I atended a wedding here in October and what a stunning place. Along with a spacious hall, with…read morebeams and original dragon features, it also contains lots of interesting information and history of the place. As a venue for events, it has a lovely outside courtyard, perfect for warm evenings and photos opportunities. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly, and the layout of the facilities were excellent. One major memory that has to be mentioned are the super strength hand driers in the toilets!!

I really enjoyed a Birthday Party here in 2007, amongst the ancient beams and history. A really…read moremellow place to eat drink and be merry and to soak up 1,000 years of Norwich life.

Reculver Towers is the remains of a 12th century church, which is located on the remains of Roman…read moreand Saxon buildings. The Towers themselves are perched on the top of a large cliff, which has been heavily eroded in the past and is the reason why there are only partial remains of the church left standing. Due to its location on the north coast, the towers lend themselves to some lovely photographs with the sunset to their rear and the sea to one side. There is a large stony beach at the base of the cliffs, which is ideal for dog walking rather than bathing, as the Thames Estuary leaves it somewhat muddy. Also be aware that the tide can come rather far in at certain times of the year, partially cutting off some areas at the base of the cliffs!! There are reputed to be a decent number of fossils to be found along the beach, especially following storms, though me and the dog have never found anything exciting. There is ample parking in the vicinity of the towers, good paths suitable for wheelchairs and buggies along the cliff top. There is also a pub very close by and a small shop/amusements arcade associated with the nearby caravan park. All in all, a nice place for a picnic or for a stroll.

A beautiful area to have a picnic on a sunny day. About 3k walk from Herne Bay. Not easily…read moreaccessible by public transport. Very good toilet facilities though, which is important on a picnic! Worth a visit if you're in the area, as it really is a beautiful spot.

This is a fantastic place for a good norfolk country walk, could walk for miles in the countryside,…read morethe castle itself is a great find and a great part of english Heritage. Unfortunatly we went many years ago, so I can't be more informative, but this place sticks in my mind wandering about the castle because it was so pretty to view and full of history

I took my husband here for a secret birthday adventure day out to the not so secret nuclear bunker…read more This place is like a quintessential English day out. It's fabulous. The bunker itself is hidden away on a huge stretch of land that also serves as an airsoft site, so we were able to take the dog and give her a good run before leaving her in the car. (The tour around takes about an hour and it wasn't even a vaguely warm day.. Before anyone worries...) You enter the bunker through the front; it was designed as a bungalow so not to arouse suspicions. It's a pretty ugly bungalow though.. ;) It's declared that you *have* to take one of the audio wands through and that you can't commit to the tour without one. I'm not entirely sure the reasoning behind that and the audio tour is.. Well, it's in depth. Perhaps a little too in depth and I found I was just standing in corners trying desperately to hear what was being said over the other people in the room. I gave up after 9/24.. You pay at the end of the tour aswell. £7.50 cash in the honesty box by the till at the canteen. The place is filled with what would have been high tech gear for the era and some fascinating communication devices as well as air filtration pump rooms, dorms, sick bay and some terrifying models of Margaret Thatcher. There is some defiantly British signage going on, honesty boxes and the canteen at the end selling rainbow rubbers and marbles, Mars bars, soup and tea and cakes. It's like it all the old trips I used to do as a kid over the holidays. Apparently guide/scout troops can even do sleep overs there. Pretty jealous of that to be honest. You are only allowed to take pictures on the inside if you buy a permit from the canteen first, before entering the bunker. They're £5. Bleurgh. Obviously the people who run this place as super passionate about it and it's very well kept and informative and totally worth while. It's only £7.50 (cash only) to enter and I will definitely be going back again!

I was in my friends car one night driving around quite randomly as we often do, and we were hoping…read moreto find something exciting, something unusual, something almost conspiratorial. Because that's what guys do - we drive around like we're in our own spy movie, or like we're police officers. We find life pretty boring and we want to find that something a bit...... special. A bit rare. So imagine our surprise when driving through middle of nowhereville when we saw.... you guessed it....... a sign for a SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER!. This is what all guys dream of!. What could be better than finding a nuclear bunker!. We rushed over there, desperate to see it. It didn't occur to us that at 3am it might be closed. So we went back another time. This place is amazing. Right there, in the middle of a load of fields in Essex lies a disused nuclear bunker. This was built just after the war; in case of a Nuclear Attack. It was a place the government could go and continue their work, I imagine, while the rest of us got radioactive poisoning. Anyways, the place was decommissioned a few years ago and now it is open to the public. You have to go!. It's great. There are a load of levels, going deeper and deeper underground... and they used to do all sorts of stuff down here; and they have these little beds, and these hundreds of computers. It's just an endlessly fascinating place which is now privately owned. It is almost too strange to be true. Whoever you are, whatever your interests... check this place out, absolutely crazy. And the guy who now privately owns it is usually in the snack bar (which you reach at the end) and is happy to discuss the place whilst selling you a Pot Noodle and a Kit Kat.

Iken is on the way to nowhere. On the opposite bank of the River Alde from Aldeburgh itself, this…read moresmall hamlet is set in quiet marshland, seemingly lost in solitude. But it was once a buzzing place: in 654AD the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that St Botolph founded his Minster here. He came to be one of the most venerated saints in mediaeval England and Denmark, a local patron saint of travellers as well as an important figure in the conversion of eastern England to Christianity. Many churches still bear his dedication. Unfortunately, nothing remains of St Botolph's foundation, but the church on the site dedicated to him is a delight: unusually, the Norman nave, built in the late 1100's, is still thatched rather than tiled. It has a robust tower dating from the mid 15th century, made of Suffolk flint, and an odd flint and brick porch of uncertain date. The chancel is Victorian, replacing one which became ruinous in the 18th century. The interior is rather spartan, with scrubbed walls and red floor tiles. But it has an excellent 15th century font, with handsome, robust carvings of angels and the evangelists. More interesting still are the substantial remains of a Saxon cross, dating from the 9th century, with vigorous swirling patterns and zoomorphic elements of dogs or wolves, and what may be a serpent. After a walk around the church, go back outside to enjoy the tranquil setting. There are some lovely walks in the surrounding area.

Elm Hill is a great place to wander around wasting time. A…read morefew years ago I had been in the church crypt here, with friends, having coffee and wandered off to look in the fantasy bookshop. The area is medieval, pretty and quaint with little courtyards off it. Antique shops, craft and book shops etc. I wandered down a coutyard and there was a taxidermists shop. The door was open so I went in and looked around..no-one came and I left. Back with my friends we got a taxi back to the uni and they told me there was no taxidermists???? Some time later I saw a book in a shop in Lincoln called Shadows in the Watchgate by Mike Jeffries. It was a spooky scary fantasy set in Elm Hill and with an evil taxidermist who lived there. I had a bit of a panic..my friends said there was no taxidermist soanyway eventually my cousin told me there was and she knew him. PHEW! Elm Hill was also converted into the village of Wall and the bookshop became the pub in Neil Gaimans film Stardust. Enchanting place and on a warm summer day explore..sit under the trees and dream. (read the book and see the film too) :0)))

Somewhere you will find in all the guide books, take yourself off the beaten track and visit old…read moreNorwich. The cobbles of Elm hill with their range of antique shops, galleries, and specialist shops are legendary. At the top you will find the Britons Arms, one of the oldest coffee shops in the city, and you may not know that the street was used in the film Stardust. Take time to browse, and investigate the little courtyards that lead off - including a lovely quaint tea shop tucked away - Elm Hill's fab secret! Elm Hill was named after the beautiful Elm Trees, sadly they suffered from Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s but Elm Hill lives on and no visit to Norwich should be complete without it.

Beautiful old buiding which has been lovingly restored. We attended a wedding there which was only…read moresmall and we were concerned it we be too big but they had a lovely room just the right size. The gardens were stunning which made great photographs. Not been on an open day but understand it's well worth a visit.

A beautiful destination on a sunny day!…read more This castle and gardens are quite a sight. Several floors are available to wander through at your leisure including rooms furnished with tables, chairs and props to give an idea of life in the castle. After you've had your fill of admiring the architecture, make your way around the grounds and see a variety of unusual foliage. Definitely a place I'll visit again through the seasons!

Was spending a lazy Sunday driving around the country side with my cousin. She suggested we visit…read morethe castle as it was one of two weekend they have the snow drop festival. The grounds of the castle are lovely and we had a nice stroll looking at the snow drops. The castle itself was very informative and learnt a lot about the lifestyle during the time it was built. I really liked they had a small cafe on the entry level. They also have outdoor sitting for picnics in the warmer season. A little disappointed that the basement level was under renovation. Snow drop festival was a nice touch and happy that we made the last weekend of the season. Map and information brochure provided on arrival also mentioned other event such as jousting tournaments and festivals throughout the year. The place is dog friendly.

Beautiful property that even the Queen visits some times during her travels in the UK. I did not…read morehave time to see the inside of the property unfortunately, however the outside is beautiful and it has amazing gardens. They even have a train going around one of the gardens for children. It is open longer hours in the summer and you can spend 2-3 hours here.

This is a fantastic day out for young kids, my 1 year old and 3 year old loved it. Audley House…read moreitself and the grounds are spectacular, and there is a car park right next to the train station. Tickets for the trains are very reasonably priced, and the trains go roughly every 20 mins. The 1.5 mile trip is great, the engines are wonderfully maintained and there are lots of teddy bears dotted around the wood that the kids love pointing out. Crucially you need to check the opening times before planning a trip here. For the 2012 season the railway was only open at the weekends and school holidays, and even then only from 12 noon to 4.45pm (with the last steam train departure at 4pm). It's also the sort of venue that suits decent weather. The train carriages are covered, however there is also a large open 'Picnic and Play' area beside the terminal that has great play equipment, but would be much less pleasant in rainy weather. Other nice touches are the cafe and the guided Fairy Walk that kids can take through the woods. Overall a fantastic afternoon, just make sure to check the timetable and weather forecast.