Things to do in East of England
52 places worth stopping for and 6 places to stay on a road trip through East of England.
See and do
Beach · Holkham
Holkham Beach
A huge, flat beach backed by pine woods and dunes, one of the finest in England.
Wildlife · Morston
Blakeney Point seal trips
A boat from Morston Quay takes you to England's biggest grey seal colony.
Walk · Burnham Overy StaitheHidden gem
Burnham Overy Staithe to Gun Hill walk
A coastal path along the sea wall and across the marsh towards the dunes at Holkham.
- History
History · Berney ArmsHidden gem
Berney Arms Windmill
A tall windmill in the middle of the marshes, reached only by foot, boat or train.
Wildlife · HorseyHidden gem
Horsey Windpump and Gap
A National Trust windpump on the Broads with a short walk to a beach where grey seals pup.
Beach · Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea beach huts
A long line of brightly painted beach huts sits among pine trees, behind a sandy beach at the end of a narrow road.
Wildlife · OrfordHidden gem
Orford Ness
A shingle spit used for secret Cold War weapons tests, now a National Trust nature reserve reached by ferry.
Town · Cromer
Cromer Pier and crab
A Victorian seaside town with a pier, a lighthouse and local Cromer crab.
Town · Lavenham
Lavenham
One of the best-preserved medieval wool towns in England, with crooked timber-framed houses.
Town · Southwold
Southwold Pier and beach huts
A small seaside town with a pier, a lighthouse in the street and rows of colourful huts.
Wildlife · Westleton
Minsmere RSPB reserve
A famous coastal bird reserve with reedbeds, heath and a beach, good for avocets and marsh harriers.
History · Ely
Ely Cathedral
A cathedral rising above the Fens, nicknamed the Ship of the Fens, with an octagonal tower.
History · Holkham
Holkham Hall
A grand Palladian hall designed by William Kent, with a deer park running to the sea.
Wildlife · Titchwell
Titchwell Marsh RSPB
An RSPB reserve with reedbeds, a lagoon and a short boardwalk to a sandy beach.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · ChelmondistonHidden gem
Pin Mill
A tiny hamlet on the Orwell with old barges, a famous pub and Ransome associations.
History · HappisburghHidden gem
Happisburgh Lighthouse
A red-and-white striped lighthouse that is the oldest working one in East Anglia, with open days in summer.
Beach · HunstantonHidden gem
Hunstanton cliffs
Striped red, white and brown cliffs on the only west-facing beach on the east coast of England.
Beach · DunwichHidden gem
Dunwich Heath and Beach
A National Trust heathland above a shingle beach, next to the place where a medieval town fell into the sea.
Roadside oddity · ThorpenessHidden gem
Thorpeness House in the Clouds
A water tower disguised as a house, in a purpose-built fantasy seaside village.
Wildlife · WickenHidden gem
Wicken Fen
One of Britain's oldest nature reserves, with boardwalks, a windpump and Konik horses.
History · WeetingHidden gem
Grime's Graves
A Neolithic flint mine site where you can climb down a ladder into the shafts on guided days.
Wildlife · Cley next the Sea
Cley Marshes
A wetland nature reserve with hides and a visitor centre cafe, great for birding.
Town · Norwich
Norwich lanes and cathedral
A medieval city with a castle, a huge cathedral close and cobbled lanes of independent shops.
Beach · WaxhamHidden gem
Waxham Beach and seal viewing
A wild beach backed by dunes with seals loafing in the shallows.
History · Woodbridge
Sutton Hoo
An Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground where an entire ship was found under a mound.
History · Framlingham
Framlingham Castle
A 12th-century castle with a complete curtain wall you can walk around.
Walk · East Bergholt
Flatford Mill and Dedham Vale
Constable's mill and the river meadows he painted, now a National Trust walk.
Beach · CovehitheHidden gem
Covehithe Beach and church
A wild eroding cliff beach with a ruined church inside a smaller one, down a no-through road.
Walk · GrantchesterHidden gem
Grantchester Meadows
A riverside meadow walk from Cambridge to a village famous for its tea garden.
- History
History · Houghton
Houghton Hall
Sir Robert Walpole's Palladian showpiece, with a white fallow deer park and big art installations.
- Town
Town · WalsinghamHidden gem
Walsingham
A quiet pilgrimage village with shrines to Mary and the ruins of two monasteries.
- History
History · Long Melford
Kentwell Hall
A moated Tudor mansion near Long Melford, famous for its historical re-enactments.
- History
History · West StowHidden gem
West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village
Reconstructed Anglo-Saxon houses on the site of a real 5th-century village, in a country park.
- History
History · Sandringham
Sandringham House and Gardens
The King's country house in Norfolk, with gardens and a free country park around it.
History · Castle Acre
Castle Acre Priory
The ruins of a Cluniac priory founded in 1089 with a grand west front.
- History
History · BinhamHidden gem
Binham Priory
A ruined Benedictine priory with a nave that is still a working church.
- Garden
Garden · Sheringham
Sheringham Park
A Humphry Repton landscape park with woodland walks and a viewing tower over the coast.
- Activity
Activity · Sheringham
North Norfolk Railway (Poppy Line)
A 5-mile steam railway between Sheringham and Holt through the north Norfolk coast.
- Lake
Lake · Barton TurfHidden gem
Barton Broad
The Broads' second-largest broad, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve of reeds and open water.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · ReedhamHidden gem
Reedham Ferry
A three-car chain ferry across the Yare, the only vehicle ferry left in Norfolk.
- History
History · Oxborough
Oxburgh Hall
A moated Tudor-style hall that the Bedingfeld family have lived in since 1482.
- History
History · Horringer
Ickworth House
A neoclassical rotunda house and park near Bury St Edmunds.
- Town
Town · KerseyHidden gem
Kersey
A small village with a ford across the main street, and the namesake of kersey cloth.
- History
History · Orford
Orford Castle
A 12th-century keep with an unusual design and long views over Orford Ness.
- Beach
Beach · HollesleyHidden gem
Shingle Street
A remote shingle spit at the mouth of the Ore with a row of coastguard cottages.
- Beach
Beach · Walberswick
Walberswick
A pretty seaside village with a sandy beach and a rowing ferry across to Southwold.
History · RoughtonHidden gem
Felbrigg Hall
A 17th-century National Trust house with a walled garden and big parkland.
- Walk
Walk · Brandon
Thetford Forest High Lodge
A huge Forestry England pine forest with cycle trails, a tree-top adventure course and waymarked walks.
Brewery · Southwold
Adnams Brewery and Distillery, Southwold
A 14th-century brewing tradition in a seaside town, with tours, a shop and a distillery.
- History
History · ClareHidden gem
Clare Castle Country Park
A ruined Norman motte-and-bailey above the River Stour with a country park and old station.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · LackfordHidden gem
Lackford Lakes
Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve built from old gravel pits, with hides and dragonflies.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · LowestoftHidden gem
Ness Point
The most easterly point of Britain, with a compass sculpture and a giant wind turbine.
Food stops
Pub · Thorpe Market
The Gunton Arms
Deer park pub with an open fire and venison from the estate, a short hop from Cromer.
Pub · Brancaster Staithe
The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe
A seafood pub with Brancaster mussels in season and marsh views toward Scolt Head.
Bakery · OrfordHidden gem
Pump Street Bakery, Orford
A small village bakery with award-winning sourdough and chocolate, good for a pastry before Orford Ness.
Restaurant · OrfordHidden gem
Butley Oysterage, Orford
A long-running seafood restaurant serving local oysters, smoked fish and fresh catch near the quay.
Restaurant · Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh fish and chips
Famous chip shops on the High Street that people queue for, then eat on the shingle beach.
Restaurant · Sutton GaultHidden gem
The Anchor Inn, Sutton Gault
Fenland inn by the New Bedford River, now a restaurant with rooms, good for a long lunch.
Pub · Dunwich
The Ship at Dunwich
A pub serving fish and chips for after the beach, with dogs welcome and rooms upstairs.
Pub · Eastbridge
The Eel's Foot Inn, Eastbridge
A lively village pub next to RSPB Minsmere, with live music and Suffolk seafood.
Farm shop · Wherstead
Suffolk Food Hall
A big food hall with a butchery, bakery and a restaurant looking over the River Orwell.
Pub · Thornham
The Orange Tree, Thornham
A dog-friendly north Norfolk dining pub with rooms, close to Titchwell Marsh.
Farm shop · Cley next the SeaHidden gem
Cley Smokehouse
A family smokehouse on the coast road selling kippers, smoked salmon and pâté.
Restaurant · Cromer
Davies Fish Shop, Cromer
A traditional fish and chip shop in Cromer with local crab on the menu.
Places to stay
Campground · Woodbridge
Rendlesham Forest Campsite
A dark-sky Forestry England campsite in Rendlesham Forest, close to Sutton Hoo and the coast.
- Campground
Campground · Burnham DeepdaleHidden gem
Deepdale Camping
Eco-camping on the North Norfolk coast with a cafe and bike hire.
Holiday park · Hanworth
Deer's Glade Caravan and Camping Park
An all-year touring and camping park in north Norfolk, with pods, bell tents and a shepherd's hut.
Campground · Hinton
Haw Wood Farm Caravan and Camping
A five-pennant camping and caravanning park near the Suffolk coast, open March to mid-January.
Holiday park · Wells-next-the-Sea
Pinewoods Holiday Park, Wells
A holiday park set in pines by the beach at Wells, with touring pitches.
Holiday park · Weybourne
Kelling Heath Holiday Park
A woodland and heath holiday park on the North Norfolk coast with touring pitches.
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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