England - East Anglia

East Anglia offers historic cities, county towns, coastal and inland villages, ancient and modern universities, beautiful rural landscapes, and great expanses of beach under huge skies.   There are long-established music festivals and numerous fine theatres - and in the outdoor, splendid wild-life parks and bird reserves.   Food-lovers can enjoy the freshest of produce.  An added bonus is the proximity to London.

NORFOLK
The ancient city of Norwich boasts a Norman cathedral and castle, medieval churches, old merchant houses and the art-nouveau Royal Arcade. It has an architecturally distinguished campus at the University of East Anglia, a six-day market, and a wide range of cinemas and theatres (including the newly refurbished Theatre Royal).  The city has some wonderful shopping in speciality outlets, two large malls, and boutique shops in the city`s maze of lanes.  There are some excellent restaurants, dozens of intimate pubs (one for every day of the year in fact!),  and a famously lively night life. Accessible by boat from near the centre of the city are the remarkable Norfolk Broads alongside wide tracts of riverside and wetland.  The coastline of sandy strands and crumbling cliffs offers some of the best-located towns and villages in England:  Brancaster, Blakeney, Wells-next-the Sea, and Cley are among the prettiest.  There are also a remarkable number of stately homes:   Holkham Hall, East Barsham Manor, Blickling Hall, Houghton Hall, Felbrigg Hall, and the Queen`s Sandringham House being among the more notable.  

SUFFOLK
The beautiful Suffolk Heritage Coast is becoming a much more popular chic destination these days with the classy coastal towns of Southwold (home to Adnams Brewery) and Aldeburgh. Farther down the coast explore Dunwich and Orford Ness. For some fantastic classical concerts (and boutique shopping on the premises) check out the programmes at Snape Maltings.  As the port and capital of Suffolk, Ipswich is seeing some major regeneration. Visit the new and colourful waterfront for the cafes and restaurants. Walk the medieval streets taking in some architectural charms such as Sir Norman Foster’s award-winning Willis Corroon building. Ipswich has some good shopping too.  Nearby Bury St Edmunds is a lovely little town with a fine cathedral, a magnificent Theatre Royal, and some interesting shops and restaurants.  And before you leave the county, try to see its prettiest village, Lavenham - offering plenty of architecture to marvel at, such as the magnificent Church of St Peter & St Paul, the Guildhall of Corpus Christi, the Crooked House, and the numerous half-timbered medieval cottages.

ESSEX
Strong maritime tradition features all the way along this coastline with traditional and sleepy coastal resorts.  Visit the upmarket Leigh-on-Sea, often referred to as the St Ives of the East Coast, with its cobbled streets and arty presence.    Shop at Rectory Grove, Elmway, and the Broadwady for some great boutique shops.  Buy cockles from the sheds in Old Leigh recommended by Rick Stein, and visit the nature reserve of Two Tree Island nearby.  Inland, see Britain’s oldest recorded town, Colchester, steeped with history back to Roman times and before, and with distinctive specialist shops.  The town also has a great little Zoo to entertain the kids.    Make your way to Manningtree and walk across the water meadows to Dedham Vale, an area of outstanding beauty famously captured in the paintings of John Constable.  Have a look too at beautiful houses like the Tudor-architecture Ingastone Hall and the 17th-century Audley End, formerly a Benedictine monastery, but now boasting a remarkable  Organic Garden and Miniature Railway.  Every year the county offers the ‘Essex Festival of the Countryside’, bringing together events such as open village garden days, concerts, and fetes.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Cambridge is, of course, one of the UK`s most famous seats of learning, with its ancient colleges, museums, and innumerable book shops.  Start with King`s College Chapel which offers some breathtaking late-gothic architecture, and the Fitzwilliam Museum nearby with its world-class collections of art and antiquities.  Punt on the river, one of the students` favourite pastimes, and sail by the backs of some of the most beautiful colleges.  Shoppers can head for the main retail area in the historic centre and for the designer boutiques and gift shops.  Kings Parade, Trinity Street, Magdalene Street, and Green Street are your best bet.   Outside the county town, Ely is well worth a visit, its remarkable part-Norman cathedral rising high above the Fens, and its winding old streets offering a range of antiques, gift shops, and art galleries. Oliver Cromwell lived here for a number of years, and his house is now home to the Tourist Information Office and a museum specialising in artefacts from his day.   Other interesting towns include St Neots, Wisbech, and Soham, and there are fine gardens and architecture at Anglesey Abbey, Elton Hall, Hinchingbooke House, and Wimpole Hall.  Bird-watchers can have excellent days out at the Fowlmere, the Grafham Water, and the Paxton Pits Nature Reserves. 

BEDFORDSHIRE
On the edge of East Anglia, Bedfordshire enjoys easy access to both the Heart of England and London.  There are plenty of wide open-spaces and excellent walking trails – as on Greensand Ridge and Dunstable Downs, the latter reaching the county`s highest elevation at 797 feet.     There are numerous pretty little villages, some of them built from the local Jurassic limestone.   Take a cruise on the Grand Union Canal or travel the steam railway from Leighton Buzzard.  There are plenty of family days-out to be had in the county at Woburn Abbey & Safari Park, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, and the Monsters Events Centre.  The two main urban centres are Bedford, the county town, and Luton.  The Cecil Higgins Gallery, housed in the home of Victorian brewers, and the Bedford Museum, with its local history collections, are well worth a visit.  Luton is best known for its Airport, its  University of Bedfordshire, and the Luton Town football club.  Its Armdale Centre, opened in 1972, was the first shopping mall in Europe, and was refurbished, with a glass roof, in the 1990s.  The town also boasts a wide range of excellent ethnic restaurants.

HERTFORDSHIRE
The county is home to the ancient cathedral city of  St Albans.  This small, smart city offers some fine individual shopping and innumerable cafes and restaurants, as well as lively street markets, usually on a Wednesday and Saturday in the Market Place and St Peter`s Street.   St Albans Cathedral has a solid Norman tower and beautiful Gothic nave and west front.  For beer lovers, the city usually lays on a festival in September.  For foodies, the  county town of Hertford presents the Taste of Hertfordshire Show.  Hertford has also become popular as an antiques centre, especially along St Andrew`s Street - which also has a good selection of boutique shops and restaurants.  Hatfield House, in the east of the county and dating from Jacobean times, is the historic home of the Marquesses of Salisbury. it has extensive grounds including orchards, water parterres, herb gardens, and a foot maze.  The earlier building on the site – some of which still remains – was the Royal Palace of Hatfield, the childhood home and favourite residence of the first Queen Elizabeth.