East Anglia & Eastern England - 3 days - Tour BEE

Mini-Tour - Three Days / Two Nights

The roots of the English lie in this region known as East Anglia and comprising the counties of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex. It's an area where time seems to have stood still or at least where modern life has passed by large sections of the country.

What is always a surprise is how comparatively few overseas visitors discover the region's charms (although it was home to many US military from the Second World War onward). And what a range of sites there are to see! From the ancient prehistoric to the medieval. From unique flat-lands to the North Sea coast. From perfectly preserved villages to imposing Stately homes.

Our tour provides a quick introduction to the region, but after this taster, you'll undoubtedly want to return for a longer look next time.

Departure Dates For 2003:

Wednesday to Friday: 16 Apr, 30 Apr, 14 May, 28 May, 11Jun, 25Jun, 09 Jul, 23 Jul, 06 Aug

Price: $499 . Single room supplement: $ 65

Includes three days touring, two nights accommodation with full breakfasts and three-course dinners, all entrance fees and services of a driver/guide/companion.
 

Day One - Wednesday

We depart from London taking a direct route from the city. An hour or so drive sees us at our first stop, the university city of Cambridge. This sleepy, easily-walked medieval city provides a superb gateway to East Anglia. We'll visit one of the colleges, and see students punt on the backs of the River Cam. There's also the excellent Fitzwilliam museum to visit and great shopping! We continue into the county of Suffolk and make our next stop the museum of East Anglia life in Stowmarket. This 70-acre all weather museum has reconstruction of buildings including a water mill. There are displays on Victorian domestic life, gypsies, farming and industry, plus historic films and videos, all of which make it an ideal place to spend a couple of hours.

Day Two - Thursday

Our first stop today will be at one of the UK's most important archeological sites, that of the Anglo-Saxon Royal Cemetery at Sutton Hoo (www.suttonhoo.org). Here you'll see the uncovered remains of our earliest Saxon ancestors, and learn about their way of life and death. Next on our itinerary will be the impressive Framlingham Castle. This superb 12th-century castle which, from the outside, looks almost the same as when it was built. From the continuous curtain wall, linking 13 towers, there are excellent views over Framlingham and the charming reed-fringed mere. At different times, the castle has been a fortress, an Elizabethan prison, a poor house and a school. Then we'll follow the coast road visiting charming coastal villages like Aledbutgh (home of classical composer Benjamin Brittain) and Southwold.

Further north there's an area of outstanding scenic beauty, the Norfolk Broads. The Broads are a network of 200 miles of internal waterways, initially dug to drain the local fens and reclaim the land. Now there are used extensively for leisure activities and are home to a wide variety of wild life and birds.

Woodbridge

Day Three - Friday

Lavenham is often referred to as the prettiest village in England. It's certainly historic with its streets of restored Tudor timber-framed buildings. One such is the guildhall museum with exhibits on wool industry of East Anglia. The garden contains examples of plants used in wool industry, plus a parish 'lock-up' and mortuary! Nearby Sudbury offers us a completely different attraction, the home and studio of the 18th century artist Thomas Gainsborough with its large display of artists' work, 18th-century furniture and memorabilia. We've some lovely rural scenery to tour through and at certain times of the year we'll see the great lavender field in bloom. On our return to London, we'll tour through Essex, and definitely take in the villages of Thaxted & Finchingfield where the typical black and white cottages, gathered around village ponds, make it seem unbelievable that barely an hour's drive away is the great London metropolis. We'll arrive back into London by 6 pm.