambers bus #753 (chambersbus.co.uk) links Colchester with Bury St Edmunds (Mon–Sat hourly; 2hr), Lavenham (Mon–Sat hourly; 1hr 30min) and Sudbury (Mon–Sat hourly; 50min). Other companies link Colchester with Dedham (every 1–2hr; 40min) – consult traveline.info.

Tourist office On the ground floor of the Hollytrees Museum, just off the High St in Castle Park (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; 01206 282920, visitcolchester.com).

ACCOMMODATIOn and eating

The Company Shed 129 Coast Rd, West Mersea, CO5 8PA 01206 382700, the-company-shed.co.uk. Colchester’s oysters have been highly prized since Roman times and nowadays they are at their best among the oyster beds of Mersea Island, about 6 miles south of Colchester. It’s here you’ll find The Company Shed, where they serve the freshest of oysters at simple rickety tables in, to quote their own PR, a “romantically weatherbeaten shed”. Romantic or not, the oysters are indeed delicious. Last orders for eating in 4pm. Tues–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–5pm.

Four Sevens Guesthouse 28 Inglis Road, CO3 3HU 01206 546093, foursevens.co.uk. This is one of the best of the town’s B&Bs, in an attractively remodelled Victorian house with six bright and breezy guest rooms decorated in an uncluttered modern style. Two of the rooms are en suite (£10 extra). It’s on a leafy residential street, a brief walk southwest from the centre. £65

Il Padrino 11 Church St, CO1 1NF 01206 366699, ilpadrinocolchester.co.uk. This excellent Italian café-restaurant, a few yards from the west end of the High St, serves all the classics for both lunch and dinner. There are daily specials, chalked up on a blackboard, and prices are very reasonable, with mains averaging £15 (£9 for pasta dishes), less at lunchtime. Cosy premises and attentive service. Mon noon–2.30pm, Tues–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6–10pm.

North Hill Hotel 51 North Hill, CO1 1PY 01206 574001, northhillhotel.com. Set within an intelligently revamped older building, this appealing, mid-range hotel has seventeen guest rooms with lots of original features – especially the exposed half-timbered walls and beams. Handy central location too, just north of the High St, but North Hill can be noisy so you may prefer a room at the back. £75

Betrayed and abused: Boudica of the Iceni

Boudica – aka Boadicea – was the wife of Prasutagus, chief of the Iceni tribe of Norfolk, who allied himself to the Romans during their conquest of Britain. Five years later, when the Iceni were no longer useful, the Romans attempted to disarm them; the Iceni rebelled, but were quickly brought to heel. On Prasutagus’s death, the Romans confiscated his property and when Boudica protested, they flogged her and raped her daughters. Enraged, Boudica determined to take revenge, rallying the Iceni and their allies before setting off on a rampage across southeastern Britain in 60 AD.

As the ultimate symbol of Roman oppression, the Temple of Claudius in Colchester was the initial focus of hatred, but, once Colchester had been razed, Boudica turned her sights elsewhere. She laid waste to London and St Albans, massacring thousands and inflicting crushing defeats on the Roman units stationed there. Finally, the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus defeated her in a pitched battle and, knowing what to expect from the Romans, Boudica chose suicide, thereby ensuring her later reputation as a patriotic Englishwoman who died fighting for liberty – a claim that Boudica would have found incomprehensible.

< Back to East Anglia

The Stour Valley

Six miles or so north of Colchester, the Stour Valley forms the border between Essex and Suffolk, and signals the beginning of East Anglia proper. The river valley is dotted with lovely little villages, where rickety, half-timbered Tudor houses and handsome Georgian dwellings cluster around medieval churches, proud buildings with square, self-confident towers. The Stour’s prettiest villages are concentrated along its lower reaches – to the east of the A134 – in Dedham Vale, with Dedham the most appealing of them all. The vale is also known as “Constable Country”, as it was the home of John Constable, one of England’s greatest artists, and the subject of his most famous paintings. Inevitably, there’s a Constable shrine – the much-visited complex of old buildings down by the river at Flatford Mill. Elsewhere, the best-preserved of the old south Suffolk wool towns is Lavenham, while neighbouring Sudbury has a fine museum, devoted to the work of another outstanding English artist, Thomas Gainsborough.

Brief history

The villages along the River Stour and its tributaries were once busy little places at the heart of East Anglia’s medieval weaving trade. By the 1480s, the region produced more cloth than any other part of the country, but in Tudor times production shifted to Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich and, although most of the smaller settlements continued spinning cloth for the next three hundred years or so, their importance slowly dwindled. Bypassed by the Industrial Revolution, south Suffolk had, by the late nineteenth century, become a remote rural backwater, an impoverished area whose decline had one unforeseen consequence: with few exceptions, the towns and villages were never prosperous enough to modernize, so the architectural legacy of medieval and Tudor times survived and now pulls in second-home owners and tourists alike.

GETTING AROUND: the stour valley

By public transport Seeing the Stour Valley by public transport can be problematic – distances are small (Dedham Vale is only about ten miles long), but buses between the villages are patchy, especially on Sunday. The only local rail service is the short branch line between Marks Tey, on the London Liverpool Street to Colchester line, and Sudbury.

Flatford Mill

“I associate my careless boyhood with all that lies on the banks of the Stour,” wrote John Constable, who was born in EAST BERGHOLT, ten miles northeast of Colchester, in 1776. The house in which he was born has long since disappeared, so it has been left to FLATFORD MILL, a mile or so to the south, to take up the painter’s cause. The mill was owned by his father and was where Constable painted his most celebrated canvas, The Hay Wain (now in London’s National Gallery), which created a sensation when it was exhibited in Paris in 1824. To the chagrin of many of his contemporaries, Constable turned away from the landscape painting conventions of the day, rendering his scenery with a realistic directness that harked back to the Dutch landscape painters of the seventeenth century.

The mill itself – not the one he painted, but a Victorian replacement – is not open to the public and neither is neighbouring Willy Lott’s Cottage, which does actually feature in The Hay Wain, but the National Trust has colonized several local buildings, principally Bridge Cottage.

Bridge Cottage

Flatford Mill, CO7 6UL • Jan & early Feb Sat & Sun 10.30am–3.30pm; late Feb to March Wed–Sun 10am–4.30pm; April–Sept daily 10am–5pm; Oct daily 10am–4.30pm; Nov & early Dec Wed–Sun 10.30am–3.30pm • Free, but parking £4; NT • 01206 298260, nationaltrust.org.uk/flatford • The nearest train station is at Manningtree, 2 miles away

Neat and trim and tidily thatched, Bridge Cottage was familiar to Constable and, although none of the artist’s paintings are displayed here, it is packed with Constabilia alongside a small exhibition on the artist’s life and times. The cottage also has a very pleasant riverside tearoom where you can take in the view.

Guided walks around Flatford Mill

Many visitors to Flatford Mill are keen to see the sites associated with Constable’s paintings and, although there is something a tad futile about this – so much has changed – the National Trust does organize volunteer-led guided walks to several key locations; the nearest are the remains of the Dry Dock next to Bridge Cottage and the Hay Wain view itself. For more details, call 01206 298260.

Dedham

Constable went to school just upriver from Flatford Mill in DEDHAM, a pretty little village whose wide and lazy main street is graced by a handsome medley of old timber-framed houses and Georgian villas. The main sight is the Church of St Mary (daily 9am–dusk; free; dedham-and-ardleigh-parishes.org.uk), a large, well-proportioned structure with a sweeping, sixteenth-century nave adorned by some attractive Victorian stained glass. Constable painted the church on several occasions, and today it holds one of the artist’s rare religious paintings, The Ascension – though frankly, it’s a good job Constable concentrated on landscapes. Be aware that day-trippers arrive in Dedham by the coachload throughout the summer.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURe: dedham

By bus There is a reasonably good bus service to Dedham from Colchester (every 1–2hr; 40min).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

The Sun Inn
 High St, CO7 6DF 01206 323351, thesuninndedham.com. Among Dedham’s several pubs, the pick is The Sun, an ancient place that has been sympathetically modernized. The menu is strong on local ingredients and offers tasty Italian and British dishes, all washed down by real ales; mains average £15. They also have five en-suite rooms decorated in a creative blend of country-inn and boutique-hotel styles, from four-poster beds through to billowy, caramel-cream curtains. Kitchen Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6.30–9.30pm, Sun noon–4pm & 6.30–9pm. £145

Stoke-by-Nayland

West of Dedham, STOKE-BY-NAYLAND is the most picturesque of villages, where a knot of half-timbered and pastel-painted cottages cuddle up to one of Constable’s favourite subjects, St Mary’s Church (daily 9am–5pm; free), with its pretty brick-and-stone-trimmed tower. The doors of the south porch are covered by the beautifully carved if badly weathered figures of a medieval Jesse Tree (purporting to show the ancestors of Christ).

Arrival and departure: stoke-by-nayland

By bus There is a reasonably good bus service to Stoke-by-Nayland from both Colchester (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 40min) and Sudbury (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 40min).

Accommodation and eating

The Angel Inn Polstead St, CO6 4SA 01206 263245, angelinnsuffolk.co.uk. This agreeable country pub, with its bare-brick walls and rustic beams, offers a good-quality British menu – steak and ale pie, fish and chips – with mains around £14. The Angel also has half a dozen en-suite guest rooms, each of which is kitted out in pleasant style with lots of creams. Daily 10am–11pm; kitchen Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6–9.30pm, Sun noon–4pm & 6–9pm. £110

The Crown Polstead St, CO6 4SE 01206 262001, crowninn.net. The Crown may fancy itself just a little too much, but there’s no disputing the quality of the food or the inventiveness of the menu (mains from £15). The decor is appealing too, with the open-plan restaurant spreading over several separate areas and decorated in a sort of low-key, country-house style. The same decorative approach has been followed in the eleven bedrooms, which are all kept in tip-top condition. Kitchen Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6–9.30pm, Sun noon–9pm. £150

Sudbury

By far the most important town in this part of the Stour Valley, SUDBURY holds a handful of timber-framed houses that recall its days of wool-trade prosperity, though in fact its salad days were underwritten by another local industry, silk weaving. The town’s most famous export, however, is Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88), the leading English portraitist of the eighteenth century. Although he left Sudbury when he was just 13, moving to London where he was apprenticed to an engraver, the artist is still very much identified with the town: his statue, with brush and palette, stands on Market Hill, the predominantly Victorian marketplace, while a superb collection of his work is on display inside the house in which he was born.

Gainsborough’s House

46 Gainsborough St, CO10 2EU • Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–5pm • £7 • 01787 372958, gainsborough.org

Gainsborough’s House possesses an outstanding collection of the artist’s work distributed over a couple of main floors. Displayed here is the earliest of Gainsborough’s surviving portrait paintings – his Boy and Girl, a remarkably self-assured work dated to 1744, though it’s exhibited in two pieces as someone, somewhere, chopped up the original. Later, Gainsborough developed a fluid, flatteringly easy style that was ideal for his well-heeled subjects, who posed in becoming postures painted in soft, evanescent colours as in the particularly striking Portrait of Abel Moysey, MP (1771). Look out also for one of Gainsborough’s specialities, his wonderful “conversation pieces”, so called because the sitters engage in polite chitchat – or genteel activity – with a landscape as the backdrop. In his last years, the artist also dabbled with romantic paintings of country scenes – as in A Wooded Landscape with Cattle by a Pool – a playful variation on the serious landscape painting he loved to do best; the rest, he often said, just earned him a living.

Arrival and Information: sudbury

By train Sudbury station is a 5–10min walk from the centre via Station Rd, with services to Marks Tey, on the London to Colchester line (hourly; 20min).

By bus The bus station is on Hamilton Rd, just south of Market Hill. The main local bus company is H.C. Chambers (chambersbus.co.uk).

Destinations Bury St Edmunds (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 1hr 10min); Colchester (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 50min); Lavenham (Mon–Sat hourly; 35min); Stoke-by-Nayland (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 40min).

Tourist office In the library, which is in the grand old Corn Exchange, near Market Hill (Mon–Thurs 9.30am–4.30pm, Fri 9.30am–4pm, Sat 10am–3.30pm; 01787 881320, sudburytowncouncil.co.uk).

EATING AND DRINKING

Black Adder Brewery Tap 21 East St, CO10 2TP 01787 370876, blackaddertap.co.uk. Enjoyable neighbourhood pub where the big deal is the beer – a rotating selection of real ales on draught, but always including something from Mauldons, a local brewer. There’s a courtyard patio and pub grub. Mon–Thurs 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am–midnight, Sun noon–10.30pm.

David’s 51 Gainsborough St, CO10 2ET 01787 373919, davidsdelicatessen.co.uk. Neat and trim café-deli, where they turn out a tasty range of salads and light meals, mostly featuring local ingredients. Try, perhaps, the scrambled eggs and pancetta on toast. Sandwiches around £3.50. Mon–Sat 9am–4pm.

Lavenham

LAVENHAM, seven miles northeast of Sudbury, was once a centre of the region’s wool trade and is now one of the most visited villages in Suffolk, thanks to its unrivalled ensemble of perfectly preserved half-timbered houses. In outward appearance at least, the whole place has changed little since the demise of the wool industry, owing in part to a zealous local preservation society, which has carefully maintained the village’s antique appearance. Lavenham is at its most beguiling in the triangular Market Place, an airy spot flanked by pastel-painted, medieval dwellings whose beams have been warped into all sorts of wonky angles by the passing of the years.

Guildhall of Corpus Christi

Market Place, CO10 9QZ • Jan to late Feb Sat & Sun 11am–4pm; March–Oct daily 11am–5pm; Nov & Dec Thurs–Sun 11am–4pm • £6.50; NT • 01787 247646, nationaltrust.org.uk/lavenham-guildhall

On the Market Place you’ll find the village’s most celebrated building, the lime-washed, timber-framed Guildhall of Corpus Christi, erected in the sixteenth century as the headquarters of one of Lavenham’s four guilds. In the much-altered interior (used successively as a prison and workhouse), there are modest exhibitions on timber-framed buildings, medieval guilds, village life and the wool industry, though most visitors soon end up in the walled garden, or the teashop next door.

Church of St Peter and St Paul

Church St, CO10 9SA • Daily: April–Sept 8.30am–6pm; Oct–March 8.30am–4pm • Free • 01787 247244, lavenhamchurch.onesuffolk.net

The Perpendicular Church of St Peter and St Paul, located a short walk southwest of the centre, features gargoyle waterspouts and carved boars above the entrance. Local merchants endowed the church with a nave of majestic proportions and a mighty flint tower – at 141ft the highest for miles around – partly to celebrate the Tudor victory at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, but mainly to show just how wealthy they had become.

Arrival and Information: lavenham

By bus Buses pull in at the corner of Water and Church streets, a 5min walk from Market Place. Among several services, perhaps the most useful is Chambers bus #753 (chambersbus.co.uk), which links Lavenham with Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds and Colchester.

Destinations Bury St Edmunds (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 40min); Colchester (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 1hr 30min); Sudbury (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 35min).

Tourist office Lady St, just south of Market Place (Jan to mid-March Sat & Sun 11am–3pm; mid-March to Oct daily 10am–4.45pm; Nov to mid-Dec daily 11am–3pm; 01787 248207, heartofsuffolk.co.uk).

Accommodation AND EATING

The Great House Market Place, CO10 9QZ 01787 247431, greathouse.co.uk. Delightful, family-run hotel bang in the centre of the village. Each of the five guest rooms is decorated in a thoughtful and tasteful manner, amalgamating the original features of the old – very old – house with the new. Deeply comfortable beds and a great breakfast round it all off. The hotel restaurant specializes in classic French cuisine, with both set meals and a la carte. Main courses start at £24. Tues 7–10.30pm, Wed–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7–10.30pm, Sun noon–2.30pm. £180

Swan Hotel High St, CO10 9QA 01787 247477, theswanatlavenham.co.uk. This excellent hotel is a veritable rabbit warren of a place, its nooks and crannies dating back several hundred years. There’s a lovely, very traditional, lounge to snooze in, a courtyard garden, an authentic Elizabethan Wool Hall and a wood-panelled bar. Just as appealing, most of the comfy guest rooms abound in original features, and the restaurant is first-rate too, serving imaginative British-based cuisine – roasted wood pigeon and puy lentils for example – with mains starting at around £18. Main restaurant daily noon–2pm & 7–9pm; brasserie daily noon–2.30pm & 6–9.30pm. £180

< Back to East Anglia

Bury St Edmunds

One of Suffolk’s most appealing towns, BURY ST EDMUNDS, ten miles north of Lavenham, started out as a Benedictine monastery, founded to accommodate the remains of Edmund, the last Saxon king of East Anglia, who was beheaded by the marauding Danes in 869. Almost two centuries later, England was briefly ruled by the kings of Denmark and the shrewdest of them, King Cnut, granted the monastery a generous endowment and built the monks a brand-new church. It was a popular move, and the abbey prospered: by the time of its dissolution in 1539, it had become the richest religious house in the country. Most of the abbey disappeared long ago, and nowadays Bury is better known for its graceful Georgian streets, its flower gardens and its gargantuan sugar-beet plant.

Angel Hill

At the heart of the town is Angel Hill, a broad, spacious square partly framed by Georgian buildings, the most distinguished being the ivy-covered Angel Hotel, which features in Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers. Dickens also gave readings of his work in the Athenaeum, the Georgian assembly rooms at the far end of the square. A twelfth-century wall runs along the east side of Angel Hill, with the bulky fourteenth-century Abbey Gate forming the entrance to the abbey gardens and ruins beyond.

Abbey Gardens and ruins

Abbey Gardens, off Angel Hill, IP33 1XL • Mon–Sat 7.30am–dusk, Sun 9am–dusk • Free; EH • www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/bury-st-edmunds-abbey • There’s a public car park opposite the abbey, not EH-managed

Ensconced within the immaculate greenery of the Abbey Gardens, the abbey ruins are themselves like nothing so much as petrified porridge, with little to remind you of the grandiose Norman complex that once dominated the town. Thousands of medieval pilgrims once sought solace at St Edmund’s altar and the cult was of such significance that the barons of England gathered here to swear that they would make King John sign their petition – the Magna Carta of 1215. A plaque marks the spot where they met beside what was once the high altar of the old abbey church, whose crumbly remains are on the far (right) side of the abbey gardens behind the Cathedral.

St Edmundsbury cathedral

Angel Hill, IP33 1LS • Daily 8.30am–6pm • Free, but £3 donation requested • 01284 748720, stedscathedral.co.uk

Abutting the gardens, the Anglican St Edmundsbury Cathedral is a hangar-like structure, whose most attractive features are its Gothic lantern tower and its beautiful painted roof. The tower was completed in 2005 as part of the Millennium Project, a long-term plan to improve the church, which has also involved the installation of a vaulted ceiling under the tower and the reconstruction of the cloisters. Next door to the cathedral stands the twelfth-century Norman Tower (no access), a solitary structure whose rounded arches, blind arcading and dragon gargoyles once served as the main gatehouse into the abbey.

Corn Exchange and around

Bury’s main commercial area lies just to the west of Angel Hill up along Abbeygate. There’s been some intrusive modern planning here, but sterling Victorian buildings flank both the L-shaped Cornhill and the Buttermarket, the two short main streets, as well as the narrower streets in between. The dominant edifice is the Corn Exchange, whose portico is all Neoclassical extravagance with a whopping set of stone columns and a carved tympanum up above. Perhaps the Victorian merchants who footed the bill decided it was too showy after all, for they had a biblical quote inscribed above the columns in an apparent flash of modesty – “The Earth is the Lord’s and the Fulness Thereof”.

The Apex

Apex Gallery, 1 Charter Square, IP33 3FD • Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm • Free • 01284 758000, theapex.co.uk

Attached to the Arc Shopping Centre, a brief stroll from the Cornhill, the Apex is Bury’s glitzy new performance venue, its construction part of a sustained effort to enliven the town. The first floor here holds the Apex Gallery, a contemporary art gallery whose temporary exhibitions have been very well received; most of the works on display are for sale.

Arrival and departure: bury st edmunds

By train The station is on the northern edge of the centre, a 10min walk from Angel Hill via Northgate St.

Destinations Cambridge (hourly; 45min); Ely (every 2hr; 30min); Ipswich (hourly; 40min).

By bus The bus station, with regular Lavenham services (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 40min), is on St Andrew St North, just south of the Cornhill.

Tourist office In the town centre at the Apex, 1 Charter Square (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; 01284 764667, visit-burystedmunds.co.uk).

Accommodation

Chantry Hotel 8 Sparhawk St, IP33 1RY 01284 767427, chantryhotel.com. There are seventeen guest rooms in this privately owned hotel, occupying the Georgian house at the front and the annexe behind. The decor is retro with big wooden beds and even the odd four-poster. A handy, central location on a busy street. £100

The Old Cannon B&B 86 Cannon St, IP33 1JR 01284 768769, oldcannonbrewery.co.uk. Bury’s most distinctive B&B, a 5min walk north of the town centre. There’s a handful of neat and trim modern guest rooms here, all en suite, in an intelligently recycled brewhouse, which is itself attached to a microbrewery, restaurant and bar (see below). £130

eating And drinking

Baileys 2 5 Whiting St, IP33 1NX 01284 706198, baileys2.co.uk. This cosy, modern place just off Abbeygate is the best teashop in town. The food is fresh and the menu extensive, but you need look no further than the toasties (£5.25). Mon–Sat 9am–4pm.

Maison Bleue 30 Churchgate St, IP33 1RG 01284 760623, maisonbleue.co.uk. Slick and sleek seafood restaurant noted for its outstanding (French-influenced) menu, covering everything from crab and cod through to sardines and skate. Main courses average £24. Tues–Sat noon–2pm & 7–9.30pm.

The Nutshell 17 The Traverse, IP33 1BJ 01284 764867, thenutshellpub.co.uk. Located at the top of Abbeygate, The Nutshell claims to be Britain’s smallest pub and it certainly is tiny – it’s only sixteen feet by seven, big enough for twelve customers or maybe fifteen, provided they can raise a pint without raising their elbows. The pub provides some sterling beers, including Greene King’s full-bodied Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen. Daily 11am–11pm.

The Old Cannon Brasserie 86 Cannon St, IP33 1JR 01284 768769, oldcannonbrewery.co.uk. With a B&B (see above) in the adjoining brewhouse, the Old Cannon’s restaurant-bar offers an excellent range of daily specials with due prominence given to local ingredients. Main courses are competitively priced at around £14. Mon–Sat noon–11pm, Sun noon–10.30pm; kitchen Mon–Sat noon–9pm, Sun noon–3pm.

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Ipswich

IPSWICH, situated at the head of the Orwell estuary, was a rich trading port in the Middle Ages, but its appearance today is mainly the result of a revival of fortunes in the Victorian era – give or take some clumsy postwar development. The two surviving reminders of old Ipswich – Christchurch Mansion and the splendid Ancient House – plus the recently renovated waterfront are all reason enough to spend at least an afternoon here, and there’s also the Cornhill, the ancient Saxon marketplace and still the town’s focal point, an agreeable urban space flanked by a bevy of imposing Victorian edifices – the Italianate town hall, the old Neoclassical Post Office and the grandiose pseudo-Jacobean Lloyds building.

Ancient House

30 Buttermarket,, at corner of St Stephen’s Lane, IP1 1BT • Lakeland store Mon–Sat 9am–5.30pm

From Cornhill, at the centre of town, it’s just a couple of minutes’ walk southeast to Ipswich’s most famous building, the Ancient House, whose exterior was decorated around 1670 in extravagant style, a riot of pargeting and stuccowork that together make it one of the finest examples of Restoration artistry in the country. The house is now a branch of the Lakeland homewares chain, and as such you’re free to take a peek inside to view yet more of the decor, including its hammer-beam roof.

Christchurch Mansion and Wolsey Gallery

Soane St, IP4 2BE • March–Oct Tues–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–5pm; Nov–Feb Tues–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun 11am–4pm • Free • 01473 433554, cimuseums.org.uk

Christchurch Mansion is a handsome if much-restored Tudor building, sporting seventeenth-century Dutch-style gables and set in 65 acres of parkland – an area larger than the town centre itself. The labyrinthine interior is worth exploring. There are period furnishings and a good assortment of paintings by Constable and Gainsborough – the largest collection outside London – both in the main building and in the attached Wolsey Art Gallery (same hours).

The Waterfront

Neptune Quay, IP4 1AX, half a mile south of Cornhill

The Waterfront – or Wet Dock – was the largest dock in Europe when it opened in 1845. Today, after an imaginative refurbishment, it’s flanked by apartments and offices, pubs, hotels and restaurants, many converted from the old marine warehouses. Walking around the Waterfront is a pleasant way to pass an hour or so – look out, in particular, for the proud Neoclassical Customs House.

Arrival and information: Ipswich

By train The train station is on the south bank of the River Orwell, a 10min walk from Cornhill along Princes St.

Destinations Bury St Edmunds (hourly; 35min); Cambridge (hourly; 1hr 20min); Colchester (every 30min; 20min); Ely (every 2hr; 1hr); London Liverpool Street (every 30min; 1hr); Norwich (every 30min; 40min).

By bus Buses arrive at and depart from various places around the city centre, including the Cattle Market bus station, a 5min walk south of Cornhill on Turret Ln, and the Tower Ramparts bus station, just north of Cornhill. Timetables on suffolkonboard.com.

Destinations Aldeburgh (Mon–Sat hourly; 2hr); Orford (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 1hr 50min; change at Rendlesham).

Tourist office St Stephen’s Church, St Stephens Ln (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm; 01473 258070, allaboutipswich.com).

accommodation and eating

Aqua Eight 8 Lion St, IP1 1DQ 01473 218989, aquaeight.com. Cool Asian fusion restaurant right in the heart of town. Most mains go for £10–15, but you can’t go wrong with the superb steamed silver cod with ginger and spring onions in soy sauce for £21. It also has a great bar serving good East Asian-style meze and finger food. Tues–Sun noon–3pm & 6–10pm.

Salthouse Harbour Hotel Neptune Quay, IP4 1AX 01473 226789, salthouseharbour.co.uk. Housed in an imaginatively converted old warehouse down on the quayside, this is the city’s best choice, with seventy large, modern and minimalist-style rooms whose floor-to-ceiling windows look out over Ipswich’s old harbour. The hotel restaurant lives up to the same high standards, with curvy banquettes and a low-lit, warehouse-like feel. The food is hearty rather than healthy, but served with flourish and a good eye for detail. Mains £15–22. Daily noon–5pm & 6–10pm. £150

< Back to East Anglia

The Suffolk coast

The Suffolk coast feels detached from the rest of the county: the main road and rail lines from Ipswich to the seaport of Lowestoft funnel traffic a few miles inland for most of the way, and patches of marsh and woodland make the separation still more complete. The coast has long been plagued by erosion and this has contributed to the virtual extinction of the local fishing industry – and in the case of Dunwich, almost destroyed the whole town. What is left, however, is undoubtedly one of the most unspoilt shorelines in the country – if, that is, you set aside the Sizewell nuclear power station. Highlights include the sleepy isolation of minuscule Orford and several genteel resorts, most notably Southwold and Aldeburgh, which have both evaded the lurid fate of so many English seaside towns. There are scores of delightful walks around here too, easy routes along the coast that are best followed with either the appropriate OS Explorer map or the simplified footpath maps available at most tourist offices. The Suffolk coast is also host to East Anglia’s most compelling cultural gathering, the three-week-long Aldeburgh Festival, which takes place every June.

Getting around: the suffolk coast

By public transport Getting around the Suffolk coast requires planning; work out your route in advance on traveline.info or suffolkonboard.com.

Sutton Hoo

Tranmer House, Sutton Hoo, IP12 3DJ • Exhibition hall Jan, Nov & early Dec Sat & Sun 10.30am–4pm; mid-Feb to Oct daily 10.30am–5pm • £8.50; NT • 01394 389700, nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo • No public transport

In 1939, a local farmer/archeologist by the name of Basil Brown investigated one of a group of burial mounds on a sandy ridge at Sutton Hoo, on a remote part of the Suffolk coast between Ipswich and Orford. Much to everyone’s amazement, including his own, he unearthed the forty-oar burial ship of an Anglo-Saxon warrior king, packed with his most valuable possessions, from a splendid iron and tinted-bronze helmet through to his intricately worked gold and jewelled ornaments. Much of the Sutton Hoo treasure is now in London’s British Museum, but a scattering of artefacts can be seen in the Sutton Hoo exhibition hall, which explains the history and significance of the finds. Afterwards, you can wander out onto the burial site itself, about 500 yards away.

Orford

Some twenty miles from Ipswich, on the far side of the Tunstall Forest, two medieval buildings dominate the tiny, eminently appealing village of ORFORD. The more impressive is the twelfth-century castle (April–Oct daily 10am–5pm; Nov–March Sat & Sun 10am–4pm; £7.30, EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/orford-castle), built on high ground by Henry II, and under siege by Henry’s rebellious sons within months of its completion. Most of the castle disappeared centuries ago, but the lofty keep remains, its striking stature hinting at the scale of the original fortifications. Orford’s other medieval edifice is St Bartholomew’s Church, where Benjamin Britten premiered his most successful children’s work, Noye’s Fludde, as part of the 1958 Aldeburgh Festival.

Orford Ness National Nature Reserve

Orford Quay, IP12 2NU • Boat trips Outward boats 10am–2pm, last boat back 5pm: mid-April to late June & Oct Sat only; July to Sept Tues–Sat • £9; NT • 01728 648024, nationaltrust.org.uk/orford-ness-national-nature-reserve

From the top of the castle keep, there’s a great view across Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, a six-mile-long shingle spit that has all but blocked Orford from the sea since Tudor times. The National Trust offers boat trips across to the Ness from Orford Quay, 400 yards down the road from the church – and a five-mile hiking trail threads its way along the spit. En route, the trail passes a string of abandoned military buildings, where some of the pioneer research on radar and atomic weapons testing was carried out.

Arrival and departure: Orford

By bus Buses to and from Orford are poor and often need advance booking. Consult traveline.info.

Accommodation AND EATING

Butley Orford Oysterage Market Hill, IP12 2LH 01394 450277, pinneysoforford.co.uk. A local institution, dishing up great fish and seafood, much of it caught and smoked locally and served in this simple café/restaurant. Hours vary, but core hours daily noon–2.15pm & 6.30–9pm.

Crown & Castle Market Hill, IP12 2LJ 01394 450205, crownandcastle.co.uk. Orford’s gentle, unhurried air is best experienced by staying overnight at this outstanding (albeit very expensive) hotel, which has eighteen stylish guest rooms and an excellent restaurant. Local, seasonal ingredients are the focus – rump of Suffolk lamb with broad-bean cream sauce for example – with mains around £20. Daily 12.15–2pm & 6.30–9pm. £200

Aldeburgh

Well-heeled ALDEBURGH, a small seaside town just along the coast from Orford, is best known for its annual arts festival, the brainchild of composer Benjamin Britten (1913–76), who is buried in the village churchyard alongside the tenor Peter Pears, his lover and musical collaborator. They lived by the seafront in Crag House on Crabbe Street – named after the poet, George Crabbe, who provided Britten with his greatest inspiration (see box below) – before moving to a much larger house a few miles away.

Outside of June, Aldeburgh is a relaxed and low-key coastal resort, with a small fishing fleet selling its daily catch from wooden shacks along the pebbled shore. Aldeburgh’s slightly old-fashioned-shop appearance is fiercely defended by its citizens, who caused an almighty rumpus – Barbours at dawn – when Maggi Hambling’s 13ft-high Scallop sculpture appeared on the beach in 2003. Hambling described the sculpture as a conversation with the sea and a suitable memorial to Britten; many disgruntled locals compare it to a mantelpiece ornament gone wrong.

Aldeburgh’s wide High Street and narrow side streets run close to the beach, but this was not always the case – hence their quixotic appearance. The sea swallowed much of what was once an extensive medieval town long ago and today Aldeburgh’s oldest building, the sixteenth-century Moot Hall (daily: April, May, Sept & Oct 2.30–5pm; June–Aug noon–5pm), which began its days in the centre of town, finds itself on the seashore. Several footpaths radiate out from Aldeburgh, with the most pleasant leading southwest to the winding estuary of the River Alde.

Benjamin Britten and the Aldeburgh Festival

Born in Lowestoft in 1913, Benjamin Britten was closely associated with Suffolk for most of his life. The main break was during World War II when, as a conscientious objector, Britten exiled himself to the US. Ironically enough, it was here that Britten first read the work of the nineteenth-century Suffolk poet, George Crabbe, whose The Borough, a grisly portrait of the life of the fishermen of Aldeburgh, was the basis of the libretto of Britten’s best-known opera, Peter Grimes, which was premiered in London in 1945. Three years later, Britten launched the Aldeburgh Festival as a showpiece for his own works and those of his contemporaries. For the rest of his life he composed many works specifically for the festival, including his masterpiece for children, Noye’s Fludde, and the last of his fifteen operas, Death in Venice.

By the mid-1960s, the festival had outgrown the parish churches in which it began, and moved into a collection of disused malt houses, five miles west of Aldeburgh on the River Alde, just south of the small village of Snape. The complex, the Snape Maltings (snapemaltings.co.uk), was subsequently converted into one of the finest concert venues in the country and, in addition to the concert hall, there are now recording studios, galleries, a tearoom, and a pub, the Plough & Sail. The Aldeburgh Festival takes place every June for two and a half weeks. Core performances are still held at the Maltings, but a string of other local venues are pressed into service as well. Throughout the rest of the year, the Maltings hosts a wide-ranging programme of musical and theatrical events. For all programme information and bookings, go to snapemaltings.co.uk or call the box office on 01728 687110. Tickets for the Aldeburgh Festival usually go on sale to the public towards the end of March, and sell out fast for the big-name recitals.

ARRIVAL AND departure: aldeburgh

By bus Buses to Aldeburgh pull in along the High St and on the south side of the resort at Fort Green, heading to Ipswich (Mon–Sat hourly; 2hr) and Saxmundham (Mon–Sat every 30min; 30min).

Accommodation

Brudenell The Parade, IP15 5BU 01728 452071, brudenellhotel.co.uk. This bright and smart seafront hotel has something of a New England feel that sits very comfortably here in Aldeburgh. There’s a pleasant sitting room downstairs with sea views and the bedrooms are thoughtfully furnished in a contemporary style. £170

Ocean House B&B 25 Crag Path, IP15 5BS 01728 452094, oceanhousealdeburgh.co.uk. Housed in an immacu­lately maintained Victorian dwelling right on the seafront, Ocean House has just three traditional, en-suite guest rooms including a top-floor suite. The English breakfasts, with home-made bread, are delicious. £100

Eating and drinking

Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop 226 High St, IP15 5DB 01728 452250, aldeburghfishandchips.co.uk. One of Aldeburgh’s two outstanding fish-and-chip shops – this is the original, serving takeaway only. Such is its reputation that there are often long queues at the weekend. Core hours: daily noon–2pm & 5/6–8/9pm.

The Golden Galleon 137 High St, IP15 5AR 01728 454685, aldeburghfishandchips.co.uk. Canteen-style, sit-down fish-and-chip restaurant, sister to the Fish & Chip Shop along the road. Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm & 5–8pm, Sat & Sun noon–8pm.

The Lighthouse 77 High St, IP15 5AU 01728 453377, lighthouserestaurant.co.uk. Aldeburgh’s best restaurant, a relaxed, informal and always busy place located in cosy, split-level premises. The menu favours locally sourced ingredients, featuring everything from burgers and fish and chips to venison tagine with couscous. Mains average £13 at lunchtimes, more in the evening. Daily noon–2pm & 6.30–10pm.

Dunwich and around

Tiny DUNWICH, about twelve miles up the coast from Aldeburgh, is probably the strangest and certainly the eeriest place on the Suffolk coast. The one-time seat of the kings of East Anglia, a bishopric and formerly a large port, Dunwich peaked in the twelfth century since when it’s all been downhill: over the last millennium something like a mile of land has been lost to the sea, a process that continues at the rate of about a yard a year. As a result, the whole of the medieval city now lies underwater, including all twelve churches, the last of which toppled over the cliffs in 1919. All that survives today are fragments of the Greyfriars monastery, which originally lay to the west of the city and now dangles near the sea’s edge. For a potted history of the lost city, head for the museum (April–Oct daily 11.30am–4.30pm; free, but donation requested; 01728 648796, www.dunwichmuseum.org.uk) in what’s left of Dunwich – little more than one small street of terraced houses built by the local landowner in the nineteenth century.

Minsmere RSPB Nature Reserve

IP17 3BY • Reserve daily 9am–9pm or dusk; visitor centre daily 9am–5pm, 4pm in winter • £9 • 01728 648281, rspb.org.uk/minsmere

From Dunwich, it’s about an hour’s walk south along the coast to the Minsmere RSPB Nature Reserve, though there’s a road here too – just watch for the sign on the more southerly of the two byroads into Dunwich. The reserve covers a varied terrain of marsh, scrub and beach, and in the autumn it’s a gathering place for wading birds and waterfowl, which arrive here by the hundred. The reserve is also home to a small population of bitterns, one of England’s rarest birds. You can rent binoculars from the visitor centre and strike out on the trails to the birdwatching hides.

arrival and departure: dunwich and around

By car There’s no regular public transport to Dunwich, so driving is your best bet. A sprawling seashore car park gives ready access to both the village and this slice of coast.

Eating and drinking

Flora Tearooms Dunwich beach, IP17 3EN 01728 648433. Set right on the beach, this popular café is a large hut-like affair, where they serve steaming cups of tea and piping hot fish and chips to an assortment of birdwatchers, hikers and anglers. Daily 11am–4pm.

Southwold

Perched on robust cliffs just to the north of the River Blyth, SOUTHWOLD is one of the region’s most charming towns, its genteel delights attracting the well-heeled and well-spoken. It was not always so: by the sixteenth century Southwold had become Suffolk’s busiest fishing port, but thereafter it lost most of its fishery to neighbouring Lowestoft and today, although a small fleet still brings in herrings, sprats and cod, the town is primarily a seaside resort – and one with none of the crassness of many of its competitors. There are fine Georgian buildings, a long sandy beach, open heathland, a dinky harbour and even a little industry – in the shape of the Adnams brewery – but no burger bars and certainly no amusement arcades. This gentility was not to the liking of George Orwell, who lived for a time at his parents’ house at 36 High Street (a plaque marks the spot), but he might well have taken a liking to Southwold’s major music festival, Latitude (latitudefestival.co.uk), which spreads over four days in the middle of July with happy campers grubbing down in Henham Park beside the A12, about five miles west of town.

Market Place and around

The centre of Southwold is its triangular, pocket-sized Market Place, sitting at one end of the town’s busy High Street and framed by attractive, mostly Georgian buildings. From here, it’s a couple of hundred yards north along Church Street to East Green, one of the several greens that were left as firebreaks after the town was gutted by fire in 1659. On one side of East Green is Adnams Brewery (tours available; tours.adnams.co.uk), on the other a stumpy old lighthouse. Close by is Southwold’s architectural pride and joy, the Church of St Edmund (daily 9am–4pm; free), a handsome fifteenth-century structure whose solid symmetries are balanced by its long and elegantly carved windows.

The Sailors’ Reading Room

East Cliff, IP18 6EL • Daily 9am–dusk • Free • www.southwoldsailorsreadingroom.co.uk

From Market Place, it’s a short stroll along East Street to a clifftop vantage point, which offers a grand view over the beach. Also up there is the curious Sailors’ Reading Room, where pensioners gather in the mornings to shoot the breeze in a room full of model ships, seafaring texts and vintage photos of local tars, all beards and sea boots: founded in 1864, it was designed to keep these very same men reading rather than drinking.

Under the Pier Show

Southwold pier, IP18 6BN • Daily: April–Sept 9am–7pm; Oct–March 10am–5pm • Free • 01502 7221055, underthepier.com

Jutting out from the beach, Southwold pier is the latest incarnation of a structure that dates back to 1899. Revamped and renovated a decade ago, the pier houses the usual – if rather more polite than usual – cafés and souvenir shops, but its star turn is the Under the Pier Show, where a series of knowingly playful machines, handmade by Tim Hunkin, provide all sorts of arcade-style sensory surprises. Try the “Pirate Practice”, the “Rent-a-Dog” and the mischievous (and emotionally rewarding) “Whack-a-banker”.

The harbour

At the mouth of the River Blyth is the harbour, an idyllic spot where fishing boats rest against old wooden jetties and nets are spread out along the banks to dry. A footpath leads west from the river mouth to a tiny foot ferry (April–Oct Sat & Sun 10am–5pm, plus sometimes Mon–Fri 10am–12.30pm & 2–5pm; £1; explorewalberswick.co.uk/ferry), which shuffles across the river to Walberswick. If you’re heading back towards Southwold, however, keep going along the river until you pass the Harbour Inn and then take the path that leads back into town across Southwold Common. The whole circular walk takes about thirty minutes.

Arrival and departure: southwold

By bus Buses pull in along Station Rd, on the west side of the town centre.

Destinations Halesworth (on the Ipswich to Lowestoft train line; Mon–Sat hourly; 30min); Norwich (Mon–Sat every 1–2hr; 1hr 30min to 2hr).

accommodation

The Crown 90 High St, IP18 6DP 01502 722275, thecrownsouthwold.co.uk. The less upmarket (and less expensive) of Adnams’ two hotels in Southwold, with a dozen or so rooms above a bar/restaurant (see below). Most of the rooms are large and have been decorated in a pleasant, contemporary style. £170

Home@21 21 North Parade, IP18 6LT 01502 722573, homeat21.co.uk. Located near the pier, this sea­front guesthouse occupies a well-maintained Victorian terraced house. There are three sympathetically updated guest rooms, two of which are en suite and two sea-facing. £100

The Swan Market Place, IP18 6EG 01502 722186, theswansouthwold.co.uk. Delightful if pricey hotel occupying a splendid, recently refurbished Georgian building right at the heart of Southwold. The main building is a real period piece, its nooks and crannies holding all manner of Georgian details. Some of the guest rooms are here, others (the “Lighthouse Rooms”) are in the more modern garden annexe at the back. £200

Eating and drinking

The Crown 90 High St, IP18 6DP 01502 722275, thecrownsouthwold.co.uk. Deluxe bar food featuring local, seasonal ingredients, all washed down with Adnams ales. Try, for example, the roast butternut squash with puy lentils. Mains £8–19. Tables are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Drinks daily noon–11pm; kitchen Mon–Sat noon–2pm & 6–9pm, Sun noon–3pm & 6–9pm.

Lord Nelson 42 East St, IP18 6EJ 01502 722079, thelordnelsonsouthwold.co.uk. This lively neighbour­hood pub, with its low-beamed ceilings, has a first-rate, locally inspired menu. Try, for example, the herring, Nelson smokes (smoked haddock and cod in sauce) or the dressed crab. Mains average £13. Drinks Mon–Sat 10.30am–­11pm, Sun noon–10.30pm; kitchen daily noon–2pm & 7–9pm.

Sutherland House 56 High St, IP18 6DN 01502 724544, sutherlandhouse.co.uk. There’s a strong local emphasis to the menu at this classy Modern British restaurant, which is housed in one of Southwold’s oldest buildings. Main courses are £12–20, and they have a helpful food-miles chart attached. Daily noon–2.30pm & 6.30–8.30pm; closed Mon in winter.

< Back to East Anglia

Norwich

One of the five largest cities in Norman England, NORWICH once served a vast hinterland of East Anglian cloth producers, whose work was brought here by river and then exported to the continent. Its isolated position beyond the Fens meant that it enjoyed closer links with the Low Countries than with the rest of England and, by 1700, Norwich was the second-richest city in the country after London. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, however, Norwich lost ground to the northern manufacturing towns – the city’s famous mustard company, Colman’s, is one of its few industrial success stories – and this has helped preserve much of the ancient street plan and many of the city’s older buildings. Pride of place goes to the beautiful cathedral and the sterling castle, but the city’s hallmark is its medieval churches, thirty or so squat flint structures with sturdy towers and sinuous stone tracery decorating the windows. Many are no longer in regular use and are now in the care of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust (norwich-churches.org), whose website describes each in precise detail.

Norwich’s relative isolation has also meant that the population has never swelled to any great extent and today, with just 220,000 inhabitants, it remains an easy and enjoyable city to negotiate. Yet Norwich is no provincial backwater. In the 1960s, the foundation of the University of East Anglia (UEA) made it much more cosmopolitan and bolstered its arts scene, while in the 1980s it attracted new high-tech companies, who created something of a mini-boom, making the city one of England’s wealthiest. As East Anglia’s unofficial capital, Norwich also lies at the hub of the region’s transport network, serving as a useful base for visiting the Broads and as a springboard for the north Norfolk coast.

The Cathedral

The Close, NR1 4EH • Daily 7.30am–6pm • Free, but donation requested • 01603 218300, cathedral.org.uk

Of all the medieval buildings in Norwich, it’s the Cathedral that fires the imagination, a mighty, sandy-coloured structure finessed by its prickly octagonal spire, which rises to a height of 315ft, second only to Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire. Entered via the Hostry, a glassy, well-proportioned visitor centre, the interior is pleasantly light thanks to a creamy tint in the stone and the clear glass windows of much of the nave, where the thick pillars are a powerful legacy of the Norman builders who began the cathedral in 1096. The nave’s architectural highlight is the ceiling, a finely crafted affair whose delicate and geometrically precise fan vaulting is embellished by several dozen roof bosses. Accessible from the south aisle of the nave are the cathedral’s unique cloisters. Built between 1297 and 1450, and the only two-storey cloisters left standing in England, they contain a remarkable set of sculpted bosses, similar to the ones in the main nave, but here they are close enough to be scrutinized without binoculars. The dominant theme is the Apocalypse, but look out also for the bosses depicting green men, originally pagan fertility symbols.

Cathedral precincts

Outside, in front of the main entrance, stands the medieval Carnary Chapel. This is the original building of Norwich School, whose blue-blazered pupils are often visible during term time – the rambling school buildings are adjacent. A statue of the school’s most famous boy, Horatio Nelson, faces the chapel, standing on the green of the Upper Close, which is guarded by two ornate and imposing medieval gates (Erpingham and, a few yards to the south, Ethelbert). Beside the Erpingham gate is a memorial to Edith Cavell, a local woman who was a nurse in occupied Brussels during World War I. She was shot by the Germans in 1915 for helping Allied prisoners to escape, a fate that made her an instant folk hero; her grave is outside the cathedral ambulatory. Both gates lead onto the old Saxon marketplace, Tombland, a wide and busy thoroughfare whose name derives from the Saxon word for an open space.

Strangers’ Hall

4 Charing Cross, NR2 4AL • Mid-Feb to May & Oct–Dec Wed 10am–4pm, Sun 1–4.30pm; June–Sept Wed–Fri 10am–4pm Sun 1–4.30pm • £5 • 01603 667229, museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Strangers’ Hall is the city’s most unusual attraction. Dating back to the fourteenth century, it’s a veritable rabbit warren of a place stuffed with all manner of bygones, including ancient fireplaces, oodles of wood panelling, a Regency music room and a Georgian dining room. Allow an hour or so to explore its nooks and crannies, though the most impressive room, the Great Hall, with its church-like Gothic windows, comes right at the beginning. The hall is named after the Protestant refugees who fled here from the Spanish Netherlands to avoid the tender mercies of the Inquisition in the 1560s; at the peak of the migration, these “Strangers” accounted for around a third of the local population.

Market Place

The city’s Market Place is the site of one of the country’s largest open-air markets (Mon–Sat), with stalls selling everything from bargain-basement clothes to local mussels and whelks. Four very different but equally distinctive buildings oversee the market’s stripy awnings, the oldest of them being the fifteenth-century Guildhall, a capacious flint and stone structure begun in 1407. Opposite, commanding the heights of the marketplace, are the austere City Hall, a lumbering brick pile with a landmark clocktower that was built in the 1930s in a Scandinavian style, and The Forum, a large, flashy glass structure completed in 2001. The latter is home to the city’s main library and tourist office. On the south side of Market Place is the finest of the four buildings, St Peter Mancroft (Mon–Sat 10am–3pm; free; stpetermancroft.org.uk), whose long and graceful nave leads to a mighty stone tower, an intricately carved affair surmounted by a spiky little spire, while inside slender columns reach up to the delicate groining of the roof.

Back outside and just below the church is Gentlemen’s Walk, the town’s main promenade, which runs along the bottom of the marketplace and abuts the Royal Arcade, an Art Nouveau extravagance from 1899. The arcade has been beautifully restored to reveal its swirling tiling, ironwork and stained glass.

Clockwise from top left Norfolk Broads; Norwich Market; Scallop, beach, Aldeburgh; Lavenham

Castle Museum and Art Gallery

Castle Meadow, NR1 3JU • Late June to late Sept Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm; late Sept to late June Mon–Sat 10am–4.30pm, Sun 1–4.30pm • £9.15 • 01603 493625, museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Glued to the top of a grassy mound in the centre of town – and with a modern shopping mall drilled into its side – the stern walls of Norwich Castle date from the twelfth century. To begin with they were a reminder of Norman power and then, when the castle was turned into a prison, they served as a grim warning to potential lawbreakers. Today, much of the castle is occupied by the Castle Museum and Art Gallery, whose wide-ranging displays spread over two floors around a central rotunda. Pride of place goes to the Colman Art galleries, which boast an outstanding selection of work by the Norwich School. Founded in 1803, and in existence for just thirty years, this school of landscape painters produced – for the most part – richly coloured, formally composed land- and seascapes in oil and watercolour, paintings whose realism harked back to the Dutch landscape painters of the seventeenth century. The leading figures were John Crome (1768–1821) – aka “Old Crome” – and John Sell Cotman (1782–1842).

University of East Anglia

Earlham Rd, NR4 7TJ • UEA Campus Open access • Free • 01603 456161, uea.ac.uk • Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Tues–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 10am–5pm • Free, but admission charged for some exhibitions • 01603 593199, scva.ac.uk • Among several services, bus #25 runs to the UEA campus from the train station and Castle Meadow

The University of East Anglia (UEA) occupies a sprawling campus on the western outskirts of the city beside the B1108. Its buildings are resolutely modern, an assortment of concrete-and-glass blocks of varying designs, some quite ordinary, others, like the prize-winning “ziggurat” halls of residence, designed by Denys Lasdun, eminently memorable. The main reason to visit is the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, which occupies a large, shed-like building designed by Norman Foster. Well-lit and beautifully presented, the bulk of the permanent collection spreads out over the main floor, beginning with a substantial selection of non-European – particularly Asian and African – artefacts positioned close to some of the European paintings and sculptures they influenced and/or inspired.

Arrival and Information: Norwich

By plane Norwich Airport (norwichairport.co.uk) serves national and international destinations and is about 4 miles north of the city centre along the A140. Park and Ride buses (norwichparkandride.co.uk) run from the airport to the centre (Mon–Sat every 20min; 20min).

By train The station is on the east bank of the River Wensum, a 10min walk from the city centre along Prince of Wales Rd.

Destinations Cambridge (hourly; 1hr 20min); Cromer (hourly; 45min); Colchester (every 30min; 1hr); Ely (every 30min; 1hr); Ipswich (every 30min; 40min); London Liverpool Street (every 30min; 1hr 50min); Sheringham (hourly; 1hr).

By bus Long-distance buses mostly terminate at the main bus station between Surrey St and Queen’s Rd, a 10min walk from the centre. Some services also stop in the centre on Castle Meadow.

Destinations King’s Lynn (hourly; 1hr 50min with one change); London Victoria (every 2–3hr; 2hr 30min–3hr 45min).

Tourist office In the Forum building, overlooking Market Place (Mon–Sat 9.30am–5.30pm, plus early July to mid-Sept Sun 10.30am–3.30pm; 01603 213999, visitnorwich.co.uk).

Accommodation

38 St Giles 38 St Giles St, NR2 1LL 01603 662944, 38stgiles.co.uk; map. Billing itself as a cross between a B&B and a hotel, this deluxe establishment has five en-suite guest rooms of varying size and description, but all top quality. Great home-made break­fasts too. It’s in a handy location, just a few yards from the Market Place. £120

Gothic House King’s Head Yard, 42 Magdalen St, NR3 IJE 01603 631879, gothic-house-norwich.com; map. This particularly charming B&B occupies a slender, three-storey Georgian house down a little courtyard off Magdalen Street. The interior has been meticulously renovated in a period style and the two salon-style bedrooms are reached via the most charming of spiral staircases. The guest rooms are not attached to their bathrooms, but this really is no inconvenience. £105

Maid’s Head Hotel 20 Tombland, NR3 ILB 01603 209955, maidsheadhotel.co.uk; map. Not everyone’s cup of tea perhaps, but this chain hotel is delightfully idiosyncratic – a rabbit warren of a place with all sorts of architectural bits and pieces, from the mock-Tudor facade to the ancient, wood-panelled bar, though there is also a clumpy modern extension. The rooms are mostly large and very comfortable in a standard-issue sort of way, and the location, bang in the centre opposite the cathedral, can’t be beat. If you are a light sleeper, you should avoid those rooms that overlook the street, especially at the weekend. £120

Number 17 17 Colegate, NR3 1BN 01603 764486, number17norwich.co.uk; map. Family-run guesthouse with eight en-suite guest rooms decorated in a brisk, modern style with solid oak flooring; there are two larger family rooms as well. Good location, in one of the nicest parts of the centre. £90

Eating

Benedicts 9 St Benedict’s St, NR2 4PE 01603 926080, restaurantbenedicts.com; map. All simple lines and bright whites, this appealing, family-owned restaurant offers a well-considered Modern British menu: try, for example, the locally caught sea bass or mullet with turnips, Jersey Royals and passion fruit. A two-course meal costs £30, less at lunch. Tues 6–10pm, Wed–Sat noon–2pm & 6–10pm.

Grosvenor Fish Bar 28 Lower Goat Lane, NR2 1EL 01603 625855, fshshop.com; map. A fish-and-chip shop with bells on: the funky decor is inventive, but this plays second fiddle to the delicious fish and chips (from £6), not to mention the veggie burgers, meat pies and more distinctive dishes – tuna with wasabi beans, for one. Eat in or take away. Mon–Sat 11am–7.30pm.

The Last Wine Bar 76 St George’s St, NR3 1AB 01603 626626, lastwinebar.co.uk; map. Imaginatively converted old shoe factory, a couple of minutes’ walk north of the river that has an unpretentious wine bar in one section and an excellent restaurant in the other. The food is firmly Modern British, with the likes of braised lamb shank with carrots and parsnips in a rosemary jus (around £17). Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6–10.30pm.

Nazma 15 Magdalen St, NR3 1LE 01603 618701, nazmaonline.co.uk; map. The menu at this modern Indian restaurant covers all the classics, each prepared from scratch with the freshest of ingredients. Particularly strong on Bangladeshi cuisine. Eat in or take away. Mains around £11. Daily 5–11pm.

drinking and nightlife

Birdcage 23 Pottergate, NR1 1BA 01603 633534 thebirdcagenorwich.co.uk; map. Idiosyncratic pub with a classic Art Deco exterior and a self-proclaimed “Bohemian” interior – take it all in, from the razzly furniture to the modern art and vintage postcards on the walls. It all works very well and the place casts a wide net, with light bites, board games, cocktails, cabaret and cupcakes. Mon–Wed & Sun noon–11pm, Thurs–Sat noon–midnight.

Kings Head 42 Magdalen St, NR3 1JE 01603 620468 kingsheadnorwich.com; map. The perfect drinkers’ pub, with precious little in the way of distraction – there are certainly no one-armed bandits here. The outstanding selection of real ales is supplemented by an equally impressive range of bottled beers, most notably Belgian. The pub has just two smallish rooms, so you may need to be assertive to get served. Daily noon–11pm, sometimes later.

Micawbers Tavern 92 Pottergate, NR2 1DZ 01603 626627; map. Lodged in an old beamed building on one of the city’s prettiest streets, this friendly pub is a local par excellence, featuring an outstanding range of guest ales on draft. There’s home-cooked food and sports TV too. Mon & Tues 5–11pm, Wed & Thurs 3–11pm, Fri 3pm–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9pm.

Waterfront 139–141 King St, NR1 1QH 01603 632717, waterfrontnorwich.webflow.io; map. This happening club and alternative music venue, which occupies a one-time beer bottling plant, showcases some great bands, both big names and local talent, and offers club and DJ nights too. Schedule varies; see website.

entertainment

Cinema City Suckling House, St Andrew’s St, NR2 4AD 0871 902 5724, picturehouses.co.uk; map. Easily the best cinema in town, featuring prime new releases plus themed evenings and cult and classic films. Also live feeds, a Kids’ Club and late-night horror films.

Norwich Arts Centre 51 St Benedict’s St, NR2 4PG 01603 660352, norwichartscentre.co.uk; map. Housed in a redundant church, this inventive and creative Arts Centre offers a wide range of media and performing arts plus an enterprising programme of participatory workshops and activities for both kids and adults.

Norwich Puppet Theatre Church of St James, Whitefriars, NR3 1TN 01603 629921, puppettheatre.co.uk; map. Housed in a deconsecrated medieval church beside the busy Whitefriars roundabout, this long-established puppet theatre company has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its puppets and the excellence of its shows. Some performances are aimed at young children – who are simply enraptured – while others are for adults.

Theatre Royal Theatre St, NR2 1RL 01603 630000, theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk; map. This is the city’s major performance venue, located in a clunky modern building with a capacious auditorium. It casts its artistic net wide, from world music to opera.

The Norfolk Broads

Three rivers – the Yare, Waveney and Bure – meander across the flatlands to the east of Norwich, converging on Breydon Water before flowing into the sea at Great Yarmouth. In places these rivers swell into wide expanses of water known as broads, which for years were thought to be natural lakes. In fact they’re the result of extensive peat cutting – several centuries of accumulated diggings made in a region where wood was scarce and peat a valuable source of energy. The pits flooded when sea levels rose in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries to create these Norfolk Broads (visitthebroads.co.uk), now one of the most important wetlands in Europe – a haven for birds including kingfishers, grebes and warblers – and one of the region’s major tourist attractions. Looking after the Broads, the Broads Authority (www.broads-authority.gov.uk) maintains a series of information centres throughout the region.

The Norfolk Broads are crisscrossed by roads and rail lines, but the best – really the only – way to see them is by boat, and you could happily spend a week or so exploring the 125 miles of lock-free navigable waterways, visiting the various churches, pubs and windmills en route. Of the many boat rental companies, Norfolk Broads Direct (01603 782207, broads.co.uk), is one of the most reputable and they have a rental outlet at The Bridge in Wroxham, which is just seven miles northeast of Norwich – and easy to reach by train, bus and car. Prices for cruisers start at around £700 a week for four people in peak season, but less expensive, short-term rentals are widely available too. For something rather more adventurous, you could also contact the Wroxham-based Canoe Man (01603 783777, thecanoeman.com), who organizes a whole range of activities from guided canoe trips to bushcraft expeditions.

Trying to explore the Broads by car is pretty much a waste of time, but cyclists and walkers can take advantage of the region’s network of footpaths and cycle trails. There are bike rental points dotted around the region and walkers might consider the 62-mile Weavers’ Way, a long-distance footpath that winds through the best parts of the Broads on its way from Cromer to Great Yarmouth.

< Back to East Anglia

North Norfolk coast

About forty miles from one end to the other, the north Norfolk coast is a top tourist destination, attracting a wide cross section of the British population to its long sandy beaches and seaside resorts. This stretch of coast begins (or ends) at Cromer, perhaps the most appealing of the larger resorts on account of its handsome setting, perched on the edge of blustery cliffs. A few miles to the west is another well-established resort, Sheringham, but thereafter the shoreline becomes a ragged patchwork of salt marshes, dunes and shingle spits trimmed by a string of charming villages, principally Cley, Blakeney, Burnham Market and Wells-next-the-Sea, all of which are prime targets for an overnight stay.

GETTING AROUND: NORTH NORFOLK COAST

By train There are hourly trains on the Bittern Line (bitternline.com) from Norwich to Cromer (45min) and Sheringham (1hr).

By bus Easily the most useful bus is Stagecoach’s Norfolk Coasthopper (stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east/coasthopper), which runs along the coast between Cromer and King’s Lynn via a whole gaggle of coastal towns and villages, including Blakeney, Sheringham, Wells and Burnham Market; it generally sticks to the main coast road, the A149. Frequencies vary on different stretches of the route and there are more services in the summer than in the winter, but on the more popular stretches buses appear every 30min or hourly (less frequently on Sun). There are lots of different tickets and discounts; perhaps most useful is the Coasthopper Rover, which provides unlimited travel on the whole route for either one day (£10), three days (£21) or seven days (£36); tickets can be bought from the driver.

Cromer

Dramatically poised on a high bluff, CROMER should be the most memorable of the Norfolk coastal resorts, but its fine aspect has long been undermined by a certain shabbiness in its narrow streets and alleys. To be fair, however, things are at last on the mend, with new businesses arriving to add a touch of flair, and the town council keeps a string of clifftop mini-parks and gardens in immaculate condition. It’s no more than the place deserves: Cromer has a long history, first as a prosperous medieval port – witness the tower of St Peter and St Paul, at 160ft the tallest in Norfolk – and then as a fashionable watering hole after the advent of the railway in the 1880s. There are three things you must do here: take a walk on the beach, stroll out onto the pier, and, of course, grab a crab: Cromer crabs are famous right across England and several places sell them, reliably fresh, and cooked and stuffed every which way.

Arrival and Information: cromer

By train From Cromer station, with trains for Norwich (hourly; 45min) and Sheringham (hourly; 10min), it’s a 5min walk to the centre.

By bus Buses to Cromer, including the Norfolk Coasthopper (see opposite), stop at the east end of Cadogan Rd, on the western side of the town centre.

Tourist office The North Norfolk Information Centre is on the south side of the town centre on Louden Rd (late May to Aug Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm; Sept to late May daily 10am–4pm; 01263 512497, visitnorfolk.co.uk).

Accommodation

Cliftonville Hotel 29 Runton Rd, NR27 9AS 01263 512543, cliftonvillehotel.co.uk. Among the big old mansions that line Runton Rd just west of the town centre facing out to sea, this is the smartest, its grand Edwardian foyer equipped with an impressive double staircase and oodles of wood panelling. After the foyer, the rooms beyond can’t help but seem a tad mundane, but they are large and most have sea views. £160

Virginia Court Hotel 9 Cliff Ave, NR27 0AN 01263 512398, virginiacourt.co.uk. This recently revamped, medium-sized hotel, arguably Cromer’s best, has super-comfy beds, super-thick towels, and super-warm duvets. The hotel dates back to Edwardian times, hence the capacious foyer with its wide, sweeping staircase, and the atmosphere is very much that of a traditional seaside hotel, friendly and relaxed. £140

Eating and drinking

Mary Jane’s Fish & Chip Shop 27 Garden St, NR27 9HN 01263 511208, maryjanes.co.uk. Many Norfolk tourists are fastidious about their fish and chips, with allegiances strongly argued and felt. This simple, family-owned place is especially popular, for the lightness of the batter and the freshness of the fish. Eat in or take away. Takeaway May–Aug Mon–Sat 11.30am–10pm, Sun noon–9.30pm; Sept–April Mon–Thurs 11.30am–9pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am–­10.30pm, Sun noon–8pm.

Rocket House Café RNLI building, The Gangway, NR27 9ET 01263 519126, rockethousecafe.co.uk. Offering sparkling views over the beach, pier and ocean from its giant windows – and from its blustery terrace – this café has the best location in town. The food lacks subtlety, though – stick to the crabs and the salads (which start at just £5). Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–5pm.

Virginia Court Hotel 9 Cliff Ave, NR27 0AN virginiacourt.co.uk. Excellent hotel restaurant, where the emphasis is on local, seasonal ingredients – try, for example, the roast duckling with an orange and redcurrant jus. Mains average £16. Accommodation and dinner deals available. Daily: afternoon teas 2–5pm; dinner 6–8.30pm.

Felbrigg Hall

Felbrigg, NR11 8PR, 2 miles southwest of Cromer • House Mon–Wed, Sat & Sun: mid-Feb to late March 11am–3pm; late March to late Oct 11am–5pm • £10.40 (includes gardens & estate); NT • Gardens & estate Late Feb to late Oct daily 11am–5pm; Nov to late Dec Thurs–Sun 11am–3pm • £6.25; NT • 01263 837444, nationaltrust.org.uk/felbrigg-hall-gardens-and-estate • No public transport

A charming Jacobean mansion, Felbrigg Hall boasts an appealing main facade where the soft hues of the ageing limestone and brick are intercepted by three bay windows, which together sport a large inscription – “Gloria Deo in Excelsis” – in celebration of the reviving fortunes of the family who then owned the place, the Windhams. The interior is splendid too, with the studied informality of both the dining and drawing rooms enlivened by their magnificent seventeenth-century plasterwork ceilings. The surrounding parkland divides into two, with woods to the north and open pasture to the south. A popular spot to head for is the medieval Church of St Margaret’s, which contains a fancy memorial to William Windham I and his wife by Grinling Gibbons. Nearer the house, the walled garden features flowering borders, while the stables have been converted into pleasant tearooms.

Sheringham

SHERINGHAM, just five miles west of Cromer, is a popular seaside resort with an amiable, easy-going air – though frankly you’re still only marking time until you hit the more appealing places further west. Apart from the shingle beach, the main sight is the local museum, The Mo (March–Oct Tues–Sat 10am–4.30pm, Sun noon–4pm; £4; sheringhammuseum.co.uk), which focuses on the town’s nautical history. An enjoyable out-of-town jaunt is on the North Norfolk Railway, whose steam and diesel trains shuttle along the five miles of track southwest from Sheringham to the small market town of HOLT (April & Oct most days; May–Sept daily; Nov–March limited service; all-day ticket £12.50; 01263 820800, nnrailway.co.uk).

Sheringham Park

Upper Sheringham, NR26 8TL • Daily dawn to dusk • Free, but parking £5; NT • 01263 820550, nationaltrust.org.uk/sheringham-park • Reached from Sheringham along the B1157, from Cromer along the A148 or from Cromer and Sheringham train stations by bus

Stretching over a large and distinctly hilly chunk of land just a couple of miles to the southwest of town, Sheringham Park was laid out to a design by Humphry Repton (1752–1818), one of England’s most celebrated landscape gardeners. Repton’s original design has been modified on several occasions, but the broad principles have survived, most memorably in the several lookout points that dot the wooded ridge running across the southern half of the park. There is also an area of heathland and a magnificent, fifty-acre rhododendron garden, seen at its best from late May to early June.

Arrival and information: sheringham

By train Sheringham has two stations, standing opposite each other on either side of Station Rd. One is the terminus of the privately run North Norfolk Railway (see above), the other the terminus of the Bittern Line from Norwich.

Destinations Cromer (hourly; 10min); Norwich (hourly; 1hr).

By bus Buses to Sheringham pull in on Station Approach, by the train stations.

Tourist office Station Approach, by the stations (April, May, Sept & Oct daily 10am–2pm; June–Aug Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm; 01263 824329, visitnorthnorfolk.co.uk).

Accommodation and eating

Dales Country House Hotel Lodge Hill, Upper Sheringham, NR26 8TJ 01263 824555, dalescountryhouse.co.uk. In a superb location on the edge of Sheringham Park, this splendid hotel occupies a rambling Edwardian mansion. The pick of the guest rooms come complete with mini-terrace, four-poster bed, oak furniture and open fireplace. The hotel also has a smashing restaurant with a menu that exhibits flair and imagination; mains start at £15. Daily noon–2pm & 6.30–9.30pm. £150

No. 10 Restaurant 10 Augusta St, NR26 8LA 01263 824400, no10sheringham.co.uk. This is the best restaurant in Sheringham – and in the prettiest of premises. The menu is well-considered, the cod fillet with spring onion risotto and red pepper sauce (£16) being a good example. Wed–Sat 6.30–10pm.

Salthouse

The tiny hamlet of SALTHOUSE may look inconsequential today, but the wool from the flocks of sheep that once grazed here provided a rich living for the lord of the manor and funded the construction of the Church of St Nicholas (daily 10am–4pm; free), an imposing and strikingly beautiful edifice stuck on top of a grassy knoll; the church’s prominent position was both a reminder to the faithful and a landmark for those at sea.

Arrival and departurE: SALTHOUSE

By bus The Norfolk Coasthopper pulls in by The Green, a small triangular piece of grass by the A149.

Eating

Cookie’s Crab Shack The Green, NR25 7AJ 01263 740352, salthouse.org.uk. Cookie’s has something of a cult following, not for the decor, which is simple in the extreme, but for the freshness and variety of the seafood. Crabs, prawns and smoked fish lead the maritime way, but there’s lots more to choose from, including samphire, a local delicacy harvested from the surrounding mud flats and salt marshes from late June to mid-Sept. Daily: April–Sept 9am–6pm; Oct–March 10am–4pm.

Cley Marshes Nature Reserve

A149, NR25 7SA • Reserve daily dawn to dusk; visitor centre April–Oct daily10am–5pm, Nov–March daily 10am–4pm • £5 • 01263 740008, norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

Beside the A149, between Salthouse and Cley (see below), Cley Marshes Nature Reserve, with its conspicuous, roadside visitor centre, attracts birdwatchers like bees to a honey pot. Owned and operated by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), the visitor centre issues permits for entering the reserve, whose saltwater and freshwater marshes, reed beds and coastal shingle ridge are accessed on several footpaths and overseen by half a dozen hides.

Cley beach to Blakeney Point

National Trust information centre Blakeney Point • April–Sept daily dawn to dusk • Free; NT • nationaltrust.org.uk/blakeney-national-nature-reserve

On the west side of the Cley Marshes Nature Reserve – and about 400 yards east of Cley village – is the mile-long byroad (Beach Rd) that leads to the shingle mounds of Cley beach. This is the starting point for the four-mile hike west out along the spit to Blakeney Point, a nature reserve famed for its colonies of terns and seals. The seal colony is made up of several hundred common and grey seals, and the old lifeboat house, at the end of the spit, is now a National Trust information centre. The shifting shingle can make walking difficult, so keep to the low-water mark. The easier alternative is to take one of the boat trips to the point from Blakeney or Morston.

Cley

Once a thriving wool port, CLEY (more formally Cley-next-the-Sea and pronounced “cly”) is one of the coast’s most agreeable spots, beginning beside the main road with a row of flint cottages and Georgian mansions that stand beside a narrow, marshy inlet that (just) gives access to the sea. The sea once dipped further inland, which explains why the main part of the village, including the fine medieval Church of St Margaret (daily 9.30am–4.30pm or dusk; free), is located half a mile further inland beside an expansive green.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: cley

By bus The Norfolk Coasthopper stops outside the Picnic Fayre deli on Cley’s main street (the A149).

ACCOMMODATION and eating

Cley Windmill NR25 7RP 01263 740209, cleywindmill.co.uk. This outstanding B&B occupies a converted windmill that offers wonderful views over the surrounding marshes. The guest rooms, both in the windmill and the adjoining outhouses, are decorated in attractive period style and the best have splendid beamed ceilings; self-catering arrangements are possible as well. At peak times, there’s a minimum two-night stay. The Windmill’s smart and very agreeable restaurant specializes in traditional, home-made English cooking (three-course set meal £32.50/person). Advance reservations – by 10am of the same day – are required. Daily from 7.30pm, plus Sun lunch Nov–Easter. £160

Cley Smokehouse High St, NR25 7RF 01263 740282, cleysmokehouse.com. Superb smokehouse selling a wide range of freshly smoked shellfish, fish and cured meats. Their kippers are near impossible to beat. Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 8.30am–5pm, Sun 9.30am–4.30pm.

Wiveton Hall fruit farm, café and farm shop

Wiveton Hall, 1 Marsh Lane, NR25 7TE • Café & shop April to early Nov Mon–Fri 10am–4.30pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am–4.30pm • Free • 01263 740515, wivetonhall.co.uk

Just off the A149 midway between Cley and Blakeney, Wiveton Hall fruit farm, café and farm shop casts its gastronomic net as widely as possible. Visitors can pick their own fruit and veg in the fields, buy local produce at the farm shop, and pop into the café, a charming rural-rustic kind of place with a homely feel and offering excellent home-made snacks and meals; the café uses the farm’s produce whenever possible. From the café, it’s a few yards to Wiveton Hall (no public access), a sprawling country house, parts of which, including some of the Dutch-style gables, date back to the seventeenth century.

Blakeney and around

Delightful BLAKENEY, a mile or so west of Cley, was once a bustling port, but that was before its harbour silted up; nowadays it’s a lovely little place of pebble-covered cottages with a laidback nautical air. Crab sandwiches are sold from stalls at the quayside, the meandering high street is flanked by family-run shops, and footpaths stretch out along the sea wall to east and west, allowing long, lingering views over the salt marshes. At low tide, the harbour is no more than a muddy creek (ideal for a bit of quayside crabbing and mud sliding) and at high tide the waters rise just enough to allow for boat trips out into the North Sea (see box below). Blakeney is also close to the charming ruins of sixteenth-century Binham Priory (daily dawn–dusk; free; 01328 830362, www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/binham-priory).

Boat trips to Blakeney Point

Depending on the tides, there are boat trips to Blakeney Point from either Blakeney or Morston quay, a mile or so to the west. Passengers have a couple of hours at the point before being ferried back and also get the chance to have a close-up look at the seal colony just off the point; some boat trips just offer the seal colony. The main operators advertise departure times on blackboards by Blakeney quayside, or you can reserve in advance with Beans Boats (01263 740505, beansboattrips.co.uk) or Bishop’s Boats (01263 740753, bishopsboats.co.uk). All boat trips cost £12.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: blakeney

By bus Buses to Blakeney pull in at the Westgate bus shelter, a couple of minutes’ walk from the harbour.

accommodation AND EATING

King’s Arms Westgate St, NR25 7NQ 01263 740341, blakeneykingsarms.co.uk. The best pub in Blakeney by far, this traditional boozer, with its low, beamed ceilings and rabbit-warren rooms, offers top-ranking bar food (mains average £13), largely English but with an international slant. They also have seven modest, en-suite bedrooms. Kitchen daily noon–2pm & 6–9pm. £80

The Moorings High St, NR25 7NA 01263 740054, blakeney-moorings.co.uk. Informal, cheerful little bistro where the creative menu is particularly strong on Norfolk meat, fish and shellfish. A typical main course might be sautéed lamb kidneys with pancetta, rosemary, and a white-bean ragout (£17). Tues–Sun 10.30am–9.30pm.

The White Horse Blakeney 4 High St, NR25 7AL 01263 740574, whitehorseblakeney.co.uk. This well-regarded inn has nine guest rooms kitted out in a bright and cheerful version of country-house style. The White Horse is also noted for its food: great play is made of local ingredients, the bread is baked here daily, and they offer lunchtime snacks and a la carte suppers. Mains average £15. Kitchen Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6–9pm, Sun noon–2.30pm & 6–8.30pm. £130

Wells-next-the-Sea

Despite its name, WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA, some eight miles west of Blakeney, is actually a good mile or so from open water. In Tudor times, before the harbour silted up, this was one of the great ports of eastern England, a major player in the trade with the Netherlands. Those heady days are long gone – the port is now a shadow of its former self – but Wells has reinvented itself as a popular coastal resort.

The town divides into three areas, starting with the Buttlands, a broad rectangular green on the south side of town, lined with oak and beech trees and framed by a string of fine Georgian houses. North from here, across Station Road, lie the narrow lanes of the town centre, with Staithe Street being the main drag. Staithe Street leads down to the quay, a somewhat forlorn affair inhabited by a couple of amusement arcades and fish-and-chip shops as well as the mile-long byroad that scuttles north to the beach, a handsome sandy tract backed by pine-clad dunes. Shadowing this beach road is a high flood defence and the dinky, narrow-gauge Wells Harbour Railway (Easter to mid-Oct every 20min or so from 10.30am; £3 return). There is also a steam train from the edge of Wells to Walsingham.

Arrival and departure: wells-next-the-sea

By bus Buses stop on Station Rd, between Staithe St and the Buttlands; some also travel towards the quay.

accommodation and eating

The Crown The Buttlands, NR23 1EX 01328 710209, crownhotelnorfolk.co.uk. This enjoyable hotel occupies an especially attractive, three-storey former coaching inn with a handsome Georgian facade. Inside, the first batch of public rooms is cosy and quaint, all low ceilings and stone-flagged floors, and upstairs the dozen guest rooms are decorated in an imaginative and especially soothing style. The Crown also prides itself on its food, with splendid takes on traditional British dishes. Mains average around £19, less at lunch times. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 6.30–9.30pm, Sun noon–9pm. £150

The Merchant’s House 47 Freeman St, NR23 1BQ 01328 711877, the-merchants-house.co.uk. Occupying one of the oldest houses in Wells, parts of which date back to the fifteenth century, this deluxe B&B has just two cosy, en-suite guest rooms. It’s handily located, just a couple of minutes’ walk from the quayside. £95

Pinewoods Holiday Park Beach Rd, NR23 1DR 01328 710439, pinewoods.co.uk. Sitting pretty behind a long line of pine-clad dunes and a splendid sandy beach, Pinewoods has been welcoming holiday-makers for over sixty years. It’s a sprawling complex that holds touring and static caravans, beach huts and cosy wooden lodges. It is located about 15min walk from the town quay and accessible on the narrow-gauge railway (see above). The caravan pitches are open from mid-March to late Oct, the lodges from mid-March to Dec. Tariffs vary widely, and minimum stays often apply. £170

Holkham Hall

A149, NR23 1AB, 3 miles west of Wells • Hall April–Oct Mon, Thurs & Sun noon–4pm • £15 • Park April–Oct daily 9am–5pm • Free, but parking £3/day • 01328 713111, holkham.co.uk

One of the most popular outings from Wells is to neighbouring Holkham Hall, a grand and self-assured (or vainglorious) stately home designed by the eighteenth-century architect William Kent for the first earl of Leicester – and still owned by the family. The severe, sandy-coloured Palladian exterior belies the warmth and richness of the interior, which retains much of its original decoration, notably the much-admired marble hall, with its fluted columns and intricate reliefs. The rich colours of the state rooms are an appropriate backdrop for a fabulous selection of paintings, including canvases by Van Dyck, Rubens, Gainsborough and Gaspar Poussin.

The grounds are laid out on sandy, saline land, much of it originally salt marsh. The focal point is an 80ft-high obelisk, atop a grassy knoll, from where you can view both the hall to the north and the triumphal arch to the south. In common with the rest of the north Norfolk coast, there’s plenty of birdlife – Holkham’s lake attracts Canada geese, herons and grebes, and several hundred deer graze the open pastures.

Holkham Bay

The footpaths latticing the Holkham estate stretch as far as the A149, from where a half-mile byroad – Lady Anne’s Drive – leads north across the marshes from opposite the Victoria Hotel to Holkham Bay, which boasts one of the finest beaches on this stretch of coast, with golden sand and pine-studded sand dunes flanking a tidal lagoon. Warblers, flycatchers and redstarts inhabit the drier coastal reaches, while waders paddle about the mud and salt flats.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: HOLKHAM HALL

By bus The Norfolk Coasthopper stops beside the Victoria Hotel on the A149. This is at the north entrance of the Holkham estate (about a mile from the house) and at the south end of Lady Anne’s Drive.

Little Walsingham

For centuries, LITTLE WALSINGHAM, six miles south of Wells, rivalled Bury St Edmunds and Canterbury as the foremost pilgrimage site in England. It all began in 1061 when the Lady of the Manor, a certain Richeldis de Faverches, built a replica of the Santa Casa (Mary’s home in Nazareth) here in this remote part of Norfolk – inspired, it is said, by visions of the Virgin Mary. It brought instant fame and fortune to Little Walsingham and every medieval king from Henry III onwards made at least one trip, walking the last mile barefoot – though this didn’t stop Henry VIII from destroying the shrine in the Dissolution of the 1530s. Pilgrimages resumed in earnest after 1922, an Anglo-Catholic prelude to the building of an Anglican shrine in the 1930s – much to the initial chagrin of the diocesan authorities. Nowadays, the village does good business out of its holy connections as well as from the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway (WWLR), a steam railway which links it with Wells (mid-March to Oct 3–5 daily; 30min; £9 return; 01328 711630, wellswalsinghamrailway.co.uk).

Shirehall Museum and Walsingham Abbey grounds

Common Place, NR22 6BP • Late March to early Nov daily 11am–4pm • £5 • 01328 820510, walsinghamabbey.com

Little Walsingham has an attractive and singularly old-fashioned centre, beginning with Common Place, the main square, whose half-timbered buildings surround a quaint octagonal structure built to protect the village pump in the sixteenth century. Also on Common Place is a mildly diverting local history museum, the Shirehall Museum, through which you gain access to the Walsingham abbey grounds, whose lovely landscaped gardens stretch down to the River Stiffkey, enclosing the scant ruins of the abbey.

Anglican shrine

Common Place, NR22 6EE • Daily, all reasonable hours • Free • 01328 820255, walsinghamanglican.org.uk

Dotted around Little Walsingham are a number of shrines catering to a variety of denominations, but the main event is the Anglican shrine. Flanked by attractive gardens as well as a visitor centre, where there’s a small exhibition on the history of the cult, the shrine is a strange-looking building, rather like a cross between an English village hall and an Orthodox church. The interior holds a series of small chapels and a Holy Well (whose waters are reputed to have healing properties), as well as the idiosyncratic Holy House – Santa Casa – which contains the much revered statue of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Arrival and departure: little walsingham

By bus Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com) service #29 runs south from Wells to Fakenham via Little Walsingham, pausing outside the Anglican Shrine (Mon–Sat hourly, Sun every 2hr; 12min).

By train From the terminus of the steam train from Wells (see opposite), it’s a 5min walk south to Common Place: from the station, turn left along Egmere Rd and take the second major right down Bridewell St.

Tourist office In the Shirehall Museum, Common Place (late March to early Nov daily 11am–4pm; 01328 820510, visitnorthnorfolk.com).

Accommodation and eating

Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham Common Place, NR22 6EE 01328 820255, walsinghamanglican.org.uk. The Anglican Shrine offers affordable lodgings in several locations in and around the village for pilgrims and non-pilgrims alike. The rooms are simply furnished, even frugal; some are en suite, some with shared facilities. Note that during major pilgrimages, vacancies are rare. £80

Norfolk Riddle 2 Wells Rd, NR22 6DJ 01328 821903, norfolkriddle.co.uk. A combined fish-and-chip shop and restaurant supplied – and owned – by local farmers. The restaurant lacks a certain cosiness, but there’s no denying the tastiness of the food and by and large it’s locally sourced – try, for example, the Farm Shop beef and ale pie (£11). Aug Mon–Sat 11.30am–2pm & 5–9pm, Sun 11.30am–2.30pm; rest of year Wed–Sat 11.30am–­2pm & 5–9pm, Sun 11.30am–2pm.

The Burnhams

Head west from Wells and it’s about five miles to tiny BURNHAM OVERY STAITHE, the first of a handful of villages occupying this corner of Norfolk that are collectively known as the Burnhams. A mile further is the pretty little village of BURNHAM MARKET, the leading player of the Burnhams, where a medley of Georgian and Victorian houses surrounds a dinky little green. The village attracts a well-heeled, north London crowd, most of them here to enjoy the assorted comforts of the The Hoste and/or hunker down in their second homes.

Burnham Thorpe

Straggling BURNHAM THORPE, a mile or so to the southeast of Burnham Market, was the birthplace of Horatio Nelson, who was born in the village parsonage on September 29, 1758. The parsonage was demolished years ago, but the great man is still celebrated in the village’s All Saints Church, where the lectern is made out of timbers taken from Nelson’s last ship, the Victory, the chancel sports a Nelson bust, and the south aisle has a small exhibition on his life and times. Traditionally, the other place to head for is the village pub, where Nelson held a farewell party for the locals in 1793, but currently – and sadly – this is closed.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: the burnhams

By bus The Norfolk Coasthopper bus travels through Burnham Overy Staithe on the main road and stops beside the green on the Market Place in Burnham Market, but it does not pass through Burnham Thorpe.

accommodation and eating

The Hoste The Green, Burnham Market PE31 8HD 01328 738777, thehoste.com. One of the most fashionable spots on the Norfolk coast, this former coaching inn has been sympathetically modernized. The hotel’s guest rooms are round the back and range from the small (verging on cramped) to the much more expansive (and expensive). At the front, the Hoste’s antique bar, complete with its wooden beams and stone-flagged floor, is merely a foretaste of the several, chi-chi dining areas beyond. Throughout, the menu is a well-balanced mixture of “land and sea”, anything from wood pigeon with strawberries to cod in beer batter. Main courses average around £18 in the evening, slightly less at lunch. Daily: brasserie noon–9.30pm; afternoon teas 3–5.30pm; dinner 6–9.30pm. £165

Shot to bits: the ups and downs of being Nelson

Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) joined the navy at the tender age of 12, and was soon sent to the West Indies, where he met and married Frances Nisbet, retiring to Burnham Thorpe in 1787. Back in action by 1793, his bravery cost him first the sight in his right eye, and shortly afterwards his right arm. His personal life was equally eventful – famously, his infatuation with Emma Hamilton, wife of the ambassador to Naples, caused the eventual break-up of his marriage. His finest hour was during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when he led the British navy to victory against the combined French and Spanish fleets, a crucial engagement that set the scene for Britain’s century-long domination of the high seas. The victory didn’t do Nelson much good – he was shot in the chest during the battle and died shortly afterwards. Subsequently, Nelson was placed in a barrel of brandy and the pickled body shipped back to England, where he was buried at St Paul’s. In all the naval hullabaloo, Nelson’s far-from-positive attitude to the landowners of his home village was soon glossed over: in 1797, he sent a batch of blankets back to Norfolk to keep the poor warm, railing that an average farm labourer received “not quite two pence a day for each person; and to drink nothing but water, for beer our poor labourers never taste…”.

Brancaster and around

The last of the Burnhams – Burnham Deepdale – leads seamlessly into BRANCASTER STAITHE and then BRANCASTER, both of which spread along the main coastal road, the A149. Behind them, to the north, lies pristine coastline, a tract of lagoon, sandspit and creek that pokes its head out into the ocean, attracting an extravagant range of wildfowl. This is prime walking territory and it’s best explored along the Norfolk Coast Path as it nudges its way through the marshes that back up towards the ocean. Push on west from Brancaster and it’s a mile or so more to minuscule TITCHWELL, with its handful of flint-walled houses, old stone cross and bird reserve.

Titchwell Marsh RSPB Nature Reserve

Titchwell, PE31 8BB • Daily: reserve dawn to dusk; information centre March–Oct 10am–5pm Nov–Feb 10am–4pm • Free, but parking £5 • 01485 210779, rspb.org.uk/titchwellmarsh

The old sea approaches to Titchwell harbour have now become Titchwell Marsh RSPB Nature Reserve, whose mix of marsh, reed bed, mud flat, lagoon and sandy beach attracts a wide variety of birds, including marsh harriers, bearded tits, avocets, gulls and terns. A series of footpaths explore this varied terrain, there are several well-positioned bird hides, including a super Parrinder hide, and a very helpful shop and information centre.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: brancaster and around

By bus The Norfolk Coasthopper bus sticks to the A149 as it travels on from the Burnhams through Brancaster Staithe, Brancaster and Titchwell.

accommodation and eating

Titchwell Manor Hotel Titchwell, PE31 8BB 01485 472027, titchwellmanor.com. Facing out towards the salt marshes that roll down to the sea, this large Victorian hotel is one of the most enjoyable on the Norfolk coast. There are nine guest rooms in the main building, with more in the contemporary-style courtyard complex round the back. Everything is high spec, from the top-quality duvets to the bespoke furniture. The restaurant menu is very British with traditional dishes superbly prepared – anything from fish and chips with mushy peas (£13) through to lobster thermidor with new potatoes. Daily noon–9.30pm. £170

White Horse Brancaster Staithe, PE31 8BY 01485 210262, whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk. This combined hotel, pub and restaurant backs straight onto the marshes, lagoons and creeks of the coast – and, even better, the Norfolk Coast Path runs along the bottom of its car park. The hotel divides into two sections: there are seven en-suite rooms in the main building, and eight more at the back with grass roofs. Brancaster is famous for its mussels and oysters, which you can try in the restaurant; the local duck and beef are also good (main courses average £16). Restaurant daily noon–2pm & 6.15–9pm. £110

Holme-next-the-Sea and around

HOLME-NEXT-THE-SEA, some four miles west of Titchwell, is the quietest of villages, its gentle ramble of old flint cottages and farm buildings nudging up towards the sand dunes of the coast. It’s here at Holme that the Norfolk Coast Path intersects with the Peddars Way, which follows the route of an old Roman road for most of its course, though it’s likely that the Romans simply enhanced what was there before. Any doubts on the matter were surely quashed when, in 1998, gales uncovered a fascinating prehistoric site in the sands just off Holme, comprising a circle of timber posts surrounding a sort of inverted tree stump. Dated to around 2050 BC, Seahenge, as it soon became known, attracted hundreds of visitors, but fears for its safety prompted its removal to the Lynn Museum in King’s Lynn – and there’s nothing to see here today. From Holme, it’s just three miles or so to HUNSTANTON, a kiss-me-quick resort at the west end of the north Norfolk coast.

Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve

Holme-next-the-Sea, PE36 6LQ • Daily: reserve 10am–5pm, or dusk if earlier; visitor centre April–Oct 10am–5pm • Free to walk through on the Norfolk Coast Path; £3.75 for the reserve’s footpaths and bird hides; parking £5 • 01485 525240, norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

The Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve stretches along the coast at the point where The Wash meets the North Sea. The extensive sand and mud flats here have long protected the coast and allowed for the formation of a band of sand dunes, which have, in their turn, created areas of salt- and freshwater marsh, reed beds, and Corsican pine woodland. This varied terrain attracts all sorts of birds, both migrants and residents.

The reserve’s visitor centre can be reached on foot from Thornham via the Norfolk Coast Path (3 miles) and by car from Holme-next-the-Sea: from the A149, turn down Beach Road just to the west of Holme-next-the-Sea and, near the end of the road, turn right down the signed gravel track.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: holme-next-the-sea and around

By bus The Norfolk Coasthopper bus sticks to the A149 as it travels along the southern edge of Holme-next-the-Sea; the Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve visitor centre is a 40min walk from the nearest Coasthopper bus stop.

< Back to East Anglia

King’s Lynn

Straddling the canalized Great Ouse river just before it slides into The Wash, King’s Lynn is an ancient port whose merchants grew rich importing fish from Scandinavia, timber from the Baltic and wine from France, while exporting wool, salt and corn. The good times came to an end when the focus of maritime trade moved to the Atlantic seaboard, but its port struggled on until it was reinvigorated in the 1970s by the burgeoning trade between the UK and the EU. Much of the old centre was demolished during the 1960s and as a result most of Lynn – as it’s known locally – is not especially enticing, but it does have a cluster of especially handsome old riverside buildings, and its lively, open-air markets attract large fenland crowds.

Saturday Market Place

Behind the riverfront, the Saturday Market Place, the older and smaller of the town’s two marketplaces, is a focal point of the old town. In addition to the Saturday market, it’s home to Lynn’s main parish church, St Margaret’s, and the striking Trinity Guildhall, which has a wonderful, chequered flint-and-stone facade dating to 1421. Just across from the church is the former Hanseatic Warehouse, the most evocative of the medieval warehouses that survive along the quayside. Built around 1475, its half-timbered upper floor juts unevenly over the cobbles of St Margaret’s Lane.

Custom House

A couple of minutes’ walk north of the Saturday Market Place along Georgian Queen Street stands Lynn’s finest building, the Custom House, which was erected beside Purfleet Quay in 1683. It’s in a style that was clearly influenced by the Dutch, with classical pilasters, petite dormer windows and a rooftop balustrade, but it’s the dinky little cupola that catches the eye. The tourist office (see opposite) is inside.

King Street and around

Beyond the Custom House, King Street continues where Queen Street leaves off, and is perhaps the town’s most elegant thoroughfare, lined with beautifully proportioned Georgian buildings. On the left, just after Ferry Lane is St George’s Guildhall, one of the oldest surviving guildhalls in England. It was a theatre in Elizabethan times and is now part of the popular King’s Lynn Arts Centre (see opposite). At the end of King Street, the Tuesday Market Place is a handsome square surrounded by yet more Georgian buildings and the plodding Neoclassical Corn Exchange (now a theatre); it hosts King’s Lynn’s main market on Fridays and, yes, Tuesdays.

Lynn Museum

Market St, PE30 1NL • April–Sept Tues–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–4pm; Oct–March Tues–Sat 10am–5pm • £4.35 • 01553 775001, museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Located in the old Union Chapel by the bus station, right in the centre of town, much of the Lynn Museum is given over to Seahenge, a circle of 556 oak timbers, preserved in peat, that were found on the Norfolk coast. The timber circle is now housed in an atmospheric gallery that showcases the timbers themselves, their original position and their possible purpose. The rest of the museum has displays on various aspects of life in Lynn from medieval times onwards.

A mysterious landscape: the Fens

One of the strangest of all English landscapes, the Fens cover a vast area of eastern England from just north of Cambridge right up to Boston in Lincolnshire. For centuries, they were an inhospitable wilderness of quaking bogs and marshland, punctuated by clay islands on which small communities eked out a livelihood cutting peat for fuel, using reeds for thatching and living on a diet of fish and wildfowl. Piecemeal land reclamation took place throughout the Middle Ages, but it wasn’t until the seventeenth century that the systematic draining of the Fens was undertaken – amid fierce local opposition – by the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden. This wholesale draining had unforeseen consequences: as it dried out, the peaty soil shrank to below the level of the rivers, causing frequent flooding, and the region’s windmills, which had previously been vital in keeping the waters at bay, now compounded the problem by causing further shrinkage. The engineers had to do some rapid backtracking and the task of draining the Fens was only completed in the 1820s following the introduction of steam-driven pumps, leviathans which could control water levels with much greater precision than their windmill predecessors. Drained, the Fens now comprise some of the most fertile agricultural land in Europe – though at least Wicken Fen gives the flavour of what went before.

Arrival and Information: King’s Lynn

By train From King’s Lynn station, it’s a 5min walk to the centre via Waterloo St.

Destinations Cambridge (hourly; 50min); Ely (hourly; 30min); London King’s Cross (hourly; 1hr 40min).

By bus The bus station is in the centre of town just off Market St. The Norfolk Coasthopper begins (and ends) its journey at King’s Lynn, putting a string of Norfolk destinations within easy reach.

Tourist office In the Custom House, Purfleet Quay (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm; Oct–March closes 4pm; 01553 763044, visitnorfolk.co.uk).

Accommodation and eating

Bank House Hotel King’s Staithe Square, PE30 1RD 01553 660492, thebankhouse.co.uk. A riverside boutique hotel in a lovely Georgian house in the heart of the town’s oldest quarter. The twelve, period-style rooms are simply delightful, and there’s also a wonderfully inviting bar and restaurant, whose Modern British menu features dishes like Lowestoft plaice and guinea fowl with bacon and cabbage. Mains average £12. Mon–Sat noon–9.30pm, Sun noon–8.30pm. £115

The Old Rectory 33 Goodwins Rd, off London Rd, PE30 5QX 01553 768544, www.theoldrectory-kingslynn.com. Small, agreeable B&B in a substantial Victorian house on the southern side of town; bedrooms are decorated in a modern and reassuringly cosy style. £80

Entertainment

King’s Lynn Arts Centre 29 King St, PE30 1HA 01553 764864, kingslynnarts.co.uk. King’s Lynn at its best, the arts centre stages a wide range of performances and exhibitions.

< Back to East Anglia

Ely and around

Perched on a mound of clay above the Great Ouse river about thirty miles south of King’s Lynn, the attractive little town of ELY – literally “eel island” – was to all intents and purposes a true island until the draining of the fens in the seventeenth century. Before that, the town was encircled by treacherous marshland, which could only be crossed with the help of the local “fen-slodgers” who knew the firm tussock paths. In 1070, Hereward the Wake turned this inaccessibility to military advantage, holding out against the Normans and forcing William the Conqueror to undertake a prolonged siege – and finally to build an improvised road floated on bundles of sticks. Since then, Ely has been associated with that rebellious Englishman, which is more than a little ridiculous as Ely is, above all else, a Norman town: it was the Normans who built the cathedral, a towering structure visible for miles across the flat fenland landscape and Ely’s principal sight. The rest of Ely is at its busiest to the immediate north of the cathedral on the High Street, a slender thoroughfare lined with old-fashioned shops, and at its prettiest down by the river, a relaxing spot with a riverside footpath and a tearoom or two. Ely is also within easy driving distance of an undrained and unmolested chunk of fenland, the National Trust’s Wicken Fen.

Ely Cathedral

The College, CB7 4DL • Cathedral June–Sept daily 7am–6.30pm; Oct–May Mon–Sat 7am–6.30pm, Sun 7am–5.30pm • Mon–Sat £8 (includes free ground-floor tour; 1hr), Sun free • Tower tours Mon–Sat 8/9 daily, Sun 5 daily (West Tower Sat & Sun only in winter); 1hr • Mon–Sat £7 (on top of cathedral admission), Sun £9; reserve in advance • 01353 667735, elycathedral.org • Stained Glass Museum Mon–Sat 10.30am–5pm, Sun noon–4.30pm • £4.50 • 01353 660347, stainedglassmuseum.com

Ely Cathedral is one of the most impressive churches in England, but the west facade, where visitors enter, has been an oddly lopsided affair ever since one of the transepts collapsed in a storm in 1701. Nonetheless, the remaining transept, which was completed in the 1180s, is an imposing structure, its dog-tooth windows, castellated towers and blind arcading possessing all the rough, almost brutal charm of the Normans.

The first things to strike you as you enter the nave are the sheer length of the building and the lively nineteenth-century painted ceiling, largely the work of amateur volunteers. The nave’s procession of plain late Norman arches leads to the architectural feature that makes Ely so special, the Octagon – the only one of its kind in England – built in 1322 to replace the collapsed central tower. Its construction, employing the largest oaks available in England to support some four hundred tons of glass and lead, was one of the wonders of the medieval world, and the effect, as you look up into this Gothic dome, is simply breathtaking. You can take a tour of the Octagon, and of the taller West Tower, from which you can see the Octagon and take in the sweeping views.

When the central tower collapsed, it fell eastwards onto the choir, the first three bays of which were rebuilt at the same time as the octagon in the Decorated style – in contrast to the plainer Early English of the choir bays beyond. The other marvel is the Lady Chapel, a separate building accessible via the north transept. It lost its sculpture and its stained glass during the Reformation, but its fan vaulting remains, an exquisite example of English Gothic. The south triforium near the main entrance holds the Stained Glass Museum, an Anglican money-spinner exhibiting examples of this applied art from 1200 to the 1970s.

Peterborough Cathedral

Burgeoning Peterborough, some thirty miles northwest of Ely, has just one distinct – but unmissable – attraction: its superb Norman cathedral (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun noon–3pm; free, but donation requested; 01733 355315, peterborough-cathedral.org.uk). Work on the present church began a year after the great fire of 1116 and was largely completed within the century. The one significant later addition is the thirteenth-century west facade, one of the most magnificent in England, made up of three deeply recessed arches, though the purity of the design is marred slightly by an incongruous central porch added in 1370. The interior is an exquisite example of Norman architecture. Round-arched rib vaults and shallow blind arcades line the nave, while up above the painted wooden ceiling, dating from 1220, is a wonderful illustration of medieval art, one of the most important in Europe. There are several notable tombs in the cathedral, too, beginning with that of Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who is buried in the north aisle of the presbytery under a slab of black Irish marble.

Peterborough train station, with direct links to Ely and Cambridge, is a short, signposted walk across the pedestrianized town centre from the cathedral, in the Minster Precincts.

Oliver Cromwell’s House

29 St Mary’s St, CB7 4HF • Daily: April–Oct 10am–5pm; Nov–March 11am–4pm • £4.90 • 01353 662062, olivercromwellshouse.co.uk

Near the cathedral is Oliver Cromwell’s House, a timber-framed former vicarage that holds a small exhibition on the Protector’s ten-year sojourn in Ely, where he was employed as a tithe collector. The tourist office (see opposite) is here as well.

Wicken Fen Nature Reserve

Lode Lane, Wicken, CB7 5XP, 9 miles south of Ely • Reserve daily dawn to dusk; dragonfly centre late May to late Sept Sat & Sun 11am–4pm • £6.95; NT • 01353 720274 • nationaltrust.org.uk/wicken-fen-nature-reserve

Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve is one of the few remaining areas of undrained fenland and as such is an important wetland habitat. It owes its survival to a group of Victorian entomologists who donated the land to the National Trust in 1899. The seven hundred acres are undrained but not uncultivated – sedge and reed cutting are still carried out to preserve the landscape as it is – and the reserve is easily explored by means of several clearly marked footpaths. The reserve holds about ten birdwatching hides and is also one of the best places in the UK to see dragonflies.

Arrival and Information: ely and around

By train Ely is a major railway junction, with direct trains from as far afield as Liverpool, Norwich and London, as well as Cambridge. From the station, it’s a 10min walk to the cathedral, straight up Station Rd and its continuation Back Hill before veering right along The Gallery.

Destinations Cambridge (every 15min; 15min); Ipswich (every 2hr; 1hr); King’s Lynn (hourly; 30min); London King’s Cross (every 30min; 1hr); Norwich (every 30min; 1hr).

By bus Most buses, including Stagecoach express services to Cambridge (hourly; 1hr), stop on Market St immediately north of the cathedral.

Tourist office In Oliver Cromwell’s House, 29 St Mary’s Street (daily: April–Oct 10am–5pm; Nov–March 11am–­4pm; 01353 662062, visitely.org.uk).

Accommodation and eating

Peacocks Tearoom 65 Waterside, CB7 4AU 01353 661100, peacockstearoom.co.uk. Down by the river, this popular tearoom – easily the best in town – serves a delicious range of cream teas, salads, sandwiches, soups and lunches with the odd surprise: try, for example, the chocolate courgette cake. There’s also an enormous choice of teas from around the world. After the success of their tearoom, the owners ventured into B&B, offering two comfortably furnished suites in the same premises. Both are kitted out in antique style – and very pleasant they are too. Wed–Sun 10.30am–5pm. £135

29 Waterside B&B 29 Waterside, CB7 4AU 01353 614329, info@29waterside.org.uk. Ely is a tad short of places to stay, but this cosy B&B, in a pair of pretty little brick cottages dating back to the 1760s, helps remedy things. Several original features have been preserved, including the beamed ceilings, and the remainder has been sympathetically modernized. If the sun is out, breakfast can be taken in the garden. £86

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Cambridge and around

On the whole, CAMBRIDGE is a much quieter and more secluded place than Oxford, though for the visitor what really sets it apart from its scholarly rival is “The Backs” – the green sward of land that straddles the languid River Cam, providing exquisite views over the backs of the old colleges. At the front, the handsome facades of the colleges dominate the layout of the town centre, lining up along the main streets. Most of the older colleges date back to the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries and are designed to a similar plan, with the main gate leading through to a series of “courts”, typically a carefully manicured slab of lawn surrounded on all four sides by college residences or offices. Many of the buildings are extraordinarily beautiful, but the most famous is King’s College, whose magnificent King’s College Chapel is one of the great statements of late Gothic architecture. There are 31 university colleges in total, each an independent, self-governing body, proud of its achievements and attracting – for the most part at least – a close loyalty from its students.

Note that most colleges have restricted opening times and some impose admission charges; during the exam period (late April to early June) most of them close their doors to the public at least some of the time.

King’s College

King’s Parade, CB2 1ST • Term time Mon–Fri 9.30am–3.30pm, Sat 9.30am–3.15pm, Sun 1.15–2.30pm; rest of year daily 9.30am–4.30pm • £9 (includes chapel) • 01223 331100, www.kings.cam.ac.uk

Henry VI founded King’s College in 1441, but he was disappointed with his initial efforts. So, four years later, he cleared away half of the town to make room for a much grander foundation. His plans were ambitious, but the Wars of the Roses – and bouts of royal insanity – intervened and by the time of his death in 1471 very little had been finished and work on what was intended to be Henry’s Great Court hadn’t even started. This part of the site remained empty for no less than three hundred years and the Great Court complex of today – facing King’s Parade from behind a long stone screen – is largely neo-Gothic, built in the 1820s to a design by William Wilkins. Henry’s workmen did, however, start on the college’s finest building, the much-celebrated King’s College Chapel, on the north side of today’s Great Court.

King’s College once enjoyed an exclusive supply of students from Eton and until 1851 claimed the right to award its students degrees without their taking any examinations. The first non-Etonians were only accepted in 1873. Times have changed, however, and King’s is now one of the university’s more progressive colleges – it was among the first three to admit women, in 1972, and consistently has one of the highest intakes of state-school students.

King’s College Chapel

Entrance either via the main gatehouse on King’s Parade or the North Gate, at the end of Senate House Passage

Committed to canvas by Turner and Canaletto, and eulogized in no fewer than three sonnets by Wordsworth, King’s College Chapel is now internationally famous for its boys’ choir, whose members process across the college grounds during term time in their antiquated garb to sing evensong (Tues–Sat at 5.30pm, plus choral services Sun 10.30am & 3.30pm) and carols on Christmas Eve. The setting for the choristers is supreme, the chapel impossibly slender, its streamlined buttresses channelling up to a dainty balustrade and four spiky turrets, though the exterior was, in a sense at least, a happy accident – its design predicated by the carefully composed interior. Here, the high and handsome nave has an exquisite ceiling, whose fantail tracery has a dense geometry of extraordinary complexity and delicacy. The nave is flooded with kaleidoscopic patterns of light that filter in through copious stained-glass windows. Paid for by Henry VIII, the stained glass was largely the work of Flemish glaziers, with the lower windows portraying scenes from the New Testament and the Apocrypha, and the upper windows the Old Testament. Above the altar hangs Rubens’ tender Adoration of the Magi and an exhibition in the side chantries puts more historical flesh on Henry’s grand plans.

King’s Parade and around

King’s College dominates King’s Parade, the town’s medieval High Street, but the higgledy-piggledy shops and cafés opposite are an attractive foil to Wilkins’ architectural screen. At the northern end of King’s Parade is Great St Mary’s (May–Aug Mon–Sat 9.30am–5pm, Sun 12.30–5pm; Sept–April closes 4pm; free; 01223 747272, www.gsm.cam.ac.uk), the university’s pet church, a sturdy Gothic structure whose tower (£4) offers a good view of the surrounding colleges. Opposite the church stands Senate House, an exercise in Palladian classicism by James Gibbs, and the scene of graduation ceremonies in late June, when champagne corks fly around the (faux) fur collars and black gowns. Behind the church is Market Hill, usually full of stalls selling books, records, flowers, food and souvenirs – make time for the Belgian waffle stand on the eastern edge, a student favourite.

Gonville and Caius College

Trinity St, CB2 1TA • Daily 9am–2pm • Free • 01223 332400, cai.cam.ac.uk

The northern continuation of King’s Parade is Trinity Street, a short way along which, on the left, is the cramped main entrance to Gonville and Caius College, known simply as Caius (pronounced “keys”), after the sixteenth-century co-founder John Keys, who latinized his name as was then the custom with men of learning. The design of the college owes much to Keys, who placed three gates on two adjoining courts, each representing a different stage on the path to academic enlightenment: at the main entrance is the Gate of Humility, through which the student enters the college; the Gate of Virtue, sporting the female figures of Fame and Wealth, marks the entrance to Caius Court; and the exquisite Gate of Honour, capped with sundials and decorated with classical motifs, leads onto Senate House Passage.

Clare College

Trinity Lane, CB2 1TL • No set opening hours • Summer £5; winter free • 01223 333200, clare.cam.ac.uk

Senate House Passage continues west beyond Caius College’s Gate of Honour en route to Clare College. Clare’s plain period-piece courtyards, completed in the early eighteenth century, lead to one of the most picturesque of all the bridges over the Cam, Clare Bridge. Beyond lies the Fellows’ Garden, one of the loveliest college gardens open to the public (same times as college). Back at the entrance to Clare, it’s a few steps more to the North Gate of King’s College, beside King’s College Chapel.

Trinity College

Trinity St, CB2 1TQ • College Daily 10am–4.30pm • £3 • Wren Library Mon–Fri noon–2pm, plus Sat during term 10.30am–12.30pm • Free • 01223 338400, trin.cam.ac.uk

A statue of Henry VIII, who founded Trinity College in 1546, sits in majesty over Trinity’s Great Gate, his sceptre replaced long ago with a chair leg – legend has it a student stole it for a prank, either switching it themselves or leaving it, only for a helpful college employee to come up with the ad hoc replacement. Beyond lies the vast asymmetrical expanse of Great Court, which displays a superb range of Tudor buildings, the oldest of which is the fifteenth-century clocktower. The centrepiece of the court is a delicate fountain, in which, so it’s said, Lord Byron used to bathe naked with his pet bear – the college forbade students from keeping dogs.

On the far side of the Great Court, walk through “the screens” – the narrow passage separating the Hall from the kitchens – to reach Nevile’s Court, where Newton first calculated the speed of sound. The west end of Nevile’s Court is enclosed by one of the university’s most famous buildings, the Wren Library (access only from The Backs). Viewed from the outside, it’s impossible to appreciate the scale of the interior thanks to Wren’s clever device of concealing the internal floor level by means of two rows of stone columns. Natural light pours into the white, stuccoed interior, which contrasts wonderfully with the dark lime-wood bookcases, also Wren-designed.

St John’s College

St John’s St, CB2 1TP • Daily: March–Oct 10am–5pm; Nov–Feb 10am–3.30pm • £10 • 01223 338600, www.joh.cam.ac.uk

Next door to Trinity, St John’s College sports a grandiloquent Tudor gatehouse, which is distinguished by the coat of arms of the founder, Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII. Beyond, three successive courts lead to the river, but there’s an excess of dull reddish brickwork here – enough for Wordsworth, who lived above the kitchens on F staircase, to describe the place as “gloomy”. The arcade on the far side of Third Court leads through to the Bridge of Sighs, a chunky, covered bridge across the river built in 1831 but in most respects very unlike its Venetian namesake. The bridge is best viewed from the much older – and much more stylish – Wren-designed bridge a few yards to the south. The Bridge of Sighs links the old college with the fanciful nineteenth-century New Court, a crenellated neo-Gothic extravaganza topped by a feast of dinky stone chimneys and pinnacles.

Magdalene College

Magdalene St, CB3 0AG • College Daily 10am–6pm • Free • Pepys Library Late April to early Sept Mon–Fri 2–4pm, Sat 11.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–2.30pm; Oct to late March Mon–Sat 2–4pm • Free • 01223 332100, www.magd.cam.ac.uk

Founded as a hostel by the Benedictines, Magdalene College (pronounced “maudlin”) became a university college in 1542; it was also the last of the Oxbridge colleges to admit women, finally surrendering in 1988. Male students responded by wearing black armbands to symbolize the “death of education” – but, armbands or not, the college’s academic results swiftly improved. The main focus of attention here is the Pepys Library, in the second of the college’s ancient courtyards. Samuel Pepys, a Magdalene student, bequeathed his entire library to the college, where it has been displayed ever since in its original red-oak bookshelves. His famous diary is also parked here.

Jesus College

Jesus Lane, CB5 8BL • Daily 10am–5pm • Free • 01223 339339, jesus.cam.ac.uk

The intimate cloisters of Jesus College are reminiscent of a monastery – appropriately, as the Bishop of Ely founded the college on the grounds of a suppressed Benedictine nunnery in 1496. Beyond the main red-brick gateway, much of the ground plan of the nunnery has been preserved, especially around Cloister Court, the first court on the right after the entrance and the prettiest part of the college, dripping with ivy and, in summer, overflowing with hanging baskets. Entered from the Cloister Court, the college chapel occupies the former priory chancel and looks like a medieval parish church, though in fact it was imaginatively restored in the nineteenth century, using ceiling designs by William Morris and Pre-Raphaelite stained glass. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was the college’s most famously bad student, absconding in his first year to join the Light Dragoons, and returning only to be kicked out for a combination of bad debts and unconventional opinions.

Sidney Sussex College

Sidney St, CB2 3HU • No set opening times • Free • 01223 338800, sid.cam.ac.uk

The sombre, mostly mock-Gothic facade of Sidney Sussex College glowers over Sidney Street. The interior is fairly unexciting too, though the long, slender chapel is noteworthy for its fancy marble floor, hooped roof and Baroque wood panelling, as well as for being the last resting place of the skull of its most famous alumnus, Oliver Cromwell – though the exact location remains a closely guarded secret. Incidentally, neighbouring Hobson Street is named after the owner of a Cambridge livery stable, who would only allow customers to take the horse nearest the door, hence “Hobson’s choice”.

Christ’s College

St Andrew’s St, CB2 3BU • Daily 9am–4pm • Free • 01223 334900, christs.cam.ac.uk

Close to Cambridge’s central shopping area, the turreted gateway of Christ’s College features the coat of arms of the founder, Lady Margaret Beaufort, who also founded St John’s. Passing through First Court you come to the Fellows’ Building, attributed to Inigo Jones, whose central arch gives access to the Fellows’ Garden. The poet John Milton is said to have either painted or composed here, though there’s no definite proof that he did either; another of Christ’s famous undergraduates was Charles Darwin, who showed little academic promise and spent most of his time hunting.

Queens’ College

Silver St, CB3 9ET, but visitors’ gate on Queens’ Lane • March–Oct daily 10am–4.30pm; Dec–Feb Mon–Fri 10am–3pm • £3.50 • 01223 335511, www.queens.cam.ac.uk

Queens’ College is particularly beautiful, boasting, in the Old Court and the Cloister Court, two dream-like, fairy-tale Tudor courtyards: the first of the two is a perfect illustration of the original collegiate ideal, with kitchens, library, chapel, hall and rooms all set around a tiny green. Flanking Cloister Court is the Long Gallery of the President’s Lodge, the last remaining half-timbered building in the university, and the tower where Erasmus is thought to have beavered away during his four years here, probably from 1510 to 1514. Equally eye-catching is the wooden Mathematical Bridge over the River Cam (visible for free from the Silver Street Bridge), a copy of the mid-eighteenth-century original, which – so it was claimed – would stay in place even if the nuts and bolts were removed.

Cambridge: taking a punt

Punting is the quintessential Cambridge activity, though it is, in fact, a good deal harder than it looks. First-timers find themselves zigzagging across the water and in summer “punt jams” are very common on the stretch of the River Cam beside The Backs. Punt rental is available at several points, including the boatyard at Mill Lane (beside the Silver Street bridge), at Magdalene Bridge, and at the Garret Hostel Lane bridge at the back of Trinity College. It’s almost always possible to rent on spec, but you can usually save money if you book ahead of time – Scudamore’s (01223 359750, scudamores.com) are as good as anyone. Hiring a punt costs around £27 per hour (and most places charge a deposit), for up to six people in each punt. Alternatively, you can hire a chauffeured punt from any of the rental places – either a shared punt (with strangers) for about £12 per person per hour, or your own (with friends) for around £18 per person per hour.

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Trumpington St, CB2 1RB • Tues–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm • Free • 01223 332900, fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

The Fitzwilliam Museum holds the city’s premier fine and applied art collection in an imposing Neoclassical edifice, which was built to house the vast hoard bequeathed by Viscount Fitzwilliam in 1816. Since then, the museum has been gifted a string of private collections, most of which follow a particular specialism. The Lower Galleries contain a wealth of antiquities including Egyptian sarcophagi and mummies, fifth-century BC Greek vases, plus a bewildering display of early European and Asian ceramics and sections dedicated to armour, glass and pewterware. Temporary exhibitions are held here too. The Upper Galleries contain an eclectic assortment of mostly eighteenth, nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European paintings and sculptures, with more modern pieces by Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Jacob Epstein and Barbara Hepworth.

The Polar Museum

Lensfield Rd, CB2 1ER • Tues–Sat 10am–4pm • Free • 01223 336540, spri.cam.ac.uk

The pocket-sized Polar Museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute begins with a section devoted to the native peoples of the Arctic, with an especially enjoyable collection of Inuit soapstone sculptures. It continues with pen sketches of the European explorers who ventured to both poles with varying degrees of success and it’s here you’ll find a substantial set of documents – original letters, incidental artefacts and so on – relating to the fateful expedition to the South Pole led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912), after whom the institute is named.

Duxford Imperial War Museum

Duxford, CB22 4QR, 11 miles south of Cambridge • Daily: mid-March to late Oct 10am–6pm; late Oct to mid-March 10am–4pm • £16.35 • 01223 835000, iwm.org.uk

The giant hangars of the Duxford Imperial War Museum dominate the eponymous airfield. Throughout World War II, East Anglia was a centre of operations for the RAF and the USAF, with the region’s flat, unobstructed landscape dotted with dozens of airfields, among which Duxford was one of the more important. In total, the museum holds nearly 200 historic aircraft, a wide-ranging collection of civil and military planes from the Sunderland flying boat to Concorde and the Vulcan B2 bombers, which were used for the first and last time in the 1982 Falklands conflict; the Spitfires, however, are the enduring favourites. Most of the planes are kept in full working order and are taken out for a spin at Duxford Air Shows, which attract thousands of visitors. There are usually half a dozen air shows a year (as well as temporary exhibitions) and advance bookings are strongly recommended – call ahead or consult the museum website.

Arrival and information: cambridge and around

By train Cambridge train station is a mile or so southeast of the city centre, off Hills Rd. From here, it’s an easy if tedious 20min walk into the centre, or a short bus ride; take any one of several local (Citi) buses to Emmanuel St.

Destinations Bury St Edmunds (hourly; 40min); Ely (every 30min; 15min); Ipswich (hourly; 1hr 20min); King’s Lynn (hourly; 45min); London King’s Cross (every 30min; 50min); London Stansted Airport (every 30min; 30min); Norwich (hourly; 1hr 20min).

By bus The long-distance bus station, with services to London Victoria (every 2hr; 2hr), is just east of the city centre on Drummer St.

By car Arriving by car, you’ll find much of the city centre closed to traffic and on-street parking well-nigh impossible to find, so most visitors plump for a park-and-ride car park; these are signposted on all major approaches.

Tourist office In the Guildhall, Peas Hill, just off King’s Parade (April–Oct Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–3pm; Nov–March Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; 01223 791500, visitcambridge.org).

Getting around

By bike Popular with locals and students alike, cycling is an enjoyable way to get around the city. Among the small army of bike rental outlets, one of the more dependable is Rutland Cycling (01223 352728, rutlandcycling.com), which has an outlet close to the train station at 155 Great Northern Rd. Wherever you leave your bike, lock it securely as bike theft is not uncommon.

Accommodation

Cambridge is light on central accommodation so vacant rooms are often thin on the ground, but the situation improves outside term time when many of the colleges let out rooms on a B&B basis, often at bargain rates. The rooms are pretty frugal, but there again visitors can enjoy the college atmosphere; for bookings, go to visitcambridge.org/accommodation/college-rooms.

Doubletree by Hilton Cambridge Granta Place, Mill Lane, CB2 1RT 01223 259988, doubletree3.hilton.com; map. This is the city’s most appealing hotel by a long chalk, occupying a stylishly designed 1960s building a short walk from the centre. The best rooms have balconies overlooking the river (though the views are hardly riveting) and breakfasts are first-rate – as you’d expect at this price. £210

Gonville Hotel Gonville Place, CB1 1LY 01223 366611, gonvillehotel.co.uk; map. One of the better mid-range choices in Cambridge, this pleasantly refurbished hotel occupies a long albeit somewhat undistinguished building just set back off a busy main road. Proficient, efficient lodgings with smart, modern guest rooms. £140

Warkworth House Warkworth Terrace, CB1 1EE 01223 363682, warkworthhouse.co.uk; map. Welcoming, family-run B&B with a handful of straight­forward, bright and unfussy en-suite rooms. In a substantial Victorian property a shortish walk southeast of the bus station, off Parkside. £95

Worth House 152 Chesterton Rd, CB4 1DA 01223 316074, worth-house.co.uk; map. Friendly B&B in a pleasantly upgraded Victorian house a 20min walk from the centre. All the bedrooms are decorated in a bright modern style and have generous en-suite bathrooms. Great breakfasts too. £120

YHA Cambridge 97 Tenison Rd, CB1 2DN 0345 3719728, yha.org.uk/hostel/cambridge; map. This long-established hostel occupies a substantial Victorian house and a modern annexe near the train station. Facilities include a laundry and self-catering kitchen, cycle storage, a games room and a small courtyard garden. There are just over one hundred beds in two- to six-bedded rooms, some en suite; advance reservations advised. Dorms £20, doubles £60

eating

With most Cambridge students and staff eating in college, good-quality restaurants are comparatively thin on the ground – whereas the takeaway and café scene is on a roll.

Aromi 1 Bene’t St, CB2 3QN 01223 300117, aromi.co.uk; map. The furnishings and fittings may be standard-issue modern, but, oh my word, the food here at this little café is absolutely superb: they offer authentic Sicilian food – pizza slices, focaccia and cannoli, plus a hatful of other delights. Eat in or takeaway. Expect queues at peak times. Mon–Thurs & Sun 9am–7pm, Fri & Sat 9am–8pm.

Bibimbap House 60 Mill Rd, CB1 2AS 01223 506800; map. Tiny, family-run Korean restaurant, specializing in – you guessed it – bibimbap. Portions are huge, always served with an array of delicious side dishes. Slightly out of the centre, a 5–10min walk from Parker’s Piece, but worth it. Mains £12–15. Mon 5–10pm, Wed–Sun noon–3pm & 5–9/10pm.

Efe’s 78 King St, CB1 1LN 01223 500005; map. Something of a city institution, this Turkish restaurant may have uninspiring decor, but the chargrilled meats – the house speciality – are extremely tasty. Mains around £12. Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm & 6–11pm; Sat & Sun noon–11pm.

Michaelhouse Café Trinity St, CB2 1SU 01223 309147 michaelhousecafe.co.uk; map. Good-quality café food – snacks, salads and so forth – in an attractively renovated medieval church. Great, central location too. Mains for around £6. Mon–Sat 8am–5pm.

Midsummer House Midsummer Common, CB4 1HA 01223 369299, midsummerhouse.co.uk; map. This two-Michelin-starred restaurant delights with its inventive French cuisine and surprisingly unpretentious atmosphere. Everything is delicious, of course, but the friendly, good-humoured and immensely knowledgeable staff really set it apart. One for a major treat: a five-course lunch is £56.50, eight-course dinner £120. Book well ahead. Sittings Tues 7–8.30pm, Wed & Thurs noon–1.30pm & 7–8.30pm, Fri & Sat noon–1.30pm & 6.30–9.30pm.

The Orchard 47 Mill Way, Grantchester, CB3 9ND 01223 840230, theorchardteagarden.co.uk; map. Follow the river south out of Cambridge for a lovely 2-mile stroll or cycle through Grantchester Meadows, and reward yourself with one of the enormous scones (cream tea £5.75) at The Orchard. This simple tearoom with deckchairs dotted around an orchard was a favourite haunt of Rupert Brooke, among many other famous alumni. It’s still a popular escape for students today – many punt all the way here. Hours vary by season, but usually daily 9.30am–5/6pm.

Rainbow Café 9a King’s Parade, CB2 1SJ 01223 321551, rainbowcafe.co.uk; map. Cramped but agreeable vegetarian restaurant with main courses – ranging from Jamaican roti cups to North African tagine – for around £10. Specializes in vegan and gluten-free food plus organic wines. Handy location, down an alley opposite King’s College. Don’t be surprised if there’s a queue. Tues–Sat 10am–10pm, Sun 10am–3pm.

Restaurant 22 22 Chesterton Rd, CB4 3AX 01223 351880, restaurant22.co.uk; map. Well-regarded and long-established restaurant in cosy premises where they serve a Modern British menu with seafood at the fore. A three-course set meal will set you back about £40. Northeast of the centre, on the far side of Jesus Green and the river. Tues–Sat 7–11pm.

drinking and nightlife

Champion of the Thames 68 King St, CB1 1LN 01223 351464, thechampionofthethames.com; map. Gratifyingly old-fashioned central pub with oodles of wood panelling, decent beer and a student/academic crowd. Daily noon–11pm.

Eagle 8 Bene’t St, CB2 3QN 01223 505020, eagle-cambridge.co.uk; map. Owned and operated by Greene King, this ancient city-centre inn, with its antique appearance and cobbled courtyard, is associated with Crick and Watson, two of the scientists who discovered DNA in 1953. It gets horribly crowded, but is still worth a pint of anyone’s time – the ales are reliably good. Mon–Sat 10am–11pm, Sun 11am–10.30pm.

Fez 15 Market Passage, CB2 3PF 01223 519224, cambridgefez.com; map. Popular city-centre club with vaguely Middle Eastern decor, good drinks deals and the requisite sticky floor. It tends to have better DJs than the competition, and some excellent one-off nights; check the website to see what’s coming up. Tues & Thurs–Sat 10pm–3am, other days vary.

Free Press 7 Prospect Row, CB1 1DU 01223 368337, freepresskitchen.co.uk; map. Classic, traditional and superbly maintained backstreet local with a great selection of real ales and single malts. Walled garden, too. Just off Parkside. Daily noon–11pm.

Live and Let Live 40 Mawson Rd, CB1 2EA 01223 460261; map. This smashing pub, in an old corner building among a battery of terrace houses, is the epitome of the traditional local – from the pot-pourri furnishings and fittings through to the wood-panelled alcoves. Mawson Rd leads off Mill Rd in between Parker’s Piece and the train station. Mon, Tues & Fri 11.30am–2.30pm & 5.30–11pm, Wed & Thurs 5.30–11pm, Sat 11.30am–2.30pm & 6–11pm, Sun noon–3pm & 7–11pm.

Entertainment

The performing arts scene is at its busiest and best in term time, with numerous student drama productions, classical concerts and gigs culminating in the traditional “May Week” excesses following exam season. The most celebrated concerts are given by King’s College choir, while the long-established, four-day Cambridge Folk Festival (late July to eary Aug; cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/folk-festival) takes place in neighbouring Cherry Hinton. The tourist office issues various free listings leaflets and brochures.

Cambridge Arts Picturehouse 38–39 St Andrew’s St, CB2 3AR 0871 902 5720, picturehouses.com; map. Arthouse cinema with an excellent, wide-ranging programme – and a decent bar.

Cambridge Arts Theatre 6 St Edward’s Passage, off King’s Parade, CB2 3PJ 01223 503333, cambridgeartstheatre.com; map. The city’s main rep theatre, founded by John Maynard Keynes, and launch pad of a thousand and one famous careers; offers a top-notch range of cutting-edge and classic productions.

Cambridge Corn Exchange Wheeler St, CB2 3QE 01223 357851, cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/cornex; map. Revamped nineteenth-century trading hall, now the main city-centre venue for opera, ballet, musicals and comedy as well as regular rock and folk gigs.

Cambridge Junction Clifton Way, CB1 7GX 01223 511511, junction.co.uk; map. Rock, indie, jazz, reggae or soul gigs, plus theatre, comedy and dance at this popular arts venue. Out near the train station.

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