South East England

M

Martin 1

Joined
Oct 26, 2020
Posts
6
Likes collected
7
Location
Huddersfield, UK
Funster No
77,248
MH
Motor Roller
Exp
I am new
We have never been down the South East of England. If you have any recomendations of Towns and cities to visit along with camp sites and pub stop overs would be great. The area I am looking at is between Bury ST Edmunds / Ipswich coming round the coast to Deal. Looking at having a 20 day break.
I have been doing some work on the internet without much sucsess. I thought of going to places like Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich I am not finding many posatives for visiting which supprises me.
Thanks for any help and recomendations.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Speaking as a SE London boy (Greenwich) I can assure you that none of those places qualifies as the South East of England. Kent is the SE. FWIW I know nothing about Huddersfield and, just at the moment, wouldn't be able to point to it on a map. Funny how parochial we can be about such a small island.
 
Upvote 0
Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex are fantastic places to visit, full of history, beauty and miles of sandy coastline. I'd start at the Norfolk Broads, and work my way down Through Southwold, Sutton Hoo, Constable Country, Dedham etc then into Essex via Manningtree to visit The Naze and Frinton. Colchester is a very historic city, plenty of Roman connections.

Can't believe you're struggling to find places to visit ...

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Sandwich has a good site , 10 min walk in to the lovely historic town.
Great walk from Sandwich to Deal crossing the Royal Saint George golf course, about a 2 hour stroll , easy to get the train back if you don’t fancy the return walk.
Nice small site at Bearsted , near Maidstone, good for a visit to Leeds Castle , if that’s your thing.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Well British Rail Network SouthEast covered Kings Lynn down to the Isle of Wight, so let's not get too precious about where the borders are.

Kent of course is the single most southeastern county, but cannot in my view claim to be "The South East" which generally includes East Anglia and London.

I took would suggest starting in Norfolk, possibly the North Norfolk coast.

Norwich, Ely, Cambridge, Bury, UK Ipswich and Colchester are all worth visiting but are all big conurbations if that's what the OP is after.? Coastal wise Southwold, Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, Clacton and Southend before crossing the Thames, then Margate, Dover along the south coast certainly as far as Hastings.

Depends on interests, but there is so much to do and see. Just thinking localish to here we have castles galore, as already mentioned do not miss Sutton Hoo, but within just a few miles of that, there is Orford, Bawdsey Radar Museum, Snape Maltings, Woodbridge Tide Mill, the Suffolk Punch Trust (unique heavy horses) and the UFO trail. If approaching from the A14, the National horseracing museum at Newmarket is interesting even if you don't follow horseracing.

Also Banham Zoo, Dad's Army museum at Thetford., Bressingham, Duxford, Thursford, Size well Visitor centre, Felixstowe fort and museum and dock view point all at Landguard, and I have yet to step outside East Anglia.

Once across the river, Thames loads of interesting places in Kent. Dover castle and Dungeness for example. If cutting across the south coast, the aforementioned places. If you get as far as Southsea a Hovercraft ride to Ryde then the train gets you to see a small part of the island without taking the van across.

I suggest looking at the Visit Britain website and the various tourist boards.

There are loads and loads of sites and CL size places to stay.

Most of the above places need half a day or more to do justice to them.

Possibly best if the OP responds with the things of personal interest. We can then come up with further suggestions and possible stopping places.
 
Upvote 0
Ps. I wouldn't bother with Chelmsford on your list.

Bury the cathedral and cathedral gardens but plenty more as well. Ipswich Christchurch Mansion and see the Ancient House (not open) and walk to the waterfront catching Wolsey's Gate. You can park the Moho in Portman Road carpark although avoid match days.

If thinking of including London, go in by train.
 
Upvote 0
If you are after adventures and pastures new/exotic after Yorkshire I would try the M62 westbound first and then progress from there! :LOL:
Canterbury Park and Ride makes a great base for exploring Kent, free buses into town and travel on from there or just use as overnight stop between travels
 
Upvote 0
Interesting take on what constitutes the "south east". Personally I would say that anywhere below a line drawn across the map from the Thames Estuary to the Bristol Channel is "south" which would make Kent and parts of south London (including Surrey) and East Sussex the "South East". East Anglia is just that - eastern England. It all depends where you are on the map to start with . . . . . .

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Possibly best not to suggest to the people of Norfolk and Suffolk that they are part of SE England.😀

The official SE Region consists of the nine counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. However this is largely used for statistical purposes which is not particularly relevant to where to visit. I would thoroughly recommend the South Downs, fine countryside stretching from Eastbourne to Winchester. Winchester, Chichester and Canterbury are all nice Cities, so is Salisbury but that is officially in the SW Region.
 
Upvote 0
The Five Miles From Anywhere pub is right next to the Western edge of Suffolk on the bank of the River Cam but an overnight stop is/was allowed if you're eating in the pub so may be of interest. Best to phone ahead to check.
I stayed two nights.......you can park in the tarmac car park or beside the river on grass........

2018-09-03 Fenland Sept 2018 001.JPG


View from my morning brew in bed..........

2018-09-04 Fenland Sept 2018 001.JPG


www.fivemilesinn.com

Pub | Upware, Ely, Cambridgeshire | Five Miles From Anywhere​

Five Miles From Anywhere is a modern, pub and restaurant with a large garden and stunning riverside views, serving traditional food and real ales. Visit www.fivemilesinn.com
www.fivemilesinn.com
www.fivemilesinn.com
Just a couple of miles away is the interesting Prickwillow Pumping Station with a history of fen drainage and eel trapping.
www.prickwillowmuseum.com

Prickwillow Museum​

Prickwillow Museum and its collection of diesel engines tells the story of the drainage of the Fens, the people who ran them, and the history of the local area. The museum showcases some of the region's finest examples of restored diesel engines.
www.prickwillowmuseum.com
Nearby (actually in Suffolk) are Neolithic flint mines which are worth seeing if pre-history is your sort of thing.
www.english-heritage.org.uk

Grime's Graves - Prehistoric Flint Mine​

Journey back in time at Grime’s Graves as you descend nine metres below ground into Britain’s only open Neolithic flint mine.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
Oh, and nearby Ely is a fascinating medieval town with a magnificent cathedral.
Good luck!

Last edited: Sep 29, 2024
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Pausim said:
Possibly best not to suggest to the people of Norfolk and Suffolk that they are part of SE England.😀

The official SE Region consists of the nine counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. However this is largely used for statistical purposes which is not particularly relevant to where to visit. I would thoroughly recommend the South Downs, fine countryside stretching from Eastbourne to Winchester. Winchester, Chichester and Canterbury are all nice Cities, so is Salisbury but that is officially in the SW Region.
Click to expand...
Whose "official" segregation? Lots of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire people say they are in the East?

I agree I would not normally include Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex in the south-east, but it's all a matter of perspective. Ask anyone oon the Scottish borders, and they all seem to include the whole of East Anglia in the southeast. These are generalised descriptions, not specific geographical areas.

British Rail as was had a different definition than the BBC for arguments sake.

No way is Essex in the Midlands. It runs into the outskirts of London.
 
Upvote 0
For Bury St Edmunds we always use....

park4night - (IP33 1XT) Rams Meadow

Located in the town centre. Pitches reserved for 4 motorhomes. 5 minutes walk from the cathedral. Entrance is on the left (no height barriers) before the main car park (which has height barriers). Water tap is on the Gents side of the public toilets.
park4night.com park4night.com

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
meanders said:
Whose "official" segregation? Lots of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire people say they are in the East?

I agree I would not normally include Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex in the south-east, but it's all a matter of perspective. Ask anyone oon the Scottish borders, and they all seem to include the whole of East Anglia in the southeast. These are generalised descriptions, not specific geographical areas.

British Rail as was had a different definition than the BBC for arguments sake.

No way is Essex in the Midlands. It runs into the outskirts of London.
Click to expand...
These are the Government Regions. I am not saying I agree with where the boundaries are drawn or that I would plan a holiday using them, it is just the official definition.
IMG_0622.jpeg
 
Upvote 0
MisterB said:
Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex are fantastic places to visit, full of history, beauty and miles of sandy coastline. I'd start at the Norfolk Broads, and work my way down Through Southwold, Sutton Hoo, Constable Country, Dedham etc then into Essex via Manningtree to visit The Naze and Frinton. Colchester is a very historic city, plenty of Roman connections.

Can't believe you're struggling to find places to visit ...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information. Just strugaling to find info on web
 
Upvote 0
Living in Kent, we think of anywhere that necessitates using the dreaded Dartford Crossing as 'oop north' 😉

But seriously, suggested coastal places to visit in Kent are Whitstable, Broadstairs, maybe Ramsgate (not Margate), maybe Deal and maybe Hythe. Inland there is Canterbury, Tenterden with its steam railway, and the castles of Leeds, Dover (Dover town is pants), Hever, Bodiam and Scotney. Rochester is also a town with history: its castle, cathedral and Dickens connections. Faversham is also a nice character market town with old barges moored in the creek.

Rye in East Sussex is certainly worth a visit.

There are number of good club and independent campsites and plenty of Cls/CSs. Don't know about pub stops. Canterbury park and ride is very popular, as already mentioned.
 
Upvote 0
If you want a nice walk along the Thames there is a nice site in Chertsey.

Likewise for London Abbey wood is good.

Just check you are ULEZ compliant though because I think they are both in the zone.
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top