A historic road trip that starts and ends in London.

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This is a guest post from one of our UK readers. 

If you’re travelling to England, London may well top your “must see” list. There’s certainly much that’s interesting and iconic about this ancient capital city, but it’s not – as the 44 million English people who don’t live there will exasperatedly tell you – England’s only defining characteristic. Luckily, even if you don’t have much time to spend here, vast fascinating swathes of England are within a few hours’ drive of London, and the current economic climate means there are lots of cheap car hire companies competing for your attention.

Failure to explore beyond London means missing 12th century castles, Tudor stately homes, Bronze Age forest, prehistoric monuments, iconically beautiful coastline… stunning inland areas like the Cotswolds and the Lake District… and cities with distinct personalities of their own, like Bristol, Newcastle, or Manchester. There’s lots to research, so this is just one simple suggestion for a brief excursion from London into England’s rich and ancient history:

Colchester-Norwich-Thetford-Cambridge

Colchester by Nic’s Events via Flickr.

Head out from London along the A12 – parts of which still follow an old Roman road – to Colchester, the oldest recorded Roman town in Britain. Although this almost certainly doesn’t make it the oldest town in Britain, as its tourist authority’s claim, it’s definitely played a significant role in English history.

Originally a Celtic centre of influence, Colchester became the capital of “Britannia” while the Romans occupied much of Southern Britain during the first century AD. Although the town has of course developed with the times, much of its 2,000 year history is still visible, from Roman and Mediaeval ruins, to the Tudor houses still standing in the Dutch Quarter, and the grand Victorian Town Hall.

Photo of Norfolk Broads by nickstone333 via Flickr.

From Colchester, follow the A140 (another Roman road – later “Pye Road”, in Saxon) inland to Norwich, which was settled by the Anglo-Saxons after the Roman rulers withdrew in the 5th century, and became England’s second largest city (after London) during the 11th century.

Now, it’s a centre for the Arts, and is about to become UNESCO’s first City of Literature. Much of its historic architecture is easily explored, along with numerous interesting museums.

A nice detour at this point will take you out around the Norfolk Broads, a network of closely interlinked rivers, lakes, reed beds and marshes that comprises Britain’s largest protected wetland. Great for boating (both wind and motor powered) and particularly wildlife-watching, this area makes for a nice rural break in your historic town tour. You won’t be completely abandoning the history theme, anyway – this region was defined by the Romans, who excavated the original peat beds, which subsequently flooded to create the water-scape you see today.

Thetford by lizzieerwood via Flickr.

En route back to London via the A11, you’ll pass through Thetford, a significant Iron Age tribal centre that is thought to’ve been home to infamous Boudicca, queen of the tribe who desperately – but tragically – resisted the Roman occupation. Then stop off at Cambridge, now famous worldwide for its university, which was founded in 1209, although the area has been occupied for at least 3,500 years.

The 31 Cambridge University “Colleges” have different policies for admitting members of the public – check their website (cam.ac.uk) for specific information. Kings College is the best known and arguably the grandest, and offers the chance to hear the Kings College choir in action. The university also possesses dozens of museums around the city, all of which are open to the public.

King’s College Chapel, Cambridge by Alex S. Bayley via Flickr.

Continue back to London via the A10, the last stretch of which runs along Ermine Street – another major Roman route.

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!