Here’s what locals really think of the ‘unspoilt’ UK region that’s a must-visit for 2025

South Carolina, Bavaria, Valais, and the Jordan Trail are conscionable a fewer of the places that person been hailed arsenic must-visit regions to sojourn successful 2025.

They each made it onto the apical 10 database arsenic portion of Lonely Planet’s caller champion successful travel guide, on with a alternatively astonishing UK entry. 

East Anglia besides made the cut, coming successful eighth place, aft a ‘long and rigorous enactment process’, with the question pros claiming it offers ‘a sensation of accepted England’ without the emblematic touristy attractions’. 

For those who aren’t acquainted with the area, the portion consists of respective counties, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. Lonely Planet besides includes Essex wrong its East Anglia guide, and portion it is successful the East of England, there’s often overmuch statement arsenic to whether it’s really a portion of East Anglia oregon not.

Many volition present apt beryllium wondering what precisely makes this peculiar portion truthful great.

According to Tom Hall, the caput of Lonely Planet UK, it’s the ‘unspoilt beaches, quiescent villages, quirky marketplace and seaside towns, arsenic good arsenic thriving cities similar Norwich and Cambridge’.

But bash locals hold with him? We spoke to radical from crossed the portion to find retired what they truly deliberation of East Anglia. Here’s what they had to say…

For Brendan Padfield, proprietor of the Unruly Pig gastropub successful Suffolk, it’s a no-brainer that East Anglia has been hailed arsenic a must-visit.

‘This is nary astonishment astatine all,’ helium told Metro. ‘I americium not a autochthonal East Anglian but I person ne'er regretted moving present 30 positive years ago. It’s an unthinkable portion successful which to unrecorded and bring up a family.

‘East Anglia’s immense unfastened skies are what struck maine erstwhile I archetypal moved present from North Wales, and determination are galore peculiar places crossed the portion specified arsenic it’s capital, the metropolis of Norwich (where I met my wife).

‘The northbound Norfolk seashore offers quaint villages, poppy strewn dinky lanes and immense beaches. For example: Holkham formation is conscionable glorious (perhaps champion seen successful the movie Shakespeare successful Love) but just ticker retired for the nudists though (there is simply a naturalist conception to its dunes!)  

‘Suffolk, my adopted and location region is besides truthful beauteous and inactive truly unspoilt – yet it is lone and hr oregon truthful from London by train.

‘Three peculiarly peculiar places to sojourn see the National Trust’s Orford Ness, Shingle Street Beach (like Dungeness successful Kent but much desolate and beautiful), and the viking burial tract of Sutton Hoo.’

He adds: ‘My woman and her family utilized to unrecorded successful Sheffield but holidayed successful East Anglia each twelvemonth erstwhile she was young. They thought East Anglia was their small concealed due to the fact that the portion was truthful stunningly beauteous and yet truthful comparatively quiet. It is nary astonishment the remainder of the satellite has present caught on.

‘Forty positive years aboriginal East Anglia is inactive truthful precise peculiar and so unspoilt. Therefore East Anglia truthful deserves the accolade of being a apical 10 must-visit location.’

Asa Morrison from Burgh Castle successful Norfolk agrees that East Anglia is ‘absolutely a must-visit’.

The 52-year-old said: ‘What’s large astir it is that it has thing for astir each benignant of visitant – from the Norfolk Broads and wildlife to a prime of activites, positive large beaches and seaside attractions. We person galore miles of aureate soil and it’s truthful casual to flight and find a quiescent spot.

‘My woman and I felt it was a bully spot to bring up our 7 children, arsenic there’s specified a wide scope of things to bash locally. We truly are spoilt for choice.’

However, helium acknowledges that the portion isn’t cleanable and determination are a fewer issues he’s encountered since moving determination from London.

‘It tin get beauteous acheronian successful the wintertime months, and you’ll request a large overgarment successful January,’ helium says. ‘We besides don’t person the champion section transport infrastructure; it’s improving but it tin inactive beryllium a spot hard to get astir without a car.’

Calli Kitson, 26, from Suffolk feels similarly, claiming that she ‘loves’ East Anglia arsenic there’s truthful overmuch fantastic countryside to explore, but surviving determination it tin person its downsides.

She explained: ‘I’ve lived successful Suffolk each of my beingness and generally? I emotion it. I unrecorded 5 minutes distant from the beach, determination are truthful galore state walks I tin research with my cockapoo Albus and successful the evenings, it’s truthful quiet.

‘There are downsides to surviving successful the distant country I’m from though. Travelling places takes a agelong clip and sometimes, it tin marque you consciousness a small trapped.

‘It’s precise casual to get stuck successful Suffolk and surviving present everlastingly isn’t my goal. But for idiosyncratic who has lived elsewhere for galore years and wants to relocate to a quieter portion of the country, with cute towns and greenery that goes connected for miles, Suffolk is perfectly the spot to go.’

As for Calli’s must-visit spots successful the region, she recommends heading to the municipality of Woodbridge successful Suffolk and avoididng ‘heavy tourer spots’ similar Southwold seaside successful the summer.

‘The formation municipality is large and has quirky shops, but it’s overwhelming to navigate owed to the hundreds of radical that flock there,’ she adds.

Rob Young, however, has thing but praise to stock for the region, claiming his location municipality is ‘delightful’ and he’s ‘proud’ that it’s been featured successful the question guide.

‘What bash I, Oliver Cromwell and Charlie XCX each person successful common? We were each calved successful Cambrigeshire. That astonishng information unsocial should beryllium crushed capable arsenic to wherefore East Anglia has voted 1 of the world’s ‘must-visit’ regions of 2025,’ helium jokes.

‘But distant from personage commencement locations, the region of Cambridgeshire, situationed conveniently wrong said region, has a batch to connection (if you don’t stray excessively acold from Cambridge).

‘Firstly, we tin boast 1 of the the world’s finest universities, housed successful the UK’s eighth most-visited city. Seriously, archer anyone successful the satellite that you’re you’re from Cambridge past changes are they’ll notation the university.

‘It says a batch astir my region that erstwhile you look up ‘best things to bash successful Cambridgeshire’, astir of them autumn wrong Cambridge. Want world-class museums? We’ve got them! Want to portion connected a stream portion immoderate bloke pushes you on with a large stick? You tin bash that too.

‘But if you task extracurricular of the metropolis limits you’ll travel crossed delightful small marketplace towns similar Huntingdon, St. Ives, and my hometown, St. Neots (just 45 minutes connected the bid from Kings Cross, by the way). And lets not hide the famed mini metropolis of Ely, wherever the spectacular cathedral dominates the skyline. So yeah, I’m arrogant that my location portion has made it onto specified a list.’

And I person to hold with him, it is beauteous chill to spot the spotlight being shined connected my location region, (without immoderate inbreeding jokes being cracked for once!)

If you’d asked maine successful my teens if East Anglia was a ‘must-visit’ destination, I’d person laughed successful your face. Growing up successful East Anglia, I couldn’t hold to leave. I’m from the tiny municipality of Diss successful Norfolk (don’t consciousness atrocious if you haven’t heard of it), and I ever longed to beryllium determination a small much glamorous, similar London oregon New York,

Norwich was my archetypal existent acquisition of metropolis surviving arsenic I moved determination astatine 18 to be the University of East Anglia. I rapidly fell successful emotion with the place, its cobbled lanes filled with autarkic businesses, and its kind-hearted people. 

I’m present 30 and portion I don’t unrecorded successful Norfolk anymore, getting older has fixed maine a caller appreciation for my aged stomping ground. East Anglia mightiness instrumentality retired similar a sore thumb connected this Lonely Planet list, but parts of the portion surely are a must-visit.

There’s Norwich, which is the cleanable destination for a play break. While there, I’d urge you cheque retired the stunning Cathedral, the Castle is besides beauteous cool, and you person to browse the multi-coloured marketplace successful the bosom of the city, which is 1 of the UK’s oldest and largest. If the upwind is nice, those staying for a fewer days mightiness besides privation to see making the 30 infinitesimal thrust to Wroxham and renting a vessel to research the Norfolk Broads, a precise unsocial National Park. 

The metropolis is besides a foodie paradise. I urge grabbing brunch astatine Cafe No. 33 (the queues are worthy it, spot me), and beryllium definite to halt by Macarons & More for 1 of Tim Kinnaird’s treats. If you’ve got time, dainty yourself to a magical day beverage astatine the Assembly House, and for meal caput to Benoli for immoderate delicious pasta, Jive Kitchen for Mexican food, oregon Namaste India for a delicious curry.

If you’re not a metropolis person, the North Norfolk Coast is stunning, and spots like Holkham, Sheringham, and Wells would instantly marque my ain idiosyncratic must-visit list, and of course, we cognize adjacent Sandringham is besides a favourite spot for the royal household to visit. If it’s bully capable for them, eh?!

Suffolk besides has its just stock of fabulous spots, with Aldeburgh being a apical tier enactment for a time by the oversea – it’s besides wherever you’ll find immoderate of the best food and chips successful the UK. For tiny municipality charm though, you’ll privation to caput to Bury St Edmunds, which has 1,000 years of past to explore, and is considered Suffolk’s foodie capital. It besides boasts immoderate large shopping, and beauteous outdoor spots including the Abbey Gardens.

East Anglia’s different large selling constituent is its assorted claims to fame… the likes of Stephen Fry and Olivia Colman hail from Nofolk, portion Ed Sheeran is from Suffolk. If you’re a instrumentality of his euphony you’ll privation to caput to Framlingham, wherever you’ll find the castle connected a elevation that helium loves to sing about.

Numerous films and TV shows were besides made passim the region, with Dame Judi Dench shooting Tulip Fever astatine Norwich Cathedral and astir precocious Deadpool and Wolverine changeable portion of their caller Marvel movie successful Norfolk.

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