What should I do in East Anglia?
November 20, 2021 11:43 AM Subscribe
I've been invited to speak at a medical conference at the University of East Anglia. I'm speaking on the first day, January 13, and then I'm done. Meanwhile, The Russell Group has generously offered to pay for my hotel through the 16th, so I've got three days to rent a car and explore. What should I do/see in East Anglia? Are there any good day trips from Norwich? Thanks
I’ve just been to Welney Wetland Centre, where in January you can see a giant crowd of wintering swans, if you like.
posted by lokta at 12:42 PM on November 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by lokta at 12:42 PM on November 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
Do you like castles? Norwich Castle houses a museum, and the actual mediaeval castle itself is off limits till renovation work finishes sometime next year; but there's no shortage of castles in East Anglia. In particular, you're within striking distance of Orford Castle, Framlingham Castle and Castle Rising Castle, all of which are excellent.
On a similar note, there's a spectacular ruined priory at Castle Acre. And there's plenty more; here's English Heritage's map of interesting historical sites within about an hour's drive of Norwich.
As has been mentioned, January is cold and grey and wet and windy, and you'll be looking at daylight hours of roughly 8 till 4; this tends to inform opening hours (well, closing times) at outdoor attractions.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 12:47 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
On a similar note, there's a spectacular ruined priory at Castle Acre. And there's plenty more; here's English Heritage's map of interesting historical sites within about an hour's drive of Norwich.
As has been mentioned, January is cold and grey and wet and windy, and you'll be looking at daylight hours of roughly 8 till 4; this tends to inform opening hours (well, closing times) at outdoor attractions.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 12:47 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
You might already have been there, done that, but also worth noting that trains from Norwich to London only take about 2 hours so you could do a day in London if that was going to be your one chance (and it doesn’t matter too much in London that it’s dark at 4pm).
posted by penguin pie at 12:58 PM on November 20, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by penguin pie at 12:58 PM on November 20, 2021 [4 favorites]
The Norman Foster-designed Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts at UEA.
Further afield, Ely Cathedral, one of the wonders of the medieval world.
posted by boudicca at 1:17 PM on November 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
Further afield, Ely Cathedral, one of the wonders of the medieval world.
posted by boudicca at 1:17 PM on November 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
For inspiration and atmosphere I suggest the forensic archaeology mysteries of Elly Griffiths. Her heroine Ruth Galloway teaches and explores remains found in various nearby locations which are often prehistoric in nature. There are evidently ample Viking/Saxon settlements to be explored, though some mysteries are more contemporary. The author has on obvious love of the daunting landscape, different parts of which she explores in the various books. Have a great trip!
posted by citygirl at 1:21 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by citygirl at 1:21 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
For a day trip to the coast, definitely head to Blakeney Point to see England's largest seal colony and the grey seals and their pups on the beaches. It can get busy with visitors coming to see them so you may want to go early in the day but it's a neat thing to do and the coast around there is generally picturesque, even in winter.
posted by fight or flight at 1:51 PM on November 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by fight or flight at 1:51 PM on November 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
If you are off to Ely, pause in Thetford the birthplace of Tom "rights of man" Paine. Jacobean doctor Thomas "coma" Browne worked and died in Norwich.
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:07 PM on November 20, 2021
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:07 PM on November 20, 2021
The Norman Foster-designed Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts at UEA.
Note, if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this building is Avengers HQ, or the first part of it anyway. They do decent coffee & cake.
posted by biffa at 4:22 PM on November 20, 2021
Note, if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this building is Avengers HQ, or the first part of it anyway. They do decent coffee & cake.
posted by biffa at 4:22 PM on November 20, 2021
Norwich is a terrific old city. I wish I'd spent more time there when I was in East Anglia.
From there, it's an easy train ride to Cambridge, which has tons of things to see - not just the colleges and Kings Chapel, but also some lovely medieval churches. My favourite is St Bennet's (Anglo-Saxon); the church of the Holy Sepulchre is fascinating as well (inspired by the one in Jerusalem). Ely is my favourite cathedral, and the town is fun to explore.
If you'd like to do something more outdoorsy, check out some of the landscape of the Broads or Wicken Fen (though that's closer to Cambridge than Norwich).
January may be dreary, but East Anglia is one of the driest bits of Britain, and I used to go for long country walks and bicycle rides all year around. If it rains, you have a great chance for a rainbow with the low angle of the sun. Proper rubber wellies (Wellington boots) and a waterproof coat will do you for outdoors and offroad. (One of my loveliest memories is a hike around Bolingbroke castle in Lincolnshire during the Christmas holiday. Weather-wise, it was like a fall day in Canada, just a bit of drizzle - and yes, it ended with a rainbow.)
posted by jb at 5:44 PM on November 20, 2021
From there, it's an easy train ride to Cambridge, which has tons of things to see - not just the colleges and Kings Chapel, but also some lovely medieval churches. My favourite is St Bennet's (Anglo-Saxon); the church of the Holy Sepulchre is fascinating as well (inspired by the one in Jerusalem). Ely is my favourite cathedral, and the town is fun to explore.
If you'd like to do something more outdoorsy, check out some of the landscape of the Broads or Wicken Fen (though that's closer to Cambridge than Norwich).
January may be dreary, but East Anglia is one of the driest bits of Britain, and I used to go for long country walks and bicycle rides all year around. If it rains, you have a great chance for a rainbow with the low angle of the sun. Proper rubber wellies (Wellington boots) and a waterproof coat will do you for outdoors and offroad. (One of my loveliest memories is a hike around Bolingbroke castle in Lincolnshire during the Christmas holiday. Weather-wise, it was like a fall day in Canada, just a bit of drizzle - and yes, it ended with a rainbow.)
posted by jb at 5:44 PM on November 20, 2021
I just checked, and realized that you live in Virginia, US. You may find it a bit colder - if you'd like to be outdoors, dress for a damp cold. Wool sweater and/or hats and socks and a waterproof layer on top works best for damp cold (as opposed to down, which is awesome in a frigid cold, but useless in a wet cold).
posted by jb at 5:53 PM on November 20, 2021
posted by jb at 5:53 PM on November 20, 2021
Southwold has beach huts and the Adnams brewery. If Cambridge isn't too far, the colleges are nice to see.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 6:38 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Ardnamurchan at 6:38 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Cambridge university, typically code for 'the colleges on King's Parade' which are all historical and conveniently walkable, are its tourist centre. The Fitzwilliam (art/antiquity) and Whipple (science) museums are the ones I would visit, also walkable from there; the zoology museum has an impressive whale skeleton.
Ely is about 15 miles up the road from Cambridge. The Division Bell album cover is a long shot of Ely cathedral, and you'll get a similar view from Stretham, part way up the A10 between the two - it's a higher point in very flat land that makes a good vantage point.
Closer to your starting point, Norwich is a town built on hills that is itself absolutely teeming with churches and other older buildings.
If you have the time, I would consider simply exploring villages. Locals forget, but Norfolk and Suffolk are both very pretty when you don't see it every day. Clare's pink houses come to mind, along with the flint covered churches that abound in Suffolk.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:43 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Ely is about 15 miles up the road from Cambridge. The Division Bell album cover is a long shot of Ely cathedral, and you'll get a similar view from Stretham, part way up the A10 between the two - it's a higher point in very flat land that makes a good vantage point.
Closer to your starting point, Norwich is a town built on hills that is itself absolutely teeming with churches and other older buildings.
If you have the time, I would consider simply exploring villages. Locals forget, but Norfolk and Suffolk are both very pretty when you don't see it every day. Clare's pink houses come to mind, along with the flint covered churches that abound in Suffolk.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:43 PM on November 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
(And I have done day trips to Norwich from Cambridge, both by car and train, so that's definitely workable in the opposite direction.)
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:44 PM on November 20, 2021
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:44 PM on November 20, 2021
Do you like owls? If so there's a cracking owl sanctuary in north Norfolk.
Seriously, as people are indicating, there's a wealth of activities and day trips. If you've got three days and the weather's alright, spend one in Norwich, one seeing the Broads or coast, and then choose a day trip from suggestions here.
posted by einekleine at 12:32 AM on November 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
Seriously, as people are indicating, there's a wealth of activities and day trips. If you've got three days and the weather's alright, spend one in Norwich, one seeing the Broads or coast, and then choose a day trip from suggestions here.
posted by einekleine at 12:32 AM on November 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
Seconding Southwold for Adnams, plus nearby Aldeburgh for fish and chips (check seasonal availability).
posted by k3ninho at 2:28 AM on November 21, 2021
posted by k3ninho at 2:28 AM on November 21, 2021
Following on from How much is that froggie in the window:
If you like museums, the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge is worth a day trip all by itself. The permanent collection is varied and interesting, and the temporary Gold of the Great Steppe exhibition will still be on when you're there. Cambridge has plenty of other museums to choose from too. The whale at the Zoological Museum is certainly impressive; I also have a particular fondness for the giant ground sloth.
And yes, the villages are very pretty indeed. I would single out Lavenham and Long Melford as well as Clare.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:45 AM on November 22, 2021
If you like museums, the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge is worth a day trip all by itself. The permanent collection is varied and interesting, and the temporary Gold of the Great Steppe exhibition will still be on when you're there. Cambridge has plenty of other museums to choose from too. The whale at the Zoological Museum is certainly impressive; I also have a particular fondness for the giant ground sloth.
And yes, the villages are very pretty indeed. I would single out Lavenham and Long Melford as well as Clare.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:45 AM on November 22, 2021
If by any chance you are a birder, winter is the best time of year to see huge flocks of wildfowl and waders at one of the most famous bird reserves in the country, RSPB Snettisham. RSPB Minsmere is also in striking distance in the other direction.
Winter is also the perfect time to enjoy the English pub to full effect: in Cambridge, my favourites are the tiny Champion of the Thames and even tinier Radegund. The Ship Inn in Blaxhall has long been on my to-visit list; it has some accommodation so you could arrive for an evening meal, stay over and then onto the seaside at Aldeburgh or Southwold the next morning.
It will likely be term-time in Cambridge so you'll get a great feel for the city with its student life in full swing, but bear in mind that makes it harder to visit college buildings. There is still plenty to see though: the Fitzwilliam has already been mentioned but there's also Kettle's Yard if your tastes are more contemporary, the Round Church for medieval architecture, etc. If you time it right you could attend choral evensong at King's College Chapel, which would be a tremendous experience. (Other choral evensongs are available: St John's would be a good alternative.)
If your interests run to archaeology, you can visit the site of the Sutton Hoo ship burial excavation (a story recently told in the film The Dig), though in winter I think the full facilities are open only on weekends - and bear in mind the most spectacular artefacts themselves are all in the British Museum.
And +1 for Ely Cathedral. The town itself is small and sleepy, but will be atmospheric in the right weather, and the cathedral is fabulous. Don't neglect Norwich Cathedral either - among English cathedrals you'd be hard pressed to find a better one-two punch than Norwich and Ely!
posted by FavourableChicken at 10:02 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Winter is also the perfect time to enjoy the English pub to full effect: in Cambridge, my favourites are the tiny Champion of the Thames and even tinier Radegund. The Ship Inn in Blaxhall has long been on my to-visit list; it has some accommodation so you could arrive for an evening meal, stay over and then onto the seaside at Aldeburgh or Southwold the next morning.
It will likely be term-time in Cambridge so you'll get a great feel for the city with its student life in full swing, but bear in mind that makes it harder to visit college buildings. There is still plenty to see though: the Fitzwilliam has already been mentioned but there's also Kettle's Yard if your tastes are more contemporary, the Round Church for medieval architecture, etc. If you time it right you could attend choral evensong at King's College Chapel, which would be a tremendous experience. (Other choral evensongs are available: St John's would be a good alternative.)
If your interests run to archaeology, you can visit the site of the Sutton Hoo ship burial excavation (a story recently told in the film The Dig), though in winter I think the full facilities are open only on weekends - and bear in mind the most spectacular artefacts themselves are all in the British Museum.
And +1 for Ely Cathedral. The town itself is small and sleepy, but will be atmospheric in the right weather, and the cathedral is fabulous. Don't neglect Norwich Cathedral either - among English cathedrals you'd be hard pressed to find a better one-two punch than Norwich and Ely!
posted by FavourableChicken at 10:02 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
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A car opens up access to a lot of places inland. You could easily get as far as Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds. May still be wet and grey but you’re slightly less likely to take off.
It goes without saying that you’ll be driving around rural parts with plenty open spaces in wintry conditions. There is unlikely to be much snow but still. And you’ll not have many daylight hrs so some of the driving will be in the dark. If that kind of thing is a concern factor that in.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:14 PM on November 20, 2021 [3 favorites]