Discover East England: Water, Nature and History

East England suits a variety of travel plans: extensive wetlands and a network of lakes and rivers make water-based trips a major draw, while royal country estates and well-preserved Roman sites add to the cultural offering. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in the region, start by asking what you would most like to focus on: would you like to travel on the water, choose routes through the countryside, or explore gardens and historic sites? Options range from short walking routes to a 59-mile trail, and from paddling to guided boat tours.

Waterways in the Broads

In the Broads, visitors can canoe and kayak or go stand-up paddleboarding. Slipways and launch points make it possible to put paddle craft into the water and take them out again. If you would rather stay on board, boat hire includes luxury cruisers and day boats, as well as guided boat tours. These options offer different ways to travel on the water: you can paddle yourself, choose a day boat, or include a guided tour in your plans. Along with the region’s network of lakes and rivers, the Broads make East England particularly appealing to travellers who want to make waterways the focus of their stay.

Heaths, coast and trails

The Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape encompasses shingle and sandy coastlines, ancient woodland, heaths, estuaries and salt marshes. There are also various options for walks and longer hikes. The Suffolk Coast Path runs from Lowestoft to Felixstowe through the Suffolk Coast and Heath National Landscape; check the route conditions before you travel. Another 59-mile route passes through distinctive historic heathland, from the outskirts of Ipswich to the coastal town of Southwold. Both route descriptions give you a clear idea of the scope of the walk, without assuming how long it will take.

At Cley Marshes nature reserve, six hides invite visitors to watch birds, including the Robert Gillmor Discovery Hide. From the hides, you can look out over pools and mudflats managed to support breeding and migrating birds. This is a different way to experience the wetlands than travelling along rivers and lakes: here, the focus is on observation and the landscape of pools and mudflats.

Active days at High Lodge

High Lodge in Thetford Forest offers cycling and mountain biking trails, from green-graded routes to technically demanding black-graded features. The range makes choosing a route a practical part of planning your day: grades span from green routes to sections explicitly described as technically demanding. Bike hire is available for the cycling trails; check availability before your trip. High Lodge also offers four walking trails ranging from 1 to 12 kilometres. So, as well as cycling, you can choose from trails of different lengths, without inferring a walking time from the distance.

Gardens and bygone eras

Grime’s Graves is the only Neolithic flint mine in Britain open to visitors. The site offers an archaeological highlight, while East England’s Roman sites provide further opportunities for visits with a historical focus. The region’s gardens also showcase very different styles of design: Peckover in Wisbech has a Victorian garden. Ickworth has an Italian garden, considered the oldest surviving example of its kind. At Paycocke’s in Coggeshall, an Arts and Crafts-style cottage garden combines with outdoor activities: visitors can play croquet there or picnic on the lawn. If you are planning to visit several gardens, these examples offer both clearly named styles and different ways to spend time in a garden.

Market towns, culture and events

The Suffolk Wool Towns are a collection of well-preserved medieval market towns with timber-framed houses and historic churches. Things to see and do include historic market squares, narrow lanes, galleries, antique shops and independent shops; walks through the countryside are another option. At Snape Maltings on the Suffolk coast, there are concerts and events, as well as independent shops, cafés and galleries. Programme details vary. The Aldeburgh Festival has been running since 1948, takes place in June, and is a concert festival centred on the venue at Snape Maltings. You can therefore combine a visit to cultural sites with a look at the programme of events taking place.

Newmarket is a centre for flat racing and offers visitor experiences related to horse racing, including a museum and Gallops tours. In Cambridge, visitor experiences include punting on the river and food tours. If you plan a tour or boat trip, check operators and dates before travelling. With horse racing, city visits and concert programmes, your trip can take on a different focus from one spent on the waterways or hiking trails.

Discover more destinations: Faversham, Hollingbourne, Cotswolds, East Anglia, Clacton-On-Sea, Norfolk, Essex, Peterborough, Thurrock, Southend-On-Sea, Hertfordshire, Luton, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk.

For the broader travel overview: Great Britain.