Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CAMBRIDGE &
EAST ANGLIA
by Nick Dalton & Deborah Stone
East Anglia—Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Nor-
folk—was a kingdom in itself in Anglo-Saxon times,
and, as you head east from London, it's easy to see
how. The farther east you go, the lower and flatter it
becomes; swathes of open fields, crisscrossed by dykes and ditches, turn
to forest and heath until you come to the watery haven of the Norfolk
Broads, like America's bayous but with cream teas.
The coast is equally low and striking. And yet at the heart of all this
is that seat of university learning, Cambridge, with its ornate colleges
and chapels.
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CITIES & TOWNS
Here are some of England's oldest cities.
Col-
chester
was England's Roman capital,
Norwich
is one of Britain's most
perfect medieval cities, and
Ipswich
is a picturesque river port.
Bury St.
Edmunds
is an ancient religious settlement, while the spire of
Ely's
cathedral rises starkly from the pancake-flat fens. And exquisite
Cam-
bridge
has college buildings dating back to the 14th century, the grassy
Backs dividing them from the River Cam, where students still punt, push-
ing along flat-bottomed boats with long poles.
COUNTRYSIDE
In some places you can see for miles across
fens,
heath,
and
marshes,
but there are gentle
hills
too and acres of
farm-
land
punctuated by small villages of pastel-painted cottages. This is a
landscape (captured in oils by John Constable) perfect for walking and
cycling. And the
Norfolk Broads,
an expanse of waterways where you
can sail and potter about in a cabin cruiser, offer scenery like nowhere else
in the country.
EATING & DRINKING
Crabs
from Cromer,
fish
from traditional
smokehouses,
pork
from pigs that have grown up smelling the sea air in
Suffolk, and even famed
sea salt
from Maldon in Essex: This is a place
of good food, which can be found everywhere from traditional butcher's
shops to fine restaurants. The region is also home to two of the country's
most celebrated brewers, Greene King (Bury St. Edmunds) and Adnams
(Southwold), whose beer dominates the many charming pubs.
COAST
Whether it's the boisterous, traditional resort towns such as
Clac-
ton
in Essex or
Great Yarmouth
in Norfolk, or somewhere more refined,
such as
Southwold
and
Aldeburgh
in Suffolk, or a remote boutique hotel
