The Land of Eastern Promise

Win ponders on why she spends so many holidays in East Anglia

My friends ask me why I am going to Norfolk again: it's dull, flat and there is nothing to see. Why not, they say, explore our county, Cumbria, with its lovely lakes and fells? I do, but not during June, July, August or Bank Holidays, because it is crowded with tourists, which, of course, is good for the economy. Besides, I don't visit Norfolk often! Then I sat and thought about my sixty-six years on earth, and I realised that I had visited Norfolk more than anywhere else. Why?

I first enjoyed three holidays on the Broads. I later explored the coastline between Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton. There is King's Lynn, Norwich, Sandringham and so much more. Importantly there is a good rail service to places like Peterborough with its lovely cathedral, where Catherine of Aragon is buried, and where Mary, Queen of Scots, was interred after her execution at Fotheringay. Of course, James I had her moved to Westminster Abbey. Ely, what a stunning cathedral?

I enjoyed Cambridge and the humbling American cemetery, not to mention King's College Chapel which is a sight I will never forget. There is also an interesting museum.

On to Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds. I remember the friendly stall holders on the market, and the quality of fruit and vegetables at such low prices. Then there is the church there, where Mary, Duchess of Suffolk, and Henry VIII's sister, is buried, and the Abbey gardens.

I visited Constable country, then on to Lavenham, which is part of the history of the once important wool trade.

I have been to Essex to see historic Colchester.

You have so much beauty, history, scenery and art in the area. As a bonus, in an hour or so I can hit the shops in London.

Win Worsley