East Anglia, once a Saxon kingdom cut off from the rest of England by marshland and forest, remains to this day a sparsely populated and little known part of Britain. Most of the landscape has been reclaimed for farming; it is an area of low chalky hills, pleasant market towns, wide sweeping views and glorious sunsets. Along East Anglia's North Sea Coast, you can choose from bustling seaside resorts or long stretches of deserted sandy beaches. Boating enthusiasts come from all over the world for holidays afloat on the Norfolk Broads, an ancient man-made network of tree-fringed lakes, rivers and canals. In this region you will find real towns and cities that have escaped tourism. Legend has it the names Norfolk and Suffolk are derived from the north folk and the south folk from the old days.
Norfolk's cathedral city of Norwich is a wonderful city for visitors. A Norman castle dominates the city. Wander through the cobbled streets; discover antique and craft shops, Georgian town houses and a daily market that has sold its wares for centuries. The dignified Georgian market town of Woodbridge has a proud heritage of shipbuilding, which dates back to Elizabethan times. This town has a unique tide mill and lots of antique shops and tearooms.
Lincoln, during Roman times, provided housing for retired legionaries and there is plenty of evidence of the cities fascinating past. The Gothic cathedral is one of the finest examples of architecture in the country. Both this and the Norman castle tower over the medieval timber framed houses. The city has a splendid Christmas market and some fine antique shops.
Colchester, reputably Britain's oldest recorded town has a wonderful collection of Roman artefacts kept in the Norman Castle Museum. Stamford - one of Lincolnshire's famous towns has a wonderful mix of medieval churches and Tudor, Georgian and Queen Anne houses all built from the soft honey coloured stone of the area.
The bustling town of Luton is in the southern region and home to the British motorcar industry, it also has a fine collection of horse drawn vehicles. St Albans is a historian's dream, with Roman remains including a theatre, artefacts and much more housed on the Verulamium Museum. The Saxon Abbey that was rebuilt by the Normans has some fabulous medieval wall paintings.
Cambridge has some stunning riverbank scenery and magnificent colleges to explore. The Gothic architecture of Kings College Chapel, the well-known Trinity and founded in 1824 this makes Peterhouse the oldest college in Cambridge. The town has an abundance of picturesque streets, popular pubs, bookshops and a variety of other fascinating shops.
Why not visit the capital of horseracing, Newmarket for a fun day out. Also in the area is the wonderful 10th century abbey ruins in Bury St Edmunds. The regions other historic cathedrals are in the towns of Ely and Peterborough. Here you can shop till you drop as you also can in Norwich, Colchester, Lincoln and Cambridge.
The fishing village of Skegness in Lincolnshire was transformed into a seaside resort during Victorian times. There's still a traditional feel and you can enjoy all the old fashioned delights of a seaside holiday. The Norfolk coast starts where the marshes of the Wash meet the cliffs of Hunstanton. At Wells, Sheringham, Mudesley, Caister and Cromer you can enjoy many seaside delights, including the castle at Caister and the old-time End of the Pier Show, Cromer.
Great Yarmouth is a lively, bustling resort with much to see and do and also home to the medieval herring fair and a large collection of museums and places of interest.
The Suffolk coast has many picturesque villages nestling on the cliff edges. Why not visit the quaint uncommercialised town of Southwold, where the beer is still delivered by horse drawn drays to the hotels and pubs. Over the river Walberswick attracts many people to its 1000-acre nature reserve, one of many on the Suffolk coast. The fishing village of Aldeburgh is also unchanged by the years, fisherman still sell their catch from huts on the beach, this a lovely unspoilt place to explore.
The towns of Felixstowe and Lowestoft are bustling and exciting with much to offer the visitor with an Edwardian feel about the resorts. Home to the longest pier in the world is Southend-on-Sea; this wonderful resort also has seven miles of beach line promenades. If you love seafood, be sure to visit Colchester to sample the oysters, Cromer for the crabs, and whelks the speciality from Wells-next-the-Sea.
Constable Country with its rich rural landscapes, willows and church spires is like wandering through one of the famous artist's landscape paintings.