East England

There’s something about the east of England that makes everything feel bigger. The skies, certainly. But also the beaches, the horizons and those vast watery landscapes where land seems to dissolve into marsh, reedbed and sea. Stretching across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, this is a wonderfully varied corner of the country – and much of it is surprisingly easy to reach from London.

The coast is a huge part of the pull. There are Norfolk’s huge sandy beaches and salt marshes; Suffolk’s arty seaside towns and wild shingle shores; and Essex’s underrated maze of creeks, islands and estuaries. Head inland and the landscape changes again: medieval wool towns, quiet country lanes, the waterways of the Norfolk Broads and the great flat Fenlands around Cambridge and Ely.

There’s plenty of culture amongst all that nature, too. Cambridge has colleges, galleries and punts on the Cam; Norwich is brilliant for independents; Aldeburgh and Southwold mix seaside nostalgia with a strong creative streak. Food is another very good reason to come east: Cromer crab, Mersea oysters, Suffolk breweries, excellent farm shops and some properly good country pubs.

Our handpicked places to stay in East England are scattered across all of it: cabins hidden in woodland, old cottages near the coast, beautifully converted barns, wild-swimming stays and design-led hideaways surrounded by those enormous eastern skies. Come for a quick weekend from London, or stay longer and start joining the dots.