Travel guide – east anglia
Go back to travel guide home
Overview
From half-timbered homes to stately Gothic Cathedrals, across shimmering fens and through lakes and rivers, the East of England is broad and varied, promising something for everyone. The university town of Cambridge boasts exquisite architecture, and a deep heritage, while boat trips through the broads will reveal large sections of unspoilt countryside teeming with wildlife. In the ancient towns of Ely and Lincoln are magnificent Cathedrals, and King's College Chapel in Cambridge is probably the finest example of Gothic architecture in Europe. In rural Norfolk visitors can discover some of the country’s finest stately homes such as Bickling and Holkham Hall.
With a University heritage dating back as far as 1209, Cambridge is steeped in heritage and tradition and, as its colleges have been added piecemeal by Royal and Aristocratic patrons over the century, it opens for the visitor like a catalogue of the past 700 years of European architecture. With daffodils and summer flowers carpeting the ‘Backs’, or banks of the River Cam, summer and spring are ideal seasons for punting in Cambridge. Cambridge offers first class accommodation, as well as a feast of shops, culture and entertainment and is one of England’s most popular tourist destinations.
Things to do and see in or around Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest in the world and is made up of 31 Colleges, each being an independent institution with its own property and income. The oldest College, Peterhouse, was founded in 1281 by the Bishops of Ely. Both Charles Darwin and John Milton were students at Christ’s College, founded by the mother of Henry VII in 1505. The largest and perhaps most famous college is Trinity College which was founded by Henry VIII. The college's masterpiece is Christopher Wren’s magnificent library where the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Byron, Tennyson and William Thackeray studied. There are also many museums around the University but most visitors come here to walk around the wonderful buildings, take in the history and admire the wonderful architecture.
Telephone: (0)906 586 2526 (Cambridge Visitor Information Centre) ; The colleges and museums have different opening times
Norwich, the capital of East Anglia and the county town of Norfolk is a delightful city, which grew wealthy as the primary market town for the fertile surrounding region. The famous cathedral is one of the prettiest in England and, along with the ancient Norwich Castle, dominates the city below. Once a royal palace, Norwich Castle is now the centrepiece of a museum housing one of England's finest regional collections of natural history, art and archaeology. On the coast, 20 miles (32km) east of Norwich, visitors can discover Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, which occupies a nine-acre seafront site and encompasses over 70 rides and attractions.
Things to do and see in or around Norwich
Norfolk Broads
Much of the area east of Norwich is criss-crossed with a series of navigable inland waterways, known as the Norfolk Broads. It has become a popular holiday retreat for visitors hiring houseboats and cruisers to tour these waterways, which wind through quaint towns and offer fantastic fishing for keen anglers. There are many companies willing to rent boats to holidaymakers.
Holkham Hall
Holkham is home to the Earl and Countess of Leicester and has been owned by their family since 1609. The formidable 18th century Palladian Hall is the centre of a 25,000-acre estate on the north coast of Norfolk. Within the house are some magnificent state rooms including the vast Marble Hall, which features a magnificent art collection including paintings by Rubens and Van Dyke. Visitors can also view the old kitchens that catered for the family and their enormous entourage. Within the old stables is the Bygones Museum, which displays fascinating exhibits from times gone by including a history of farming. The park surrounding the hall is popular with locals and tourists alike, as is Holkham beach, which attracts sunbathers and swimmers on warm days.
Daily except Tuesday and Wednesday 1pm to 5pm (June to September); opens from 12pm to 5pm over Easter and bank holidays
Blickling Hall
Blickling Hall is a splendid early 17th-century house owned by the National Trust. It is one of England's great Jacobean houses and is built in red brick with a gabled façade and elegant corner turrets. Its remarkable long gallery has an outstanding plaster ceiling and houses a superb library containing 12,000 books and throughout the house are a fine collections of family portraits, including works by Gainsborough and Reynolds, as well as textiles and good quality furniture. The ghosts of Anne Boleyn and Sir John Fastolfe (the inspiration for Shakespeare's Falstaff) are said to haunt the house and grounds. The breathtaking garden offers variety and colour throughout the seasons, with spring bulbs, magnolias, particularly dramatic displays of azaleas and rhododendrons, plus herbaceous borders and stunning autumn tints, and is a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. There are miles of attractive lakeside and parkland walks, and interesting features such as the sunken garden, dry moat, temple and orangey.
Telephone: (0)1263 738 030 ; House: Wednesday to Sunday 1pm to 5pm (March to November), and 1pm to 4pm (October); garden opens Wednesday to Friday 10.15am to 5.15pm (25 March to October), and 11am to 4pm (November to 24 March). From 30 July to 3 September both open on Mondays as well. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk
Climate
England weather is very changeable and unpredictable, but generally summers are warm and winters are cold, and temperatures are milder than those on the continent. Temperatures do not usually drop below 32°F (0°C) in winter, and in summer they hardly reach 90°F (32°C). July and August are the warmest months, although they are also the wettest, while January and February is the coldest time of year. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but late winter/early spring (February to March) is the driest period. The Lake District is England's wettest region.
top of page